September in the rain

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Remember me for this also, my God, 

and look on me with compassion 

according to the abundance of your steadfast love.

Nehemiah 13:22b

~

I am reading Nehemiah in a bible study from She Reads Truth.

We are memorizing this verse.

In the chapter Nehemiah is directing the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem which is very important work.

My work may not be quite so important but I can't help but think as I go about my day 

if I would use these words to appeal to the Lord. 

Would I want him remembering all of the things I am doing?

Am I doing things I would want him to remember?

I believe that is my responsibility and my obligation to be doing things and thinking things 

that I want the Lord to remember. 

They don't have to be done perfectly but they do have to be done with the right heart and in the right spirit.

If (and when) I fail in doing the right things then I can ask the Lord for his compassion and his abundant 

and steadfast love.

I am grateful that the Lord looks upon me with compassion and steadfast love.

 Let's have coffee

bits and bobs

A basket full of bits and bobs.

It's been such a very long time since I have picked up a knitting needle that I had forgotten how to work a stitch! I had to google directions. Once I got started it came right back to me and off I went. I had purchased various leftover skeins of yarn at a local church sale and have been knitting large patches to make a sort of crazy quilt afghan. It's very relaxing to have something to do with my hands and now that  the evenings will be settling down earlier it will be nice to have a project to work on. 

I bought the handmade basket at the church rummage sale as well. My daughter is dating a man who makes baskets. His mother makes them as well and she taught him. I am hoping to meet him soon and if they get serious I know what I will want for a Christmas gift in years to come. 

I walked to church this morning and after the service I walked to the market around the corner. I purchased some haddock for dinner and three sweet little pumpkins. I will serve the haddock with boiled new potatoes and some fresh spinach. One of the little pumpkins is sitting on my desk as I type. 

September has given us the loveliest of weather this year.  I am sitting at my desk with the windows open and I can hear the birds singing, the waves from the harbour just down the way, and my neighbors talking out on their porch.

 Busy Monday

Autumn

I am linking up with Monthly musings today. 

You can find the list of Autumn themed questions at the bottom of this post.

~ ~ ~

Being a native New Englander I absolutely love the autumn season! 

I remember my mother used to say she didn't like fall because it meant winter was coming. I think that if 

you don't like fall or winter that is half a year, half of your lifetime that you are unhappy because of the

weather. What a waste.

I love autumn as I think it is the prettiest season in New England. 

Winter and I have come to an understanding. 

1). I like to put some of my favourite fall books on the tables or shelves. I put chrysanthemums in the

window box. I add a pumpkin here and there and I have autumn flowers on the kitchen table.

I also like to burn autumn scented candles. 

2). I live near Salem, MA and have to drive through it on my way to and from work. It's absolutely insane!

There are SO MANY people! I worry for my safety because there is no way any kind of emergency 

response vehicle could get through.

So...I love to carve jack-o-lanterns, I love to see the children in costumes and hand out candy.

But other than that I'm not a big Halloween fan. I don't do scary or gruesome decorations.

3). Pumpkins!! I live in a very old (revolutionary war era) part of my town and my home is

pretty much right on the narrow and winding street so I don't have much room for hay bales or corn stalks.

4). Sweaters are my favourite fashion pieces! And boots!

5). I transition my wardrobe by changing almost everything out and storing the off season clothing and 

shoes in the back of the closet. Here in New England we need a full four seasons of clothing and outdoor 

gear.

6). I don't normally decorate inside and out. I plant some colourful mums outside in the front garden and I

plant mums, autumn cabbage, and pumpkins in the window box although the squirrels take bites out of 

pumpkins so I may skip those this year. One year I put gourds in the window box and the squirrels ate 

some of them. The next year I noticed gourd plants serendipitously planted all over the yard!

7). My favourite autumn scents are apples, cider, fall leaves, the ocean, pine trees, and of course all the

delicious things that we cook - squash, pies, soups, breads...

8). My go to fall outfit is a pair of jeans and a sweater with boots.

9). In the autumn I use a thicker moisturizer on my skin as the heat dries it out.

10). My home feels cozy in the fall when I can hear the leaves rustling and the waves in the harbour 

outside but inside there is a fire going, a scented candle lit, and something yummy cooking. I 

be drinking a cup of tea under a blanket on the couch and reading a good book or I might be just coming 

from a walk in the wood with rosy cheeks and my favourite mittens.

~

 

Gleaning Grace

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 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, 

but that which is good to the use of edifying, 

that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Ephesians 4:29

Scripture and a snapshot

Sunday scripture blessing

Gleaning Grace link up 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I am Tucker

I slept at my daughter's house on Saturday. Their dog, Violet, and I shared the couch...all. night. Violet is a bed hog and a blanket hog. I had hardly any room at all and couldn't even straighten my legs out. She slept like a log on top of the blankets and I had a scrap of a corner that I had to keep pulling up over one of my shoulders. Luckily she was very warm. 

In the morning my grandchildren came downstairs and crawled under the covers with me and Violet until we were all tangled up with one another. That made my restless night worth it! ❤️

~

Saturday evening we went out to their family camp to celebrate a family birthday and the end of muster season.  The sunset was absolutely beautiful.

 ~

I walked out into my daughter's garden. I love the way it looks at the end of the season when the apple trees are full.

~

It has been a while since I've posted Tucker. I have a stool in front of the window that looks out onto the street so he can watch the goings on. We live in the old section of a little harborside village town and he likes to watch all the folks walking their dogs and such. I often hear the children saying, "look at the kitty" to their parents. I keep meaning to put a little sign in the window that says, I am Tucker.

~

I live in a town which was incorporated in 1649. Over the weekend the historical society had an event called Marbleheaders in the revolution. Many of the old buildings were open to the public and there were historians and guides at each sight to talk a bit about the history and people of Marblehead. I got a picture of the old Episcopalian church, Saint Micheals which was established in about 1714! This is the altar which is absolutely beautiful. 

I'm so thankful to live in such a pretty and historical old town.

Friday fave fives

Hunny and tea

 I went to one of my favourite church "grandma's attic" sales on Saturday. I was specifically looking for some yarn and I hit the jackpot!

I spent way too much money as one is apt to do when they are a fiber arts lover. I found a beautiful handmade basket as well so in went all sorts of leftover skeins of natural fiber yarns and off I went with dreams and aspirations.

I hope I can be the person I thought I was when I first started this crazy afghan project!

If nothing else the basket filled with all those beautiful colours looks cozy and pretty in my living room.

~

I know I probably said this last week but it deserves saying again...

September weather is just absolutely beautiful! The Lord may be sending us winter soon but He certainly is blessing us in September.

~

Every year at the beginning of the school year we have curriculum night at the school where I work. The parents come in without their children and we share a bite to eat and talk about what we do during the day.

This year we have a new director and she has shaken things up a bit. The old way was getting a little stale so I'm happy for the changes. In the Montessori tradition for small children we have five areas of pedagogy: Language, math and science, sensorial, practical life, and arts and music. Each of the five classrooms in the infant/toddler house chose a different area and gave a 10 minute presentation on that subject. I chose math and science. 

I made a lot of playdough and invited the parents to sit around the table and play.

Maria Montessori said that, "Play is the work of the child."

So I talked about how when it may look like your child is playing they are actually learning. Rolling a ball of playdough is physics, mixing red and yellow playdough to make red is chemistry, counting playdough balls is...well...counting. When you introduce natural objects to work with that is earth science and it also encourages a love of nature and care of the environment.

Almost every single parent grabbed some playdough and played!

In all my scripture reading this week I have been seeing the words, "Do not be afraid." They have been a comfort to me as I have had some things weighing heavy on my mind. I am thankful for a God that listens when I pray.

~

I have been home sick yesterday and today. I have a cold that has settled in my chest and throat and just feel kind of lousy. Yesterday it rained in the morning and I stayed in bed knitting and drinking tea. It was very relaxing.

I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow as I have a busy weekend planned with my family.

Friday fave fives

A Fall Walk

I am so thankful for the beautiful September weather!

I am a teacher in a Montessori school and it's been such a great first few weeks of school!

This is a photo of a page from a book we've been reading entitled,  A Fall Walk.

I am looking forward to a great school year!

~

Thankful Thursday

Love is all around

 

Heart shaped rocks are all the rage. There are even books featuring collections of them. I live near the beach so I see quite a few of them. 

I love finding hearts in unexpected places in nature. When I stumble across them I always think of the old song from the Mary Tyler Moore show, Love is All Around."

This one appeared in a maple leaf as I walked down the stairs to the playground at the school where I work.

A gift from the trees.

a crazy afghan

I have been picking up leftover bits and balls of yarn when I see them at the charity/second hand shops. I began making a sort of crazy quilt, afghan while I was camping with my family a few weeks ago. I don't know if I'll ever finish it but it's fun to take up knitting again. I don't have to gauge anything because it will eventually be a crazy quilt with all sorts of colours and shapes sewn together. We'll see how it goes...

~

I was binge-watching the series Sweet Magnolias over the weekend and the last episode was entitled "Do Not be Afraid." Later in the weekend, I was doing some scripture reading and twice that same phrase came up. Do not be afraid.

Now therefore do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones. He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.

Genesis 50:21

What a blessing. I'm so thankful for God's grace and protection.

~

We had a thunderstorm come in on Saturday evening. My sister and cousins, who live in Connecticut were checking in with one another on our group chat. I am in Massachusetts and the storm didn't hit here for another hour or so. There were a few trees down in my surrounding area and lots of heavy rain with thunder and lightening. Sunday it rained heavy and consistent all day. I had planned to go apple picking with my grandchildren but we had to cancel. It had been such a long time since we'd had any significant rainfall that I spent the day enjoying the sound of it falling. 

Another blessing to have a nice drenching rain to nourish the plants and keep the ground wet and safer from wild fires. 

~

My husband was driving to work along the Mass Pike and his tire blew out! He was pulled over on the side of the highway where there wasn't much of a breakdown lane and the other vehicles were whizzing past him at 80 mph! Because he was on the Mass Pike he had to wait for a state trooper and AAA. He called me sounding quite anxious. Fortunately, AAA was able to get the car towed and the tire changed without too much trouble and my husband got to work only about 40 minutes late.  He stopped at a tire store the next day and got a new tire! I'm thankful for a God that answers prayers.

~

I didn't get many pictures this week and I'm late posting. 

Better a little than none at all. 

Friday fave fives

Do not be afraid

 

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"Now therefore do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones."

 He comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Genesis 50:21

Scripture and a snapshot

Sweetheart weather

September has been full of what Charles Dickens referred to as "sweetheart weather."  There has been nothing but blue skies and perfect temperatures! 

Sky watch Friday

Sail away

My sister came to visit me over Labor day weekend. We took a little ride up the coast and stumbled upon the charming Emerson Inn by the sea in Rockport, MA.

We sat on the veranda and ordered a delicious caprice salad with burrata cheese, and watched the sailboats. It was the Schooner festival in neighboring Gloucester, MA.

I'm so thankful that we got a chance to spend this time together. 

Thankful Thursday

What's for dinner?

 

Are you a meal planner? A person who likes to prep meals?

Or are you a wing it together at the last possible minute person?

I am a little of all three. If I'm going to go to the trouble of going to the market I have normally planned out meals for the week. I don't like to waste food. 

If I have a free day over the weekend, I like to prep what I can. It just makes the weeknights so much easier. It also makes it easier to wing it on the nights I just don't feel like eating whatever it is I planned. 

I can grab something fresh and nutritious from the fridge or the larder and call it a night. 

I love to have my fridge organized and clean with all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies at the ready.

On Thursdays I sit at the kitchen table and write out my list for the market.  

On Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons I do my weekly shopping. 

I try to get to the farmer's market over the weekend when it is in season.

Sunday afternoon we had steady rain all day long. It was nice to have a candle burning and a nice soup on the back burner.  I used up what I had on hand to make the soup. Those often turn out to be the best tasting of all the soups I make.

White beans

potatoes

veggie broth

sage (picked from my garden)

carrots

one can of evaporated milk

butter

I made a nice cornbread to go along with it.

delicious!

Busy Mondays

Sweet tea and friends

Sunday morning coming down

t 

By wisdom a house is built;

and by understanding it is established;

by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all pleasant and precious riches.

Proverbs 24:3-4

Scripture and a snapshot

Saturday morning at eight o'clock

Saturday 9: It's So Nice to Be Nice  (to Your Neighbor) – 1947

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here

1). In this song, Monica Lewis encourages to greet our neighbors with a smile and a hello. Tell us about one of your neighbors.

The house next door is about 300 years old. It was once a bakery and has lots of brick and old wood inside. It was for sale when I first moved into my house and the family that bought it are European. It is quite a unique home in that the rooms are small as they were way back then. It's beautiful inside but it wouldn't work for a typical American family as there isn't a big family room or a place to hang a super large TV on the wall. This family is lovely though and it has been a joy to watch their sons grow and go off to university.

2). She reminds us that it's nice to be nice. Who has recently shown you kindness?

My sister was visiting over Labor day weekend and we went to a charming inn. We ordered a salad and some mocktails and sat outside on the veranda to eat and watch the ocean. When our bill came it didn't include the mocktails and when we brought it to the attention of our server he said, "the drinks are on the house." It was a little unexpected kindness.

3). Monica Lewis was born in Chicago where her mother performed with the Chicago Opera Company. Have you ever been to the opera?

No I have not. I have to admit that it's not really my thing though I think I would enjoy being in one of the old theatres where they might perform an opera. 

4). Her family moved to New York where she attended college by day and worked at a radio station WMCA in the evenings to help support her family. Which do you listen to more: the radio or podcasts?

I never listen to the radio. I used to when I was younger but not anymore. I rarely listen to podcasts but sometimes I put one on when I'm driving back and forth to work. 

5). In the 1940s she appeared all around New York - in nightclubs, on broadway, and on radio shows. It was then that she got her best known and longest running role - the voice of Chiquita Banana. For decades she was heard singing, "I'm Chiquita Banana and I'm here to say..." Do you have any bananas in your kitchen now?

Yes. I have a small bunch with 2 or 3 left...I see banana bread in my future.

6). Around 1950 she moved to Hollywood. She had recently divorced and wanted a fresh start. There she dated an actor who was also newly divorced: Ronald Reagan. Obviously she never had to ask, "Whatever become of him?" Who is the last former romance, classmate or co-worker that you looked up on the internet?

My husband and I have known each other since we were 11 years old. We both went our own ways after high school and then re-met, through the internet, when we were in our late 40s. We have been together now for almost 15 years!

7). In 1947 when this song was popular, actor Ted Danson was born. He's best known for his role as Sam Malone, the bartender at Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Is there a bar or restaurant where you are recognized on sight?

Yes. I am known in a bar/restaurant in my town. The bartender is my neighbor and my husband and I grew up with the family who owns it. 

Also, the place that Cheers was modeled after, and I believe sometimes filmed at, was in a hotel in Boston and I was married there. It was called the Bull and Finch pub and was in the Parker House hotel.

8). The 1947 Studebaker champion was one of the first cars to have an adjustable driver's seat designed to accommodate motorists of varying heights. When you're driving someone else's car do you usually adjust the seat?

Oh yes! I am just 5'1" so I definitely have to adjust the seat! If the person is quite tall I can't even reach the pedals!

9). Random question: When someone takes advantage of you are you angrier at them for doing it, or at yourself for letting it happen?

I don't really get angry at those kinds of things anymore. I just try to learn my lesson, let it go, and move one. I will say that I am in my "more experienced" years now so I'm pretty hip to most scams.

 Saturday 9

Stolen, stolen be your apples

 

I went to my daughter's house before work to watch my grandchildren get on the school bus on their first day of school! Verne's in 3rd grade, Abby in 1st, and little Natalie is in 3 day preschool this year. It's amazing how quickly they grow!

My sister came to visit over Labor day weekend and we took a drive up to Rockport, MA. We stumbled across the Emerson Inn and it was so charming and pretty. It was right on the water and we sat on the veranda and ate some lunch while watching the sailboats on the horizon. The weather was absolutely spectacular. 

Last week was prep week at the school where I work and we worked hard to clean up the classroom and get everything ready for a new school year. The children were so happy to see one another when they came back to school!

September has not disappointed in the way of weather that's for sure! Every single day has been sweetheart weather around here.

My daughter has a bunch of old apple trees in her yard. They aren't always the best for eating because the trees are rather old but they are delicious in a pie!

Stolen sweets are always sweeter

stolen kisses much completer

Stolen looks are nice in chapels

Stolen, stolen, be your apples.

-Leigh Hunt

Friday fave fives

Peace

 

Finally, brothers whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 3:8-9

Scripture and a snapshot