Encouraging Quotes
Archived Posts from this Category
Fri 4 Jul 2008
“Wondrous Creator, bless our country– our America that gives to us so much to enjoy. Help us to be true to her and to honor and love her with all our hearts. Forbid that we should ever degrade her by word or deed. As we look at that Star-Spangled Banner waving in the blue, remind us that we belong together in good or bad, in peace or war. God grant us peace and brotherhood, and our leaders, wisdom. And my Thy blessing rest over our land. Give us understanding so that we may live each day to the fullest. In gratefulness we pray. Amen.”
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“The love of country should come next to the love of God in a nation. We should never degrade our own land. We should never think the wrong way about it. Whatever the world says about us, we are a good nation and we have given to the world more than any other nation.”
—Thyra Ferré Bjorn, The Home Has a Heart
“Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in us. Our defense is in the spirit which prized liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere.”
—Abraham Lincoln
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…”
Psalms 33:12a
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“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (emphasis mine)
Proverbs 14:34
“God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood
May you all have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July. Praise God for a country where we are free to serve Jesus Christ!
 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Tue 10 Jun 2008
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Mark 8:38
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Wed 28 May 2008
“On a chilly night when the family will arrive home cold and weary, see that the table has a bright cloth and add, perhaps, some fresh evergreens in a low container as a centerpiece. Don’t ever think of husband and children as ‘just the family.’ Fuss a bit for them and you will be rewarded. Be sure the silver is straight and even at each place, and the napkins folded neatly. Make each meal the most important task you have ever undertaken. See that all the family members eat at the same time if possible. This is an important factor for a growing family, for nothing can take the place of togetherness. And when your children have grown up and look back to these memories, a glow will fill their hearts that will spill over into their own family life.”
Thyra Ferré Bjorn, The Home Has a Heart
A couple of months ago, I was inspired to do something about our breakfasts. Since we have so much to do in the mornings, cereal was almost a constant fixture for our morning meal. After reading Anna’s post on breakfasts, I have been making more effort, while keeping things as simple as possible. I try to always include some sort of protein. Our breakfasts meals have included homemade blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, and juice; cooked grits with ham cut up in it, fresh fruit, juice; cereal, ham, and juice; pancakes, bacon, fruit, and juice. When we went through times where there was no time for me to cook, my oldest said, “What happened to our good meals?”:) I try to set the table with placemats and cloth napkins that I purchased at the thrift store. They don’t really match my decor, but I guess that makes it shabby chic.:) Guests feel so spoiled and pampered when they eat at our table with these simple touches. I find that my daughters try harder to be careful about spills and their manners when the table is nicely set.
Today’s breakfast was biscuits with pear honey or blueberry jam, sausage patties, and orange juice. I am still not good at making biscuits, so these were the store-bought frozen ones. I will keep trying though! I think it’s important to cook from scratch as much as possible because of health issues mainly, but also due to food costs.
 As the above quote says, you will be rewarded when you sacrifice for your family and do your best. My daughters appreciate what I do for them and show it to me, oftentimes with sweet little letters or kind comments. If I’m overwhelmed with my business or other things, or am tired, my middle daughter will make delicious meals, putting together things I don’t think of and setting a nice table. My oldest daughter will cheerfully fix anything I ask of her. She’s always glad to help. My youngest is just getting into fixing simple things for me now. It is awesome to watch my baby grow into a young lady.
By the way, it pays off to teach your children how to cook and keep house. I was very ill back in February and could not cook, let alone eat. My daughters cooked all the meals and did the housework and their lessons without me. They told me that it was a good thing that I had taught them to cook; they realized that it was a good and valuable thing. It was in that moment that I realized that all the years of hard work (mostly alone) is paying off. I thank you, my dear Lord.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Sat 26 Apr 2008
Wildflowers in a Tin Can on a Windowsill
“After Laura and Mary had washed and wiped the dishes, swept the floor, made their bed, and dusted, they settled down with their books. But the house was so cosy and pretty that Laura kept looking up at it.
“The black stove was polished till it gleamed. A kettle of beans was bubbling on its top and bread was baking in the oven. Sunshine slanted through the shining windows between the pink-edged curtains. The red-checked cloth was on the table. Beside the clock on its shelf stood Carrie’s brown-and-white-dog, and Laura’s sweet jewel-box. And the little pink-and-white shepherdess stood smiling on the wood-brown bracket.
“Ma had brought her mending-basket to her rocking-chair by the window, and Carrie sat on the footstool by her knee. While Ma rocked and mended, she heard Carrie say her letters in the primer. Carrie told big A and little a, big B and little b, then she laughed and talked and looked at the pictures. She was still so little that she did not have to keep quiet and study.”
“The clock struck twelve. Laura watched its pendulum wagging, and the black hands moving on the round white face. It was time for Pa to come home. The beans were cooked, the bread was baked. Everything was ready for Pa’s dinner.”
On the Banks of Plum Creek, p. 301-302
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Tue 15 Apr 2008
 I read The Home Has a Heart by Thyra Ferré Bjorn many years ago as a new mother and dearly loved it. I had to return it to its owner then, but finally have my own copy now. I am thoroughly delighting in re-reading it through fresh eyes. Written in 1968, The Home Has a Heart is a cookbook and so much more. Each chapter represents a month of the year and there are stories or wisdom shared about that month. I love reading how women endured hardships gracefully in the past or ran their homes efficiently, and there are many of these stories in the book. After the stories is a sample menu that Swedish ladies would have served in their homes, along with the recipes for them. Then each chapter closes with a “Gold Nugget”, which is advice about the family, advice on homemaking, or perhaps advice for spiritual activities in your home.
For example, chapter 2 describes February, the month to celebrate love. The author shares a story of how her mother’s father showed her love by disciplining her. The mother then told her daughter of how she blessed her father for his discipline because he knew she would have children one day and would need to teach them right. The daughter (the book’s author) told her mother that she had indeed brought her up right, because she “never let me get away with things.” There is lots of wisdom in this chapter about loving our children and keeping vigil over their souls and characters. The menu in this chapter is crisply fried bacon and sausage, potato patties, lingonberries, pickled cucumber, hard tack (bread) and butter, apple-kaka with vanilla sauce for dessert, and coffee or tea, and milk as beverages. After the recipes, Mrs. Bjorn adds, “Let every February be a happy month and serve lots of smiles with every meal.”
What I love about this book is the passion it portrays for the family and home. There are so many wonderful quotes that bless me. Here are a few: “A long time ago– so many years ago that I could almost write “once upon a time”– the pride of a woman’s life was her home. Cooking to her was an art and even though there were few fancy ingredients readily available, she had a magic tough. By taking a pinch of this and a handful of that, using so many shakes and so many strokes, she would create in her mixing bowl a substance that, when baked in a wood stove without temperature control, would come out to perfection. But the biggest ingredient, always sprinkled liberally into all mixtures, was love. And the atmosphere that surrounded the cook was one of gratefulness– for being alive, being married, having a large family to cook for, a house to live in, and pots and pans and all the other household tools to work with. The home did not need to be furnished elaborately. It had other attributes– the aroma of bread baking in the oven, the smell of soup simmering on the stove, the scent of delicately spiced meats. These were the things that made the menfolk set their feet toward home when day was done and brought the children bouncing into the kitchen tired and happy from play.
“That housewife did not need to use rouge on her cheeks. The roses painted there were done by Mother Nature and contained the glow of love and excitement.
“Yes, that was a different life from the one in our push-button world of today; it had room for peace and gentleness and togetherness. Thankfulness was a virtue and those people possessed it; they knew how to appreciate life. Those women did not have the education of today’s housewife, but they did possess wisdom and with that key they unlocked the wonders of each new day. And in spite of all they had to do, they seemed to have time left over just to sit and think and dream and be happy.” (Chapter 1, p. 23-24)
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“It is fine to have a system. A home is as important as any business firm and how smoothly would a business run if it did not have a system?
“If we neglect our homes, we sin against them. There are so many things for a good housekeeper to do, but the chores can be fun. I feel as though I am playing a game, and every day I thank God for the privilege of being a homemaker. I think a home that is loved reflects a spirit of joy. And a very rewarding part of homemaking is planning the right foods for a family.” (Chapter 2, p. 26-27)
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“In March it is wise to clean cupboards, and cabinets. The closets need a good airing and all the clothes need to be hung on the line in the backyard.” (Chapter 3, p. 33.)
Along with a recipe for Swedish Plättar, which is a type of pancake, Mrs. Bjorn shares memories of her mother making them. She says,
“A when you eat your plättar, think of eight children standing in line refilling their plates over and over again and of a Mama who was never too tired to make as many as her little ones could eat.” (Chapter 3, pg. 35)
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I plan to add more quotes as I have time. They are very uplifting and encouraging for mothers and homemakers. Please do so get a copy for yourself and plan to highlight, as I have done.:) You can purchase it for less than $2.00 on Amazon.com.  I plan to collect more copies for my daughters and for ladies that are dear to me. I also would like to get the other books that Mrs. Bjorn has written.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
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