Mountain Musings

Spring Break ~ Goats, Music, & Fellowship ~ Part 2

Spring Break week continued as we eagerly waited for the rest of the family to arrive in South Carolina on Good Friday. We were all scheduled to attend the late afternoon performance of The Living Gallery at Bob Jones University. Driving on campus is always a treat when the trees and flowers are in bloom. It was just lovely:
This was our first time to see this magnificent production where actors step out of paintings and then back into them (and vice-versa) to actually become part of the painting. If you didn't see it happen, you'd never know the characters were real. We loved it!

And my motto of always taking a camera with me everywhere I go? Fail! I left it behind because no photography was allowed inside the auditorium.

And what happens?! I met my blogging friend Becka, who writes Becka's Blog, for the first time InRealLife! She and her husband, Rob, were attending the same showing, and she had spotted us in the crowd and came over. Ooh, I was so disappointed when our cell phone camera didn't work! Becka and I will have to plan a real get-together another time with lots of blogging pictures!

Saturday and Sunday we traveled further south to Aiken to visit new friends that some of the family met at last fall's White Unto Harvest conference in Asheville, NC. Here we are getting acquainted with the Hammond family:First order of business was a tour of their dairy--so very interesting for all of us who know nothing about goats! We saw the milking station and the processing area where the milk is handled and where cheese and goat's milk soap are produced for several Farmers' Markets they attend each week:Thirteen goats were ready to be milked...most by machine, but some new mama goats needed milking by hand since little goat babies were newly born that morning! We arrived very close to milking time, so guess what? They allowed us to participate. Hi, Goats!And, yes, all of us practiced milking! Even I was talked into it! But Sarah was a natural and caught on quickly: The fresh milk from the mama goats was put into bottles for the babies...here are Hannah and Sarah holding some very cute little baby goats just before they fed them:  The Hammonds' daughter and son-in-law from Canada were visiting with their little daughter while we were there. It was great meeting them, too. Caleb talked with Jonathan while one of the kids had some fun nibbling on Jonathan's pants: Here are all the Hammond ladies, including little Miss Victoria:Jonathan takes a turn at feeding one of the newborns. This one was named Frisky: Now Hannah takes a turn feeding Peaches...there were enough newborn babies so everyone got some practice: Sarah always seems to find the doggies...or they find her:After a delicious meal around the table, we brought out instruments and played some Celtic tunes and sang a few hymns: Here's the Hammond family having fun as they prepare to sing for us: We also had an enjoyable time looking at wedding photos and watching the wedding video of Caleb and Jordan. Ethan, one of the Hammonds' sons looks along with Tom and Sarah: The next morning, Resurrection Sunday, we attended the Hammonds' home church fellowship which consisted of six or seven families. They met in a beautiful log house nearby.

Here Tom and I are posing with the Hammonds after the service...Mr. Hammond is the pastor of the church:We enjoyed the Easter brunch the ladies of the church prepared and also enjoyed fellowshipping with the families there:This home church day brought back many good memories of when church families met in our home for several years:
Flowers were blooming everywhere, and the day was just beautiful for outside conversations also. The Hammonds' youngest son, Noah, plays on the deck with the other children:Thank you, Hammond Family, for your gracious hospitality and friendship! We certainly enjoyed the visit!

~Deb

Sunday Hymn ~ My Jesus, I Love Thee

My Jesus, I Love Thee

William Featherston, 1864. Music: Adoniram Gordon, 1876

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

~~~

Whenever we sing this song, as we recently did in one of our Friday night devotional hymn times, I get a bit teary-eyed with memories of where I was singing this very song many years ago.

Back in 1977 when I was but a wee girl of 25, I traveled with a friend to Israel and visited the Holy Land. That is a story in itself, and I loved the trip!

After our ten-day tour of Jerusalem and surrounding cities, we were encouraged to go on the extended two-day tour of Rome and see, among many other places, Mamertine Prison where Paul was secluded.

In lieu of my own faded pictures, if you click on this link, you will see 9 photos showing Mamertine Prison from the outside (pictures 1 - 4), steps going down inside the underground prison (picture 5); and then you'll see a group of folks standing there in the small room where Paul was imprisoned (pictures 7 - 9). I traveled down those same narrow steep steps.

I stood in that dark, damp, dungeon.

I sang with the group, "If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now."

Long-ago memories.

~Deb

A Valentine's Evening Hymn Sing

Every Friday evening after our dinner meal we pick up the hymn books and sing around the table for our family devotions that night, each of us picking one hymn that's our favorite.

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day, we decided to switch things around a bit and sing last night instead because we wanted to call Granny in South Carolina and sing to her. When she's here with us, she always enjoys the singing on Friday nights.

Here's the family gathered ready to sing into the phone...the timing worked out that we called and sang one song to her just before we sat down to eat Sarah's delicious meal...you can see the herb-roasted chicken just waiting for us!I had talked to my sister earlier and told her what time we would call and to have her camera ready to capture Granny on that end listening to us sing.

I think Granny was surprised! We picked And Can It Be That I Should Gain as our hymn since that speaks of God's amazing love. How perfect for Valentine's Day!After the singing, Granny wanted to talk...but we told her we had called her before dinner this time, and we had some of Sarah's cooking to sample...not to mention the cake...oh, the cake!

After quite the delicious dinner, we stayed around the table and continued the rest of the singing: All in all, a very enjoyable Valentine's Day!

~ Deb...the one who can't carry a tune in a bucket and gladly takes the photos of others singing!

An Evening of Hymns & Music

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing." ~ Psalm 100:1-2

One Sunday evening recently we invited our friends from Heartland Harvest over for a meal and an evening of singing...such a grand time! Seeing as they've had us in their home on several occasions, it was about time we had them over!

Here's a picture of the whole family taken at the end of the evening just before they signed the guest book and left for home:

And here are some pictures of us all making a joyful noise unto the Lord:

We "gathered together" around the fireplace for many familiar hymns:

They can strum, too!

Mandolins, guitars, harmonica, bass, and violin all joined in:

Then all the siblings sang one last song for us, harmonizing together on The Lord's Prayer:

We even captured it on video:

 

 What a wonderful evening! I wish you could have joined us!

~Deb

Whistle While You Work

Yesterday was such a beautiful day here! Sunny, breezy, and in the mid 60s - not your typical January weather in Virginia. I took advantage of it, opened the windows to get some fresh air, and scrubbed the kitchen floor. Naturally, I also put on a CD to sing and whistle along with to make the work go faster. :)

It just so happens that I have gotten into a tradition of always playing a John Marshall Family CD while I scrub. I'd Do It All Again, Just For A Moment, and Peace are the three that we have.

I have gotten attached to the Mulfinger CDs when we're taking down all the Christmas decorations and cleaning up from the holidays, and Adagio Trio CDs when we're getting ready for company. Now when I hear that music, it instantly brings those occasions to mind. :)

Does anyone else have favorite music to work to?

~Sarah

An Evening of Blessing

This past weekend our family traveled to Prince George, Virginia, to attend the most delightful occasion and one which I'd never heard of celebrating.

Our friends' oldest daughter had just turned 13, and they wanted to honor and bless her as she left childhood behind and entered womanhood. A special ceremony--a Blessing--was held, and it was indeed a blessing to all who were there!

We arrived and enjoyed talking with our friends and the other families attending. Here we are conversing and meeting their newest addition.

Here's the guest of honor below (second from left) with three of her four sisters and their friends:

The evening began, and seven families were welcomed who had come to honor the birthday girl. We started with singing Blest Be the Tie That Binds with Tom on guitar, and we also sang Be Thou My Vision accompanied by piano.

Each of the dads had been asked to prepare some encouraging words of wisdom to present before the group. Here's one of the dads encouraging us all:

After the talks, scriptures, and encouragements from friends were shared, our friend called his daughter forward and told her that he was praying for her as she entered this new stage of life and that he was willing to lay down his life for her if need be.

This is my favorite photo of the evening because it shows a young daughter totally trusting her father to look out for her and to advise her in the coming years.

He encouraged her especially to look first to the Lord and then to her parents for counsel and prayer when temptations and hard times come. What a privilege it was to witness the signing of the covenant between a dad and his daughter and then watching as she was presented with a ring to seal the covenant:

After the ceremony we enjoyed a delicious meal and conversing around the table. You can also catch a glimpse of the "growing-up-years" collage on the wall in the background that was made for the occasion. Uh-oh...a little brother snitches some birthday cake icing!

And just before we left for home, we had a picture taken of all of us with the guest of honor. What a wonderful evening and one which we'll recommend for other families with sons and daughters approaching the teen years.

Have you ever attended a Blessing?

~Deb

Sunday Hymn

If the only way you could witness to someone was by singing a song, which song would you pick?

That's the question Jonathan posed to everyone at the supper table on Friday evening. We were gathered round having our family devotions before celebrating Jonathan's 26th birthday later that evening.

Granny immediately answered Jonathan's question with Amazing Grace as her song choice.

Jonathan said he'd pick And Can It Be That I Should Gain (click on Midi link for tune). And since it was his birthday after all...that's the song we selected. After pondering the words, I think it's a good choice for someone to hear of God's amazing love, don't you?

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

How would you answer Jonathan's question? Which song would you pick? All answers awarded a piece of Jonathan's birthday Turtle Cake. Hurry...only a few pieces left! :)

~ Deb

Dunlap's Creek

Here's a new hymn we're learning taken from the 1854 Southern Harmony hymn collection.  The tune name is called Dunlap's Creek and is named after Dunlap's Creek Presbyterian Church which is near where the tune originated.

 

My God, my portion and my love, my everlasting all,

I've none but Thee in heaven above, or on this earthly ball.

 

What empty things are all the skies, and this inferior clod!

There's nothing here deserves my joys, there's nothing like my God.

 

In vain the bright, the burning sun scatters his feeble light;

'Tis thy sweet beams create my noon; if Thou withdraw 'tis night.

 

And whilst upon my restless bed, amongst the shades I roll,

If my Redeemer shows his head, 'Tis morning with my soul.

(Credit: Image of Dunlap's Creek Presbyterian Church from The Little List. Net)

-Jonathan

A Musical Weekend

Our family enjoyed quite the musical weekend:

Saturday a few of us attended the dress rehearsal for the Shenandoah Christian Music Camp's Choral Festival, which was the evening before their real concert. Our friend, Sarah, had told us about the event, since one of her brothers was participating in the choir at the conclusion to a week of camp.

Several different combinations of students sang, including a children's choir. Even the youngest ones did so well with their selections!

The choirs presented various psalms, hymns, and spirituals, including a brilliant version of Were You There that was woven with scriptures mentioning "trembling."

The evening concluded with members singing their way down the aisles to the stage for some final numbers as an entire group.

 

Sunday afternoon our whole family was treated by Dad to a concert as part of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. It was Granny's first time at such a concert, and she was pleasantly surprised.

We heard concertos by Bach, Mozart, and Haydn, as well as some solo piano preludes by Chopin and Rachmaninov.

I'm not sure how the cellist played her challenging pieces all by memory!

We had an enjoyable time as a family on these special musical outings.

~Hannah

A Backward Glance at 2010

Happy New Year, Everyone!

We're celebrating not only the beginning of a new year but the beginning of our 7th year of blogging!

Oh, my, it is hard to believe that we received Typepad as a Christmas gift back in 2004, and after 1,550 posts we're still at it! We're thankful to have made so many new friends in the process. Thanks for reading and commenting and being one of those friends!

We're taking a look back at 2010 in photos and thanking the Lord for the blessings He's given us throughout this past year:

January, 2010 ~ The Blessing of Friendship

Last January I met my friend, Dorothy, at Wintergreen Ski Resort (blogged about here), and Tom and I met our friends Fred and Chris in Richmond for a lunch date at Ukrops. We also met as couples again in September (blogged about here). I'm thanking the Lord for special friendships!

February, 2010 ~ Delivering a Cake

Sarah, our diligent dessert maker, takes cake orders by word-of-mouth advertising, and if Dad needs a cake for any of his work functions, he knows who to ask(blogged about here).

March, 2010 ~ Making Melody

March ended up being the month for music. Hannah and Sarah practiced for the upcoming Hymn Sing in northern Virginia.

April, 2010 ~ New Garden Fence

Jonathan and Erich worked hard to get the posts in for the new fence (blogged about here). And (below)Tom and Hannah unload all the pickets. I love new fences! This spring we'll be painting it white.

May, 2010 ~ Geo-Caching

This is a local waterfall that we never would have known about until we followed the geo-cache coordinates and clues. What a beautiful spot at the end of a hike!

 ~ Photography Boot Camp

Tom, Hannah, and I traveled to Fairfax Station to participate in a photography boot camp. It was an excellent time of learning (blogged about here). 

Also in May we spent a week at my sister's in South Carolina. See days 137-142 in Hannah's photo album.

June, 2010 ~ Our Friends Moved Away

Our church friends moved back to Chicago, and we still miss them.

June will definitely be remembered for the hospital trip and major surgery; I spent the summer recuperating, and I'm thankful the Lord brought me through that rough time.

July, 2010 ~ Celebrating a Birthday!

I love birthdays, and this family really spoils me! Fun!

August, 2010 ~ Opening the 30th Anniversary Quilt

What a surprise this was (blogged about here)!

~ Anniversary Trip to Canada 
August was all about our 30th anniversary! Here's the link to the post that sums it all up with links to each day's adventures in case you missed them.

September, 2010 ~ Baskets Everywhere!

The month of September: baskets! Here's the link to Granny's series of guest posts.

October, 2010 ~ Travels from North to South!

~ Family trip to Connecticut to see Tom's side of the family

Jonathan and his cousin fished from the backyard dock at Tom's sister's home in Niantic while Grampa and Hannah watched. We enjoyed visiting the Connecticut relatives before heading north to Saratoga and on to Niagara Falls.

~ Niagara Falls, New York

This was our first time at Niagara Falls--what a powerful force in God's creation! Jonathan posted another picture of the Falls on his blog here.

~ Satellite Beach, Florida

We returned from Niagara on a Friday afternoon...the very next morning Granny, Hannah, and I left for Florida! What a whirlwind of travel! But so very fun! Here's a link to all the posts on our Florida trip in case you missed them.

November, 2010 ~ Jonathan turns 25!

Sarah prepared one of Jonathan's favorites ~ Turtle Cake.

November will also be remembered for soap making classes and visiting friends at Thanksgiving.

December, 2010 ~ Baking Cookies

Baking gingerbread cookies for Christmas...this was before the oven malfunction which means the oven broiled instead of baking the cookies!

~ Uh, Oh...

Why do bad things happen to good gingerbread men??  We're waiting for the repairman to show up--hopefully this week to fix the problem.

~~~~~            ~~~~~            ~~~~~            ~~~~~           ~~~~~

Well, that's been our 2010...and we didn't even mention quilting and gardening and all the other things that make up our lives here at Mountain Musings. But if you stick around in 2011, I'm sure we'll be off on more adventures with plenty of pictures to share!

We hope your 2011 is a good one!

~Deb