Time In a Cemetery - Saturday Sightings...

The passage of time - we're all caught in it.  But today - 

time stopped for a bit as we said good-bye to a beloved aunt.  

The sweet service was held in the church of my childhood...

  

With a cemetery just a short walk up the hill away...

Out of 17 siblings - about half remain.  Most of these were 

present today to honor her.  It was a time of precious memories.

  She lived life to the full... enjoying crafting, laughing, and people.

  

We know that her soul's been carried to heaven - 

but today we committed her body to the earth

 My uncle (in the hat) was perhaps the brother dearest to her.  

He has cared for her in countless ways over these last years.  

I love how my cousin is keeping an eye of care on him during this sacred moment..

There is much to reflect on in a cemetery.  

One day these bodies will rise again upon Christ's return. 

Before leaving - a final stop to the grave of my parents.

I ached for them to be there today...  So much I wanted to say.

But when I see them again - much of that won't matter as 

we'll be in the presence of Jesus and in the glory of heaven.   

My friends - please make sure you are ready to join us there.  

In addition to knowing Jesus - we must also be following Him - 

in full surrender - to His will and Word.

I promise any sacrifice will be more than worth it.  ~Joyce

A Doll Stirs Up Memories...

We had time to stop at a thrift shop last evening on the way to 

an appointment. (Yes - I'm a bit of a thrift shop junkie...)  

My eye caught these dolls in little plastic bags - 

and immediately a memory was stirred....

When I was little - we had a doll just like the one in the crocheted dress.  

Except - it wasn't with my dolls and it wasn't in the toy chest.  

I am the youngest of 5 children - quite spread out - so many years

 and events occurred before I came on the scene.  My memory of

 this doll was that it was kept in a drawer in our dining room.

Red Dress Doll available in my Etsy shop here

I don't remember ever knowing why she was there.  On occasion 

I'd open that drawer and get her out.  I was intrigued with her 

long black hair in pigtails... 

  

...and cute little red shoes that I now know are Mary Janes...

Why was she in a drawer?  Where did we get her?  

My parents are no longer here to ask.  I've checked with my 

siblings but they also don't know her story.  

And this pair of dolls?

I have never seen the boy doll so am quite tickled with this find.

Do you know anything about these cuties?  A little tidbit 

may  help unlock our family mystery.

But regardless -  it was still fun to embrace a small memory 

that I had long forgotten.  

May your memories be sweet today too! ~Joyce

Merry Christmas 2016...

From My Love and I...

We wish you a Christmas that is Blessed and full of knowing Jesus!

  ~Joyce

Fall Photos and Sad Family News...

Yesterday we spent just a bit of time in our beloved Mt. Gretna 

at our summer cottage - closing it for the season.  

I've been without my camera for most of the week (lost it) 

so now that its found - had to play a bit...

Even imperfect leaves are beautiful when they show their colors...

(Do you hear the comparison to you?)  :)

This photo features Pennsylvania Smartweed - 

the little pink flower in the foreground.

And now for the sad news...Just yesterday we had a family tragedy.

  A farm accident took our sweet 4 year old nephew home to Jesus.

 So our hearts are a bit heavy...but we know where our Strength

 comes from and are leaning on our Lord.

Blessings to you this day.  

And hug your family extra tight! ~Joyce

A Day In NYC...

This weekend we celebrated another year of marriage 

with a day trip via train to New York City.  

We had a few short hours and did all of our sightseeing on foot.   

 Our favorite was walking the High Line - an abandoned 

elevated railway that has been converted to a garden path/park.  

This was our first sighting as we approached...

...and a scene from on the High Line itself.

 

We enjoyed lunch at a sidewalk diner.  

Sadly this is the only picture of the 2 of us...

We saw some wonderful old buildings. This one was massive 

and had ornate detailing over every inch of it.

I was struck by the graphic coloring and aging of this building...

It was fun to look 'up' to see what we could see. 

 Loved the roof top and balcony gardens...

We hiked to Central Park where we heard 'there's always something going on'.  

We came upon a skate dance group enjoying the afternoon. 

But my personal favorite - was coming upon this 'pop up' 

gluten free bakery shop.  You can be sure I treated myself!

Good-bye fair city.  We hope to visit again yet this year.  

Tip - Amtrak has a buy 1 get 1 40% off deal going on thru Dec. for PA trips.

But next time - I think we'll be using the subway to get around.  

I am sore in places I've never been sore before in my life!

And may I also say - I'm so thankful to the Lord for these 29 years. 

I would have never imagined all the twists and turns.

But 'together' is still an awesome way to do life.  And I love my man!  ~Joyce

Our Winter Vacation...

Most people go south to warmer climates for winter. Us?  

Well - it was a bit milder where we went - but it sure wasn't south!

Enjoy  just a few photos of our recent trip to the state of WA.

Ever hear of Leavenworth?  It's an adorable recreated 

Bavarian town right here in the ol' USA.  The town was dying 

in the 60's along with their logging industry.  Taking a cue from

 their landscape - they went 'Alpine' to bring in tourism.  

And it worked!  We loved this town (notice I found a thrift store)...

 And the countryside of Leavenworth is equally charming.  

Its best to have an all wheel drive vehicle as you

 never know what conditions you may encounter.

 In Seattle, we visited Pike's Place market.  I found a stand that

offered gluten free baked goods and happily paid $5 for a big cookie!

 We also visited my dear big brother who is an organic dairy farmer.

  

That would be me and My Love on the left and my brother and sis-in-law on the right

 He also co-pastors a Mennonite church they moved out to help start.   

It is doing well - it's always exciting to see God changing lives.

 

We're back on PA soil and it is brutally cold.  But as always - 

it is good to be home.

  

My next project is a Valentine themed couple's party.

Join me this week as I continue to plan and work on details.

Feeling thankful!  ~Joyce

Stitches...

I'm continuing my mission to get old inventory sold and outta here.   

Sometimes that means grouping in lots, sometimes lowering price, 

sometimes redoing or altering in some way... you get the picture.  

I have a little feedsack type bag.  My intent was to 'dress it up' 

by sewing a little patch on the front.   I had given it to my mother 

about 3 years ago for a little project to give her something to do.  

She knew how to do the edge stitch I was wanting (I didn't) 

and handstitching still seemed to work for her.  

After her death about a year later, I brought it home -

 assuming she had never worked on it. 

What a surprise when I pulled out the forgotten project today...

 There were her broken little stitches down one side.

  She had tried to do it - but it was just too hard for her.   

Aww....  the tears want to come...

This is a new stitch for me - but today was a good day to learn...

I'm getting there.  I think I'll also stitch a heart in the center of the patch.

How I love sweet moments such as these.

Does one ever get over the loss of a mother?
Linking to Let's Talk Vintage

Saturday Projects...

It's a day for projects at our home.  

My Love is outside working hard on making a 

new walk that leads from our new porch...

 And I've been working on some signs...

What has your Saturday looked like?

Harvest Home 2014...

Every year - the church we are currently attending honors the pastors 

by blessing them with grocery goods donated by the congregation.  

They call it Harvest Home Sunday. 

This year the display included a small country wagon scene.
That's quite the character!  Somebody was very creative.

Our view from the pews...

What a blessing for the pastors and their families!
How does your church celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month?

The Story Of a Family Tree...

This weekend I spent a day with my siblings.  It was our first 

such day together since my parents went to heaven.

  We enjoyed a day of visiting local family spots of interest.

 One of our stops was to a little house my grandmother 

once lived in - before I was old enough to remember.

In the back of the house stands a tree.  Turns out - my father planted 

that tree at his mother's house - with my brother's help. 

  But that's not the whole story...

 My brother with 'his' tree!

Apparently my dad bought that tree with the intention of 

planting it at his own home (my family's before my time).  

But they lived on a rental property and he wasn't allowed to plant it.  

So... he commandeered my brother's (approx. age 11) help - 

and they picked up that tree - burlap ball, 6 ft tall and all - 

and took it to my grandmother's house and planted it.  

Picked it up and hand carried it!!!  Her house?  

It was about 3 miles away. 

Now that's a tree lover!

Me and my siblings after our day excursion...

 We live very scattered (Costa Rica, East Coast US, West Coast US) - 

so this day was a treat. 

But we plan to make this a bi-annual event.  Lord willing of course!

Wedding Bouquets In the Making...

 I stopped by my niece's home this morning and she was smack dab 

in the middle of assembling a bridal bouquet order she has for tomorrow.   

What a delight! 

Her cutting flower garden is immense and immaculately kept...
(She and God together have this thing down!)

The bride is wanting purple and coral - so those were the colors of the hour...

The bride's bouquet...

...and my favorite part - her cute wooden wagon work station...

This will be a beautiful wedding.  Goodbye sweet cutting garden - 

I'll visit again...