Karen Ehman - Homespun Memories for the Heart: More Than 200 Ideas to Make Unforgettable Moments

HOMESPUN MEMORIES for the HEART

More than 200 Ideas to Make Unforgettable Moments

Karen Ehman, Kelly Hovermale, & Trish Smith

2005 by Karen Ehman, Kelly Hovermale, and Trish Smith

Published by Fleming H. Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. Except for the tags , no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ehman, Karen, 1964
Homespun memories for the heart : more than 200 ideas to make unforgettable moments / Karen Ehman, Kelly Hovermale, and Trish Smith.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-8007-5983-4 (pbk.)
1. FamilyReligious lifeHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Family recreationHandbooks, manuals, etc. 3. AmusementsReligious aspectsHandbooks, manuals, etc. 4. EntertainingPlanningHandbooks, manuals, etc. I. Hovermale, Kelly, 1963 II. Smith, Trish, 1969 III. Title.
BV4526.3.E36 2005
249dc22

2004025839

Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

They will celebrate your abundance and joyfully sing
of your righteousness.

PSALM 145:7

To those women who have shown us the importance of building memories:

KarenTo my mother, Margaret Patterson, for the dozens of cakes lovingly baked, the scores of gifts cleverly given, and the many sacrifices unselfishly made, it is to you I dedicate this book.

KellyTo my mother, Kathy Ginter, for the investment you made in my life and the encouragement you graciously give to me as a wife and mother to my four precious children. Thank you for being not only my mother, but my mentor and friend.

TrishTo my aunt, Frances Underwood. From Easter baskets to Sunday dinners and family vacations, thank you for giving me an example to follow of how to celebrate every special day.

And to those with whom we continue to build these cherished memories, our families:

Todd, Mackenzie, Mitchell, and Spencer Ehman,
Greg, Steven, Austin, Jonathan, and Autumn Hovermale,
Doug and Zach Smith.

CONTENTS

1 Make Homespun Memories
An Introduction

2 Celebrate the New: Spring
Mud Puddles and Galoshes, Passover and Prayer

3 Celebrate Golden Days: Summer
Bicycles and Berries, Fireworks and Flowers

4 Celebrate Turns and Changes: Fall
Apples and Oak Trees, Backpacks and Blessings

5 Celebrate Light in the Dark: Winter
Snowflakes and Candy Canes, Holidays and Hearts

6 Make Birthdays Bright
Cake and Candles, Presents and Parties

7 Celebrate the Milestones
Brides and Blessings, Anniversaries and Adoptions

8 Celebrate Your Faith
Rights and Rituals, Purity and Prayer

9 Celebrate the Extraordinary Everyday
Rainy Days and Road Trips, Bedtimes and Books

10 Make the Finishing Touches
Labels and Tags, Certificates and Coupons

1
MAKE HOMESPUN MEMORIES
AN INTRODUCTION

They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

PSALM 145:7

M emories. The mere mention of the word conjures up images and emotions. For some folks, memories are the warm feelings they get as they remember Christmas mornings tiptoeing down the stairs still dressed in flannel pajamas, hoping to catch a glimpse of the treasures waiting below. For others, just the smell of a familiar fruit can evoke the memory of time spent with Grandma in the kitchen, waiting to sample her famous strawberry preserves. The sound of rain on the window can bring memories of a book read by flashlight under a makeshift blanket fort, an ordinary night turned into an adventurous yet safe time to treasure years later.

A scent, sound, sight, touch of somethingmost anything can trigger such recollections and transport you back to another time and place. Whether good or bad, these moments of the pastyour memorieshave shaped you into the person you are today.

Your Fingerprint on Celebrations and Memories

Now fast-forward to the present. Look at the people in your life: your circle of friends, immediate and extended family, even your casual acquaintances. Though your lives have converged at this point in time, the journeys that have brought you here are as unique as the whorls and loops of each individual fingerprint. You all have come from different places, experiences, and backgrounds, bringing to each new relationship a sample of what youve experienced along the way.

As coauthors and friends, Kelly, Karen, and Trish share lives that are a reflection of this truth. Each of them comes from a distinctive background, bringing to the table whatever memories and traditions they have experiencedsharing them with you here in the pages of this book. But look for that common thing theylike you in your circlesshare.

KELLYS STORY OF SIMPLE THINGS

Growing up in a small town, Kellys life was simple, but the celebrations were richand these are what continue to sustain her in a life that can grow complicated and crazily busy.

One of her favorite celebrations was always the Hanging of the Greens, a Christmas tradition in her small village church. Church members of all ages gathered for one evening to deck the halls with beautiful decorations, sing carols, and munch a tasty cookie or two. She remembers looking through the boxes of Christmas decorations that were pulled out of storage for just the right ones to take back to the Sunday school classroom.

There were yards and yards of glittery gold and silver tinsel, and old Christmas cards portraying the important scenes of the Christmas story. Long, tangled strands of tree lights with those large, old-fashioned colorful bulbs, and a well-worn, misshapen tree were ready to have little hands create on it a masterpiece of holiday beauty. Looking further she found an eclectic assortment of ornaments used throughout many a Christmas past. And it was always a treat to find just the perfect Christmas angel to don the treetop.

Meanwhile, the men from the church would bring in a real pine tree that seemed to touch the ceiling. Then the ladies busied themselves by hanging homemade ornaments that would symbolize the story of the very first Christmas. The highlight of the evening was seeing the nativity scene being assembled outside on the church lawn. Children gathered round, anxiously awaiting nightfall and the illumination of the baby in the manger.

The best part was that my family lived across the street from the church, Kelly remembers. I would often ponder the quietness of the snow-blanketed nativity scene as I looked out the window of my house.