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But it is still summer! It rained almost all summer this year! Our garden drowned, and we had mud up until a month ago and it is September now. Our yard looks like the middle of Autumn! But it is 100 degrees ! I am so ready for a cool down.

I have not been homesteading much this year. Life took a different turn a couple of years ago and everything changed for us. My husband’s mom got sicker and went on hospice. It was a tough year and a half. Our older daughters went through a lot of phases and life changes as well. I was a care giver for his mom and that was a new experience and one I won’t forget easily. It has only been 4 months now since she is gone and I still wonder if I did enough. But isn’t that what we always do? Hope we did enough.

Our property took a back seat for about 2 years. I cannot say I would change it, or that I wouldn’t do it if it came again, but I know that was the toughest 2 years i have had in my lifetime. I am still recovering from the schedule and pressure and emotional marks it leaves on a person. I don’t know if someone who hasn’t gone through that can even imagine. I sure didn’t. But now, I will have an understanding when someone else is going through similar. So, once again. Life was a lesson. A training session.

We sacrifice some things for others. And sometimes the price is high. Just remember you cannot do it all.

Thinking of this years season of Autumn and the changing world we live in. I think it is a good time now. Time for new seeds to grow. Time for new flowers to show themselves. I believe everything happens for a reason. No matter what. God has a bigger plan than we can see in our finite minds.

I started going to a little country church a little over a year ago. And I love it. I wanted to get our youngest daughter in a youth group and around like-minded friends. Little did I know, I needed it more than I ever imagined. I have grown, changed, and even should I say, realized just HOW important it is to find a good church. A Bible teaching church.

What does this have to do with the changing season. Everything and nothing, I suppose. But it is the changes I have learned over the last year. What is really important is knowing God. Not just knowing OF Him. When you immerse yourself in the gospel and share with others as you learn, you share a closeness that can’t be described. Friends take on a new meaning. Old friends take on a new level of love and new friends raise you awareness of what is real.

I love our beautiful life. There are heartaches and there are joys. There are new beginnings and old themes. It is life. That is just plain and simply the easiest way to describe it. Continued changes.

Grace. What God gives us to save us to heaven with him. Why is it was as people are so quick to be unforgiving? When what we are rescued from is so immensely huge. Hell is waiting at the door and the devil is knocking. Jesus walks through both of them and takes our hand. Then someone on this side of heaven hurts our feelings or even truly does us wrong and we are so quick to dismiss them from our life.

Practice grace. Jesus says i desire mercy not sacrifice. He wants us to show mercy and love not just go through religious motions in falsehood. Sometimes it is harder than life itself to forgive someone, but isn’t that what we should do. Isn’t that what we would want them to do if the places were reversed?

Even what seems unforgivable sin in this world to us, is forgivable in God’s eyes. We have all sinned and deserve hell. We are hanging over the cliff when Jesus grabs us and rescues us from falling eternally. Why is it we are so quick to eternally pass judgement on another because it may be a sin we wouldn’t think of doing?

All sin is equal in Gods eyes. Noone has gone too far, except the one who rejects Jesus until it is too late.

Can we forgive each other? Can we save families? Save marriages? Stay together and work things out. Have mrecy with one another? Believe in one another enough and have the grit to stick it out. Even when it is the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

Pray harder. Read your Bible more. Bring God into your life, Bring Jesus into your relationship. Pray more. Let Jesus calm the storm. Let Jesus be the judge of you and the one you have mercy on.

Am I condoning abuse? Absolutely not. That is a totally different situation. Just wanted to add that in. If you are in danger or your children, it is a time to get out and get help.  You can forgive in time and pray for Gods mercy. But do not stay in danger.

If you are in a relationship or have a family memnber who does something wrong and continues even when they know it is wrong. Pray for them. God is omnipotent and can change and save anyone. Never give up onb those you love.

This is something we all struggle with at one time or another. Where do we find the answer? The world tells us a mixture of different answers while the Bible says the same answer every time. Lets check out what we can learn about love.

In First John 4:7, John tells us love one another, for love is from God. Anyone who loves truly has been born of God because “why?” Because GOD IS LOVE.

Next in Corinthians we hear what love should look like. Patient, kind, humble, selfless and we are told to pursue love. If God is Love and we are to pursue love, how do we do this? By seeking Christ. Christ is our first and truest love, our creator, our Saviour. He loves us more than we can even fathom. No earthly love can compare.

Romans 5:8 tells us of Christ’s truest love for us. That even while we were still sinners, He died for us. He died for you. He loves us. He loves you.

In Psalms (139:15) it says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are beautiful just the way God made you. Are you seeking Him to fulfill you and your yearning to feel loved? Only He can fill that empty spot deep inside.

I know relationships are a difficult subject for many. Lets remember Christs’ love for us and take our eyes off of ourselves. No relationship? Lost relationship? or Lacking relationship? Whichever you have or even if you have a seemingly ideal relationship, lets look at how Christ shows His love.

We are going to look at three women and how God showed his love to them. Starting with Sarah, Abraham’s wife. She was infertile and she tried to make things happen when she lost hope. I think we all do this. Then when the angel said “you will have a son. ” She laughed! She didn’t even believe him! She just couldn’t see how it was possible, yet God kept his promise! Because God does that. He loves us and keeps his promises.

Then there is Ruth. There was a famine, her husband died and she is childless. She chooses to travel with her mother in law to a strange land. Ruth must start over with the added responsibility of working and being at the mercy of the system. Basically. but look what God does! He provided for them during the famine. He made a way for her needs to be met. He made the impossible happen and she was redeemed and put in the direct linage of Christ! Now that is the Ultimate!

The last woman we will look at is Mary Magdalene. I know y’all have heard rumors, right? Well, I want to just go with facts. There are just a few. She was despised and unworthy because of her reputation and past. She was possessed with seven demons! The Bible says evil spirits and infirmities. But ya know what? Jesus SAW her. He saw beyond the past, beyond the problems. Beyond the demons. And he healed her, because He LOVED her.!

What I love most about her is her reward! She gets a most beautiful reward. Just for being loved by God. She is the first to see Jesus after He is resurrected!

Talking about these women can hopefully put a little perspective on romance for us. What is love? Let the Bible describe it for you, not the world. Don’t let chocolate, cards and flowers (aka. Romance) overpower your knowledge of who you are in Christ.

Make someone smile. Do something kind. Be the light of Christ for others because He first loved us and He keeps His promises. God has plans for you and He works them out in His time. Be patient. God is love.

Just a thought. If there is a feast before us. All the wonderful foods. Nourishment and sweets. Tasty and healthy. Everything even imaginable! Even more than we can fathom. Yet, You are not hungry. I am not going to force you to eat.

I will continue to nourish my soul on the feast. I will point things out that ought to entice you. I will even suggest you enjoy the feast! But I will not force you to take part.
I will pray that you get hungry. I will beg God to give you that hunger and thirst for this feast put before us. I will not go unnourished myself, and yet I will not beg you or plead with you or make you feel bad for not taking bites. You walk by the table every week, and not even tempted to take a taste of what is good. 

Just a glance of what is there, and a walk away. I do not understand. But I will trust that God has a plan. I will pray in anguish for your coming to the table with me. I will plead in my soul for you to taste what is good. I will continue to grow and become what I am destined to be. I will pray that you get hungry before it is too late.

If you refuse that bountiful feast, over and over. Refuse the gift of this blessing day after day. Eventually you will starve and life will leave you. Chances will be gone. You will fall the last fall. God will let go. He is holding you up and offering the feast.  But if you  continue to refuse His goodness and honor his invitation to dinner, he will in time allow you to not have any more chances to come to the table.

We see things through our own experiences. That also means someone else may see the same situation as differently as night and day. We have life experiences that shape our way of thinking and it molds how we live and how we approach each day.

Sometimes it is good to step back and just look through that tiny crack o what someone else’s view may be. Don’t assume something because that is how you see it. Really look at the situation as a whole and be careful how you approach people.

I like to look at it like what I learned in child development. Assume good intentions. A child (who is very young) doesn’t color on the wall to mess up the wall, or to destroy the paint job. They color on the wall bedcdause3 they have art in their mind and found a way to express themselves. They were doing something nice for you! They don’t pick your prized flowers to destroy your beautiful flower bed, they wanted to give you a piece of beautiful nature. (This reminds me of Dennis the Menace!)

Sometimes we need to take this thinking into situations with adults we know. They are coming from different backgrounds and different experiences than we are and their intentions are not always ill.

Of course that isn’t always the case, but sometimes we as adults can assume ill meaning from something very innocent and it harbors harsh feelings. Let’s not let that be the case!

If we have acquaintances or friends who act a way that we don’t expect, maybe they had a bad day. Maybe they just weren’t very talkative when we saw them. That doesn’t always mean they had bad feelings towards us. It could be as simple as they were feeling quiet.

If you think about their feelings and their life and maybe what you see is only a shell of what is going on, you can learn to have patience and compassion for others.

Our world centers around us and radiates out to touch others. Our perception comes from what we feel and are aware of. Be aware of others. Don’t get wrapped up in the “me” syndrome. Be a blessing to others no matter what the perception you have of their situation. Enjoy things when the focus is on them!~ Enjoy their enjoyment! Life is so much more fulfilling when we take the focus off of ourselves.

It has been a wonderful two days! Planting and working with the dirt. Getting beds ready for the next week and putting baby plants in the ground where they can flourish! Digging, watering, tending, watching.

It is truly wonderful to be a part of growing the food we eat and that our friends eat as well. We have had very productive years in the garden, and very not productive years.  That part is not up to me. It is up to God above if he deems to bless our work here.  Either way, we have enjoyed the process, and intend to share what ever we do get.

It is truly exciting to be able to do this. It feels so good to step back and see a project you labored and sweated over looking so nice. Then even more to see it produce. To watch that baby plant grow from tiny; fight off bugs and sometimes birds, or whatever else will come along.

I think it should be a lesson for us. A life lesson. There are always struggles. Some big, some small. Some shaking us to the core, and some just irritations. We are here as long as God allows. We will continue to grow as long as He gives us breath. And then if it is fitting for us, we will bear fruit.  If we are a child of God it is godly fruit. Fruit of the spirit.

When it is our time to no longer be a part of this life here, we will be gone like a vapor. Like the flowers of the field. Blooming in season then moving on.

 

I challenge you today to grow something. Plant something. Watch it grow. Or just get a beautiful plant from the store. Watch some videos on how to care for it. There are a plethora on youtube of no matter what plant you want to grow.  If you do this, you will get to reap some of the benefits of working the dirt, even if it is the smallest amount.  If you have a yard, I challenge you to more. Do some research, get a few seeds or baby plants and some potting soil. (Some yards are rich enough to not need the extra soil, but some are not.)

Do something today. And be outside in the sunshine!

Have a wonderful day! God bless your efforts. ❤  Happy Gardening!

 

Are you frazzled? Are you overworked? Are you having a hard time finding the time to relax? Is life flowing so fast that you don’t know what direction you are going half of the time?

I have some techniques and tips for you on ways to slow down. Our bodies were not created for the speed we have grown accustomed to. Our current way of life with the rush, rush schedule is taking its toll on our body. We have to be sure to slow down in between if we want to stay healthy.

The first few steps from my book I will include here. First is stretch. Stretching elongates our muscles and helps with circulation. Which in turn impacts how your heart responds to stimuli. Your body will move easier throughout the rest of the day if you start off with a little stretching.

Next is to take a little walk. Once again, our bodies were created to move. We have been laying down and mostly completely still for hopefully enough hours to shut some things down inside. We need to wake our bodies up. A walk gets all the muscles moving and gets our organs awake and functioning properly. In my book, I will go into more detail on each of these.

The next thing I’ll cover here which is one of the simplest ways to slow your mind down is to read something inspirational. Take a passage of scripture and read for a few minutes. This will get your mind on positive things to start our day. Sometimes it will make you think. But it slows down some of the chaos inside. This is so important to your mental, physical and spiritual health.

These steps are actually very easy to do. In my book I cover several more things and specifics on each idea and how to incorporate these into your everyday life. How to make them just part of your habits. DARE TO SLOW DOWN

Take the time today to find ways to slow down. For you, your family and your future. It is so important.

Todays Art was painting. I love to paint and this was todays masterpiece. ( picture coming from another device) Do I really think I have masterpieces? Well, not really. But I love to paint, so why not enjoy the process and the finished product? It is relaxing and when I’ve got the music playing and the paint brush in my hand, I just feel like nothing can happen to distract me.

I am normally such a squirrel with ideas and plans and things that need to be done, that when I paint it slows my mind down. It is a necessary part of my existence. It helps life flow at a pace I can relate to. It keeps my balance. It restarts my soul. I guess you could say.

I’ve only been painting for a few years, but I feel like I’ve always belonged painting. It is so much a part of me now, I don’t know how I ever lived without it.

Do you have a hobby that is like that for you? Or something you have wanted to do that you haven’t jumped into yet? Is there something you connect to that you feel like would complete you? Why not start today?

If it is a matter of money, start small. I think most of population knows what that is like. So just start small. Get some pencils and start drawing, or if it is something completely in a different category. Brainstorm ways you CAN start now. Figure out a way. Even if it is only a little. Get a taste of it. You never know what can happen for you if you try.

It is so worth it when your hobby fulfills a part of you that you can’t explain. Go out and grab your dreams!

Today is the first day it feels like time to be really outside in the spring and summer for yard work. Planting flowers, rearranging garden beds, playing with compost, pulling up and preparing the beds for the flowers to emerge!

Spring has sprung! It did hit 80 degrees today! And it felt amazing! My daughter baked bread while I painted. I cleaned house. Well, she also did her school work first. I am so thankful we home school. It is nice to stop and enjoy the weather and the yard for awhile in the morning if we choose.

My compost looks amazing! I cannot wait till more of the water dries up and it is really time to be working! I may even do that tomorrow, but it is forecasted to rain for another week. So, we will see.

I also have a book on composting. If you would like to check it out. It is an ebook on Amazon Kindle. Just click here. Or go to my link tree here. Then just click on books.

A few years ago, I had a wonderful composting pile. Then I had several. This years pile is probably the smallest I’ve ever had. Having covid in December/January slowed me down quite a bit. I just didn’t put as much effort into it over the winter months. I know it will be okay but hopefully I will have enough for gardening season.

I encourage you to start a compost pile! It is easier than most people make it out to be. It is rewarding, and you have some beautiful dirt to add to your gardens in the spring! If you want to learn all about my easy way, check out my YouTube video as well as the book. All linked in my linktree.

Get outside! Enjoy this beautiful weather! Plant something and watch it grow. Planting your own food and getting to enjoy your harvest is a wonderful feeling. Have a beautiful month of May!

In this day and age we are so spoiled to running to the store for everything. Anything we need, we can find pre-made, pre-packaged, and sometimes individually wrapped for convenience. It is nice for some things, but it is not nice once we go to the store and our particular store is out at the time of what we want.

It’s all good! Make it at home! Crackers is the name of the game today. I love saltines. They go with soup, fish or chicken salad, and many more things. I love them with cream cheese spread. I love them with peanut butter and honey. Well, I decided to try my hand at cracker making. There was a learning curve, but it was definitely fun. My daughter and I made 2 batches each cut in half with different seasoning for each. One batch was whole wheat, and one all-purpose flour only. For the first one we only salted the surface before baking. For the second I used a tablespoon of ranch seasoning. For the whole wheat first batch, my daughter put in cayenne, garlic, and basil; and the second batch she put some honey and cinnamon. We found out that with whole wheat we needed to add more seasoning to get it where we wanted.

The ranch were our favorite flavor out of these that we tried. Even the plain ones were delicious and we enjoyed them with what we had left of our fish and rice. We will be munching on these for this week! I do believe a pasta machine would be a plus for this recipe though. We could not get them all the same thickness, and some of them we just rounded and squished with our hands. Those were good as well.

CRACKERS HOMEMADE
half whole wheat and half all-purpose OR 100% all-purpose
Seasoning (optional)
Oil and water
Mix dough. Divide into 2 balls. Rest 10 minutes.
Roll out into very thin sheets. The thinner the better.
Bake 15 minutes turning at 6 at 400 degrees.
2 C flour
1/4 C Olive oil (we used vegetable oil)
1/2 C water
Experiment with seasonings.

Rough recipe is above. I ended up needing to add a little oil and water each time, probably because I rounded the scoops of flour. So, just measure evenly. But if you don’t it is ok. Just make the dough where you can round it into a ball and it isn’t sticky anymore.

This time with my daughter wouldn’t have been had if we had just bought that box of crackers. It’s such a simple thing. Such a special thing to make things homemade. Easier than you think. I just did a quick search on a couple of recipes. If you found this, you could also research a recipe for anything! Nearly.

Homemade is special. It is worth it. It is fun memories. It is new experiences. Take the leap! Try it. The worst that can happen is you waste some ingredients. (and the has happened to me) but we learned how not to do it when that happened and still got the work together time and fun memories!~ You can too.