Close To Thee

Thou my everlasting portion,
more than friend or life to me,
all along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.

Refrain:

Close to thee, close to thee,
close to thee, close to thee,
all along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.

Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
nor for fame my prayer shall be;
gladly will I toil and suffer,
only let me walk with thee. (Refrain)

Lead me through the vale of shadows,
bear me o'er life's fitful sea;
then the gate of life eternal
may I enter, Lord, with thee. (Refrain)

Text: Fanny J. Crosby (1874)
Music: Silas J. Vail (1874)

Lord, I Want To Be A Christian

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.

Traditional African American Spiritual

Letter to the Mayor

I live on Walnut Street. A very Mayberry’ily named street isn’t it? And while I love living on Walnut Street I have now decided that I would prefer to live on Pomegranate Lane. However we know the whole housing market has tanked so now I’m upside down on my mortgage and can’t afford to move to Pomegranate Lane, therefore I think the next best thing is for the City of Shafter to change the name of my street. So I am considering sending the City of Shafter the following letter:

Dear Mayor of the Town of Shafter: (doesn’t that sound like that line from the Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz who is making a huge proclamation? “As Mayor of the City of Munchkin”…or something like that. Please feel free to correct me if you are a Wizard of Oz trivia expert.)

     As you are aware, our city, nay our state, nay our whole country is in the midst of a recession of gargantuan terms! Due to this I find myself in a position where my home in your lovely city is now worth far less than I owe for it. That in itself is not the problem as I am comforted by the fact that I am not alone in the “mortgage debacle boat”. The problem is the name of my street.

     When I bought my home I thought the name Walnut Street was beautiful…and so it is. It’s not as quaint as the street my niece Alle lives on which is Elm Street, making her Alle of Elm Street. It’s not as California sounding as the street where my parents house is, Golden West (bringing to mind the Golden Coast and Katy Perry’s lovely song, California Girls, not to be mistaken for the Beach Boys song, California Girls…but I digress).

     Lovely as Walnut Street is, I would like to live on Pomegranate Lane. It just has a lovelier ring to it and I do so love Pomegranates and we grow a lot of pomegranates in Kern County and we grow no walnuts that I know of so it just makes sense to promote those commodities that are available in Kern County by renaming my street to Pomegranate Lane. (Please see the first paragraph of my letter as to why I can't just move to a street named Pomegranate Lane.)

     Please bring this matter before the City Council at your following meeting in October. I would be happy to attend and to bring the council members a bushel basket bunch of pomegranates since October is the beginning of Pomegranate season.

     I highly urge this matter to be considered and a decision made in October so that I can order my Christmas cards with the return address on Pomegranate Lane, in time to be mailed for Christmas.

Respectfully yours,
Alicia of Pomegranate Lane

So there we go! Don’t you all agree that the title, Alicia of Pomegranate Lane, has a lovely ring to it. Maybe it could even be the title of my book which is what my blog will be turned into once I expire and my children realize I’ve left all my worldly possessions to a book publisher in return for having my book deal go through.) I’ll let you all know what the council decides!

The Most Beautiful Puppy Ever!

Today was a beautiful day here in Bakersfield. It was cool and the sun was shining but it was also cloudy...a perfect day for taking the perfect picture.

Voila!!

It's been a while since I've posted pictures of my daughters Shih Poo, Chorizo. Isn't she precious? My sweet little puppy-wuppy!

Thanks for sending the picture April....See you tomorrow!

I Need Thee Every Hour

I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like thine can peace afford.

Refrain:

I need thee, O I need thee;
every hour I need thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby;
temptations lose their power when thou art nigh. (Refrain)

I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain. (Refrain)

I need thee every hour; teach me thy will;
and thy rich promises in me fulfill. (Refrain)

I need thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me thine indeed, thou blessed Son. (Refrain)

Text: Annie S. Hawks (1872)
Tune: NEED, 64.64+Refrain, by Robert Lowry (1873)

Iwanna Wednesday - Candles to Light Your Way

Almost...just barely...I feel Autumn coming. It's just a little bit cooler in the mornings and there's a touch of dew on the grass. Yes, maybe it's still 95 degrees by lunchtime, but Iwanna pretend that Autumn is here, that the leaves are turning from green to beautiful shades of orange and gold, brown and red.

Iwanna use my oven again to bake Pumpkin Bread, Meatloaf Pie, Scalloped Potatoes and Ham and Baked Chicken with Baby Red Potatoes lovingly coated with sweet, nutty Olive Oil and a touch of Salt and Pepper! Iwanna wear sweaters and jackets and boots to work. Iwanna cuddle up on the couch with my warm, furry blanket and watch movies. Iwanna get back into the new season of my favorite shows, Greys Anatomy, House and the Big Bang Theory. Most of all Iwanna light candles. Beautiful, richly scented candles from Yankee Candles...my favorite kind.

I can't believe that the Yankee Candle Company has been around since 1969 when a young man named Mike Kittredge wanted to give his mother a Christmas gift. He melted some crayons and made a candle for her. A neighbor saw the candle and persuaded Mike to sell it to her. He then took the money, bought some wax and made two candles; one for his mother and one to sell. The rest is history!

I only found out about Yankee Candles around 2003 when a friend gave me one for absolutely no reason! I was thrilled (aren't we always when we get a gift for no reason). When she gave it to me she said it was a Damn Yankee Candle, the scent was Home Sweet Home. I fell in love with the scent and it still is my absolute favorite scent. I didn't know that the Damn wasn't part of the name until I used up the candle and went to go find another one and realized it's just Yankee Candles! True Story...silly as it is.

So what Iwanna this Iwanna Wednesday is to share with you the joy that is Yankee Candles!

"Light the candles and pour the red wine into your glass. Before you begin to eat, raise your glass in honor of yourself. The company is the best you'll ever have." Daniel Halpern

Home Sweet Home...my favorite. This candles smell like love and warmth and family. Slightly cinnamony, sweet and spicy. Even though it doesn't smell like Christmas it gives you that same feeling of expectation and joy in knowing that you'll be sharing love and joy with your family.

And Yankee Candles doesn't just offer this candle in a large jar like the one pictured, nooooo. You can also purchase smaller jars, tumblers, tea lights, votives and even car air fresheners!

Oh and tarts, which are cool little flat pancake-like scented pieces of wax that you place in a container that you can light an unscented tealight under, like these.

See, you place the scented tart in the little glass dish on the top and then light a tea light underneath. As the tea light melts the tart it releases a heavenly scent! And it's reusable too!

So thats what Iwanna for this Wednesday. Iwanna Autumn to get here a lot quicker and I wanna enjoy some Damn Yankee Candles.

What do you wanna? Have you heard of Yankee Candles? Which are your favorite?

O Jesus, I Have Promised

O Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
be thou forever near me,
my Master and my friend.
I shall not fear the battle
if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if thou wilt be my guide.

O let me feel thee near me!
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
the tempting sounds I hear;
my foes are ever near me,
around me and within;
but Jesus, draw thou nearer,
and shield my soul from sin.

O let me hear thee speaking
in accents clear and still,
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will.
O speak to reassure me,
to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
thou guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, thou hast promised
to all who follow thee
that where thou art in glory
there shall thy servant be.
And Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow,
my Master and my Friend.

Text: John E. Bode (1866)
Tune: ANGEL'S STORY, 76.76 D, by Arthur H. Mann (1881)