She Wants to Be a Homemaker

To me she is a beauty queen

I love to watch her on the screen

In our home movies

And when she sings around the house

She's got a voice that knocks me out

She is my favourite singer.

But you won't see her on T.V.

Or hear her on the radio

Worldly fame is not her aim

And she's the first to let you know

She wants to be a homemaker

It's her dream to raise a family

And give her love to just one man

And I thank God it's me

I'll never underestimate her

'Cause she could take this word and turn it on

But she takes her love

And makes our house a home.

She can't afford to spend her day

In a old soap opera haze

She's much too busy

At night she puts the kids to bed

She's makin' sure their prayers get said

Before she lays down with me.

It's plain to see

That she's not seeking glory on this earth

'Cause she believes in honesty

And the joy of giving birth.

She wants to be a homemaker

It's her dream to raise a family

And give her love to just one man

And I thank God it's me

I'll never underestimate her

'Cause she could take this word and turn it on

But she takes her love

And makes our house a home.

~ Paul Overstreet

A Flower!!!

Two years ago on the last day of summer camp my unit leader at the Word of Life Ranch gave all my co-counselors and I a small flowerpot filled with an African Violet. At that time, it had a few beautiful flowers on it (in case you didn't know, violets are my favorite flowers :D).

Well, my grandma had told me that violets like sun so I put that flowerpot in the sunniest place in my room - on top of my chest of drawers in the corner but close to the window. I watered it - but not too faithfully. And I cut off the brown leaves. But that poor plant dropped its flowers one by one and never produced any more for so long that I gave up hope of its ever blooming again.

But then we moved and the sunniest place was on top of a bookshelf directly in front of the window. Now it was getting direct sunlight almost all day long and many of the leaves turned brown and died. Was it too much sun, perhaps?

After transplanting it into a much larger flowerpot, pruning all those dead leaves, and beginning to faithfully water it and turn it so that it would get the right amounts of sun all the way around, I settled into a habit of caring for it while it settled into a habit of living very deeply green although devoid of flowers. No more flowers on that plant! But at least it was something pretty and green and alive and growing to take care of.

But just the other day - a tiny purple bud appeared among the leaves! Flowers again! It made my day. :)

Have you ever thought of God's care of us as that of a Master-Gardener of His garden? It is such a bitter-sweet thought. Sweet because He takes such good, gentle care of us, His plants, preparing us to produce flowers and fruits for His glory and to bless others who may see or taste them. Bitter because we are live plants with wills of our own and I know just how willful I can be at times, resisting the kind working of my Savior in my life. And even sweeter because He is so patient and never gives up no matter how willful I am; and sweeter because He WILL produce His flowers and fruits in my life even though I don't deserve His taking notice of me at all.

Are You a Redneck?

Monday was Field Day for one of the homeschool groups in Richmond. We heard about it and went and had a tremendous amount of fun with the other children and parents. And, of course, some bright red sunburns. Wouldn't you know it? We'd had so much rain and so many overcast days that none of us were expecting the bright, strong sunshine to come out in such brilliancy. But it did, and we got burned. :)

So when Mom and I arrived at the Sewing Circle bright and early Tuesday morning, all the ladies wanted to know "what were we doing that we got such red faces?" And after we told them, the leader of the group - a very clever older woman who knows pretty much everything anyone could want to know about sewing, crocheting, knitting, embroidery, and every other handcraft - told us about the time she applied for a job teaching home economics at a high school in Augusta, GA.

There she was, being interviewed by a whole board of directors, when the man asked her, "You're from Kentucky?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well then, do you consider yourself a redneck?"

Now the poor lady is thinking, what kind of question is this? She gives the best answer she can give: "Well, that all depends on what you're callin' a redneck. Where I'm from in eastern Kentucky, a redneck is a farmer who's been workin' outside with no protection and therefore has a literal red neck from the sun. If that's what you mean, then no, because I tan all over. But if you have another meanin', I don't know."

To which the man sat back and howled in laughter. When he had regained his composure, he asked again more clearly. "The issue here is that we've got a lot of black students in our schools. We need to know whether or not you are prejudiced."

"Well, why didn't you ask me that in the first place? No, I'm not prejudiced either. The only thing I'm prejudiced against is bad behavior!"

Good answer, Mrs. Combs, good answer!

Alexander Dumas’s Butter Recipe

What a funny idea!

“Whatever country I found myself in, I always had fresh butter made that very day. I give my recipe to travelers; it is quite simple and at the same time infallible. Wherever I could get milk, from cows, camels, mares, or especially sheep, I would fill three-quarters of a bottle, close it, hang it around my horse’s neck and then let my horse do the rest. In the evening, I would break the neck of the bottle and find that a clump of butter, the size of a fist, had formed of its own accord . . . . This method has never failed me.”

~ from his Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine

Partial Victory and Potential LOSS

I should have posted the first part of this weeks ago, because that's when I heard about it. The authorities in Missouri reversed their decision and are no longer publicly profiling conservatives. It doesn't mean they aren't secretly profiling them, but at least they backed down as much as they did! That is certainly good news.

The bad news is the hate crimes legislation that is currently being considered in the United States. Indeed, it has passed the House and is just waiting for the Senate to vote on it. If it's passed, it will make it a crime to say anything that might seem to insult or offend people of practically any sexual orientation - and this includes bestiality, homosexuality, pedophilia, incest, and many other things, many of which are crimes in and of themselves. See the following link for more information about what this bill will do:

http://cfcamerica.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=936%3Ahate-crimes-bill-will-kill-freedom-of-religion-in-america-hr-1913&catid=12%3Alegal-issues&Itemid=12&limitstart=1

If it's passed, our freedoms of speech and religion will be little more than non-existent. And what of our safety? It will mean that anything goes sexually. It doesn't say anything about "consentual" but seems to imply that if someone wants to do something they have the right to do it no matter what anyone including the other person might think. And that's scary. How can we protect ourselves and our children?

America, we need to wake up. Watch and pray! And thank God that though the end be near and the wrong seem so terribly strong, His coming is that much closer and His might that much stronger! He will win and all will be well!

"In a little while we'll be with the Father;

Can't you see Him smile?

In a little while we'll be home forever,

In a while!

While we're here we learn to love Him,

But we'll be home in just a little while."