...to bring good news...

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

to grant to those who mourn in Zion --

to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

 the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

 that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified."

Isaiah 61:1-3

A Birthday

My family gave me a special birthday filled with...

...cake...

...and a memorable time with all together.

Well Lit Home

Pink Onion

Pizza night turned into chemistry lab. I have yet to ask the family scientist (aka Jason) why white-fleshed yellow onion turned pink in the oven.

Kitchen Haircuts

Hannah and I have been fighting allergies. Pain, fatigue and digestive discomfort are some of the signs that our systems have been exposed to too many chemicals. Yet our hair needed a trim.

Enter our generous small town beautician... literally. She carved out time in her busy season to give Hannah and me our needed trims in our own kitchen. Our immune systems and hearts are thankful!

Excursion for Health

While Reginald and Gulliver went to the vet for yearly shots, I tried out an infrared sauna.

Gulliver was not a happy camper...

... but I was.

No matter Gulliver's and my contrasting opinions on the subject of this excursion, both of our health should be better off.

Thanksgiving Afterglow

Perhaps you remember my family's Thanksgiving Friday Parade of Light tradition? We continued it this year with Maren, Jason and Jason's parents. The afterglow party at our house got five star ratings from one and all. What's not to like about relaxing with family and hot chocolate?

Birthday Past

Mom's birthday was more than a month ago, and somehow these pictures hid from me until yesterday. Therefore, this is a post on Birthday Past - quite appropriate in the season of A Christmas Carol, I'd say.

...to all the exiles

"...to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile... Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce..." (Jeremiah 29:4-5)

Have you ever felt like you were in exile and not in the place you were meant to be? A less than desirable job? A family in turmoil? A lonely community? A body that is sick and weak? A house that is falling apart and no funds to fix it? A loved one lost and with them, your heart?

Perhaps this passage from Jeremiah is for you and me just as it was for the Israelites. Babylon was not their ideal, but it was where God placed them... for good reasons.

To preserve them

To refine them

To bring them to a greater realization of who they were created to be - whole, not fractured as we all are by sin-nature

To gain their full attention

To become their only and true Hope

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Wholeness, future, hope. Aren't these the opposite of what you would expect from an exile experience? Yet God promises these things to the soft in heart, and He never, ever lies. "...I will fulfill to you my promise..." (Jeremiah 29:10)

As we wait, abide in our loving Heavenly Father and abound in this place of exile, He will bring beauty and joy into that land. "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jeremiah 29:7).

Do you see Jesus' blessing in the land of exile? Ask for it. Seek it. He will give it to you. He never, ever lies.

Walk in the Snow with Friends

...my lips will praise You.

"Because Your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise You."

Psalm 63:3

Declaration

I don't normally post twice in one day but couldn't resist sharing this picture with you. How I wish I could have captured the moving, almost living beauty of the skies during last Friday's storm. This picture gives only a glimpse into it's depth.

"The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims His handiwork."

Psalm 19:1

Thursday Evening. Friday Morning.

Christmas Cactus Blooming... in November

Light Through Foliage

The Sweater is Back

Cool weather has brought out the sweater knitting project again.

Sunday's Bouquets: Part III

The last of my bouquets was one I entered into with some trepidation, since making large bouquets isn't my strong point. Nevertheless in the end I was pleased. Dad says this one needs a hairbrush.

Simplicity Roses

Grass (I don't know the variety)

Echinacea seed heads

Butterfly Swamp Weed seed pods

Sunday's Bouquets: Part II

I made my second bouquet to brighten up our main floor bathroom.

Nearly Wild roses

Bachelor's Buttons

Peppermint

Bonica Rose rosehips

Birthday Scones (and Muffins)

The birthday of a very special Mom is fast approaching. Our old birthday breakfast standby of caramel rolls won't work this year, so with Maren's help I whipped up a batch each of gluten free scones and muffins. Why two breakfast treats? Because I was afraid of failure from one or both recipes.

Scones have been tasted and deemed close but not quite like normal. I perceive more experiments in the future. The muffins have yet to be judged by the gluten free-ers, but I have a thumbs up from the gluten eaters in the family. A good sign.

Sunday's Bouquets: Part I

These have been challenging days of pain, poor sleep, allergies, weakness... I am happy to see local farmers bring in their crops for the year, yet I think the harvest dust may be part of the culprit. To ease some discomfort I chose to bring in the remaining summer colors from our garden. I was surprised by how much I found!

My first two bouquets were simple. Blue salvia in one vase and Bonica rose buds in the other. These two vases now reside in Hannah's and my bathroom (that still sports its original 1970's gold floor and counter).

"H"

Maritime Signal Flag Blanket "H" is in progress!

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First Fire

We had a small catastrophe last winter. A log burned too close to the tempered glass of our fireplace door, and the glass showed it's ill-temper. Thus ensued many months of a frontless fireplace - pretty to look at but impractical for keeping out smoke and producing fires with good heat. Now with a new pane of glass and a thoroughly washed door and frame, our fireplace once again is complete. Just in time for a cozy Sunday evening!

Walk In the Woods

My family took its annual autumn color drive a couple weeks ago. While the colors have increased in intensity since then, the woods were filled with subtle shades of yellow, brown, green and gold that I consider a perfect landscape. Here is what I saw on the small side.

Maidenhair fern (I think)

Note: I stand corrected by the botanist in the family. This is actually Thalictrum (known as meadow rue to us common folk).

Solomon's-seal

Fern of unknown name (I need Jason's help here!)

Maple tree seedlings

Aster