“Everyone who has any talent at all in sketching, painting, sculpturing or carving, should have the opportunity to use that talent. The expression is important for the person, and can tremendously enrich the lives of other people. What can you do?”  Edith Shaeffer

I spent a sort of lazy Saturday (but how can anyone be lazy with a large family?) and one of the things I did for a treat was to pick out some books from my shelves to nourish my soul.

Edith Shaeffer reminded me to put meaning and purpose into homemaking, with good meals and staying creative in an artistic way, because we have an artist God.

Reading Nourishing Traditions inspired me to make some small changes in my diet, and in our family meals.  Good food=good health

Mary Jane Butters’ books are lovely and interesting for the women who enjoy making their country lives adventurous and beautiful.

I read with fascination, these old favorites of mine, and jotted down some notes in my journal.

“Eggs are one of the healthiest foods on the planet.  They provide protein of the highest quality and all known vitamins and minerals (except vitamin C)” ~Nourishing Traditions

(what a blessing to have our own flock of chickens for fresh eggs.  I’ve been frying myself 3 eggs for breakfast each morning, no toast, just eggs–so satisfying!)

A current favorite verse that “jumped” off the pages of my Bible this weekend::

TO SET THE MIND ON THE SPIRIT

IS LIFE AND PEACE

Romans 8:6

Caleb, our 7-almost-8 year old, brought home his art journal from school on Friday.

He is in 2nd grade.

I had tears in my eyes the whole time we looked through his book together. 

His teacher gave all the students a notebook and every Friday she had a quote, or a question, or an assigned drawing for them to add to it.

By the end of the year, the notebook was full and a precious treasure for Caleb to keep.

Every page was an inspiration and I feel I simply must write to Mrs. Art Teacher to tell her so!

This was my very favorite page, the tears rolled down as I lovingly laughed over his precious writing:

I am so busy that I honestly don’t “do art” in a proper or impressive way.  However, adding words and pictures to pages, sitting down to color with the children, watching a soul-inspiring movie, picking and arranging flowers, gardening, putting pretty little touches in the rooms of my home, even lighting a candle or placing cookies on a plate “just so”, does just enough for that creative part of my soul to satisfy!  And I think my husband and children appreciate it, too, even if they don’t exactly know it!

Other very small “artful” ideas to beautify life:

a ribbon in Sarah’s pony tail
pretty painted toenails
a necklace and earrings
a vase of flowers in the chicken coop
filling a portfolio notebook with the children’s artwork
blogging and photography
pinterest
a homemade card, with stickers and (maybe even) glitter
journaling EVERYTHING: gardens, books, daily life, quotes
homemade baked goods and satisfying dinners
collecting the dishes that YOU love (I collect fiestware, my sister loves Spode)
sincerely appreciating art from the children, and displaying it on walls, fridge, etc…..encouraging any creativity from them
small sewing projects
pressing flowers in the dictionary
sketching

******************************

Sending love and care to each of you on this day.  Isn’t it amazing that God loves us all so very much, more than any we can even fathom.  He has given each of us our own set of gifts and passions to develop and enjoy for His glory.  You are you, and that is a gift to everyone you come in contact with.  I am so thankful for each person that I have met here in blogland.  This world is full of beautiful people and we need one another to uplift, encourage, and pray.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  I Peter 4:8

Fall is making it’s intentions known.  Although not fully here, the signs of New England autumn are here; air is cooling down, the colors are becoming crisp, and a sneak of color is beginning in the trees.  Fall plans on wooing us, and delighting all the senses with it’s loveliness.

Each change of the season brings desire, and longings for very specific simple pleasures.  In the fall, it’s apples, pumpkins, collecting leaves, soaking up the bright blue sky of perfectly beautiful days.  Pulling out the sweaters and crocheted throws.

There might be more time to journal with fresh new things to record.  I have a new one started that I thought I would share today.

The recipe is in the envelope.

Quotes from Kitchen Table Wisdom a beautiful book.

My favorite magazine for pretty pictures is the British edition of Country Living Magazine. 

Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise

The fabric piece is from my mom’s scrap box and I had a twirly skirt made from it when I was a little girl.

I aim to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way. Earnest Hemingway

I do what my heart tells me to do.  I surround myself with beautiful things.  Hilde Leiaghat 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Mom and Seth made homemade biscuits on Saturday.  For lunch we had cream of broccoli soup and biscuits.  Later on, we harvested a butternut squash and roasted it in the oven….creamy, sweet, and delicious.

Spending time with Grandma.  We’ve visited enough this summer that even timid Sarah feels comfortable enough to make herself at home.

We spent a quiet, rainy afternoon together.  Coffee in a Peacock blue fiesta mug. 

This is what my table looks like this morning.

Cats make everything seem cozier. 

Have a wonderful and God blessed Monday.

I’ll be puttering around the homeplace and running to the store later on for this week’s groceries.

I wanted to decoupage this weekend. so after I went to the craft store with Grace, I came home and decided to begin by making a pretty cover for my plain green journal/daybook.

I’m happy with how it turned out.  I looked through three magazines and chose the pictures that I liked the best.  I glued them all onto the journal and after it dried, I put two more coats of glue on, to seal it.

This journal is almost full and I’ve very much enjoyed writing in it. 

Journaling Ideas:  Recipes, quotes, verses, book lists, menu ideas, thankful lists, weather reports, pictures from the children, pictures from magazines, diary entries of what I did that day, favorite songs, prayers, cards that friends sent me, inspiring people, interesting clips from newspapers or magazines, house decorating tips, thoughts, reminders, and goals.

“It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace.” Hebrews 13:9

(the pictures are of my wedding flowers after saving them for over 11 years)

I was transported back in time. 

Today I opened my hope chest, which I haven’t looked through in years.  The scent of cedar greeted me as I shook out some of my little girl clothes. . handmade blouses that my mom made. . .a few things handmade by my great grandma. . .dresses that were mine that I also dressed my daughter in (she’s outgrown them!). . .I found my baby book which is full of cards, pictures, and information about me, lovingly written by mom.

There were a few of my old dolls and my first set of Little House books. 

There were old school programs . .report cards. . old schedules, reports, tests.  I have my first New Testament, my Bible with pictures, and my last Bible before I was married, with my maiden name on the front cover.

My graduation things; cap, diploma.  There were things from my year at college.

Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now.
~William Wordsworth

I read through my old diaries.  Parts of them made me blush, parts made me smile, and parts made me laugh out loud.

“We opened our Christmas gifts at 6am, although Nathan did try getting up at 4 again.”

“Amanda woke up while I was on the phone and she told on me.  Now I can’t talk on the phone past 11 or I’m grounded”

“Grandpa ran over my kitten today.  I feel sick.”

“I went with Roger to go pick up Colleen from college for the weekend”

“Elisha and Erika spent the night last night”

“I can do a round-off-back-hand-spring!”

I wrote this after a day of babysitting my siblings:  “The kids drove me up the wall all day.  David kept jumping around everytime a basketball commercial came on and was showing everyone the crackers he was chewing.  Nathan was being stubborn.  Everytime I told him to do something, it took forever.  Isaac kept running around and making shooting noises with the tinker toy gun he made.  Amanda was also a pain.  She kept pretending the back of the couch was a balance beam.  I had no patience and was grumpy.”

I was SO DRAMATIC back then!  (certain people would say I still am!)

I wrote about boys, growing up, family, things that made me happy or mad, school, etc.

I wrote about meeting Rich, falling in love, our engagement, getting married, having babies.  After the first couple children came along I stopped writing on a regular basis. 

These days I mostly write my thoughts during devotional times; the scripture passages I’ve read, quotes and verses, my feelings and spiritual growth.  Every once in a while these “deep thoughts” are interrupted with my hasty scribbling of something funny one of the kids just said.

Journals(from a magazine clipping)

“I never travel without my diary.  One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”  Oscar Wilde

Travel journals
Garden journals
Nature journals
Family Chronicles
Dream journals
Crisis journals
Marking Life’s Milestones
Journals of Wisdom
Gratitude journals

(They were yellow roses and white daisies)

Anyway, I sat for a long time on the floor looking through my old things and reading.  When I was done, I got up and stretched my legs that were stiff from sitting so long.  I felt like I had just come back from a trip. . .it was fun. . .a delicious feeling of meeting myself again, a self that I hadn’t remembered in a long time.