It's Christmas time...

Christmas time has come to our wee family's house. I have been working hard the last week to get our decorations up and boxes put away. Our tree this year is not Fat Charley, but Ereth Sappy, named after Ereth the Porcupine from the book Poppy. Ereth is sappy, we got sap all over us on the way home, and Ereth is prickly-but not dry. Mums, BubbaLou, and I decided on his name on the way home from finding him.

We thought that finding a new tree would be a chore. I mean, we all came to have a special place in our hearts for Fat Charley. It turned out to be really easy and quick. BubbaLou picked him out in about five minutes and bonded with him right away.

We got Ereth home and couldn't find the stand. So he stood out on the carport in a bucket of water until Popsaroo got home and found the stand. We stood him up, buckled him in, and filled up his water trough. Then we didn't get back to him except to water him for a couple of days-we were busy celebrating BubbaLou's birthday.

Finally, we got around to decorating him. I have a strange sort of theme, I don't really have one. I have a mix of ornaments that I painted when Popsaroo and I got married back almost 19 years ago, most of them or assorted little woodland critters. I also have a collection of ornaments that I have found in antique stores and at yard sales and then I have ones that have been given to me.

The santas on the bell is one that I painted after Popsaroo and I got married. The vintage angel is one of four instrument playing angels(I even have the original box) I found at an estate sale-I think.

The Mary and baby Jesus are part of an entire Nativity set that is hanging around the tree. I got them from our Global Impact Conference at Church. A missionary was selling these as part of World Crafts. The money goes to help support the women that made them.

This was one of my finds last year at a Christmas store or sorts. Every thing was on sale and it was just exciting:) He is my Irish Leprechaun Santa.

What usually happens when you uncover your real past to strangers? You show, for instance, to your neighbor a photograph of the old farmhouse where you were born. When you look at it you can smell the clover in the fields, you hear the cows lowing, you know that your mother is weeding in the garden yonder. You see yourself and Jack-two big, freckled boys, leaning from that attic window at night planning your lives out in the world, full of fighting and glory...

...All of these things are in that photograph for you. But your neighbor sees in it only a common frame house and barn that need repair badly....

~Some Old-Time Christmases

by Rebecca Harding Davis

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy

St. Patrick's

Day

What a grand St. Patrick's day it is! I hope that your day will include the wearin' of the green.

I found a wee little blog that belongs to a JanMary in Northern Ireland. She has a great slide show will share her take on St. Patty's day. You may be a bit surprised!

I also found another link that points out some of the differences between Americans and the Irish.

In honor of St. Patrick's day, I ask that the Lord bless all of our missionaries around the world, so that they may be able to share the joy of Jesus' birth, the sacrifice he made with his death, and the joy, grace, and eternal life we have through his Resurrection!

May the Lord be with them, wherever they go,

and their blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow!

Oh, and that goes for you too!

The Garden

Your feet will bring you to where your heart is ~IRISH PROVERB

Today was jam packed full of simple and good things. Way too much to share in just one post! So I thought I would start off with the simple things and add in a few blessings as I go.

Popsaroo, BubbaLou, and myself, went to the Renaissance Festival today. It was held at the grounds behind Mosi, our kids science museum. We had to park and walk, but we found the most serene garden along the way- the butterfly garden. BubbaLou loves butterfly gardens. She keeps saying she wants to plant one, maybe we will do that.

When we first walked into the screened room, we just saw plants. We had to start really looking for the butterflies.

This is the first one we found. Resting on some Pentas. These are great flowers to grow down here, they just bloom and bloom. It usually is the very end of summer when the Pentas start to look leggy, but they will still be blooming.

Then we found this one on the screen. Why isn't it on a flower? I guess it preferred the scenery. We couldn't find anymore, and then we looked up. They were all over the ceiling. I guess they like to hang upside down. Who knew?

Instead of staying put and counting the butterflies, we moved on towards the festival. We could hear the crowds cheering behind the trees and we were anxious to be in on the show.

So long little butterflies, maybe we will plant a garden for you too.

Bless to me, O God, the earth beneath my feet,

Bless to me, O God, the path whereon I go,

Bless to me, O God, the people whom I meet,

Today, tonight, and tomorrow.

~Celtic Blessing

Heb 9:5

Above the Box were the winged creatures representing God's presence, with their wings spread over the place where sins were forgiven.

If butterflies look like this, I wonder what the wings of angels look like......

A wee family....

We are just a wee family of three, Popsaroo, BubbaLou, and myself. Oh, make that four, Thomas the dog. You must also include Dee who makes five,she is BubbaLou's favorite stuffed bunny who she has loved since she was four months old and don't even think she will sleep without her. Then we found Dee's twin sister on eBay and her name is MistenBell, so that makes six. We also have three fish currently, so that makes nine. So we thought that we would try for an even ten. We avoided another puppy, but we found Dee's long lost brother, Patrick, FREE!

So we would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Patrick Poopers, also known as Patrick Star Poopers. Dee and MistenBell are green, and so are several of her other rabbits. We thought that the name Patrick fit well with the St. Patty's green and Dee's green, and the wee family's favorite color green. His former name was Brownie. It didn't work for us.

It's funny, because BubbaLou can't help but smile and giggle when you say, "Patrick Poopers."
Look at those feet! He is a hoppin machine as we found out today. He has a little harness and leash! *Snort*

I promise you, Patrick Poopers found his way into the doll house all by himself. Dee has been in this house many times. You just can't get any cuter!!!!

I think that this look that BubbaLou is giving Patrick, is one that is pure love!

Patrick Poopers can be rather shy. Look at that cute little cotton tail.

Patrick Poopers is a 3 year old flop ear. He is litter trained and is just a fluff ball. We haven't introduced Patrick Poopers to Thomas the dog yet. Thomas has only sniffed his cage with nothing in it and really hasn't caught onto the fact that their was a critter with that cage. It should be eventful when he does get a clue.

A coat of many colors and a shamrock

Don't ya just love it when God makes a connection for ya? Well, he sure gave me one today, and appropriate to the holiday too! I made a connection between St. Patrick and Joseph with his coat of many colors. I made this connection via Beth Moore. She wasn't talking about St. Patrick, she was talking about Joseph. I have just been thinking and reading about St. Patrick with the upcoming celebration. So it goes when you are in Bible study, God just puts stuff together for ya.

Now, Beth was sharing with us how Joseph's brothers had become entangled by the grudge they felt for their father's favorite son. She talked about how Joseph(17 yrs old) pranced around looking for his brothers while wearing his lovely coat and once he found them he ended up in a dry cistern and then sold off as a slave. Do you think he got a clue about rubbing that lovely coat in his brother's faces? Maybe, because then she spoke of how Joseph would spend his lifetime looking for his brother's approval, respect, mercy, apology, appreciation, and finally their welfare. As you read on in Genesis, we see how he staged the events to get these things out of them. She also pointed out, that God had Joseph in his hand and a purpose for his slavery. In the end, he was caring for his family and making sure that they had the best and prospered.

Patrick, before he was a saint, was a young man(16 yrs old) in Roman Britain, who was having a good time and not worshiping the one true God. He was busy, as most young men are, having the time of his life. All of a sudden, Irish raiders put an end to his high time and took him back to Ireland as a slave. Patrick was a slave for about six years. Somehow, I can't imagine he was to fond of the Irish when he was first taken. I know that as a slave, once he got past the anger and unfairness of it all, he certainly wanted their approval and mercy. As he stayed on and started to form some relationships he may have even been hoping for some respect and appreciation from them. Are you seeing the connection? God had Patrick in his hand and a purpose for his slavery. Patrick found his way off the island via God's plan and then he found his way back to the island via God's plan and Patrick's heart had been forever changed as he wished for the welfare of the Irish people.

God even gave Patrick the shamrock to help explain The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. I think God had that in mind when he created the shamrock!

Irish Link of the Day:
Stephen Lawhead wrote a great book, Patrick:Son of Ireland . In this book(which is fiction-but based on the story of Patrick), he explores what it must of been like for Patrick to be taken as a slave and his life in Ireland. The prelude, is at the beginning, but really is a clip of Patrick after he has returned to Ireland to spread the Good News! You can read a little of it by clicking on the name of the book above.
You can read Patrick's confession by clicking on Patrick's heart.

Gen 45:7-8

God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive. So it was not really you who sent me here, but God. He has made me the king's highest official. I am in charge of his whole country; I am the ruler of all Egypt.

A reason to celebrate!

Irish Link for the day: The Legend of the Shamrock

I always look forward to St. Patrick's Day. I do have a Scots-Irish background and I am married to Popsaroo who has a very Irish name. Three Irish surnames to be exact and he roots for Notre Dame. How can we not celebrate the Irish this month and all that St. Patty did? I for one, believe that it is a great time to celebrate our ancestors and our love for the green!

Last year, we celebrated the day by going to Downtown Disney, enjoying the Irish gift shop and listening to a wee bit of Irish music. We don't drink the green beer, so we find other things to do...like look for leprechans.

The year before, we went to O'brien's Pub for lunch, and Popsaroo and BubbaLou beat me there. I missed it when, Paul, the Irish singer sang a song to his "new friend, BubbaLou."

This year, I must work on the happy green St. Patty's day. I will wear a bit o'green and will have my celebration here, on my blog, and hopefully find a fun celebration on the 15th. Because, as James(the new physical therapist from England) says, "The Irish will celebrate anything!"