Welcome to Autumn 2013!

I love to decorate for autumn,

even though here in central Florida 

we don't have many 

beautiful colored leaves.

I like my autumn pretties 

to be up for a full two months

before I start decking the halls

for Christmas in early December.

I mostly used what I had, 

but added in some new-to-me items.

Let's start with the flowers above.

The plastic stem of my fake flowers 

looked a little funny in a clear vase,

so I filled the vase with autumn potpourri.

I used the leftover potpourri

in a crystal bowl from my mom's house,

with a candle in the middle.

The potpourri was $1 per bag 

at Dollar General.

Like the crystal bowl,
the outdoor flag below
is also from my mother.

After she passed away this summer,

I picked out what I wanted to take home.

She had all of her off-season
garden flags hanging neatly

in her basement storage room.
I love cardinals just like she did.

My older daughters 
made this wall hanging

for my 50th birthday last month.
Isn't it pretty?

Burlap on a frame,

with my initial painted on,

then bordered in embroidery,

and flourished with silk flowers.

Very nice!

When it comes to things I buy,

thrift is the name of the game here.

The cornucopia came from 
Salvation Army for $1.99.

 The candle holder below was $3

at another local thrift store.

It came with the two red thingies,

and a brown one in the middle

which I replaced with the votive candle.

A bookcase in the dining room 
(which doubles as our library)
features decorations that 
camouflage other items
that I need accessible 
but don't want to see.
The white ceramic dish 
holds facial tissues.
I stash a supply of 
hair brushes, combs, and such 
in the long basket underneath 
the garland of silk leaves,

My son taught me how to light candles 

by first lighting a piece of dry spaghetti,

and then using it to reach where 

a lighter or match can't go.

I originally lit the red candle on the right,

then moved it elsewhere.

Leaving it next to books and under a shelf

could have started a fire. Safety first!

Finally, since it is autumn,

I'm wearing scarves!

This one was a birthday gift 

from my friend Donna.

I'm not too skilled with fashion,

but this method is easy-peasy.

Fold the scarf in half

and lay it around your shoulders.

Take the two loose ends and draw them

through the loop on the other side,

then tighten.

Speaking of fashion,
it was also time to buy a new purse.
At Walmart, I debated between two.
The plaid one is definitely autumn!
However, I decided on the burgundy,
since it will work for the Christmas season, too.
There is something to be said for versatility.

I actually put out a lot more decorations

than you see in this blog post.

These are just my "new" items or

ones I used a different way.

I have two more complete autumn posts:

Easy Autumn Decorating on a Dime

Autumn: A Pretty Home and Yummy Food on a Budget

You will also like my new 
Autumn Breeze Haiku.

And, my other autumn links:

Thanksgiving Inspiration & Hospitality

Thankfulness: Observe, Appreciate, Express, Imitate

Give Us Grateful Hearts for Common Graces

Thankfulness?

 Our Thanksgiving Indians

Autumn Foods

Prepping Your Kitchen to Fix a Feast

Butternut-Yellow Squash Casserole

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Peach Pumpkin Muffins

Bread Pudding

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing, Plus Redstone Cornbread with Maple Butter

Baked Oatmeal for a Crowd

Fresh Cranberries! and Serving Cranberry Sauce

Hot Chocolate for a Crowd

Holiday Wassail

Roasted Herbed Vegetables

Fall Harvest Quinoa with Butternut Squash {Vegan Recipe}

Enjoy the season!

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

P.S. This time last year I was visiting family in Maryland with my oldest daughter and my two grandsons.  That's a true autumn! Take a peek at my pics!

• Apple Picking, Fritters, and Goofy Gourds
• Beauty and Diversity on an Autumn Sunday
• To Grandmother's House We Go

  

Turning Angst into a Clean Closet

Dear friends,

Yesterday, feeling cranky / tired / anti-social / generally ruthless, I decided I needed a feeling of accomplishment to perk up my day.  I turned my angst into a clean closet.  

I got rid of a lot of stuff: threw it away, shuffled it to other places in the the house, offered it to my kids.  I pulled all of the big storage bins out so I could vacuum the carpet and wipe down the dusty baseboards.  I hung up some of my "winter" clothes even though it is still pretty warm here in Orlando.

There is no way I am showing you "before" pictures.  It was just that bad, trust me. But now, here, the "after" pics:

Almost my entire daytime autumn wardrobe,
dressy and casual, warm and cool.
The clothes are sorted by type:
dresses, pants, skirts, long sleeve shirts,
short sleeve shirts, capris.
The short sleeve shirts are sorted by and color.
On the foor, one bin holds extra clothes,
while the others store old journals and notebooks.
I removed a large bin of old Christian and classical LP records,
but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them.

A large tote bag, holding my favorite smaller totes,
hangs from the closet rod.

The two pairs of shoes I wear most often are on the floor.
The others are in the space left from
a missing bottom dresser drawer.

I have two dressers to hold undergarments,
accessories, pajamas, vintage linens, and more.
I like to keep my nicnacs on top of one of them.
The closet shelf above holds framed pictures
not currently on display.

I bought this tile in Israel over 30 years ago for my mom.
She gave it back to me recently.
I display it on a small plate holder.

A small blue stained glass box with wise words:
"Wisdom that comes from heaven is pure,
considerate, full of mercy, and sincere."
James 3:17 - One of my favorite verses!

Bins and boxes of this and that -- like sewing supplies and
master copies of book manuscripts.
The large gift bag holds smaller gift bags and tissue paper,
which we always reuse.

Bins of extra toiletries on the shelf.

Cleaning supplies up out of the reach of our grandchildren.

Sturdy hooks for towels and 
my current pair of pajamas
(I use each several times in a row.)

I found the massaging foot baths --
one in the back of the closet
and the other in our storage room.
Last night, my husband filled them with hot water and
lavendar epsom salt for "his and hers" foot spa 
and we listened to James Taylor's 
"Shower the People You Love with Love"
 on my iPod while we relaxed.

Another find: an old cassette / CD player
and some kids story tapes --
enough to keep a little girl 
busy and out of the way while Mommy worked.

It's so good to have a clean closet, especially since I'll be out of town for four days and my husband can enjoy the tidiness in my absence.  And when I come home again, I won't have to face it!   I'm flying up to Maryland on Friday morning with my oldest daughter and her two little boys (baby and two year old) so they can meet their great-great-grandma for the first time.  I'm sure the flights will be a little easier with an extra pair of hands, right?  A good reason to tag along on the trip, yes?  That's my story and I'm sticking to it. (I'm thankful for my husband holding the fort while I'm gone!)  We're also celebrating my mom's birthday with a gourmet meal lovingly prepared by my extraordinary sister-in-law Dana. I'm hoping for some beautiful autumn leaves, even though it's supposed to be pretty warm this weekend.  At any rate, I think apple picking and a pumpkin patch are on the agenda!  Note on 10/11/12/: We had such a lovely time.  You can see my photo posts here: 

To Grandmother's House (And a Petting Zoo) We Go

Five Generations

Apple Picking, Fritters, and Goofy Gourds at Larriland Farm

Gourmet Main Dishes: Shrimp Bisque {and} Salt Crusted Roast Beef with Mushrooms

Beauty and Diversity on an Autumn Sunday in Maryland

"Love Lifted Me" and a Few More Memories of Maryland

Grace,
Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com


P.S. More posts and other web sites on home organization:

My posts:

A Place for Everything

Organizing and Laundering Your Linens

A Desk for Mom (Featuring Habitat for Humanity)

Household Organization: Clutter, Clothes Storage and Chores

Organizing with Plastic Zip-Style Bags at Home and On the Go

"Bin There, Done That" (Or How to Keep School Clutter from Turning You Into a Basketcase)

Other sites:

• Organizing Made Fun
• FlyLady
• SimpleMom
• I'm an Organizing Junkie
• Organized Home

I link my blog posts at...

• P52 Photo Project 
• Domestically Divine on Tuesday 
• Raising Homemakers on Wednesday
• Whole-Hearted Home on Wednesday
• Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays
• Funki Planet
• Share Your Thrift Haul

Between the Burqa and the Bikini: A Call to Moderate Modesty

Between the Burqa and Bikini: A Call to Moderate Modesty

Burqas. Bikinis. I see them both in one sweeping glance at Sea World here in Orlando. What a juxtaposition! I should clarify and say that most of the “burqa” wearers (if that is even the correct term) were not completely covered. Instead of wearing the toe length flowing black robes and veils that showed only slivers of skin with a slit or a translucent panel for the eyes, most of them were wearing loose fitting, thigh length, long sleeve tunics over trousers, and white or colored head scarves. And the bikini wearers? A mix of “If you've got it flaunt it!” and “I've still got some sense of decency.”

I keep my eyes on the culture & theology debates on-line, and one that has come up repeatedly in the Christian (especially home school) crowd is the issue of modesty. You might think this would be pretty straightforward and everyone would agree. But what modesty is can by quite nuanced already, and when it is tied in with related opinions on myriad other topics (as it should, being that our lives are integrated rather than compartmentalized), then you get a whole mess load of controversy, some of it rather sharp.

Those on the conservative end of the spectrum believe that a Christian woman should always wear calf length (or longer) skirts, loose fitting shirts with at least elbow length sleeves, the more layers the better, with muted solid colors so as not to draw any attention to themselves, and extra points for home sewn. If they lean even more toward Mennonite-like standards, they will also wear some sort of head covering to show that they are properly submissive to their husbands.  

On the liberal end of the spectrum, pretty much anything goes. Like bikinis.

As a mother of seven daughters and three sons, most of whom are either teens or adults (two already married, one with two children), I have some opinions of my own. I tend to fall somewhere in the moderate zone, having loosened up quite a bit from 10 years ago when I pretty much only wore calf length dresses and the “home school mommy uniform” of denim jumpers.  Some of them looked pretty hideous, especially the ones I made.  Now I usually wear capris or loose walking shorts in warm weather, loose pants or blue jeans in the winter, and V-neck or scoop neck shirts. Maybe it's because I'm out of the perpetually pregnant stage, and despite my excess weight, I am getting more comfortable with the shape of my own body. Still, my swimsuit has a nearly knee length skirt, and I wear a black camisole under it to raise the neck-line. No bikinis for me. That's an act of mercy on my part, as much as it is an attempt at moderate modesty.  

Body shape aside, if I had to choose to wear either a bikini or a tunic and a veil, I know I'd go with the latter for modesty's sake, even if it seems a bit extreme for the American culture. But that would be my choice in a false dichotomy. In the real world, I don't have to wear either a burqa or a bikini, and I don't. While I am still pretty careful to be modest in what I wear, I am not hung up on picky rules or fears, nor do I strictly enforce particular standards on my daughters.

What bothers me is not how some conservative folks dress ultra modestly. I respect and admire that, if that is what is really in their hearts to do as an expression of who they are. The problem is when it becomes another self-righteous standard to check off on a list of “If You Want to Be Truly Godly” behaviors. Often, the women in these groups are exhorted to dress a certain way to conform to the expectations of others, and they in turn exercise the same kind of pressure on their own peers. It can become a form of strident one-upmanship and cliquishness. Worse, it can cause alienation and hostility toward (and from) non-compliant newcomers or teens who are learning to evaluate for themselves what they have always been taught. These kinds of rules love company, so it's not just the modesty. It's all the other baggage that can come with it, much of it based on fear: of messing up, causing others to stumble, or appearing to be worldly. Or it may be based on pride: of being the elite ones who get it right, being holier and homier than thou. Please don't hear me saying that all people who dress modestly are self-righteous or legalistic! That is far from the truth! It's just tragic when a church or Christian movement becomes centered more on the outward rules and less about worshiping Jesus with our hearts.

On the other hand, while I am not about to call a girl a whore if I see more cleavage than I personally think is appropriate, I think too many who identify themselves as Christ-followers throw off common decency in the way they dress. They might think: “If a guy has a problem with my body hanging out all over the place, that's his fault, not mine.” While we should live under liberty instead of law, we shouldn't trade in our liberty for licentiousness. I do not think a man should ever sexually harass a woman no matter what she is wearing, but let's get real. If you dress provocatively, you are advertising that you are cheap goods. It might be false advertising if you really aren't loose with sexual activity, but you are appearing that way. Like it or not, you shouldn't be surprised if men – even Christian ones - don't treat you with respect. 

I think modesty is mostly just learning what is appropriate for each situation and dressing accordingly. I could write a whole lot more, and I haven't said much about the closely related issue of femininity, but I've pretty much said my piece for now. Instead, I'd like to share several web links about the topic of modesty. Please note that these links are “all over the place” on what they endorse, and I do not agree with everything in them! I'm just trying to present a fair balance, starting with pro-more-modesty links. Also keep in mind that several of these links specifically address the issue of whether lust, sexual harrassment, or rape can be blamed on immodesty.

Pro-Modesty Blogs (Nice Ones!)

• Teaching Modesty to Our Daughters at Raising Homemakers -- This is a single post but you will find many more on this site.  They also have a weekly link up party and many of the linked posts are about modesty. I regularly link there.
  

• The Modest Mom blog by Caroline – she sponsors regular link-ups to other blog posts about modesty as well

Other Links

Modesty: A Heart Issue by Rachel Miller at the Aquila Report “To seek to adorn ourselves with a “gentle and quiet spirit” is something to aspire to for all of our lives. When we focus on developing an inner beauty that does not fade with time, we will find that our priorities and goals in life will change. Dressing “sexy” or “provocatively” to get attention will not hold the same allure. Our sons, too, will learn to value women not simply for their outward appearance, if we teach them look for the qualities that God finds precious.”

Mixed-Messages of Modesty by Rachel Ramer: “While immodest apparel focuses attention on women as sexual objects, obsessive teaching on dress codes creates the same focus. Preachers and other spiritual leaders reinforce the destructive message that women and girls are so distracting sexually that they must be covered up beyond cultural sensibilities.”

Modesty and Purity Standards: Screwing Up Men, Objectifying Women by Amy at Just A(my's) Blog

Excellent series on modesty by Becky at Created to Be His:

• Modesty Part 1: Godly Garments
• Modesty Part 2: The Survey
• Modesty Part 3: Straining Gnats, Swallowing Camels  As examples of how NOT to approach modesty, this particular post links to several pro-modesty posts that are much more strident in tone.
• Modesty Part 4: Of Prodigals and Pharisees
• Modesty Part 5: Kosmios
• Modesty Part 6: Blame it on Bathsheba?

Five Problems I Have with Slutwalk Marches by Mary Kassian – be sure to read the comments! Then read responses at the Emotional Abuse and Your Faith blog: Adventures in Missing The Point and Slutwalk Myths Encouraged By CBMW

My Prayer for Christian Fundamentalist Leaders by Wendy Horger Alsup at Practical Theology for Women

A Legalist Goes Shopping at Recovering Grace, a web site for those negatively affected by the teachings of Bill Gothard, ATI, and IBLP

Finally, a little poem/song I wrote many years ago.  You can see my comments about it here: A Woman of Beauty.

A Woman of Beauty
by Virginia Knowles

A beautiful woman is quiet in spirit 
Gentle in all that she does. 
Adorning the inward part
She trusts the Lord with all her heart. 
She is a woman of beauty! 
She is a woman of beauty! 

She does not need ornaments of fancy gold
And it's not in how she fixes her hair.
As long as she's clothed in strength and dignity,
It doesn't matter what else she wears.


A beautiful woman is quiet in spirit
Gentle in all that she does. 
Adorning the inward part
She trusts the Lord with all her heart. 
She is a woman of beauty! 
She is a woman of beauty! 

What do you think?  Leave a comment!  If you have strong feelings on this subject either way, please remember that I would like to keep this as a cordial dialogue!

Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

P.S. Hello again! I just wrote a follow up article "My Thoughts on the Sexualization of the Church (And Other Problems)"  Please take a look and tell me what you think!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Heading out the door, my two youngest daughters and one of their best buddies (who is fortunately our next door neighbor) announced their intention to parade around the block wearing silly dress up clothes.  Never mind that they cut the fingers off of a pair of gloves -- this is Florida!  The rain was barely spitting, but just enough to justify bringing out the frilly peach umbrella that her sister gave her for her birthday last month.  After all, girls just wanna have fun! They grow up so fast, so I just knew this was a not-to-miss photo op.  Thank goodness I always have my iPod in my pocket (unless, of course, it is in my hand)!  I'm sure the neighbors all got a smile!

It was only later that I realized how well the first picture fit in with the P52 photo theme for the week, The "Eyes" of March.  Have you ever seen such eyes of impish joy?  Check out those oversize specs!   And as for the March part, well, I guess the umbrellas say it all.  In the first photo, I like the warm glow on the peach umbrella and how the blue umbrella blocks out the pickup truck.  I can also sense the energy and movement in both pictures, especially with the placement of hands and feet.  Rock stars in the making?

Come, weary moms!  Enjoy the moment and absorb the joy!

Tell me: What do your girls do for fun?  Leave a comment!

I post a photo each week for Project 52!

This Friday's theme: The "Eyes" of March. 

I post P52 photos on two of my blogs: 

• P52 Posts on Come, Weary Moms
• P52 Posts on Virginia's Life, Such As It Is 

Self Portrait, Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake and Friday Favorites

Self Portrait by Virginia Knowles in January 2012

Dear friends,

The theme of the P52 photo project this week is Self-Portrait.  The picture above isn't exactly a photo, unless you count that the scanner is a camera of sorts.  But it is an original self-portrait, a quick sketch, plain pencil on plain paper, from a photo on my iPod. I had to twiddle with it a bit, because I wasn't measuring for proportions.  So I had to move the mouth up and the dimple over, shorten the eyes, try to make the glasses symmetrical, add in more hair. As a final touch, I used my finger to smudge and smooth the shading.  I had recently assigned a written comparison of two self-portraits by Reformation artist Albrecht Dürer for my home school co-op English class, so I figured I would give it a decent shot. (See The Art of Albrecht Dürer.)  My attempt wasn't perfect, but it was fun.

Self Portrait by Virginia Knowles in 1979
See more of My Artwork 

I haven't sketched (other than my constant doodling) in what seems like forever, and I drawn myself since high school art class around 1979, wearing a hat I had bought on a trip to Scotland with Teen Missions that summer.

Drawing a self-portrait forces you to think about how you see yourself and how you want to convey to others who you are.  Am I confident?  Friendly?  Pensive?  Enigmatic?

For many of us, self image is tied up in what we do and who our friends are.  It could be related to what church we attend, or how many children we have, or how we educate them.  That has certainly been true for me.  It has taken me a long time to shake that off and realize that while those things certainly affect my life and say something about what I value, they do not define me.  And the expectations should not crush me when they no longer apply to where I am in life.  


I think that especially rings true this week, since I just enrolled two more children (girls in 1st and 5th grade) in the neighborhood public school where their 3rd grade brother started in November. (Here they are on their first day of public school with our next door neighbor in the middle.)  Now I don't have any elementary age kids at home, and the four in public school outnumber the two (boys in middle school and high school) still at home. Since I have written (books, articles in international magazines, my own e-magazine, blogs) and spoken (conferences and support groups) so much about home schooling for the past 14 years, I gained a reputation as a home school guru.  I know many of my friends and cyber acquaintances will not understand our choices and even question my sanity and my morality.  This will not be the first time.  Oh well!  My husband and I are the ones responsible for making decisions about what is best for our family at each season of life.  Right now this is what we can do with what we have.  I think this will prove to be a good move, at least for the rest of this school year.  Then we will reevaluate for next year.  (See Do It Well, But Keep It Humble.)  Anyway, this week has been a flurry of filling out papers, taking kids for medical checkups, picking up immunization records, and buying school uniforms (solid red, navy blue or dark green t-shirts or polo shirts, and khaki or navy bottoms, no denim, no basketball shorts).


With some of my newfound extra time, one of my goals in the next few months is to get the house in order and keep it that way consistently. (No small task with 10 people living here!)  This morning I had to rewrite our family chore chart to accommodate the change in schedule.  I think I made it a bit more simple to follow.  Instead of switching chores every day (for variety), I have assigned chores to be done every day (for simplicity) -- at least for the five younger kids. Let's just see if this helps people remember what to do -- and then do it!


Also, I want to be a little more intentional in the kitchen, focusing on nutrition and variety.  I think we're all getting tired of the same old same old!  Sometimes we have to mix it up a bit, taking inspiration wherever we find it: friends, restaurants, blogs, on-line recipe sites...  This week I tried baked chicken thighs covered with bread crumbs seasoned with rotisserie chicken seasoning and garlic pepper.


Last Saturday, our church organized several Dinner with Friends parties.  Once you sign up, you are assigned to a group of eight. The point is to get to know other folks whom you might not know as well.  My husband and I had met everyone before, but had only had regular interactions with the host couple.  We had a great time chatting, especially when we pulled out some conversation starter questions that the dinner organizers had provided to each group. Oh the stories these peeps can tell!

Our hosts Cathy and Bill,
business people who lived in the Virgin Islands for a long time
and who have a real heart for serving the poor
(see her collection bear for the hungry here)

Mike and Vicki,
seminary professor and Christian school teacher

Candice and Ed,
on staff for nearly three decades with Campus Crusade (now known as CRU),
most of it in Poland and England

Each couple contributed to the meal.  One made delicious beef stroganoff (I'm going to try this out and blog about it later), another brought a lovely gourmet salad (complete with hearts of palm), and another brought grapes, cheese & crackers, and scrumptious hot roll appetizers with cheese, ham and onions baked in. I am making myself hungry just typing this.  We brought the dessert: lemon raspberry cheesecake and blueberry cheesecake.  Yes, I could have made it all from scratch with fresh cream cheese to prove myself as a capable homemaker, since I haven't yet attained the status of Kitchen Guru.  Instead, I chose to go semi-homemade,  starting with a boxed mix.  I'd enjoyed some lemon raspberry cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory (thanks to a gift card from my sister-in-law) and decided to try to replicate it.  I mixed a little lemon juice with enough powdered sugar to sweeten it, then added three tablespoons to the cheesecake mix that my daughter Naomi prepared.  Since this would increase the amount of liquid, we substituted a can of evaporated milk for some of the regular milk to make it thicker.  I'm not sure that helped any since it was still a bit softer than I would have liked. In hindsight, I realized I could have just reduced the amount of milk.  All told, I made two lemon cheescakes and two plain cheescakes, leaving one of each at home for the kids.  At serving time, we set out a tub of whipped topping, a bowl of blueberry pie filling, and a bowl of raspberry sauce (a bag of frozen berries, thawed and smushed to a thick sauce with a little sugar added).  Everyone enjoyed it, so score one for the Kitchen Wannabee!


I am thankful for the Dinner with Friends. Good fellowship, good fun, good food!  Have you ever done anything like this?  Why not try it?


I haven't written any other blog posts this week, but here are three links and short excerpts for Friday Favorites. You won't mind that I'm posting these on a Thursday, will you?  Just a little early!

Riverside Thoughts 

by Sarah Clarkson at Thoroughly Alive 

"I have always known that beauty had the power to drive me to holiness. For me, the ache for what is transcendent, the hunger spurred in me by art, literature, music, nature, has always been a guide that turned me back from distraction, from hurry, even from sin, to the grace of my ever-present God." 

(Sarah's post reminds me of a quote from one of my own posts here: A Sacred Romance in the Deeper Places of Our Hearts. Sarah is cur at Oxford University in England for a special program.  It is interesting to find that my new friend Candice knows Sarah's mom Sally since they both worked for CCC in Poland a long time ago, though at different times -- small world!)

Last Week I Was Wide-Eyed Innocence 
by Tonia at www.studyinbrown.com

Some addictions sneak up on you sly.  Last week I was wide-eyed innocence:  I don't spend that much time on the computer.  I barely read blogs.  I hardly ever post on facebook.  I've been doing this for 7 years, I'm an old hat at this. Second day of changing the tally marks, bowing my head before a prayer bench and not a screen, I feel the itch.  10 AM and I'm jumpy, wondering who emailed, wondering what they said.  I fidget and pass the darkened computer once, twice, three times.  I snap the lid shut and carry it to my room, close the door.  At least I have the presence of mind to roll my eyes at myself... 

I smile broad when the answer comes, because it's so simple, so exactly, perfectly simple. Ora et labora: the motto of the Benedictines. Pray and work.  Pray and work.  Pray and work.  And that's exactly what I do.

Purity balls, Christian princess syndrome, and “mom” haircuts: evangelicalism’s mixed messages for women 

by Karen Campbell at www.ThatMom.com

"We woke up one day last week to the first snowfall of the season, gentle white flakes touching down, slowly covering the muddy front lawn. It continued all day, the wind picking up, forming small drifts here and there.  I was happy for the snow as it made it a little more bearable to take down my Christmas tree and tuck away the family traditions along with it for another year. White and pristine was my world, reminding me of the Lord’s promise that He will make our scarlet sins as white as snow. He is the great Purifier, the Cleanser of my Soul.  Such a comfort that is to me! I have been thinking so much about the concept of purity in the past couple weeks, first as I have enjoyed the sweet innocence of a house full of little ones. They look at everything in wonder, their bright little eyes reflect their own worlds, yet untouched by those things that threaten to darken all of us. How do we protect our precious girls from those things? How do we protect our dear boys, our sons and grandsons? But more accurately, how do each of us, men, women, boys and girls, keep our hearts and minds pure in a world that ignores and even devalues the concept of purity? And how do we do this when modern evangelicalism tells us that it has to do primarily with sexuality and then spends so much time talking about it? ... I believe this is truly at the core of the current discussion on sexuality in evangelicalism: in seeking to promote sexual purity, whether through endless discussions of modesty in dress or in defining their roles ad nauseum, women and girls are, in fact, sexualized and, in the process, demeaned. Under the guise of “purity” the messages are mixed and confusing. In reality, true moral purity comes from a life focused on Jesus Christ and serving others. Why don’t we hear this? Probably because it isn’t sexy enough."

You may also wish to read a related post from last summer:
On Mommy Blogging: Image, Identity, Authenticity and Freedom




You can find more food ideas here: Recipe Box

This blog post is linked to memes on other blogs:

Click here to see Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays

Click here to see Project 52!

I'd love to see your comments!  Please leave one!


Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com