Mountain Musings

Treasure Tuesday

This Guest Book is almost full with lots of pictures and notes written by all the folks who have visited us here in the Valley since we moved into our new home in 2002.

I am famous for dragging out my camera before guests leave and asking them if I can take their picture so we can remember their first visit with us and also asking them to write a few words on a page in the Guest Book. When I get the pictures developed, I'll place one on the page with their writing, and I'll mail them a second print so they can remember their visit as well.

It is so much fun to thumb back through the pages to see who came to eat with us and when, view a picture of them, and read the encouraging words they wrote on "their page" before leaving. It is done in scrapbook style, meaning I've added lots of stickers and whimsies to give each family's page some character.

I so wish that we had started a guest book when we first got married. Think of the treasure that book would be today--one that contains a record of all the various friends, neighbors, and missionaries who have walked in and out of our lives in the different homes and cities we've lived in through the years!

We need to finish filling this book up and start another one! And now that I think of it--why in the world didn't I take a picture of Micah and Elizabeth to go in the book on Sunday when they visited us for the first time as a married couple?? Oh, well, I guess they'll just have to come back over, and we'll eat together again...just for the sake of the Guest Book, of course!

Is your picture in the book? C'm on over!

~Deb

Treasure Tuesday

Chimes...I love them! They surely get a work-out at our house as the wind is our constant companion here on the hill. However, more often than not, they are inside over in a corner waiting to be put back up. Because...instead of a gentle tinkling, the wind creates quite a cacophony, and they are taken down. I love to sit on the porch and listen to them chime away anytime!

These windchimes are Gregorian Chime Alto handcrafted in the Hudson Valley by musician/instrument designer Garry Kvistad who "precision tunes them to create harmonies in the slightest breeze." This particular chime has eight notes which "surround the listener with the peaceful patterns of ancient chant."

We'd sure love to have you join us for an evening of chiming. Call me before you arrive so I can make sure they're up and tinkling. :)

~Deb

Treasure Tuesday

Today's "treasure" has been hanging on the wall of just about every place we've ever lived. I stitched it during the early years of marriage when the children were little.

The author is Susanna Wesley--mother to 19 children! Click on the link and read her story of trusting God for her family and how she scheduled a private hour a week with each of her children to encourage and to develop a personal relationship with them.

With deep admiration, Samuel Wesley wrote this to his children: "You know what you owe to one of the best of mothers...above all (for) the wholesome and sweet motherly advice and counsel which she has often given you to fear God..."

With Mothers' Day this coming weekend, I thought this cross-stitched Rules for Mothering was an appropriate treasure for today. In case the stitching is hard to read, I've copied it below.

• Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul.
• Teach him to pray as soon as he can speak.
• Give him nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely.
• To prevent lying, punish no fault which is freely confessed, but never allow a rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed.
• Commend and reward good behavior.
• Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child.

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness."  ~ Proverbs 31:26

~ Deb

Treasure Tuesday

Here are the two cutesy little "mice" I mentioned last week--my first cross-stitch project after my friend Nancie taught me how 25 years ago. Thing is, now that I look at the picture, they're not mice at all! They're those dreaded rabbits that eat my flowers! All this time they had me fooled hiding under those quilts.

You can see how yellowed the material is. In fact, I took it out of the frame last week and soaked it for the longest time, but I'm not sure it will ever be like new again. (If anyone has any suggestions for cleaning, let me know.)

It surely looks like an antique treasure--and it is to me, because every time I look at it I think of being "just married" to my best friend.

~Deb

Treasure Tuesday

"What's one of your treasures?"  This is the question of the day posed by another of those weekday memes, "Treasure Tuesday." And, of course, we know our most precious treasures that the Lord has given us are our family (spouse, children, parents) and salvation. So, I searched the house and my brain to find something else of value to write about.

My address book comes pretty close to being a treasure to me. This particular one I've had for...too many years! You can tell it's an oldie, as there's no designated lines for cell phone numbers or email addresses on its pages. The book has so many cross-outs and re-written addresses it's rather pitiful. And, sadly, some entries are no longer needed because of death.  What stories lie behind each family name written on those pages!

Keeping in touch with family and friends is an activity I thoroughly enjoy, and my address book is faithfully always there chocked full of information every time I need it--birthdays, anniversaries, new babies added (and sometimes even how much they weighed!), date of the last letter or postcard I mailed to a friend, records of sent and received Christmas cards each year, and any other information I have a hankering to add.

I recently placed an order for a new address book--another Lang Folk Art one, slightly different, but with several additional lines to keep up with technology and with extra pages. Believe me, it was hard to locate on the internet, possibly because of today's computer capabilities and palm pilots. I guess folks don't want to be burdened with something so old-fashioned, and address books are almost obsolete!

Thinking about it though, how could I ever throw this old one away?! Wouldn't I want a record for posterity of Aunt Toots living on Whithorn Circle, Stratford Road, Grayton Lane, Falls Road, and Main Street before moving to Hardwick Road? How can I write her name on a clean fresh line with Hardwick Road beside it and nothing else? Hey, I'm realizing that I'm being a packrat inside an address book! :)

Well, that's my treasure today. Do you have a favorite treasure you'd like to share? Tell us about it in the comments or leave a link to your blog post showing a picture of your treasure. We'd all enjoy hearing about it. Thanks!

~Deb