A Pair of Bartletts

Our Prize

The hydrangea in this post is from my yard. I consider it one of the "prizes" from my yard. As prized as it is, there is something on this earth that I (we) prize even more. To say that my brother Paul and I are blessed with the Mother that God gave us, would be an extreme understatement. To say the very least, our Mom is the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman. Now, in her humble way, she would probably try and think of a million reasons why she was "not" this woman. But trust me, she is every bit this woman, and then some.

Thank you Mom....for putting up with us as ratty kids, for helping us cross the border into adulthood and for encouraging us as married adults. Thank you for loving both of our spouses as if you had birthed them yourself. As the verses say, we do rise up and call you blessed. 

 

     ¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous wife?
      For her worth is far above rubies.
       ¹¹ The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
      So he will have no lack of gain.
       ¹² She does him good and not evil
      All the days of her life.
       ¹³ She seeks wool and flax,
      And willingly works with her hands.
       ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
      She brings her food from afar.
       ¹⁵ She also rises while it is yet night,
      And provides food for her household,
      And a portion for her maidservants.
       ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
      From her profits she plants a vineyard.
       ¹⁷ She girds herself with strength,
      And strengthens her arms.
       ¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is good,
      And her lamp does not go out by night.
       ¹⁹ She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
      And her hand holds the spindle.
       ²⁰ She extends her hand to the poor,
      Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
       ²¹ She is not afraid of snow for her household,
      For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
       ²² She makes tapestry for herself;
      Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
       ²³ Her husband is known in the gates,
      When he sits among the elders of the land.
       ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
      And supplies sashes for the merchants.
       ²⁵ Strength and honor are her clothing;
      She shall rejoice in time to come.
       ²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
      And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
       ²⁷ She watches over the ways of her household,
      And does not eat the bread of idleness.
       ²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
      Her husband also, and he praises her:
       ²⁹ “ Many daughters have done well,
      But you excel them all.”
       ³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
      But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
       ³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
      And let her own works praise her in the gates.

(Proverbs 31:10-31, New King James Version)

 

Much love to all of my family and friends who are Moms....enjoy this day of honor!

Total Abandon

 

On August 3rd we lost a very special person in our lives...both for me and for Rob (and certainly a host of others).  She stood in the place of my own deceased grandmother at our wedding.  She was our "MeMe" and she was a mother and grandmother to many more than her own biological children and grandchildren.

Our "MeMe" was the mother of my best friend, Sue.  She went to be with the Lord after what we thought would be a successful open heart surgery that she had undergone in the days before.  She was an incredible woman of God with an incredible life story.  She loved the Lord her God with all of her heart, mind and soul...and she'd be very quick to ask you if you knew Jesus....and if you weren't sure, she would tell you how you could in a heartbeat.  And she wasn't just a witness, MeMe was a worshiper.  She adored singing to her God....to the top of her lungs, no matter who was around.  She worshiped with true abandon.  Not many people can honestly say that they can or do worship like this.  

While thinking about her today, an old hymn came to mind that I thought I would share with you.  I pray that you have a wonderful day tomorrow in your place of worship.  And think of MeMe....with her head thrown back and lifting worship to her Lord.  

Missing her,

 

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain

Love From Aunt Ruthie~~Watermelons and Fireflies

 

 

Well Honey Hush!  I almost fell out yesterday when I read the news!  Not only has Aunt Ruthie over at Sugar Pie Farmhouse written a new book, "Watermelon and Fireflies", but Sugar, she chose some of her Sugar Pie Sistas summertime stories to include in her book....and guess what?  She chose mine as one of them!  I was extremely humbled and honored--she is so precious!  I have been reading her new book tonight and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it~  Not only does Aunt Ruthie love and serve the Lord her God with all her might, but she has the amazing talent of being able to make you smell the peach pie....all the way from her farm in the Ozarks!  

I encourage you to check out her new eBook.  You can get your sampling of the down home goodness below and hopefully, you'll head on over to her farmhouse and get a copy for yourself!

Make sure and tell her I sent you!  Grab a cup of coffee and be sure to check out all of the rooms in the farmhouse....Aunt Ruthie's place is warm and cozy...you'll definitely want to "sit a spell"!

Watermelon and Fireflies (E Book) SAMPLE

 

Marriage Monday--The Honeymooners

Song of Solomon 2 (New King James Version)

Song of Solomon 2

I am the rose of Sharon, 
      And the lily of the valleys.

THE Beloved

    ² Like a lily among thorns, 
      So is my love among the daughters.

THE Shulamite

    ³ Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, 
      So is my beloved among the sons. 
      I sat down in his shade with great delight, 
      And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

THE Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem

    ⁴ He brought me to the banqueting house, 
      And his banner over me was love. 
       ⁵ Sustain me with cakes of raisins, 
      Refresh me with apples, 
      For I am lovesick. 
       ⁶ His left hand is under my head, 
      And his right hand embraces me. 
       ⁷ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, 
      By the gazelles or by the does of the field, 
      Do not stir up nor awaken love 
      Until it pleases.

I prayed for my husband before I knew his name.  I prayed that he would be like the King in Song of Solomon...how could he be any less if he were sent by the Lord?  My husband and I were from very different backgrounds, but yet it's come to be a game to see how many ways our lives had been intertwined over the years and we didn't even know it!  Before I write anymore, I'll have to tell you a true story.  One afternoon, Rob and I were in the car and were driving past the Senior Citizen apartments in our town, where my beloved grandmother "Nanny" had lived for many years.  As a matter of fact, not only did she live there, but I spent almost any and every weekend with her there as well....as much as I could.  As I was pointing out what balcony had belonged to her, I began to tell Rob of a story from a weekend that I had stayed with Nanny.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was a Saturday night and she and I were watching TV.  All of a sudden, we heard this really loud and obnoxious sound out on the lawn.  We jumped up and ran to the balcony, only to see this old car doing donuts in the beautiful grass there at the Towers.  My Nanny was horrified...."those teenagers....just look at them out there messing up the grass"!   

Flash forward, back to Rob and I driving in the car.  As I'm telling him how upset my Nanny was and then on top of that, how upset my Dad was to find out about it when I got home, the color is slowly draining out of his face....he looked at me and said "was it an old Nova by chance?"  IT WAS HIM (and his cousin) doing donuts in the grass!  You will all be happy to know that he has repented and seen the error of his ways--and would have the hide of any kid doing that today ;o)

But, I digress.....back to the topic at hand.  God is good....and He had a plan for both of us.  He could not have brought me anyone that I could have loved more than the man that I married.   Due to the time of year that we got married and the things that were going on in my family at that time (birth of a niece, parents moving, Thanksgiving, etc.), we chose to go on a honeymoon that was a couple of months after our wedding.  And it was SO fabulous.  I couldn't believe that I had been blessed in the way that the Lord blessed me!!  God's promises are true and God is trustworthy to fulfill them (Psalm 37:4).

 

 

Rob is my soul mate, my best friend, my champion, the one who has been entrusted to hold onto my heart, which he does so sweetly and so carefully.  I sometimes feel that the word "honeymoon" for me has too much finality to it.   I like to think that we're newlyweds all the time and that the honeymoon is never over.  With that being said, I also live in reality.  We are both imperfect people and we do not (nor does anyone) have a perfect marriage.  What we do have is the Lord.  We are both the bride of Christ and Christ is our bridegroom.  Without Christ in our lives and in our marriage, we would have been doomed from day one.  I can't imagine a day in our lives right now without the Lord who loves us so dearly and who died on a cross to save us. 

Ephesians 5 

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body,^[d] of His flesh and of His bones. ³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”^[e] 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Since our honeymoon, we have taken many trips, each of which have been an adventure, in and of themselves.  We love each other and we both love to travel....and what better thing to do than to love each other and travel together?!  I look forward to many more wonderful trips with my precious husband.  I also look forward to all that God has in store for us and am thankful for all that He has done for us.  I could never have asked for more!

I have had this song in my playlist for a while, but moved it up to the number one slot, especially for this post.  This song characterizes everything about our marriage, inside and out.  I hope it will be a blessing to you as well!

When God Made You

Its always been a mystery to me, 
How two hearts can come together, 
And love can last forever. 
But now that I have found you I believe, 
That a miracle has come when God sends the perfect one. 
So gone are all my questions about why, 
And i've never been so sure of anything in my life

~chorus~

Oh I wonder what God was thinking,when he created you.
I wonder if He knew everything I would need, 
Because he made all my dreams come true. 
When God made you, He must have been thinking about me.

Ooo ooo,I promise that wherever you may go, wherever life may lead you, 
With all my heart I'll be there too. 
And from this moment on I want you to know, 
I'll let nothing come between us, and I will love the ones you love. 
(guy):So gone are all my questions about why (girl echoes):about why

Oh I wonder what God was thinking when he created you, 
I wonder if He knew everythin I would need, 
Because He made all my dreams come true. 
When God made you He must've been thinking about me.

Bridge

He made the sun He made the moon, 
To harmonize a perfect tune, 
One can't do without the other they just have to be together. 
And that is how I know its true, 
Your for me and i'm for you and my world 
Just cant be right without you in my life

Chorus

(guy) He must have heard every prayer I've been praying (girl echo) 
I've been praying (both)He must've knew everything I would need

When God made you, He must've been thinking about me.

For more great Marriage Monday posts, please visit E-Mom's blog at  CHRYSALIS  you will be blessed!

 

The Wash-A-Teria

 I don't think that I have ever been "happy" to do laundry....until today, at 4:48 pm when those precious delivery men from Best Buy came and hauled off my elderly and extremely decrepit washer and dryer and replaced them with these shiny new bee-eauties!  I think I've washed 5 loads of clothes since they pulled out of the driveway!  I never really realized just how old my pair had gotten until the new ones were installed.  This post is not really to tell you all of that as much as it is to say "THANK YOU" to my precious husband for blessing me with these...and in the nick of time, before the others keeled over dead.   But ultimately, that blessing was from the Lord, and we are both thankful for His constant provision.

If you need me....I'll be in the laundry room!

James 1:17 (New King James Version)

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

 

Heather Messick: Victoria Is 2!!!

 

 You have done so many things this year that I am so proud of. You began walking, started jibber-jabbering (although we are still waiting on real words to come) and have done tons of things that have amazed your therapists! You are a miracle living right in front of our eyes!

via messickmom.blogspot.com

I praise God today for the little life of sweet Victoria Jayne. She is the daughter of two precious friends...and what a miracle that she is. Odds were stacked so hight that they could not see the light of day. But God, in His INFINITE wisdom, brought a team of doctors and surgeons into Victoria's life that HE used to save her life so that she could bless the lives of countless others. If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you will remember her Mom, Heather Messick, who joined us for "Bee My Guest" as a guest author this past summer.

Victoria is truly a gift from the Lord...and you will never see a smile light up a room (and your heart) like the smile of this little one.

Praise you Lord for Victoria Jayne! Rob and I celebrate with her parents (and her big sisters) on this monumental day!

 

I Finally Found My Niche....I Mean nook

Sheer...

Reading...

BLISS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Born This Day

     
⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
       ¹⁴ “ Glory to God in the highest,
      And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. (Luke 2:8-20, New King James Version)

Jesus is the ONLY reason!

 

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

Luke 2 (New King James Version)

Luke 2

Christ Born of Mary

 ¹ And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,^[a] who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Jesus is the ONLY reason!

  

 

Reading along...Advent Scripture for Today (Matthew 2:10-11)

Got gifts?

 
 

Be Different.....Stay Married

 

It all began on a beautiful Fall candlelit evening on November 17, 2006.  That is the day that I met my sweet husband at the beautiful antique altar of this very old and very beautiful chapel.  It was an evening that fell out of the pages of a magazine.  The candles on the steps of the chapel....the black candelabras in the chapel with randomly sized glowing ivory pillar candles....the hundred year old wooden pews...the beautiful wooden floor....I get the shivers just thinking back to it.  

This was the night that I told my best friend and my God sent soul mate that I would spend the rest of my earthly days as his wife.  I thank God every day for my sweet husband, Rob,  and everything that he means to me.  I love him more and more every day and can't imagine a day on this earth without him.  We serve a mighty God...He is a God that is a Giver of perfect gifts and blessings.  I pray that the Lord would continue to bless us in our marriage and I pray that He will do the same for you.  

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband!

I leave you with these verses, which we hold very dear in our marriage:

Ruth 1:16-17

“ Entreat me not to leave you, 
      Or to turn back from following after you; 
      For wherever you go, I will go; 
      And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; 
      Your people shall be my people, 
      And your God, my God.

 ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die,
      And there will I be buried. 
      The LORD do so to me, and more also, 
      If anything but death parts you and me.”

A Very Special Gift!

I was blessed this weekend with a VERY special gift from my precious husband....this is one of my favorite books.  It's called "The Valley of Vision" and it's a book of Puritan prayers.  Rob got me the leather bound edition (probably so that he could take back possession of his regular copy!).  If you don't have a copy, I would encourage you to get one.  It's a very special collection and one that you will not regret having.  Thank you Rob for my special leather bound edition!  I can't wait to go to LifeWay and have my name put on it!

Labels: Special Gifts

ValentinePalooza 2009--Change of Plans!

Well everyone! That's what I get for trying to get my posting done before vacation! I'm sure you noticed that my post about New Orleans has been deleted. Why you ask? Well....because Rob's efficient wife (that would be me) tried to have every little tiny detail (even down to the blogging) worked out BEFORE we went on our trip. Guess what little detail The Wife forgot to consider? MARDI GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS!

Yep--I did it big this time.....planned a trip right smack in the middle of the definition of confusion--Mardi Gras. It's enough that Mardi Gras originated in our city (not New Orleans, but in Mobile--read about it--it's true) and that we have to contend with what I call "The Mardi Gras Mess". I certainly am not going to go and get in the middle of another city's "Mardi Gras Mess" either.

So, I'm sure you're asking...what now? Well, I had to scurry around and change all of our plans to a new location...which is now Orange Beach. There will be plenty to do, sunsets to view, waves to hear crashing on the shore....ahhhhhh, I can't wait. At any rate, I'm sure that I'll have some pictures to post when we get back. I guess you can just chalk up the "post about the trip that never was" as some really good creative writing. That taught me a lesson about trying to be "too" organized with trip planning!

See you when we get back! Here are a couple of teaser pictures of Orange Beach for you. Have a great Valentines weekend!