I've Been Lazy // Excerpts in Bible Studying

Sorry for the silence here on the blog lately everyone! I've been nannying and babysitting like crazy, plus we've been gone the past three weekends in a row so you can only imagine how much time I've had free. Time it's self is something in essence I want to talk about today. The bounty and seemingly lack thereof it.

Outfit // January Picnic

 
Yhoowho! Happy Monday! Our weekend was kind of dashed since our church services were cancelled (more on that later this week) due to....snowy weather. Ha ha! But in light of our not getting to see our church family and worship with them, we had a very pleasant past two days with just each other here at home. Days that you usually like to dress up for (e. i. church!) get my creative juices going even if my destination runs off course. So I'm going to share one of those kinda outfits, that you still feel functional while wearing, but fun in at the same time.

Guest Post || Smile!

Hello ladies.  This is Calico Mom filling in while Cassie and Bekah are settling back in from their trip to Lithuania. They arrived back home from a 10 hour flight late last night\early this morning.  I hear the campground they worked at looks a lot like Michigan and that they got lots of work done. I can't wait to look at all their pictures! [I'm sure you'll be seeing them too!]

 In the meantime I've been thinking about posting a story for you to ponder. A few days ago I had an experience that left me teary-eyed in the grocery store.

An Understanding of Shalom // in Soft Metallics

Hello!
I am so glad that this writing has not gotten pushed back more into the evening! Though our day has not been completely hectic, besides a fussy baby, piano lessons being postponed, and everything else tossed together, it is so nice to just sit and write a while!

Lately, I have been reading a book entitled 'Listening to the Language of the Bible Hearing It Through Jesus' Ears'.My Mom just happen to snatch it up one day last week as she made our usual book drop-off at the library.Being the one in our family who enjoys reading inspirational books the most, she made sure I knew she had found it as she continued to pass out the rest of that days finds to the rest of the crew.

It basically takes certain words that are used in our modern day Bible translations, that take on a higher meaning than what we have come to understand. It is so good! Each 'lesson' gets directly to the core issue without getting off tack or venturing too far in the wrong direction. It takes some Old Testament traditions and New Testament truths come together to make sense as a whole. And since each chapter is just a few paragraphs in length, I am going to be sharing with you today their thoughts on shalom, speaking the blessing and the vastness of peace.These thoughts are absolutely wonderful.

All statements in quotations have been taking from the Holy Scriptures and from Listening to the Language of the Bible written by Lois Tverberg and Bruce Okkema.

To Die is Gain || Antique Brown

Howdy! I'm hoping that you all have had a great week thus far! Both Monday and yesterday were spent picking up hand-me-down furniture from our grandparents and rearranging it in our schoolroom area. I'm so glad everything fit were we had planned for it to go! It is wonderful to have matching oak furniture instead of conglomerated this-and-that! We made sure to get some pictures for photo-a-day to share with yee!

"For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain...having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better."     Philippians 1:21,23

Built By Our Cornerstone || Seersucker Black + White

Hello lovelies! I have had  a great weekend getting back into the life of things around my own house again after having been gone most of this past week. I do recall letting you all know a few weeks ago that I would be helping my cousin and her husband out for a few days- taking care of their little ones- but the date was misunderstood- thus it was this week! Anyways....

Everything went great and I am ever so happy to be home again!

I Need Thee || Wool + The Delight of a Hat

Shalom ladies! Hope that you all had as successful a weekend as I did! I feel like I am in pretty great shape for the coming sewing challenges (see our last post), which is a great feeling! Getting a project from pattern envelope to wearable in just two weeks is quick! It was also great to see our Pastor and his family and hear of their adventures to and from Florida.

I just finished my one year devotional (Joy and Strength by Mary Wilder Tileston) and wanted to put some of it's excerpts together toward the thoughts of how much we need the Lord! This little book takes a number of treasured selections from writers of many countries and centuries and sorts them out, into topic, adding verses from the Bible to make an excellent and worth while read.

Oh how we need Thee o Lord, every hour I need Thee!

Radiance//in Brown Florals

Hello! Three cheers for me- I finished two sewing projects today! I'll be sharing them later this week. I can't wait to see what y'all think of them! 

Lately I have been pondering the word radiance.It for sure has always been a favorite of mine- it puts magnificent pictures in your mind, makes you ponder the unknown, and rings a life of fullness.Something that every Christian should strive to bring to the seekers of this world.
I'm going to share a few of my thoughts and what has been brought unintentionally, to my attention concerning a life of radiance.

Sometimes when people smile you just know that they have been saved, by Jesus' sacrifice they have a divine calling and something to shine about.They are shining with a radiant love.A love that can never be broken.

While I had this in the back of my mind I can across a video made by one of my favorite ladies who does a lot of tutorials on Jewish hair-covering.In this video she is actually answering the question "Why don't Jews cover their faces?" She explains that most Orthodox Jews would even say that it is a Jewish law that they not cover their faces.That while their bodies can attract the wrong attention and distract us of what the person actually is internally, which is why practicing Jews modestly cover their bodies, the face is different and is said to be a window into the soul.While I couldn't agree with her every word because of our difference in belief through eternal life in Christ I can be intrigued by what she is saying- our faces, expressions and our faith can shine through our physical faces and shine radiantly as a testimony of our Master's love.Though she is saying this from a slightly different perspective than me it was/is very interesting! Even before I knew that she had filmed such a video I could see her radiance, her 'ore pen`ean' the Hebrew would meaning 'light of the face'. I am now praying for her daily that she come to believe the truth that Jesus is the Messiah.Besides that all I can think is- how much more should I shine because I know the truth of the Word!?

We all have a duty to shine the beauty of Christ! If not- just because He is our creator! Especially because we as Christians are to bring light to the world. We should have a radiance- a bursting a bubbling of joy, of life, of love!

Other than the video and just a picture here and there of people's faces, and their obvious radiant joy, this is one of the verses that lept out at me and was used in our sermon on Sunday that has blessed me so much!

                         "Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."
                                                                                  Psalm 34:5 (NIV)

   Oh let us rejoice! That we may look upon Christ, be radiant, and never be shamed by our belief in Him!

                                                                           Let our light so shine!

This is what I donned to church this past Sunday. I was searching around for an outfit when I spotted this little sweater, that was somehow pushed to the back of my hanging tops. I had only worn it a few times before so I knew it would be fun to put an outfit together with.The textured eyelet godets on the skirt matched perfectly with the floral print. It would surprise you how much you can wear a pair of yellow shoes! And it is always nice when you have a headband that coordinates perfectly!  :)
By the time we got home after services and the luncheon, my hair was, as you can see, quite dilapidated. But it was easy and looked especially nice from the side.

Shoes- thrifted $3 // Stockings- Meijer's clearance .50 // Slip- made by me // Skirt- thrifted $4 // Undershirt- thrifted $1                                                                            Sweater- goodwill $4 // Headband- ? // Rosette bobby pins- gifted

Goodness! It is going to be wonderful to be able to take pictures in an uncovered world of snow! We have just about no flat spot to stand- that is unless you want to stand in three feet of snow! If you step off the snow packed path back to our animal barns, you fall up to your knees in snow! Not fun while hauling water!
It was pretty epic taking these- with Bek backed all the way up, standing with her back against the coat closet door, the front door wide open, and me standing not a foot from the stoop on the sidewalk.
 Come spring, come!

                                                                 We have covered a lot of ground here! 
                                                                        Let me know your thoughts!

                                                                       Are you still 'enjoying' winter?
                                                                                
                                                                                              Cassie
                                                                               the Elder sister and Writer

.::Hidden Beauty::.

Hey all! We usually don't post on Sundays, but I like to keep up on our schedule and since yesterday's post was somehow forgotten- here I am! :)

As we are stuck in a not so pretty season of forlorn yet-to-be-raked yards, stumpy looking trees and browning grass, waiting to be renewed by winter's snow, lets look for the lasting beauty that we know is all around us! Right now we just might have to look a little closer for it, which makes it all the more enjoyable when we do.

Rebekah and I walked the grounds of the farm that we occasionally work at yesterday and found just that!
                      We had a great time running through rows of blueberry bushes and snapping pictures!

There are so many things waiting to burst with color and flavor if we will just look for it! This is not only true in what we can see in God's beauty that He shows us through nature, but also in people's lives.
We can show God's love by caring for them- taking the time to listen and giving them multiple chances to prove their true worth! There are so many who could do so much for the Kingdom if only they were not looked down upon! Take time for people, tell them how much God cares for them, that they are worth so much more than they are told. We have no idea how far that can take a person! Invest in the hidden beauty! And remember that hidden does not mean nonexistent, it means lost or unseen- it needs to be brought out- to be recognized!

                                                                           Rebekah firing up the farm truck.

                                                                                         Merlin

The House Cats

                            

The View From the Top of the Stairs

Me from the balcony

                                                                          .::The Oxen::.

                                                                          .::While Walking::.

                                            
                                                                     .::The Blueberry Fields::.

                                                                              .::Scenery::.

                           .::Into one of our favorite places on the farm, The Pine Tunnel::.

 

.::The Little Things::.

Seed Pod In Pencil Effect

 

                                                                     .::Walking Back::.

                                                                             I love this one!

                                                                    .::Then we did the evening chores::.

Henry waiting patiently for his dinner,"A half bale of hay please and thank you."

                                                               I love the roof in the hay loft!

                                               The oxen looking up through the hay shoot for their dinner

                                                                                                ~ Milking ~

                                                             Hope you enjoyed scrolling through our walk. :)
                                                              
   I can't wait to share our sermon from today with you all! It will probably not get published till
                                                                 late- baby sitting all day.
           
                                         Oh, and I thought that this poem went along so very well- enjoy!

                                                                                 TTFN!
                                                                          ~.~ Cassie ~.~