Angel's Carol

Angel's Carol

John Rutter

Have you heard the sound of the angel voices

Ringing out so sweetly, ringing out so clear? 

Have you seen the star shining out so brightly

As a sign from God that Christ the Lord is here?

Have you heard the news that they bring from heaven

To the humble shepherds who have waited long?

Gloria in excelsis Deo, gloria in excelsis Deo!

Hear the angels sing their joyful song.

He is come in peace in the winter's stillness,

Like a gentle snowfall in the gentle night;

He is come in joy like the sun at morning

Filling all the world with radiance and with light.

he is come in love as the child of Mary;

In a simple stable we have seen his birth:

Gloria in excelsis Deo, gloria in excelsis Deo!

Hear the angels sing 'Peace on earth'.

He will bring new light to a world in darkness,

Like a bright new star shining in the skies above;

He will bring new hope to the waiting nations

When he comes to reign in purity and love.

Let the earth rejoice at the Saviour's coming;

Let the heavens answer with the joyful morn:

Gloria in excelsis Deo, gloria in excelsis Deo!

Hear the angels singing 'Christ is born'.

December Projects

Like everyone else, December has been busy.  Shopping and a bit more shopping (thank heavens for the internet so some of it can be done in jammies ;0),   trying to get school done, baking, post office runs--really no different than your life.  So I thought I'd just post some pictures of what we're doing.

Jacqueline isn't a morning person.

Some siblings don't appreciate sing along

Twitch worked hard putting up the decorations--time to hang ten.

End of decorating Day 1

Stringing popcorn and watching "White Christmas"

Making Snow Globes

Jacqueline's latest decorating project.  Don't you love the color?!

Made this pattern over the fall, but it needed...

Face improvements

Making soap

Born To Die

We caught part of Polar Express over the weekend.  The animation is great.  Towards the end of the movie the train conductor tells the boy that the meaning of Christmas resides within him.

How utterly sad.

How hopeless.

How depressing.

How humanistic.

I've been meditating on Ephesians 1:4-5 the past couple of days.  It was used in the Sunday sermon.
               According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
             of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
             him.
               Having predestinated [marked out beforehand] us unto the
             adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
             to the good pleasure of his will.

Absolutely none, not one twinkle of time as we know it is accidental.  No event in the life of any human is accidental.  Before the world was created, before time began God marked out [predestined] the redemptive story.  All of history, every single event, is part of the redemptive story and is therefore predestined by Him. 

That means that before time began the Godhead marked out Christ to die.

He was born for the express purpose of dieing.

The meaning of Christmas is found in Christ alone.

My heart leaps  for joy as I ponder that.  Thank God the meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with me.

Written by Nikki

Thanksgiving Prayer

Thanksgiving Prayer–Norman Rockwell

Now Thank We All Our God

Words by Martin Rinkart

Now thank we all our God

With hearts and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things hath done,

In whom His world rejoices;

who, from our mother's arms,

Hath blest us on our way

With countless gifts of love,

And still is ours today

O may this bounteous God

Through all our life be near us,

With ever joyful hearts

And blessed peace to cheer us;

And keep us in His grace,

And guide us when perplexed,

And free us from all ills

In this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God

The Father now be given,

The Son and Him who reigns

With them in highest heaven,

The one eternal God,

Whom earth and heav'n adore;

For thus it was, is now,

And shall be evermore.

T'was the Day Before Thanksgiving

T'was the day before Thanksgiving and all through the house

all the creatures were stirring even Jacqueline the mouse.

The menu was posted on the bulliten board with care

in hopes that the dinner would soon be there.

The fat cats were snoozing all snug in the sun

while visions of gibblets danced on their tongue.

And Mom in her apron, wiping flour off her sleeve, 

was just sitting down to a hot cup of tea.

When out from the kitchen there arose such a clatter,

she sprang from her chair to see what was the matter.

Away to the kitchen she flew like a flash,

threw open the french doors, and drew a deep gasp.

When what to her wonderous eyes should appear,

but two magic dish fairies with all of their gear.

They wiped and they rinsed; they rubbed and they scrubbed

'til the dishes were free of dinner and grub.

As they hung the last dish towel, they said with a grin

Happy Thanksgiving to all, let the feasting begin.

He is Risen

 

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Matthew 28: 5&6

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wooing~Howard Pyle

Sonnet 79

By Edmund Spenser 

Men call you fair, and you do credit it,

For that youself ye daily do see.

But the true fair,that is the gentle wit

And virtuous mind, is much more prais'd of me.

For all the rest, however fair it be,

Shall turn to nought and lose that glorious hue.

But only that is permanent and free

From frail coruption, that doth flesh ensue.

That is true beauty. that doth argue you

To be divine and born of heavenly seed,

Deriv'd from that fair Spirit from whom all true

And perfect beauty did at first proceed.

He only fair, and what He fair hath made;

All other fair like flowers untimely fade.

Jacqueline wanted me to put her favorite romantic  poem( and the only one she knows) up also.

Sonnet 116

By William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments; love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O, no, it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring bark,

Whose worth's unknown although his height be taken.

Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

 If this be error , and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.  

Year in Review

This has been wonderful year for us. We thought that we would share the highlights. 

In February it snowed here, in Georgia, a whopping 6 inches! Man, we had fun!

Jacqueline had to make a snowman and a snow angel.I think the snowman is cute.

 Snow covered trees are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen

 

In early March, our refrigerator sprung a leak. As a result the kitchen,nook, dining room, and entry ,about three quarters of the downstairs, got new floors in late April.  I don't have pictures of the new floor, just the mess it made. 

Just about the entire house got shoved into our living room.

 

And just in case anyone is wondering, yes that is our stove.  

May is Jacqueline's birthday.  This year she turned 13,so I am not the only crazy teenager in the house.

Jacqueline's big present for this year was a guitar which she has gotten pretty good at. 

 

 

September was our Biltmore trip,  always a treat

 

This is my favorite picture of our trip, and probably the year.

November is my Birthday. I turned 17. I made apple pie, my favorite.

Christmas is filled with presents, family, and good food. Unfortunately Dad caught bug, but we still had a nice day.

Dad made us a roaring fire in the fireplace for most of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day too!

What Child Is This?

                                                                                                     

The Nativity, Philippe de Champaigne, 1643.

What Child Is This.

What child is this, Who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping? 

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepards watch are keeping? 

Why lies He in such mean estate, Wherre ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christian, fear: for sinners here  The silent Word is pleading. 

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh, Come peasent,king, to own Him; 

The King of kings salvatin brings; Let loving hearts enthrone Him. 

THIS, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: 

Haste haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary! 

Words by William Dix

O Holy Night!

 

Nativity by Gerard Von Honthorst    

O Holy Night

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

 It is the night of the dear Savior's birth;

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

 Till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

 For yonder breaks a new and glorous morn;

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born! O night , O holy night,

 O night divine! 

Words by John S Dwight



Happy Thansgiving!

 
Grace and Thanksgiving

      We thank Thee, Lord, for quiet upland lawns,

For misty loveliness of autumn dawns,

 

For gold and russet of the ripened fruit

For yet another years's fulfiment, Lord, 

We thank Thee now.

For joy for glowing colour, flash of wings,

We thank thee Lord; for all the little things

   

That make the love and laughter of our days,

     For home and happiness and friends, we praise

And thank Thee now.

~Elizabeth Gould~