Friday, September 25, 2015

The Fall and The Glory



"Send forth, O God, Thy light and truth,
And let them lead me still,
Undaunted, in the paths of right,
Up to Thy holy hill...


Autumn Run
Terry Redlin



...Then to Thy altar will I spring,
And in my God rejoice;
And praise shall tune the trembling string,
And gratitude my voice.

O why, my soul, art thou cast down?
Within me why distressed?
Thy hopes the God of grace shall crown;
He yet shall make thee blessed.
To Him, my never failing Friend,
I bow, and kiss the rod;
To Him shall thanks and praise ascend,
My Savior and my God.
John Quincy Adams
(1841)
Sixth President of the
United States of America 



"When to the sessions
of sweet silent thought,
I summon up remembrance
of things past..."
William Shakespeare



 Autumn in the Country
Fred Swan







“I am beginning to learn
 that it is the sweet, simple things of life
 which are the real ones after all.” 
Laura Ingalls Wilder 



Pick of the Patch
John Sloane






" Now thank we all our God,
 with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
 in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms
 has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, 
and still is ours today."
Martin Rinkart 
(1636)




Donald Zoltan



"Praise and joy in the fall,
 My heart rejoices at it all!



 

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Autumn Leaves





"There is a season,
 a time appointed for everything...








  ...and a time for every delight 
and event or purpose under heaven."
 Ecclesiastes 3:1 






“I would rather sit on a pumpkin
, and have it all to myself,
 than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” 
-Henry David Thoreau










"The goldenrod is yellow
The corn is turning brown
The trees in apple orchards
With fruits are bending down."
-Helen Hunt Jackson











The Harvest Moon
on September 27th, will be
the fourth in a series of
"Blood Moons"
or a total lunar eclipse
which will give the
moon a red appearance.





Red Moon Rising
Will Moses






Autumn is a great time
for long hikes through the woods...








"Glorious are the woods
in their latest gold and crimson,
Yet our full-leaved willows are
in the freshest green.
Such a kindly autumn,
so mercifully dealing
With the growths of summer,
I never yet have seen."
-William C. Bryant





Bright blue skies,
Brilliant sunshine,
With lots of cooler days
for baking cookies!







 Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
are my favorite!








 Enjoy!




Vintage Peter Pumpkin Eater
Cookie Jar






 "Oh give thanks to the LORD,
 for He is good,
 for His steadfast love
 endures forever!"
Psalm 107:1







Don't forget the milk!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Raggedy Ann Centennial 1915-2015





Guess who turns
100 years old this year?




She's one of my
all time favorite dolls!







In the beginning 
of the 20th century,
a very special rag doll
began to captivate the
hearts and imaginations
of both children and
children at heart
across war-weary 
America.

As the story goes, 
a man named 
Johnny Gruelle,
created her
after finding a 
faceless rag doll 
in his mother's attic.



Author/Illustrator
Johnny Gruelle 
1880-1938



 Mr. Gruelle painted the
doll's face and later found
 a unique name for her
 by combining two of
James Whitcomb Riley's 
 popular poems,
"Little Orphant Annie" and 
"The Raggedy Man".


 Thus "Raggedy Ann" 
 the sweet iconic doll
of American childhood
was born.
She soon became
 the favorite playmate of
 Mr. Gruelle's daughter,
Marcella.



Other familiar and
 delightful characters
 of the rag doll series are
Raggedy Andy,
Raggedy Ann's
"long lost brother"
and Beloved Belindy,
a black doll created
by the mother of
Johnny Gruelle
in 1918. 
Both were later
reproduced by 
the Volland Company
in the 1920's.











Beloved Belindy








And who could ever forget...






The Camel With The
Wrinkled Knees
Made By Knickerbocker
(1976)








Marcella And Her Dolls
By Johnny Gruelle




Marcella Delight Gruelle
 1902-1915
 was the first born child
and daughter of 
Johnny and Myrtle Gruelle.
She became ill after being incorrectly
inoculated with a vaccine for smallpox.
After being confined to bed for
many months, Marcella caught
an infection and died.
She was just thirteen years old.


After her untimely
and tragic death,
Mr. Gruelle
re-wrote the 
amusing tales
of Raggedy Ann
he use to tell Marcella,
and to honor her memory
decided to include her
 in the stories.








The first stories of
Marcella and Raggedy Ann
were published by the
P.F. Volland Company
in 1918.





Raggedy Ann and Andy
Over The Years...





Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls
The Volland Company
1920's





Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls
 Georgene Novelties
(1938-1963)







Precious Moments Marcella
and Raggedy Ann





The Danbury Mint's
Valentine Sweethearts
 Raggedy Ann and Andy






Mattel's Kelly and Tommy as
Raggedy Ann and Andy








 Porcelain Raggedy Ann Doll
Brass Key Company










Aurora's Limited Edition
100 Year Anniversary Raggedy Ann and Andy






"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep:

Dear Jesus guard me through the night
And wake me with the morning light."

Amen.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The Liberty Tree





It's a tall old tree and a strong old tree
And we are the Sons, yes, we are the Sons,
the Sons of Liberty!

Plant the seed in our homeland boys,
Let it grow where all can see.
Feed it with our devotion, boys.
Call it the Liberty Tree.



Flag of the Sons of Liberty



Save it from the storm, boys.
Water down it's roots with tea;
And the sun will always shine 
On the old Liberty Tree!

March along with the piper, boys.
We were born forever free.
We will pay the piper, boys
Beneath the Liberty Tree!

Pay the price they're asking, boys,
Always pay the tyrant's fee.
Never give up the struggle, boys,
Fight for the Liberty Tree!

Stand for the rights of man, boys.
Stand against all tyranny.
Hang the light of freedom, boys,
High on the Liberty Tree!

It will grow as we grow, boys.
It will be as strong as we.
We must cling to our faith, boys,
Faith in the Liberty Tree!

It's a tall old tree and a strong old tree,
And we are the Sons, yes, we are the Sons,
the Sons of Liberty!




The Original Liberty Tree
Boston, Massachusetts



 "The Sons of Liberty" Song
Tom Blackburn and George Bruns
(1956)
Featured in the Walt Disney film,
"Johnny Tremain"
(1957)



Sunday, September 13, 2015

The Covenant Of Marriage

"He is now to be among you
 at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this Troubadour

 is acting on His part
The union of your spirits here

 has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you

 are gathered in His name
There is love
There is love..."




The Wedding Song
Paul Stookey
(1971)




The right of Christians in regards to their belief in marriage as a
 holy union between one man and one woman in a covenant relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ is protected under the First Amendment
  of the United States Constitution.


Recommended Reading...










“God first appeared
 on the scene of human history
 in the role of a matchmaker.
 What a profound and exciting revelation!"
-Derek Prince



Adam and Eve
Marc Chagall




"Is it too much to suggest
 that Eve came to Adam
 on the arm of the Lord Himself 
in the same way that a bride today 
walks down the aisle
 of the church on her father’s arm?
 What human mind can fathom
 the depth of love and joy
 that filled the heart
 of the great Creator
 as He united the man and woman 
in this first marriage ceremony?

Surely this account is
 one among countless indications 
that the Bible is not a work
 of merely human authorship.
 Moses is generally accepted
 as the author of the creation record.

 But apart from supernatural inspiration, 
he would never have dared
 to open human history with a scene
 of such amazing intimacy...
first between God and man,
 and then between man and woman.”
-Derek Prince
"God Is A Matchmaker"



"For this reason,
a man shall leave 
his father and mother
and the two shall become
one flesh."
Genesis 2:24




"However, let each man
without exception,
love his wife as
his very own self;
and let the wife see
that she respects and
reverences her husband."
Ephesians 5:33