April Chronicles

No idea why this was stuck in my drafts. Posting anyway because these are memories of the last full month I had with my grandkids before they moved . 

What Really Matters

The Rich Young Ruler

 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
(Matthew 19:16-30 ESV)

One of the great saints in the family of God was called home to receive her reward last week.

Deborah Hawes Godwin McAnulty lived everyday loving Jesus, loving her family and loving her friends. If you met her, she loved you. If you were related to someone she met, she loved you And she made sure you knew it. Her love for Jesus, for what He had done for her, filled her up with so much joy that it spilled out in a continous flow to everyone.  She knew that knowing Jesus and sharing His gift of eternal life, grace and peace was the only thing that really mattered.  Debbie lived the Gospel out loud. The Lord gave her many opportunities to share His Love all around the world. He gifted her with a very special way to encourage and comfort, always pointing back to the One who suffered the wrath of God in our place.  She leaves an inspiring legacy. Post after post on her Facebook page shows how far and wide her impact for the Kingdom on God reaches.

Although this world is a little less bright as we who remain adjust to her departure, I know without a doubt she is Home where she belongs. Receiving her crown of glory, casting it at the feet of Jesus; hearing the words all the saints long to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant.....you have fought the good fight. You have finished the race...."  I know Debbie is safe in the arms of Jesus, praising and worshipping Him face to face, resting in His perfect peace.

As radiant as her smile was here on earth, I can just imagine how glorious it is now that her faith has become her sight?

Where I'll Be Until Further Notice

Its that time of year again!

Family Beach Trip!

Everything's better at the beach, OIB that is!

This year 17 people in one 5 bedroom house, 1 dog, lots of laughter, lots of love, lots of food and lots of good memories await!!

Homemaking is like Washing Feet

In Preschool this week, wejust read in the Jesus Storybook Bible, the story of The Servant King. It tells of how only the lowliest servant would wash the "stinky feet" of others. Yet, Jesus in His last earthly act of service before his death stoops low to wash the "stinky feet" of the familly of God. 

In this encouraging two-part article,the author likens the simple, ordinary and oft-times hard work of homemaking to washing the feet of our own family. Part two, paints the homemaker as anything but boring and dull.   Read for yourself and I pray you'll be encouraged to give the best of yourself to your family!

• Why Would I Want to Be a Homemaker? Part 1
• Why Would I Want to be a Homemaker: Part 2

Who has time to work? I'm going to start my grain-free Zucchini Lasagna!

While the Cat's Away

The mice must eat!

Going here with some good friends. Haven't been away from home for four days since.....I can't remember when! Looking forward to a grand time!

Just so my precious family won't miss me too much (and to appease my own guilt for being gone so long!) I prepared their favorite dishes to keep the happy for a little while.



"Maw Maw's Chicken and Rice"



"Paw Paw's Beef Vegetable Soup"



All-Time Fav: "Tater Tot Casserole"

These Are Days To Remember....

I love Snow Days!! Something about being snowed in with the ones I love, just turns me into Susie Homemaker.

• Sat hypnotized by the falling snow and the hungry birds at my backyard feeder for way too long.
• Homemade Sweet Potato Soup for lunch
• Homemade Bone Broth of which I used some in our Homemade Chicken ~n~ Dumplins for dinner

• Read a bit of Nourishing Traditions today
• One load of laundry (resigned to the fact that its never DONE!)
• Made snow angels with Tommy
• Washed a lot of dishes by hand b/c dishwasher was already full
• Nursing some sick babies back to health with homemade cough syrup and hot teas and the infamous "La Mi Nonna Sansone Minestra Di Pollo," My Grandomother Sansone's Chicken Soup 
  (Homemade, of course!)
• Spent too much time on facebook
• Watching movies with the fam
• AND I got lessons planned for the next month!

Looks like another snow day tomorrow! More precious time to spend with my family! Feels like a baking day. And, maybe I'll finish that laundry? NOT!

In Memory of My Grammy

My namesake, Marjorie "Merle" Stott Flynn would be celebrating her 95th birthday today.

Christmas 2010

My Comes from the Lord!



Family, Food, Fun, Fabulous!

Christmas Past

I've been in a nostaglic mood this Christmas. Spent the better part of the day sifting and sorting through a lifetime of pictures. Good times, good memories, good people. The Lord has been good to me.

Good Advice

We're having Thanksgiving at my house this year. Wayne's grandmother and a childhood friend of mine and her family are coming.

Now, I absolutely LOVE having people over! But, I confess, I  we (Wayne is not afraid to brandish a mop!) often scour my house top to bottom each time making it feel more like a museum than a home.

Plus, Wayne's grandmother is a wonderful housekeeper and I fall very short of her standard! (Or that's how I feel!) And my friend, who lives in Tennessee, has never been to my home, so naturally I want my house to look fabulous!!!

For days now, I've been looking around my house and stressing thinking and making mental checklists of everything I want to get done. While I do try to keep the house clean each day (operative word: TRY), I still think: "I'll never get this house looking right!!"

Oh, the pressure!!!!

But after reading this article, I think I'll just let that go. Having people I love in my home is more important than showing off what a great housekeeper I am (or not!).
How To Quickly Get Your Home Ready For Guests Keeper of the Home

Hope you'll enjoy the company and the time with your loved ones this Thanksgiving. Time is a gift. Spend it well. 

The Baby Conference {Audio Giveaway!} | Raising Homemakers

I love giveaways. This is a good one!!

Birth, biomedical ethics, doing laundry with a large family, ending
abortion in America, the blessing of life, the hopeful theology of miscarriage,
adoption, naming babies, home schedules . . .

The above subjects - and MORE - were discussed at The Baby Conference!

Although we were unable to attend The Baby Conference, put on by Vision
Forum this past July, we were able to listen to the recorded audio from the
conference.

There is approximately 36 hours of audio (including panels,
discussions, and interviews!) from the conference. A sampling of just a few of
the titles:...."

Keep reading and enter in the giveaway at The Baby Conference {Audio Giveaway!} Raising Homemakers:

Weave Truth or Fail as a Parent |

Weave Truth or Fail as a Parent :

"In What Is a Family, Edith Schaeffer writes:
“The primary place for the flag of truth to be handed on is in the family. The truth was meant to be given from generation to generation….

Explaining the things of the Bible, of God’s love, and of future prophecy is not meant to be something separated into a cubby-hole of “religious instruction” or “family prayer.”

As children grow older there is to be a flowing unity in talking about history, present world news, science, which has its seeds in the beginning days of the first understanding of sentences, the first questions.

Children’s questions must be taken seriously at the ages of two and three, or they won’t be continuing to ask you at twelve and twenty-three. The importance of being given answers and being treated as a significant human being begins as soon as answers are asked for…."

Please keep reading at Generation Cedar.

Duggar kids, free indeed - Jill Stanek

I may have said this before, nevertheless, I love the Duggars!

Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

Duggar kids, free indeed - Jill Stanek: "As we spoke to the 3 of them, one word kept jumping out at me: Freedom. These girls were experiencing freedom teenagers rarely taste. Completely free to be themselves. The exact opposite of the words so often used by media folk to describe the 19 kids."
Click here to continue reading.

A Mother’s Life: The Profoundest of Classroms

From LAF/Beautiful Womanhood:

"So mothers, does your job feel menial–the scrubbing of toilets, the wiping of noses, the changing of diapers? If you will only perform these tasks with humility, tenderness and contentment, your life has become the profoundest of classrooms, and your children will become the wisest of students."

Slugs and Bugs Tour Promo

    
FREE Family Fun
August 20, 2010 at 6:30 PM
Living Faith Baptist Church
8600 Hood Road
Charlotte, NC 28215

"Slugs and Bugs Live is appx. 1 hour, with live music, animated video and background musical tracks that extend through all the songs. The concert is geared toward boys and girls age 10 and under, but we won't kick the older kids out - they love it too! There are fun interactive moments, and also teaching moments during the program. Some of the material is ridiculously silly, and some of it is deeply meaningful and gospel centered. Slugs and Bugs Live is a super great time, and Randall leaves the kids (and maybe the parents!) with a deepening awareness of the presence of Jesus in their lives.

Randall Goodgame is a critically acclaimed American singer/songwriter, some-time worship pastor and lover of silliness. He has released 6 solo recordings, and has written many songs for other artists, including 17 songs for the award winning band Caedmon's Call. Randall has written several songs for Veggie Tales (with Andrew Peterson), and he spent 4 years as the worship pastor of Midtown Fellowship in downtown Nashville. Randall and his family of 5 live in Nashville, TN."

Bryce Daniel

Grab a hankie and watch this ENTIRE video... Oh, and turn off the Music player below before watching.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

Psalm 118:8-9

HT: LAF/Beautiful Womanhood

I Love My Job!

This is not something I could have said at the beginning of my marriage, I did not understand at 19 what it meant to be a wife nor mother. But over the last 20 years, the Lord has had lots of patience with training me.  So much so that, although I still have a long way to go, I am happy to say,

I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!

The post below is from one of my new favorite bloggers. Hope you enjoy!

Home is More Than Dirty Laundry Raising Homemakers:

"Willing submission to my calling and to my husband is not hard because it
is nothing more than submission to my Savior.
And his heart beat while on
earth leaves us with the answer to life:
'Let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless,...' Continue reading here

Still Slowing Down

Wendell Berry Discusses Life

Been contemplating slow living for a while now, the agrarian life in particular at the moment. Almost a time gone by but for the few who persevere to bring the bounty of the earth to our local markets.  This weekend I spent lots of time with some of the best people I know, helping shuck and freeze countless ears of corn to put up for winter. 

Been learning more about making my own household products this year. Good results on every account.

What would the home look like if we did more of this? If we lived a slower life, a more agarian life. How would we spend our time? I think it would be very different.

The older I get the more I love being a wife and mother, a job of the highest improtance. Feminism would say otherwise. Kudos to Piper for his answer to the question, "Is it OK for Moms to Work Outside of the Home?"

Wendell Berry was introduced to me by way of Hannah Coulter, by my sweet friend, Bonnie. I hope she enjoys this video of this author with whom she corresponds!  Right around minute 19, Bonnie, Wendell speaks about a topic we've been contemplating this year.

Fathers

In Loving Memory of My Dad, Thomas Peter Sansone...

(Turn off the Music Playlist below to view the videos)

In Honor of My Loving Husband and Father of our Three Children...

Ordinary Day, Extraordinary

 Just an ordinary day. A trip to the doctor with my Grandmother-in Love. Procedure postponed, new procedures, different ones, scheduled. Waiting, waiting.

Then, too early for lunch, an extraordinary visit to  First Presbyterian's Memorial Gardens in Concord. to sneak a peak at the promise of Spring.

Hyacinths, Daffodils, Pansies, Johnny Jump-Ups, Grape Hyacinth sprouts, Star Magnolias, huge Pink Perfections, many buds waiting to burst at just the right moment!!   Tulips nor Azaeleas not blooming, but sprouts and buds EVERYWHERE!

"Just wait a little longer," they speak. This demands another visit.

All hearlding the end of a long, cold, wet winter and the coming of new life, new hopes, new plans....everything new!

Everything has a name; but I have much to learn.   So many I don't know.  Just like meeting new friends, remembering their names is a sign of respect. I will research! Lots of new friends to meet!

Against the gray backdrop of the day, the colors were stunning: Pinks, Yellows, Purples, Oranges:  Candy for the eyes, perfume for the nose!!  Refreshement for the spirit.

Ambling along the historic streets, we wandered into a coffee shop that boasts the self-proclaimed "Best Coffee in Town." I won't disagree. And great paninni's too!!

An ordinary day, became extraordinary. Precious TIME spent with a great story-teller/conversationalist, enjoying each others company and God's beautiful creation!