Welcome, Joanna!!

 

Our hearts have grown again. 

Our son Ryan with his beautiful daughter
~ photo by Sarah ~

Little Joanna Pearl has safely arrived! Praise the Lord! 

She was born this past Sunday, March 28, weighing in at 10 pounds, 1.5 ounces, and measuring 22 1/4 inchs long.

But even a big newborn is a tiny girl.

~photo by Bekah ~

Her siblings were eager to meet her . . .

. . . and cuddle her!

And, of course, her grandparents and aunt were eager for their turn.

Yesterday, some of her cousins were able to meet her too.

💗💗💗

The sweet mama with her mini-me. 
~ photo by Ryan ~

Joanna is a precious gift from God!
May we be faithful to point her to the way of eternal life.

Grand #14

While we're still waiting for Grandbaby #13 to arrive, 

I'm going to drop this right here . . . 

(The bow, that is.)


Yes, Kati and Andrew are also having a girl

and her name is 
ELEANOR GRACE !

More Antiquing

In my last post, I told you about my little road trip and a few of you wondered what I had purchased. Some of my readers enjoy hearing about our antique store adventures, so today I thought I'd show you my big and little finds from that day. 

Starting with the biggest purchase, the reason for my trip . . .

~ a pair of Nichols & Stone Windsor chairs ~

I stalked the ad on Facebook Marketplace for several months! We were busy with the holidays or we had company or the weather was bad or one of our vehicles was in the shop . . . always a reason not to go. But finally the time was right and the price was right (the price had been reduced over those weeks of stalking) and I went to have a look. 

The chairs are solid and sturdy, but, as they are antiques, there was some evidence of age and use. A little discoloration, a water ring, and what looked like some paint flecks and a smear. However, with a little elbow grease and some (non-orthodox) cleaning, they came out beautifully! 

Before . . . 

. . . and after.

The chairs are now in their temporary homes . . . one in our master bedroom (at the desk that is going to be replaced by a bookshelf), the other in the guest room (above).

We have plans to replace our kitchen island with a small table. We think it will be a better use of the space. A place for Ron and I to sit and have coffee or lunch, an inviting spot for someone to sit while I am cooking, or a small gathering space.  We really didn't want to get rid of the island because it is a sentimental piece, but Kati and Andrew are going to use it in their kitchen, so that feels right. The new Windsors will sit at the new table (they will be much more comfortable than the tall bar stools for us older folks) and I can't wait to see how it all comes together! 

Now I'll share some smaller finds from the antique store I visited . . .

~ rabbit cookie cutter ~

I dug through a bowl of cookie cutters for this little pop of spring!

~ floor lamp ~

I put this wrought iron floor lamp in the guest room to replace one that was wobbly and unstable.

The most special find of the day . . . 

~ spongeware pitcher ~

Last fall I had run an errand for my dad that had required a couple of trips to the town where my sister lives. When all was said and done, Daddy wanted to give me some money for my efforts. Despite my protest, he insisted, so I tucked it aside, determined to save it for something special.

I have been inspired by collections of spongeware that I have seen on Instagram, so when I came across this pitcher in the antique store, I knew that I had found that "something special." This is my gift from my Daddy. Isn't it lovely? 

One week later, my friend Barbara and I met up with Deanna for lunch. On our way home, Barbara and I stopped off at an antique shop and, believe it or not, neither of us bought a thing. That's the way with antiquing. Some days you find treasures; some days nothing. It's all part of the adventure! 

And sometimes the real treasure is not something that you can purchase. ❤

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

Yesterday I woke to a message from my sister Linda (because she is up hours before I am) sending me a link to some albums she thought I'd enjoy on Spotify. It was the perfect day to listen to some new music (although it really wasn't "new" to me because I had enjoyed it in the 1990's 😊), because I was taking a little road trip to make a Marketplace purchase and would spend several hours alone in the car.

So I chose one of the albums (Hymns & Choruses Volume 3 by the Maranatha Singers) and never got any further because I have played it on repeat and it is playing as I type.

I can't tell you how much the words of these songs have ministered to my spirit. I have a lot of favorites! Linda's favorite is How Great Thou Art/Be Exalted O God, and I love that one. Ron loves He Giveth More Grace/He Is Our Peace and I love that one too. (I told you I have a lot of favorites.)

But one of the songs that really spoke to me is O God, Our Help in Ages Past/To Every Generation. The words echo those of my favorite psalm: Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses. The psalm begins like this . . .

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

The idea of the Lord being our dwelling place captured my thoughts. He is the place where we live. He is our home. He is our safe place. He is our tower of refuge, our shelter. And, He has been the dwelling place in all generations. That is so reassuring to me! He is not just the dwelling place for the men and women of the Bible, not just for the early church, not only for our ancestors who loved God or for our grandparents and great-grandparents. Ron's mom passed away one year ago yesterday, and so she was on my mind as I drove and as I listened and sang. I am thankful that He was a dwelling place for her! But He has been the dwelling place in all generations. For me! For my children! For my grandchildren!

Sometimes we look around at our dark world and it can look scary. We had a dinnertime conversation recently about how very quickly our world (and the "church") has changed and now wholeheartedly accepts the same things that once brought shame. And yet, as dark as this world is, the Lord God Almighty remains a dwelling place today (in all generations) for all who put their trust in Him and enter His rest. I don't have to fear for my grandchildren who are born into this world of sin. Oh yes, I do have to pray for them, that they will see their sin and their need of Him and that they will walk with Him. But the fact that He remains the dwelling place, a shelter, has not changed "from everlasting to everlasting"!

O God, Our Help in Ages Past/To Every Generation

I was happy with my Marketplace purchase, and then I stopped at an antique store that I had not visited in some time and found a few treasures. But the real treasure yesterday was singing to the Lord, pondering deep truths, and having my spirit strengthened by those truths. 

. . . be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .  Ephesians 5:18b-20

I encourage you today to sing some psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs! Maybe you're not a fan of these 90's versions of the old hymns or choruses. That's okay! Just search for some music that you find beautiful, music that speaks words of truth, and let it sink into your heart.

"A Little Cutie" Is Coming Soon!

This past weekend, the ladies in our family gathered to celebrate the new baby girl due to arrive in a few weeks!

We began with brunch . . . because who doesn't love a good brunch with a mix of savories and sweets? There were scones (orange and chocolate chip), individual quiches Lorraines, a mixed green salad with mandarin sections, red onion, cucumber, and sugared pecans, a fruit salad with honey-lime dressing (made by my mom), and mini chocolate cupcakes with candied orange slices (made by Bekah). And, of course, a bowl of "cuties." 🍊

Here is our guest of honor, my daughter-in-law Sarah with her lovely daughters Nora, Baby K, and Eve. (Because of the laws regarding foster care, Baby K's face cannot be shown.) 

Kristin made (non-alcoholic) mimosas which were so refreshing.

Sarah with Bekah . . . 

. . . and with Kristin and her lovely daughters, Maddie, Macie, and Alaine. 

Kristin led us in a game in which we had to guess what baby items were inside of sealed paper bags. It was not as easy as it seemed! 

Sarah with Gammy (my mom, Sarah's grandmother-in-law, The Little Cutie's great-grandmother) . . .

. . . and with me, the proud and happy Gran! 

Then it was time for The Little Cutie to be showered with tokens of love from her family. 

Although Kati could not join us in person 😢, she sent ahead her tokens of love for Sarah and Baby Girl.

Five-year-old Macie was the "shower fairy," bringing over the gifts for Sarah to open.  

And now we wait for this sweet Baby Girl to arrive . . . soon! We are soooooo very excited to meet her and we thank the Lord that she is a part of our family! 

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:

and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Psalm 127:3

The Row Continues . . .

 
Do you remember these posts? 

Twelve Blessings!!
(October 2019)

And then . . . 

Starting a New Row!

(November 2020)

Well now . . . 

THIS!
The row continues!

Kati and Andrew are expecting another little blessing in late June/early July! Can you believe that Caleb is a big brother?! He will be 14 months old when the new baby comes. Their household will be blessed . . . and busy. But there will be so much joy, and grace for every day!

(Two new grands in a single year? Exciting!)

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, 

The fruit of the womb is a reward. 

Psalm 127:3

Where Are My Possessions?

 
I spent some time today caring for my possessions. 

Tidying them. Dusting them. Mopping. Vacuuming. Washing. 

As I vacuumed around the piano, I glanced up at the hymn calendar and read these words: 

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand 
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy Land
Where my possessions lie.

And as I read I was reminded of where my true possessions lie. 

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2

Winter Decorating Goes Orange

Even though I love decorating my house for Christmas (warmth . . . color . . . cheer!), I also enjoy quieting the house after the season ends.  

But some years it can seem a little too quiet. And this year was one of those years. 

I decided to decorate with citrus for the month of January. My sister had given me an orange spice candle for my birthday at the end of August and, although I had burned it in the fall, I had saved a good bit of it for winter. The candle became the inspiration for my winter décor. 

I put a few of my Christmas pomanders along with some (faux) cedar into a pewter bowl on my dining room table. I swapped out the red table square I had used for Christmas for a navy runner. 

You can see the orange spice candle burning on the sideboard. Mmmmm...

I scattered some of the dried oranges that were on the Christmas tree onto the tea service tray and added a few pinecones. 

I wanted a pop of color on the mantel, so I decided to put some pomanders there too. (These were also on our tabletop Christmas tree this year.) I dug out a trencher that I had not used since we moved into Pineapple House. Ron had made it several years ago using a beam from a barn that once stood on our Farmhouse property. (I told about it ~here~.) I was delighted to see that it fit perfectly on the mantel! I bought a set of battery operated candles from Target, placed them in the trencher, and filled in with the pomanders, faux cedar, and some pinecones. 

The candlelight is so cozy on these winter evenings! 

P.S. This has absolutely nothing to do with décor, but when a friend came for coffee last week, I made a batch of orange scones. 

I guess I'm feeling citrusy this winter. 🍊

Hidden In Its Mighty Depths

Words from this poem have been coming to my mind the past couple of days. Words about The Word . . . the Book of books.

Thy Word is like a garden, Lord, with flowers bright and fair;
And everyone who seeks may pluck a lovely cluster there.
Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine; and jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths for every searcher there. 

Thy Word is like a starry host: a thousand rays of light
Are seen to guide the traveler and make his pathway bright.
Thy Word is like an armory, where soldiers may repair;
And find, for life's long battle day, all needful weapons there.

Oh, may I love Thy precious Word, may I explore the mine,
May I its fragrant flowers glean, may light upon me shine!
Oh, may I find my armor there! Thy Word my trusty sword, 
I'll learn to fight with every foe the battle of the Lord. 

I have learned that this poem is also a hymn (you can hear a version ~here~ or ~here~). If I was still homeschooling, I would choose this as one of our Morning Time hymns. 

Perhaps I will listen to it each morning on my own . . . 

1. 
   

Walking Into the New Year

Last January as we stood on the brink of 2020, we could not have imagined what the year would bring. 

A global pandemic. 

The loss of Ron's mom. 

The loss of my aunt. 

Social upheaval. 

So many changes of plans. Postponements. Cancellations. Endings. 

Plan A, then B, then C . . . Plan R? 

Changes of lifestyle. Changes in how we do the basics. 

Disappointment. 

Grief. 

Misunderstanding. Strained relationships. 

And yet . . . 

There was precious new grandbaby Caleb, and the news of two more grandbabies on the way! 

There were answers to prayer . . . for Caleb's restoration to good health, for safe travels across many miles, for big and small requests.

There was the birth of my cousin's sweet baby girl who has been such a gift to a family in grief. 

There has been the settling into a church home.

There has been financial provision with the ability of Ron to do his job from home. 

There has been the unfailing faithfulness of our God. 

Would I have changed any of those things, if it was in my power to change them? Absolutely! Yet my trust is in the One who knows all things and does all things well. 


So again, I stand on the cusp of a new year, not knowing what will be, and I pray this prayer with Moses of old. God had directed Moses to take His people into the Promised Land, and Moses pled with the Lord for direction, and for assurance that he had found grace in His sight. God answered him, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said, 

"If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here."

That is how I feel, here on the edges of a new year. I don't know what the days will hold, but I know that I don't want to walk through any of it, the pleasant or the uncomfortable, the easy or the difficult, without His presence.

" . . . and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." Matthew 26:20

" . . . For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

The Present of Presence

The gift of time is a wonderful gift! 

This is how I've been spending mine the past week-and-a-half.

Loving on this sweet boy and his parents!
❤️❤️❤️

I'll be back to share more. But today I need to give the gift of time to my house.
(But I probably won't be able to clean the precious little handprints off of my storm door glass for a while.)