Thinking.....

...about the many places I have never seen but am familiar with.  Yosemite National Park is one of those locations.  It is the subject of many artists paintings and it is easy to understand why.  When I look at these photos, taken by my brother, I am awe struck at the beauty!  Gary and Margie have visited Yosemite twice now.  Once last year and once this year.  Both times were in November.  The cold, cold weather had not quite taken over, the snow had not fallen and the park was virtually empty.  They were able to take in the spans of the outdoor arena without the distraction of cars and other noises. 

Here are my brother and SIL.  They have been married a year.  I posted about their marriage in November of 2009 at "My brothers marriage."   It is very nice that he took his bride back to this spectacular park just a year after their first trip.

 Included is a map, which I found on the Yosemite National Park web site at:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/directions.htm

The park sits almost due east of San Francisco and near the eastern boarder of California with Nevada.

With a place like this within a couple of days drive of our place...I wonder when we get to go?  :) We shall dream of that day!  Have you been to Yosemite National Park?

Ancient Faith Radio

Glad Tidings of Great Joy! 

http://ancientfaith.com/

Go to the upper right hand corner of the page and click on RADIO...stream it in your favorite mode and enjoy!! 

O Holy Night

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

We extend our warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year! 

From our house to yours!

Fourth Sunday of Advent

On the fourth Sunday of Advent we celebrate the PEACE that the Christ child gives us.  Christ the King!

Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful

By: John F. Wade

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.

Highest, most holy,
Light of light eternal,
Born of a virgin,
A mortal he comes;
Son of the Father
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

These days right before Christmas do get hectic.  My prayers of thanksgiving are with you.  I hope that you have time to stop and take in the joy of the season!  God Bless!!



Third Sunday of Advent

Joy, for the Lord is coming!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joy to the World!

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
 

I am smiling...how about you?

For our granddaughter a trip to see Santa has not always been a happy experience....at least for her.  This year...today...it was! I look from afar...and I'm grateful for my Blackberry because I have access to these endearing moments...and right as they happen! 

"Hi Sweet Girl!" 

Another first today was a Cinnabon!!  LA looks like she is on a mission to get that eaten! To be honest...I would have liked to have been there! 

Below...is the sweetest picture in my memory..of my own two darlings!  Laura Jane was almost five years old and Derin was 16 months old.   It was Christmas 1982 and I won't ever forget this day!

I hope that each of you have fond memories of days past and certain thrills for today! 

Merry Christmas all month long! 

Christmas and the trimmings.

Just like we have done for the past several years, Gail and I spend one morning, early in the holiday season, making our wreaths.  We have learned how to get the job done speedier with each year of

experience.

 

The music is playing, we have snacks and a hot drink.  It's a fun day away from the regular routine of life, and one filled with gratitude for natures abundance around the farm!  Everything we need in the way of evergreens are right outside the door. 

I made an advent wreath among other things.  Since it is fresh, I leave it outside during the week.  It will last far beyond Christmas by doing that. 

This is the day we lit the second candle of Advent. It brings us into the true meaning of Christmas. Hope, Peace and Love wrapped up in swaddling cloth, laying in a manger.  Jesus!

****************************************************

After completing the wreaths I decided to make a few small arrangements to give as gifts.  They are cheerful and bright.  The message that goes with them is one of hope and joy!

 And......now to my favorite kind of designing! No matter where I go..I collect things for this purpose.  I don't know if you remember me talking about gathering organic material just a few weeks back..but this is what I do with natures treasure.  I play..have no plan ...and the outcome is thrilling to me!  These two wreaths are about 12 inches in diameter.  Not big.  They can be brought in the house but they will thrive outside in any weather. 

 For the person who wants something simple, these swags fill that order.  They are aromatic and multi layered with Douglas Fir, Spruce and Noble Fir limbs.  The cones are often found on a camping trip or a walk through town.  No cone is safe in my path!! 

I'd love to make each of you something.....and if you live close enough...give me a call! :))  I'll get to work! 

By the way..there is to be a wedding next weekend and the bride is giving me freedom to present her with some things that are delightful.  I'll be sure to share next week! 

Going back......

 ...many years ago, before I was a twinkle in my parent's eyes, they lived on my father's family farm in Leduc, Alberta, Canada.     I love these pictures because it shows what their transportation was during the winter months in a very cold (sometimes 40 degrees below zero) region of the prairie in Alberta.  The horses were sturdy looking..bigger than average.  I wonder if they were Percherons?  They look like it. 
The photos below were taken in 1939 and give me the impression that my parents must have been having a good time!  My mother would tell me about hitching up the horse and going to town..alone!  She was a small person but had a mighty spirit.  A "can do" kind of soul!  And, she did! 

This picture of my dad is especially memorable.  He stands so tall and proud!
Look at the windmill and there are few trees behind the house.  The trees look like they are newly planted.  On the prairie there aren't a lot of trees and that is why I mention them.    

I appreciate having a record of my parents lives.  My SIL, Chris, scanned many pictures like these, and I copied them from her computer before it crashed.  They are now saved on an external hard drive and I encourage others to do the same thing with your old photos.  It is a meaningful experience to go through them, and be transported back in time.

Come, gone and coming!

 We travelled north for Thanksgiving to the small city our daughter's family lives in.  Bellingham,Washington is one of those places that is easy to walk around and explore. Charming, too!

In the photo below you can see our gang walking towards city center, and little Maggie is the white spot in the middle of the picture.  What you can't see is our grandchildren..but they are there!! :)

On our way down to the river front, this truck and trailer came right by us.  The replica ship was something to see and a little difficult to take in all of the sudden!  The camera was on a good setting for just this kind of photo and that's all I got...one photo.  I wonder what the story is behind this small but mighty ship?  It looked sea worthy! 

Our time away was sweet!  We ate, talked, rested and had a good time!  There is so much  more I could add here..but...the fire is burning in the wood stove and I'm headed for the couch.

The weeks ahead look like busy ones...more celebrations to experience and the best of all is to come....the promise of Christmas....the birth of Jesus! 

Brrrrrrrrr!

14.  When we woke up this morning the temperature was in the teens!  Last night we scurried around,  pulled inside any living plant that has a breath of a chance to live once the temps get warmer.  We also plugged up holes that lead under the house....drained the water pipes out at the barn..turned on a faucet in the bathroom...and brought in lots of wood to burn in the woodstove.  My feet were cold by that point!  I remembered a gift that given to me by my dear SIL,Willow.  A pair of red wool socks!  I have them on right now! They are wonderful in this coldest of Oregon weather, and so for the socks and Willow, I am thankful!!

Monday and thankfulness goes on....!

13.  I am thankful for a group of people who are headed for Juarez, Mexico to give their time to help build a home for a deserving family who presently live in difficult circumstances.  Weeks ago we got a letter/email from Sherry Macy explaining the plan to follow their hearts and heads, and travel to an area of the world that is very depressed, and work.  A new home in Juarez, Mexico costs $8,300.00. It is the generosity of many, many people who have given freely, so that this "dream" home can be built.  Please take a moment to read on through the letter and link.  You may be encouraged and quite possibly want to help in their efforts.  The thing that is so nice is that the money goes straight to the people who need it the most.  Just one dollar at a time will get another home built!
 
 (Please overlook the formatting..something doesn't copy as it should but it is still readable).
A note from Sherry before they take off.  Please keep the team in your prayers. 
Greetings, family and friends!

It might seem like a long time ago that I wrote to you about our Thanksgiving

trip to Juarez, Mexico, to build a house. Here we are in the week

before—and we’re at the point of deciding what goes in our carry-ons

(it’s interesting how little we actually need when we have to

luggage these days). Quinn has sent out all of the last-minute details,

and the group will gather in El Paso on Wednesday. Ah, but it’s much

more than a “group”. We will be building a home for a Juarez family with

a team made up entirely of

children, John and Erin (with our grandbaby still in the “oven”), my niece

Krista, Neil and Randee (Dusty’s parents), and us! If you find it difficult

to picture such an operation with so many young(ish) and old(ish) people,

rest assured some Mexican hands will be working alongside us.

Please pray that no stateside travel glitches delay our border crossing;

there isn’t much wiggle room in our schedule. Please pray for good health

for everyone—before, during, and after. Please pray for travel safety. The

media has focused a lot of attention on Juarez, relating to drug-lord violence.

We are fully aware of this but will be working in the poverty-stricken

outskirts of the city, 30 kilometers away from the danger. We ask God

to protect us from harm in the same way we ask his protection for travel

anywhere else. And don’t think for a minute that Quinn and Dusty would

lead so many of their dearly loved ones into a dangerous situation. Please pray that

God will use our small efforts to deliver big blessings beyond a home for

one family. We also get to hold a food outreach and maybe work in the

clinic, so there will be opportunities to meet the people and see the great

need that keeps drawing the Anderson family to return again and again.

A new ministry is springing from the Andersons’ last trip down to Juarez

less than a month ago. The website is nearly ready to launch, and you can

see a preview at: http://eightythreehundred.org/.

My goal is, again, to keep this short. Thanks in advance for your prayer

support. And thanks to those who felt led to support us financially as

well. We are humbled and blessed by your generosity.

Love, Sherry (and Mauri too)

PS: pictures and full report on our return!

November 2010

Don't forget to check out this web site!  It is the beginning of more building to come!  HOPE and HELP is pouring out for these deserving people who live outside of Juarez, Mexico!  There are several pictures on the site so you can get an idea of what is happening!  The effort is headed up by the Anderson family.
 http://eightythreehundred.org/


If you would like to know more about Mauri and Sherry ..they have a blog.  Sherry is the author and contributor of some very interesting and insightful posts!!  http://www.mauriandsherry.com/

Because it is.....

....Thanksgiving week, I would like to keep a running record of the things that I am thankful for. 
To start with: 
1.  I am thankful for my husband.  He is consistantly kind and my best friend. 
2.  Family...every single person...related, extended, and forth coming!  And, especially the grandkids!! :) 
3.  A warm home to nestle into on these rainy days.
4.  Lots of dry wood, chopped and stacked. 
5.  A hot pan of vegetable soup! 
6.  Bob's Redmill....located a few miles down the road!

SUNDAY

7.  Christmas Music. A new favorite CD is "In Bethlehem" Traditional Christmas Carols by  Holy Nativity Convent. This group of Byzantine nuns sing a cappella. It is the purest sound I've heard in a long time and well worth getting if you like traditional Christmas music.  It can be purchased

at http://www.holynativityconvent.com/Rec_Pub.html.

8.  Samaritan's Purse/ Operation Christmas Child.  This organization sends shoe boxes filled with small gifts  to children all over the world. For many children this is the only gift they will get. Lives have been changed because of this simple outreach of love and connection. 

9.  I am thankful for my church, Canby Alliance.  It is a church that reaches out to the community and the world.  Giving those in need....food, support, hope and much more.  

10. Good friends.  I'm thankful to have people in my life from all walks of life.  They enrich me in ways that encourage, uplift and make me laugh often! 

11.  Watercolor lessons.  I look forward to each session and love the process of creating a picture from things I see in nature.

12.  Fruit cake made with a lemon butter cake, filled with lots of nuts and cherries, and dowsed with apricot brandy.  A little cake goes a long way!

I will add to the list each day, until Thanksgiving, and watch it grow.  I hope you come back and see how it's coming along.  Join me..if you like! 

It's like that sometimes.

Autumn days go so quickly.  The wind picks up and leaves fall.  Some of them land in other trees....

and blow far and wide.  Christmas trees take on a new look right before they are cut.  I can hear helicopters swirling around, moving the trees from one field to another. We all know what's around the bend.  

This past week was a nice break from technology for me.  There was no purpose other than to rest that part of my life.  It was nice and it's like that sometimes. 

"I don't wait for moods."

I like this quote by Pearl S. Buck.

"I don't wait for moods. 

You accomplish nothing if you do that. 

 Your mind must know it has to get down to earth."

This week I have time to myself.  I like it.  I like being still and quiet.  It is restorative and uplifting.  It helps me "get down to earth."  There is much to do. 
I'm giving myself a break from technology this week.  I'll be back!

A crow and a hawk!

A quick glance out the car window (while driving down our driveway) made me stop and back up.  It may not seem like something grand but to me it is.  The sun was coming through the trees, and I was able to peer into the woods a bit further than I could the week before, and that was all.  Noticing the small things is what keeps me looking...and there is no shortage of small things to see!  What makes you stop and go back? 

When we drove to Camp Sherman a couple of weeks ago, I saw two large crows sitting on a log off the side of the road.  One of them looked very big, old and scruffy.  I quickly mentioned them to my husband. He stopped the car and backed up quite a ways.  He saw the birds and exclaimed to me..excitedly, "That is a crow and a hawk!  The hawk has a mouse in his mouth and the crow is waiting for the hawk to fly off so that he can grab at the mouse!" 

I tried to get a picture but of course by the time my camera turned on..the birds flew off.  It was something to behold and I'm glad we stopped the car and backed up.  We may never see anything like that again! 

One little girl has been busy.

Being a certain little girl has brought about many very interesting and fun experiences!  Dressing up as a ballerina...playing with the greatest pop beads ever.....

..making jewelry for the cat.....

...turning cones into a family...

..turning a box into a fairy house..

and making table top nature gardens!  All this in one week!  I wonder what this week will bring in the way of creative play? 

This grammy is proud of LA!  She is a gift of endless possibilities!