A Pretty Teacup for Pink Saturday

It's a very special Pink Saturday today! Not only is it the day of the latest Royal Wedding, it's also the 16th birthday of my sweet friend, Emily! Happy Birthday Emily! 

Today I'm sharing this sweet cup and saucer set my son Michael gifted me for my birthday in October. I love it because it features all the things I love: pink, roses, a postage mark to represent my love for letter writing, a key to represent all the secret doors I plan to unlock, and a crown to represent England, my favorite place on Earth!

"Spring has sprung" is a saying we often quoted in the Pacific Northwest. However, now that we're in Arkansas, it seems a little silly to make such light of what is actually a total EXPLOSION!! Spring has definitely exploded in our neighborhood. With the inclusion of the street in front, this is our 360° view at our home. My son, Cainan, took this photo yesterday morning. He's a Hobbit fan and, I'll admit, it does look quite Middle Earthen!

This is our first spring in our new home and it's been fun to see what's popping up. There's a large flower bed in front of our bay window and these lovely things are filling it up fast. Who can tell me what sort of plants these are? The thing I'm loving most about our outside right now is the lovely perfume of honeysuckle. It's absolutely pervading our neighborhood and just makes me so happy!

How are you enjoying your Pink Saturday? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to visit Beverly for more Pink Saturday goodness!

Psalm 61: The Prayer of Kings and Housewives

Our six year old daughter, Kynthia Joy, is in the nightmare stage. It's so strange how some of my children have never once woke me, afraid of what's lurking in their darkened bedrooms, while others struggle with nighttime fear for years. I know better than to let a wiggly six year old into bed with me---once she finally gets settled, all hope of sleep for both of us is gone. After she'd wiggled for a good hour or so this morning, I sent her back to bed, telling her I'd turn on the living room lamp and sit in there reading so she didn't have to be afraid.

Exhausted as I was, quiet time is hard to find around here so I decided to read my Bible for a bit. I'm currently following what I call the "Blue's Clues" method of study. ("Present time, present time, open it up and see what's inside.") I read some of 2 Chronicles, and then flipped over to Psalm 61. Faithful God didn't disappoint.

Psalm 61

To the Chief Musician. On a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

"Hear my cry, O God, 

Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You.

When my heart is overwhelmed; 

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me, 

A strong tower from the enemy.

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

                                                               Selah

 For You, O God, have heard my vows;

You have given me the heritage of those 

who fear Your name.

You will prolong the king's life,

His years as many generations.

He shall abide before God forever.

Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may 

preserve him!

So I will sing praise to Your name forever, 

That I may daily perform my vows."

Only God can take the prayer of an ancient Middle Eastern king and make it the prayer of a 21st century housewife. Matthew Henry* says, "the Psalm itself is very personal, and well adapted for the private devotion of a single individual." Yes. 

I've read this Psalm over and over this morning. The first part that struck me was the "vows":

"For You, O God, have heard my vows;"

and"

"So I will sing praise to Your name forever, 

That I may daily perform my vows."

Henry says the vows he's speaking of are the vows he's made to God---to worship him, to sing praises. Reading it the first couple times, I thought of the other vows King David had made---to his family, his country, his people. I thought of the vows I've made: to my husband, my family, my friends. The commitments I've made to ministry. All of these are also vows to God. For a Christian, a vow made to man is also an implicit vow to God.

Oh, don't I need God's strength to daily perform my vows? It's in praising him that I find that strength. In worshipful obedience, I am empowered to fulfill all my commitments to him---and with joy, to boot!

The second part of the passage that blessed me was this:

"You have given me the heritage of those 

who fear Your name."

I don't have a super strong Godly heritage on all sides of my family tree---not in recent history, anyway. Yet, through Christ's sacrifice, He has made it possible for me to have the same inheritance of eternal life as all the other saints throughout history---the same inheritance given to Christ, himself! Henry says:

"Saints are described as fearing the name of God; they are reverent worshippers, they stand in awe of the Lord's authority; they are afraid of offending him, they feel their own nothingness in the sight of the Infinite One. To share with such men, to be treated by God with the same favour as he mete's out to them, is a matter for endless thanksgiving."

Amen. What a privilege it is to worship, serve, and obey the Lord.

*Matthew Henry was a 17th century minister who wrote an exhaustive commentary on most of the Bible. His notes and commentary are valuable to the Christian who would want to further understand the Bible, verse by verse. You can find his commentary online --- Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

Modesty Problems are PARENTING Problems

You know when you read something and it really strikes you as, "yes! Right on!" Then you stew on it a while...and a while longer...and pretty soon you're totally fired up about the whole thing and ready to take on the world? Yeah. That's me today.

Early this morning, I read an article from my friend, Jacque at Deep Roots at Home, about modesty and raunchiness in our culture and it really struck a chord with me. Partly because the idea of requiring modesty of yourself and your daughters seems like a no brainer to me and I have a hard time understanding parents who don't. Partly because I was one of those girls who had no modesty requirements and got a lot of attention and advances, and a whole lot of other bad stuff happened because I flaunted myself like a flippin' floosie.

When Lynzie was a little girl (and the boys were young too), I felt very convicted to get rid of most of the Barbie dolls. She never owned a Bratz doll. We ditched Hannah Montana super fast. I got a lot of flak for that---lost friends over it---even family changed the way they treated us. In fact, I can't tell you the number of "friends" (and yeah, family too, actually...) who have decided to stop being "friends" because they couldn't handle my supposed "superior" attitude about the way I was raising my kids.

Of course, I wondered all the time if I was too harsh. Was my daughter going to turn out weird? Were my boys going to be nerdy---like the gross kind of nerdy? Was I going to be stuck with these kids for the rest of my life because I hadn't prepared them for the "real world"???

To sum it up, my fears were entirely unfounded and my sense of caution was from the Lord. Now that Lynzie is grown and is obviously choosing to be who she is, I don't feel so "braggy" talking about her good character. She values modesty and purity. She knows she was created to worship God and serve him, rather than to worship culture and serve herself. Her standards have always been higher than my own.

...and my boys? They're gentlemen. They are uncomfortable when the girls around them are dressed skimpy. They don't see it as sexy---they see it as someone's parent not doing a great job of protecting their daughter's innocence. They don't give attention to girls who flaunt themselves in words or in actions. ...and they're not even gross-nerdy. They're actually sort of babelicious, from what I hear.

In the early days, "well-meaning" (read: ignorant) people would warn us we were "sheltering" the kids. I started out thinking that was a bad thing. Then I got a swift kick into God's reality that showed me that's exactly the point of parenting. A shelter has windows, it has doors, it's not inescapable and it doesn't mean the rest of the world is inaccessible. A shelter merely provides a safe place of comfort from the garbage of the world. I shelter my husband, these days, way more than I do my kids, and it's come 20 years later than it should have.

If you have kids, parent them. Parent them according to God's standards---not according to the world's. If you're a Christian parent, you hear that all the time. This time, actually follow that hearing up with action. Require a change in your daughter who rebels against modesty. Don't ignore that voice in your head that tells you her clothes are too tight, too short, too revealing. Stop puffing up with pride when men ogle your underage daughter. You are not liberating her---you are setting her up for a life in bondage to what she can offer a man physically and with her outward appearance. ...and in case you're not one of the tiny minority of eternal Barbie dolls, you know outward appearances fade in time. Then what will she have to offer?

Focus on cultivating a heart of modesty, integrity, service, compassion, kindness. Yes, she might find herself at "Sweet 18 and never been kissed", but she'll also have such a full and creative life that finding a guy will be one goal out of many.

Linking with:

One More Time

Nifty Thrifty Sunday

Bouquet of Talent

Silver Pennies

Happy Homemaker Monday

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Motivate Me Monday 

Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom 

Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy 

A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way to Success 

Amaze Me Monday

The Homemaking Party: Introducing The Eden Concept by Dana and Kimberly Williams

Welcome to the Homemaking Party! First off, let me thank everyone for your kindness and patience as I took my little blogging break! I'm excited to be back at it and looking forward to all that 2018 brings!

Today is launch day for my good friend, Kimberly Williams. She and her husband, Dana, have written an excellent book on marriage and I hope you'll check it out.

The Eden Concept is a bold breath of fresh air! I love the "back to Genesis" concept especially, as I've been challenged recently to study more how everything goes back to Genesis. The Williams' don't mince words when it comes to discussing our messed up culture's views of the sanctity of marriage---a boldness that those seeking Biblical relationships are thirsty for in these times.

One part that especially blessed me were the Scriptures referring to God's role as helper. I'm very happy in my role as helper to my husband but I'd never considered it as an actual attribute of God. In fact, just reading that over again makes me want to go back and reread the whole book!

I'm so excited to hear testimonies from other readers. This book is a blessing--- I hope you'll check it out!

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

Hope everyone is having a lovely week so far! I'm off to my sewing club in SW Missouri tonight. I love driving the backroads out there, hoping to spot a Plain people's buggy on the road!

Blessings,
Sarah

The Greatest Showman: Amen, Yes Sir, Drop the Mic, etc.

In November, Jamie took me to see Murder on the Orient Express. I'm a diehard Poirot fan and the movie didn't disappoint. During the previews, I caught my first glimpse of a movie I wasn't aware had been made: The Greatest Showman. Being the Victorianophile that I am, I've read quite a bit on P.T. Barnum and some of the performers who worked with him, and as soon as I realized what this movie was about, I literally shouted his name in the theater! It would have probably embarrassed Jamie if not for the fact that he's learned to expect the unexpected when doing life with me---and we were the only ones in the theater.

Anyway, I was super excited to see the show this month, to say the least. Our son, Cainan, was also dying to see it so when he found out his youth pastor was getting ready to show spoilers next week, I knew we'd better get out and see it asap! Jamie and I took him this afternoon.

I've been to the theater twice today, actually, because the moment I got home, I declared to Michael that he had 15 minutes to get dressed and ready because he was taking Lynzie to see the evening showing. They're there as I write this.

There's so much I want to say about it but it's one of those experiences that words can't do justice to. A holy experience, even, if you let it be. The message of the movie empowers, emboldens, affirms, uplifts. It frees.

Throughout the entire show, me and the huge lump in my throat were thinking one basic idea: freedom. So many people think a relationship with Christ and a Biblical life are things which restrict and restrain. People who don't understand Christ's sacrifice believe it's a burdensome life that will keep them from all they could be. The truth is, Christ's blood frees us. Christ's covering empowers, emboldens, affirms, uplifts. It allows us to be everything we were created to be and introduces a world of unimaginable possibilities to those who will walk in obedience.

Part of being obedient is being bold enough to be who God created you to be.

One song from the show keeps running through my mind, with just one phrase slightly changed:

"When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna sing the blood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me"

Silly, maybe...but that's what I kept hearing every time she said, send a flood. The blood of Jesus---vital to our existence in every way, it also gives us the freedom to boldly be who God created us to be.

That's all I got, folks. Go see the movie. Go thank God for the freedom he's given you. Then go fearlessly be all he created you to be.

The Homemaking Party: Cranberry Orange Scones

Hello Friends! 

Hope everyone is having a joyful and relaxing cozy season. I've cleared my schedule this week so I'm just kicking back, making goodies, reading books, and writing letters! If you love handwritten correspondence, check out the New Year Pen Friend exchange at The Victorian Letter Writers Guild. I'm taking sign ups through January 10. 

On Sunday, our worship team had a little breakfast party together and I made these Cranberry Orange scones. I had several compliments and requests for the recipe so thought I'd post it here for you all. Thanks for stopping by the Homemaking Party!

Cranberry Orange Scones

2 c. flour

10 tsp. sugar

1 TB grated orange peel (orange zest)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/3 c. cold butter

1 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. cream, half and half, or milk

juice from the orange (or 1/4 c.)

1 egg

1 TB milk

In a large bowl, stir the flour, 7 teaspoons sugar, orange zest, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (I use a pastry blender); set aside. In a small bowl, stir the cranberries, orange juice, cream and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Finish mixing with your hands to incorporate all flour and then knead in the bowl six or seven times. Pat dough out into about an 8 inch circle on a greased baking sheet. Cut the circle into 8-10 wedges, stopping short of cutting all the way through. Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining 3 teaspoons sugar.

Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pan about 5 minutes, then cut through each wedge with a sharp knife and finish cooling on a rack or serve hot. 

Pink Saturday: Decorating for Christmas

Hi Friends! It's Pink Saturday at Beverly's blog so make sure to stop by and say Hi at How Sweet the Sound! Today the kids are having a bunch of friends over so I'm planning to bake them a bunch of treats! My house is decorated for Christmas and I'm getting into the holiday mood!

This year I bought this pink Christmas tree for my library. Some of you may remember when I bought the little pink one I've got sitting on my Grandma's sewing box. {Um, my Grandma's dusty sewing box! Yikes! Avalon is dusting it as I write this!}

This is our first year without a fireplace mantel so I'm a little flustered about where to put some of my things. I know I'll form new decorating traditions but for now, things are just sort of hanging out wherever. Ha!

I've almost got enough mid-century stuff to fill my biggest hutch!

I found these sweet choir boys at an estate sale in Pendleton, Oregon this summer. They remind me of the boys in the choir at Bath Abbey---although those guys wear green.

Had to get creative with the stockings --- no mantel --- but Brenna (4) had the idea to hang them around the bay window. Great idea!

Jamie's Christmas village gets sweeter every year.

This year he bought a fountain that lights up. It looks just like the one in the Bentonville square! He and I are the couple on the bench to the right in this photo.

Every year, everyone gets a new ornament. This is the one Jamie bought me this year. I love it! I love tea things and strawberries---it's perfect!

Another tradition is my poinsettia. Jamie always brings me one sometime during the holidays. Isn't it gorgeous?!!

This is Lynzie's nutcracker collection. I'm going to need to start collecting them for myself now because she'll be out in a couple years and the gorgeous collection will be gone!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful holiday season! Happy Pink Saturday!

White Christmas Popcorn Mix

I'm dreaming of some yummy Christmas goodies!! I've been working on freeing up my schedule these next couple weeks because I really don't want this Christmas season to go by too quickly!

About 12 years ago, Jamie's cousin Amy made this delicious popcorn mix and I was hooked right away! I've not made it in a long time but I'm hoping to make some for the kids soon. I hope you'll try it out too and let me know what you think!

White Christmas Popcorn Snack Mix (or, in our house, Amy's Popcorn)
8 c. popped popcorn
2 c. mini pretzels
1 c. peanuts
1/2 c. dried cranberries
12 oz. white chocolate chips
1 tsp. oil

Mix popcorn, pretzels, peanuts, and cranberries in a large bowl. Melt chocolate chips and oil and stir until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients. Continue stirring every 15-20 minutes for a couple hours until the chocolate has completely hardened. This will keep it all broken up for a nice munching mix!

A Picnic, A Kitten, Some Craftiness, and A Birthday

Welcome to The Homemaking Party! Last week was fun and full---and full of fun! Ha! Wednesday morning, Brenna planned a picnic lunch out on our lawn.

That afternoon, friends delivered our new kitten, Mr. Bingley. {Our Yorkie is Mr. Darcy...Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are best friends in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.) They're getting along surprisingly well!

On Friday, Selah and I went to the Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Festival---a yearly tradition we always look forward to. We get there early in the morning and ride in a hay wagon to the entrance. The annual hay wagon selfie is a must.

There were so many fun things to see at the festival. Selah picked out a gift for herself, Daddy, and Cainan and some peanut butter fudge to share with everyone.

Then Monday was my birthday! Jamie made me this gorgeous cake. I told him I wanted a 1950s cookbook cake decorated all pink and sorta gaudy like they did them back then. He didn't disappoint! Ha! I love it!

I'll share most of my gifts with you in my Pink Saturday post on Friday afternoon but I had to share this photo because I'm just so excited! Jamie bought me my favorite design of the new Pioneer Woman slow cookers and then my friend bought me all these pretty things that match it perfectly! I just love this design! ...and I love my birthday! Ha!

Hope everyone has a beautiful week!

Our First Day of School!

Good morning! Well, I did it! I finally started school for these guys! Hahaha! Whew!

Me and the nine sillies began lessons bright and early Monday morning. We're jumping in full Charlotte Mason (a method of homeschooling that is literature-based...also called Classical Education) and loving it!

This right here. This is the last picture I'll ever take of the nine of them on their first day of school. Lynzie graduates this spring! I told them to make funny faces...

We had a happy morning exploring outside. It was nice and cool but very sunny and pretty out.

Not sure what these two were doing... Maybe they still had a little Oregon tree-hugger in them after our summer out west.

Sweet Kynthia is SO excited about school this year. She's a Kindergartener!

A friend posted these leaf pictures on her Facebook a week or so ago and I thought they'd make for a great scavenger hunt. The kids had a blast looking for the different leaves, acorns, and nuts around the neighborhood.

Brenna was really the star of the hunt---she found many of the leaves that matched up perfectly with the ones on her sheet!

It's only Wednesday morning but I'm sort of feeling like our little gnome already! (I named him Eldon.) One hand to my brow, but still smiling!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful week!

Enjoying Some Lovely Fall Weather!

Welcome to the Homemaking Party! Can you believe, it's 35º cooler right now in NW Arkansas than it was 24 hours ago?!! Wow! We have a much-anticipated cold front passing through and are loving the 50º weather! I think it's supposed to head back into the 80s by Thursday so we're gonna just enjoy it while we can!

The kids have been loving our new yard. A few days ago, I went outside to find them playing a camping game. These boxes are tents and they'd even built a little fire! (Yes, they did ask me to light it...ha! No.)

Our front yard is very steep so they love to push each other down the hill. Weeee!

I'm so thankful everyday for these sweet kids and our peaceful home. What a blessing!