I Love You a Bushel and a Peck!

 

And Then Came the Rainbow

The sky turned green, the sirens wailed, the winds roared, and fear rose in our hearts.  We frantically called family and warned that they were in the path, to take cover, and we ourselves dashed downstairs.  It all happened so quickly.  And whoosh....it was dark...it was still.....and we knew we had survived a disaster. 

But our neighbors would not fair as well.   There was an immediate sense that this was something big, really big.  Deep concern began to set in.  Flashing lights on the emergency vehicles are the only sign of light in the darkened neighborhood.  Sirens are beginning to sound from every direction, and they grow louder and louder.  I try to drive up the street to see what has happened, and there are people everywhere walking around with disbelief painted on their faces.  I can't make it out of the neighborhood driving, so I go home and we decide to wait till daybreak and go it on foot to assess the damage and see what we can do to help.

An F4 tornado struck our community on Good Friday, traveling eerily along my normal 10,000 step walking route.  Now we can only travel about 2,000 steps before we are stopped by the police lines.  The police have the street blocked, the power lines are down, transformers are resting in the tree branches, many trees are lying across the road, on roofs, branches and 2x4s jutting out of the earth as if they were javelins.

Daylight would reveal the overwhelming damage done in our community.  Homes have been flattened.  Vehicles tossed upside down and resting precariously on edge.  Highways and byways remain impassable as semi's lay on their side stretching across all four lanes.  Total subdivisions are destroyed.  Memories of lifetimes are scattered everywhere.   You can see for miles where trees once blossomed and obscured the view.  Businesses have lost their walls, their roofs, just like the nearby homes.

Beneath the drown of helicopters overhead and the chainsaws all around, we begin to see for ourselves the damage.  The baby cribs and stairways remain the only structures standing in the midst of drywall, 2x4s, and roof shingles.  You can see the clear path of destruction on either side of the highways. It's amazing that everyone survived.  It's a miracle!  I look to the sky.  God, I am humbled by the might of the winds.  I am awestruck by your mercy.

In the midst of such times, we recognize that we are not in control of our life, that our world is spinning out of control....In such times, we realize that our God is mighty and able to save.  We realize that we are weak, but he is strong.  We come up against our own limitations.  Our raw vulnerability has been exposed like a gaping open wound.  We wonder in our frailty and insufficiency what we can do.

For those of us who know God and believe that Jesus saves, we hope in God's strength and mercy.  We believe he will find a way out of the storm.  We cling to the mighty cross...the cross on Calvary.  We call upon our God.  We praise his holy name because he is worthy of all praise and honor!

Now, then, how can we serve our neighbors? How can we demonstrate our love for them?  God's love for them?  We feel so insignificant.   A 30x30 tarp and a box of cupcakes in our hands, we can't even make it past the police line to help.  So, we come home and pray.  We talk about what we might be able to do.  We manage our own extended power outages, and call our friends and family.  Have you all made it through okay? 

We are so small... God is so big.....

Monday school was closed as the roads were still blocked and power outages were still affecting our bus routes and schools power.  So we spent the day together....Grandma and us.  We usually spend our time together making crafts.  We wanted to help the people who have no homes, so we decided to be a ray of hope in the rainbow after the storm. 

Olivia came up with the idea, "then came the rainbow", the promise God made between Himself and all the people of this world that He would never again destroy the world with a flood of water.  It is His sign of hope.  It is His promise of salvation for the generations that came after Noah.  It is His way to remind us that He has us in His hand and we can trust him through the storms of life.

So trust we do.  With generator, and extension cords running throughout the house, we set up our makeshift rainbow workshop in hopes of sharing God's hope with others.  To God be the glory!

You can share your own ray of hope with a beautiful handcrafted flower headband, hair clip, ponytail holder or pen.   All donations will go to a family(s) who has been made homeless by this storm.  Thank you for helping us share God's love with others.  Here's our rays of hope!

http://cid-cb04484d902c214a.photos.live.com/browse.aspx/rainbow%20workshop


Thank you God for your protection, provision, and promises in the midst of life's storms.

I do set my bow in the cloud,

 and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth,

 that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

And I will remember my covenant,

 which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh;

 and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it,

 that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and

 every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

Genesis 9:13-16

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Our family is blessed to have quilts that were made by our great, great and even great, great, great grandmothers.  They are such treasures.  Many were fashioned out of old shirts, dresses, or even curtains. 

Some of them have been patched when they were worn in spots and are many layers thick.  Little tiny stitches have held them together from generation to generation, keeping our family wrapped in warmth and love.

Grandma learned to quilt after her mother gave her a box of quilt pieces that were cut out by her Grandma.  Her Grandma had a stroke and could no longer sew the quilt together.  So Grandma finished it for her.  It ended up so colorful and fun, that Grandma has been quilting ever since.

 

Our friends Hannah and Sarah and their mom, Michelle, have been wanting to learn how to quilt.  So during our Christmas holiday break from school, we had a craft day with them and we all learned to quilt.

Grandma brought up a basket of fabric and we each selected our own combination of fabrics to make our own unique quilt.

The easiest way to learn is to start with squares.  You simply sew them together one by one to make a row the width of your project, then sew the rows together until you have a quilt top the size you want.  We decided to start small by making lap quilts. 

Using the proper cutting tool (rotary cutter) and cutting boards/guides (used by quilters), Michelle learned how to cut perfect 4" squares for our quilts.

When we had enough squares, we were ready to sew them together.  Grandma always makes her quilts by hand because she says she can take her work with her and sit with family while she sews. 
.

We learned that there are specific needles for quilting.  They are very small to allow for very small, neat stitches.  We each got a quilting needle and thread and learned how to thread the needle, doubling over the thread and tying a knot in the end.

 

We each began by placing two squares right sides together and stitching down one side by hand.  Being careful to make tiny stitches close together, in and out, in and out, we guided our needles in a straight line.  We stitched about 1/4" away from the edge of the fabric.  This is called a seam allowance.

 

Olivia got a sewing kit and fabric fat pack for her birthday this past summer, so she already had quite a few squares put together.  Here's what they look like.


It wasn't long before all of our quilts were coming together right before our very eyes!

Aunt Nita had given Grandma a bag of old quilt squares that she bought at a sale.  It looked like they had been carefully cut out by hand by a woman who never got the chance to finish the quilt.  Grandma says it is a blessing to finish it for her.  The fabrics are from years ago and you can't really find them in the stores today.  It is going to be very special when it is finished, just like the ones our great great grandmas made.

We took our projects home to finish.  We hope to come together again soon to join the quilt tops to  bottoms and sew them together by binding the sides.  Then we can finish them with some simple quilt stitches to hold them all together. Grandma says they will be beautiful, just like those of the generations before us!

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands...

She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

Proverbs 31:10-13, 21

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

It's official.  St. Louis has received over 2 feet of snow so far this winter.



We were even blessed with a beautiful white Christmas!

One snowy day we decided sledding at Grandma's and Grandpa's would be fun! 

 It was freezing, but we bundled up real good and headed on over. 

Burrrrrrrr...... It was so cold!

Grandma and Grandpa thought we were all crazy because it was so cold and windy.

  That didn't stop us! 

Neither did the fact that they had already moved the sleds down to the country cabin.

Aunt Jenny tried out a big construction size trash bag as a sled.

But that didn't work.

So we made snow angels.

And had snowball fights with our parents.

Our cousin Jeremiah had his very first taste of snow!  Yummy!

Grandma and Grandpa were right.  It was way too cold to stay out for very long that day.

We lasted about 4 minutes.

We headed inside to warm up by the fireplace.

And Grandma made us hot apple cider and some snacks.

  It turned out to be a fun day of huddling inside together and talking about life.

He gives snow like wool: He scatters the frost like ashes.

Psalm 147:36

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Sound a little bit familiar? 

It's a family tradition to sing this song as a big group on Christmas Eve.  Everyone, young and old, joins in.  Each one has perfected their gift and delivers it with a festive zest that will be hard to ever forget.

We usually sing about the nine ladies dancing as we twirl around the room...

Uncle Dwight and Grandpa Stan always sing VERY LOUDLY about the five golden rings

and cousin Lance leaps in the air and with a deep English accent belts out "ten lords a-leaping".

A dear old family friend, George, has taken us over the top when he delivers "seven swans a-swimming" in opera-like fashion with one arm raised over his head, his nose in the air, spinning slowly around while his feet are a-shuffling.

And the whole group chimes in when we finish up strong with "a partridge in a pear tree".

While this is lots of fun to sing, and we love to read the book, we wanted to share with you what we discovered about the deeper meaning of the words we read and sing.

While there are various explanations of  meanings of the twelve days of Christmas, some believe it was used to teach about Christian principles even dating back to the 16th century.  The "true love" (the giver of the gifts) is God himself.

We discovered that it is actually not about the 12 days before Christmas as most people think; rather, it is about the 12 days after Christmas, or a period of time known by the Church as the Epiphany.

Epiphany means "manifestation or appearance." Appropriately naming the event of Jesus' birth.  He appeared on earth as a little baby in the manger in Bethlehem with his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph.  They called his name Emmanuel (God with us); sent from God the Father to make a way for all of us, sinners, to be united with God for eternity.  The Old Testament prophecy was manifested in the flesh in the form of the little baby Jesus.

Partridge in a Pear Tree = Jesus (Luke 13:34)

Two Turtle Doves = Old and New Testament

Three French Hens = Faith, Hope and Love (I Corinthians 13:13)

Four Calling Birds = Four Gospels
Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Five Golden Rings = First 5 Books of the Old Testament
 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy

Six Geese A-laying = Six days of creation
(Genesis 1)

Seven Swans A-swimming = Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

 1) prophecy 2) ministry 3) teaching

4) exhortation 5) giving 6) leading 7) compassion

(Romans 12:6-8 & I Corinthians 12:8-11)

Eight Maids A-milking = Eight Beatitudes

1) Blessed are the poor in spirit

2) those who mourn

3) the meek

4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

 5) the merciful

6) the pure in heart

7) the peacemakers

8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake

(Matthew 5:3-10)

Nine Ladies Dancing = The Nine fruit of the Holy Spirit

1) love

2) joy

3) peace

4) patience

5) gentleness

6) goodness

7) faith

8) meekness

9) self-control

(Galatians 5:22)

Ten Lords A-Leaping = The Ten Commandments

1) You shall have no other Gods before me

2) Do not make or worship an idol

3) Do not take God's name in vain

4) Remember the Sabbath Day

5) Honor your Mother and Father

6) Do not murder

7) Do not commit adultery

8) Do not steal

9) Do not bear false witness

10) Do not covet

(Exodus 20:1-17)

Eleven Pipers Piping = The eleven faithful Disciples

1) Simon Peter 2) Andrew his brother 3) James 4) John 5) Philip 6) Bartholomew

7) Matthew 8) Thomas 9) James the son of Alphaeus

10) Simon the Zealot 11) Judas the brother of James 

They did not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot because he betrayed Christ

(Luke 6:14-16)

Twelve Drummers Drumming = The Apostles Creed (according to liturgical doctrine)

1) I believe in God the Father, the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth

2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord

3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary

4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
 He descended into the grave.

5) He rose again on the third day and was ascended into heaven
 where he is seated at the right hand of the Father

6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead

7) I believe in the Holy Spirit

8) the holy Church

9) the communion of the Saints

10) the forgiveness of sins

11) the resurrection of the body

12) life everlasting

Pictures of the 12 days of gifts were captured in the pages of the book "12 Days of Christmas" A Pop-Up Celebration by Robert Sabuda.

Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th.

...how often would I have gathered thy children together,
as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings.....
Luke 13:34