A PROJECT FINISHING EFFORT!

FOR WHICH OF YOU INTENDING TO BUILD A TOWER, DOES NOT SIT DOWN FIRST AND COUNT THE COST, WHETHER HE HAS ENOUGH TO FINISH IT--LEST AFTER HE HAS LAID THE FOUNDATION, AND IS NOT ABLE TO FINISH, ALL WHO SEE IT BEGIN TO MOCK HIM, SAYING, 'THIS MAN BEGAN TO BUILD AND WAS NOT ABLE TO FINISH.' Luke 13:28-30

I realize these verses apply to much more than my needlework projects, but I was reminded of them in thinking of the need to finish some stuff I've started!

I am trying to learn to finish the things I start. Enjoying all kinds of needlework so much, it's hard not to try some new pattern or project even before the old ones are finished. Over the holidays (so far) I've gotten a few things "wrapped up." I started the back of the white cardigan I have been making for far too long! Also got the first yarn I spun all plied and put in skeins. You see that in the picture. I tatted a few crosses for bookmarks as well. The one pictured is an original pattern-a little filigree from the fingers!

It's a good discipline to finish what you start. I am trying to discipline myself in this area. As well as the projects I just mentioned, I finished a western shirt and vest for Clint. That was a Christmas gift I finished at the last minute! Also I put together a floor book complete with buttons, zippers, and buckles for Emma to play with. So lots of projects got finished just recently and wow, am I glad! Time to look forward to a new year AND the new addition that is soon to arrive--our new granddaughter--due any day! Will keep you posted.

THE RUBY SLIPPER INCIDENT-CHAPTER 6

In the last chapter, I told you about the day I felt the Lord spoke to me, trying to comfort me about my time in Africa. You would think that should have been enough for anyone. Though it helped, I still felt a little "jittery," and homesick. I remember one day standing in our little hotel room, maybe the same morning, I can't remember, and clicking my heels together and saying to Clint, "I wish I had a pair of those ruby slippers." This smart aleck remark was to let him know I was ready and anxious to return home. We had just moved into our new house only a few months before our trip and my thoughts were distracted by wishing I was home unpacking the boxes, fixing things up, etc. Also I was concerned about the kids. I was just really longing for home in a lot of ways.

He just smiled at me knowing I was referring to the incident where Dorothy clicked her heels together in The Wizard of OZ and instantly returned home! That was a favorite movie for me as a child. As the week wore on and we continued to work and fellowship with the people. I think I began to relax a bit more while still thinking alot about the everything back home.....and then something very interesting happened....there's more to this story....stay tuned! Blessings, LORI

OUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION!
Pictures from our Christmas celebrations!

Emma and Elmo lounging her new chair!
























Next is Miss Emma in a Tigger hat and mittens from her Aunt Rhi!







The next picture is of me receiving a tatting book--a little filigree for the fingers! More pics on that tomorrow!





A picture is of Granny and Miss Emma enjoying a book. Emma was dressed so cute! She didn't feel well that day and wasn't quite herself, but we had a wonderful time anyway!










Here I am, eating again. This time it's a wonderful piece of creamy dark chocolate fudge!
I know these captions may appear out of order, have patience with me. I had a hard time making them line up. I know you can sort them out!
I hope you enjoyed our Christmas pictures.



Chapter 5--The Ruby slipper Incident--Last time I wrote a chapter in this story we were just landing in Nairobi, Kenya after quite an ordeal. When we finally got to our destination we were so thrilled. We were also very tired. It was morning in Africa. The lack of sleep, jet lag, and traveling had all taken a toll on us. I was so overwhelmed with the sights and sounds of a new culture that I could not take it all in at once. I tried to rest my eyes on the long trip to the village where we were going, but there was too much excitement!

After only a few days in Kenya, I began to feel a strange sort of homesickness set in. I was used to spending about an hour a day in Bible reading and prayer each morning at home. This was not possible in the mission setting. We were always needing to be on schedule to meet the vans that transported us to and fro. We were staying in a hotel on one side of town. Our host and hostess lived across town and the church site where we were to serve was in yet another part of town. To miss the vans or hold up the transportation process would have been bad for everyone. So we were on a bit of a schedule for breakfast, etc. Very quickly I began to lose my "bearings" in a sense with lack of Bible time, different food, lack of sleep, culture shock, etc.

One morning I sat in our little hotel room on the edge of the bed. Clint was in the shower and I found a few private moments to cry out to God and express my fear and the "creepy" feeling that was stealing over me. I remember having the strange sense that we'd never get home. I was very concerned and the enemy began to take advantage of my weakened condition (lack of devotion time and sleep) to prey upon me. I learned anew what the Israelites felt like when they expressed that they could not sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land (Babylon.) Though I was surrounded by lovely Christians, I was becoming depressed, longing for the familiar. I was majorly homesick and a bit scared.

As I cried out to God, there alone in this warm,
fourth floor hotel room so far from home, I suddenly heard the still, small, voice of the Holy Spirit speak to my being. It was one of the closest things to an audible voice from God that I've ever heard, yet it was not audible. It sounded very gentle and came to my spirit with these words, "Lori, I am as at-home in this culture as I am in yours...." I nearly fell backwards on the bed as I realized this was the voice of the saviour that had redeemed me, expressing that He was content with these lovely people and if he could be calm and happy here, so should I! MORE ON THAT TOMORROW...THE STORY CONTINUES! Blessings, LORI

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BIT MORE ON THE RUBY SLIPPER STORY!

We are busily readying for the holiday tomorrow! Today we celebrated Christmas at my mother-in-law's. We had a wonderful time! She always sets a beautiful table for us to enjoy!

I wanted to leave you with just a bit of the Ruby Slipper Story to think about over the holiday since this next "chapter" starts to show the amazing hand of God intervening in our lives. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? God reached down to correct the miserable condition that mankind was in by sending His son to earth with the mission of redeeming us through His death on the cross! All we have to do is accept Him, believe in Him, make Him our Lord. So much to be thankful for!

The Ruby Slipper Incident--Chapter 4

Last time I wrote I was telling you we had boarded the plane for Nairobi, Kenya. It was an 8-9 hour flight from Amsterdam. Some people were able to catch a few winks despite another crowded, noisy plane. Others were still wide awake! Thankfully I slept a bit.

When we began nearing Nairobi, the pilot informed us that we would not be able to land due to fog. We did not have enough fuel to circle the city waiting for the fog to lift either. This meant that we were going to Mombasa! This was certainly not in our plans! We had a group of people from the African church scheduled to meet us and haul us and all our equipment 70 miles to our destination from Nairobi.

Little did we know that during our flight, (middle of the night in America) our youth leader's wife, who did not make the trip with us, woke up with a very strong sense that we were in some kind of "situation" and she felt a great burden to pray. She prayed for about two hours starting around 2:30 am. She has testified that she did not feel the burden to pray lift for that long and then finally, she just felt peace and was able to go back to sleep! This occurred at the same time we were nearing Nairobi and/or being re-routed.

We did land in Mombasa and refuel. The plane got very stuffy and warm as we stared out at the tropical sights. Palm trees swayed in the distance. We were not allowed to get off the plane. We just had to wait. Very uncomfortable. We finally were in the air again and got clearance to land in Nairobi a short time later. My daughter recently checked the distance from our destination to Mombasa and it is a about an 8 hour drive by car! If we had been unable for any reason to land in Nairobi, our hosts would have had that long trip to make to retrieve us. As well as all that, we learned later that they were not even able to arrive at the airport in Nairobi because of the fog, they were delayed as well!

It was amazing how God woke someone up in America to pray for us and help our trip to turn out for the best. We take great comfort in knowing that our God intervenes and prompts on our behalf. Wait til you hear the rest of the story....Blessings, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE RUBY SLIPPER INCIDENT-CHAPTER 3

HI, let's continue the Ruby Slipper story today with chapter three! I have no pics to post today since we are right down to the mundane work of preparing for the holidays--cleaning, wrapping, finishing projects that are giving us difficulties! No point in posting pictures of that! So I hope you enjoy this next chapter of a most amazing occurrence in my life.

THE RUBY SLIPPER INCIDENT

Chapter 3--We landed in Amsterdam, Holland in the morning. I was excited to see a windmill from the window of the plane as we descended. Why was this important to me? I remembered that as a little girl I used to have imaginary friends (like so many little kids do) and my imaginary family was from the "Netherlands." I constantly talked about going to the Netherlands to see a windmill! Well, I finally did! Never mind that it took about 35 years to get there!

Amsterdam was interesting. I was relieved to see that most of the signs in the airport were in English. I would have been totally lost though, if I had not been with a group. Looking back at the pictures, we all look so tired it's a wonder we didn't just camp out on a bench or chair in the airport and sleep. Instead we toured the city. We took a canal ride on which some of the people could hardly stay awake. We saw Anne Frank's house and other famous buildings.

The highlight for me was eating at a traditional restaurant. It was cozy and quaint. I noticed that the houses, stores, shops, etc were all sort of "skinny." Everything is crowded into small areas of land between the waters. This canal city is unique indeed. There were even actual houseboats where people live right on the water!

During our dinner we enjoyed traditional European food and what I ordered, though I can't spell it, was very hearty and warm, a combination of mashed potatoes, shredded carrots, cabbage, sausage and spices. It dispelled the chill of the damp day. We had been walking all around before this and the warm, cozy restaurant with baskets of fresh European bread was a treat indeed.

I made a quick trip to the flower market before we needed to get back to the airport. We rode on the public trains that day as well. This was a new thing for me and we never did completely understand the public transit system. We all ended up sitting where we were not supposed to and we got "escorted" in the Dutch language off that particular car. When we realized they wanted us to move we went on to another car, actually nicer than that one and rode on in style! We got back to the airport and prepared to board the plane to Africa. I think we were scheduled to leave around 9pm. for about an 8 hour flight to Nairobi. Or so we thought....

Stay tuned for chapter 4 of the Ruby Slipper Incident soon! It will amaze you in the end how God did all these wonderful things to give me a very incredible experience! Blessings, LORI

CHRISTMAS PICTURES

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew6:26em>

Just a few pre-Christmas pictures for you! The first on is of me making granola to give away. I love to do this. I've been making this wondeful homemade cereal for years.

With all the last minute holiday preparations going on, I finally began to feel a bit overwhelmed today. The verses that I posted reminds me that we are not to get anxious about stuff! I have had a hard time with that all of my life--being a type A personality. I recently learned alot on that subject in the last few years. Worry is a sin. Knowing that, I try to avoid it. It's a hard thing to conquer, but the Holy Spirit will help you! The Christmas season is certainly no time to agonize. The birth of the Christ child should draw us to peace, not frantic behavior!

Look at Emma in the second picture. She's so interested in the nativity scene! As she is doing, we should be focusing on the true story of Christmas! She has her priorities straight. We left the baby Jesus out of the manger for now. She will get to put the figurine in place on Christmas morning. Emma loves animals as well and the "camo" (camel) is a favorite. Last night we had an unfortunate incident where Granny's globe nativity scene got accidentally pulled down off its perch! Oops! Just a curious little girl that wanted to see the Christmas scene!

The last picture is our Christmas tree in the parlor. It is a "skinny tree because we have no room for a bigger one. Maybe we got burned out when we lived in the big Victorian house in Centreville and put up 5 trees for 10 years! Yes, that was a bit much, but oh, so pretty!

I hope you are not having trouble with last minute hurried preparations like I am! Let the Lord be your peace, after all, He is the Prince of Peace! Chapter 3 of "The Ruby Slipper Incident" will appear tomorrow on a blog near you! Blessings, LORI

THE RUBY SLIPPER INCIDENT-CHAPTER 2

I was all set to share some pictures of my parlor all decked out for Christmas, when my computer seems to refuse to work. Sorry! I wanted you all to see my tree and the loads of presents that are cluttering the whole area! When we built this house we failed to allow a good place to put a Christmas tree. Oh, well!

This morning I stirred up a quick batch of homemade bread dough to put in the freezer to add to the "food gifts" for my son and daughter-in-law. I put the bread in loaves and then froze them. She can get them out and let them raise, bake them and voila! I HOPE IT WORKS!

I wanted to keep writing a bit about homeschooling as well as finishing the Ruby Slipper Incident. Bear with me a bit!

As for homeschooling, I love to encourage families to give homeschooling a try. I never thought I would do that until it sort of became a necessity. Our kids were going to a nice Christian school that we were very happy with. One of the drawbacks was driving them to and from school. One year my husband took a job teaching high school Bible at the school but his class met midday. That meant that we were making three trips per day back and forth to the school. That factor alone was enough to make us consider our options. Money became a bit tight and that was another reason we began taking a second look at homeschooling. If money factors are a consideration and you're wanting a Christian education for your children, consider homeschool....more on that subject in the future!

THE RUBY SLIPPER INCIDENT-CHAPTER 2

In early 2004 I found myself readying for a trip to Africa. Actually I was really looking forward to the 12 hour layover we would spend in Amsterdam. I had always wanted to see Europe and I figured this was my one chance to at least set foot there and maybe shop for a few local products like chocolate, delftware, laces, etc. So I talked myself into the fact that the whole trip would be worth those 12 hours! Now how's that for a real dedicated missionary heart???

We left Kalamazoo, Michigan on a small plane. Actually we had trouble even leaving. After sitting on the runway for a long time, the pilot came on declaring the plane was overweight and we couldn't take off. We 17 people knew it was our fault since we had keyboards, guitars, etc., with us. We had not packed light intending to give away several of these items once we got to the church in Africa. Finally after offering many incentives one tiny little lady who couldn't have weighed over 80 pounds offered to take the next flight. Everyone in the plane laughed knowing she couldn't possibly make much difference. Pretty soon someone else offered and off we went for Detroit! After a short layover there we headed for an overnight flight to Amsterdam. The plane was crowded, noisy, and tight. Some of our group didn't sleep at all. Some of us got a little sleep. About 8 hours later we landed in Amsterdam, Holland where the story continues.....

I hope you are seeking the Lord this Christmas season. I love the saying, WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM, Blessings, Lori

THE RUBY SLIPPER INCIDENT--CHAPTER ONE

As you probably have noticed--this picture has nothing to do with the title of the blog! I promised a long time ago to share the "Ruby Slipper Incident" with you. But it is a long story and so I will do it in chapters, starting today. It's a "miracle" story--the kind you hear about at Christmas time. It's the kind of heartwarming story that will increase your faith and hope in God! I trust He will minister to you as you read the chapters! As well, I will continue to post pics and daily events that are unrelated!

Now about the picture: yesterday we were making homemade noodles and that's what you see on my counter--the first stages of noodle dough! I cooked two chickens in the pressure cooker the day before and left the cooker out in the very cold garage to chill the birds. Yesterday we picked all the meat off the bone and started noodles. This is one of the "food projects" that we do as a gift to my son and daughter-in-law. (Hope they're not reading this today!) They love to receive ready-made frozen meals for a gift. Today we made burritos, and the day before yesterday it was lasagna. With a new baby coming, the pre-prepared food is a welcome gift!

I also wanted to mention homeschooling today. Rhiannon and I were talking about how we miss the old days of homeschooling. While we were out shopping we met up with a few of our old homeschool friends and caught up on all the news! I want to include on my blog a few "homeschool" tips for the next while. I hope you who are not homeschoolers will bear with me. But first, our homeschooling testimony:

We homeschooled for most of elementary and all of junior high and high school. I guess you could call us "career" homeschoolers. We started out of necessity when Clint and I pulled up stakes and moved to Ohio for a year of Bible school. We were making a 4-hour trip home every 3rd and 7th weekend and that necessitated leaving on Friday afternoons. He was preaching at our home congregation and we would often stay 10 days at the end of our six week school terms. There was no way we could keep the kids out of school for that long on a repeated basis. But what started as a necessity became a conviction. A wise friend warned me that that would happen and she was right! It did not happen right away, but there's something about having your children under your instruction that kind of grows on you. We put them back in school a year later when we moved back home and began pastoring, but other factors led us to homeschool only two years later as our hearts were drawn to home. I'll share more on that on the next post!

The Ruby Slipper Incident, Chapter One--I told this story on Sunday at our church and people were weeping and gasps were heard when the story ended with a huge surprise! I hope you will enjoy it too and that the Lord will minister to you by the experience I had. It all began in 2003 when our church decided to sponsor a trip to Africa to held build a church building for a local congregation we had been helping. Our relationship with the pastor there dated from our days at Bible school. A man in our church took an interest in the project and he and his wife organized a trip that ended up including 17 people from at least three congregations. We were dubbed, "The OPEX TEAM" by the Africans. That was short for "OPERATION EXODUS," meaning we were helping them make an exodus from their crowded downtown location to a new piece of land where an expanding church could grow.

At first, I did not want to go along and made no plans for doing so. Clint, being the pastor, was definitely planning to make the trip. He had been there once before with another pastor. I knew what conditions I would face there--or I thought I did--and I was not eager to make the trip. But the Lord began convicting me that I ought to go. I am even now, 5 years later, still seeing the fruits of that trip we made in February 2004. I realized that ladies from other churches were making the trek and it would be just a shame for me as pastor's wife not to go. So I began making preparations rather late in the game. I had to get a passport and several supplies around in order to go. MORE ON THE NEXT POST!Blessings, LORI

A LESSON IN CHRISTMAS BAKING!

Long time, no blog! Well, I've been busy! I hope you enjoy the picture of me and Emma baking Christmas cookies! She enjoyed cutting the shapes, though some animals ended up headless!

Today we went Christmas shopping. It was a perfect day atmosphere-wise,for that sort of pursuit here in west Michigan. Overcast, cold, slight wind and snow flurries. Just sort of made you want to prepare for Christmas.

When we arrived home after a pretty successful day of shopping, I decided to make an old recipe. Years ago I stumbled onto a recipe in one of my cookbooks for "Apricot-Walnut Steamed Pudding." This is the kind of old-fashioned "pudding" that is actually more like a fruitcake. It's delicious and one of those recipes that can be altered quite a bit and still turn out well. I've never done it the same way twice, today included. Long ago I learned to substitute and economize out of necessity. Instead of orange juice, I used some very old frozen orange/pineapple concentrate. I mixed it up and used that for part of the glaze as well as one of the liquid ingredients. It calls for chopped apricots and I had just barely enough, so I added dried cranberries as well. Long ago I discovered by accident that doubling the melted butter in the recipe doesn't hurt it a bit! I had made that note in my cookbook and so I just do it now as a regular part of the recipe and then add more graham flour.

Instead of baking one big "cake" I made them in 6 little bundt molds,(more efficient for gift-giving!) Turned out great and baked much faster. I made up a glaze for the cake including more of the orange/pineapple juice, powdered sugar, and butter. It was kind of runny so I dipped the cakes in it and then added more powdered sugar and glazed them. Dipping them really moistened them up since I'd overbaked them just slightly. It just seems that no matter what I do to this poor recipe, it still turns out ok! They can be garnished with apricot, orange peel, or I suppose cranberry sauce. Just lovely, elegant little Christmas desserts. I suppose they would freeze well too. Never tried that!

We are still adding decorations around the house daily. We are a little disorganized this year and behind schedule. Tonight we brought out the big nativity set and Emma helped set it up in the parlor. We left the baby Jesus out of the manger and will let Emma place the figurine in the manger on Christmas. She is very excited about babies this year since her momma is about to have another little girl any day. We almost thought the baby was arriving last weekend, but alas, it was a false alarm! Emma is also very interested in animals and reads her animal books over and over and over! So the manger scene is very intriguing to her.

Thanks for praying for me. The speaking last weekend went very well. I was able to speak without notes--a goal I've been wanting to reach. I felt that the Lord helped me tremendously. This weekend the kids and our church drummer and probably me, will do our rendition of a Christmas song during the offering. I can't wait! We are practicing and excited to try this! Blessings, LORI

PICTURES FROM OUR IOWA TRIP

The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She brings her food from afar. She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. Proverbs 31:11,14,and 21

Here are a few pics from our Iowa trip. I chose the verses from Proverbs because I felt they wrapped up some themes from the pictures. Picture number one is the "carrot canning operation" that my friend and I undertook! (She brings her food from afar!)These carrots came all the way from Michigan to Iowa! My friend is a true Proverbs 31 woman. She sees to it that nothing goes to waste around her household. She's very diligent to can and freeze lots of stuff for the winter and economize. It was a privilege to help her in this endeavor. We had a great time!

Picture number two was taken during the big blizzard. The winds howled all day long!

Third picture was taken along the interstate the day we drove home. Either this one or the next one was taken near Colona, Illinois. We are from COLON, Michigan!

The last "snow" picture reminds me of "Fields and Fences" because that's just what it is. I was trying to capture the lovely look that the new snowfall gave to the fields in the area. "She is not afraid of the snow, for all her household is clothed with scarlet."

The last picture is of me in the green dress--finished! This picture is taken in my living room. We arrived home safely on Thursday evening after joining the chaplaincy board in Indiana for supper. We just stopped on our way home and ate a nice meal with our fellow board members and still got home and all unpacked before 10:30 pm. That was pretty good!

While in Iowa I finished lots of projects. One was the green dress. Also finished plying all my original handspun yarn from the brown Corriedale. I finished a sampler on the way home, but decided to remove a few stitches. A quick few minutes some time will complete that. I also finished three tatted cross bookmarks and one side of the lace panel cardigan I've been knitting. It was a very productive trip for me!

The Lord's been showing me some really neat things this week as I took time to read and meditate on scriptural truths. The extra quiet time away from the normal routine was conducive to receiving some spiritual insight, I believe. I have a speaking engagement on Sunday--at our church! Pray for me if you think of it. Thanks for sharing my trip pictures. Blessings, LORI

BLIZZARD!

"Everyone arrived home safely, but what had started as a picturesque snowfall turned into a raging winter storm that continued for almost twenty-four hours dumping several feet of snow on the countryside." from "The Fields of May"

Oh, how I wish I could post some pictures! We are in a blizzard here in Iowa!We went to town (about 1 mile away) for lunch and other than that, I knitted all day. Finished one front half of the lace cardigan I've been making for years! We didn't get too much snow here where we are, but enough and then winds that are unbelievable, relentlessly gusting all day around 50 mph or more. We are hoping they quit soon so we can have decent travel back to Michigan tomorrow. Maybe if they are still coming out of the west we will be blown all the way home! The weather conditions prevented us from accepting an invitation to our friends' home tonight (40 miles from here) for pork loin sandwiches and a visit to their Wednesday evening services. I was really sorry we couldn't go. Most schools and many businesses were closed here today.

I guess our power went out today back home (no storm there yet) according to my daughter's report. I think this is the third time that's happened while we were out of state. This time it was for some unknown reason. Last year at this time an accident caused a huge gas line fire just 3 tenths mile from our house shortly after we left for Iowa. Rhiannon says she is getting tired of this scenario, since she's left home to deal with it! Thankfully the power came back on. I think the power was out when we were on our way home from Tennessee last spring as well. We considered not going home that night because of it, then it came back on. I guess we know when to leave town!

Tomorrow on the way home we will attend the Christmas dinner (in Indiana) for the chaplaincy ministry. I am anxious for that although it will mean wearing dress clothes all the way home from Iowa, oh well! Will post pictures of the blizzard and more when I get home. Blessings, LORI

FILIGREE FROM THE FIELDS

The lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field...Proverbs 27:28

We are getting the first flakes and flurries of a winter storm here in Iowa! I headed out this morning to shop and meet a friend for lunch. I'm really glad I shopped first and not after lunch! It was really the safer option to head home after lunch!

I went to one of my favorite shops this morning. It is an antique shop that also has a yarn nook. I purchased a good amount of wonderful merino/silk wool to spin, (thus the title of this post--Filigree From the Fields--before wool becomes yarn it roams around in the field!) To think that something so beautiful as this merino was once in a "field" is interesting indeed! I intend to make a lace scarf or gloves knitted from this spun merino. That will be the "filigree from the field!" It is beautiful! I had a great conversation with the proprietresses too! What sweet ladies and such an enjoyable visit!

I hope you are having a wonderful day and will enjoy being home if you are getting caught in the snowstorm that is raging across the midwest today! Can't wait to publish pictures once again--pictures of our wonderful winter trip to Iowa!

VACATIONING PRODUCTIVELY

Hi, everyone! I hear we are in for a big storm here in southeast Iowa tomorrow afternoon/evening. I want to meet with another friend tomorrow and hope it holds off until we can have lunch together and do a little shopping.

We are still having such fun here! I wish I could share pictures. I will certainly try to post them as soon as I get home. My old high school friend came to see me today and we shopped for a long while in a thrift store. I got a nice sweater and she got a real bargain on jelly jars for Christmas gift giving. I was kind of aggravated after finding a sack of rubber stamps at the thrift store--one of which had hollyhocks on it. I looked diligently for a stamp with hollyhocks back home in one of the biggest stamp stores around for use in making cards, labels, etc. for "A Sturdy Fence," which has hollyhocks on the cover and hollyhocks figure into the story. Well, too bad the stamp had a saying on it that didn't match the book at all, rendering it useless to me! Oh, well, my friend and I visited the whole afternoon, taking the once/year opportunity to really catch up on news.

So nice to be able to relax and get away from the daily routine. I am getting lots of needlework done and that is a great feeling. Trying to spend time with the Lord as well. I got to listen to some great teaching tapes today while walking. So I'm using my vacation time productively!

SUNDAY ENCOURAGEMENTS

I sure wish I could show you the pictures of the lovely carrots I helped can yesterday! We did 21 quart and they looked so pretty in the jars! I drove all the way back from my friend's house alone, with no cell phone. I missed the exit I needed and had to turn around--a little scary out here where I don't really know my way around. But the Lord was with me and I got back just after dark. I really didn't want to be out several miles from where we're staying when I'm unfamiliar with the territory.

I am getting so much time to do projects while here--time I never seem to find at home! I spun last night and finished all the natural brown Corriedale roving that I had. Then I "plied" it, meaning that I twisted two strands together to make a 2-ply yarn. Got that all done with just a little brown left. I took the small bit of rose Corriedale I had spun and plied it to the rest of the brown making a bi-color that is lovely. Today I will start spinning more of the rose color. I may finish hemming the green dress as well.

It is "still" here today--very unusual. Hardly any wind. It will make my walking easier. I missed exercising yesterday and must get a walk in since we're eating too well!

Enjoyed visiting our friends' church this morning. We are getting to be "regulars" there from our many visits. I know so many now as friends and it's always good to greet the people. We went out to lunch with some dear friends from there after church and enjoyed a great time of fellowship over a very good meal.

I hope you had a really good Sunday, worshiping the Lord! The sermon we heard this morning was all about praising the Lord. It was very encouraging. A verse, Psalm 27:13 has been running through my mind for days. It says, "I would have lost heart unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Let me make a few comments on this verse. David was a man of praise. I believe his practice of entering into frequent, heartfelt praise enabled him to look beyond his circumstances to hope and believe that he would see God's goodness in the midst of the earth. It's like he is saying that he will see God's power yet in this life, not only waiting for heaven or eternity to experience God's greatness.David was a man ahead of his time. He was an Old Covenant saint who often experienced the Spirit of the Lord "upon" him. It was so different for the believer back then. The presence of the Spirit of the Lord did not indwell every believer like He does now. The Spirit came "upon" people from time to time. But David had a hope and faith that was different. He was called a man after God's own heart. I am sure this verse that he penned could be an encouragement to us today. With all the negative things that are going on in our day and age, (challenged economy, governmental issues, etc., etc.,) we could get very depressed. We need to believe that we will yet see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I believe we do see His goodness every day if we will only be aware of it! Yet, we have hope for more and better things or we would "lose heart" as David described. Be encouraged by believing in the God of the Bible who longs to show His power on earth! Blessings from Iowa, LORI

FILIGREE THOUGHTS FROM THE PLAINS OF IOWA!

We made it to our destination in Iowa yesterday afternoon! We had a great trip and I hope to post more pics of our time here in the next few days, however our friend here says it's hard to post pictures on his computer, so we'll see. The Lord blessed us with a really good and safe trip. I slept quite a lot and then finished a couple of tatted crosses for Bible bookmarks while we rode. They make up so quickly and then I can sell them. I sold two last week. As well as quick to make, they are cheap to make as well. Very good item to sell!


I was just thrilled to learn that I could still sew while out here. My friend set up a really nice sewing machine for me. I brought the "green dress" along just in case I would have a chance to finish it. I had longed to wear it to the only Christmas party we are invited to. Next Thursday when we head home, we'll be stopping for supper in Indiana and joining the rest of the chaplaincy board for our annual dinner. Since Clint is the president of the board, we will make every effort to attend. One year we missed it due to being in Iowa and totally forgetting that we needed to be there!

The sewing went well last evening and before you know it, I was done with all but finishing details. I tried the dress on and realized I had forgotton in my "desinging" to add extra fullness to follow the curved back bodice I had re-drawn. I think I can fix it to look right and if not, it's not so bad that I can't wear it. I'll adjust the pattern on the next try. Ahhh,sewing! Ahhh,designing!

Because of the emphasis on dress design for the last few days, let me share a few verses with you that are tucked away in the Old Testament, seldom read, yet so powerful. "All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats' hair." Exodus 35:25-26 I love these verses for the obvious reason! I spin! Well, there are more in the next few chapters that speak of "gifted artisans" enable by the wisdom and Spirit of God to do works of great beauty for the tabernacle of God. Often as women (or people, in general) we tend to discount our contributions--things like sewing or craft making, thinking it's not really useable in the church. We wish we could sing or preach or whatever, when all the time the gifts of a seamstress or crafter or artist are an extension of the wisdom of the Lord for His service! The next time you embark on a craft project or some art project ask yourself how you can do the best possible job to glorify the Lord, knowing He has gifted you with talent! As a church, we need to begin once again to recognize and use the talents of the artisans in our midst. The world certainly rewards the artists, swallowing up their offerings and often distorting them for wordly pursuits. Shall we not "reclaim" art for the church? Think about it!

The weather that met us here was very cold and windy. It's a dry type of cold that we're not used to in Michigan. I'll be piling on the chapstick and mositurizers as well as trying to condition and control my hair while here! I notice it every year and the dryness has to be combatted. I love the open fields here and how you can see for quite a distance. The farms are so neat and pretty. I hope you are having a lovely week and will enjoy a great weekend filled with friends, family, and a trip to church! Blessings, LORI

A LITTLE BIT OF FILIGREE FROM NATURE AND MY SEWING ROOM

HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME...Eccl. 3:11

I just wanted to share a few pictures with you.The first few are my sewing room from other angles. I promised to continue to share my sewing room with you! Sewing has been a Titus 2 endeavor for me for years. Once I learned to sew it helped me economize and clothe the family with unique things that would have been too expensive to seek out in the stores! The yellow heart-shaped chair was a garage sale find that I've treasured for years! The knitted lace throw on the chair was a gift from the lady that taught me to knit years ago. It was in blocks and I sewed it together. I called her Aunt Tessie and she's responsible for much of my interest in needlework. She also taught me to tat!

Above the yellow chair is a very old "waist." That is what ladie's blouses were first called at the turn of the century. This one is ornate indeed! Hanging next to it is a hat I decorated. The tall chest of drawers belonged to my dad as a boy. Sitting on it are several old needlework items, boxes of thread, patterns, and darning cotton in original boxes. The tall skinny cupboard with the yellow "yoke" hanging above it was a gift from my husband. We bought this unusual cupboard at a benefit auction. I use it to house my extensive collection of thread. Each drawer houses a particular color grouping

Another view shows my "second sewing machine," which is currently out of commission! Next to it is my fabric cupboard. The other low dresser you see was a gift from Clint's mom. My mom refinished it and it houses all my patterns. Sitting on top is a picture of my grandma at 16, a picture of her at 4 years old in 1904, and a couple of pictures of me. The black hats on the wall are antiques.

I hope you enjoyed sharing one of my favorite getaway rooms. No new green dress progress to report. We are busy getting ready to head out for our annual pilgrimage to Iowa tomorrow. Clint will plan to hunt with friends. It's a really special time for him. I'll visit friends while there and do some needlework and shopping. I have a friend I graduated with who lives only a few miles from where we stay. She and I plan to can carrots while I'm there. I am taking her a bag of "gleaned" carrots from the Michigan fields. Last year she canned several and thought they were wonderful!

The last picture is of our woods this morning as the moon drifted behind the trees. I love the way the "filigree" of the tree branches was highlighted by the moon's glow. It reminded me of the verse I posted. Even in the winter, the woods and all of nature have a certain beauty. Enjoy God's creation today! It is truly beautiful! Blessings, LORI