Who doesn’t love a great Irish saying? Here are a few of my favorites:
A Valentine’s Day Romantic Remembrance
This Valentine’s Day, I’d like to talk about a man who truly cherished his wife. His name is Robertson McQuilkin, former missionary to Japan and later president of Columbia International University. At the age of 58, his wife Muriel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. During the course of the next two decades, Robertson resigned his position and cared for her with such tenderness and affection that it can truly be said that Muriel was a cherished wife. Their story is told in this book, A Promise Kept, which says, “Sharing lessons learned from his own marriage, Robertson McQuilkin shows how weakness generates strength, servanthood births freedom, joy is found in a promise kept. For anyone who has ever loved.”
He writes, “In the summer of ’95 Muriel’s right hand went limp – the first major decline since she lost the ability to stand and feed herself eighteen months before. A little loss, you would think, but I shed a few tears. It’s almost like part of me dies with each of her little deaths. That precious hand, so creative, so loving, so busy for me and everyone else. But it wasn’t just the old memories. That right hand was the last way she had to communicate. She would reach out to hold my hands, pat me on the back when I hugged her, push me away when she didn’t like what I was doing. I missed her hand. Memories, sweet and bittersweet.”
My prayer is that we all would learn to love as this man did. In our increasingly self-centered culture, it’s such a joy to know of people who devote themselves to God and family, and who love with selfless, tender care. 
Filed under Romantic Remembrances, Uncategorized
Christmas in South Carolina
written by my daughter, Karen E. Hall
Christmas in the post-War United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
’Twas the night before Christmas; ’twas 70 degrees,
And people went round in short sleeves and capris.
Though decked all in holly and bright ribbons fair,
The windows were open to let in the air.
Downtown in shops was sold candy molasses,
To shoppers in flip-flops, wearing sunglasses.
At home in the neighborhood kids were at play,
In air that felt like Midsummer’s Day
Around the bright tree Christmas gifts lay by,
But the fireplace lay empty; the A/C was on high.
If not for the Christmas songs one well remembered,
One might have thought it was sometime in September.
Then Christmas Eve came, and a cool night it was,
But no one believed for one minute it’d snow.
The kids were snuggled all cozy in bed,
While visions of X-Box games danced in their heads.
Some dreamed of Barbies, and others of guns,
Anxiously awaiting the rising of the sun.
Then up came the sun and not a moment too soon:
Not a kid was in bed any later than noon.
They rushed down the stairs with a bump and a clatter.
Their parents knew exactly what was the matter.
The room was a mess, of course, in due time,
But the children’s glee was perfectly sublime.
Gift-wrappings, ribbons, paper, and bows,
Littered the floor like Siberian snow.
Outside the window the landscape was gray,
But no one quite noticed; they were used to it that way.
The turkey was cooked and the table was set
As the sun shone through the wide-open dining room windows.
There may be snow in those far northern states,
But we Carolinians are proud of our state.
We know it ain’t Christmas to some without snow,
But mark us, we’ll get some, by and by low.
We may have warm winters, brown trees, and clear skies,
But we’ve got warm hearts and streets safe to drive.
So when the weather gets cooler than sixty-and-two,
We’ll wish a Merry S.C. Christmas to you!
Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole for Christmas Morning!
This looks absolutely delicious! From www.Time2TakeAction.net:
Breakfast casserole in the crock pot!
Ingredients:…
-1 bag 26 oz. frozen hash browns
-12 eggs 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon ground mustard
-1 16 oz. roll sausage – maple, sage, or regular
-16 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese
-Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Spray crock pot and evenly spread hash browns at the bottom.
2. Crack 12 eggs in a large bowl.
3. Mix well (and slowly) using a whisk.
4. Add the milk.
5. Go ahead and sprinkle in the ground mustard. This might sound like a weird ingredient, but I’ve come to love (and use) this in most of my recipes.
6. Add plenty of salt…. …and lots of fresh pepper. Mix well and set aside.
7. Cook the sausage on high heat, drain and set aside.
8. Add sausage on top of hash browns.
9. Is this enough cheese? Maybe? Probably. Throw the whole big bag in there.
10. Mix it up well. Or good, depending on where you’re from.
11. Pour the egg mixture over everything in the crock pot. Using a wood spoon, even everything out so it’s spread evenly.
12. Turn the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.
Some fun variations of this recipe. Before cooking (during prep) you can add:
chunks of sourdough bread, diced chili peppers, salsa, diced green onions
Filed under Recipes
Hope for Poinsettia Killers!
POINSETTIAS
If you’re like me and LOVE beautiful, red-flowered poinsettia plants at Christmas but avoid taking them in because they unfailingly die slow, painful looking deaths in your house after the holidays are over, here’s some helpful info from:http://www.helpfulgardener.com/container/2003/poinsettia.html:
REBLOOMING AND CARING FOR YOUR POINSETTIA
Poinsettias are a widespread Christmas tradition both for gift-giving and holiday decorating. Yet many of these lovely plants end up in the trash once the holidays are over. Your poinsettia will not only make a beautiful indoor plant all year long, but can also be coaxed to bloom again each year in time for Christmas.
Poinsettia Legend and History
Poinsettias (euphorbia pulcherrima) are native to Mexico and Central America. The Aztecs called it cuetlaxochitl. Poinsettias were introduced in the United States in 1825 by Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and quickly caught on as a popular Christmas plant.
Poinsettias have thin, pale green leaves. When in bloom, they display brightly colored bracts (red, pink, or white) on the top of each stem. Although many mistakenly think that these bracts are flower petals, the actual flowers are the tiny yellow clusters found at the center of the bracts (Bract are simply leaves masquerading as petals). Another common misconception is that the plant is poisonous. Like most euphorbias, the sap is a little caustic and may cause skin irritation, and certainly indigestion if digested, but if you’re going to knock the hubby off for the insurance money (there’s a cheery holiday thought…), find another plant.
Forcing Poinsettias to Bloom
Poinsettias bloom in response to shortening daylight hours. If you wish to coax your poinsettia to bloom in time for the holidays, you will need to put the plant in total darkness for at least twelve hours (fourteen is better) each night for approximately ten weeks (this also applies to forcing Christmas Cacti to bloom). Late September or early October is a good time to begin this regimen. You can place your plant inside a box, a cupboard, or a closet to achieve complete darkness. Be sure to bring your plant out during the day and place it in a bright, sunny spot. After it flowers, gradually decrease the water until the bracts all drop, then allow the plant to dry out completely (like many of the euphorbias, this is a desert plant). Store in a place with cooler temperatures (50 degrees); remember we are trying to recreate a Mexican Winter, so a 50 degree basement or garage makes a fine location.
When it really begins to warm up again (Late May for us, but just so long as you’re around 50 degree evenings), repot your mummy in the same pot with fresh soil and start to water again (we stopped gradually and that’s a good way to start) and fertilize (also gradually). Around August, cut the plant back by a third and make a decision. Do we want bushy with small flowers or shrubby with big flowers (my pick)? If we choose the latter we cut the plant back to three to five stems and grow it out (remember gloves if you have sensitive skin). A poinsettia can look quite lovely when planted with foliage plants with contrasting leaf color, shape, and/or size. Don’t prune your plant any later than September, however, if you wish to force it to bloom for Christmas.
Poinsettia Care
Poinsettias like lots of bright, indirect sunlight and prefer humid conditions (so you may want to mist your plant if your home is very dry due to heating or climate). As for watering, let the soil dry out between watering. The soil should be dry to the touch. Also, be sure not to let the plants pot stand in water at the plants base or saucer(A layer of pebbles in the bottom of the tray keeps the plant out of the water and increases the humidity around the plant). Poinsettias are sensitive to extreme temperature, so don’t place your plant next to a heater or near a drafty window or doorway. A daytime temp of around 65 degrees and nights around 60 degrees will provide perfect conditions for your poinsettia. Whitefly can sometimes be a pest for this plant; check your purchase closely. If you pick it up, and things fly, and they’re white, well, there it is. Pretty easily taken care of with insecticidial soap or my favorite indoor pesticide, pyrethrine (made of daisies; it’s organic and safe if you don’t drink it).
Poinsettias are a beautiful holiday tradition, but your enjoyment of these charming plants does not have to end when the Christmas tree comes down. With just a little effort, you can derive pleasure from your poinsettia all year long and bring it to bloom for many holiday seasons to come.
Filed under Holiday, Uncategorized
Don’t Tell Me Your Kid’s Sins – by Megan Hill
Reblogged from http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/11/13/dont-tell-me-your-kids-sins/
This is a great post from Megan Hill at The Gospel Coalition – how easily we do this! – MEH
My husband and I have three sons. They love Risk, backyard baseball, anything with a screen, and their daddy. They aren’t crazy about lima beans or black-eyed peas. They’re bursting with energy. (Why, yes, we do have a trampoline in our living room.) And, as you might imagine, my boys also regularly sin. I won’t pretend they don’t. But I’m not going to tell you about it, either.
I do talk about my kids. I often tell other parents stories about the day they made a cage out of bricks, in case they ever catch a bird, and the time they all ate jalapeños at the dinner table just to prove they could. I can remember the childhood pleasure of hearing my parents tell stories about me, and I hope that by telling stories about my kids, my children know that I love them and find them fascinating.
And when my child is ensnared in a sin, I sometimes get counsel. Several times, I lacked wisdom about how to address a sin pattern in my child’s life, and I privately sought wisdom from another godly person. When I quietly tell my child’s sins for the purpose of his rescue, I do well.
Not Public Property
But I want to caution fellow parents against telling us your children’s sins as if those stories are community property. The prevalence of this kind of sharing may have lulled us to believe it’s not a big deal. But it is.
Perhaps one of the most popular examples of telling children’s sin is the viral Tumblr “Reasons My Son Is Crying.” The site was launched by Greg Pembroke, who posted photos of his children in distress because of seemingly insignificant events. The captions describe tantrum-inducing moments like “I broke his cheese in half” and “the neighbor’s dog wasn’t outside.” Parents from all over the world resonated with the scenarios, and they began submitting photos of their own complaining children. Six months since its launch, the site has become so popular that Pembroke has included his favorite submissions in a book, recently released in the UK—with a U.S. edition scheduled for publication in the spring.
Christian parents might feel above this kind of crass oversharing, but, often, we are not. From blogs to Bible studies—wherever parents gather—stories of children’s misbehavior flow freely. It’s not unusual for a mother to walk in to a gathering of Christian women, sullen child in tow, and proceed to tell everyone about her young child’s last hour of disobedience. Frequently, the women of the group will listen, roll their eyes, and groan in sympathy. Most parents have been in a similar situation, and perhaps we have told some of the stories ourselves.
Parents announce their children’s sins for a variety of reasons. Being a parent is a lonely job, and we can wrongly use our children’s sinful antics to build camaraderie with other parents. We can also be personally frustrated by our children’s actions and leverage the telling of their sins to justify our own impatience and anger. And, particularly online, we sometimes tell our children’s sins as a way to establish our family’s authentic credentials as “real” and “broken” people.
None of these is a good reason to forget that our children are also our biblical neighbors. I may have authority over my children, but I don’t own them or their stories. My children are neither my possessions nor extensions of myself. They are image-bearing individuals with souls that will last forever. And one of my first obligations to my children is to treat them with kindness and dignity as my neighbors. I am obligated to look out for their interests (Phil. 2:4), and I must treat my children as I desire to be treated (Matt. 7:12). Even when it comes to their sin.
Gospel Distortions
But my silence is about more than merely kindness. It’s about my children’s perception of the gospel. This is serious. Telling my children’s sins publicly can misrepresent the gospel I otherwise work so hard to communicate to them.
When parents retell our children’s sins, we often leave the impression that we are the ones who have been wronged. This is not the attitude of Scripture. David’s confession in Psalm 51 makes it clear that sin is primarily rebellion against God himself. We parents may have been disrespected or disobeyed by our children, but we are not the chief offended party. We distract our children from the real significance of their sin—and the real sweetness of their Savior—when we make it sound like their sin is about us rather than about God.
In broadcasting our children’s sins, they may begin to think that sin is not so serious. The wry chuckles and eye-rolling of parents can make children believe their sin is funny, or at least something expected. This attitude only serves to make Christ and his sacrifice seem unnecessary. If sin is not so bad, our Savior is not so important either.
Finally, and perhaps worst, is the possibility that our children will believe their sinful condition is hopeless. Parental exasperation—throwing up our hands at one more instance of misbehavior—can communicate to our children that their sin is so far gone as to be beyond hope. Retelling and broadcasting our children’s sin can magnify it to an unsolvable proportion and thus push Jesus and his sin-covering blood out of the grasp of tiny fingers.
God dealt with our sins individually and personally, and, likewise, parents do best when they whisper the gospel into the ears of the little rebels on our laps—whose cookie-snatching, wall-decorating, and tantrum-throwing was specifically and lovingly atoned for on the cross.
So, no, I won’t tell you why my son is crying. That’s between him and the Savior of small sinners.
Megan Hill lives in Mississippi. She is a member of St. Paul Presbyterian Church (PCA) and writes about ministry life at Sunday Women.
Filed under Uncategorized
Guest Blog Post
On SeriouslyWrite:
Why Should I Include A Map in my Book? by Mary Elizabeth Hall
Why Should I Include A Map in my Book? Well-drawn map illustrations add so much to publications, portraying the setting and its style in a unique way, giving readers a sense of era and location before they even turn the first page. It allows them to visually enjoy the story or text you’ve crafted so carefully from words.
I don’t know if all readers are like me, but when I read a gripping, well-written story, I’m transported in my mind to a place where I can see the plot unfolding like I’m watching a movie. This draws me in and keeps me reading—because I’m dying to know what happens next! And when I can flip back to a map and “see” the setting in my mind and know what’s where with respect to everything else, I enjoy the characters’ experiences in an even more personal way because I feel like I know where they live and like I’m involved in their lives. I know how far the hero traveled on his tired old horse, or how treacherous the mountains appear that lie between the good guys and safety. How swampy is the swampland? How big is the lake? With a good map, I can visualize in my mind what the author’s trying to convey. When I read Tolkien, I have a feel for both the world he so masterfully created and the culture with which he wants to acquaint me because he drew elegant maps with delightful elements such as rune-style writing, early European type compass roses, and even personal touches like a little spider web in the corner. These are the types of things that tell me an author greatly wants to share his world with his reader.
Maps are especially important in books that flesh out historical events, allowing both the casual reader and the informed history buff to accurately place the action and become familiar with the terrain as it appeared during the era in which your account takes place. This is a key element to engaging a reader’s interest, stirring them to want more. A well-drawn historical map will often prompt a reader to look up other maps from the setting in question and want to learn more about the book’s era—which in turn will make them want to read your next one!
Here’s the map I drew for my novel Amberly:
Maps are especially important in books that flesh out historical events, allowing both the casual reader and the informed history buff to accurately place the action and become familiar with the terrain as it appeared during the era in which your account takes place. This is a key element to engaging a reader’s interest, stirring them to want more. A well-drawn historical map will often prompt a reader to look up other maps from the setting in question and want to learn more about the book’s era—which in turn will make them want to read your next one!
Here’s the map I drew for my novel Amberly:
| Map for Amberly |
Dora here. Have you considered including a map in your novel? If you have included an illustration, would you care to share your experience? What type of feedback did you receive?
Amberly
Snatched by coldblooded enemies as a declaration of war, Eleanor Williamston finds herself caught in a deadly snare—miles from home and lost in the wilderness. Her heart is drawn to the handsome guardsman who rescues her, but is torn when he challenges her political ideals. Then she finds out he’s been keeping something from her—and her entire world turns over. Marsten longs for a God-fearing wife, but cannot marry the lady he desires. The sassy young schoolteacher he rescues catches his eye, but he fears she’ll turn out to be like the beautiful women who’ve broken his trust in the past. Journey with them through the spectacular but treacherous Aspian Mountains while they evade enemy pursuit and wrestle through the challenges of wilderness and budding love, only to run headlong into Ellie’s family—and a whole new onslaught of foes.
Mary Elizabeth Hall home educates her three daughters at home in sunny South Carolina. They laugh about how they can’t roast marshmallows without experimenting to see how various snack foods burn on a stick. With degrees from Cornell and Syracuse, Mary has a professional background in business management, but she’s found her true passion is for writing, editing, and illustrating. Website and Blog: https://maryelizabethhall.com/ Twitter: @mryliz Facebook: www.facebook.com/Maryelizabethhall Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/16037113-amberly If you’d like to inquire about having a map drawn for your novel, come visit my Illustrations page at: https://maryelizabethhall.com/illustrations/
Filed under Blog Tour, Illustration, Map
Watching My Heart
April Cassidy at Peaceful Single Girl invited me to guest host today!
Watching My Heart
By Mary Elizabeth Hall, Author of Amberly, a thrilling Christian romance
I don’t know about you, but my heart’s a wild thing!
I’m writing this to piggyback on April’s fabulous Feb 13 post (The Power to Create Attraction – http://peacefulsinglegirl.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/the-power-to-create-attraction/). God has truly gifted women with the power to attract men, but like all gifts from God, we’re to use it with care. Society bombards us with messages hyping women who put great effort into attracting men, but the wise woman who seeks to honor God will consider her ways, wanting instead to serve the men around her by dressing and acting modestly. What does modesty mean? It means not trying to draw attention to oneself. When I choose an outfit or decide how to interact with someone, do I seek to please God or men? Do I aim to help or hinder…
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My 2-Year-Old Judges Books By Their Covers
Check out this viral reblog – hilarious!
My son will be 3 years old in June, and I love the fact that he’s into reading. A day usually doesn’t go by without him asking me or his mom to sit down and read a book with him.
During all those reading sessions, I’ve learned that he’s an imaginative little guy.
So I decided to put that imagination to use and see what he thinks about the books I read, not just the books about Elmo and Thomas The Train and Lightning McQueen.
So I grabbed a bunch of classic books, got him to sit in my lap, showed him the cover of each book, and then asked him one question: “What do you think this book is about?”
He took it from there:
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Filed under Uncategorized
Author Mary E. Hall 