Hello, Goodbye....

HA! Bet you might have thought something else, eh? Recently, it was my extreme pleasure to go on a small group tour of the Lake District, UK with Helen Bertram of Whitecroft Traditional Tours. It was, in one word, excellent; to use two words...most excellent. All I had to do was show up and be taken care of; long time blog readers know that for an amazingly rare treat. To say it was a shock, coming home to the lovely cacophonic reception of dogs, cats, horses who ALL wanted me to get back to the job of tending to their needs...I ask you...is there a recovery program available for me? 

But I digress. I'm at the library, again, sigh, and am uploading photos of the trip with the actual travelogue to come later...when internet at home has been restored and, more importantly, when someone teaches me how, using my extremely high tech language here, make smaller my photos. Since the "powers that be" decided Picasa needed to die, I have NO idea how to (high tech verbiage again) make smaller my photos...they are extremely dense and need to be around 350 dpi for upload.

I've just learned I can make an appointment with the library high tech geek and see if they're able to help...please, God, make it so.)

Each day/evening had special delights, each evening we would say, "Best day ever; it can't get any better!" and then...and then...BETTER! My notes are home so I can't remember (ducking and running from those women who do remember! sorrrreeeee!) the name of this home but we had dinner here one evening. All our gamboling was done within a 40 mile area, thereabouts, and we still didn't "see it all". This man had three black labs, all of them totally sweet and he, the man, was over the moon when we squealed (you know women...), "We'd LOVE to see your dogs!" The pleasure on the man's face was over the moon happy...people wanted to see, and love on, his canine companions.

Not all photos will be of humans and dogs; some are meant to whet your appetite; the last photo is for Sue, she of Oregon fame.

I haven't received permission to put names to faces, so you'll have to enjoy sans names, except for Helen and Betsy, Helen's cohort in crime tour.

(photographic evidence of Betsy loving on a dog.)

 Helen Bertram, Whitecroft Tours, on right

New Jersey

Our host and Helen, seated at head of table.

Mrs. Heelis and Mrs. T.

Helen and Mrs. T celebrating H's birthday and the arrival of Mrs. Heelis.

listening to Mrs. Heelis

(I would tell you where...but I've forgotten...I do remember this is a private home)

enthralled by Mrs. Heelis

practicing for retirement

and, because people always tell me..."We never see photos of you, Sandra; where are you?" Well folks, here am I.

I took about 1,000 photos and it'll take time to do the travelogue...especially as I have to come to town to access i-net. Be patient...God willing and the crik don't rise, it'll happen.

Ponder this ~ "The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only one page." 
~ Augustine of Hippo ~

Sabbath Keeping

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and

healing to the bones."

~ Proverbs 16:24 ~

If you can't say anything nice

Don't say anything at all. 

~ Mom ~

For most folks, it doesn't cost anything extra to be nice.

"Not only do I think being nice and kind is easy, but being kind, in my opinion, is important."
~ Dwayne Johnson ~

"I still get weepy when I see a father being nice to his child. It so affects me." ~ Pat Conroy ~

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." ~ Mark Twain ~

Kindness is never wasted.

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." ~ Princess Diana ~

"Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." ~ Albert Schweitzer ~

"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them and they bless you, the giver." ~ Barbara de Angelis ~

"It's nice to be important

but it's more important to be nice."

~ John Templeton ~

"I'm just one woman away, my mother, from being the same as Mike Tyson. I would have ended up like him if my mama had not been so tough and strong. A lot of people, including Mike, don't know I came from the ghetto. They think I'm too nice and proper. But that's the way my mama raised me - to look people in the eye and respect them." ~ Evander Holyfield ~

"Wherever there is a human being,

there is an opportunity for a kindness."

~ Seneca ~

"Three things in life are important.

The first is to be kind.

The second is to be kind.

The third is to be kind."

~ Henry James ~

"Always be a little kinder than necessary." ~ J. M. Barrie ~

"There is overwhelming evidence that the higher the level of self-esteem, the more likely one will be to treat others with respect, kindness, and generosity." ~ Nathaniel Branden ~

"Be kind to one another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another

as God in Christ forgave you."

~ Ephesians 4:29 ~

Please pray for ~ Katie, JW  & Mason ~  and me, as there might be great change in my life ~

(Apologies all...my home internet isn't working and, lately, life is chaotic, thus, no blog updates nor blog visits and am at the county library doing this update.  I've used this time to take a vacation (see photo above and tell me where...), try and catch up with mowing, take a quick trip to visit family, celebrated July 4th and dealing with "the rest of life". To those who've written to say, "You're missed"...many grateful thanks and to those who've stuck with me...many grateful thanks. It's been a mess and as Dave would say, "Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you." As Julian of Norwich said, "All shall be well..." and so it is.)

Sabbath Keeping

"I know the plans I have for you",

says the Lord.

"They are plans for good and

not for disaster,

to give you a future and a hope."

~ Jeremiah 29:11 ~ 

"God is not concerned about our plans. He does not say-"Do you want to go through this bereavement, this upset?" He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, nobler men and women; or they are making us more captious and fault-finding, more insistent upon our own way. The things that happen either make us fiends, or they make us saints; it depends entirely upon the relationship we are in to God. If we say- "Thy will be done," we get the consolation of John 17, the consolation of knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom. When we understand what God is after we will not get mean and cynical. Jesus has prayed nothing less for us than absolutely oneness with Himself as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far off it, and yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him, because Jesus has prayed that we may be." ~ Charles Spurgeon ~

"Don't ask God to guide your steps

if you're not willing to move your feet."

"...we all die, and the length of our life has been set before the earth was formed. Sometimes God takes the little ones to keep the eyes of the rest of the family on Heaven. They will never forget where this road leads if one of their own has already come to the end of it." ~ Susan Claire Potts, Burning Faith ~

"The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, 

and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety."

~ George Mueller ~ 

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

"I just follow God's lead. One step, one day and one opportunity at a time. The hardest part is not becoming distracted." ~ Carlos Wallace ~

"Sometimes you have to walk through fire

in order to reach your calling."

~ Shannon Alder ~ 

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes into rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominable and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards, You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

"God has a plan."

"And we know that God causes all things

to work together for good to those

who love God, to those who

are called according to His purpose."

~ Romans 8:28 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Jim ~ Stephanie ~ Sandra ~ 

Sabbath Keeping

"My son, keep your father's command and

 do not forsake your mother's teaching." 

~ Proverbs 6:20 ~

"I remembered my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. 

They have clung to me all my life." 

~ Abraham Lincoln ~

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
~ Theodore Hesburgh ~

"Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong."
~ Donna Ball, At Home on Ladybug Farm ~

"But behind all your stories is your mother's story because hers is where yours begins."
~ Mitch Abram ~

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me but I think she enjoyed it." ~ Mark Twain ~

"There is nothing in the world of art like the songs mother used to sing." ~ Billy Sunday ~

"My mother thinks I am the best. 

And I was raised to always believe what my mother tells me."

~ Diego Maradona ~

"My family is everything. I am what I am thanks to my mother, my father, my brother, my sister... because they have given me everything. The education I have is thanks to them."
~ Ronaldinho ~

"Expectation is the mother of all frustration." ~ Antonio Banderas ~ 

"I'll be a wife and mother first, then First Lady." ~ Jackie Kennedy ~ 

"I don't agree with the whole 'my mother's my friend' approach because you're their mum, and there has to be a difference between the generations." ~ Jane Asher ~

"Happy is the son [or daugher] whose faith in his [her] mother remains unchallenged."
~ Louisa May Alcott ~

"If your mother did not know how to love herself, or your father did not know how to love himself, then it would be impossible for them to teach you how to love yourself. They were doing the best they could with what they had been taught as children." ~ Louisa L. Hay ~

"As Jesus was saying these things a woman in the crowd called out, 

"Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." 

Jesus replied, 

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it." 

~ Luke 11:28-28 ~

Please pray for  ~ Millie ~ Stephanie ~ Sandra ~ 

Sabbath Keeping

"Let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me,

that I am the LORD, who exercises 

kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,"

declares the LORD."

~ Jeremiah 9:24~ 

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others;

for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness;

and for poise, walk with the knowledge 

that you are never alone."

~ Audrey Hepburn ~ 

"The greatest thing a man can do for his heavenly Father 

is to be kind to some of his other children."

~ Henry Drummond ~ 

"You cannot do a kindness too soon,

for you never know how soon it will be too late."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~ 

"Want to snatch a day from the manacles of boredom? Do overgenerous deeds, acts beyond reimbursement. Kindness without compensation. Do a deed for which you cannot be repaid."
~ Max Lucado ~

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." 

~ Aesop ~ 

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again." ~ Og Mandino ~

"Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." ~ Albert Schweitzer ~

"Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning." ~ Frederick W. Faber ~

"There's no use doing a kindness if you do it a day too late." 

~ Charles Kingsley ~

"Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows." 

~ Robert Green Ingersoll ~ 

"Let us hide our pains and sorrows. But, while we hide them, let them also be spurs within us to urge us on to all manner of overflowing kindness and sunny humor to those around us. When the very darkness within us creates a sunshine around us, then has the spirit of Jesus taken possession of our souls." ~ Frederick W. Faber ~

"Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness." 

~ C. S. Lewis ~

"Unseasonable kindness gets no thanks." 

~ Thomas Fuller ~ 

"No matter how low down you are; no matter what your disposition has been; you may be low in your thoughts, words, and actions; you may be selfish; your heart may be overflowing with corruption and wickedness; yet Jesus will have compassion upon you. He will speak comforting words to you; not treat you coldly or spurn you, as perhaps those of earth would, but will speak tender words, and words of love and affection and kindness. Just come at once. He is a faithful friend - a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." ~ D. L. Moody ~

"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him

 in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus, 

in order that in the coming ages He might show 

the incomparable riches of His grace, 

expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

~ Ephesians 2:6-7 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Stephanie ~ Rose ~ Jim ~ Dewena ~ Laura ~ JP ~ Maxine ~ the Roberts ~ Diana and her Hero  ~ President Trump and other leaders ~ Sandra ~ 

What You Need For A Reading Nook of Your Own

April's Full Pink Moon arrived on my birthday...a joyous gift!...and, absolutely knowing how to LIVE LARGE, (like you!) I treated myself to a frozen yogurt...smile! When the kind woman found out it was a birthday treat, she plopped a huge strawberry on top.

There are all manners of good things, on a daily basis, that, almost always, outweigh the not so good. Little kindnesses, treats that are both coming to us and, if we're smart, being given from us. One of the absolute best ways I give myself both grace and kindness is with a dedicated reading space.

After the Epic Mess and putting the bedroom to rights, I made a sweet little Reading Nook. I'm a firm believer that everyone should have a spot to call their very own, where they can sit and read or sit and think or sit and do nothing...all of which are done in my little nook.

The leather chair was a great find...not usually a fan of recliners but this one is on the shorter side and fits my body nicely...so nicely I've been known to fall asleep...wry smile. The sheep fleece keeps me comfortable, no matter the season, and, some years back, I knitted the purple wool shawl and use it to drape 'round my shoulders. The pillows are used to give back support and under my legs when the chair is reclined. A good reading light is a must and little touches like the battery operated candles lend coziness. Behind the candles is a green cafetan purchased in a Marrakech souk and hung for pleasant memories. Yes, that larger rug is Persian and was destroyed in the flood; while it can't be used in public areas, in the privacy of the bedroom, it's "okay".

Another cozy non-necessity is an electric fireplace that gives both ambiance and a little heat. It doesn't get very hot so the radio on top isn't in danger, neither is it hardly ever turned on. While reading, I'd rather have my imagination in use as opposed to warring with raucous noise.

The bookshelf under the candles contains books, magazines, writing boxes holding stationary, cards and colored pens to send notes and letters. It's not only reading I do in my nook.

The glass carafe was a gift from Sandra 2, my SC friend of many, many decades. It rests atop a small coaster from The Jefferson and another pleasant memory of a weekend with my husband.

This particular Reading Nook is in my bedroom and differs from others in the house and is only used prior to going to sleep. I love my space...each object has been placed with thought and consideration and every night, prior to sleep, great enjoyment is found here. Perhaps that's the secret to its success - loving the space, choosing each object with care, good lighting, comfortable chair, great reading material. It's a (not so small) way I, every night, take care of me gently and enjoy both space and act.

We're all different but the following are things that are a Must Have for my Reading Nook(s) and cozy contentment:

~A comfortable chair with good support...sides and back with pillows, throws, shawls or similar to cozy 'round shoulders should a chill arrive. The chair should have room to stretch out...a recliner or, perhaps a leather chair with ottoman, because one certainly needs a place to put up feet.
~A side table to hold book(s), beverage, essential oils, lotions, etc.
~a small aromatherapy diffuser with lavender essential oil. The diffuser doesn't have to be expensive as it's only going to be used for short periods of time and by the time I've read a chapter or twelve, my eyes are heavy with sleep and the room gently scented with lavender which is sleep inducing.
~Excellent lighting - I highly recommend OTT lights! There's an OTT light in every room in my house and my old eyes are greatly appreciative!
~A book case to hold old favorites and those to become favorites.
~While some do, I don't like cut flowers in a bedroom because their scent is overwhelming.

Do you have a Reading Nook? If so, what makes yours special for you and your situation?

Ponder this ~

"A reader lives a thousands lives before he dies. 

The man who never reads, lives only one." 

~ George R. R. Martin ~ 

Sabbath Keeping

"He is like a [good] father to us,

tender and sympathetic to those who reverence Him.

For He knows we are but dust and that our days are few and brief,

like grass, like flowers, blown by the wind and gone forever.

But the loving-kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to

everlasting to those who reverence him."

~ Psalm 103:13-18 ~

"Pray

and let God worry."

~ Martin Luther ~ 

"The antidote for covetousness is contentment. the two are in opposition. Whereas the covetous, greedy person worships himself, the contented person worships God. Contentment comes from trusting God." ~ John Macarthur ~

"The more you go with the flow of life and surrender the outcome to God, and the less you seek constant clarity, the more you will find that fabulous things start to show up in your life."  ~ Mandy Hale ~

"I had no real communication with anyone at the time, so I was totally dependent on God. And He never failed me." ~ Diet Eman ~ 

"Faith isn't the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It's simply taking God at His Word and taking the next step." ~ Joni Erickson Tada ~ 

"Faith is believing that God is going to take you places before you even get there."
~ Matthew Barnett ~ 

"Trust in God alone, and lean not on the needs of human help. Be not surprised when friends fail you; it is a failing world. Never reckon upon immutability in man; inconstancy you may reckon upon without fear of disappointment." ~ Charles Spurgeon ~ 

"We have very little faith in the Lord, very little trust. If we trusted the Lord as much as we trust a friend when we ask him to do something for us, neither we as individuals nor our whole country would suffer so much." ~ Thaddeus of Vitovnica ~ 

"Faith talks in the language of God.

Doubt talks in the language of man."

~ E. W. Kenyon ~ 

"I am optimistic about the future. Brethren, for our part, we must remain steadfast in hope, work with all our strength, and trust in God." ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf ~

"We are not saved by making promises to God. 

We are saved by believing God's promises to us."

~ Warren Wiersbe ~

"...it is presumptuous in me to wish to choose my path, because I cannot tell which path is best for me. I must leave it to the Lord, Who knows me, to lead me by the path which is best for me, so that in all things His will may be done." ~ Teresa of Avila ~ 

"Dedication is writing your name

 on the bottom of a blank sheet of paper

 and handing it to the Lord for Him to fill in."

~ Rick Renner ~ 

"Let your life reflect the faith you have in God. 

Fear nothing and pray about everything.

Be strong, trust God's word, and trust the process."

~ Germany Kent ~ 

"But the more you make the choice to live above your feelings, 

to trust God instead of what you may feel like doing, 

the stronger your faith becomes.

It's not about being perfect.

We will always bee on a journey of growing closer to God."

~ Tim Tebow ~ 

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

 may have power, together with all the saints, 

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may 

be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

~ Ephesians 3:17-19 ~ 

Please pray for - Rose ~ Jim ~ Katie ~ President Trump and all government leaders ~ pastors ~ 

Sabbath Keeping

"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you,

and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness,

and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new heart also will I give you, 

and a new spirit will I put within you:

and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,

and I will give you a heart of flesh."

~ Ezekiel 36:25-26 ~

"The Bible will keep you away from sin

or sin will keep you away from the Bible."

~ Dwight L. Moody ~

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go

keep you longer than you want to stay,

and cost you more than you want to pay."

"Sin has a diminishing factor to it. It always gives its best in the beginning. It never gets better after that..it only gets worse." ~ Mark Aulson ~

"Salvation consists in passing from this dark, restless and tormented Existence in which the worldly man lives, to live in truth, to that in which it is really worth living." ~ Catherine of Siena ~

"The chains of sin are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."      ~ Tom Drout ~

"No sin which we are capable of committing has ever taken God by surprise for He knew we were just like that." ~ Alan Redpath ~

"Sin, which brings death to the soul, is yet sweet to the taste. The more we sin the more perverted becomes our taste, the more clamorous for further indulgence. But these stolen waters of sinful pleasure are not always sweet. Pleasant though they may be at the first, they will become bitter indeed. The power of sin lies in its pleasure." ~ unknown ~

"You do not really care for God's mercy or His comfort either, so long as you live in any sin. And it is well that you do not; for you can have neither. Your peace will be like a river, when you put away your sin; but not one word of true peace, not one drop of true comfort, can you have till then." ~ Alexander Whyte ~

"If I cast up a confessed, repented, and forsaken sin against another, and allow my remembrance of that sin to colour my thinking and feed my suspicions, then I know nothing of Calvary love." ~ Amy Carmichael ~

"As the salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect every atom of our nature. It is so sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect it, you are deceived." ~ Charles H. Spurgeon ~

"We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

"Sin has the devil for its father,

shame for its companion,

and death for its wages."

~ Thomas Watson ~ 

"I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've got a foot, and I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist. I'll butt it as long as I've got a head. I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm old and fistless and footless and toothless I'll gum it til I go home to Glory and it goes home to Perdition." ~ Billy Sunday ~

"Embrace in one act the two truths--thine own sin,

and God's infinite mercy in Jesus Christ."

~ Alexander MacLaren ~ 

"When Jesus had lifted up himself

 and saw none but the woman,

He said unto her, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? 

hath no man condemned thee?"

She said, "No man, Lord."

And Jesus said unto her, "Neither do I condemn thee:

go, and sin no more."

~ John 8:11 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Alicia ~ MacKenzie ~ Robbin and her Mom ~ Connie and husband Jay ~ Jill ~ Tesha ~ Jettie ~ 

One Hot Mama...er...I mean to say...One Warm Granny

The Epic Mess of January 8 is nearly over. At least, the rooms are almost put back together and my bedroom has had HEAT for ten days...just in time for Spring, doncha know. Hallelujah and Thank the Good Lord above along with Gillespie Construction! It's been a mess, in more ways than one and I'm happy to say good-bye to bedrooms temps of 46 degrees F above zero. Even though I purchased a couple of electric heaters, they were hard pressed to get the temps to the mid 50's. Temps might have said it was a three dog night but I had to make due with two dogs and wool blankets and am glad to have cold behind me. While I'm not quite one hot mama I am now, most assuredly, one warm granny!

BAM! Bedroom floors refinished, walls painted and new heat registers with PEX pipe in place of copper pipe. PEX comes in white, blue, red with blue, generally, being for cold water, red for hot water and white for all else. PEX is less expensive than copper, easier to install and won't corrode; if you have a plumbing job, I strongly suggest you look into using PEX.

I'm still happy I added this little bit of history to the inside clapboard of the dining room.

The dining room furniture still has to be restored...actually, it has to be taken to the gent who is doing the work and I'm hopeful it can be restored. You may recall Eddie was helping but he did a runner, leaving me high and dry, and it's been quite a scramble. Fortunately, Joe, of Cabins and More, was available to help finish the job and last night he and some Mennonite youth blessed me by coming to the farm and doing a lot of jobs that will make my life so much easier and better.

Mom and Daddy have always preached there are two types of people in this ole world...givers and takers. Takers don't know (nor do they want) how to give and givers, generally, have a difficult time taking. All that to say, it blessed me to have pizza and donuts last night (a surprise for them) and it also blessed me having two women to help, then sit and chat; I can't remember the last time that happened.

Shortly after the flood and while I wasn't home, other men moved things out of the bedroom and into the rest of the upstairs. To say it was helter skelter is putting it mildly; I'm still trying to find stuff. In the move, the bed was broken and Joe of Cabins and More, was the one to fix it thus enabling me to actually be able to sleep in the bed. YAY Joe! Last night, curtains were hung, bed was fix, moved, set up and other furniture moved as well. Today, I moved smaller pieces of furniture, rugs, lamps and made the room ready for tonight when the dogs and I sleep in the bed.

The paint is Valspar Hopsack from Lowe's and I almost guarantee it to lower blood pressure by twenty points. The curtains are some I've had for a while but the sheers are new. Generally, I go to the bedroom early, sit in my comfy leather recliner and read before lights out and going to sleep. I'm training myself to read either the Bible (Psalm 4 being a favorite) or use my Bible journal to pray for folks (and myself) as the last thing I do at night.

There's nothing on the brick fireplace, obviously, but I'm thinking of hanging a textile I purchased in Budapest. It's large enough to effective use the real estate but light enough should it fall down, wouldn't do damage.

The small light is used for a night light and other quilts stand ready should temps be disagreeable.

The king size quilt is Ralph Lauren (thrift store) but covers the bed nicely. By the way, last night two girls came to me and asked, "Would you mind if we made your bed?"  Didn't they do a great job?! Chloe, 10, and Graceanne, 7, did a wonderful job, especially considering how far this bed is off the floor. The stairs, middle of this photo, were made so the dogs could have ease of access while I just lumber up any ole way.

I'm still doing laundry because everything in my two bedroom closets need to be washed and dried. Although they closets were taped shut, sawdust from floor refinishing and sheet rock dust managed to get everywhere. When I remove a piece of clothing the dust is clearly visible so I'm carefully putting clothes in a basket and taking them outside to shake them prior to washing them. It's just more work on top of all the other work and is a royal pain in the neck. The insurance man said, "I've allowed for the cost of water in doing laundry." Well, ballyhooo! That ain't going to get it as it also takes electricity and a lot of it to run the well pump, the washer, the dryer. I keep electric bills for several years (farm expense for tax purposes) and my electric bill is doubled for the same months in 2016. Not to mention ServePro machines that ran 24/7 with the noise enough to drive a person insane. Thanks to my Beloved Sistah's suggestion, I took videos and capture all that racket.

Tonight is the Big Sleep-In...right after an Epsom Salts bath to, hopefully, help the bruises and swelling received when a fourteen foot metal farm gate fell on me. Yes, it did, and does, hurt but I'm happy no bones were broken. I believe it was Bette David who said, "Growing old ain't for sissies", to which I add, farming ain't for sissies either.

At some point, I'll give the low-down on the dining room...which is being used as a sewing room because he dining room furniture is in pieces and parts. For now, I'm over the moon HaPpY to be this far along and may God bless all hands who've had a part.  My body grows more black, blue, painful and stiff so it's time to crawl into that tub of hot water and Epsom salts. Bless you for caring.

Ponder this ~ Don't stumble on something behind you ~

Sabbath Keeping

"Honor your father and your mother 

that your days may be long in the land 

that the Lord your God is giving you."

~ Exodus 20:12 ~

"Parents are the bone on which children sharpen their teeth."

~ Peter Ustinov ~

"A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone." ~ Billy Graham ~

"Love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we often forget they are growing old." ~ unknown ~

"Don't anger your parents in order to please other people. Those other people did not spend their lives building yours." ~ unknown ~

"Step parents are not around to replace a biological parent, rather to augment a child's life experience." ~ Azriel Johnson ~

"Live so when your children think of fairness, 

caring and integrity, 

they think of you." ~ unknown ~

"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths,
but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."
~ Anne Frank ~

"Beyond every young child who believes in himself, 

is a parent who believed first." 

~ Matthew Jacobson ~

"A father's goodness is higher than the mountain, a mother's goodness deeper than the sea." ~ proverb ~

"Never complain about what your parents couldn't give you.
It was probably all they had." ~ unknown ~

"By the time I realized my parents were right,

I had kids who didn't believe me." 

~ Hussein Nishah ~

"Do not teach your children to be rich. 

Teach them to be happy.

So when they grow up,

they will know the value of things,

not the price."

~ unknown ~

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.

Honour thy father and mother, 

which is the first commandment with promise.

That it may be well with thee,

and thou mayest live long on the earth."

~ Ephesians 6:1-3 ~

Please pray for ~ Anita ~ Laura ~ Hazel ~ Jim ~ Sandra ~

Sabbath Keeping

(would love to give credit...do you know origin of this photo?)

"The end of a thing is better than its beginning;

the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,

for anger rests in the bosom of fools."

~ Ecclesiastes 7:8,9 ~

"Patience is bitter
but its fruit is sweet."
~ John Chardin,
Voyages en Perse et autres lieux de l'Orient ~

"One minute of patience

gives ten years of peace." 

~ proverb ~

"Patience is the companion of wisdom." ~ Aristotle ~

"Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting."  ~ Joyce Meyer ~

"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." ~ Napoleon Hill ~

"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains."  ~ proverb ~

"Never cut a tree down in winter time.
Never make a negative decision in the low time.
Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods.
Wait.
Be Patient.
The storm will pass.
The spring will come."
~ Robert H. Schuller ~

"The two most powerful warriors are

patience

and time."

~ Tolstoy ~ 

"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance."
~ Samuel Johnson ~

"The greatest power is often simple patience." ~ E. Joseph Cossman ~

"How poor they are who have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees." ~ Shakespeare ~

"Just because something isn't happening for you right now doesn't mean it will never happen." ~ proverb ~

"Patience is the ability to count down

before you blast off."

~ proverb ~

"Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm." ~ Syrus, 42 B.C. ~

"Be patient with everyone,

but above all with thyself.

I mean, do not be disheartened by your imperfections,

but always rise up with fresh courage."

~ Francis De Sales ~

"Festina Lente"

"And not only so,

but we glory in tribulations also:

knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience, and experience, hope."

~ Romans 5:3-4 ~

Please pray for - Anita ~ Hazel ~ Phoebe ~ 

It's Been A Year...Already!

So much has gone on that a lot of it has been forgotten and the (almost) worst of it has been the computer has been on the fritz. As in, I couldn't access any web sites except those the computer (or Google...let's not forget Google...) decided I could see. That includes my very own blog which explains no Sabbath Keeping yesterday but today the Good Fairies seem to want to play nice. ??? I'll take it!

I don't even pretend to understand! So...if something wonderful has happened in your life, please let me know because, for more than a week, I've missed it all. Except for the storm last week. I sure didn't miss those zero temps with wind chills below zero. I would sleep for three hours then wake up in a tizzy, afraid the pipes were going to freeze, burst, thaw. When awake, I'd feed the wood stove but when asleep, I had nightmares of freezing, bursting, thawing pipes. Seriously, I would wake in a sweat because I was dreaming the ceiling was falling down around my ears just like it did Jan 8! Speaking of...the epic mess is still not fixed. Pipes are still leaking although it's of absolutely no concern to the insurance rep; he just said, "Oh, that's a separate issue and has nothing to do with this issue."

Welllllll...I do not have issues...I've got problems, one of which seems to be ignoring the fact an insurance policy is a contract. Anyhoo, I'm still waiting on the heat registers which are on order. The insurance rep "allowed" the exact cost at Home Depot and not a penny more. Yeah. Those registers are doing me a lot of good at Home Depot because not only do they not have them in stock, the insurance rep didn't allow shipping. I am puzzled, enormously, how those registers are supposed to get here. Is the insurance company responsible for shipping or not? Home Depot assured us the registers would should might be here by mid-May. At the very least, the end of May. Surely. Yeah. We think. wink. If those registers can be found anywhere else, trust me, they're coming to this farm. No one wants to mess with a cranky, cold senior citizen who knows her rights!

I do know this much...I am well and truly sick of being cold, living in chaos, not being able to get into my closets, having bedroom furniture and clothes strewn in three rooms and a hall, sleeping in sharing a twin bed with Sam P. Spade, still doing laundry of textiles and clothes that were either in the dining room or my bedroom...blah, blah, blah. Three months is long enough to wait...I want to be warm and sleeping in my own bed...NOW!

Okay...rant over...apologies if you require.

I need to make a run to Duchess Dairy, I'm in need of sweet Jersey cream to churn into butter and buttermilk then to make biscuits, gravy and a lot of other fattening, nice kitchen goodies. The two large churns are both family heirlooms with the largest being from my Grand-Grandmother Delilah via Aunt Bonnie. I learned to churn, make cat head biscuits, apple butter and a lot of other things from Aunt Bonnie and have always had a serious case of heroine worship on her.

Aunt Bonnie kept a Jersey and a Guernsey cow for milk and cream and yes, chickens for eggs and the table. If you're going to keep milk cows, Jersey and Guernsey are the absolute best. Most commercial dairy herds are Holsteins because of their prolific production; a Holstein produces more milk but of less, much less, quality while a Jersey's quality is best in the bovine world.

Daddy John and Daniel have been calving...yes, in the nasty, cold, bitter weather. Last week, on the worst day, they had eleven calves born. I was allowed to tag along and took these photos of a calf being born.

This cow's water has broken and the small white dot is the calf's foot. When presented correctly, a calf will come out front feet first. Sometimes, when a cow is in labor, she'll steal another cow's calf which is what this cow did. She tagged a calf and followed it around the field, all the while, in labor with her own. Sometimes, a calf will follow a cow in labor and steal milk. The animal world is funny, just like the human world.

She finally laid down and began pushing only to get up, move around again

laid down again, the calf is beginning to slip out

cow is taking a break and you can see the calf raise his head...he's alive!

cow clambers to her feet but calf isn't fully birthed

 this is where it got funny...

the cow began walking around, poor little calf still caught half out, half in

the cow feels something strange, keeps turning, turning, turning

what in the world!!!!????

calf scrabbles for ground, can't get purchase

and...suddenly! slips out onto the ground

proud cow turns and begins licking the afterbirth and in a few minutes, the calf wobbled to his feet and began nursing.

Sadie, watching over the Peaceable Kingdom, is enthralled with the cow herd and with the idea Spring is here, so says the calendar. The old timers said whatever weather was on the first day of Spring is what we'd have the rest of the quarter. Please God, let it be so! It's been warmish today, a tot of rain and mostly sun. I've done seven loads of laundry, a bit of house cleaning, some re-arranging which means I'm, slowly but surely, putting furniture back in rooms where they belong. Yes, by myself. Don't ask.

Happy Spring People...be safe!

Ponder this ~ conduct is the best guide to character ~

Sabbath Keeping

"...No weapon forged against you will prevail, 

and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. 

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, 

and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD."

~ Isaiah 54:17 ~

"God never made a promise that was too good to be true." ~ D. L. Moody ~

Ten Things God Wants YOU to Remember ~

*I will give you rest

*I will strengthen you

*I will answer you

*I believe in you

*I will bless you

*I will not fail you

*I will provide for you

*I will be with you

*I love you

*I care for you

"God's promises are like the stars.

The darker the night, the brighter they sign."

~ David Nicholas ~

"Most of the time God's promises are in your reach.
They are not in your hand. You have to go get them." ~ unknown ~

"You see, faith opens the door to God's promise for you. And patience keeps it open until that promise is fulfilled." ~ Kenneth Copeland ~

"God has promised forgiveness for your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination." ~ Augustine of Hippo ~

"The stars may fall but God's promises will stand and be fulfilled." J. L. Packer ~

"Let God's promises shine on your problems." ~ Corrie ten Boom ~

"I had a choice: I could believe the lies of the devil, in which case I was on my way to suicide, or I could believe in the promises of God, and be taken through my time of trial." ~ Angus Buchan, Faith Like Potatoes ~

"One of the most poisonous of all Satan's whispers is simply, "Things will never change." That lie kills expectation, trapping our heart forever in the present. To keep desire alive and flourishing, we must renew our vision for what lies ahead. Things will not always be like this. Jesus has promised to "make all things new." Eye has not seen, ear has not heard all that God has in store for His lovers, which does not mean "we have no clue so don't even try to imagine, " but rather, you cannot outdream God. Desire is kept alive by imagination, the antidote to resignation. We will need imagination, which is to say, we will need hope."
~ John Eldredge ~

"You are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God's goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God's blessing. For if you had trust in God's grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper."
~ Martin Luther ~

"All your days have been written in God's book.

When you go through a disappointment,

don't stop on that page.

Stay the course.

Keep believing.

You may be tired, discouraged, frustrated but

don't give up on your future.

Our God is faithful."

~ unknown ~

"David found the heart to pray when he received God's Word of promise--that he would establish his throne and build him a house. Christians, however, have an infinitely greater Word of promise. God will not merely build us a house, He will make us His house. He will fill us with His presence, beauty and glory. Every time Christians merely remember who they are in Christ, that great word comes home to use and we will find, over and over again, a heart to pray."
~ Timothy Keller ~

"The promise of a dreamer's future will always remain greater than their present ability. God will always give them dreams that are further along than their current level of maturity." ~ Wayne Cordeiro ~

"Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request, "Do as Thou has said." The Heavenly Father will not break his Word to His own child." ~ Charles H. Spurgeon ~

"You were given this life because you were strong enough to live it."

We all go through bad things, trails, tests, disappointments, discouragements, the heart break. Each of us have those things, sometimes it seems in abundance, in our lives; God didn't promise we wouldn't go through those things. He promised to be with us when we do. Keep running your race, walk when you need to and crawl if you have to but keep moving toward Jesus. Do not stop.

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, 

but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish

but that all should reach repentance."

~ 2 Peter 3:9 ~

Please pray ~ one for another ~

Sabbath Keeping

"Cast your burden on the Lord,

and He will sustain you;

He will never permit the righteous to be moved."

~ Psalm 55:22 ~

"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." ~ Leonardo da Vinci ~

"Discouragement is the illegitimate child of false expectations."
~ Lloyd Ogilive  ~

"If I get up just one less time than the number of times I've been knocked down, I have done one of the most devastating things possible; I have halted my life at that very spot." ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough ~

"Fatigue, discomfort, discouragement are merely symptoms of effort."
~ Morgan Freeman ~

"Discouragement is the cancer of great things." ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough ~

"Should-haves are the devil's greatest tool against our personal progress. He shouts in our ears that they are failures, while God calmly whispers they are lessons." ~ Richelle E. Goodrich ~

"Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage."
~ Neal A. Maxwell ~

"On the road to nowhere there are many people who lack the vision to get you anywhere." ~ Johnnie Dent, Jr. ~

"What we do not see, what most of us never suspect of existing, is the silent but irresistible power which comes to the rescue of those who fight on in the face of discouragement." ~ Napoleon Hill ~

"Don't be discouraged by people who tease you out of your dreams. What you have in your heart is bigger than what they have on their lips!"
~ Israelmore Ayivor ~

We must be careful to let the Holy Spirit do this searching. If we try to search our own hearts, we are apt to fall into one or both of two traps. The first is the trap of morbid introspection. Introspection can easily become the tool of Satan, who is called the "accuser" (Revelation 12:10). One of his chief weapons is discouragement. He knows that if he can make us discouraged and dispirited, we will not fight the battle for holiness. The second trap is that of missing the real issues in our lives." ~ Jerry Bridges ~

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

~ I Peter 5:7 ~ 

Please pray 

Sabbath Keeping

"If a man die, shall he live again?

All the days of my appointed time will I wait,

till my change come."

~ Job 14:14 ~

"Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal." ~ Thomas Moore ~

"There are no crown-wearers in heaven

who were not cross-bearers here below."

~ Charles Spurgeon ~ 

"For the Christian, heaven is where Jesus is. We do not need to speculate on what heaven will be like. It is enough to know that we will be forever with Him."
~ William Barclay ~

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.

Aim at earth and you get neither."

~ C. S. Lewis ~ 

"To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here." ~ Jonathan Edwards ~

"Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round and pluck blackberries."

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning ~ 

"Heaven will be the perfection we've always longed for. All the things that made Earth unlovely and tragic will be absent in heaven." ~ Billy Graham ~

"I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years." ~ Martin Luther ~

"I would rather go to heaven alone than go to hell in company." ~ R. A. Torrey ~

"Those who go to Heaven ride on a pass and enter into blessings that they never earned, but all who go to hell pay their own way." ~ John R. Rice ~

"I have all this and Heaven too." ~ Sandra ~

"Life, if properly viewed in any aspect, is great, but mainly great when viewed in its relation to the world to come." ~ Albert Barnes ~

"The way you store up treasure in heaven is by investing in getting people there."
~ Rick Warren ~

"I have all that I need here and heaven hereafter! How much richer could anybody want to be?" ~ Lester Roloff ~

"Don't be so heavenly minded,

you're no earthly good."

~ proverb ~

"Heaven doesn't make this life less important;

it makes it more important."

~ Billy Graham ~

"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained."
~ George Washington ~

"Better limp all the way to heaven than not get there at all." ~ William Ashley ~

"He whose head is in heaven

need not fear to put his feet into the grave."

~ Matthew Henry ~

"Heaven is not a figment of imagination. It is not a feeling or an emotion. It is not the "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere." It is a prepared place for a prepared people."
~ Dr. David Jeremiah ~

"Let heaven fill your thoughts instead. Because when you do, everything on earth gets placed in its proper perspective." ~ Greg Laurie ~

"There is only one way to be certain that you are on your way to Heaven and that is through faith in Jesus." ~ John Stange ~

"Heaven has a road, but no one travels it;

Hell has no gate but men will dig to get there."

~ proverb ~ 

"Let your hope of heaven master your fear of death." ~ William Gurnall ~

"The first step toward Heaven is to see ourselves near hell." ~ Thomas Brooks ~

"Joy is the serious business of Heaven." 

~ C. S. Lewis ~

"My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

~ John 14:2-4 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Sissie at Shabby Cottage ~ Jim ~ Diana ~ Katie ~ Alyssa ~ Tammy ~ Stephanie ~ Steve ~ Sandra ~