Rebecca's Hearth and Home...a place where one woman shares all that is nearest and dearest to her heart...her home, her family, life on the tallgrass prairie, and her love for her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I've been getting "What have you got in the house?" for months and have been looking, creating, utilizing, organizing, purging, and preparing ever since. This is based on 2 Kings 4:1-7...verse 2 being key. That has come up in my spirit over and over again but..."What have you got in the house?" Look around! See what you've got. Whatever it is, seek the Lord on how to use it and He will bless and multiply it!
Until next time... ~Rebecca Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...
Today, I've decided to share my two favorite on-line Christmas videos.
The first one is the Christmas story as told by the children of St. Paul's Church in Aukland, New Zealand. It is my number one on-line video of all-time. I watch it several times a year and I never ever get tired of it. 💗
The second one was posted on Youtube by the Southland Christian Church. You'll just have to watch it. 😆
I hope you enjoy these two videos as much as I do! Until next time... ~Rebecca *Joining in with Jean over at So Not Organized and linking up with Tamy over at Chasing My Life for Blogmas 2018 Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...
The Great American Total Solar Eclipse 2017 is happening in less than a week, on August 21, 2017, and what an amazing event it is going to be!
People in all 50 states are going to the view the eclipse. Depending on where they're at, those that are within the path of totality will view the eclipse as a total eclipse of the sun; those who are not in totality will view the eclipse as a partial eclipse of the sun. Either way, it's going to be exciting!
Below is a list of eclipse facts that I put together for a program that I did for work back in July. I am sharing this information here for anyone who is interested in understanding more about what is going to happen during Monday's total solar eclipse.
#4 – The penumbra is the
larger part of the moon's shadow that, in the case of the August
21st, 2017 eclipse, will be observed by people in all 50
states as a partial solar eclipse.
#5 – The umbra is the
smaller, darker part of the moon's shadow that lies directly in line
with the moon as it passes between the sun and the earth.
#6 – The umbra's path is
only about 70 miles wide and that small 70-mile-wide band of shadow
is what we call the path of totality.
# 7 – In the U.S. people
in all 50 states will experience the Great American Eclipse to some
degree, but not all states are going to be under the path of
totality.
#8 – Major cities that
will be within the path of totality include Salem, OR, Casper, WY,
Kansas City, MO, St. Louis, MO, Nashville, TN, Columbus SC, and
Charleston SC.
#9 – When the eclipse
occurs, those within the path of totality are going to experience
something that very few people get to see. The sun will disappear and
it will become nighttime in the middle of the day.
#10 – Some of the things
that will happen during this time are – temperatures will drop,
birds will begin to roost, nighttime insects will begin to sing, and
stars will appear in the sky.
#11 – It has been 26
years since the last total solar eclipse in the U.S. and that one was viewed only by those in Hawaii.
#12 – It has been 148
years since the last solar eclipse in Missouri (my home state).
#13 – During the Great
American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017, it will take approximately 90
minutes for the moon's shadow to cross the United States from coast
to coast.
#14 – The umbra will
take only about 13 minutes to makes it's trip across the state of
Missouri.
#15 – The longest
periods of totality will occur across the center line of the eclipse
path. This is because the shadow is a circle. A location near the
center of the circle will get the widest part of the shadow.
Now, those are some of the basic facts about the upcoming eclipse, but it is, by far, NOT the most important thing that you need to know if you and your family plan on viewing the eclipse. The most important thing that you need to know about the upcoming eclipse is that YOUR EYES MUST BE PROTECTED!!! Sunglasses are NOT enough! Every single person that plans on viewing the eclipse must have a pair of special mylar eclipse glasses that are made to view the sun. Without them blindness can and does occur. Please, please, PLEASE make sure your eyes are protected!
Please watch the following video in which the UALR's Darrell Heath does an excellent job of further explaining explaining everything that you and your family will need to know before Monday's eclipse.
Thanks for viewing! And safely enjoy the eclipse!
Until next time...
~Rebecca Other recent posts that you might enjoy...
Chocolate Mousse In Chocolate Bowls And Topped With Pink Seashells
Sunday evening daughter-in-love, Crissy, came over to use my Kitchen-Aid and microwave to make these adorable, molded, chocolate bowls, filled with the most luscious chocolate mousse, and topped with these cute, little, pink seashells...all of which she made.
Chocolate Bowls In The Mold
Chocolate Bowl After Coming Out Of The Mold
Pink Sea Shells In And Out Of Mold
The mousse she made following the instructions on this video:
This was a very creative dessert and I think Crissy did a great job with it! I love the idea of the little, chocolate bowls and have thought of all kinds of things you could use them for. And the shells were just as cute as they could be! I figured the idea might inspire others, so I thought I'd share.
I just wanted to take a moment and share this weekend's FREE (in)courage webcast. I have not been this uplifted and encouraged in a long, LONG time! What a blessing! If you get time, please, go over and listen to as many of the webcasts as possible. They're so good! Here's the link: http://www.incourage.me/ Enjoy, Ladies!
It's FRIDAY! That means it's time for another Five Minute Friday where, as our hostess and inspiration, Lisa-Jo Baker, puts it, we write "For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not."
Today's topic is rest. So...here...we...
Go! I don't know why, but every time I receive Lisa's post in my inbox each Friday...the one that tells what our assigned word for Five Minute Friday is? Instead of one thing entering my mind and sticking there...a whole host of things run through my mind...and for some reason I feel that I have to fit them all into one post. Why is that? Is that not weird or what? I mean don't most people just sit down, write a post, and be done with it? One point? One very good thought...well thought out and beautifully expressed? Isn't that how it works? And then, there's me. I feel that, for the most part, my posts are silly and quirky. I usually consider myself "multi-faceted", but sometimes I honestly believe that there is something seriously wrong with me. My mind goes in too many directions at once and, sometimes, it makes it really hard for me to do things...like...well...settle down and rest for instance. Oh, well!
Here are some of the thoughts that crossed my meager mind this morning concerning the word rest...
The first thing that immediately crossed my mind was Mark 6:31 - "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while..."
Doesn't that sound heavenly? With so much upheaval over the past year it is my heart's desire to do that very thing...depart with my husband into a desert place and rest awhile.
The second thing that crossed my mind was another song. A song sung by our children at church when they were little called Fishers of Men...especially the second verse...
Hear Christ calling "Come unto Me Come unto Me, Come unto Me." Hear Christ calling "Come unto Me I will give You rest."
"I will give you rest. I will give you rest. Hear Christ calling "Come unto Me I will give You rest." Several other things went through my mind, as well, but my five minutes is more than up and there are other things to be done, so I will go ahead and close for now, but now you pretty much know the rest of the story...Paul Harvey! LOL! Have a blessed weekend! ~Rebecca
It's FRIDAY! That means it's time for another Five Minute Friday where, as our
hostess and inspiration, Lisa-Jo
Baker, puts it, we write "For only five short, bold, beautiful
minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if
it’s just right or not."
Today's topic is home.
So...here...we...
Go!
When I saw today's topic a myriad of things flashed through my mind, but, of all the things, first and foremost the words of a song ran through there and it's stayed there all day long, so...that's what I'm going with.
I've only heard this song sung a few times and that was by some young friends of ours that used to live around the corner from us when we lived out at the farm (actually, more than friends...family...our oldest daughter-in-law's cousins) but we used to visit sometimes when they would be having family get-togethers and, occasionally, our dear, young friends, a brother and sister duo, would sing this song and it quickly became one of my favorites and still is. The words to it make me cry because it's how I feel inside. Anyway, I wish I had my young friends on video to share because, the truth is, they do a much better job, but I could only find the words and an old Gaither video, so I'm sharing what I've got. Please listen to the words of...
HOME
Home is where the heart is, my heart's own home Though I never really had one to call my own I've been given a key by the Carpenter of Galilee With interest paid the title's made to me
Home, where there is no night Home, where the Son is the light The place I've been dreaming of so long
Loved ones there to welcome me But His sweet face will be the first I see When my journey's over I am going home
Everybody dreams of going home it seems Lately I am no exception to the rule But home is so much more than windows, walls and doors It's a warm embrace and smiling faces awaiting you
Home, where there is no light Home, where the Son is the light The place I've been dreaming of so long
Loved ones there to welcome me But His sweet face will be the first I see When my journey's over I am going home
Home, where there is no night Home, where the Son is the light The place I've been dreaming of so long
Loved ones there to welcome me But His sweet face will be the first I see When my journey's over I am going home And when my journey's over I am going home
Aren't the words beautiful? I've included that old Gaither video for those that are interested, but, like I said, I wish I had our young friends on video because they do a much better job! And that's the truth!
On Day 23 of Lisa Jo's challenge, I want to take a moment to praise God for my friends in the blogging world and the messages that they share! I was reading Courtney's post this morning over at Women Living Well and it really ministered to me. So often I, too, feel like such a let-down to everyone...such a big disappointment...but, praise God! What a blessing it is to know that we can be free to be a disappointment to the glory of God! Like Courtney (and every other woman on the face of the earth) I, too, am SO flawed! Most of the time I am gripped with fear to the point that I'm afraid
to move forward and, in doing so, I've become stagnant in
almost every area of life. I, too, have grown hypersensitive to the flaws of my family
(and point them out to them on almost a daily basis), and, overall, have just become a general
mess all the way around. I so want to turn this thing around and go from being a disappointment to being a disappointment to the glory
of God! Pray for me that I will be able to lay aside my pride and just
be *me*...flaws and all! (smile)
(Once again...I am reminded of my new theme song..."Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave...)
I heard this song for the first time a few days ago while on the way to Lamar to pick my son up from work. It was playing on the radio and my goodness! It was like it was written just for me, and the Lord really ministered to my heart through it. As I listened to the words I could literally feel the struggles that I've battled with for so long begin to melt away as the truth of all that the Lord has done for me took root afresh in my broken-for-too-long heart. I heard it again today and it had the same effect. I just looked it up on Youtube and thought it might minister to someone else as well. I want to share it with you here. Here is my new theme song..."Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave...
While out on a wildflower collecting expedition this afternoon I discovered some extraordinarily large mullein plants and brought home a few leaves to dry.
Mullein has been a popular medicinal plant for centuries and has been used to alleviate earaches, swollen glands, asthma, and chronic coughs. It's leaves can be made into an ointment, a tea, or a skin wash.
TO DRY-
1) Collect mullein leaves from either the rosette or the larger second-year plant.
2) Spread a single layer of paper towels on a flat surface in a well-ventilated area. This could be a screened porch or open garage.
3) Place the mullein leaves in a single layer on the paper towels.
4) Turn the leaves on the paper towels at least twice daily or
until the leaves are brittle and can be broken easily with your fingers.
5) Store dried mullein leaves in an airtight container.
Note:
- You can also dry mullein leaves in the microwave. Heat one cup of water
to simmering inside the microwave and remove the water. Place mullein
leaves between paper towels and microwave on high for three minutes.
Test the leaves for brittleness and, if necessary, microwave for another
minute or two until brittle.
- Mullein leaves will take 5 to 8 hours to dry in a dehydrator. Place the
leaves in a single layer on dehydrator trays and turn on the machine.
- You can also dry mullein leaves in the oven by baking on the lowest temperature setting until brittle to the touch (about three hours).
Sally Clarkson of I Take Joy has asked for help in supporting her son, Nathan, and his dream of influencing Hollywood. Nathan's goal is to send a message that quality, wholesome films with a good, moral message are important to us, and I'm passing Sally's call to arms along to you!
Here’s how you can help:
1. Nathan has had an opportunity to work as a consultant on the movie Dolphin Tale, which releases in theaters (US and Canada) on September 23rd. The goal is to get 150,000 people minimum in attendance to the movie on release day. You can be one of those 150,000 plus!
2. Blog about it and/or e-mail your fellow homeschoolers and Christian friends about this fantastic opportunity. Encourage them to get involved, spread the word, and attend the movie.
In case you’re wondering, Dolphin Tale is a fantastic family movie which will “inspire, instruct, and bring you to tears because of the great story line.” And...can you believe it? Two home educated children play the main roles!
Bonus: Sally and her husband, Clay, are giving away Dolphin Tale prize packs as a thank you for helping to spread the word. To find out more and enter visit Sally's site, I Take Joy today!
My youngest daughter introduced me to the niftiest little hair pins when she was down over St. Patrick's Day. They're called "spin pins" and they're made by Goody. I picked up a set of my own today and I am amazed! I found this neat little review and tutorial on YouTube and thought I'd share...
