Happy Memorial Day

In honor of the fallen.

Blessings to the families of those who have served our country.

May we never forget their courage and bravery!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The world would wish us to celebrate this "holiday" for all things green and Irish.  But it is so much more.  We recognize this particular day as the anniversary of the death of a great man of God, Maewyn Succat, later christened Saint Patrick, a missionary to Ireland and a devoted servant of Christ.

Happy Valentine's Day!

All too often, we tend to take this verse for granted:  

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

John 3:16

For this Valentine's Day, I've unearthed an archived post (again) from the past year's holiday, recognizing the life and death of Valentinius, a third-century Christian martyr.  (I say "again," because this is probably the third time it has been re-posted. . . I guess I am just a wee bit proud of my fictional work that I wanted to share it with our dear new followers, who may or may not have seen it before. . .  This time, it is in letter form!  Thanks to Photoshop :] )

Last year, and maybe the year before, I posted a letter on my Plain & Average blog describing what we know of the life of Valentine, a Christian martyr and saint.  Using what research I found from various websites I put together a brief account of what could have happened during the time of St. Valentine.  My character, Alessandra, is portrayed as the daughter of a warden to the Roman prison where Valentine was held as punishment for his belief in the Christian faith.

Here is part of the original post:

In honor of St. Valentine's Day, I would like to post a letter I wrote from the perspective of someone who might have known the Christian priest, Valentine, in the early 3rd century Rome.

Please note: The names used (Alessandra Donati, Aldo Donati III) are fictitious and were only for the purpose of discerning the writer. However, Emperor Claudius II was indeed the emperor of Rome at the time of Valentine. Places such as Via Flaminia, Apennine Mountains, and Ariminum (known as Rimini, located on the Adriatic Sea) are present-day locations. The dates used in the letter are approximately correct according to various sites from which I found and researched the information regarding this letter. Also, the "fact" that the writer of the letter received Christ as her personal Savior may or may not be true. There is no indication in any of the accounts on the subject of the legend of St. Valentine. Again, this is a fictitious writing, please do not take it as total truth. There are so many different accounts of St. Valentines (plural) that it is hard to discern which are true.

Please enjoy my account.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

Romans 8:38

When Came the Light of the World. . .

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy this season of Giving.  Cherish the love of family and fellowship!  But don't ever forget the Truth of this holiday when came the Light of the World.

Hello.

Hi.  Because of this special Christmas season, we haven't had much of a chance to update as often as I would have liked.  But I'm not going to apologize.  =]  As I have mentioned before, this blog is not a top priority.  If all you do is spend hours on end blogging, surfing the web, etc.--then it's time you start re-evaluating what is important.  Do not misunderstand me!  I love blogging!  But all too often, it takes away too much of my time.

Anyway, I thought I would use this particular post to give a quick update. . .

Can you believe Christmas Day is nearly upon us??  Aah!  I remember thinking how fast the year seemed to be flying by early this past summer.  *le sigh*

We have some great news!  Our family, who lives on the other side of the country, is coming home to stay!  They arrive the 19th of this month!  (Eep! So close to Christmas?!)  With much prayer and petition, a job opening has become available for our uncle, and he has decided to take it!  This is a huge step for the family.  It will provide the chance for them to live on the farm, so the kids can grow up in the same wonderful environment that yours truly has, and we have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas together--something we haven't done in quite a while.  Please keep them in your prayers!  There remains a lot of detail to work on, and they will have to travel during the before-holiday traffic.

With Jenny coaching the Winter swim team, me preparing for a dance recital, Christmas holiday preparations, getting our 3Maidens shop name out in the community, and church activities, these days have been fairly busy.  But God is good.

We will continue to post, though they may be few and far between.  Jen's Artsy days will continue as often as she can until Christmas week, after which they will pick back up again.  Look forward to them!

And with that I must bid you adieu.  But before I leave you, I'd like to share a video that I think you will find amazing!  The Piano Guys "Angels We Have Heard on High."

As Christmas Day approaches, do not forget the true Reason why we celebrate this holiday!  He came for us that we may have life.  And by living, shine His light that ALL may see!

Merry Christmas!

Sarah

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

Picture via Pinterest.

A Nation's Strength (July 4th, 2012)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To celebrate the memory of the Christian missionary, known to us as St. Patrick, we decided to resurrect last year's post with the history and life of St. Patrick.  You can find it here.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Irish Blessing

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don't ever forget Who paid the Ultimate Sacrifice because of love.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

John 3:16

"Who can separate us from the love of Christ?  Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword? ...No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angel or rulers, things present or things to come, or hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

Romans 8:35, 37-39

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pop on over to see Sarah's post on her blog! [a letter written by Alessandra on the legend of St. Valentine.]

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone is having a blessed Christmas Day!

If you are, then you most likely won't be reading this today, but I decided to go ahead and post these two songs.

The first is a great classic by Michael W. Smith called Gloria.

This second song is called Miraculum, another epic (yes, I like that adjective) instrumental of classic Christmas melodies arranged by Lincoln Brewster.

Try to ignore the strange hairdo and enjoy the song.  :)

Merry Christmas!

Three Maidens

The Flu and The Hobbit

Hello everyone!

Since Sarah has started her own blog, she has heavily hinted that she wants Jen and I to do more on this blog, so I am making that effort.

As you all probably know, a lot of people are rather sickly right now, myself included.  Our father recently had an e-mail conversation along that line with one of his buddies/co-workers that was absolutely hilarious, so we ladies asked permission to post it on the blog.

Daddy can be quite funny when he wants to be!

~*~

From: Kent
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 1:30 PM
To: Steve; Larry; David
Subject: Flu

Felt little better yesterday, but, this morning I actually passed out & hit the floor. Barbie called the Dr this am & he said my symptoms were the FLU !!!  I don't think so, hey, call me a Dr.   I'll be back when I get back I guess, may want to keep my timesheets turned in, haha cough cough - they are on my desk near the phone.
Kent

~*~

From: Steve
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 03:02 PM
To: Kent; Larry; David
Subject: RE: Flu

Kent,

I'll wait until you get better to call you a wimpy wienee boy. However, that's the same story Hillary Clinton used to get out of testifying about the Libya incident ... not that there is any connection, I'm just sayin' ...

Anyway, hope you get better soon.

Steve

~*~

From: Kent
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 3:25 PM
To: Steve
Subject: Re: Flu

Ooh, that hurt, I could see U saying that bout Larry haha cough cough, but I thought we were buds. I think U are lashing out because U are lonesome, with only David & Larry to talk to. Is Tom any better, he sounded terrible when we talked on Monday.
Kent

~*~

From: Steve
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 4:06 PM
To: Kent
Subject: RE: Flu

I spoke to him this morning, didn't sound too well then. He is scheduled to be off tomorrow afternoon. I was planning to take tomorrow off, but I will come in and if you are not able to work Friday, I'll see if Tom can come in. Did you notice there was no whining or crying about coming in tomorrow even though I had planned to take my family out for one of our rare trips  to the movie theater to see The Hobbit? I know they will be devastatingly disappointed, but I'll see that they endure one more day and then we can go Friday (if one of you wimps can drag your sickly carcasses in).

Steve

~*~

So, there you have it!  Yes, Dad is a man's man, the type who loves westerns, looks at a gash on his arm and says, "Oh, it's just a scratch," and knows his guns better than any man around.

But he loves his God and his family above all, and we are blessed to have him as our loving leader, protector, and provider.

By the way, we are going to see The Hobbit today.  Whoo-hoo!

Hope this made you smile as it did us!

Lamb of God

What?  Another song?

If you have known us for very long, you know we like music, so here is another Christmas song I would like to share with you: Behold the Lamb of God, by Andrew Peterson.

This song is from an album of Mr. Peterson's music called Behold the Lamb of God: the True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ, that basically walks through the history of the Israelites up to Jesus' coming.  

In John 1:29 we read:

The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming

to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away 

the sin of the world!"

Have you ever thought about this verse?  I mean, really thought about what it says?

No, we do not live in a culture that sacrifices animals; if anything, we live in a culture that idolizes them, giving more worth to the life of a dog than the life of a precious, unborn child.

But imagine with me for a moment...

Imagine growing up in a land where, every year, your family walks through your flock of sheep to pick out the most perfect, beautiful little lamb, one that is pure, spotless and clean.  You take it home and keep it right by the house, playing with it, feeding it, and grooming it daily; perhaps you even give it a name and sneak it in the house sometimes. 

And yet, at the appointed time, you and your family take that lamb to the temple. There, you watch the priest kill it.  

He pours its blood out over the altar to atone for all your wrongs.

Now, reread John 1:29.

The next day he saw Jesus coming
to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world!"

Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.  He became the ultimate Sacrifice, and, unlike all the prior, inferior sacrifices, He rose again.

God is great!

Merry Christmas,

Julia

P.o.t.W

Google

In the Bleak Midwinter

Christina Rossetti

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind did moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Heaven cannot hold Him, nor the earth sustain;

Heav'n and earth shall flee away, when He comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed;

Lord, our God incarnate, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshiped the Beloved with a holy kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part;

Yet what can I give Him, I give to Him my heart.

Thanksgiving Summary

Ok, this is really, really, really late.

But here is a summary of our Thanksgiving this year:

Basically, we had a total of 25 people sitting around one table (actually several tables put together), passing food from one end to the other and listening to various conversations all at once.  It was quite an experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything! 

I had a ton more pics to upload (mostly pictures of glorious food), but due to this post's tardiness, I decided to summarize...

Blessings,

Sarah

P.S. As you might have noticed, we're back on board!  Thanks to the spectacular advice of a lovely follower, we can now upload pics (via Photobucket).  Thank you, Katherine! 

Father's Day & Dad's 50th

Yes!  At last!

Now you can see just how far behind we've been in posting.  Our family from Arizona came to visit and stayed with us for six weeks, it goes without mentioning that we kept busy.  We had a great time playing in creeks, watching movies, swim lessons, family meals, Day Camp, and shopping sprees.  Janora and Kel even got to spend the night with us!  Nala (our kitty) woke Janora and I up that morning. > ^ _ ^ <

They left us last Friday night to begin the long drive back.  And are now home safe and sound!

We love you Aunt J, Uncle K, J, K, J, and K!!!

Anyway, back to current post...

Father's Day.  And Dad's 50th birthday.  

Since Dad's birthday and Father's Day was just one after the other, we had a family get-together for both that Sunday.  I got to make a cake!

Here's the set up we had for our little party.

Our menu is as seen below:

Oooh.  Yummy, homegrown burgers.

Baked beans.

Squash casserole (from the garden).

And other produce from the garden: lettuce and cucumbers.  I don't think we had tomatoes just yet, so those may be store-bought.

Below is the cake I made for Father's Day.  Found the idea in a Walmart sales paper as well as some more pics online.

Rhen made her famous chocolate upon chocolate upon even more chocolate cake.  Those are chocolate leaves on top.  She picked leaves from our mint plants as well as plantain leaves.  Then she coats them in chocolate, puts in refrigerator for a little while, peels leaves away from chocolate and voila! chocolate leaves!

Everything was so good!  

Three layers of chocolate-y goodness.

*yum*

The buffet line.

Family.

Silly Janora eatin' cucumbers.

After the meal, the kids played on the trampoline.  They drug me on after a while, Janora likes me to double-jump her.  =D  I'd almost forgotten how much fun a trampoline was!

A little while later, after Aunt J and family left, we played whiffle ball with Dad's side of the family.  I can tell you there was a lot of laughs! 

Lots of fun.

Here's Uncle C, up to bat.  One-handed!

Our brother pitched for a little while, then Poppy D (Dad's dad) took over, he's a softball legend!  Used to play a long time ago.  

(We were playing with the whiffle balls, cuz they're a good deal softer...)

Our audience and the cheerleading section.

Ma served as a part-time catcher.

And that concludes this post.

I love family get-togethers like this.  These are the kind of memories you can hold onto for years to come!

Thanks for reading!

Fairfarren for now,

Elisera

Coming next: Knightly Birthday

Independence Day

Two hundred and thirty-six years.

Today is the day our country celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

May we never forget the cost of freedom, both physical and spiritual.

Thank You, Lord God of this country, for our freedom!  We thank You that we can worship You in refuge, and pray that does not change.  Please remind us every day that we belong to You.  Help us to live unselfishly as if this day is our last.  Convict us of our sins to seek Your face, repent, and find Your sweet forgiveness.  Our Lord the King, forgive this land and turn our hearts back to You!  Heal our wounds and cleanse the wickedness, wash us in Your precious blood and make us as white as snow.

We pray for the appointed leaders of our country, give them strength and courage to fight for what is right.  Use them, and us, as You see fit.  Our prayers extend to our neighboring countries and their peoples, those suffering and dying, struggling to survive.  Show them Your comfort and unfailing love.

Humble our prideful hearts.

Strengthen our fragile faith.

Fortify our ever-waning trust.

Drive the doubts of sin away.

Give us Your eyes to see, Your ears to hear, and Your mouth to speak Your truth.
May we readily await the day You will come again!  And in the meantime, do all that's in our power to further Your kingdom here on earth.

Amen, amen, so be it!

A Nation's Strength

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1904

What makes a nation's pillar high

And its foundations strong?

What makes it mighty to defy

The foes that 'round it throng?

It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand

Go down in battle shock;

Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,

Not on abiding rock.

Is it the sword? Ask the red dust

Of empires passed away;

The blood has turned their stones to rust,

Their glory to decay.

And is it pride? Ah, the bright crown

Has seemed to nations sweet;

But God has struck its luster down

In ashes at His feet.

Not gold but only men can make

A people great and strong;

Men who for truth and honor's sake

Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep

Who dare while others fly...

They build a nation's pillars deep

And lift them to the sky.

Happy Independence Day!

To God be the glory both now and forever!

Amen, amen, so be it.

Happy Father's Day!

(one day late...)

To our own dear father:

We love you, Daddy!!!

You are always there to love and protect us, we couldn't have asked for a better guardian.

Thank you for your provision for this family and the dedication to bring us up as children of God.

Love Always,

Your little girls,

Elisera, Rhen, & Catlia

Memorial Day 2012

No, Freedom Isn't Free

by CDR Kelly Strong, USCG (ret.), 1981

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea?

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,

When everything was still

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

"I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who lives in Me, even if he dies, will live."

John 11:25

Remember the Fallen.

Remember what they sacrificed in order for us to live.

Death and suffering are the result of the Fall.

War comes from the sin nature.

Our country was built on the Christian faith and we have strayed so far.

We Need God in America Again!

(Photo credit to Google Images)

Poem (Song) of the Week

God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus;

He came to love, heal, and forgive;

He lived and died, to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river;

I'll fight life's final war with pain;

And then as death gives way to vict'ry,

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives!

(Photo credit to Google Images)

It's Friday, Sunday's Comin'!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To celebrate the anniversary of the Christian missionary, I thought I'd share VeggieTales' version of the his story.  

Before he became "St. Patrick," he was known as Maewyn Succat of England.  As a boy, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland by slave-traders, sold as a slave to a pagan druid.  There he served as a shepherd, caring for sheep and pigs, for a number of years.  He became a man of prayer, relying fully on his God throughout his suffering.  The time came when God told him it was time to go.  He left Ireland, returned to England and secured an education, later earning a position as a bishop.  During that time back in England, the Lord burdened his heart with the prospect of telling the Gospel to the pagan people of Ireland.  As a missionary, he returned to the land of his slavery and shared the truth he had come to know.  He remained there until his death.  It was only after he died that he was known as "Saint" Patrick, a great man of God.

Enjoy!

The Story of St. Patrick, as told by VeggieTales, can be found on the video, Sumo of the Opera.

Blessings!