Because Laughing is Healthy

A little farmer boy sings a parody of "Call Me Maybe." Adorable!!!
And seriously if the VW commercial doesn't make you 

laugh or smile or chuckle or something.... you need help!
Just a few YouTube videos to make you smile! =D

Pioneer Wedding

 On Saturday, the 13th of October, my family went to a 1870's era wedding. Rachel and Adam were such a cute couple and they set a wonderful example of courtship, purity, and honoring their parents. I was grateful to be a witness. ...and in the process we had SO MUCH FUN getting all dressed up for the time period.

A group of us on the way to the wedding, taking a break from our 3 and 1/2 hour drive.

 

Paddy and Nellie posing for a "farmer and his wife" photo

 Rachel & Adam's first kiss.

Right after the wedding the newlyweds hopped in a buggy for a little ride!

My family... 

or at least the few of us who were able to attend the wedding.
L-R: Emily & Jacob Crandall, Dad, Janelle, Mom, Channing, Patrick, Mary Ellen (myself)

Channing.... quite a strapping lad. ;)

Guests were allowed to go on horse-drawn wagon rides 

and rides in the "Just Married" buggy. 

This is a pretty cute picture of my parents, if I do say so myself.

My friend Sandy and I had our picture taken sawing a log when we were just wee little girls. 

We thought it would be fun to get another 

now that we've grown up a bit! =D

The boys taking their turn at the saw.

It was tricky to get a picture in the low-lighting, 

but the reception was held in a barn loft. 

The decorations and atmosphere was lovely!

Sweetest Day? ...seriously?

As if Valentines Day isn't enough, today is Sweetest Day. Companies tell you that you should get something for that sweet person in your life.... and it made me wonder, what is the sweetest thing that I, or anyone for that matter, could do?
Ephesians 5:2 came to mind, " And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
Skip the jewelry, flowers and chocolates. 
Living for Christ and walking in love? 
Now that would be sweet.

...and obviously give the gift of honeycomb!  Because it's just delicious! Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."

Excogitations

They say that "home is where the heart is" but I think they have gotten it all backwards. My heart, in itself is deceitful and wicked and the things and people that it would desire and long for here on earth are not my home. Therefore my home is not where my heart is at, but rather my heart is where my home is at.
2 Corinthians 5:1, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

When I was young I learned Galatians 5:22 from the NIV, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"
I read the KJV now and thought for quite some time that the word "longsuffering" was so much more complicated than "patience" and so I'd just think "patience" when reading the verse. As I thought about it more and as I've lived longer the idea of longsuffering started to have some weight. Suffering for a long time? Now that is something. Comparatively, patience almost has a gentle, easy sound to it, as if it's something that can be easily done, though the situation may not be overly wonderful. I'm not saying that patience is easy.... but longsuffering? It is another matter!
Like right now in farming we need money and milk makes money but we are in a season where the cows dry up before they freshen..... no milk, no money. People think we should just give up and quit and yet we persevere even though it means suffering for a long time.
Longsuffering: when there was contention, hatred, opposition but they held off on going to war... they waited... and held on...
Longsuffering: when they held off surrendering even though the troops  were battered, food was scarce and ammunition was needed, but still they held on... and waited....
I am so thankful for my King James Bible.
Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

I've seen a lot of people, especially young people, spend their precious time fretting about their single or lonely state. Their focus in life is to be with somebody. ...but they forget that in order to be with someone you first have to be. Instead of dwelling on how someone or something can fulfill their emptiness (only to discover that such emptiness cannot be filled by any earthly thing) but they are empty because they are not content first with who they are. To be full, to be happy, to be content... to be complete first in Him (Colossians 2:10). "To be, or not to be, that is the question:" but not as Shakespeare would have it, as in life and death, but as in a life where one truly lives because they are overflowing with fullness or where one lives because the simply are and nothing else.
To be or not to be, that is the choice we all face.

"silly women"

I was reading Second Timothy chapter Three recently where it talks about "the last days" and of "evil men and seducers." A verse suddenly brought up an interesting train of thought...
2 Timothy 3:6,
"For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,"
Seeing that this is the modern age where people don't trust each other even a silly girl would probably call the cops or something if someone was 'creeping' into her house. How could such evil people possibly lead silly women out of the safety of their home... with divers lusts to boot?!
Then an image popped into my head of women across the world watching TV and being lead captive over time by the propaganda of the wicked. I'm not saying that this is what the Bible was talking about in 2 Timothy 3:6, but I do know that television is full of despicable material and just maybe this is how silly women are so commonly deceived?

If you were to turn on most any TV channel would you find any of these traits, characteristics, behaviors, attitudes... etc.?
lovers of their own selves
covetous
boasters
proud
blasphemers
disobedient to parents
unthankful 
unholy
without natural affection
trucebreakers
false accusers
incontinent  [and this isn't the inability to restrain pee pee]
fierce
despisers of those that are good
traitors
heady
highminded
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God
having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof

The gullible gals sitting in front of the "smut-box" soaking up the soaps... they are silly. Taking in every false message... learning of and dwelling on how to be everything but the things that God would have them become. Being seduced by good looking people and fine things. Greed. Selfishness. Most of the television today teaches you that it's o.k. for everything to be about "Me, Me, ME!" 
The wicked people of the world wouldn't be able to go knocking door-to-door creeping into each house to find all of the silly females. No, they just spend a little time and money and create a show, program, advertisement, etc. that they can broadcast to BILLIONS of women at once! How convenient for them!!!! Filling gals with the desire to look like that movie star on TV, have what that person has, decorate like they do, buy the clothes that they wear.... it won't be long before the silly woman will go running from their homes begging for folly.  Or do they already?

The scary part? I can definitely see myself being one of those silly women. I'm not above being beguiled. That is why I am so thankful that I know how to rightly divide the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15,
"study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
The Bible would be so confusing without understanding this dispensation of Grace and where I stand with God. It is no wonder that so many people are insecure and lead in any direction. Christian are often over come with anxiety because they do not know what God is doing in the world.
Reading through 2 Timothy 3 could be quite discouraging or even frighting. The nearing future seems especially hopeless when you get to verse 13, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."
When does it end?! What do we do?! What can we do?!
....it seems that too many people stop reading at verse 13 and fret about the end times to come, but read on, I say!
Verse 14-15, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

I find these verses to be of great consolation. 
Be thankful... you've known the holy scriptures from the time of your youth! Study the word. Then continue in the things which thou hast learned and been ASSURED of. Then look "for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ!" 
...and for goodness' sake! don't trade faith for folly.

Just a little food for thought.

The Fall

I went for a walk the other day with my family... mostly to collect leaves and see all of the pretty colors. It inspired me to get out my pastels and draw a picture that looks similar to a little spot on the farm where the field meets the trees.
It's definitely not exact.... I took many liberties and worked off of my imagination since I didn't have a picture to go off of but the one in my mind. Nevertheless the general landscape in the picture is quite the same as the real geographical location, though much less stunning and beautiful!

Green Tomato... PIE????

There's something that is rather exciting about venturing into the unknown baking world and turning something average, or what sounds like it should be disgusting, and have it turn into the most delicious treat! So it was with the green tomato pie that I baked the other night.

I followed Chef, Paula Deen's recipe that I'd found online last year (I've been wanting to make it for a long time!).

It turned out to incredibly! It's not like traditional apple or pumpkin pie, but it has it's own unique character. My mom said it tasted like mincemeat. I didn't think so.... I thought it tasted like Christmas! The orange and raisin flavors... mmmm. It was fantastic, and makes me sad to think that green tomato season is over already.

Musings

In the winter we put on layers according to how cold the temperature may be. The colder it gets the more layers we wear. Sometimes people have layers. It makes them hard to figure out, be around, relate to and work with. Perhaps because they grew up in a very cold world and those layers were necessary for survival? It makes you want to invite them into your warm, cozy environment and tell them to take their coat off and stay a while. Just maybe they need a little warmth and patients...

As for politics, it seems that there is a rising tide of apathetic citizens. I've talked to a lot of people who either don't like the presidential candidates and say it's more of voting for the "lesser of two evils" or who won't vote at all for numerous reasons; some sensible and others silly. 
Some of us will vote anyways but what it boils down to is a serious disregard on the governments part for the wants and needs of the people. Therefore I officially coin this year's Presidential race (and all pointless elections to come), "The nEgLECTION."

Have you ever wondered where helping someone becomes hurting someone?  The answer must lie somewhere between "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil" and "Go tell it on the mountain!"  It's a fine line for sure. If you should ever happen across it do let me know.

Water Colors

This is an older painting.... it was completed about a month ago. Water colors are always exciting because you can't exactly smear colors to blend them, but rather it's more a process of manipulating the water/paint. ....if that makes any sense. =)

But here it is..... the Ship At Sea:

Permanent Ink

Last night I took my calligraphy pen to create a permanent sketch. No erasing. No fixing mistakes. No shading, no blending... and lines. Everything was made up of lots of lines working together to form one whole image. That was until I accidentally smudged some ink and discovered that I could cheat a little by smearing here and there. What fun! I always find myself giggling gleefully with delight as I get messy and start to see a picture form under my hands. I can't imagine what great pleasure and contentment Jesus must have felt as he created the earth!!
 Proportions and perspectives are all askew. I really need to work on that aspect of things. *sigh* 
An exciting exercise nevertheless!

~ Madam ~