Attitude of Gratitude

 ~ latest visitor ~

Answer me this, please and thanks...what bird is this? A type of woodpecker, perhaps? S/he's been visiting the bird feeder, early morning, stays a while and then flies off. I've managed to get a few, not so good, photos but the bird is extremely sensitive to motion at the window. Even so, s/he has brought me much joy and it pleases me to see the feeder being used by lots of different birds. I especially love the cooing of the doves in their soft, gentle gray cloaks.

Most of you are hurtling toward Thanksgiving, probably overdoing and extending yourselves to the point you'll be frazzled, anxious and maybe even a bit testy. Better a crust of bread eaten joyfully than a rich feast eaten in strife...or so says something similar in the Good Book, Proverbs, I believe. Please don't overdo; please don't lower your standards but please do lower your expectations. Let's face it, you will be disappointed because that's who we are as human beings. We are imperfect people who, not meaning to, disappoint others even as we are being disappointed. God save us from ever meaning to disappoint; how utterly cruel and heartless that would be of us!

~ sun bow ~

Of course you know about rainbows but do you know about sun bows? Every now and again, when the sun and clouds are arranged "just so", there's a sun bow. And, no, it wasn't raining nor had it been raining. Just another little God giftie to be admired and appreciated.

 ~ animal cereal ~

We've a barn loft full of square hay bales and two lots full of round hay bales. Words fail me at knowing my animals will eat well this winter. If there's anything I hate to see, it's something hungry and, as Dave is fond of telling me, "no chance of that on this farm!" Going hungry, especially in this country is a sin against God and our fellow human beings. How do we allow such things to happen?

Rebecca Writes of a grateful November; this Thanksgiving my grateful heart includes you folks who stop by to visit, perhaps leave an encouraging word, maybe put us on your prayer list. Recently, I've been hurt by people who want to "know the news" and once they find out, they are seldom seen but they spread "the news" far and wide. Truthfully, I never figured them for friends, mere acquaintances at best, but it still hurts especially when they are so absolutely full of bonhomie and "Christian speak". Well, as it turns out, from my view, it looks like, to put it bluntly, mere b.s.  I'd just soon a person not say anything as slander their Christian witness.

Blessings ~ people who walk the walk but not people who talk the talk ~

Grace and Peace,
Sandra

Dribs and Drabs

 ~ cozy mornings ~

Usually, the dogs and I are early morning risers; this morning we left the warmth of our bed at 5 a.m. They go outside, most of the time, as I'm making coffee and readying early morning dog treats, then, we all go into the sun room where the gas logs are lit and I read my Bible. Lately, it's been Job; always welcome and, these days, speaking directly to my heart like an arrow from the sling of the Almighty.

~ Canada geese ~

Almost every day, we see huge flocks of Canada geese, not Canadian geese as that's entirely incorrect. There are times the flock can be counted but, usually, they are too numerous. They have flown so close overhead I can hear the "whomp, whomp, whomp" of their wings and the absolute wildness of it all, stirs my heart and makes me want to jump into the air like a child playing chase. It is that restless longing for true freedom, only to be found in God, for which I long and seek.

As St. Augustine said, "GREAT art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and of Thy wisdom there is no end. And man, being a part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee, man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, even the witness that Thou "resistest the proud,"(2) -- yet man, this part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee. Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee? Lord, teach me to know and understand which of these should be first, to call on Thee, or to praise Thee; and likewise to know Thee, or to call upon Thee. But who is there that calls upon Thee without knowing Thee? For he that knows Thee not may call upon Thee as other than Thou art. Or perhaps we call on Thee that we may know Thee. "But how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? or how shall they believe without a preacher?"(5) And those who seek the Lord shall praise Him. For those who seek shall find Him,(7) and those who find Him shall praise Him. Let me seek Thee, Lord, in calling on Thee, and call on Thee in believing in Thee; for Thou hast been preached unto us. O Lord, my faith calls on Thee,--that faith which Thou hast imparted to me, which Thou hast breathed into me through the incarnation of Thy Son, through the ministry of Thy preacher."

Are you familiar with the browser Mozilla Firefox? In a word, it's fabulous! Dave is the high tech geek around here and he found and installed Firefox for us. I wasn't too thrilled one way or the other, as long as the computer will boot up and take me where I want to go, I'm a happy camper. With Firefox, if the font on a particular page is too small, just click Control and the + sign at the same time. The font will enlarge each time you click! If the font is too large, click on Control and the - sign and the font size decreases. Is that cool or what? Another thing...Firefox has wonderful themes that appear around the edges of your screen. Right now, I'm looking at Aslan, peering rather majestically at me over the top of my g-mail. Okay, it's not really Aslan but he is a majestic lion and, as I love Narnia, I pretend it's Aslan. Does my heart good too, knowing Aslan is right here with me both in spirit and on the screen. 

Is it just me and Sarah Palin or have you noticed grocery store prices are, just about, through the roof? Do you know about the National Inflation Association? It's all about "preparing Americans for hyperinflation" and if you're a person, such as I, who best understands things put rather simply, go read some of the articles. Be sure your shoes are tightly tied as you're about to be frightened out of your socks! Food price projections are strikingly obscene! Forecasts of +$23 for a pound and half loaf of bread or +$45 for a 64 ounce container of orange juice...YIKES! Other forecast include, by the end of this decade which is not so very far in the future, a plain white cotton men's tee shirt costing more than $55 at Wal-Mart. NIA expectations are all retailers will soon substantially raise food prices and at the same time, this "will ensure that this Holiday shopping season will be the worst in recorded American history." I urge everyone to run to the grocery and make purchases now, while we can still afford to buy! Stock up on beans, rice and the basics; learn to cook from scratch, prepare yourselves and your families, as best you can, for what is to come.

"Why," you ask, "is this happening?" Because the Federal Reserve has announced they will implement $600 Billion in additional quantitative easing by end of June 2011. Simply put, they keep printing money and that causes inflation! Quite effectively, it steals from the purchasing power of income and savings of ALL of us! As the NIA puts it, "While Americans are distracted by the mainstream media with daily debates by the Democrats and Republicans about taxes, U.S. taxes have almost no where near the effect on the lives of middle class Americans as does the Federal Reserve's monetary policy and quantitative easing. Instead of millions of Americans attending "tea party" events in Washington with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, they should be marching outside of the Federal Reserve building in New York chanting "End the Fed"."

Works for me, ending big government.The Republicans have announced they will attempt to "stop the pork". Now you and I both know, that's not going to happen, not in a million lifetimes but what they, Dems and Republicans, can do is "end the Fed". That's probably not going to happen either but a woman can dream, can't she? I dream of change, real change, and I don't mean chump change either.

~ eye candy ~

These are perilous times and the blessing/curse "may you live in interesting times" is certainly true. In keeping with Rebecca Writes, my heart is grateful that even though I live in interesting times, my times are in God's hands. It is He who holds sway over me and not man. Man may mean it for evil but God is able to work it for His good. Bless His name forever.

Blessings ~ the view from each window ~ Aslan ~ St. Augustine ~ Canada geese ~ cozy fire ~ faith ~ seeking ~

Grace and Peace,
Sandra

A Full clothesline

 ~ grateful hearts unite ~

As yesterday's post ended, a grateful heart was mentioned. I said it was my intent to end each November post with something my heart held in gratitude. And, so I did. Later in the day, traveling around the i-net, I visited Mama Craft who led me to Walk A Mile who, in turn, led me to Rebecca Writes. From there, my journey went to Lisa Notes where she's made the above beautiful button for folks to use.

Rebecca, for the past five years, has "declared November to be the month of Thanksgiving at Rebecca Writes!" As the Preacher said, "there's nothing new under the sun" and were I to not express humility at this point, would say, "great minds think alike." Unfortunately, as my great mind is just now coming around to express a grateful heart in November, I think the word great is, rightfully, stricken from the record.

Ahem.

You are encouraged to join in. Rebecca is posting every day but that's not a criteria. All you have to have is a grateful heart and be willing to say so in every November post.

 ~ blooming iris ~

 My days have been full of efforts produced in the studio. The above panel was doubled, turned right sides together and sew about ninety percent of the way 'round. Then, it was "birthed", meaning it was turned inside out and the opening then hand stitched closed. About two inches from every side, it was sewn on the ole Featherweight in order to produce a nice, mostly even, hem. This is going, I think, to someone whose birthday is next week. I've another fleece throw to sew so it's going to be a toss-up between the two; the one that doesn't go for the birthday gift will be sold at the Christmas Faire.

~ thundering herd ~

Fleece is, as you may know, a petroleum product and High Flammable! It always bothers me to use fleece but it's so warm and cozy that I reserve using it for adults only; rarely do I use it for children. The above "thundering herd" is going to a friend who is an encourager. There aren't many in this frosty world and if you have an encourager, or three, in your life, you are blessed indeed!

~ tri-shawl ~

This acrylic tri-shawl is perfect for a smaller woman or child. A lot of my knitted shawls are made in acrylic as it's easy care, easy wear with no need to worry about natural fiber allergies. Yes, it's bright but as we're going into the shortened days of winter, brightness is a plus.

~ scarves! ~

At church, someone told me when they think of me they think of hats and scarves. I wear dresses or skirts to church, always, and find a nice scarf adds a statement, as does a hat but my summer hats far outnumber my winter hats. My winter hats tend to be hand knitted affairs designed for warmth; I lost the ego some time back. The two scarves on the left are fabric, the third from the left is a knitted woolen blend spiral and the red scarf is my wild child. I love knitting scarves, or even shawls, that make a statement. Every so often there will be someone who isn't afraid to wear them but, unfortunately, so many women think it's too bold and shy away. So sad.

There hasn't been any studio time today; time has been taken up with town errands and voting. Please God, let men and women after your own heart who walk the walk be elected. Those folks who talk the talk only and have been in office for decades need to find gainful employment. They have forgotten, if they ever knew, what real work entailed. They have, for far too long, sucked at the government teat and have become their own masters. They do not serve but strive to make servants slaves of the rest of us.

If you are a Bible believing, man and woman after God's own heart who is in agony over the direction our country has taken and the, so-called, leadership, my heart goes out to you. You, dear saints, who read God's word and speak to Him daily, who strive mightily to do as His word commands and not as you "feel" is right are to be commended. You put aside yourselves and seek to make Him greater and that's not easy to do in this frosty world. Recently, I've been blasted by people who think I'm old-fashioned and out of touch because I  believe what God's Word says...radical indeed! One woman told me she was glad "we each have our own opinions" and I told her "our opinions don't mean spit, it's what the Word of God says that we should agree upon. I am sorry my words angered her but not sorry I said what I said yet, it would seem tolerance is given only when two are in agreement -wry grin-. It's a frosty world and even we Christians have trouble getting along. If we have such troubles in the here and now, what bodes for eternity? I'm sure God's great heart is grieved and I ask forgiveness for my part in grieving Him.

Now, perhaps you understand why my studio receives so much of my time...? I am grateful to have my little studio, my sewing machines, my cutting table, material, scissors, measuring tapes and a modicum of talent to make things to give away and, sometimes, sell. I am grateful for the work of my hands and heart that, sometimes, brings comfort to others. I am grateful God brings into my life folks who are in need of encouragement in the physical form, in the form of a scarf, shawl, quilt or throw.


Blessings ~ Sara ~ Beth ~ Rebecca ~ Lisa ~ You ~

Grace and Peace,
Sandra