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TO MAKE A HOME

To make a home I need a heart 

That knows the power of love's fine art.

A heart that dares defy all wrong

And opens wide it's door to song.

To make a home I need a smile 

And inward faith for every trial;

I need a hope, I need a dream

That in all darkness casts it's gleam.

To make a home I need to pray,

I need the Bible to show the way,

I need a church, a hallowed place

Where I may seek for peace and grace.

To make a home I need a soul

That faces toward the highest goal,

Surrendered as life's way I plod

to make a home I must have God!

~Selected~

Organizing Our Minds, Hearts and Homes

Have you ever truly noticed the exact order of the center of a sunflower?  

Notice how there are two mesmerizing patterns of two opposite spirals?  Each floret is generally oriented toward the next by approximately the "golden" angle of 137.5 degrees, producing a pattern of interconnecting spirals where the number of left spirals and the number of right spirals are successive.  Typically, there are 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other.  On a very large sunflower there could be 89 in one direction and 144 in the other. 

Pretty thought provoking?   Each time I discover facts like these, it affirms to me that our God is a God of order.

The entire universe has a specific order, so why don't I?  This is my current conviction.  I do not suffer from feeling like I have no purpose.  I have a pretty good grasp on God's plan for my life during this season.  Many things continue to change, but the foundation of who I am as a help meet, a mother, a daughter, a friend and a mentor remain the same.  What's weighing on me is  "How can I do it better"?

Christmas Baking List

Christmas Cutout Cookies

Aren't these beautiful?  Occasionally, I wish mine looked like these.  Everyone always says that practice makes perfect and I've been making these for over 30+ years and have never had them come out this pretty!  Oh well, maybe if I was a perfectionist it would really matter to me.  The most beautiful cookies I know of are the ones my children and grandchildren make.  Those are the ones that have broken edges, too much icing and tons of sprinkles on them, but they portray love and laughter and family!

Sewing Ideas

The idea of sewing brings to mind images of such beautiful, dainty and resourceful women sitting in their parlors wisely using quiet hours of the day to clothe their families.  My reality of sewing is something more like a tornado has swept through my sewing room with patterns and fabric stretched all over the table, while the rest of the area is dotted with measuring tape, spools and bobbins of thread, and any other immediate sewing tool I might need.

Beware: Scripture Being Violated

This month our daughter turned 12 and she received a beautiful new Bible from her grandparents with her name inscribed in gold with a beautiful cross on the front of it.  Her grandparents lovingly went to our local Christian bookstore to pick out a special Bible for her that she would love and that would guide her through this period in her life.  

For her new age of 12, she is very mature for her age with a reading capacity of a college student.  Her grandparents looked over several Bibles, consulted the store staff, and settled on a Bible from Zondervan called True Images.  

It is a beautiful teen Study Bible with many inserts in it from teenage girls that are placed in certain areas of the scripture to help others understand how to use these scriptures in their lives.   Good idea, right?  My parents thought so and looked at several of them thinking that it was a good thing.

Thanksgiving and Thankfulness

As wives and mothers, we set the mood of our home.  With the rush of the season, the preparation, the cooking, the gathering....there is so much for us to wrap our minds around, I tend to neglect the decorating, which leaves our home a bit sparse looking.

I'm not one for store bought clutter, not even for special occasions, but I do love a beautifully set table and handmade decorations.  This is where Pinterest.com comes in.  It is my new found right hand.  Coming up with ideas on my own isn't my specialty, but give me a picture and instructions and I'm all set.  I can find things that fit my very own taste and then go to the website with instructions so easily that I have more crafts on my list to do than I'll ever have time for.

Like Golden Apples...

This was shared on my Facebook this morning and I felt it was good enough to share here.....