The Lamplighter

As you know, I love to read! I also love to give books as gifts and quite a few of the books on my shelves have been inspirations for gifts. Although I have yet to give The Lamplighter by Maria S. Cummins as a gift, I know I can give it to, or recommend it, to someone with great excitement! It is among my favorite Lamplighter books and is one I can re-read with relish!

Gerty has been raised by a woman who cares nothing for her and there is no one who shows her any care or love. One evening she is turned out of the house and the kind Lamplighter takes her in. She soon finds herself surrounded in a new and wholesome atmosphere where she is pointed to the loving God. As Gerty gets older she learns to yield her passionate temper to the Lord and allow His will to be worked out in her life. Through many different circumstances Gerty learns to give to others even if it means that she gets nothing in return with the example of blind Miss. Emily is one that is forefront in her mind.
What makes this story so endearing to me, is to see a young girl who has had "the bad qualities" cultivated in her "previous" life yet when she yielded herself to the Lord and let Him take control of her passions, He was able to turn her into a beautiful young woman. You will experience with Gerty the battle that she fought when wronged and yet she chose not to pursue vengeance; you will feel the sting of hurt with her as her intentions are misunderstood, willfully it seems; and you will learn that the actions of others are not necessarily what they seem. A wonderful, almost a surprise, ending rounds this delightful book off.
As I read, I saw myself in so many areas of this book but felt hope in knowing that the Lord can, and will, have the victory if I but yield to Him.

In the Gardens and Around the House

Have you ever had one of those days where you have to go somewhere, or get something done, in addition to somehow manage accomplishing all of your housework? Every single day this week has been like that for me! From running a stray dog to the Humane Society one day, giving piano lessons the next, taking another dog to the clinic-breaking down and getting home at lunch time- the following day, and then picking the dog up from the clinic the next day; it's been "just one of those weeks"! I'm so glad that today is Friday and I've been using to catch up on all of those things that "didn't happen" because of all the running around!

"Isn't the way that these cumulus clouds are sandwiched between the flat clouds neat?"
We have had several nice days that alternate between rainy to cool and cloudy. Gardening is wonderful on these cool cloudy days!

"Okry"
It is very common to hear okra referred to "okry" by the "old timers" around here!
The Okra plants that Daddy had planted early this summer are now bearing fruit! We had given up hope on having any this year as it just wasn't growing. The rain that we have received over the past month or so must has really helped these plants. We've had fried okra already and boy was it good!
The plants are waist high and the okra itself can get huge!

"The New Walkway"
My own garden has been doing wonderfully lately. I finished the walkway and I have started on the never ending task of pulling weeds and trimming bushes. I planted my pansy seeds and I have begun the process of getting the lavender and poppy bed ready for the fall scattering of seeds.

"Wildlife in the Garden"
It's not a common thing for me to find lizards in my garden but this little guy was really enjoying the caladiums one day. It was so interesting to see him jump from one leaf to another.

"Velvet Queen Sunflowers"
The late crop of sunflowers are blooming in full force! Their colors are so cheerful and I love how their heads droop down.

Moving on to the "around the house news"; Lila has taken to perching herself on top of the dirt pile all day long (upper left hand corner). I'm not sure if she is using the dirt to keep herself cool or if she's trying to send me a message about Maggie!

"Not the normal exercise for cow face to impose upon herself"
Sayre has a mining operation going on on top of the dirt pile- that's what all the logs and rocks are about- and as I was examining them yesterday I heard the sound of hoof beats. Imagine my heart rate as Moo Cow came charging up the dirt pile directly at me... watching seven hundred pounds come straight at you is not exactly something that I want to see everyday, so as she paused to sniff the dog bowls I charged the gate which was kind-of-sort-of nearby! Upon further observation I deduced that she was just "feelin' frisky" or maybe the flies were getting to her. Either way, I don't trust an animal that is allot larger than I am and is not easily scared away by me.

"Our most "Prized Possession""
This is an honest to goodness outhouse that sits out on the edge of the field. It's a "double seater" and I think it would make a good potting shed or a nice place to keep livestock accoutrement's.

"New Fabric"
I found this fabric at Hobby Lobby and I'm agonizing over what I should make out of it. I originally was going to make a skirt but then I thought of making an apron.

"Close Up"
The skirt pattern I love has not only side seams but also front and back seams, so I don't think that the stripe would line up at the front and back seams. What do you think? Would it look to odd?

It would make a cute apron...

" To be Read"
These books are what I'm reading at the moment. "How to raise Horses" is being read because most of us talk about getting a horse (and because Daddy bought it for me to read!), "How to Be You Dog's Best Friend" is being read because I'm trying to teach Maggie some good manners, and "Cobwebs and Cables" is being read because it's next of "my Lamplighter to read list"!

Another Book Review

The "Wrestler of Philippi" by Fanny E. Newberry was next in line to be read. As I began reading, I quickly noticed that there were several parallels to "The Spanish Brothers". One was the persecution of Christians and another the tremendous faith of the Christians.

Set in the time of the Apostle Paul (AD 50 or so) the book focus' on three main characters; Hector who is a trained Olympian, his sister Salome who begins the book as a girl who believes in the gods' because "that what everybody does", and finally the younger brother Herklas who has been missing since the book begins. We are introduced to Christians whose simple faith and trust in God, their thirst for becoming more Christlike, and forgiveness toward others is truly inspiring and convicting. We also get a glimpse in the wickedness of Roman emperor Nero's court and see how sin and covetousness will ruin ones life. The last several chapters are amazingly riveting and you will not be able to put it down! The author weaves a wonderful chain of events that keeps the reader guessing with each ensuing chapter! This is another highly recommended book!

As I read, I was convicted again and again of my lack of faith and trust in all that God brings my way. Also, as I read about what the Christians suffered and yet the joy that they had in the midst of their sufferings, I myself was challenged to delve deeper into God's Word and to apply it more to my life. "Delight thyself also in the Lord..." Psalm 37:4

A Book Review

I have begun to re-read through all of my Lamplighter books just to refresh my memory as to what each story deals with. I started with "The Spanish Brothers" by Deborah Alcock and I will confess that I didn't expect to come to the end the book feeling convicted and challenged myself.

Set during the Spanish Inquisition, the book begins with a childhood scene between two brothers which reveals the most important boyhood dream that they have, and as a result we see it all throughout the book. The book swiftly moves into the adult lives of both brothers- one becoming a soldier as the other studies for the catholic church. Both brothers are bound by a strong chord of love that makes them close friends even though they are so different. As the book progresses we rejoice as both come to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour and we see their love grow for the One who gave all! However, they are Christians living in the midst of the Spanish Inquisition and witness first hand the horrors that go with the period. What is going to happen to "The Spanish Brothers"?
As I read I saw how real the Gospel was to these Spanish Christians. They were willing to die for Christ, if that is what He would have them do, and any fear that they may have of being caught in secret worship was over ruled by the thought that "He (Christ) gave all". I was convicted of my own lack of "simple trust" in all that the Lord sends my way and challenged to seek the Lord in a new way!

Books, Books, and More Books!

After getting myself moved back into my room last Friday and getting the shelves on the bookcase fixed at the same time, I decided that it was time to fill that empty looking bookcase up with books. Since I have a closet full of books filling it up was not going to be a problem!

"All of Grandma's Books"
Now I know that these seven boxes of books do not look like very much, but when they are all in your closet with all the other things that you store (and other people store!) you sometimes get a panicked feeling upon opening the doors!
After pulling the boxes out I began to wonder how many books I had.... Well seven boxes looks like.....

....this.... and....

....this.
Along with some that are in my other book case! In all I "inherited" two-hundred-seventeen books from my Grandmother!
As I took the books from the box I alphabetized them by author and then documented what titles I had by each author. Grandma never kept a book that she thought was poorly written so I should have some fun reading ahead of me.

"The End Result"
I had quite a time deciding which books I was going to display and wound up picking the books that I knew were good, looked interesting, or were so old that I couldn't stand the thought of them living in a box.
Most all of the books have a copyright date of at least 1945 or earlier. I found two copies of Ishmael by E.D.E.N Southworth, one of The Wide, Wide World by Susan Warner, and one of That Printer of Udell's by Harold Bell Wright all of which have been republished by Lamplighter Publishing! All of these books have the latest copyright date being the early 1900's! I'm thrilled!
As I begin the task (or pleasure?!) of reading through all these books I'm reading them with several things in mind. First of all, is this a romance? If it is, it's going straight into the ebay or yard sale pile. I'm not going to keep that kind of reading for I know these books will someday be read by my children. Secondly, is this book one that I would reccommend to others for pleasure reading?
I hope to write a little "blurb" giving my thoughts on the book and maybe a short synopsis of the story. I'll then place it in the front of the book so I know where to find it!! Given my "age" some things are more easily forgetten than others....... :o)

Lets see, if I read one book a week means I read fifty-two books in a year, which means I have four years worth of reading in my closet!!! I'd better get started.