Home, Sweet Home

I have really been missing in action! Sorry. As I mentioned earlier, I went to Branson, Missouri, with a group of ladies from our church to a prayer conference. Certainly this is a pivotal time in our nation's history, and in that of the world. We did pray. A lot. And I believe it will all work out in God's perfect will, and that's what we all want.

This is part of the somewhat messy (our fault) cottage I shared with two other ladies. Each cottage is self-contained with compact kitchen facilities, so we could actually come back in the evening and enjoy something we'd left cooking in the crockpot. That's a lifesaver when you're busy all day and tired at night. :)

If you're ever planning a trip to Branson, I recommend them highly: www.cardinalhillcottages.com

The ladies in my van had an unplanned adventure; we took a wrong turn and came home a different way, but it was good - beautiful scenery. This is Nimrod Lake in Arkansas.

We had such a good time, a lovely group of women, all sweeties!

And the best part of any trip for me - coming back home! My little family had made me a welcome home banner. Isn't that sweet!

I am a blessed woman, and I know it!

Now, if I can just get rid of this little upper respiratory bug I picked up I'll be happy.

Have a great day! I've missed you all.

Hugs and kisses,

Pruning

My poor fig tree has been reduced to a shadow of its former glory.
Hurricane Ike did a number on it. I didn't notice until a couple of weeks after the fact that it had been blown/twisted away from the fence. The result was that we had to prune it pretty severely to save it.

You can see the "before" of it here . Kind of sad, but sometimes that is just the way things are.

I know I don't like to be pruned. I don't like having those things cut away from me that are distracting to the purpose for my life, and may be even dangerous to me. We humans are just that way. We want to go on doing what we want to do. :)

But if we allow The Master Gardener to prune us, He can bring us into a place of greater fruitfulness. And that's what will happen with my fig tree, too. It will be better than ever next year. Had I left it as it was, it would have surely fallen. Sometimes that's what happens with us, too, if we don't allow God to trim the parts off from us that are hindering us.

I'm off this week on a trip to Branson, Missouri for a prayer conference. For sure this is a time when our country needs prayer!

Have a great day!

Winning Opportunity

This morning as I was checking on some of my favorite blogs, I saw that Anna Maria Horner's new book, Seams to Me 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing is almost out! And not only out, but her publisher and some other nice folks are having a sweepstakes to celebrate said book. They're giving away some good stuff!

But you probably shouldn't go there and enter. That would mean more chance for me. :)

Have a good night!

Angel's Trumpets

When I went outside this evening to check on my chickens and do some other little errands in the yard, I was smitten with the most delicious fragrance.

Our angel's trumpets (brugmansia) are in riotous bloom. Not only are the flowers gorgeous,

but the smell is heavenly!

You can really see that they LOVE growing right next to the chicken yard - such rich earth made this plant grow into a tree almost!
And isn't that a pretty shot of the little piece of moon we have in the sky tonight? It looks so peaceful.

Hope you have a good night!

Changes

It was time for "clean sheets" out in the chicken house today. They are pleased. I guess chickens must be somewhat like us, because they sure do seem to like it when I clean their abode. :) Ah, fresh hay in the nest boxes. Much better!





And remember this tree that ended up on our house?











It's gone. Our neighbor and his sons got up there and cut it all down, as I told you here, and this past weekend Mr. Sweetie Pie helped them get that big old stump out of the ground (what a chore that was!). And now we have smooth ground. Hallelujah! Just need to replace that missing fence and we're done.





Fall is definitely in the air, but the air is still hot. We still have some pretty things to see out in the back yard, and that always makes me happy.





Enjoy your day!

Love from me,

But He Did!

When I stepped outside our back door yesterday I saw this bumblebee enjoying himself on one of our yellow hibiscus flowers.



And I happened to think. I know, always dangerous. :)


Aeronautical engineers have determined that the wing size and shape of bumblebees are not sufficient to enable them to fly.

But he did!

There are always people who will tell you that you can't do a thing that you want to do.

If it's a good thing and won't hurt anyone, why not just go ahead and do it anyway.

The bumblebee did!

Have a great day.

Hugs and kisses,

Getting Better

We have a much better report on our daughter. The problems have been identified and now medication is making its way through her system and soon she will be back to normal. Glory to God!

We are just SO thankful. Thankful to the Lord, and thankful to those who have prayed for her.

I finished another of those dishrags. At least something productive came out of all that time there. :)

Have a great day!

Hugs,

Good Things and Not So Good

I've spent the better part of the week at the hospital with our older daughter. She was taken there by ambulance Monday night - difficulty breathing and some other issues. Doctors haven't figured out what's going on yet, so it's a time for patience and a time for believing God's promises.

The bookmark was a surprise left for me this morning by my sweet neighbor. How could she have known that it would be such a perfect time for a nice surprise?

It is tatted, not a skill I've learned, and the intricate detail just blows me away! Thanks, Sandy!



On the plus side, I had plenty of time to finish this little dishrag, and I've started another.
On the minus side - I just feel so helpless to help. Doing little things for her that she cannot do for herself doesn't seem like much. But I pray. A lot! And I know that helps, even if I don't see immediate results.

I find a lot of peace in my own back yard. There is always something pretty to see.

My aim has been to always have something in bloom.

I don't always succeed, but usually there is something if you look hard enough. :) And it helps me to have that bit of beauty stored up to take with me.

Hope you're having a good week.

Hugs and kisses,