Easy Autumn Decorating on a Dime

(Note: This post has been updated with three new pictures since I originally wrote it in September 2008.  I also wrote a new photo in October 2012 with more items here: Autumn: A Pretty Home and Yummy Food on a Budget.)


Welcome to our home! I know it's technically autumn in the northern hemisphere, but it sure doesn't feel that way in Florida. We're thankful for any cool breeze that comes our way, and if we want an autumn atmosphere, we have to make it ourselves. And so we decorate...

Let's start with our front door. I had been looking at autumn wreaths at Walmart, but didn't have it in the budget to pay the full price of $10-30. I did, however, find leaf garland for $3. I knew I had a red berry wreath at home, which I had bought at Target last year for $2.50. So I bought the garland and had Lydia wrap it around the wreath and hang it on the door.  We unwrap the garland again to turn it into a Christmasy wreath after Thanksgiving.  Our metal wreath hanger puts it at just the height to overlap the window, so we can actually see the wreath from inside the front hallway as well. I found garland for $1 at Dollar Tree, but it was more silky and less shiny, and not as natural looking. I bought one, along with a wicker wreath and a roll of autumn leaf silk ribbon for my sister-in-law Sue so she could make her own door hanging.

For many years, I had wanted to buy an autumn-themed flag to hang outside our door; but I never wanted to pay full price.   

I finally found one at a yard sale in spring 2009, brand new with the tags still on, for $2! I bought some spring flags, too.  If you are willing to wait, you can usually find a good deal! 

Much of the key to thrifty decorating is using what you already have. I don't remember when or where I got this cornhusk doll & corncob wall hanging. It was probably a gift. However, someone could make one easily enough. It hangs in our front hallway, between the sets of closet doors.

I purchased a bag of ornamental gourds from Walmart for about $3.  They are coated to preserve, but if they get bruised, they will rot.   I paired them with Indian corn on a long table in our front hallway.  I put more Indian corner on a tall antique cabinet across from it, along with some grains in an oriental style vase with autumny colors. Something different and something the same each year!  These two last pictures are from 2010. 

(Now back to 2008!) Also in our front hallway is another collection of what we already had, with the recent addition of two leaf shaped votive candle holders which were a birthday gift from my nine year old son Micah. (He bought them at Dollar General.) The small decoration at the right says, "Give Thanks" which is always a good harvest time reminder. The heart on the basket says, "A joyful heart is good medicine." I originally made this for my mother-in-law Ann when she was dying of cancer. She kept it on her bedside table. And she did have such a joyful heart in her final months. You can read more about that here: Tribute to Ann Knowles.

On top of this cabinet is the arrangement in the last photo. It is an antique radio cabinet originally belonging to my step-grandfather, Dr. Howard R. Driggs, who was born in the 1870s. It is at least 100 years old, I think. The lacy cover is a pillow sham probably made by Thad's maternal grandmother Madeline Scerra. There used to be doors at the bottom of this cabinet, but they were so badly damaged that we removed them. I arranged handmade quilts in it to cover up the rough insides. Occasionally I nestle a few quaint teddy bears down there. The chair is an heirloom from the Hess / Ransom side of the family. Did one of my great-grandfathers make it? I don't remember, but it's beautiful. We never sit on it because it is too fragile. We have another one in the master bedroom. What can you find in grandmother's attic? I should also note that this cabinet stores many of our decorative items and wedding crystal. I have at least two vintage easel picture frames from grandma's attic in there, but I bring them out in the springtime since I put in a welcome sign with spring flowers that I had printed out from our computer.


Across from the "big cabinet" in that last picture is a dresser that we got at a garage sale. I covered it with an autumn table cloth that we probably got from my Grandma Hess when they moved out of their Florida condo back to my mom's house in Maryland. (This dresser is no longer here in 2010.  It has been replaced with the table with the gourds on it further up in this post.) Our dear friend Tim Schutz gave us the painting as a wedding gift in 1985.  As you've probably guessed, I like to gather related items for decorative groupings. I love baskets!



I include this closeup photo to show you the picture which I cut out from a magazine, mounted on dark green scrapbooking paper, and put in a $3 wooden frame from Walmart. The lovely basket, filled with potpourri is a gift from Thad's sister Sue.




My mom always said that fresh dishtowels perk up a kitchen. (You can read more about this in my essay "My Glorious Dishtowel".) A few weeks ago I gave some, along with matching hotpads, to my daughter Mary, in the tradition of my own mother. I just bought this one for a dollar at Walmart and hung it next to my sink, where I use it to dry my hands after I wash them.





Moving on to the living room, we find more silk flowers, which I bought for about $5 at Walmart a few years ago. Next to it is a reprint of a picture of my great-grandparents, Charles and Mary Hess with two of their children, taken about 100 years ago. I mounted it on decorative scrapbook paper, and put it in a simple wooden frame. This picture usually sits on a shelf in my bedroom, across from my favorite reading chair. I don't like to leave it down where Melody can mangle it. The little round table is from Thad's family and was used as the communion table in Mary's wedding. I am looking for a round lace table cover to replace the one we misplaced there.


I found four of these small pillows at Target for $2.50 a piece last year in their "Dollar Spot." I bring them out in the autumn for a change from our usual ones.




Our home is filled with bookcases. This one in the living room has picture books, Bible story books, and lots of good paperback literature. The top shelf is reserved for heirloom books, like our Harvard Classics, as well as Live Language Lessons by Grandpa Driggs, Hero Tales from History (which belonged to my Grandpa Henry Hess when he was a boy), Heidi, Swiss Family Robinson, Aesop's Fables, Uncle Wiggly and His Friends (which belonged to my father as a boy), and others. Many of these books are about how people (and rabbits, in the case of Uncle Wiggly) are resourceful to use what they have. We can do that, too! We also use these shelves for country decorations. The fabric heart and wooden "faith, hope and love" angel were gifts from my sweet sister-in-law Dana, who is married to my brother John. There are two candles in jars, as well as a pair of artificial apples, an apple plate (a gift from my daughters), and an apple basket. You can see my other apple basket in the picture of my front hallway.


Our piano is below a window, and we use the sill for decorative items. The "Love is spoken here" sign is from the Target clearance shelf. I bought it to remind my children to speak with love, because they don't always do this. Most of the other pictures are nature photos that Joanna or I have taken, but Mary and Ryan's wedding invitation is there, too! A basket on the piano holds old hymnals.



My seven year old daughter Naomi painted this autumn tree for me.












In our bedroom, I hung a needlepoint that my sister Barb made for our autumn wedding in November 1985. Beneath it on the dresser is a candle arrangement made by my sister-in-law Sue. On a platter, she put a large glass vase. Inside this is a pillar candle with a silky ribbon tied around it. Then, around the vase is an assortment of chunky lemon-mint potpourri and ivory colored votive candles. I put the arrangement on a lace doily and added a few small jar candles around it. The other picture on the dresser is a greeting card of a praying woman that our friend Sue Schutz gave us when she married Tim, who gave us the painting in our front hallway. It's a great reminder for me to pray in reverence! The two doilies were most likely made by Thad's Grandma Scerra. It's always a challenge to keep flat surfaces like this clear from clutter, so they stay looking attractive. You can read more about that in the next blog post down, A Place for Everything. There is a digital clock in this dresser too, but it wasn't quite picturesque enough for my photo journal!




I hope that you have enjoyed this little tour of our autumn-decorated home. The things I hope I communicated with you in this blog post are that you can:

• Decorate with things you already have, especially family heirlooms and thoughtful gifts.
• Group related items together into a pleasing arrangement.
• Create wonderful aromas with candles and potpourri!
• Rotate your decorations seasonally so you have something different to see.
• Use baskets for a homey look, especially since you can put things in them!
• Gather new items little by little, and you will have quite a collection after several years.
• Make your own decorations using materials from a dollar store, Walmart, or a craft store.
• Keep your house tidy, since clutter distracts from beauty.
• Frame family photographs, greeting cards, magazine photos, or nature pictures that you take.
• You don't need anything fancy or expensive! Simplicity is beautiful!

I'd love to hear your ideas, too, so feel free to post a comment or two!

You can also see my holiday decorating from last year at Christmas Decorations. Same house, different season!
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles

We Live in Deeds, Not Years...

"We Live in Deeds, Not Years; In Thoughts, Not Breaths"
by Philip James Bailey (1816-1902)

We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.
And he whose heart beats quickest lives the longest:
Lives in one hour more than in years do some
Whose fat blood sleeps as it slips along their veins.
Life's but a means unto an end; that end,
Beginning, mean, and end to all things—God.
The dead have all the glory of the world.

~*~

I found this on the Academy of American Poets web site (www.poets.org). I subscribe to their e-newsletter, and this was linked in this morning's issue on the theme of "Carpe Diem."

It certainly goes along with my workshop on the "The Real 3R's of Literature: Read, Reflect, Respond" that I am presenting at the second annual Books & Beyond seminar on January 24. I do not ever wish to live my life numbly, but to think and feel deeply.

Here is another bit from the poet Philip James Bailey, found at www.BrainyQuote.com.

Let each man think himself an act of God,
His mind a thought, his life a breath of God;
And let each try, by great thoughts and good deeds,
To show the most of Heaven he hath in him.

Lord Have Mercy!

Dear friends,

You know by now that I am a raving evangelical who can’t quite seem to shut up about God. I suppose some might even venture to call me a “Bible thumper” though I don’t think I’ve ever actually thumped one. (Well, maybe once or twice.) But it hasn’t always been so. Many years ago, I harbored great hostility and scorn toward pushy Christians and their precious little Bibles. One time my sister Barb and I were strolling along the aisles at the San Mateo, California county fair when we suddenly met some of them at a booth. They cornered us (at least it seemed that way then) and tried to explain about how we were sinners who needed a savior. I was more interested in finding the fudge booth (I still love chocolate!) and stomped away in disgust, while Barb, who hadn’t yet managed to pry herself away, looked at me helplessly. I fumed. Who did they think they were? Why didn’t they mind their own business? This was my continual attitude, not just one incident. I was “looking for a skylight in the floor of my upside down world” – but I did not want to concede that Christianity could be the truth.

About that time, my Aunt Fay in Pennsylvania, whom we hadn’t seen in quite some time, sent us a letter saying that she had become a born again Christian and urging us to do the same. I thought she was totally off her rocker. Crazy! And yet that summer, when our family drove all the way across the country for vacation, we met this crazy Christian. She was different all right. She had peace, joy, and love – and I didn’t! Even at that tender age of 12, I had often contemplated suicide. Yet when my cousin Cindy explained the gospel to me using some ridiculous looking Bible tracts, I contemplated the truth and grace of God instead. In July 1976 (our nation’s bicentennial anniversary of independence) I found my own true spiritual liberty and joined in with the crazy born again Christians. I have never ever regretted it. Since then I have always sought to share the incredible good news of Jesus Christ. I am in awe of such lavish mercy that makes my heart sing!

I know I talk a lot about God, but I realize that these bits and pieces don’t always communicate a full, balanced understanding of who he is and how we can know him. “God talk” is actually pretty popular these days. Spirituality is all the rage. Most of modern culture takes a smorgasbord approach to truth as a random collection of inspirational ideas that we are free to pick and choose to suit our cravings of the moment, rather than a revealed, universal, objective Truth that can stand the test of time and place no matter when or where we live. We do need to think and reason about truth. Yes, spiritual life also takes a leap of faith, but it is a leap onto a firm foundation. Truth matters, especially when we are seeking the right path to our eternal destiny.

So, I would like to take a few moments to share with you some basics about what it means to be “saved” or “born again.” It would take a lifetime to exhaust this topic and I don’t want your eyes to glaze over, so I’m still only giving you a small sample. If you aren’t familiar with this sort of discussion (or it even makes you uncomfortable), perhaps you could just read it to find out why all of those Christians (like me) are making such a big deal about it. And I hope in the process you might discover why it should be a big deal to you, too.

I like lists, so I’ll give you one right now with several key ideas:

1. God is utterly holy, pure and just. He will not tolerate the presence of sin. His thoughts are infinitely high above ours. He knows everything in our hearts. He is sovereign, all powerful over things and people. Our Creator is filled with incredible beauty and majesty and deserves our complete and humble worship. God is a trinity: three in one. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are completely unified and completely God. (Yes, this is an awesome mystery that boggles the human mind!)

2. Mankind is utterly sinful. We have repeatedly rejected God’s truth and God’s ways. We have each broken his commandments, either in our actions or in our thoughts. We have actively participated in ruin. We cannot make ourselves righteous by any amount of good deeds or by any amount of religious activity. We deserve God’s full measure of eternal wrath as punishment.

3. God is merciful and forgiving. He has made a way for us to cross the chasm. Jesus (God the Son) took on human form and lived an absolutely perfect, sinless life on earth. Then he was crucified on a cross, taking the punishment for our sins. He was buried and then rose again on the third day, appearing to hundreds of people before he ascended to Heaven. His resurrection proves his claim to be God the Son. Jesus was the promised Messiah, who had been foretold by the Old Testament prophets hundreds of years before his birth. (Read Isaiah 53!)

4. We can escape God’s righteous wrath and claim the promise of eternal life in Heaven only by trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus. That means confessing our sins and placing our full faith in him alone, not in being good enough or following some sort of religious system. He is our only hope. When we ask God to save us, our sins are forgiven and we are declared righteous in his sight.

5. When a person is born again like this, he or she becomes a “new creation” with a changed nature. We repent, which means to turn away from our sins and seek to please God instead. We realize that we are not our own anymore – we belong to God and must obey him with a whole heart. We still struggle with a sin nature and temptation, but we are also given a new heart that really wants to love God and other people. The good works that a Christian does are the grateful fruit of salvation, not the path to it. As disciples (followers of Christ) we continually grow in our faith and in our ability to make right choices, but we will not be perfect until we get to Heaven and see him face to face. And because we want others to experience the lavish mercy we have received, we boldly speak to them about sin, wrath, grace, faith, and salvation.

But why all this talk about God’s wrath and judgment? Can’t I just be tolerant and say that if anyone is sincere or tries their best to be a nice person that this is sufficient?

Good question! I’ve often asked it myself! Several months ago, in a philosophical mood, I decided to pick the theological brain of our friend Tom Clinkscale, who is a Baptist preacher and teaches at a Christian college. I asked him: "How do you reconcile the wrath of God that we see in the Old Testament with the mercy of God that we see in the New Testament?" I had put him on the spot, but he thought for a few minutes and then gave the wisest answer I have heard for that cosmic question. He replied that the one event in which God poured out his fiercest wrath was also the one where he poured out his most lavish mercy -- on the cross where Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins. The cross bridges the chasm between Hell and Heaven for us. It transports us from fierce wrath to lavish mercy!

I have talked enough in my own words. Now I want to let God’s work speak to you in a way that I could never do. Pause to let it sink in!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” John 3:16-18

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6

“As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:10-12, 23

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Romans 5:6-11

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, 20-21

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:4-10

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6


I will close with a poem that I wrote about two years ago, during a season of life when I became freshly aware of my sin and my continual need for my Savior.

Rhapsody in M
by Virginia Knowles

Myriad mercies:
more and more
merited? no! no merit in murky miserable me
Mystery:
manic malice meted on Messiah Martyr
Mighty and Meek
Miracle:
manic malice meted on my Mediator misses me
marvelous mercies ministered on me

Majestic Master:
master me
move massive mountains in me
make merry melodies in me
mirrors of Thee in mere me
more and more
myriad mercies

~*~*~

That’s enough for now. Let me know what you think. I’d be happy to talk to you about this if you send me an e-mail. Feel free to share this with others.

Blessings,
Virginia Knowles

Preparing Children for the Storms of Life

Dear friends,

I wrote this article in November 2006. Though it was originally written in the context of home schooling, somehow I think it's also appropriate for adults in light of the recent financial crises. I will follow it up in a few days with the handouts from a class I am teaching Monday for English, including an essay called "What Will It Take to Forge Our Character?")

Preparing Children for the Storms of Life

The storms of life will come and go, but will your child be prepared or be blown away? In some ways, home schooling shelters children from many storms of life – appropriately so! In other ways, it can prepare them to be even more effective in dealing with challenging and disappointing situations. This process takes effort on the parents’ part as they try to discern the balance of sheltering and preparing. There are many ways any parent can help prepare a child for weathering the storms of life.

Cultivate a sense that God is in control, no matter what happens. Show how faith, hope, and love can conquer depression, fear, and anger. We don’t always understand what is happening, but we can trust a sovereign God. In showing God’s providence and our need for perseverance, you can use Bible stories (such as Joseph, Ruth, or David), Bible verses (such as Psalm 43:5, James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:26-39, 1 Peter 1:6-9, and Habakkuk 3:17-19), hymns and worship songs, and prayer. Many children are disillusioned when they pray and God doesn’t answer like they want him to. Explain that sometimes he answers yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait. Share stories from your own life when you asked God for something that would not have been good for you, and how you are glad you didn’t get your own way. You can also model a wholesome response to trials in your own life. Your children are always watching you!

Equip your child with both skills and responsibility ahead of time. Don’t coddle your children – challenge them! If you make life too easy for them, they will never be strong enough to face the outside world. Stretch them appropriately in their academics and household chores, and don’t let them give up on an assignment just because they think it is too hard. Press on! Children who have learned to value responsibility and duty over comfort and convenience will have more inner strength to face challenges in life. There are also specific skills you can teach that will help your child prevent or solve problems. Be sure to cover time management, money management, organization skills, household repair, etiquette, and communication, etc. With younger children, play “What If?” games, asking what they could do if they got lost at the mall, or another child dared them to do something wrong. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Teach Biblical peacemaking concepts. Walk them through how to resolve interpersonal conflicts, which are usually either the cause or result of so many of life’s storms. Peacemaker Ministries (www.peacemaker.net) has many wonderful resources.

Let your child “own” his trials. You can comfort them and brainstorm with them, but don’t be quick to offer easy answers. Make it a dialogue, where you are merely coaching them through solving their own problems. Give plenty of time – don’t rush through this process! Follow up later on to see how well they are coping with the aftermath, and if there is any bitterness or confusion. Teach your children to think ahead of time about the consequences of their choices. “If I do this, then that could happen.” Let them suffer the natural consequences of their own poor behavior, since they will learn from that more than from a lecture. Do not let them whine, sulk, or manipulate others. Hold them responsible for their share of conflicts, rather than simply blaming the other party to salvage a child’s feelings. If you see your child reacting to a frustration with bitterness, accusation or impatience, stop them and role play a calm, wholesome response. I no longer allow my children to yell, “THIS IS STUPID!” Instead, they may say, “I don’t understand this.” And finally, encourage your child to look for a life lesson that God is trying to teach them through this lesson. If they caused their own problem, they could learn to repent and prevent situations from happening like this again. In a situation that was not the child’s fault, they can learn patience to endure, faith in God’s care, and compassion for others who are suffering. Be sure to point out “evidences of grace” that you see in your child’s life because of this trial that has helped them to mature.

In your home schooling time, be aware of teachable moments. Read plenty of heart-reaching books where the people face difficult circumstances. Talk about what they did that was appropriate, and what they did that wasn’t. Biographies, well-written fiction, and even history text books can be so vital! The time periods of the early church persecutions, the Reformation, the American Revolution, slavery, Civil War, Holocaust, Civil Rights era, and others provide many examples you can use in teaching how to deal with adversity. We also like the animated history videos produced by NEST (www.nestfamily.com), since they show the struggles that famous people have faced. While studying science, point out instances in the natural world where “adversity” is necessary to produce the best results, such as precious metals being refined, gemstones being hacked out of the ground and chiseled into shape, muscles being exercised, tree roots growing deep for nourishment and anchoring, etc. Math can be a major source of frustration. However, it can model more general problem solving principles, such as staying calm in the knowledge that the problem is here to teach you something valuable, following any instructions, breaking it down into smaller parts, thinking through the different options, working carefully with keen attention to detail, asking for help when necessary, and checking to make sure the solution is reasonable. See how even the academic aspects of home schooling can prepare your child for facing the storms of life? What a blessing!

I hope that these ideas are as helpful to you as they have been to me over the years. Of course, we’re still working on them, but with 10 children in the house, there are plenty of opportunities to practice!

A Place for Everything

Dear friends,

You've probably heard the saying, "A place for everything and everything in its place!" Let me just say that this is a huge challenge for a mother of 10. We wage a continual war against clutter at our house, and sometimes we're on the losing side. But then we pick ourselves up and go to battle again. Maybe we'll finally get this down by the time our last child leaves the nest, though by that time there should be ample grandkiddos tumbling around. At any rate, people often assume I must be organized, and I guess I do have a few tricks up my sleeves. That's not to say that just because I have a place for most things that they stay in their places, but we'll get to that, too.

This week I made a special effort to get the kitchen and some other areas organized, and I figured I would take pictures while it still looks halfway tidy, if you know what I mean. I decided to share them with you, too. Maybe it will inspire you. Just don't knock on my door unannounced to see if it stays that way all the time... It doesn't.

We'll start with kitchen cabinets. These two shelves hold hot beverage supplies and spices. We have a lazy Susan for most of the smaller spice bottles, and then the large bulk ones from Sam's Club (cinnamon, taco seasoning, etc.) are in the back. The bin on the left side of the upper shelf holds various kinds of tea, which leads to our next picture.

We had a whole bunch of half-filled boxes of tea in this cupboard, so I decided to put each kind in its own zip bag with a portion of the original box to identify it. Then I put them in a Rubbermaid container for which we have lost the lid. As cozy as tea sounds, I don't actually drink the stuff and we don't even keep coffee in the house! I like hot chocolate (with whipped cream) and hot spiced cider. During the holidays, we brew up some wassail. I'll give you the recipe for that later in the season.

This cupboard houses our casserole dishes, glass pie pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups, funnels, and large rectangular plastic storage containers. A few of the shelves have labels to help family members remember where to put things, but I still have to rearrange this cupboard constantly. The cabinet that's worse, though, is the one with all of our smaller Rubbermaid containers. It's like a jigsaw puzzle sometimes. People prefer to just toss them onto the dish drainer and let me deal with it. I am not always amused by this tactic. By the way, when I organize our cabinets, I often take everything out and wipe down the shelves with a wet cloth.

I confess that I, too, prefer to put something somewhere "just for now." This is not such a bad thing. For example, that white basket on the top of our microwave it there for just that reason. We find little things here and there and rather than get distracted from what we were otherwise doing to go put away one stray item, we toss it in the basket. I clean it out about once a month, along with several other "catch-all" bins scattered around the house. It saves time, and it keeps the clutter contained at least. It works for me! That big bowl on the microwave holds hot pads, and the canisters on the counter hold cooking utensils. And yes, that is a fire extinguisher right next to the stove. I've only had one kitchen fire that I remember, when the burner coil itself burst into flames. I got a new glasstop stove out of that mishap, which was providential considering that the oven had been acting up for quite some time!

Yes, I know this picture is sideways. Blame it on Blogspot. It just uploaded that way. I even tried rotating it before uploading to compensate, but no deal. You'd think all of those first aid supplies and medicines would fall right out of their bins this way! Actually, it's this stuff that kicked off my organizing spree in the first place. We were putting away groceries earlier this week and a spaghetti can fell on Micah's toe and cut it open. When I grabbed the first aid box from the kitchen cabinet, I realized how disorganized it had become. So I put it in order, then tackled the medicines, throwing away anything that was expired. Then I hit the bathroom medicine cabinets while I was at it. That evening after dinner, I decided to clean out the rest of the kitchen cabinets, though I didn't finish up until the next day. (Yes, I did go to bed that night in between. Mama needs her beauty sleep!)





Because our little kids have always lacked in the area of self-control with carbohydrates, and because we don't want cereal all over the floor all the time, we store it on top of the refrigerator. The plastic containers keep the bugs out, which is important since las cucarachas are so prevalent in Florida. We found the sugar dispenser at Walmart. It has a spout on top and a sturdy handle on the side, and holds a whole 5 pound bag of the stuff! Yes, that is a chore chart hanging on the freezer door. The kids do a large share of the daily chores, like dishes, sweeping, bathroom cleaning, cooking, vacuuming, etc. Some of them need to be reminded more often than others. Do you see that little paper slot taped onto the freezer door that says, "Pen -- Put me back"? Of course, the pen wasn't in it when I wanted to take the picture, so I went and found one. I'm really trying to set a good example.


Where most of our pens are supposed to go is in one of the bins on this supply shelf, which is in the room that doubles as our school room and dining room. I have bins labeled for regular pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, scissors & tape, rulers, hair supplies, etc. This works most of the time, but the kids sometimes ignore that and just throw the stuff in whichever one is handy. Again, I have to sort all of the bins out regularly, with help from the kids. Also on these shelves, the green bin on the second shelf from the top holds books that are waiting to be repaired. The big bin on the right hand side of that shelf holds game pieces in zip lock bags. The game boards are underneath it. This is my solution to the Broken Box Syndrome. One of the shelves holds a stack of wooden puzzles. I labeled the edges of the boards with a permanent marker so that when I find a stray piece I can get to the right one quickly. The shelf below it holds drawing books, right next to the drawing supplies. Another bin holds whatever papers are on the table when it's time to set it for dinner. There is also a set of encyclopedias on the bottom shelf. We don't always use these for reference since we have Google, but they are good for pressing flowers and holding down the edges of bedsheets when building forts in the living room...



Keeping stuff organized in the kids' rooms is also a challenge. One of my boys has a long standing habit of doing school work on the floor.
We recently moved in a desk from one of the other bedrooms, which helps most of the time, but this is what I still found when I walked in there an hour ago. By the way, the desk has racks for holding notebooks and textbooks upright. Whoever invented those was a genius.

This bedroom is always tight on space since all three boys are in there. They have one set of bunkbeds, as well as the toddler bed you can see to the right of the desk. We also installed wire shelving several years ago, as well as a plastic toy bin shelf. Right now they are partly empty because Thad just moved everything to paint the adjacent walls a lovely shade of dark blue.














More storage shelves? Yep! This is actually our storage room. It used to be part of our garage, before we closed it in to make a 5th bedroom several years ago. Thad found these wonderful sturdy plastic shelves at Home Depot and designed the storage room dimensions around them. Our laundry area is in this room on the right side of this picture, with plenty of room for baskets of the dirty stuff. We run about 5 loads a day, so this place gets a lot of traffic.







We buy our paper goods in bulk, so the storage room shelves really come in handy. We buy restaurant dispenser napkins at Sam's Club because they are so much cheaper than regular paper napkins.





We try to cut down on the use of paper towels by cleaning up with white terry cloth bar rags, also purchased at Sam's Club. We use so many of these every day that we put a small hamper for them in the dining room near our storage room door, as well as another one next to the kitchen sink.




And speaking of laundry, it's not so hard getting it clean, but then it sits around in baskets until I can get someone, often myself, to sit down and fold it and put it away. It is the bane of my existence -- or at least one of them. We call it Mount Neverest. I put dots on the labels of our boys' clothes so I can figure out what belongs to whom: one dot for Andrew, two for Micah and three for Ben. The older girls do all of their own laundry, thankfully. If you can relate to my laundry woes, you might be interested in an earlier laundry blog post I wrote called And You Wonder What I Do All Day...



Unmatched socks are another huge hassle. I keep a wicker basket on a corner of the living room for these, but I don't even have the heart to photograph it. However, this is the shoe basket in our foyer by the front door. It is meant mainly for the little kids, though I often throw our teenagers' flip-flops in it, too. As you can see, there is a place for the shoes, but the shoes don't always make it in to their place.






The living room is another place that often looks like a hurricane has hit it, though it's not quite so bad in this picture. Books, papers, pillows, blankets, pencils, building blocks, cups, pieces of bagel (which are not supposed to ever be in there in the first place!), laundry (clean at least), and more often take over this room. I try to get the kids to straighten it up a few times a day, but I still find myself needing to tidy up again myself before bed if I'm not too exhausted. Our couches are sturdy, easy to clean microfiber with attached back cushions.



I'll end with a cozy picture of a book basket in the living room. I don't ever want to get so busy cleaning house that I can't read to my kids. (I do miss this some days, though.) We probably have about 2,000 books in the house, most of them in big bookcases throughout the house. Our preschooler's boardbooks are in durable plastic bins to make it easy for her to put them away by herself. This big basket is for the books that I am currently working through with them, or that we use frequently enough that it would be a waste of time to shelve them. Good literature is at the heart of childhood. And Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, as silly a book as it is, has some great tips for getting their kids to clean up after themselves! (OK, so she did tell one mom to let her son's room get so bad that he got trapped in it and cleaned it up out of desparation! But she does make cleaning up seem like a whole lot of fun!) I loved this book as a child, and my friend Clare gave it to me when she was decluttering her own house and getting rid of lots of stuff her kids had outgrown.

I guess I've come to the end of my little pictorial primer on home organization! Perhaps you will be inspired to organize your home, too! Don't be afraid to buy the supplies you need and to make sure they are not ugly or flimsy. The investment is worth it. I'll be doing a blog post on easy and thrify autumn decorating soon, but I know that the first step to an attractive home is keeping it tidy!

Blessings,
Virginia Knowles

Our Thanksgiving Indians

“Our Thanksgiving Indians”…


Darshan, Kartik, Siddharth, Nilesh and Ramaram. No, these Indians weren’t guests at the first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621, along with Squanto and Samoset. They are REAL Indians, from India! And we hosted them, along with Nan and Feixue from China, for a traditional American Thanksgiving in 2001. I suppose I should back up a little here in the story.


One day in 2000, I saw a notice in our church bulletin that a ministry to University of Central Florida international students was looking for furniture and other household items to help the newcomers get settled. I quickly called Mei-Ling Liu to make arrangements for donating couches and chairs which were cluttering up our garage. Later, we delivered a van load of household supplies to help set up an apartment for a student whose wife was arriving from India the following week. Anyway, this was so much fun that I decided to make four gift baskets of household and school supplies for a new student prize drawing Mei-Ling had planned. The two of us, along with one of my daughters, had the pleasure of delivering them to Darshan, Nilesh, Kartik and Nan at their scantily equipped apartments. At the same time, we invited them to come, along with a friend (hence Ramaram, Siddharth and Feixue), and join us for Thanksgiving. They all eagerly accepted.

As the time drew near, plans began to take shape. We had eight children back then, including five school age daughters, two preschool sons, and a baby girl. I sure needed the help of my older daughters, and this was one way to develop their hospitality skills while learning about other cultures! Joanna and Lydia worked hard on choosing the menu and writing a shopping list. We had to plan for plenty of vegetarian foods for our Hindu guests, but we also fixed our traditional turkey. We actually roasted and carved the turkey a day ahead of time and reheated it with the broth, which saved me a lot of time on Thanksgiving Day. It was one way for me to be more "Mary" and less "Martha" in my hospitality. The children also made several desserts a day ahead of time. Of course, there was still lots to do on Thursday, but everyone pitched in wonderfully. The girls hung autumn-colored paper leaves from the ceiling, folded the cloth napkins in fancy patterns, made name tags and place cards on the computer, raked the yard, and cleaned up the house. Everyone cooked up a storm, but we still put our guests to work opening cans of vegetables at the last minute. (They WANTED to do something to help!)

Our dinner conversation was lively. We talked some about American culture and foods, about their majors at UCF (all engineering and computer science, and mostly, if not all, at the graduate level). One of the Indian men happened to ask Feixue about freedom of religion in China. She staunchly defended her government and said that they were merely educating people to be more scientific instead of superstitious. To an atheist like her, it seems the reason that people are religious is that they are raised that way by their families and don’t know what else to believe. The Hindu said he could not imagine not being able to talk to a god about things that bothered him. Feixue joked that in China, before you get married, your father is your god, and after you get married, your husband takes that place.

After dinner, we watched an animated video about William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving. This was my husband’s great idea. The video is neat because it tells about a group of dedicated Christians leaving England in 1620 to gain religious freedom, and how they set up their own government where each man could vote and help make the decisions. (What a radical concept for a Chinese person!) It also showed how much friendship there was between the native Americans and the Pilgrims in those early years. After the video I explained a few things they may not have understood, and told how the colonists eventually won their independence from England and became the United States of America. I also shared the story of how the Star Spangled Banner was written during the War of 1812.


Mei-Ling had suggested that we ask each of the students to tell us something about their country or their growing up years. This sure made for a great geography lesson! Some of the Indian men told us about the temples, idol worship, pilgrimages, arranged marriages and other Hindu customs. Our new Chinese friends told about inventions and education in their country. It’s interesting to note that Feixue, the young lady, was much smitten by baby Naomi, our eighth child. In her country, families are usually only permitted one child each, with forced abortions for those who try to have unauthorized extra babies. Sigh... We did have a few opportunities to share tidbits about our Christian faith, and for that I am thankful.


The students were most intrigued when I told them about home schooling. One asked about diplomas, and another asked about how we choose our scope and sequence. I told them about how I approach each school subject, and mentioned that for geography we pick a different continent each year. The previous year, when we had studied Asia, we learned about Mahatma Gandhi and Indian independence. When I told about how we get to choose our own curriculum, I can only wonder at the impression this made on our Chinese guests, where education is so tightly controlled by the government.


We also had a little musical entertainment, with one daughter playing a Beethoven Sonatina on the piano, and another singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “Come Ye Thankful People Come.” Feixue then asked each of our daughters to tell something about themselves and what they like to do. What a jolly time of uproarious laughter! At the end, we all gathered on the couch and Thad took pictures.


All in all, it was a most wonderful experience! The students all expressed their delight at being invited for an American Thanksgiving just a few months after arriving here. One student pulled Thad aside to say how much he appreciated visiting our family because he had been in a boarding school most of his life. Another one called the next day to say how much he liked the food, especially the desserts! We had a few of them back for a Christmas party the next month, but unfortunately, we haven’t kept up with them in the past few years.


I write this to encourage you to consider showing holiday (and every day!) hospitality to folks outside your normal circle of friends and relatives. Ask God to connect you with someone who could appreciate a home cooked meal eaten with a friendly family. This might be an elderly neighbor or nursing home resident whose children and grandchildren live far away. It could be a young single mom who has been forsaken by the ones who were supposed to love and support her. Or it could be that college student, international or not, who is missing his or her family at holiday time. (I remember being in this unenviable position while I was at UCF in 1983, and am grateful that the parents of one of my friends invited me for Thanksgiving.)


"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:13-14


These small acts of kindness do make a huge difference!


(Note: This article first appeared in the Hope Chest Home School News, and later in Making It Home magazine. Making It Home is no longer in print, but you can still read Cat Staat's blog.)

Simple Strategies for Saving Money

Simple Strategies for Saving Money
by Virginia Knowles

Before I get started on this article, I want to let you know that I have already written posts on Saving Money on Groceries and Saving Money on Health Care Costs, so I won’t be covering those topics here. This is not fancy stuff, either -- just some basic tips on saving money every day. Feel free to add your own ideas by pressing the comment button below the article. You can find more great tips at Thrifty Times and 66 Ways to Save Money.

Be content.

• The most important key to saving money is to be grateful for what God has already graciously provided! (See Philippians 4:11-19.)
• Contentment often means making do with what you have, rather than running out to buy the latest and greatest to keep up with the Joneses. Ask yourself, "Do I really need this?"
• Don't start expensive “pamper me” habits that will be hard to break later, like continually stopping by Starbucks or even Wendy’s.
• You can enjoy the simple things in life, like a picnic in the park once in a while instead of having an expensive date night every week.
• It might help to avoid watching much commercial television or subscribing to magazines which promote a materialistic lifestyle. Speaking of TV, we have never had cable! That's a big monthly saving right there!
• Here is a little story for you: One year, a few days before Christmas, I was in Sam’s Club buying bulk foods. As usual, I was also drawn to the book aisle, where I ogled over the beautiful sale-priced Kingfisher Children's Encyclopedia. I really wanted to get it (who knows if it would be there the next time?) but I had already blown the budget for children's gifts and home school. I needed to honor my husband’s wishes, so the purchase would have to wait. A few hours later, my neighbor Marie knocked on the door and handed me a wrapped Christmas present for the children. You know what it was! God provided! This sort of thing has happened so many times that it’s like a game to see God’s hand at work in meeting our needs. God is good!

Take stewardship seriously.

• This is another key, long before you get ready to shop. We have the responsibility of prudently caring for what God has already graciously provided for us.
• The more you take care of your possessions, the longer they will last, and the more you will be able to enjoy them. My husband and I hunted around at used furniture stores for an affordable recliner chair for our bedroom, but finally decided to just clean and fix up one we already had. A screw driver and a can of upholstery cleaner were all that was needed to make it presentable. Now that’s a good deal!
• Organize your home to avoid replacing lost items, because if you can’t find it, you can’t use it, and you may have to buy another one.
• Conserve your resources! Save gas by grouping your errands or car pooling. Turn off lights when you aren't in a room. Use ceiling fans to cut your cooling bill. Take shorter showers. Hang laundry out on the clothes line occasionally. Use a little less detergent in your washer, and do a full load. Teach your kids to be "energy police"! Set your printer to fast draft mode to save ink. Reuse the back side of paper.

Keep a budget.

• Even if your spouse keeps track of the finances, be sure to stay involved with the budgeting process and your cash flow. Try to be united and “on the same page” with money issues. While my husband is mostly in charge of the finances, we have frequent "budget committee meetings" -- always starting with a kiss!
• We use Quicken software on our computer during our frequent “budget committee meetings.” This enables us to keep track of our budget as we go, and cut back in areas that seem to be getting out of control.
• Plan all big purchases together! It is extremely rare for either of us to spend more than $50 on an item unless we have talked about it first. We avoid spending more than about $200 on anything unless we’ve had a few days to think about it.
• Most states have a buyer’s remorse law that allows you to be released from a contract within 3 days if you have second thoughts. We have used this more than once! It's so easy to get sucked into a slick sales presentation.

Stay out of debt.

• The first step here is to have the intense motivation to do this! Paying interest is a huge waste of money! Learn to save up for almost everything – even cars -- until you have enough to pay cash.
• Check out the Financial Peace University! The teacher, Dave Ramsey, talks about having the same intensity about getting out of debt as a gazelle trying to escape a cheetah. We are enrolled in the DVD version of the class at our church, and one week we had to move out of our regular room because of a water leak. It turns out that a squirrel had somehow gotten stuck in one of the thick plastic PVC water pipes above the ceiling, and had been so desparate to get out that it had chewed all the way through it! That's the kind of motivation we need to get out of debt and stay that way.
• I'm thankful to have a husband who has made staying out of debt a priority all throughout our marriage. Earlier this year, we even refinanced our house to shorten our mortgage from the remaining 15 years down to 10. Yay! We thought of refacing our kitchen cabinets this year, but when we found out the price, we looked at each other and shook our heads. It wasn't worth taking on monthly payments for several years!

Shop around!

• Don’t be in a hurry to buy, even when you know what you want. If you take your time, you can usually find the best deal or you will even find that you didn't need it in the interim.
• Let your family and friends know about your upcoming major purchases so they can keep an eye out for great deals.
• Be sure to compare prices on the Internet. Most major retailers list their products and prices on their web sites so you can let your fingers do the walking, even if you are going to go in to the store to make the actual purchase.
• Know when to buy certain items. We love the back to school sales when we can get school supplies for dirt cheap! That's the time to stock up! I always buy the same brand of capris pants at Walmart, so whenever they go on sale at the end of the season, I buy a few new pairs.
• If the product is deficient, don't be afraid to take it back and ask for a refund. Stores want to keep you happy to keep your business.

Do business with folks you can trust.

• We've all been ripped off at one time or another. I distinctly remember a guy who did a shoddy job painting the outside of our house, then skipped town without even finishing a job. We weren't the only folks he scammed. Check your Better Business Bureau, or ask for recommendations from friends.
• We've been taking our cars to by repaired by Dan Roldan at Advantage Auto for over ten years because he is always honest and reasonably priced. He also checks out any used cars we are thinking of buying and gives us his opinion of what repairs they might need. We know we can trust him, and we're happy to recommend him to others.
• Check your receipts! Even if somone isn't trying to cheat you, they may have made a mistake, or maybe the computer didn't have the price in correctly. Especially check phone bills and credit card statements for transactions that you didn't authorize.
• You should also check your credit report on-line periodically. You are allowed to do this for free once a year from each of the three major agencies, so you can effectively do this every four months.

Get what you NEED.

• Avoid impulse shopping by writing down your plan before you even pull out of your driveway or log onto the web. It’s fun to find bargains, but just remember not to buy something you won’t really use and love! It won’t be such a good deal if it gathers dust in your closet until your next yard sale.
• When you do buy, choose items which are versatile enough for many purposes and seasons, rather than just the whim of the moment.

Don't bankroll your teenagers.

• Our older teens have learned to be pretty thrifty because they have to buy their own stuff: clothes, makeup, restaurant food, gifts for friends, gas, activities, etc. They also have to pay their own share of their cell phones and car insurance. This teaches them to work hard and pinch their pennies, and it saves us money, too!
• We do pitch in for clothes once in a while, though, as well as pay for their food when we are eating out as a family.

Buy it used.

• I love used bookstores, consignment stores, thrift stores, and yard sales. I also frequently order used books from Amazon and eBay.
• Many of our friends swear by Craig’s List for buying and selling!
• Used doesn’t necessarily mean trashy; there are many upscale used sources, such as a Goodwill “boutique” store. Pawn shops can be an economical source, too.
• Used toys are often a good deal. Sixteen years ago, I bought a large set of used wooden building blocks at a consignment sale, and we're still using them every day, though I have added to the set as our family has grown. Legos are really expensive new, but folks are always selling them at yard sales or giving them away. We do a good bit of birthday shopping at yard sales, especially for preschoolers who don't know the difference. I could have spent $15 for a princess costume at Walmart, but I bought it for 50 cents from a yard sale! I also got a small folder table and chair for $1 each. You can see the table on my blog post about Melody's birthday.
• Used furniture stores are a great way to get what you need, especially if you know some basic repair techniques, like using a touch up stick of wood stain to fix scratches.
• If you don't see what you need at a used store, ask the manager to let you know when it comes in.

Do it yourself.

• Yes, you can! Whether it is cutting your own children’s hair, repairing clothing or furniture (or even cars), making greetings cards and gifts, decorating your home, or even entertaining your children, you can probably do it more creatively and for less money.
• Kids love to make cards! Why buy them new?
• Make sure you have basic sewing supplies and household tools on hand.
• If you feel nervous about doing something new that otherwise interests you, ask a friend to teach you or enroll in a local class. You can also find “how to” information very easily on the Internet, especially at http://www.ehow.com/.

Get a discount.

• It doesn’t hurt to ask! Many businesses are willing to give a discount, especially if you are a frequent customer or if you are just plain nice!
• We get 20% educator discounts to local bookstores as part of our membership in our state’s home school association.
• Our local YMCA grants scholarships based on income and family size, too.
• Check out http://www.retailmenot.com/ for on-line coupons for your favorite businesses.
• You can get especially good discounts from people who are trying to get rid of stuff they aren’t using.
  
  

Remember that free is good!

• Some of the best things in life don’t cost any money.
• You can get a lot of books from your public library. If they don’t have what you want, request it on interlibrary loan.
• See if you can borrow a seldom used item from a friend -- and be just as willing to lend your own possessions. You may want to keep a list of what you lent to whom, so you can figure out where it is when you need it again. If it is home school curriculum you are looking for, consider swapping with a friend, such as borrowing her Biology book and lending her your Geometry one for a year. We used to borrow cradles when our older children were babies, and when we finally bought a bassinette for our tenth baby, we lent it out to several people when we were done with it.
• Accept hand-me-down clothes from friends and family. We get bags of stuff every year from people who know we've got a bunch of kids. We take what we need and pass along the rest. Recycling clothes like this just makes sense!
• Check to see if your local attractions have a free day. For local residents, the Orlando Museum of Art is free on Thursday afternoons and Leu Gardens is free on Monday mornings. A local church has offered free admission for home school students to the Russian ballet / Kiev symphony production of Romeo and Juliet, and we're all passing along the information to others by e-mail.
• Ask friends to help with big projects or barter your skills. For example, a friend could help lay sod in your yard in exchange for you helping them paint bedrooms in their house. Or you can trade babysitting services if it is a family you really trust and your kids get along with each other.
• Don’t be ashamed to pick up something useable from someone’s curb if you know it is “free for the taking” and not just something that happens to be sitting there. Walking around the neighborhood early in the morning is how I found my favorite recliner chair, a great book case, and a desk!
• Free is good!
  

~*~*~

Whatever your expenses are, you can put your stewardship, diligence, wisdom, and creativity to work! Grandma always said, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!”

A Mother’s Seeds

A Mother’s Seeds
by Virginia Knowles

A mother sows seeds
Sows in hearts softened by sweet nurture
Seeds of myriad sizes, shapes, and sorts:
Truth, mercy, faith, repentance, salvation
Wisdom, praise, discipline, responsibility
Love, joy, peace
Here a seed, there a seed, everywhere a soul seed

No mother is purely saint, saintly pure
So subtle weed seeds slip from her packet too:
Bitterness, pride, impatience, sloth, doubt, scorn, fear
She may wisely snatch them up again right away
Before harm takes root in tender spirits
But some sink in and grow in spite
Later to be plucked out, or not

Yet she seeks to sow good seed in good soil
Not for the pleasure of plowing, digging. straining
Staining hands and knees with clay
Casting bloodied thorns and stubborn stones aside
Not for these trials she toils, bowed low
But for the hope, for the promise of the soul seed’s sole purpose:
Oh, for the fruit!

Working, watering, worrying, weeping, watching, waiting. wondering:
Will these tiny seeds fulfill destiny
First with green stem and fragrant blossom, and then fruit at last?
Or will they lie lifeless underground or shriveled on dry crust of earth?
Oh, did one, even just one, take root deeper and deeper in the divine deep?
Anchored by a sturdy, centering, downward shaft
With fragile spreading threads tangled outward, seeking sustenance?

Oh, for the fruit of those roots unseen!
So: more seeds! Sow more seeds! Sow and sow again!
Lord, make them grow!
For a mother must be faithful but He alone can bring forth fruit!
(Soli Deo Gloria! Gloria in Excelsis Deo!)
His fruit is sweet and succulent, swelling with more seeds
Later to be scattered far beyond her own field, season after season

Nations and generations shall witness her seeds and His fruit
Fruit from seed, and seed from fruit
From her home to His uttermost gardens
From her time to His eternity
For a mother’s heart sows well beyond her own wee plot
She mothers young and old, neighbor and sojourner
Her reach is far and deep, patient and persistent

Any seeking soul becomes her soil
She meets needs with diligent deeds
Bathes each one in warming rays of kindness and prayer
A mother’s heart sows these seeds then
Waters, works, watches, waits, wonders again and again
By faith, hope, and love, she reaps abundant harvests
When goodly, godly fruit is ripe at last!