Casper ten Boom (Corrie ten Boom's father) says Merry Christmas far better than I ever could, with the illustration about Queen Victoria.
Our little glamour girl, Devi the hippo calf, is gracing this month’s cover of ZOONOOZ. Check it out.
Young Girl With Primroses Fairy Secrets The Boat To Fairyland Alice Chasing The White Rabbit Morning Carol He Prayeth Best Peter’s Friends The Pied Piper Of Hamelin Harvest Home title unknown…
The Pagan Origins of Christmas
If you follow the pagan holiday wheel, then you know that Imbolc is coming up on February 2nd (or July 31st if you're in the Southern hemisphere). Imbolc is one of the least known pagan
The halls decorated, presents wrapped and already unwrapped, the sweets indulged in and quite likely overindulged; no wonder winter festivities are one of the most awaited times of the year. In fact, this survey has shown that 81% of people see Christmas as the most awaited time of the year. The primary reason for which they like it so much is because of an opportunity to spend time with the whole family (90%).
Faith is like radar that sees through the fog -the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see. ~ Corrie Ten Boom ~ I haven't been traveling far from home because of my fractured ankle. I miss being able to be out and about with my camera. I did however get a few pictures outside my mother's house the other day. She has the most delightful bird as a handle for her hose. The picture above seemed very peaceful to me and I thought this verse, Be still and know.... went well with it. She also has the most gorgeous tuberous begonias in her window boxes. I couldn't resist a close up of this beauty. I changed the background to black and white so the color would pop. My mother has quite the green thumb, something that I did not inherit. My Mother's Tuberous Begonias I'm excited to have finally re-designed my blog button with code. The graphics I used to make it are compliments of The Feathered Nest. Feel free to grab the code and put on your blog or website if you'd like. My friend Lauren makes the most beautiful cakes. She made the wedding cake for my husband and I when we were married, and served as my matron of honor 22+ years ago. Here is a picture of a nautical cake she made recently for a friend's anniversary party. Isn't it fantastic? Nautical Cake made by my friend Lauren Lastly today, I have some free vintage images for you. I hope you enjoy them. ~ Abby ~
German Lebkuchen Bars are a wonderful German/Swiss Christmas tradition that is consumed and enjoyed around the world. Lebkuchen, in German, means the 'cooking of life.' It is thought that the
Art and Artists, Paintings, Painters, Prints, Printmakers, Illustration, Illustrators
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40 I am so excited to have a guest post today by my sweet friend Esther from Shoregirl's Creations. Please check out her blog when you have time. You'll definitely be inspired by all her projects, tutorials and recipes. When I think of the Proverbs 31 woman, I think of Esther. Not only is she capable in so many different crafty venues, she's a pastor's wife, an excellent home-maker and home-schools her daughter. She has a homeschooling blog 2 Love Learning as well with lots of good ideas for teaching children, even if you don't home-school. When Esther and I met through our blogs we became fast friends. Compliments of The Feathered Nest Here is Esther's guest post in her own words: A Christmas Present for Jesus Say the word "Christmas" and what pops into the mind of most children (and adults!)? Trees, Lights, Cookies, Caroling, Programs, and probably GIFTS! There's nothing wrong with any of these things, especially when we use them to celebrate the greatest gift ever given -- Jesus! Over the years I've heard people make the statement "It doesn't seem right that we give gifts to everyone but Jesus at Christmas time," and that got me to thinking -- "What would Jesus want for Christmas." Almost as soon as I thought it this verse to came to mind: "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40) Compliments of Bumble Buttons I try to live this verse out all year long......but at Christmas our family has started taking special note of those hurting around us. We've begun the tradition of finding one or two people each year to give to who might otherwise not have a very nice holiday or have a need of some kind....kind of like our "Christmas present to Jesus." Sometimes it's: a young family whose had a rough year because the husband had an unexpected stroke and has been unable to work all year a man whose family left him and now he's alone and forgotten on Christmas a Navy friend who needs a "family away from home" to spend the holiday with a young person with not a lot of people to care about him in his life an older person in the rest home with no family coming to visit and no gifts on Christmas day or a family who is really struggling because of the downturn in our economy Our gift may be money, sometimes it's items we know they need or would like, a Christmas meal and a shared afternoon, and on some occasions we've left our gifts under the tree and went to the nursing home to visit and bring gifts to a resident we've gotten to know. Abby's Scripture Thursday Project Bird graphic compliments of The Feathered Nest Background paper by Raspberry Road Designs Whatever the case - I think it's almost more of a blessing to us than to the recipient -- especially when it's done with the thought of giving to the One whose birth we celebrate. A few "Christmas presents to Jesus" that I've been privileged to observe this year were: 1. A retired couple from church who offered to purchase and pack all the Christmas treats for our church this year -- anonymously!! 2. A sweet friend (and the author of this blog) who wrote up a prayer request list and sent it to her special friends. Included on the list where those in her community who would be hurting for one reason or another this Christmas! What a gift! The gift of love, concern, and prayer! 3. A young couple who volunteered to "do anything you want" for our Christmas program. No one knows (unless you've been there) how much this means to a Christmas program coordinator! 4. A neighbor (and friend) who invited my daughter and I to share in their Christmas family baking day ---- so fun and especially nice since we don't live near enough to family to be a part of one with "blood relatives." 5. A generous friend who shops for and packs beautifully all the gifts for our Christmas caroling each and every year. Often using her own money when not enough comes in from the church people. She's the world's best at entertaining in her home (it's not the dishes she uses, the candles she lights, or her beautiful home, but it's her servant's heart and ability to make one feel loved and special on each visit!) She uses her gifts to bless us and others year round -- one of those occasions is after Christmas caroling! Compliments of the Feathered Nest The list really could go on and on,but you get the idea: It doesn't take a lot of money to give most of these gifts! Any gift, given with love from the heart, is the perfect "Christmas present for Jesus." by Esther at Shoregirl's Creations Thank you Esther for your willingness to share today and for your giving heart. This is a scripture linky party. You may link up any project you've been working on that has scripture from the Bible. Email me with any questions at Little Birdie Blessings
Candied kumquats recipe. Sweet, tart, & tangy all at once! Perfect citrus simple syrup for drinks and cocktails. Can also use orangequats.
(This post originally appeared on Agora back in February of 2012; it was my first post on Patheos. I always liked this particular piece and felt as if I
Hogmanay is Scotland's New Year's Eve celebration. This is a very festive event, in the large cities it is a massive street party. Some of the festivities include torch processions, fireworks, bagpipes and large bonfires. The Scots seem to celebrate New Year better than anywhere else in the world! New Year's Eve is a busy day preparing to see the old year out and the new year in. There are several things that are involved in preparing for Hogmanay. "Redding" the house - cleaning the house before midnight is traditional, as is cleaning out the fireplace. Many believed that they could read the ashes to know what to expect from the coming year. Another tradition called the "Saining" of the household involved the woman of the house purifying each room with a smoldering juniper branch. People also believed that all debts and loans should be paid off before the New Year began. Entering the new year with outstanding debts was considered unlucky. Fire plays a big part in Hogmanay. In addition to the torch light processions bonfires are very popular. The use of fire to purify and drive away evil spirits is an ancient idea. It is believed that they cannot have a new year until the old year has gone. Fire is used to "burn up" the old year and make way for the new year. In some towns dummies are made and burned in effigy to symbolize the old year being burned away and letting in the new year. As in many countries the stroke of midnight brings kissing, well wishing and the singing of Auld Lang Syne. Another Hogmanay custom is First Footing. It literally means the "first foot" to step into a house in the new year. After midnight, neighbors visit each other, bearing traditional symbolic gifts such as whisky, salt, shortbread, coal and black bun. These gifts were to ensure the household would be safe, warm and have enough to eat for the year. The visitor, in turn, is offered a food and a wee dram of whisky. In order for the household to have good luck in the coming year the "first foot" over the threshold should be a dark haired male. Redheads and blondes, especially women, were considered bad luck. In the morning the first person awake is supposed to take the Het Pint to the other family members. Het Pint is a mixture of ale, nutmeg, eggs, sugar and whisky. This should give us an idea of the exuberant celebration that occurs for Hogmanay. New Year's Eve fire ~ after cleaning the ashes Our Hogmanay celebration consisted of "redding the house" and Scottish food. Considering we are in a rental house we figured huge bonfires might not be a great idea. I did want to go First Footing in our new neighborhood. Since no one knows us it would have been great fun to knock on their doors after midnight. But we restrained ourselves....maybe next year in our next neighborhood! At our old house we had neighbors where the women was a redhead and the man tall and dark. She would come over to our house and spend the evening with us on New Year's Eve. When her husband got off of work he would come over to our house, arriving after midnight to be our "first footer". Those were good years so the luck seems to work! For dinner we had steak pie.... Scottish Steak Pie mashed rutabagas and carrots..... Mashed Rutabagas and carrots Cullen Skink.... Not only is it fun to tell your family you are having "Cullen Skink" for dinner but it tastes good too! It is a thick soup made with potatoes, onions and smoked haddock. I had some trouble finding smoked haddock but eventually was able to get it. The smoked haddock provides most of the flavor of the soup so I'm not sure how well another fish would work. Cullen Skink For dessert we had shortbread and Cranachan... Cranachan is a dessert made with raspberries, oatmeal, whipped cream, honey and whisky. Cranachan Cranachan oatcakes and Scottish cheese a wee dram whisky for Hogmanay not Scottish, but part of our traditions ~ champagne, Chambord, raspberries a Hogmanay blessing 'til next time...
Sometimes you're lucky enough to get a nice neighbor, but most of the time you're not.
My husband and I have lived in five states since we’ve been married. We traveled a lot before we had