~A POEM FOR CHRISTMAS

 

* Christmas Carol *

 

As Joseph was a-waukin',

He heard an angel sing,

"This night shall be the birthnight

Of Christ our heavenly King.

 

"His birth-bed shall be neither

In housen nor in hall,
Nor in the place of paradise,

But in the oxen's stall.

 

"He neither shall be rocked

In silver nor in gold,

But in the wooden manger

That lieth in the mould.

 

"He neither shall be washen

With white wine nor with red,

But with the fair spring water

That on you shall be shed.

 

"He neither shall be clothed

In purple nor in pall,

But in the fair, white linen

That usen babies all."

 

As Joseph was a-waukin',

Thus did the angel sing,

And Mary's son at midnight

Was born to be our King.

 

Then be you glad, good people,

At this time of the year;

And light you up your candles,

For His star it shineth clear.

 

~Author Unknown~

 

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* * *

~YEP, I AGREE LINUS ☺

 

#love

 

~ ~ ~

~QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

 

"The message of Christmas is that the visible material world is bound to the invisible spiritual world."

  ~Author Unknown~

Yes, the true meaning of Christmas can be found in John 1:1-14, but I like this quote with all of its secondary implications. 

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~AWWWW FOR THE DAY ☺

 

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~TEA!

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough

or a book long enough to suit me.”  

~C.S. Lewis~

 

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~LOVELY SCENERY FOR THE DAY

 

 

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~AWWWW FOR THE DAY ☺

 

 

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~#COZINESS

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't mind living here

(in what appears to be a book store) ☺.

#whencanimovein

 

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~ ~ ~

~FALL FINGERTIPS

 

I've "fall"-en for this delightful autumn manicure,

and I just had to "point" it out to everyone! ☺

 

  

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~ ~ ~

~BAH-HAH ☺

 

"Jesus began to weep."

~John 11:35~

 

"Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth."

~Ecclesiastes 7:3-4~

 

 



A couple of years ago I wrote a post about the value of joy and laughter, but I think it's also important to present the other side of the coin. 

 

It's not that joy, per se, should ever be a no-no; it's one of the fruits of the Spirit, after all.  But, human beings are not one-dimensional or simplistic in their emotions (we only have to read the Psalms to get a sense of that).  It goes without saying that even if one has an underlying joy that is spiritual and/or supernatural in origin and nature, they are not always going to be happy, and they are still going to experience emotions such as sadness and grief.  Since experiencing and enduring those hard emotions can be beneficial for our characters and since laughter isn't always fruitful, it's helpful to highlight the less sunny side of life.

 

I appreciate the commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:2-6 in

The MacArthur Study Bible:

"The point of this section is to emphasize that more is learned from adversity than from pleasure.  True wisdom is developed in the crucible of life's trials...."

 

In addition, I think Joni Eareckson Tada handles this topic well in a short yet affecting devotion in one of her books; the entry for December the 18th in More Precious Than Silver is entitled, "A Laughing Lord?"  In it, Joni wonders why Scripture is "devoid of any reference to Jesus laughing" and why it never depicts Him "breaking out in a belly laugh."  I'd most definitely heed what Joni says on the subject, as she says it best. 

 

On a final note, I've always thought Romans 12:15 presents both sides of the coin in a very simple way!  

 

*I found the photo of Joni online and then gave it some

Darting Sparrow dash ☺. 

 

*Randomosity for the day:

This youtube video about the English idiomatic phrase,

"It goes without saying..."

(It's interesting, the things you look up when writing a blog post) ☺

 

~ ~ ~

~AWWWW FOR THE DAY ☺

 

 

*Image found on pinterest

 

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~FALL TREATS FOR ME...AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

 

"Mountains and all hills,

apple orchards

and cedar forests..."

~Psalm 148:9 (MSG)~

 

~ ~ ~

 

It's the first day of October, and here in the southeast, the flavors of fall are edging in around us.

 

Today it was warm enough to wear a short-sleeve tshirt and flip-flops with my jeans, yet the sunlight was flickering through leaves that are in the process of changing color from green to gold, amber, and orange.  In fact, here is a photo of them that I snapped...

 

 

 

 

Before going out to run an errand, I grabbed some

lip balm, the flavor of which was...

 

Apple Butter!

 

 (You can buy some like it here). 

 

The scent of this balm is very true-to-life; it's sweet with a hint of tart apple-ness, followed by a tinge of nutmeg/spice.  Yum-o!  And I love this business's all-natural ethos.

 

 

 

 

  On a side note, said errand involved going to have one of my car tires patched.  You see, after noticing that a light on my dash was alerting me that I had low tire pressure (again), I decided to have my tires checked for holes.  There was a small nail in my left rear tire, and I had it removed at a local gas station.  I mention it only because watching someone patch a tire with a string plug is pretty entertaining. Supposedly you can also repair a tire from the inside, but I digress.  Before moving on to my next autumn amusement, you could always watch this oh-so-interesting video of the process ☺...

 

 

 

On my way back home, I pulled into another local gas station in order to buy a Grape Faygo soda.  But, lo and behold, I noticed that they had gotten in some new  flavors (in addition to their regular stock of Grape, Orange, and Strawberry).  And the one smack-dab in front of me was...

Candy Apple!
 

  

 

 

I must say, the taste of this fall-ish libation is delicious!  I can definitely discern a candied-apple distinctiveness (as opposed to a generic sweet flavor), especially if I have not had anything to eat or drink that interferes with my taste buds.  This dessert-in-a-bottle is a nice treat for me, especially since I'm not planning to go to the N.C. State Fair this year (which takes place later this month) and getting an actual candied apple there.  It's an all-around awesome beverage for autumn ☺.

 

 

 

 

So there you have it--when looking for fall treats that are sweet and easy on the wallet, I think you'll see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ☺.

~ ~ ~  

Here are some apple-icious photos I snapped at the N.C. Farmer's Market, along with a couple of quotations that I "picked" just for you!  Believe me, they will pierce you to the "core" ☺.

 

 

"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple,

but only God can count the number of apples in a seed."

~Robert H. Schuller~

 

"If I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces,

I would still plant my apple tree."

~Martin Luther~

 

 

  

*The composition of this photo made it fitting for an effect that keeps the color at the center and then fades out towards the edges ☺.

 

~ ~ ~ 

~YUP, 'TIS TRUE

 

 

 

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~TOO PRETTY TO EAT

 

 

I think these desserts are so magical!

 

  

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~WEEEEEEEE!

 

What an interesting slide.

I wouldn't mind having one ☺

 

 

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~ ~ ~ 

~CREATIVE KITTY-CAT COFFEE

I wonder if someone at Starbuck's could create one of

these for me.  I'll have to inquire about it the next time I stop in for an Iced Decaf Mocha.  Or a Decaf Iced Mocha.  Or a Mocha Iced Decaf.

 

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~WHAT EGG-CELLENT FURNITURE!

These tables and chairs "crack" me up! ☺

What will they think of next?

 

 

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~FOOTFALLS

 

 

 

"I run thus: not with uncertainty"

 

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

 

☺ What's funny to me is that it's as if this bunny is looking up at the Lord to find out where he should go and then going there ☺

 

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~ ~ ~

~QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

 

"You aren't an accident or an incident;

you are a gift to the world, a divine work of art,
signed by God."

~ From, In the Grip of Grace, by Max Lucado ~

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~AN OUTFIT THAT FORESHADOWS FALL & SOME SARTORIAL RAMBLINGS

 

 

 

 

Since today is the first of September, I've decided to post an image of an outfit which hearkens to the fall season.  This dress is from one of Dolce & Gabbana's 2012 collections.  I can see how the open-toed shoes and light-weight fabric of the dress, paired with the long length of the dress and the cozy sweater, could make for a nice autumn ensemble.

 

I am all for long skirts and dresses, as they allow one to feel feminine without having to worry about their hemline--especially while sitting down.  There is a luxury to garments of a longer length, since more fabric is required to make them; alas, that probably also makes for higher prices and/or cheaper fabric.

 

I have come across several long skirts and dresses in the past that were quite fetching; however, the fabric was so thin and/or light-colored that they were see-through, even with a slip underneath.  Many skirts and dresses are not lined, and some require a lining and a slip.  But, linings drive up the price even more, I suppose.

 

I found a maxi skirt at the Gap this summer that works well for me.  It has a fold-over waist and is rayon/spandex, though it feels like very soft cotton.  The fabric is a bit thicker than that on similar skirts I've seen lately.  That, along with the fact that it's well-made and cut in a flattering way, made it worth the not-so-great price of $55.

 

 I did find one other long skirt on sale at another store for $12, and though the fabric is very thin, there is a half-slip sewn in.  If I find it necessary, I'll layer on another half-slip with it, though I might not need to, since the one it came with seems to be pretty opaque and is black in color.

 

I don't have any long skirts or dresses for fall and winter.  That would be fun, though it might be trickier than spring and summer looks, especially since I'm very petite.

 

*My test method of choice for determining if a skirt or dress is see-through is to go outside on a sunny day, stand in the light, and ask a female pal to make sure my fabric is not too thin.  Oh, the drama of it all ☺.

 

*Photo is by Marcin Tyszka for the January, 2012, issue of Vogue Mexico

 

~ ~ ~

~KEEP SWIMMING

 

I have just run across this video, and I like it, and it's message reminds me a bit of a post I did a couple of months back...

 

 

 

moriahpeters.com
 

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~AWWWW FOR THE DAY ☺

 

 

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~QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

 

"Do you consider the Lord your greatest treasure, your most prized possession, the deepest joy of your heart?  He longs to be closer to us than parents, mates, or children.  We are His treasure, and He wants to be ours."



~Charles F. Stanley~

 

*Image found on pinterest

 

~ ~ ~

~GUEST POST FOR THE DAY

 

I've decided to share a post from

Anam Cara Ministries today...

~ ~ ~ 

 

 

Midday Meditation:

Practice visio divina with this image.

What do you see?

What is God calling forth in you?

What does His beauty speak?

 

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*Here is an article about visio divina

 

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