Refreshings

Shoes and Cars

2009-08-01T22:31:00.000-06:00

MotherH shared with me Sunday afternoon that two of her favorite things are the multitude of cars in their driveway, and the many pairs of shoes in the entry hall when we have a “birthday Sunday”…evidences to all the neighbors of our family’s togetherness…hospitality really does start at home.

A little post to let you know we're still alive! :)

Gayle is busy with her business- she now sells Premier Designs Jewelry as well as keeping up Refreshed Hearts.

I am teaching music lessons, filling out college applications, writing and playing my violin, etc.

Hope you're all doing well! Leave us a comment if you visit! :)

Heart of Giving

2009-03-23T09:10:00.000-06:00

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
- Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)

I count "Aunt Sweetie" as one of my best friends. People call her Aunt Sweetie because she is a genuinely sweet person. Aunt Sweetie opened the doors of her heart and home to me 20 years ago. She and her husband treat me as if I were a family member. In good times and sad times, their children have shown me how much they love me too.

From the beginning of our relationship, their home was a haven, a place where I could retreat to regain my spiritual and physical strength. There I was surrounded by love, protection, care, and abundant hospitality.

On my most recent visit, my oldest son decided to visit me while I was staying at Aunt Sweetie's house for a couple days, and I had asked him if he needed the Bible that was in my bedroom for his morning devotional. "Actually," he said, "I used the Bible in my bedroom. It seems there are Bibles in every part of the house." Suddenly I came to understand why this woman had been such a powerful influence on me. The source of strength I find in this house lives in these people who embody the Bible's message of love.

-- A. Cantu de Canseco (Tamaulipas, Mexico)

Catching Up...

2009-01-15T15:03:00.010-07:00

It is time to update our blog!

Okay... it's way past time. :)

This Christmas season, we enjoyed lots of R&R: Daughter #1 was home from school, and we were at Grandma & Grandpa's a lot (see Grandma's House post to learn a little more about our AMAZING Grandparents!) but we had busy times, too~ busy, FUN times!

Gayle decorated the tables & centerpieces for our church's Ladies' Dessert. Everything was beautiful~ she picked a palette of golds, bronzes, browns, and creams, and most important of all, she added lots & lots of SPARKLES!

We went shopping for glass plates & cups at all the local dollar & thrift stores~ we got some really good buys! We also bought a lot of snowflake doilies, and Rick, Daddy & Husband, spraypainted and glittered them ALL for us!

Next, Gayle purchased dessert servers (an elegant two-tiered design in soft bronze), and festooned them with brown & cream snowflake ribbon, with little gold berries twined in-between them.

Our pastor's wife had already given us matching paper napkins & glittery bronze candles~ everything was starting to look wonderful! We finished with beautiful cream tablecloths that were used in the pastor's son's wedding, soft gold embossed papers to slip under each dessert server, and everything looked marvelous!

Mom did an amazing job, and I had such fun helping her. She has been making beautiful little ornaments this Christmas, using little glass frames, ribbons, & sparkles. For the Christmas dessert, I came up with an ornament design on the computer, and we made little ornaments for everyone to take home.

Our theme was "My Soul Magnifies the Lord", and so I tried to bring that into the two designs we chose. It was FUN!!! If you would like the images that I used in the ornaments, let me know, and I'll post it on the blog. :)

After the Christmas Dessert, we spent several weeks just savoring our time together, and did not do very much. As soon as January began, however, things began to pick up again.

I have been making little Valentine books for a local antique store. Hopefully people will like them. I have had lots of fun creating them! Here's a sneak peek:

I am also in the midst of updating the Refreshed Hearts website~ if you want to see what it's going to look like, visit this link. I have not done the home page yet. :)

Since Christmas break is over, Mom/Gayle is homeschooling the boys. She is also in the midst of an exciting room makeover in our basement.

I will have another update soon~ God bless you all!

~Gayle & Gracy

Office Christmas Party

2008-12-17T16:25:00.006-07:00

The table is set with Christmas plates, green & white paper napkins,
and our everyday silverware. When I took this picture, I had not yet
put on glasses!

Hospitality is a gift. You can give it to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

It doesn't require a long & strenuous day of decorating & baking! All you need is to open up your home, and make people feel like family.

Every year, we try to have an Office Christmas party, and all my father's employees are invited, as well as their families & friends. It's just a way to say "Thank-you" to them.

Mom's sweet centerpiece~yes, those are marshmallows!!!
The cake stand is resting on a little silver tray, and the Bible is opened to the Nativity Story in the book of Luke.

This year, we had Spaghetti and Grandma's Special Spaghetti Sauce *recipe in upcoming post*, and everyone brought a salad, bread, or dessert. YUM! There was apple cider & sparkling cranberry punch to drink, as well as coffee to go with the brownies & ice cream Becky brought.

Everything was easy & simple, but the time we enjoyed was very precious. As people walked in the door, I realized that everyone who worked for my Dad felt at home in our house. They knew where everything was, could sit down & relax without feeling hesitant, & encouraged their children to join in the conversations.

This little drink buffet was sitting right beside the dinner table, so people could easily
refill their cups, and choose what they would like to drink! It helps eliminate some time & mess.

I am just beginning to figure out a very simple truth~ your home doesn't belong to you. It belongs to Christ, and through Him, it belongs to every single person who walks in your door. It's a Sacred Trust, a servant's gift to his Master, one never to be withheld.

Merry Christmas!!!

Winter Wonderland...

2008-12-12T13:26:00.012-07:00

The day after Thanksgiving, a sparkling tree appears in our front parlor, with all the twinkling splendor of a Nutcracker Fantasy.

It stands proud and tall, with each branch bearing a different story...

When I was little, our Christmas tree was magic. Every ornament held a meaning, a fantastical tale or adventure, a personality of its own.

I took pictures of some of these precious things:

Father & Mother's Wedding Picture

"Twelve Days of Christmas" Ornament that used to be my grandmother's

One of the many ballerinas that grace our tree

Baby Brother

Delicate Little Ballet Slippers

Another Ballerina

What keepsakes/traditions do you have at Christmas time that remind you of your childhood?

~GRACY

Giving Thanks

2008-12-10T16:27:00.008-07:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my grandparents' home this year.

The house was beautifully decorated in golds, reds, browns, & oranges, and the smells that wafted from the kitchen were tantalizing!

Our entire family (+1 boyfriend & 1 friend) was there, and it was fun to watch the youngest cousins ooh and aah over the giant turkey.

I took some pictures of the Thanksgiving table that Grandma decorated:

Some kids ate a little TOO much, maybe??? :)

Psalm 100 says:

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

This season is such a reminder to give thanks, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior! We are thankful for YOU and this blog, as it has introduced us to so many new friends! :)

~ GRACY

Kreativ Blogger Award

2008-12-09T09:26:00.004-07:00

Thank you, Karla, for nominating us for this award!

When you are nominated, you are supposed to:

Mention the blog that gave it to you.
Comment on her blog to let her know you have posted the award.
Share 6 values that are important to you.
Share 6 things you do not support.
Share the love with six other wonderful blogging friends

6 values that are important to us are~

Charity
Generosity
Service
Trustworthiness
Integrity
Kindness

6 things we do not support are~

Abortion
Adultery
Child Abuse
Pornography
Profanity
Same-sex marriage
Slavery

(I copied Karla's, because she stated it so well! I did add one, though, so I have seven!)

We would like to nominate~

Rene @ Miss Gracie's

Grace @ Miss Gracie's Sweet Shoppe

Sandy @ 4 Reluctant Entertainers

Deby @ Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver

Farrah @ Light in the Sphere (LOVE your new header, Farrah!)

Katie @ Girl Gone Glad

Preparing for the Christmas season~ expect lots of recipes, place setting & table arrangements, and fun events to come! :D

Love to all of you~

Gayle & Gracy

2008-11-25T10:37:00.003-07:00

Getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Fun Recipes to try this Thursday:

Gingerbread ( Miss Gracie has a wonderful recipe for gingerbread!)

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles with Cranberry Butter (William Sonoma's Baking Cookbook)

Pecan Butterscotch Cake with Maple Frosting (Martha Stewart Living Magazine)

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Enjoy this blessed season with your dear ones~ may the Lord fill your hearts with things to be thankful for as you celebrate!

~Gayle & Gracy

A Young Woman's Hospitality

2008-11-20T15:39:00.012-07:00

"Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

And the servant ran to meet her, and said, 'Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.'

And she said, 'Drink, my lord': and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

And when she had done giving him drink, she said, 'I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.'

And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; and said, 'Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?'

And she said unto him, 'I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.' She said moreover unto him, 'We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.'

And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD."

I love this story. Not just because Rebekah's kindness ensures her a rich husband, either. ;)
Rebekah was an unmarried women with no house of her own~ however, she offered what she had to a stranger who was needy.

>She served him
>She served his camels
> She offered him shelter
> She poured out kindness and courtesy

But did these reflections point to Rebekah? Who were they to glorify?
ALL the glory was God's. Remember what Eliezar prayed for:

"O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master."

God answered the servant's prayer, miraculously, generously, and beyond what Eliezar had hoped for. Rebekah's willingness was used by the Lord in a way that she never could have expected!

May the hospitality we offer be a gift from God to those we minister to! No service is too small~ all Rebekah offered to do was give water to a thirsty man.

Gold Dust: Part II

2008-11-17T11:03:00.011-07:00

To whom should we give our love and devotion?

First, to those of our own family, and whom God has given us to be our support and consolation.

There, in this little circle, may the heart’s daily work be done; if we only dry a tear, spare someone fatigue, or raise a smile. It need not be a great work, but is must be a daily one.

The day that passes without having done good to someone is a day wasted.

You can never be happy as long as you know that some member of your family is suffering under some trouble that you might have spared them.

Oh! Then, let your heart each day expand and overflow in kind words, comforting sentences, loving smiles, little gifts – ever so little though they be, still let it give! The heart needs as much the power to give as the lungs need air to breathe...

Gold Dust

2008-11-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

My own Grandma left behind a tiny volume entitled “Gold Dust” which my father gave to me after her death. In the preface it says, “This little book is a translation from a collection of devotional thoughts published in France under the title of “Pailletes d’Or”…the value of most of the thoughts seems to me well to deserve the term of gold”. Chapter 28 (XXVIII) is entitled, “Give the Heart Each Day Its Work To Do.”

Part I

The heart has a life of its own, and this life requires nourishment. If you fail each day carefully to supply it, it will experience pain and torture, just as the lungs would suffer without air to breathe.

The nourishment for the heart is love - love given and love received. Love is the outflow in deeds, more than in words, of the kindness and goodness implanted by God in the heart of man when He created him.

True affection makes us ready to give help to everyone, to minister to the wants of those around us, to try and lessen their troubles, even at the cost of our own peace. Love consists in little acts of kindness, little attentions, little deeds of love. Love is generous – not only sharing, but giving all. It bears all burdens – lightens all troubles – sweetens every trial – nothing is an effort, and it knows no weariness. Our Lord is an example of perfect love. “He loved us, and gave Himself for us.”

Love and Blessings to you all!

~Gayle

Fall-Inspired Centerpiece

2008-11-05T22:09:00.007-07:00

The weather is frosty & brilliantly hued...

A smoky fragrance touches the air; you can smell the change of season, as odd as it may sound. It's there- something softly hinting at harvest & hay, happiness and...

Hospitality!

You may not have expected that- but it is the perfect time of year to be hospitable. Company instantly feels at home in a warm, fire-lit house, filled with the perfume of candles & comfort food (like stews, yummy pumpkin & gingerbread desserts, & apple cider).

As you welcome company into your home, here is a fun & easy experiment to try- these will look lovely anywhere in your home- as a centerpiece, a delicate touch for a mantelpiece, kitchen, or table, or a sweet detail on a coffee table!

SPARKLY PUMPKINS!!!

Simply spray mini-pumpkins with adhesive, & roll in fine iridescent glitter.

The result= a delightful, easy project that will complement the festive fever of autumn!!!

Enjoy your fall days!

~Gayle

Grandma's House

2008-10-28T10:45:00.001-06:00

If you were to ask us kids where our favorite home-away-from-home is, we probably wouldn't have to even think about the answer.

Our grandma & grandpa's house!

We usually call it Grandma's House. I'm not sure why it's her house, not Grandpa's. But we've called it Grandma's House since I was a toddler.

It is a beautiful white house with navy blue shutters, surrounded by tall trees, and with a large green lawn in front & back, where the boys love to play football. There are always daffodils & tulips in the spring, roses in the summer, a beautiful magnolia tree, & crab-apple trees for the finches.

We have a big family. A really BIG family. And this family loves to have get-togethers. Can you guess where these parties take place?

Yep. Grandma's House.

There's always a big delicious meal, bunches of hugs & kisses at the door, & something sweet to go along with a football game or opening birthday presents (usually both).

But most importantly, Jesus is the center of this home. His love & generosity is exemplified everywhere, and TRUE HOSPITALITY is an almost instinctive gift as soon as you walk in the door.

Stop by sometime.

You're always welcome, and there's plenty of room-- both in this house, and in these hearts.

~Gracy

Company's Coming!

2008-10-22T11:38:00.006-06:00

"Company, company!!! Where would we be without company?!"

~Sir John Middleton, a truly hospitable heart in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

New Layout!

2008-10-18T12:16:00.005-06:00

What do you guys think of our layout?

It's still in process, but we're really enjoying the new look.

Hope that you're enjoying the beautiful fall weather!

New post upcoming; stay tuned!

-Gracy

Muddy, Messy Company!

2008-10-07T13:03:00.011-06:00

Yesterday, my brother's best friends, Dan & Nate came over. I had been scrapbooking when they first arrived, but as I heard them playing upstairs, I began to feel... left out. ;) So I asked them to play football with me! And we had FUN. Here's some pictures of the game:

Dan making a touchdown!

The boys were pretty excited about this picture!

Although I get more excited about tea & a movie with my friends, or a fancy family dinner, I learned yesterday that hospitality consists of many different activities. Even football. Getting to enjoy your guests is a priceless gift that won't fade with time.

These boys are growing up before our eyes! It's a blessing to get to freeze that speeding clock, & watch them...

Have a lovely day!!!

~Gracy

Apples & Pooh Bear...

2008-10-02T13:01:00.011-06:00

Apples of Gold...and Red...and Green!
We have a small apple tree out back that is finally yielding enough fruit to turn into a pie, cake or some other yummy treat. Our tree has three different varieties grafted in: Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji. The apples, too, are small, but packed with flavor.
The boys have been hungry for an apple dessert (me too!), so I used the Granny Smith apples today to make an Apple Cake with Maple Frosting, a recipe we love from the Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook. The flour mixture spiked with the warm scents of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg brings such comfort on this dark and drizzly day. Hmmmm...could it be that fall really is arriving (yesterday the temperature was 85 degrees!), and it is time for our annual viewing of "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day"??? I can hear him singing now:

Rumbly In My Tumbly

"Hum dum de dum, hum dum de dum
I'm so rumbly in my tumbly
Time to munch an early luncheon
Time for something sweet

Oh I wouldn't climb this tree
If a Pooh flew like a bee
But I wouldn't be a bear then
So I guess I wouldn't care then

Bears love honey and I'm a Pooh bear
So I do care, so I'll climb there
I'm so rumbly in my tumbly
Time for something sweet

I don't need a pot of honey
I'd be greatful for a platefull
When I'm rumbly in my tumbly
Then it's time to eat

It's the tasteful thing to do
Be it ten or twelve or two
For anytime is food time
When you set your clock on Pooh time

Bears love honey and I'm a Pooh bear
So I do care, so I'll climb there
I'm so rumbly in my tumbly
Time for something sweet to eat"

_____

Well...no honey in this recipe, but I'm sure it is an apple tree Pooh mentions in this tune, and it's definitely time for something sweet!

A Rather Blustery Day

Hum, dum, dum, dee, dee, dum
Hum, dum, dum
Oh the wind is lashing lusterly
And the trees are thrashing thrusterly
And the leaves are rustling gusterly
So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today
It seems that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today

____

Have A Blessed "Windsday"!!!

~Gayle

Go Under the Mercy

2008-09-25T10:45:00.009-06:00

Fall is beginning to chill the air, and bring a cheery red to leaves & berries.

Winds that nip at your face & hands have started to softly blow.

People are wearing their scarves & coats, football sweatshirts, & hats.

I have started drinking larger amounts of tea, and our hot-beverage drawer is losing stock at a busy pace.

Fall. Don't you love it?

Well, I'm extremely excited-- Katie and I are going to a retreat tomorrow! :) Eric & Leslie Ludy, two of our favorite authors, offer a "Set Apart Girl Weekend", where we get to fellowship with other like-minded girls, spend time in the Word of God, hear great teaching, be encouraged, & encourage one another! I've been looking forward to this time so much, & am very thankful that Leslie Ludy & her family are willing to open their home to young women they haven't even met before! What a great example of godly hospitality & servanthood.
We'll be flying out tomorrow, so please pray that we would have a safe flight, & be a blessing in Colorado!

The Ludy's hospitality reminds me of another Christian couple I read about this spring. Both of their stories have inspired me to have a Christ-centered marriage that will not weaken, but grow stronger & sweeter with time. They have also encouraged me to live a life wholly dedicated to the Lord, no matter the consequences.

This other couple is Sheldon & Jean Vanauken. Sheldon Vanauken wrote A Severe Mercy, a biography & story of their lives together. It is one of the best books I have ever read! I would encourage you to read it!

Here is an excerpt that I was thinking about today. Sheldon & Jean are attending Oxford university together. They are brand-new Christians & close friends with CS Lewis. Their home, known as "The Studio", was a center of Christian hospitality. Here is Sheldon's account of it:

"Because the Studio was central and, incidentally, on the way from North Oxford to St. Ebbe's, and because, perhaps, of its extraordinary atmosphere, compounded of the gas-lit cobbled lane outside and the warm upper room, with its skylight black with rain and its cheerful fire (except when the wind was wrong, of course), it became the centre of a lively life in Christ for a great many people.

"We soon accepted that if we hoped to get any work done we must do it in the Bodleian Library; and even then we often came home to find that friends had arrived and were already deep into some absorbing discussion.

"The diary indicates that in one week, taken at random, twenty-four people came, six of them twice, so there were thirty times that the brass knocker sounded and one of us leaped down the narrow stairway. For nearly two years, except when we went up to London to see plays or went visiting or travelling, there was hardly a day or night that people did not come, both Christians and non-Christians (those who said they weren't); and there were literally hundreds of absorbing conversations... all our friends and acquaintances, Christian or otherwise, came by, sometimes bringing others-- sometimes only for a few minutes, sometimes for hours.

"There were conversations upon almost every imaginable subject, yet sooner or later, it seemed, that talk would drift round to ultimate things and Christianity. Never was there such talk as there was at St. Udio's, as we sometimes called it, talk gay and serious by turns, or both at once. No one who was a part of that scene has ever quite forgotten it.

"And as a background, accepted, hardly noticed, yet a part of the texture of the hours, there were the bells of Oxford, ringing across the night. Hardly less part of it was the rain on the skylight. And, as in Julian's poem, the goodbyes: going down the narrow staircase and out into Pusey Lane to speed the departing friend with 'Goodbye, goodnight. Go under the Mercy.' The phrase comes from Charles Williams, and we all used it-- indeed, still use it, some of us, after the years.

"There would be a halo round the gas lamp in the lane, and the slight English rain like a mist, and the cobblestones of the lane would be glistening. 'Goodnight. Go under the Mercy.' And the friend would say perhaps: 'Sleep under the Protection. Goodnight.' And then the sound of heels marching away into the Oxford night and perhaps bells marking the midnight."

An opportunity to serve & to share, to encourage & admonish, to evangelize & teach by example-- hospitality is one of the ways God lets us reach into another person's life, and pour ourselves out in servanthood in order to bless them.

Go under the Mercy!

--Gracy

Product Spotlight

2008-09-18T15:38:00.009-06:00

A sweet, flavorful, cozy cup of tea-- is there anything more delightful?

I love tea. The rich, earthy flavors that tingle in your mouth & the warmth that sends tingles up & down your spine...

So our product spotlight is our SCRIPTURE TEA!

We have so many flavors of tea to choose from... it's difficult to choose one... but I'll pick a customer's favorite: Chai Green.

This tea has an extra kick of spice blended in with the soothing fruity flavor of green tea. It tastes sooo good.

I love to pull out one of my "Feed on the Word" mugs every morning, & read the Scripture as I put in a "Scripture Tea" tea bag & let it steep. The flavors of the tea (along with the caffeine, that extra little bonus) help me wake up & greet the day.

Tea is such an amazing beverage. It has an extensive history, a wide variety of flavors, and is, as someone recently told me, the most popular drink in the world. It was a necessity in every Victorian household 100 years ago, & continues to be a necessity in MINE. In addition, I feel so Elizabethan when I sip my tea from an antique tea cup. I've always wondered whether my love of tea is influenced by my love of Austen, OR if my love of Austen is influenced by my love of tea. When I'm drinking Earl Grey, I can almost imagine Mr. Darcy sitting across from me. *sigh* (this is Gracy, of course)

My friends & family share this love. They love our Scripture Tea, as well. If you'd like to order this product, click here and you can get some for your own pantry! Enjoy!

-Gayle & Gracy

Puddles of Heaven

2008-09-16T10:35:00.013-06:00

Good morning!

Our family has been enjoying a busy month as my sister goes back to college, my brothers start homeschool, I start working, & my parents rush us around everywhere!

Home: there is something comforting even in the word! It embodies peace, joy, happiness, comfort, & support. Throughout my childhood, I have always thought that, no matter where I go, or what I do, I would always have my home to come back to.

The funny thing is that I was never really referencing to my actual house-- although I love our huge brick 1930s home with the even larger backyard, complete with horse tire swings & lots of pets-- it was my family, and the environment they bring with them, that I was comforted by.

People wonder where this "big happy family" feeling comes from. I used to wonder, too. What bonds us together so tightly, & in such a way that wherever we go, we would always have "home" if we were together?

When I was younger, I read a book that opened my eyes to what "home" is. "Millie Keith", a fictional character in Martha Finley's excellent 'A Life of Faith' series, grows up to be a missionary, & is planning on traveling to Columbia with her husband. While at the family's home, before they leave, Millie & her husband have this conversation with a group of friends:

"If His (God's) will were done, would earth be like Heaven?" Charles asked.

"I believe little bits of it already are," Frank said. "Wealthy Stanhope's (Millie's aunt) house has been a sanctuary for me these last few years," he said. "It is as if Heaven has leaked, and a puddle of it exists in her home. God has wiped the tears from my eyes there, though he has used Wealthy Stanhope's handkerchiefs to do it. Keith Hill seems to be like that as well-- a city of refuge in a broken world."

A "puddle of heaven"-- that is what a godly Christian home should be! We are to be "a city of refuge in a broken world", a place where comfort & rest for the soul, as well as for the body, can be found. When we pray that "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven", we can include our homes in this prayer-- that others will be served, encouraged & built up in Christ through our hospitality.

Another story, this one a real-life example from history, illustrates this concept as well.

William Wilberforce, one of my heros, walked out hospitality his entire life. Despite a schedule that astounded other members of parliament & his fellow activists, he lived in a constant combination of peace (from the Lord) & chaos (the Wilberforce home, full of activists, politicians, children, servants, & pets, was an amazing myriad of frenzy & joy) that delighted & amused his guests.

Wilberforce, full of energy, happiness, wisdom, & ADD, loved entertaining & pouring out his home & heart to others. Eric Metaxas, a Wilberforce biographer, records that "People from every station in life, friends and strangers both, could stop for a visit, and did. Pollock (another biographer) tells us that "Kensington Gore became a sort of clearinghouse for British philanthropy and moral reformation, with Wilberforce ready to encourage or advise, or to rebuke..." People would just gather, looking for something from the great man: his blessing on a venture or his signature or his willingness to lend his name to a committee."

Here was a puddle of heaven, albeit a rather chaotic one, that was constantly pouring out blessings on others. But was it the house? No-- it was William Wilberforce, & his family, that created this puddle wherever they went.

I would encourage you to ask the Lord to make your home a "puddle of heaven", & for it to reflect His image more each day. Believe me-- not only will your guests feel refreshed-- your family will, as well. Your children will grow up with the reassurance that, no matter what happens, they can turn to this puddle
for comfort & refreshment whenever they may need it.

May you have a blessed week, filled with the peace & love of our precious Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!

-Gracy

Entertaining Strangers

2008-08-04T10:35:00.005-06:00

In America, we have such a hard time setting aside time to serve our friends, but how often do we go even a step farther, and reach out to those we don’t even know?

In Morocco, hospitality is not something that is penned into the day-timer, or something to be planned. Moroccans revolve their day around hospitality, and the whole family takes part. If you were to ask a Moroccan about their hospitality, they wouldn’t know what you were talking about; to them, it is a way of life.

Countless times after a day of trekking up through the mountains with my girlfriends, we would arrive in a small village, longing for some cool drink or something to eat- anything to refresh us for the journey back. At the beginning of my trip I was always so worried: would there be a village shop or restaurant where we could refill our water bottles and buy food? How about a bathroom? I found that these needs were met every time, and not once on these excursions did we satisfy our hunger and thirst with our own money.

As we would walk into a mountain village, children would be looking down on us from upstairs windows, and then we would hear running and yelling something to the effect of an English, “Mommy, mommy, there are foreigners here! There are foreigners here!” Then said mothers would come to their door way and come out, kissing us on the cheeks, greeting us, “Salaam Wa Alaykum… Labes?” We would be ushered into a small, cavelike house, dark and solely cement, up stairs we could hardly see and past a cold kitchen. Then a door would open, our dirty sandals stripped off our feet, and we would be entreated to sit in a welcoming, sun-lit room, couches spanning the walls, colorful and bright carpets on the floors, and a small, short tea table greeting us as it sat in the middle of the room. At one word from the mother, the young girls would go into the kitchen to prepare our tea and food, and the little children would sit wide-eyed, taking in all they could of the strange people in their house. Another of the little girls would walk around the room, washing and drying our hands for us.

As the tea would steep, we would talk in broken Arabic, French, and simple hand gestures. When words could not be found, we resorted to smiles. The food would come, and the guests would be served first, sweet mint tea and usually some kind of bread or cookie. More talking, more tea, and more smiles… After many hours, relatives would stop in with their greetings and then more talking and yet more smiles. After spending a whole day conversing and sharing, we would find out that the next door neighbors had prepared a evening meal for us, and so we would say our thanks and goodbyes to our new friends and move on to the next house, where we would sit and talk for another three hours, eating a traditional Moroccan meal. After long goodbyes, the father or older son would travel part of the way back to our village to state his protection over his family’s guests, and to ensure our safety.

This was a common happening in Morocco… strangers and foreigners welcomed into the home, as if we had been expected for days. A family’s income for the next two days spent on our entertainment and provision. The strangest thing of all… it gave them no greater joy then to take care of us, even though they may never see us again. How often here in America, after a friend has “overstayed their welcome” do we shut the door with sighs of relief, dreaded the sink of dishes to wash, or mourning over the fact that the house we cleaned is now littered with doll dresses or Legos!?!? Would we ever even consider investing in the lives of people completely different from us, whom we would possibly never come into contact with again?

Oftentimes, Moroccans would ask us to stay the night with them. We were now their family, and they took joy in looking after our safety and welfare. They wanted to know about our families, our work, and our religious beliefs, whether they agreed or not. How often in America do we shun and fear talking to those who disagree with us about the God we know, love and serve? They were willing enough to teach, yet humble enough to listen. And the poorest of homes became rich over a teapot of sweet conversation and blessed refreshment.

Learn from the Moroccans… hospitality is no small thing- it can change lives. It changed mine.

-Katie

NEW DISHES!!!

2008-07-27T18:54:00.002-06:00

Pasta Serving Bowl:

Small Pasta Bowls:

These gorgeous bowls are in equally lovely hat boxes:

Also, Feed on the Word dishes have brand new accent plates!!!

They come in red:

And in black:

*dishes shown are a mixed assortment, not in a set*

These accent plates come in beautiful little hat boxes:

*black hat box lid not shown*

These will be for sale on our website as soon as Gracy *that's me* puts
them on! They should be on there by this evening (Monday the 28th)!
*Pictures by Gracy*

Hospitable Slippers & Zucchini Bread

2008-07-24T20:18:00.006-06:00

Daughter #1 (my sister) is in North Africa! She writes--

"I'm staying at a tiny apartment with a neat family. They are SO hospitable... it is quite impressive... they have a basket of old slippers at the door for guests to wear around the house... how sweet is that???"

It's neat that such a tiny gesture such as keeping slippers at the door for guests can bless someone in such an enormous way. It just shows that it's not the item, it's the heart of the giver, the mindset of serving others before oneself, that truly shines through.

Sister and Daughter #1 didn't give us a photo of these hospitable slippers, but Mom and I decided we would include a picture of what our equivalent might be:

Also, I'm including a recipe (and a picture) of a lovely recipe for Spiced Zucchini Bread that I made today-- it's very easy, and is delicious!

Spiced Zucchini Bread
15.4-oz. pkg. nut bread mix
1 egg
1 t. Pumpkin pie spice
2/3 c. milk
2 T. oil
1 C. zucchini, shredded

Combine all ingredients except zucchini in a bowl; mix until well blended. Fold in zucchini. Pour into a 9"x5" loaf pan that has been greased on the bottom only. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes one loaf.

I am now completely stuffed. After enjoying a delicious dinner and a piece of that bread, I think I'm completely ready to enjoy a peaceful evening at home.
Oh, wait-- not yet!
*Runs to the door and puts on a pair of hospitable slippers*
NOW I'm ready.

-gracy, gayle's daughter #2

Given to Hospitality - A Prayer

2008-06-30T21:25:00.000-06:00

LORD,
Thank You for having given Yourself in intimate,
inexplicable hospitality.
You have been the Host to all creation.

Without a dwelling, You have contained the
whole world and habited Yourself in the winds,
the corners, and the depths, inviting us to be
at home with You. Beneath the shadow of Your
wing You bid us hide, and in the depths of Your
being You shelter and refuge us.

Without meat You have nourished us.
Without beverage You have refreshed us.
By Your every Word came sustenance.
On bread and water without price have we been fed.
You have been manna in the wilderness of our lives.

Without a table You have banqueted us,
inviting us, yea, to be married unto You.
Over our heads flies the banner of Your love.
We are entertained with the mysteries of faith,
the songs of the Spirit, holy laughter.
You have garmented us in festal righteousness.
As we wandered in wastelands,
You sought us before we called.

You extended eager welcome
though we had scarcely knocked.
You embraced us when we were filthy
and oppressed and undeserving.
you are the Samaritan Who passes not by,
Who finds lodging for us in the warm inns by the way.
You bake fish over coals, waiting for us,
though we have forgotten to wait for You.
With broken hands You break the loaf of blessing.
Those same wounds caress our leprous spirits.
You do not fear to openly accept the intimate worship of our
harlot hearts.
You are the Host of all mankind.
Lifted up, suffering, without breath, You yet
extend greeting to all the masses,
"Come unto Me...
come...
come..."

You give us the mystery of Your presence in this supper of the
ages, this remembrance of Your ultimate hospitality.
O Lord,
Make my hospitality as unto Yours.
Be forever my archetype of endeavor,
my firstfruit of harvested goodness:
Love for the battered, misused child,
Grace to bind running ulcers of flesh and soul,
Eagerness for the wealthy without servility,
And for the poor without superiority.

Through eternity You have been and will be
utterly hospitable.
help me,
poor, faltering, unfeeling me,
to be like You,
with breath-beat and soul-heart
poured out
emptied
opened.
Help me
to be given to hospitality.

--Karen Mains, from her book,
Open Heart, Open Home

Southern Hospitality

2008-06-11T10:00:00.006-06:00

We periodically receive a newsletter from the Mount family who lives in Georgia, and who provides hospitality for the missionaries who are coming and going with Operation Mobilization. This dear family is truly gifted in the ministry of hospitality. Please visit their blog, Mount Heaven, and please keep them in your prayers as they serve the Lord and encourage others in their service on the mission field.

Jeni included a couple of recipes with their last newsletter that I want to share with you...

Southern Sweet Tea *****************************************

*In a medium saucepan, boil 10-12 cups of water

*Drop in 10-12 teabags and let steep for 5 minutes

*Remove teabags and stir in 2 cups of sugar until dissolved...(Marty Hynson says you must add at least 2 cups of sugar! When I tried it with only 1 cup, I was told it wasn't "sweet tea" at all!)

*Pour hot tea into a large pitcher full of ice and add water until full

*Drink outside on the porch with a dear one and watch the lightning bugs...if you have them where you live!

******************************************

Sally's Sunburst Lemon Bars

1. Beat the following ingredients only until flaky crumbs form:
2 Cups flour
3/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 - 1/2 Cups butter (3 cubes)

2. Press the crumb mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan and place in 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes.

3. Mix the following ingredients and pour over the warm crust when it comes out of the oven:
4 eggs
1/4 Cup flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Cup lemon juice

4. Place the pan back in the overn for 25 -30 minutes and cook until light brown.

5. Mix the following ingredients and drizzle over the warm lemon bars when they come out ot the oven:
1 Cup powdered sugar
About 4 Tablespoons lemon juice

6. Serve these chilled, on a hot, sunny afternoon, to your cheery friends!

New Friends

2008-06-09T11:14:00.016-06:00

We attended the CHOIS (Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho State) Conference last weekend, for the first time as exhibitors with Refreshed Hearts. What a delight and privilege to receive such a welcome by the convention leadership and attendees! We loved meeting so many dear folks who share our hearts for the ministry of hospitality, for loving God and sharing His love with their families and communities. What an encouragement! We are thankful for our new friends and their support, and look forward to ongoing mutual encouragement in the Lord, and in His pattern of hospitality. (By the way, the Plum White Scripture Tea was a favorite!)

Our Space

Three of our SweetHearts

Some of our "Feed on the Word" Products

Scripture Tea Samples...Very Popular!

The "Family and Children" Collection

The Youngest stayed to help sample tea at the booth
while the others attended the "Teen Workshop"

Our New Banner

"Feed on the Word" Scripture Dinnerware...Welcome to Our Table

2008-06-03T19:51:00.000-06:00

____________________

____________________

____________________

__________________

Has it Really Been a Month Already???

2008-05-29T15:35:00.010-06:00

Life has been so full this past month, and I am not very good at multi-tasking (apparently) or I would have kept up with my blog and kept you abreast of the goings-on here. At the end of April, we had a sweet memorial service for Grandpa-Dad, with lovely memories and important life-lessons shared. Then came birthday after birthday after birthday, with an anniversary to boot (on one of those said birthdays)...all these the first eight days of May. And one of those birthdays was a Half-Century celebration...not for me, in case you are wondering ;)... Then there was Mother's Day, and just last weekend, our daughter's Home School high school graduation and backyard picnic afterward. In the meantime, our oldest daughter returned home from college, both girls started work at a local nursery, we participated in Rene's "Miss Gracie's and Friends" sale, and the boys performed "Who's On First", an Abbott and Costello skit, for an end-of-school year talent show. Below are some pics of these special times in our lives...a sort of "month-in-review", I guess. I get weary just typing about it!!! We are truly thankful, and the celebration of God's faithfulness and goodness in our lives goes on!!!

The girls playing @ Grandpa Dad's funeral

Refreshed Heart's display at Miss Gracie's sale

My Birthday Cake (made by Gracy)!

Gracy and me @ her graduation ceremony

Gracy's display at her graduation party

His Hospitable Pattern: Loving and Giving

2008-04-24T10:43:00.006-06:00

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." - 1 John 3:16

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

"Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." - Ephesians 5:1,2

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." - 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her..." - Ephesians 5:25

In His Presence...Fullness of Joy!!!

2008-04-20T22:14:00.010-06:00

Our dear Grandpa-Dad (see previous post) has gone home, truly Home, by the grace and tender mercies of our God.
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.
Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?'
Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' "

In the above photo, my daughters are playing a piano/violin duet for Grandpa-Dad at his home, two weeks prior to his Home-going. His favorite song was "In the Garden", and he always requested that they play this piece for him. I can only imagine his joyful countenance as he now beholds the glory of our blessed Lord Jesus, and walks and talks with Him face to face...

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear;
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain
And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there;
None other has ever known.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

Refrain
And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there;
None other has ever known.

I'd stay in the garden with Him
'Tho the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling.

Refrain
And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there;
None other has ever known.

Words and music by Charles Austin Miles - 1913

Grandpa-Dad and Grandma-Mom

2008-04-14T21:54:00.008-06:00

Our Grandpa and Great Grandpa (affectionately known as Grandpa-Dad) is 96, and as hospitable as ever, even though he has congestive heart failure, is on oxygen 24/7, and recently had a fall that left him battered and bruised. The more company he has, the brighter the twinkle in his eyes and the bigger his smile. His love for friends and family bubbles over continuously…an evidence of the Holy Spirit Who fills his heart and soul, and Who blesses the heart of every visitor, stranger and familiar, alike. In fact, he characterizes the New Testament definition of hospitality, “loving strangers”, beautifully.

Grandpa-Dad and Grandma-Mom have always been best known for their LOVE, and their gracious, open hearts and open home. They regularly invited other families to their home for dinner after church and often hosted visiting missionaries and pastors. They kept the guest room ready! Since Grandma-Mom went to be with the Lord, Grandpa-Dad has carried on faithfully, and has continued to welcome “folks” into his life at every turn. He shared Saturday that the nurses at the hospital he visits for blood transfusions have said they look forward to his “words of wisdom” every week. He quotes poetry and Bible verses from memory, and loves to share stories about family history and the “olden days”. What a treasure he is to us all. It is evident that his Treasure is in heaven, and this Treasure he gives away generously through his gift of hospitality.

This is a legacy of hospitality we thank God for…

Homelessly Hospitable

2008-04-01T22:38:00.002-06:00

A certain scribe came and said to Jesus, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."
And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me."

This account, recorded in both Matthew 8 and Luke 9, tells me that Jesus had no earthly home where He could invite His followers to come and learn of Him and be refreshed. And yet He is the Hospitable One, our pattern for all of life. He invites us: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

I get so caught up in the externals of life. So distracted. The house, the table, the menu, the candles, the coffee, and it goes on...

The Lord Jesus shows me that hospitality is a lifestyle, not an event. It is a matter of the heart, and can be offered anywhere at anytime, because refreshing the heart of another is not necessarily confined to a particular place or time. I can share the love of Christ and allow His Spirit to meet someone's particular need through me however, whenever, wherever God provides the opportunity...hospitality is about Jesus.

Dear Lord and Father of Mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
the gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess,
The beauty of Thy peace.
-John Greenleaf Whittier

Resurrection Sunday

2008-03-24T16:56:00.009-06:00

We celebrated Christ's Resurrection with our extended family yesterday (21 of us!). We enjoyed a hearty brunch at the lovely home of my dear parents-by-marriage.

Easter Egg Hunt

This is one of those hospitable homes that has been a continual refreshment in our lives over these 22 years. My husband's folks are gracious hearts, always loving, giving, supporting, praying, blessing the hearts of family and friends.

Yummy Desserts

MotherH continues to teach me through her hospitable example. I look forward to sharing more about her with you as we visit together...

MotherH's Tablescape

Given to Hospitality

2008-03-24T15:07:00.011-06:00

"Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality." -Romans 12:10-13

Welcome! We are overjoyed to have you visit us and to be writing our first entry for our new blog. I say "we" and "our" because this is a combined family effort. My husband and daughters are definitely the brains behind the blog...I am just the visionary. I wish I could have the vision come out the ends of my fingers and on to the computer screen the way they do!
Our Resurrection Celebration is a perfect way to begin, I think. Our family has a heritage of hospitable homes and hearts to learn from...but our supreme example of hospitality is, and always will be, God Himself. God our Father invites us to dwell in continual fellowship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Risen and Reigning Savior! He calls us to shelter under the blood of Jesus, to abide in the safety and joy of His presence. He is our eternal Home. And He is the pattern and the power for practicing the hospitality He commands us to "be given to". He is our Glorious, Gracious, Loving Host for all eternity! Praise be to our mighty, mighty Savior!!!