His Goodness~

The Lord is faithful to all His promises

and loving toward

all He has made.

We can rest in Him.

The Lord upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who

are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the

proper time.

Such a bountiful provision.

You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of

every living thing.

God's word is so full of promises

that will encourage us, light our way

and strengthen our hearts~

Have a blessed day.

Our Dog ~ Liberty

This is one of the sweetest things.

She works so hard at pleasing us.

There is definitely the element of protection in her

little dog heart.

I don't believe there is anything this little

bit of a dog wouldn't do for us if she had the chance.

She is a whole lot of love wrapped up in a fur body.

The neighbors cat moved here just to be with
'Miss Liberty.'   Mr. Kitty snuggles with her every chance he gets!

 Here is a little story that I love to tell about her:

One day Liberty and I were taking a walk. It was a little cool so I had

worn my down vest. It warmed up rather quickly and so I hung my vest

in a bush along the road.

Somehow, Liberty and I got separated and I couldn't find her. She usually comes

with a whistle. But not this time. The walk takes about an hour.

After walking to the turn-a-round and back, I was approaching

the hill back to the house. And still, no sign of the dog.

As I drew nearer to the top of the hill, I saw something laying near the

bush where I had hung my vest. It was Liberty!

After we had gotten separated, she had gone back to the place

where my vest was.  I was very surprised. I thought

that was SO smart and it showed her loyalty.

She surely has won our hearts in various ways. Doing her tricks,

trying to get the other cats to like her. ( She licks them and lays on

her back close by to show her submision. It's so cute.)

She gives hugs by pushing between our knees when we're standing

or by crawling behind our legs if we're sitting. And she gives

LOTS of kisses.

Pets add such a special dimension to family life as they offer their

 devotion and teach us about unconditional love.

Transitions: What Now?

I am wondering if there are other moms out there that are wondering if there are other
moms out there.( I am most certain there are. If only I could connect with some and glean
from their wisdom. And the wondering is about where to go from here.) Transitioning from
having 9 children very close in age and home schooling, to having three older girls.

Though I love being home with children and homemaking and in no way would want
to neglect this, I am in a season of my life that allows me some time to pursue and hone
some of my gifts and talents. And not that I have the need to justify, but I am also drawing
my girls in and teaching them many new skills that they can use to bless others or to
build a cottage industry. The time together also works to build wonderful relationships
and we have a lot of fun as well!

                                                I love to work with my hands.

Keeping this simple would suit me, but honestly, I feel somewhat buried in possibilities. My gratefuleness for a wonderful supportive husband (who loves to see me at peace and
developing my talents) runs very deep.

One of the problems I am having is narrowing the field. But then again, I wonder if I really
need to.

Here are some of the things I enjoy doing:

 * Growing herbs and flowers

 * Crafting
            1) Paper
            2) making weathered wood wallhangings
            3) sewing (hand and machine)
            4) creating with felt
            5) embellishing fabric

 * Playing music and singing ( it is interesting that I should think of this last
             because it is first in my heart)
_________________________________________________________________________

So. Here are some guideleines I am attempting to apply to help me find the track that
I really want to be on.

1) Asking God for direction : I am convinced that He knows me and my circumstances best. In knowing this I wait on Him for clarity.

2) One foot in front of the other: Keep at something.  And what I mean by this is being faithful
to work at one of these things will keep me inspired and I will eventually come to know what I
am and am not supposed to be doing. I don't want to sit overwhelmed and idle!

3) Be realistic about  what I can accomplish. One of the truths that seems to be coming to me over
and over again is that LESS is MORE!  I used to be so wishy washy about decisions and never
wanted to miss anything. I was distracted and captivated by what everyone else was doing. I
do NOT want to be governed by the crazies. So learning to get focused and stay focused has been essential for me.

Some of my flowers

Herbs and flowers

Homemade herbal vinegars

A pillow cover that I'm working on

Paper flowers

Set up for a craft fair

Some of our wood crafts

******************************************************************

I don't know if anyone is reading this. But if you are and you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

A million thanks~

Loving the Simple Things

I love simplicity. The thought of it.. the look of it... can you smell simplicity?

I suppose so. It brings to mind visions of those pretty little English Roses.

Ours bush is covered with these lovely little flowers

and the fragrance just floats through the air.

When we open our bedroom door that accesses the herb garden,

the sweet smell slowly invites itself in on soft breezes.

It makes me stop and close my eyes and take in the freshness.

That beauty is something that I can remember when the days are cold and windy

or when life seems to be dragging me along and I want to slow down.

I am not at home, but I can picture the bush and smell

the flowers even now.

What a special gift.

Thank you, God.

Simplicity

 ~Simplicity...

   causes contentment and peace

to grow in the

garden of our hearts.