The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come…
Song of Solomon 2:12

The Lion of Judah, the Lamb that was slain,
In power and glory has risen to reign;
He only is worthy, none else could prevail,
To conquer the dragon and open the seal.

- from the hymn, The Lion of Judah

Justin and Audra and baby Elinor gave me three red roses.

Will you tell me which one you like best?

Just last month, my sisters and I sang at a Sweethearts’ Dinner, held in the tiny town of Terrace, Minnesota. The church basement was packed with 100 husbands and wives (and soon-to-be-marrieds), enjoying a romantic candlelight dinner. During the meal, we girls were hiding in the sanctuary, trying to control our nervousness as the time drew closer for our performance. The time came; we forged ahead; the audience smiled and clapped; we were walking on air!

The video recording above is of the “lovely little Lennon Sisters” singing the lighthearted love song, Melodie D’Amour. We listened to the clip over and over, and fashioned our own acapella version to sing at the Sweethearts’ Dinner. It is such a merry tune! I hope you enjoy it.

I sit beside the fire and think
Of all that I have seen,
Of meadow-flowers and butterflies
In summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
In autumns that there were,
With morning mist and silver sun
And wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think
Of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring
That I shall never see.

For still there are so many things
That I have never seen:
In every wood in every spring
There is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think
Of people long ago,
And people who will see a world
That I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think
Of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
And voices at the door.

– J. R. R. Tolkien

Walk in the light, and thine shall be,
A path, though thorny, bright!
For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee,
And God, Himself, is light.

– From the hymn, Walk in the Light

I thought I’d share this photo I took–oh, over a year ago–in the good old summertime, when one could run around outside on a moonlit night (without so much as a jacket!), camera and tripod in tow…

Favorite Jane Austen Novel:

Pride and Prejudice

Favorite Jane Austen Movie:

Pride and Prejudice, 1995 A&E version

Favorite Jane Austen Hero and Heroine:

Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey

[One of My] Favorite Jane Austen Quote[s]:

“Elizabeth, on her side, had much to do. She wanted to ascertain the feelings of each of her visitors, she wanted to compose her own, and to make herself agreeable to all; and in the latter object, where she feared most to fail, she was most sure of success, for those to whom she endeavoured to give pleasure were prepossessed in her favour. Bingley was ready, Georgiana was eager, and Darcy determined to be pleased.“