My American Doll goes home to college, today.

The nest is certainly not the same without her. But she is delightfully growing wise and knowledgeable, while away from us. We went to the American Girl Doll store that newly opened down here. The last time we went there she was 10 and it was in NY. She was a little child and they all saw the lights and the beauty of the store and we all wanted to grow up to be American Girls. I guess we all are growing to be who we are. That is a really great store. Now onto the trek 10 hours to take her back. Her blankie that I am working on is almost finished.

Hallowed Be Thy Name!

I will Bless His Holy Name!

It was overcast on the road for the entire trip. Intermittent raindrops hit us, nearly all the way up north and back. I closed my eyes for a minute and there we were, "Welcome to Virginia" I saw the sign. We were truly lost going to Evie. Who knew she was just a few minutes from Virginia. Now we know. A kind attendant gave us very specific and great directions and we almost thought we had shaved a little time off of the 5 hour trek, but we pulled in exactly 5 hours from the time we cast off ship. Halleluia, for the good providence there!We got back in one piece and Emma {our dog} and Ev rolled on the floor, like only they can. She was the only one who could really show Ev physically how very much we miss her when she is gone.

She's back now, so it really is a Happy Thanksgiving week celebration for us.

Lord You are Forever

What is a mother to do? 16 degrees in the morning, last week and it will be 72 today.

What a wonderful dilemma to have? The weather of delightfulness. Mother, I can't find my jacket... Oh honey, you won't need it today; Spring has come to visit us, for Thanksgiving.<

Talk about a reason to be Thankful, among other things!!!

I'm Just a Sinner, Saved By Grace

Thanking God for my Tapestry!

I love the discipline that led Carol King to lead us through her stitches on her "Tapestry" Album. I imagine sitting in class with her and she leads us outside of our romantical imaginations of life and sharing of ourselves with children and husband and friends.

I imagine her saying that "Way Over Yonder" was an emotional lament in the African American Gospel Music Genre that thoughtfully expressed the view from an eternal perspective the stuff that makes us feel that we are going to lose our minds. Try doing this yourself and see if it doesn't give your the catharsis of expression that other genres might not. {The whole album is a cry from her heart and a light to direct us through our own attempts at relating, it seems to me}

"Always keep one hand on your mind, when sharing from yourself." I hear her say. Relationships are complicated and it is very easy to lose yourself in them. "How much of yourself to choose to share with others? is the question in relationships." "It really isn't supposed to cost you your entire sanity to enjoy relationships" She says, it could, but it doesn't have to and God didn't intend it to be that way. If there is such a thing as a freedom of "choice" it is a choice of how much of yourself, you will invest in this relationship, ie. wifing, mothering, sistering, etc. One hand on your mind and one hand on the relationship, I only have two hands and I have hundreds of close relationships and half a dozen children and I can't even go on facebook for just that reason... Carol carries you through the stitches of her tapestry and shows you that you don't have to pull the whole thing out when the stitches get crossed and look tangled. I have needs and others have needs that I have a responsibility to meet. Family is complicated, but when it all comes together, it will be beautiful, when we get

"Home Again and Feeling Right!"

Take a listen and learn about your womanhood from a mother who loved us enough to share some of the stitches:)

Small Mercies? Who's Birthday is it today?

Who's---what's Birthday is it?Thanking God for His mighty and miniscule providences, today!

I was walking around in a real fear of the loss of my short term memory. I had been crocheting and Elyse's dog interrupted me for some fun interaction. I had my large project with me, in my lap and I pet her and then got up and gave her a treat. Distraction led me in a few different directions, to the laundry and to the dishes and then I returned to my crocheting project and everything was intact, except that my 18 inch needle was gone. I know Emma didn't eat that? I backtracked, I looked as best I could and reached into the couch, but I was sure that my memory must be gone. I kept doing exercises of memory, "what is my name?" my address? These things are the first thing to go, when I have a memory episode, here and there. I was certain that my Alzheimer fear had come to invade me.

I bought a new needle. I found sundry other needles around in my search. I resumed my project for a few days. finished one and started another and I sat on the couch to complete another project, when I was interrupted by a dinner pot overboiling. As I jumped up, {as much as I can jump, these days} I heard a clink of metal in the couch behind me. The new needle had fallen into the couch and clinked against the old needle. Thank You Jesus, I am not in the last stages of Alzheimer's, after all. That needle had found the exact place in the couch where the other needle had fallen into the couch. It was a real interior portion of the couch that it had fallen. Halleluia, What a Savior!

Whew! We survived that arctic blast. Thank God for warmth.

Yesterday's 16 degree morning was a swift breath of the cold that usually doesn't come to us at this month of the year.

It ended up warming into the 40's and it is a warming 30 something this morning, Thank You, Jesus!

Ethan gets out the door at 6 am to the busstop and he is usually not thoughtful about the temperature and gregariously trots out the door. Yesterday was a search for the warmest cool adornments. Ezra stole Elyse's scarf as convinced by mom and wore 2 coats and came back with one. He's been having a problem at his locker, which we haven't figured out the cause of, yet. He lost his gym shorts and now a jacket and he keeps saying that "the locker ate it" or something to that effect. We will have to get into the school to find out the problem. It's so hard to get angry with him as he adjust to Middle School. His aspirations for student government didn't pan out and he daily comes home with a quiet, not sullen, but surely maturing sobriety.

Enoch often intercedes for him in the table talk about his day and so it is somewhat difficult to get the whole story. Last semester's "Health class" made him much more aware of the blooming "biologies" about him, as I see it. He seems unsure if "MOM" knows all of the stuff they taught him in the class, just announced his new "knowledge" and hasn't wanted to discuss it any further, with a secure and sure stubbornness. I'll crack that code, soon enough. He's adorable! The rest of the grown people in the house are greatly helpful and we are Thankful, as ever for good health and loving combustions...

PS``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` The weather today was wonderful. few puffy clouds outside and the temperatures finally raised to 60 degrees, after all was said and done. I can hardly remember the 16 degree morning and wrapping my middleschooler's neck with a scarf. He has shorts on now? Certainly a heavenly transition for November! That is what I love about NC!

We are one in the Frozen!

It is truly frozen tundra, all over the country today! 16 degrees is unusually cold for us in NC. I love the mild weather patterns we have here. November has brought an unusual gust of wintry freeze to the whole nation. Lord, You are in control and we are grateful for Your mercies. Great is Your faithfulness. Extra sweaters, hats and scarves create a oneness that goes beyond our divisions. Help us to turn our eyes to You! Love You, Lord! We submit to the cold!

Glorify the Lord!

Celebrating my Marriage!