Merry Christmas!

Today, Christmas Day, is one in which I feel whole-heartedly that we need to stop and slow down to remember what this day - this season - is truly about.

I just want to share a breif story to remind us all of the greatest gift we have all been given!

An Event for Everyone

 

"Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock,

gathering the lambs in his arms, 

hugging them as he carries them, 

leading the nursing ewes to good pasture."

~Isaiah 40:11~

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. they were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

"Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him."

As the angel chior withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

(Luke 2:8-20)

(This story was taken from God's Message of Christmas Love by Eugene H. Peterson)

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and may the wonder for God's perfect gift stay with you!

Enjoy!!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.

 

(I took a few liberties this week and decided to share what my week looks like; daily, not just one moment. Each picture tells a story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been!)

 

 Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!

I know my updating has been obsolete as of late...okay, for the last several months but there has been so much going on. We are in the process of selling our home and trying to buy the homestead of our dreams. It just seems that there are so many things working against us that it has been difficult to think, much less do, anything else.

Our hope and faith, and patience, have held somewhat strong and we are still reaching for that dream!

Since Christmas is upon us, I've been finishing up the last of my home-made presents, but I'm hoping to sit down and update you about all that has happened! 

Enjoy!!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.

 

(I took a few liberties this week and decided to share what my week looks like; daily, not just one moment. Each picture tells a story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been!)

 

 

 Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!

Enjoy!!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.

 

(I took a few liberties this week and decided to share what my week looks like; daily, not just one moment. Each picture tells a story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been!)

 

 

Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!


Enjoy!!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.

 

(I took a few liberties this week and decided to share what my week looks like; daily, not just one moment. Each picture tells a story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been!)

Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!


The "good" news we have been awaiting...well, we're still waiting. But during this time, we've learned to count all of our blessings and cherish all the small moments every day brings. Hopefully soon some of our questions will be answered and we can move on with our dreams!

Enjoy!!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.

Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!


There has been so much going on these last several months that I was forced to focus elsewhere, leaving my blog dormant. Well...I'm hoping that will change now that Autumn has arrived! It will be no less busy (I say with anticipation!!) but I'm expecting I'll have much more to share! I'm hoping that in the next week I will have some GOOD news to share!

Enjoy!!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.
 

Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!
 

Enjoy!!

Picking Up the Pieces

It's funny, when you stop and think about it, just how much time, care, attention, and nurturing a gardener invests in their little oasis. It requires dedication, commitment, and lets face it, a lot of patience and sometimes passion to be successful, and ultimately 'good' at it. That is something I have longed to posses for some time now; I have always wanted to be a great gardener.

After four years of trial and error in a garden of my own, I finally feel comfortable with my abilities when it comes to some of the smaller aspects of homesteading. I will be the first to admit that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to gardening, even more to learn about other homesteading tricks and traits, but I know I have limits and know what those are on my little plot of land. At least I thought I did. This year has proven me wrong.

This summer started out ideally. We were blessed with warm evenings and hot days very early into the season. Albeit
little rain graced these days, we were doing relatively well. I learned an efficient and appropriate watering schedule for my developing crops, making sure to feed them as well and take care of the soil beneath them, and everything was lush. For the first time, my beet greens were largely beautiful and green instead of their usual hole-ridden sparse leaves. My Kohlrabi were quite abundant and looking gorgeous, as well as my squash. I was in heaven...I began to feel like this was going to be the year when I was able to really have a beautiful and bountiful garden!

And then two days later, everything changed.

Learning Curve

It has been quite some time since I last updated the pages of my humble little blog. And in that time, so much has gone on. I have learned many lessons and have faced many new trials and learned how to make the most of them.

Instead of dedicating this post to catching you up on what has been going on, I want to share something that has made such an impact on my life as of late; I want to share a devotional.

Tonight, this particular scripture fits perfectly into where I'm at as the summer winds down, and a perfect point of reflection to carry me through the week:

According to God's Grace

 

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

~Romans 12:6-8~

 

Lord, which gifts have You given me? I do not want to waste a drop of my life by being blind to my potential in You. I seek a deeper understanding of Your Word. I want to comprehend how You manifest Yourself through spiritual gifts in Your children. I long to explore the lives of men and women in Scripture who followed You and who actively lived out their gifts.

 

According to the grace given me, I can live a  fruitful life. I can share the amazing bounty of Your goodness with others. Help me to pay close attention to the work You are doing in my own heart. I want to see, understand, and cultivate the gifts that come from You.

 

(This devotional came from One-Minute Prayers for Women)

 

It is often far too easy to get caught up in life and what it seems to mean to those around us. We see a friend who is extremely gifted in one area and long to be able to do the same thing. I am no stranger to this feeling...especially with some of the things happening here on our little homestead. But what we need to understand and remember is that God has granted each of us a special gift. Each is unique in its own way; each is ultimately important to Christ's work. When we stop to remember this point and seek out our individual gifts, we will be able to find the path Christ has laid out for our lives. That is fulfillment.

 

May this help carry you through the week...and focus on a positive new direction!

 

Enjoy!

 

~Please share what ever this verse, prayer, or my thoughts may evoke in you. I love to hear how you feel and how this may impact your life or your outlook on life situations~

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.
 

Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!
 

Enjoy!!

In A Nut Shell

 
Since my last post, nearly two weeks ago, so much has been going on and I naively thought I could do everything and keep up.  What started with the best of intentions ended abruptly. I hit a wall. I realized that while I busied my hands and thoughts with the have-to's and need-to's, very important aspects of my life were beginning to fall through the cracks. I was not nurturing the things that mean the most to me, so in turn, I began neglecting myself. While at first, I didn't notice. the more time progressed, I began feeling the emptiness. It was at that point I decided that for my family and myself, I needed to take a break. So instead of working late into the evening and then writing, I chose to relax. I chose to give thanks for the many blessings in my life. I chose to grow, live, and love.

I spent some much needed time with Cam, working together and making time to play. We began and completed projects together. I spent time visiting my family and being with them. My life was being filled with more of the things that feed my spirit...but by no means did it cease to keep me on-my-toes! Here are just a few of the things that have been happening:

My 30-day challenge went on without a glitch. We completed it, cleaned up our freezer, enjoyed this years early garden bounty, and cut our grocery bill significantly! It also taught us to be creative. We have made some wonderful new recipes and even created some of our own. This challenge was so much fun in fact that we have decided to make it more of a way of life. We are trying to cook seasonally, buy wisely (with sales), and use up what we have. Food is a blessing and shouldn't be wasted.

We have also finished our bathroom remodel! It was quite the undertaking; a process that was very layered so it couldn't be rushed. I wanted to completely redo our pink bathroom, complete with grey sinks, bathtub, and toilet, grey and white subway tiles for the countertop and shower wall, and to finish it all off, the chrome and gold faucets with chunky golden oak cabinets. It was most definitely dated and driving me nuts. I wanted to go with something a bit more classic: venetian plaster, white sinks, brushed nickel hardware, solid countertop...and eventually a white toilet and tub. I knew it would take some elbow grease, but I knew it would be a fun process all the same. After much work (I hope to go into some detail in another post), and many lessons in patience and perseverance, its all done! I'm quite pleased with the outcome!

My garden is thriving! I've taken some time to spend nurturing it, paying attention to its needs. In turn, I've been blessed immeasurably by more than just the beauty and peace it provides. We've been rewarded with beets, kohlrabi, kale, lettuce, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, sugar snap peas, onions, raspberries, strawberries, and herbs 'a plenty!

I have also made a point, nay a priority, to take a moment everyday to sit in my garden doing nothing but experiencing just what it is that makes me love gardening. The smell of the warm breeze through the dry grass or over the freshly watered soil; the feel of the wind dancing around my face and me, entirely; the sounds of the birds chattering wildly in the trees that are rustling in the wind, the bees busily collecting nectar from one delicate flower to another, and just the sound of the wind whispering through the tall dry grasses and mighty willow trees. This centers me. It creates a thankful and grateful heart...one that I want to carry and share wherever I find myself.

These are just snapshots from my last few weeks, the memorable moments. I have learned a lot about what I value and what is truly important in my life. I love to write and share the things I have learned, about life, my garden, crafts, and projects. So while my posts may not be as frequent for a little while, I hope to be able to bring and express more of myself when I do write. :)

 Thanks for joining me on this journey. 

 

Enjoy!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.
 

Along with a picture, since I haven't shared anything in quite some time now, I want to share a verse I found very inspirational and poignant as I wrapped up this week...we'll call it {this moment}bible verse:

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
~Luke 6:38~

Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!
 

Enjoy!!

A Day in the Garden

How blessed I feel this evening! My day was so full of fun, gardening, preserving, and home renovation! I'm actually amazed that I still have enough energy to write tonight.

When the sun rose above the horizon - ok, actually a few hours after, we didn't get up that early - we poured ourselves a cup of steaming hot coffee and sat out on the back patio. After taking the first few sips of that wonderful black brew, we began to amble through the garden, taking in the exquisite beauty of the morning. The dew on each blade of grass, the smell of the morning, the birds, bugs, and animals all out working and feeding in the cool hours of the day. I cherish the morning so a quick saunter through my little oasis is always a treat!

Our first "task" of the day was to pick the produce that was at its peak. We started at our raspberry patch, gathering every deep crimson berry hiding under the leaves of the delicate vines. Being our first picking, we didn't find a huge amount, but definitely enough to enjoy for breakfast and a snack later!

Hidden in the garden beds we also came across cauliflower and kohlrabi that were perfectly ripe and ready to be harvested. We pulled them form the cool moist soil, cleaned them up, and set them in the ice-box to keep fresh until we were ready to eat them!

We then made a quick breakfast and decided we wanted to go paddle boarding. We got all of our gear together and headed out to Pelton Dam. We paddled, lingered, relaxed, reflected, and enjoyed our time out on the lake. We weren't in a hurry; we simply took the time to enjoy where we were at and what we were doing.

Upon our arrival home, still somewhat early in the day, we decided we needed to make a little more progress on our bathroom renovation. We applied another layer of plaster to the walls so they will have ample time to dry before we can move on. (This bathroom transformation, when we finally get it completed, will be shared...hopefully I will learn some really useful, helpful, and inspiring information to pass along :)

And somehow, amidst all of this, I found time to make and can two batches of pasta sauce. I froze the last of our garden tomatoes in the fall with the idea that we would use them in casseroles, stews, and dishes over the winter and spring months. But, as some things go, we didn't use as many as I thought so I was left with several bags of tomatoes taking up space in our freezer. I drug them all out today, boiled them down, and completed two batches of sauce, with one more in the crockpot awaiting my return from work tomorrow.

It was a busy day but one I can greet at its close with satisfaction. I feel like we enjoyed it to its fullest. We worked, played, worked some more, and finally took time to enjoy it all. And that is the most important part...no matter what you experience in a day, we must always remember to take a moment, step out into our gardens, and enjoy it, and the day, in its entirety.

What kinds of things do you find to be blessing your garden so far this year? What are you most thankful for? If you feel so inclined as to share, I love to hear how things are going for others...wherever they may be!

Enjoy!

{this moment}

Today, I'm joining Amanda (soulemama) and many others with {this moment}.

A simple picture from the week. No words, no explanation, just a simple moment of time captured and shared.
 

Please feel free to share your moments as well! It's so fun to see what other beauty is captured in a weeks time!

 

Enjoy!!