It Is Well With My Soul

We are in the midst of a late October storm and whenever it turns gray and rainy outside I always seem to sing hymns. Not sure why this is the case, but the one in my mind is, "It Is Well With My Soul". 

When I was in college we had a song leader that would give the history behind some of the hymns before we sang them and I learned quite a bit about some of our hymns because of that and I appreciated them so much more. 

This one was written by Horatio Spafford after he suffered a great financial loss during the Great Chicago Fire and shortly after losing all four of his daughters at sea when their vessel struck another and swiftly sank. You can read his story here.

Composed by Philip Bliss the song is beautifully arranged and conveys such peace in knowing that this is not the end for us, no matter what happens in this world, we have the saving Grace of Christ and He will one day return for us in Glory!

It Is Well With My Soul

(Original lyrics)^[1]

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,^a

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well, (it is well),

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

A song in the night, oh my soul! ^b

^a "know" (at the end of the third line) was changed to "say".

^b "A song in the night, oh my soul" (last line)

was changed to "Even so, it is well with my soul".

First Fall Fest of the Season

One of my family's favorite towns had their annual Canal Days this weekend, officially kicking off this seasons Fall Fests. This place is amazing! There are a lot of antique stores to visit with one of them being so huge and awesome, I'd need a full day to really look at all the things they have. 

I had a friend with me this time and we hadn't gone two steps into this large antique store before finding a wall of baskets full of buttons. We could have easily spent an hour on just sorting through all those buttons. So many cool vintage items there and I already know when I go back what I'm picking up because there was more than one item I was bereft to leave behind. 

I did find these great clip-ons. And for 5 bucks I don't think I did too shabby. The aqua colored ones have a couple of crystal chips missing, but that's alright, they still look fabulous on. 

This was the really neat stairwell in that large antique mall. I fell in love with the railing and this site was common in many of the buildings in town. Just wonderful, rustic materials everywhere! 

One of my favorite buildings in this little city is the Vinton House. 

This building was once a hotel used by guests going up and down the Whitewater Canal. It has a small ballroom on the second floor and the various sized rooms really make you wish you knew how it was set up back in it's heyday. Today it's a two-story antique store with the third floor a museum. Really neat!

Having my children with me and one of them being especially cranky I didn't get to take as many pictures as I would've liked. I plan on going back for their Antique Fair in October and I'll be leaving the kiddies with the hubby :) 

I'll have to write more on this little city after my next excursion, because there really is SO much history here, I love it! 

Bike Ride

Oh how I love to ride a bike. Especially the old cruiser type bikes. 

Few things are more enjoyable for me than a leisurely ride early in the morning when I just need some "me" time. A nice place to ride a bike around here, strangely enough, is the local cemetery. It's actually a very nice cemetery and very popular for walkers and runners. It's always fun to read the interesting old-fashioned names that aren't around anymore and wondering what their stories were. 

It was beautiful this morning with amazing temperatures. Getting so close to Fall we're getting into the low 50's at night and early mornings and I love it! A few things this bike could use is an awesome basket, bell and light. One day! 

Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart and A Beautiful Day

Here's my own Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart. Not very glamorous looking but boy was it good! 

 I decided to forego the use of a candy thermometer after reading several comments about making caramel and instead spent the whole time watching the white bubbly stuff turn blonde and then finally a rich amber color. I whipped it off the heat and stirred in my butter and cream, stirring, stirring, until it was smooth and gorgeous! I think I could have eaten the caramel itself it was so good! Definitely a keeper recipe now that I've got the caramel down! 

We have roadwork going on the main route out of our small rural town. I was reminded of this on my way to see my mother early this morning. Had a bit of a wait and so to avoid another wait on the way home I took a secondary route. It's a bit longer but the views are just as beautiful. The road is very curvy and treks through cornfields and meadows and under dense tree coverings. I wish I took this route more often and probably will once Fall settles into its colors. It was so beautiful today. The weather this morning really felt like that perfect Fall day and made me want to go apple picking! This was part of my view on my way home today.

This is what it looked like further up the stretch around the bend late November last fall! 

The Hydrangeas are starting to fade and so I've got some drying to use for this years decorations. I think these will end up in a wreath for the front door. Love me some dried hydrangeas! 

How are you decorating this year? Do you get good Fall scenery where you are? 

Downton Tea

I managed to make my chocolate salted caramel tart today! Finished it late this evening and even generously shared it with the group we had over, so don't have much left. It's a good sign when half the tart is missing. It turned out rather well and I was pleased. A sliver is definitely all you need. I'll take what picture I can tomorrow and you can see for yourself. 

Wondering if it'll pair well with this little gem I discovered yesterday! 

Downton Abbey is my all time favorite series since it first aired! I've been waiting a long time for such a series to exist and season 4 is about to commence at the end of this month for our friends in the U.K. I was a bit hesitant after this last seasons happenings, but after pouring over all the articles and recent trailers of the upcoming season I'm prepared to be hooked all over again! 

                                

This tea sounds really good and I'm sure I can clear a space in my tea cabinet for it. 

Anyone else Downton Addicts? Have you tried this tea already? 

September Beginnings

I've had blogs before and I always felt I had to have a specific theme, do a certain hobby, cater to a particular demographic and so I felt like I couldn't do any post I wanted because it didn't "fit". Well, I'm over all that now and I'm just going to post whatever it is I've got going on in my life; things I like to watch, things I'm crafting, things I'm learning etc. 

So welcome if you're stopping in just as I'm getting re-started!

It's the beginning of September which means the start of my next four favorite months of the year. September, October, November and December. Fall and Spring always are my favorite months, as I think they are with most people, but if I had to choose to live in one perpetually it would be Fall. I'm sure many of you can relate with my love affair of crisp weather, changing leaves, endless amounts of tea and pumpkin anythings! Depending on which channels you watch on t.v. there is an endless supply of good movies on (think Hallmark channel) and then there's Food Network. That channel will have me busy in the kitchen attempting and creating disasters baking culinary masterpieces of all kinds of marvelous sweets and baked goods, thinking positively of course.

This Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart is divine and I came really close to getting it a few days ago, but alas, I burned my caramel. Easy to do. I'll be trying again this week so stay tuned to see if it turns out! Click the picture to check out this blog with the recipe I'm trying. Her tart looks yummy and fabulous!

Right now though I've been whiling my time away re-watching Call The Midwife. 

 One of my top fave shows from across the pond and I have many! When this show aired for the first time I wasn't sure if I was going to like it in all honesty. Since it's based on the true life stories of Jennifer Worth and her days in midwifery in London's East End during the 1950's, I thought sure there would be someone dying in childbirth almost every episode. I decided to prepare myself for the worst and check it out though and boy am I glad I did. Absolutely in love. My fears were laid to rest immediately and the stories portrayed over the last two season, while tinged with some heartache are absolutely marvelous and touching. Since I've had two babies of my own in the last few years, most episodes end with me in tears and they are of joy as my heart inwardly goes "awwweee". If you haven't checked it out yet and the topic of childbirth doesn't completely freak you out, this is a must see series! Not just for the stories but the sets and clothes are so authentic and fascinating. They really bring to life what it was like living at that time and I often find myself grateful for the place and time in which I live when I watch. 

Click on the photo below to check out their facebook page. Just beware, there are spoilers if you haven't seen any episodes yet :)