"Silent Night"

It was Christmas Eve in the Austrian Alps. At the newly constructed Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, a Tyrol village near Salzburg, Father Joseph Mohr prepared for the midnight service. He was distraught because the church organ was broken, ruining prospects for that evening’s carefully planned music. But Father Joseph was about to learn that our problems are God’s opportunities, that the LORD causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him. It came into Father Joseph’s mind to write a new song, one that could be sung without the organ. Hastily, he wrote the words, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright…” Taking the text to his organist Franz Gruber, he explained the situation and asked Franz to compose a simple tune.

That night, December 24, 1818, “Silent Night” was sung for the first time as a duet accompanied by a guitar at the aptly named Church of St. Nicholas in Oberdorf.

Shortly afterward, as Karl Mauracher came to repair the organ, he heard about the near-disaster on Christmas Eve. Acquiring a copy of the text and tune, he spread the hymn throughout the Alpine region of Austria, referring to it as “Trioler Volkslied.”

The song came to the attention of the Strasser family, makers of chamois-skin gloves. To drum up business at various fairs and festivals, the four Strasser children would sing in front of their parents’ booth. Like the Von Trapp children a century later, they became popular folk singers throughout the Alps.

When the children- Caroline, Joseph, Andreas, and Amalie- began singing “Trioler Volkslied” at their performances, audiences were charmed. It seemed perfect for the snow-clad region and perfect for the Christian heart. “Silent Night” even came to the attention of the king and queen, and the Strasser children were asked to give a royal performance, assuring the carol’s fame.

“Silent Night” was first published for the congregational singing in 1838 in the German hymnbook Katholisches Gesang- und Gebetbuch fur den offentlichen and hauslichen Gottesdienst zunachst zum Gebrauche der katholischen Gereinden im Konigreiche Sachsen. It was used in America by German-speaking congregations, then appeared in its current English form in a book of Sunday school songs in 1863.

Were in not for a broken organ, there never would have been a “Silent Night.”

From “Come Let Us Adore Him” by Robert J. Morgan

Dress shown above is now available through our Etsy shop.

Tatting

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to learn how to tat. Tatting has always interested me and is a skill I have long wanted to learn. So when I discovered that a local shop was offering lessons in tatting I was thrilled.

I must admit tatting has been, by far, one of the most difficult handicrafts for me to learn but, with the LORD’s help, I have been able to make some progress. The photos above are of my first two projects. I was so pleased with how the lavender and purple bookmark coordinated with the book I am currently reading. : )

A wonderful resource for learning to tat is Shuttle Tatting 1. I had purchased this video several years ago and, though I had learned the basic stitch at the lesson I attended, I found this video to be a tremendous help in learning the rest I needed to know in order to complete a simple project.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

Wrist Warmers

Here in upstate New York winters are very cold. The main source of heat in our home is a wood burning stove, which is very cozy, but when temperatures are below 20 degrees we could always use a little extra warmth.


Several years ago my sister Hannah began knitting wrist warmers, the perfect solution for cold hands. We can still sew or knit because our fingers are free, but our hands can stay nice and warm.

Wrist warmers are also great for shopping, allowing your fingers to grasp for keys or buckle your seat belt. Wrist warmers also lend an old-fashioned yet contemporary flair to any outfit.

Hannah carefully knits each pair of wrist warmers from soft wool and wool blend yarns. They are currently for sale on our Etsy page in a variety of colors. We have found that wrist warmers have always been a much appreciated gift this time of year. : )

"She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands." Proverbs 31:13

A Little Women Treasury

Yesterday evening I completed a treasury for Etsy, my theme was "Little Women". "Little Women" has always been one of my favorite books, so it was fun to try and think of all the different items I could list that would be "Little Women" related. To view the treasury click here.

Snow Day

Yesterday evening we busily prepared for the impending storm; setting candles about, making sure the radio had new batteries and filling pails with water. The news forecasted quite the storm- two feet of snow, 50 miles per hour winds and wide spread power outage. We were ready for the worst, but prayed we would not lose our electricity.
When morning arrived we had a lot of snow. Thankfully the wind wasn’t as bad as expected and we did not lose our electric! So we were able to spend a cozy day sewing. The LORD is so good!
We were so pleased to see the farmer who lives up the road plowing our driveway with his tractor. Truly a blessing!
Later in the afternoon, my mother, sisters and I went out to shovel a path to the driveway. The snow was very deep. I think it exceeded the two feet expected. Our little dog Sophie wasn’t quite sure what to do, but as soon as we shoveled a path she ran about excitedly. Sophie loves the snow.
Today I received an email from a customer and sister in the Lord. She shared how over the past few months she has felt lead to reconsider the way she dresses. I really liked the way she expressed her feelings about this decision. She said she was going to “celebrate her womanhood”. One of the many joys of womanhood is the privilege to wear lovely, feminine clothing.

“Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. “ Psalm 119:35