Homefires

Fireside - Conversations by the Fire about Nurturing Home and Family




Here at The Warming House the weather is crisp and cool, drizzly rain is falling, and gentle rumbles of thunder roll across the sky. It's the perfect day for this excerpt from Leaves of Gold written by its editors (copyright 1938; Brownlow Publishing Company).

"Civilization had its beginning around an open fire. Here at its warmth gathered the family group to find safety, comfort, and companionship. Trace the origin of our word fireplace and you will find it definitely related to the Latin word focus. There is the explanation of what home has always meant; for home is the center of life - no mere residence of the body but the axis of the heart; the place where affections develop themselves, where children love and learn, where two toil together to make life a blessing.

To picture in a word the depths of want, we say of a man that he is homeless. True, life is a journey, and we are all on a pilgrimage. But when distance has lost its enchantment and the ardor for adventure has cooled, when danger has been bravely faced and wonder satiated, hearts long for a resting place and find in the ruddy glows of the hearth-fire "the charm from the skies" that hallows life and gives refuge to man's tired soul."

We all need a place - a home - a refuge. One of my greatest desires is for the environment in my home to be a refuge or sanctuary for my family's (and guest's) tired souls. A home where family members find unconditional love, comfort, safety, encouragement, compassion, peace, community, and rest is also a place where families can learn, make mistakes, be challenged, and experience growth together. The world outside is tough and often hurts us. This place - my home - needs to be different. Sometimes that isn't easy to accomplish - and we don't always do it right. But sanctuary/refuge is what I yearn to give my family in this place. It is an ardent goal.

That desire and goal are also at the heart of The Warming House. I know that some of you don't have homes that are a refuge, and that knowledge hurts my heart. I want this to be a "home" and place of sanctuary for you - weary traveler. In this place, I want the environment to contain the same things - including the learning and growth we experience together. 

One of the cool things about blogging is that I get to see the nations my Warming House guests come from. I want you to know that I see you out there - those of you from Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mozambique, the U.S., India, Canada, Russia, the Philippines, Uganda, the Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil, Latvia, Serbia and more. You matter to me. When I see your presence at The Warming House, I thank God for each heart he entrusts to me for that moment - and I find myself wondering about you and what life is like in your home across the world. 

This blog is not meant to be about me. It's about the greatness of God and his ways. I do it for him and for you. My strong belief is that if this blog does not bring something positive to someone else's life, it isn't worth writing. I would love to hear from you. Let me know a little about you and what topics or issues you would like me to address here. You can contact me at thewarminghouse@gmail.com, in the comments section of this blog, or on my facebook page (see sidebar).

I think we'll build a fire in our fireplace today - the first one of the season. As I listen to it sizzle and crack, get lost in watching the dancing flames, and cozy up to its warmth, I'll be thinking of you . . . and I'll be thinking of my precious son and daughter who are many miles from home at college right now. It comforts me to know that even though we're apart, they carry the sweetness of "home" inside of them.

Friends, let's keep the homefires burning! Our families deserve it - and need it.

Because families are worth fighting for . . .
Lisa ~

Autumn's Party

Fireside ~ Conversations by the Fire about Nurturing Home and Family

Guest Blogger: Martha Carter

“FINALLY!” I say this time each year. The frost is on the pumpkin and the leaves are on the ground. Fall is upon us! It is my favorite time of the year. The colors change, the smells change, and the crispness of the air is a welcome change - especially this year. It’s as if a sharp snap can be heard and I’m suddenly awake after having drifted into lethargy in the damp summer heat. There is a comfort of nestling into fall that energizes as much as it is restful.



Another change around our home is the decor. Nature is the greatest provider. We utilize a lot of pumpkins - collecting as many as 40 in sizes ranging from a couple of pounds to a 70-pounder that squatted proudly at our front door one year. Pumpkins can be left unadorned or “blinged” out to the max. Kids love to decorate them. Turn them loose with markers, cans of paints, Mr. Potato Head parts, etc. This is one activity that has no limits. Leaves, berries, twigs, branches, pinecones and acorns can be found everywhere and in abundance. After all, it’s harvest time.

A Fall tree trimmed with all the goodies that accompany this celebratory time of year can bring the rufflings of season's change indoors. Centerpieces can be placed on coffee tables, dining tables and the hall entry sideboard.

Twinkling amber lights bring a soft brilliance everywhere you put them, inside and out. It’s the beginning of a long holiday season that brings family and friends together.

We culminate the autumn season with a pumpkin throwing contest. The person who throws/rolls the pumpkin down the hill the furthest is the winner.

Last year my daughter decided it would be a good idea for the adults to “shoot skeet” using the pumpkins. We certainly ended the season with a bang!

Here's one of my favorite poems by George Cooper.


OCTOBER GAVE A PARTY
by George Cooper


October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.


The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.


Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide and seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder’
They flew along the ground’
And then the party ended
In jolly “hands around.”

~Martha

The daughter of a pastor, Martha has found “home” in many places around the world including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Bolivia and Saudi Arabia. She’s a committed wife of 37 years, devoted mother/grandmother, cook extraordinaire, and hospitality queen. You will find many guests regularly going through her front door, and she has a way of making all of them feel very much at “home”.

Movie Night!

Fireside Fridays - Conversations by the fire about nurturing home and family

Movie Night

When our kids were young, movie night at our house was a big deal. We’d move the coffee table and fill that space with sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows for a makeshift pallet. Piling in for a movie with bowls of popcorn, a stash of snacks, and of course, the family dog was a good way to wind down the week and just enjoy being together.

This week I have a movie to recommend to you that's good for the whole family - although this one will be better appreciated by older kids (i.e., fifth grade and up). This wasn’t a blockbuster hit and most of you probably haven’t heard of it. It’s a small-time movie with a worthy storyline.

Forever Strong

Actors: Sean Faris; Penn Badgley; Gary Cole; Sean Astin ("Sam" of Lord of the Rings; and the infamous "Rudy")

Rick Penning is an accomplished rugby player and a troubled teen. His overbearing father coaches his team and tries to run his life. Rick lives life on the edge. After repeated offenses involving intoxicated driving, he ends up in a detention center. While he’s there, he’s given the opportunity to play for his rival rugby team (Highland Rugby). His participation on this team requires him to endure exhausting training and to adopt a strict code of conduct enforced by Coach Gelvin. Rick’s strong will and ego make it extremely difficult for him to fit in with his new team. This is a story of how Rick progresses on his journey to character and in loyalty to his team. The strong brotherhood that develops with his teammates changes his life. Rick is released from the detention center to return to his former team just before the National Championship game. Their opponent? The Highland Rugby team.

Parents Note:

Football violence (not graphic)

No profanity

Infrequent alcohol consumption and use of Vicodin

2 characters are involved in a car accident

Another character is hit by an oncoming car (not graphic)

Great Quotes from Forever Strong:

“I want you to be forever strong on the field so you will be forever strong off it.”

“God doesn’t make a no-good anything.”

“Let’s focus on where you could end up, not where you were or are.”

“We only have one real rule – don’t do anything that would embarrass you, the team, or your family.”

Discussion Questions:

1) How did Rick deal with his problems in the beginning?

2) What were the consequences of his actions?

3) What was the turning point in his life?

4) How did he change?

5) Do you think he made the right decision about the team he chose to play for at the National Championship? Why?

6) What did you think of their “one real rule”? Why is that important? Would this be a good rule for us to adopt?

7) Do you think Coach Gelvin was a good coach? Why? 

8) How did the way the team played the game on the field affect their lives off the field?

A Snack for Your Movie

Here’s a recipe that my friend, Di, shared with me. It’s for melt-in-your-mouth popcorn. That’s right. Melt-in-your-mouth. Best popcorn I’ve ever eaten.

Toffee Popcorn

(Makes 10-12 quarts)

Ingredients:

10-12 quarts popped corn (5 bags natural microwave bags)

1 pound butter (salted or unsalted)

2 cups white sugar

4 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 210 degrees.

Dump bags of popped corn into a separate bowl, fluff to remove any unpopped kernels, and put in a freshly cleaned and dried kitchen sink (or large bread bowl).

Spray non-stick cooking spray on two jellyroll or lasagna pans, and on two spatulas or large stirring spoons.

Melt 1 pound of butter in a thick-bottomed 3-quart saucepan. Add 2 cups sugar and 4 Tbsp. water.

Boil on medium high heat (enough to boil rapidly but not spatter on your hand when you stir).

Stir frequently for the first five minutes; then constantly until the bright yellow mixture turns the color of toffee – light brown. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon baking soda. Stir vigorously for about 20 seconds then pour the molten lava over the popcorn.

Quickly stir the popcorn until it is well and evenly coated.

Put on two large jellyroll or lasagna pans and bake at 210 degrees for one hour or until crispy. Stir every 15 minutes and do not go above 210 or it will burn or crystallize and fall off popcorn.

Delicious! Enjoy this with your family on movie night.

Because Families are Worth Fighting For . . . 

~Lisa

Finding Home

Fireside Fridays - Join me by the fire for conversations about how to nurture your family and make your home a warm and inviting place for family and friends.




Say hello to Martha - my guest blogger. She's back to share some thoughts on "home". This post will be especially meaningful to those of you who are transitioning to a new home or getting ready to leave for your freshman year of college.

Most of you reading this do not live near me.  You might be in the next town, next state or next continent. I’ve lived on three different continents and each place became my home.  At 14, my family moved to La Paz, Bolivia.  It doesn’t seem like such a far stretch today as the world has gotten much smaller with technology making everything accessible everywhere. But in 1968 the world was not so small. It was vast.

I flew with my siblings to La Paz where our parents had already established residence at a “Swiss Chalet” up in the city.   A very gracious local Swiss businessman allowed us to live there temporarily.  Having come from the Oklahoma countryside, awakening that first morning to the blaring activity of the city left me feeling out of place.  The smells were different, the 14,000 foot altitude certainly made the air itself different, the language was different, and the food was different.  I was truly a foreigner in a foreign land.  We had been without our parents for about six months as they attended a language school in Costa Rica and we were adrift.  But the sun does come up each day no matter how we feel, or where we are, and life does go on at a quick clip.  If you don’t get up and go with it, it moves on without you. Fortunately, we got up and went.  After a week. our lost luggage was returned to us and we met a few other Americans our age.  

We soon got involved with the local happenings and learned how to get around the city.  Transportation was nothing like I had EVER seen.  City buses were available everywhere all the time with locals crammed suffocatingly close inside - and hanging off the sides of the bus.  At such a high altitude vehicles move slowly, and I soon learned how to jump from the bus while it moved along.  We also hitch hiked - something I would never do today of course!  We quickly become accustomed to life in La Paz.

 

But “home” didn’t really happen until the church parsonage was built eight months later in the lower area (10,000 ft. above sea level) of La Paz called Calacoto.  A daily routine evolved and life became as predictable as it could be living in a city where political revolutions occurred with frequency.  My mother is a real nester and it didn’t take her long to fill the house with class, beauty and organization.  We lived a few blocks from the American Cooperative School we were to attend for our schooling as well as church services.  We were set for the next four years of life.  We were home.  We were together.  Things felt right.

Why had the chalet not felt like home?   I think it had to do with the nesting factor and time.  The chalet was lovely but my mother couldn't rearrange or make personal touches to it.  It belonged to another family.  We found home when our residence, with time, received its mark by us.  We left our own notations in the new parsonage.  From my father’s typewriter hammering away in his office to the sound of my mother’s knitting needles clicking with each knit and pearl the sounds were of our family.  

Friends would come and go and my parents entertained a great deal.  With time, the history of our life was laid in the house on Calle 10.

For me it takes a year for a place to feel like home. Four seasons filled with happenings that become traditions. Experiencing the scents of each changing season and then expecting their return the following year provides you with a marker of time, routine, and the knowledge of what's to come.  Time to make friends who permeate your life, time for seasons to come and go, and time to leave your mark on your home.  So be patient all you who travel and move.  You will find home again. 

- Martha

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Fridays are all about home and family . . .

Our family photo category for next week is:

Photos of your family having fun by, on, or in a body of water. It can be a lake, ocean, swimming pool - anything that's wet.

Submit your pictures to thewarminghouse@gmail.com.

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The winner of our giveaway will be announced on Monday. To be registered in the drawing, post your answer to this question in the comments section or on my Facebook page (see sidebar):

Whether you pick them yourself or buy them pre-packaged, where is your favorite place to get blueberries in the summer?

So love your presence here at The Warming House. Come see us again on Monday! If you're in the process of moving to a new home - or to your freshman year of college - remember Martha's words. When you make your mark on your new residence, it will eventually make its mark on you - and you will find "home." 

Enjoy "home" wherever your home might be . . .
Lisa

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