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!

 

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!

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.

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)

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