Proverbs 31:10-31

A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.

 Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.

She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.

She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.

When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

 The Family Table 

Jacob loved watching me unpack and set up the rooms in our new home. When I was unpacking our dining room, I pulled out the box of our gold silverware and serving utensils and he asked “What is that Mommy?” It occurred to me that he probably had never even seen it before. We only used it at holidays or special occasions, and we really hadn’t used it much in quite some time. This made me think. Why do I have this beautiful set of cutlery and yet it just sits in a drawer of the china cabinet? What is the point of having it if we are not going to use it? So now we use it every evening for dinner. Which then inspired me to make the rest of dinner beautiful as well. Why not use the nice cloth napkins? Why not light some candles? Why not set an atmosphere with soft classical music? Yes, we are a family full of little boys. And boys can be rambunctious and messy, but boys can also learn to be polite little gentlemen and they won’t learn if they are not taught.

So then the other day I was thinking about how lovely it was to have everything so nice for dinner, why not bring some of that to the other meals as well? So i pulled a few of my serving trays out of the china cabinet. At breakfast I arranged a fruit plate, and everyone loved it! The boys even seemed to remember their manners. So at lunch I arranged a vegetable tray, and a tray of meat and cheese, and one of crackers. Again, it was a hit! Breakfast and lunch were both so pleasant that we have decided to continue with the concept of making every meal a little special. No more rushing around, no more throwing lunch together in a hurry. Meals are an occasion to sit down together, have polite conversation, and enjoy the company of our family. Whether we are serving sandwiches or a full course dinner, the table is pretty and manners are remembered. It is amazing how even carrot and celery sticks suddenly seem like a treat when served on a pretty silver platter.

One thing that is important to remember when you have little ones is that children will be children. You can not expect a one year old to not make a mess when he is eating spaghetti, and you have to expect that he will run that pretty gold fork through his hair at some point, and that it is entirely possible that the placemat could end up on the floor. But in time, with the right example, he will learn what is acceptable behavior, and before you know it he will learn to behave like a little gentleman.

We bought a pretty lace table cloth this weekend. ( I must admit that I remove it for meals, I am not entirely crazy afterall) I love lace, and had wanted a lace tablecloth for some time, but it is hard to find one large enough that is not terribly expensive. I wasn’t ready to invest in an expensive one yet, so this was perfect. I love the mix of masculine and feminine in our home. Our house is a log cabin style, so there is quite a bit of wood, and yet I have used a lot of lace, and vases of flowers, and we have an ornate four poster bed. Our home feels comfortable, and it is our own blend of formal yet warm. It fits our family, for where we are in life right now. We do have little ones so our home has to be child friendly, but I also don’t want to live in a world of bright colored plastic and no knic-nacs. So I think we have found what works for our family.

    "To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." ~ Titus 2:5