Teddy in the Pickle Jar

I'm hoping enough time has gone by that everyone has forgotten about my last childhood animal story. Probably not. But don't worry. This post should leave you with a smile.

Teddy was a dog my Grandma Meme found...or maybe he found her. I don't remember.  I don't even know how old I was at the time, but I'm going to guess between 7 and 8. I just remember that Teddy was a ball of fur and was blind in one eye. As dogs go, we had him longer than most other dogs all of my growing-up years. Remember, we lived in the country and most of the animals that were a part of our family were there because someone else had discarded them.

I think Teddy knew he had been rescued and maybe for the first time was really shown love. My grandmother had a way with lovin' things. I don't know how Teddy ended up at our house (if it was after my grandmother got sick with cancer) or before, but in my mind's eye, he was always a part of our family. When my father would get mad at him for doing something he shouldn't, he would call him "Theodore" in a very stern voice. Teddy knew he was in trouble! I remember one time when my father was messin' with my mother in the backyard and Teddy thought something serious was going on. My father decided to see what would happen if he pretended to be hurting her. I remember thinking Teddy was going to take my father out! He didn't like it, fun or not, one little bit.

So early one morning my sister and I were heading out the door to go to school. We had to walk down our driveway (which was very long) to wait for the bus. As we got closer to the bottom of the driveway, we saw Teddy over in the far front yard. Something was quite wrong. Somehow poor Teddy had found an empty pickle jar (it was white plastic and I'm guessing held a couple of gallons). While trying to sniff whatever was left in the bottom of the pickle jar, Teddy got his head stuck.

Now at first glance it was a pretty funny sight...a dog walking around, head completely encased in a big white pickle jar, running in circles and falling over. Except upon closer examination, we quickly realized the plastic jar was being sucked in and out. Teddy was suffocating!

Well, lo and behold, the school bus pulled-up just in the nick of time. We screamed for the bus driver to please come and help us get the pickle jar off poor Teddy's head.  I'm sure it was against all the school regulations so, as you might have guessed, the bus driver looked at us, mumbled something, closed the door, and drove away.

Panic set in. Poor Teddy was in big trouble and we couldn't budge the pickle jar. I think I stayed with Teddy while my sister ran back to the house to get my mother. I don't remember if she called my father at work for advice, but she came to Teddy with a huge serrated knife in her hand. The pickle jar was so tight around his neck that it was impossible to get the knife under the lip of the jar. So my mother punctured the end of the pickle jar with the knife. I just remember hearing this huge sucking sound as poor Teddy tried to gasp for air. My mother managed to cut the end off the pickle jar. And so, until my father got home later that night, Teddy walked around with a pickle jar on his head!

Who knows! Maybe this is how the modern-day "cone of shame" was developed.

I know! It was the bus driver...he probably holds the patent for the cone of shame! And all at poor Teddy's expense and utter humiliation!

See, that wasn't so bad now was it?

Hot Fudge Brownie Cake

The weather has turned so quickly around here. We noticed late last week that the beautifully colored leaves are gone. Gone. I must admit that it's just a little depressing. There won't be much else to lift our spirits except an occasional blue sky here and there. Actually, I went back and looked at my first couple of blog posts (last March) and, well, we had almost two feet of snow on the ground. And here we are again. We had our first snowflakes on Friday.

But God is great and life is good! While time seems to be moving quickly, I am encouraged to know that a warm spell is coming in tomorrow and is suppose to last through the end of the week. Blue skies and sunshine--yes! I am so hoping to get a fire in...even if it's in the middle of the afternoon. There's just something yummy about sitting at a crackling fire wearing toasty slippers and holding a big mug of hot mulled cider. Mmmmm mmmm!

Since we're talking about warm and cozy things, I thought you might enjoy this recipe. I discovered it almost two years ago in my all-time favorite magazine, Southern Living. With the exception of a recipe for baked oatmeal (oh, was it ever disgusting), I don't think I've ever made a recipe that turned out badly. When you see what you do to make this cake, you'll think there must be some kind of mistake. But, no! I can assure you it is fabulous and looks exactly like the picture. Oooey, gooey, yummy, chocolaty and delicious. You get the idea!

Enjoy!

Marriage Matters

Mr. Wonderful and I attended a Marriage Matters workshop at our church last Saturday. The workshop was based upon the book Lasting Love, How to Avoid Marital Failure by our pastor, Alistair Begg. I believe this book should be read by anyone thinking about marriage, is already married, or knows someone who is married!

Since these free resources have just been made available, here's the link to watch the videos or listen to the audio of the seminar we attended.

Classical Gas

Music fills the rooms of our home most days... it's a wonderful thing!



Caleb knows he could play this song for me a hundred times in a row and I'd never tire of hearing it. I just love it! Well, truth be known, I love to hear him play anything on his guitar. It brings this mother's heart great joy.

This song was originally titled Classical Gasoline as written by Mason Williams in 1968. It was later shortened to Classical Gas and is considered one of the most loved and recognized songs in instrumental music. I will confess that while I recognized the song when I first heard it, I didn't know its name. Classical Gas is a funny name, don't ya think?

Caleb started playing guitar when he was 7 years old...half his life ago!

Happy Thursday!

Autumn Only Lasts So Long

My Little Missy

Oh, today has been such a nice day. For a number of different reasons I suppose. I don't know. I woke-up extra early and decided to sneak downstairs and linger over a cup of coffee while reading from The Valley of Vision. Do you have this little book in your library? If not, you really should. This devotional contains prayers from the largely forgotten deposit of Puritan spiritual exercises, meditations and aspirations. The beauty of the language stirs my heart and helps me see through eyes which are not my own. I could never speak so eloquently, but my heart feels each word as if it originated there.

GOD ALL-SUFFICIENT

O Lord of Grace,

The world is before me this day,
and I am weak and fearful,
but I look to thee for strength;
If I venture forth alone I stumble and fall,
but on the Beloved's arms I am firm
as the eternal hills;
If left to the treachery of my heart
I shall shame thy Name,
but if enlightened, guided, upheld by thy Spirit,
I shall bring thee glory.
Be though my arm to support,
my strength to stand,
my light to see,
my feet to run,
my shield to protect,
my sword to repel,
my sun to warm.
To enrich me will not diminish thy fullness;
All thy lovingkindness is in thy Son,
I bring him to thee in the arms of faith,
I urge his saving Name as the One who died for me.
I plead his blood to pay my debts of wrong.
Accept his worthiness for my unworthiness,
his sinlessness for my transgressions,
his purity for my uncleanness,
his sincerity for my guile,
his truth for my deceits,
his meekness for my pride,
his constancy for my backslidings,
his love for my enmity,
his fullness for my emptiness,
his faithfulness for my treachery,
his obedience for my lawlessness,
his glory for my shame,
his devotedness for my waywardness,
his holy life for my unchaste ways,
his righteousness for my dead works,
his death for my life.

Some of those lines--I just have to pause and really think about them. Amazing love! How can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me?

This afternoon I am home alone with my sweet little missy. It's unusual that we're home on a Wednesday afternoon. So, do you know what we did? We decided to get a little brave and pull out ... drum roll please ... our sewing projects! Rachel is finishing an embroidery project she started earlier this summer. And me, well, do you remember this post? How about this post? I must confess that since cutting out all the squares for my quilt back in July, everything has been tucked away. I guess with the weather changing, it seems like the perfect time to pull it all back out again.

But I'm scared!

Rachel and I took everything upstairs and used the bed to create a grid so that all the pieces were correctly placed (the finished quilt will be 6' x 5'). Then she carefully wrote labels for each square (column 1, row 1, etc.) and I pinned them in place. I don't know if that's what you're suppose to do, but I feel like I need to know exactly what is what and to know where what goes! Then we carefully stacked up each row and placed them into plastic bags in order to keep them from getting mixed-up.

Rachel asked, "So, are you going to sew now?"
"Uh, no. I'm too scared!"

So, we're headed in the right direction, but have much to consider. This is my first big quilt (big for me!) and I really want to do a good job.

I'll keep you posted!

By the way, I hope you like the new blog background and colors. I'll probably still make some little adjustments here and there. I must say it was quite fun choosing something new and my little missy was right there helping every step of the way. Since autumn only lasts so long, I'll be able to do it all again in another couple of months!

Happy Wednesday!

Walls of Wisdom

This post is to respond to a recent request from a fellow blogging friend, Lady Rose, to see the quotes and Bible verses displayed in my guest powder room.

The space is rather large for a powder room, but when we built our home 14 years ago we decided to cut way back on a hallway closet and expand the bathroom floor space in order to accommodate my brother, Derek's, wheelchair. We were happy to have the opportunity to help him in this small way.

Long ago, I thought an angel motif might be nice for this little room. This print is actually fairly large (about 3' x 2.5') and the dried flower arrangement on top is over 20 years old. Rachel had fun taking a blow dryer to it a few months ago. The accumulation of dust and cob webs were just a little bit much. You know me...I hate dusting. Anyway, give me a break. Unless you looked-up in there, you really didn't notice!

Just in case you're curious about the walls, they were first painted with flat paint and then sponged with the same exact color of paint except in high gloss. It creates a beautiful pattern. This was the first room I painted shortly after we moved into our home. Caleb was about six months old at the time. I distinctly remember enjoying that little bit of creative time all to myself!



These frames contain various quotes and are directly across from the throne. Please keep in mind that I made all of these using a regular ink jet printer, scrapbooking adhesive, and inexpensive frames I purchased at Marshall's. The exceptions are the stone plaque and the little frame with the oval mat (this contains the Corrie Ten Boom quote). Starting at the lower left frame and moving up and over to the right, this is what they say:



Keep moving forward... Walt Disney

This certainly applies to Christian living, my friends.

~Unsaid~

If all that we say in a single day,
With never a word left out,
Were painted each night in clear black and white,
It would prove queer reading, no doubt.

And then just suppose 'ere our eyes would close,
We must read the whole record through,
Then wouldn't we sigh, and wouldn't we try,
A good deal less talking to do.

And I more than half think that many a kink
Would be smoother in life's tangled thread,
If half that we say in a single day
Were forever left unsaid.

Author Unknown

Our pastor, Alistair Begg, quoted this during a sermon. It had no title, however, I decided to give it one (i.e., Unsaid) because I thought it would look better in the frame.

Love of God

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure--
The saints' and angels' song.

Frederick M. Lehman, 1917

These words are part of a much loved hymn from days of old. It was the second frame I created and hung upon the wall. The first was the quote below by Corrie Ten Boom.

Every experience God gives us,
every person he puts in our lives,
is the perfect preparation for the future
that only He can see.

Corrie Ten Boom

The last frame contains the May 3 devotional (morning) from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. This devotional just happens to fall on my birthday and so the words have been a solemn reminder to me.

IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION.
JOHN 16:33

Are you asking why this should be, believer? Look upward to your heavenly Father, and behold Him pure and holy. Do you know that you are one day to be like Him? Will you easily be conformed to His image? Will you not require much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify you? Will it be an easy thing to get rid of your corruptions and make you perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect? Next, Christian, turn your eye downward. Do you know what foes you have beneath your feet? You were once a servant of Satan, and no king will willingly lose his subjects. Do you think that Satan will leave you alone? No, he will always be at you, for he “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”¹ Expect trouble, then, Christian, when you look beneath you. Then look around you. Where are you? You are in enemy country, a stranger and an alien. The world is not your friend. If it is, then you are not God’s friend, for whoever is the friend of the world is the enemy of God. Be certain that you will find enemies everywhere. When you sleep, remember that you are resting on the battlefield; when you travel, suspect an ambush in every hedge. As mosquitoes are said to bite strangers more than natives, so the trials of earth will be sharpest to you. Lastly, look within you, into your own heart, and observe what is there. Sin and self are still within. If you had no devil to tempt you, no enemies to fight you, and no world to ensnare you, you would still find in yourself enough evil to be a sore trial to you, for “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.”² Expect trouble then, but do not despair on account of it, for God is with you to help and to strengthen you. He has said, “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”³

¹1 Peter 5:8 ²Jeremiah 17:9 ³Psalm 50:15

The three frames below are on the wall next to the door, beside the pedestal sink. Starting at the top left and moving right and then down, here's what they say:



If we work on marble, it will perish; if on brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and imbue them with principles, with the just fear of God and the love of our fellowmen, we engrave on those tablets something that will brighten to all eternity. Daniel Webster 1852


These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

And lastly, over the throne, a quote from Lord of the Rings:



I can't do this Sam.

I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo…the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding onto something.

What are we holding onto Sam?

That there's some good in this world,
Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

The Lord of the Rings
The Two Towers

And so, there you have it. Walls of wisdom in a little powder room. I sometimes forget about the walls being covered with so many words and would wonder why some guests hung out in there for so long. Then I would remember...they're reading the walls!

Friends are Everblooming Flowers

Remember all the beautiful hydrangeas from earlier this summer?



I picked the best ones...



to give to my friends!

Hey, who's that handsome guy?

I left the hydrangeas alone until they dried naturally on the plant. They don't usually retain their original colors (blue and pink), but I happen to think the lime green and rose colors are just gorgeous.

Several friends asked for dried blooms earlier in the summer and so after cutting them, we decided to make some unexpected special deliveries as we were out and about one afternoon. It was fun to see surprised faces and to watch how they would choose which blooms would best fit their decor. I can see why a flower delivery person would enjoy their job...much joy follows!

One little side story to this story is that while driving down the road I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Just above my head, over the window, was a little spider. Hmmm. At the next red light I pulled out a tissue and quickly removed him from what was clearly my domain.

I have to pause here to say that I don't enjoy a dangling spider in front of my face nor on me while driving. It has happened once before and, let me just say, it wasn't pretty.

Apparently, a clutch of little spiders (I'll just call them that for imagery), must have had a home in the hydrangeas and the car was warm enough that they awoke from their slumber and started moving about. Within several minutes my tissue became the final resting place of about a dozen spiders. Oh, yes. I shiver even now at the thought!

I warned the new owners to be wary of critters whose homes might be within the beautiful blooms. "You might want to keep them outside for a while!" Unless, of course, they don't mind a little spider here and there.

I am reminded of a delicate water color painting I bought shortly after I moved into my first home a number of years ago. It's a beautiful posy of wild clover, roses, and baby's breath all tied together in a blue satin ribbon. Under the painting and on the matting are these words:

Friends are the everblooming flowers

in the garden of the heart

It made me think of you!



P.S. I still have some dried hydrangeas left. If you'd like some, just let me know.