USAF Heritage of America Band

We first saw this this band when they were performing at the Yorktown Battlefield when we moved to Gloucester over two decades ago. If you have not experienced one of their performances, I encourage you to attend one. 

Saturday, December 8

7:00pm

 Home for the Holidays at Yorktown, VA

WhenSat, December 8, 7:00pm – 8:30pm

WhereTabb High School, 4431 Big Bethel Rd, Yorktown, VA 23693, USA 

DescriptionThe USAF Heritage of America Band is proud to present “Home for the Holidays,” a concert event featuring holiday music performed by the unit’s 45-member concert band. Expect to hear traditional favorites such as “Deck the Halls,” “Christmas Memories” and “The Night Before Christmas” during this 90-minute concert. In addition, a multi-media presentation featuring greetings from some of our local deployed service members will be highlighted during this event. Join us as we celebrate the holiday season and pay tribute to our heroes who are far from home.

Sunday, December 9

3:00pm

 Home for the Holidays at Williamsburg, VA

WhenSun, December 9, 3:00pm – 4:30pm

WhereWarhill High School, 4615 Opportunity Way, Williamsburg, VA 23188, USA

DescriptionThe USAF Heritage of America Band is proud to present “Home for the Holidays,” a concert event featuring holiday music performed by the unit’s 45-member concert band. Expect to hear traditional favorites such as “Deck the Halls,” “Christmas Memories” and “The Night Before Christmas” during this 90-minute concert. In addition, a multi-media presentation featuring greetings from some of our local deployed service members will be highlighted during this event. Join us as we celebrate the holiday season and pay tribute to our heroes who are far from home.

More performance dates and order tickets: HERE

Sign in Mathews

No Mountains

I meant to post this morning, but I forgot, so I am posting during a late lunch break. 

I learned last night that we have another commitment that conflicts with our plans to 4X4 this weekend. We will take a long weekend this weekend, but we will be heading north, not west. 

The upside is that today, Brandon found the exact issue with his Jeep. A chip on the main computer panel shorted out. He hasn't decided if he will fix it or sell it for parts yet.

You know who you are:

Have I not commanded you? 

Be strong and courageous. 

Do not be afraid; 

do not be discouraged, 

for the Lord your God will be with you 

wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9  

Look at how far you have come!
I believe in you, and I am proud of you.
You are stronger than you think.
Keep moving forward.
I love you and am praying for you! 
-Mama Asbell

Em with Miracle

Emily with Miracle aka "Old Lady Cat"

A Few More Years

“If God gives you a few more years, remember, it is not yours. Your time must honor God, your home must honor God, your activity must honor God, and everything you do must honor God.” A. W. Tozer

Around Here October 2018

Clint has become a mentor for several younger men through one of his jobs. These men need prayer. Salvation, major health issues, marriages, family members. Clint is really working hard lately. He has been working both jobs, helping others, helping out with the farm, and working on a big project. I admire how far he goes to take care of our family. Everyone who knows my husband treats me extremely well because of their high regard for him. It is an honor to be such a man's wife.

Brandon is on the fence about repairing his Jeep which has an electrical issue. He won't be able to do the 4WD trail with us. I have two things left I want to do on Coal Road: experience it with Brandon (all of the other children have been with us) and "truck camp" at the top of the mountain in our Suburban. Brandon has been working on his house and enjoying his bachelorhood. I went by his house tonight to take pictures of the lemon tree I gave him for his birthday. He's already ate a few and has seventeen more growing!

Some of Amanda's bosses have given us frequent feedback. She is doing extremely well. She has been working on decorating and making changes to her new home. She has wonderful neighbors who look out for her. She had a cool encounter with a mysterious Golden Retriever who showed up on her porch for five days in a row. He came with a tennis ball and retrieved it several times each day for her. When he got tired of the game he'd initiate, he'd walk away. She hasn't seen him since and has no idea where his owners are.

Joshua starts training to be a manager next month. He is well into his second semester of college. Unlike the rest of my children, he has no idea of what he wants for Christmas. He did talk my ear off about an item he saw in a store, so I got him something rather different. It makes sense if you know how much he studied medicine before he decided he'd rather be a lawyer. He and Caleb pick up groceries when the leave work so that's very convenient for the whole family. 

Caleb will start his third job soon. As I mentioned earlier, he was chosen for the maintenance position. Setting his own schedule, he will work one Sunday a month for jobs that cannot be done while the store is open. He will also do some jobs before or after his normal shifts. He was given a key to the store, a key to the owner's office, the code to the store's main computer, a credit card to buy tools and parts with, keys to the tool shed, and the maintenance schedule book. He has already ordered some tools. The owner is placing a tremendous amount of trust in our 17 year old son. 

Bethany is about to start her driving course. She has not started college yet. We plan to start that in January. She has been working on her artistic talents and helping me run the household. She is very intelligent and has a quick wit about her. Her sense of humor keeps me laughing. I am enjoying this season of working closely with her. I know this special time will pass too quickly.

Emily has shot up in height and is now wearing ladies small clothing just like Bethany. So now, Amanda, Bethany, and Emily can all wear the same clothes. Their shirts make a dress on Hannah. The girls are enjoying sister time! Emily is doing great in homeschool and is a huge help around the house. I taught her today how to fill a pastry bag and pipe filling into jalapenos. 

Hannah has grown and has been learning more cooking skills. She is doing well in homeschool too. Emily and Hannah are learning how to work on cars and around our home from Clint. Hannah is sweet and affectionate with all of our family and our pets. She is a delight! I am thankful God blessed me with Hannah right after my 40th birthday. I have never once regretted surrendering control over my womb to the Lord.

Me? I'm enjoying fall weather and am looking ahead to the holidays. I met my annual goal to be 90% done with Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving very early this year. Most of it was "free." Meaning I paid for most of it with "found money" from rebates, Swagbucks, MyPoints, and other incentives. In a purely selfish move, I put my tortoise tank on cinder blocks next to my recliner. The blocks aren't aesthetically pleasing, but I wanted to see her better. It makes me happy!

Girly too!

Clint was giving a Bible lesson on a serious topic. The children were listening intently, so Girly, Brandon's dog, hopped on the couch to listen too. She really does think she is one of the children and will vocalize if we do not let her do what they are doing. That's Brandon's arm in the picture. She is never far from him except for while he is at work. Then, she comes to my house to be spoiled. She tries to "talk" to me every morning to let me know how happy she is to see me again. She gives hugs too!

You Don't Know How Many Cats You Have?

I shop in bulk according to weekly and seasonal sales and try to stock up with enough to last until the next sale. I usually keep a price book and can usually tell you which store has the best price on an item. Add my frugal shopping practices and our family size together, and you get some odd looking grocery orders! It can be quite humorous.

When our children were little and many, I found a great deal on canned beans and cat food at one store. This was the deal of the year, and I wanted to be a good steward and stock up! My shopping carts had several large bags of cat food and several dozens cans of beans. 

The cashier greeted Clint and I warmly. She had big eyes and a higher pitched voice with a very heavy southern accent. She was animated and friendly. She was talking nonstop in that "does she ever take a breath" kind of way. 

All of a sudden, she started talking loudly about our order. "Man, ya'll must like beans. You sure do have a lot of beans. How many beans do ya'll have in your cart? This is a lot of beans! All of these beans for you?!!" I hate having attention drawn to me and wanted to crawl under the cart. Her questions were loud and rapid fire leaving me no time to answer.

To make it worse, she was ringing the cans 

one. 

at. 

a. 

time. 

"Ya'll like beans THIS much? How often do ya'll eat these beans? How many beans do you buy? What do you make with all of these beans? Where you gonna put all of these beans?" ....and on and on. She was a question firing machine gun. It became unreal. People were listening in and looking at us and our order. I groaned inwardly. I could not wait for it to be over.

Then the hilarity of her speculation about our beans hit me. About the same time, Clint looked at me. I could tell he found her commentary about our order humorous too. The man likes to try to make me laugh in public, so I avoided eye contact with him after this point. I didn't want to her feelings to be hurt if I started laughing. 

I tried to calm her excitement over our beans by explaining it was a really good sale, we have a larger than normal family size, and I try to take advantage of sales when I can, they would last us many months, but she didn't seem to hear me because she never stopped talking about those canned beans. 

Then...

She spied the cat food.

Have.

Mercy.

We live on a farm where feline skills are needed and appreciated. We also take in unwanted cats (and other animals) and re-home them for our friends and family. I am not big on cats in the house, but I don't mind them in the yard at all. At the time of this grocery store visit, I had just re-homed a few cats for a military family and took in a couple of others from a friend. One of those gave birth to kittens. Life as a mother of many young ones plus homeschooling plus gardening and food preservation plus the livestock plus an internet business was very full, and the current number of cats wasn't a priority. We had less than a dozen at the time. On a farm where you need rodent control to protect livestock feed that is not many. 

She was off to the races again with commentary on the cat food. "That's a lot of cat food! You must have a ton of cats! How do you keep so many cats?! Do you know all of their names? Are they all inside or outside? How many pounds of cat food is this? How long will this cat food feed your cats?" 

Then she looked at me in the eye and said, "How many cats do you have?" She took a breath, so I answered honestly, "I don't know..." intending to explain, but she erupted in horror. She was so loud!

"Oh my gosh! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CATS YOU HAVE?! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CATS YOU HAVE?!" She kept going, but I couldn't hear her. I looked up at Clint for help, and there 

my traitor husband 

was with his eyes twinkling 

and his mouth smirking 

in just that way that sets me off. 

He had me and knew it. Worse, I knew it and had no control over it.

Worried I might hurt her feelings, I immediately tucked my head down and walked very rapidly right out of the store out of her sight and earshot before I burst out laughing hysterically. 

I was still gulping for air when Clint came to the car with our groceries laughing with a pointed finger. "You left me!! You left me!!!! YOU abandoned me in that store!!" Then he said, "Hey Wendy, how many cats do you have?" We both doubled over!

Our very inquisitive cashier gave us a gift we are still enjoying. We look at each other every now and then and ask out of the blue, 

"You don't know how many cats you have?!!" 

At the time of this writing, we have six cats. ;-) Two live indoors at the request of my children. 

Article: After 45 years living off the land...

After 45 years living off the land, this Maine woman has a natural elixir for anything

“[Herbalists] have to read voraciously. We’re always learning. But at a certain point, the real deep understanding comes from this place here,” she said, placing her hands over her heart."

“A lot of people who come to learn from me say it’s overwhelming,” she said. “‘Where do we start?’ [they say.] ‘There are so many herbs to learn.’ But I say, ‘No. Forget that. Never in a million years are you going to learn all the herbs. Just learn one a year. Focus on one plant, herb, tree — whatever that calls to your heart — and then learn about that.’”

“At first, everything is a field of green, but the more you learn to identify and connect with individual plants, they start to stick out to you,” Edwards said. “You say, ‘Oh, there are the roses. There’s the plantain.’ It’s not just a field of green anymore.”

******

Tis so very true!
Click the link to see her vision to educate her visitors.
I would love to do similar on our farm.

Sleeping Beauty

Twinkie guards over her. Twinkie has animal safe dye in her hair.
It's one of the risks of belonging to a former cosmetologist.

One of the many blessings of homeschooling is how it fosters very close relationships in the family which makes the family very strong. One thing homeschooled graduates attending college say they miss the most in their college dorms is their siblings! My adult children say the same about living alone. 

Going from a family of nine to living alone is a big change. They like the freedom and responsibility, but they want their siblings around too. We let our younger children visit and spend the night with their adult siblings as often as they desire, because we want to continue to foster their very strong relationships. Even when one of our children hangs out with friends, they usually take a sibling along. 

In this picture, Amanda just came off of training for her new job and has worked a 60 hour week of 12 hour night shifts. I have not seen her in three days, but she texted me frequently. She told me she wanted to see me the day this was taken so I made sure I cleared some time for her. She came in bearing coffee and talked to me until she fell asleep which wasn't long. I love being able to look up from my work and see her in front of me. I get warm inside knowing she wanted to spend time with me even though she was spent physically. She wants to come and be around us even when she's too tired to participate. I'm blessed and so thankful.

Homeschooling with Pets

I treated the gang to breakfast sandwiches. Hannah ate hers while she did some reading for a test. The cats, Miracle aka "The old lady cat" and Mystique who is not suppose to be inside, aren't distracting her from her school, but she definitely has their attention. 

I told you I purchased one of these Peti Care Illuminated Pet Nail Clippers. It arrived, but I have not had time to post about it. The blog is something I do when there is a bit of free time which explains why it isn't better organized and has so many errors.

It is built much like other nail clippers and works the same, 

but it has a bright LED light and magnifier at the guillotine style cutting area. Genius!

It was impossible to get Maggie, my beloved poodle, to cooperate for a good picture. She hates all forms of grooming. This was the best I could do. 

However, you really can see through the nail to know right where to cut. I am very pleased with them! I am going to give some of these away as Christmas gifts to pet lovers in our circle of family and friends. 

If you shop around on Amazon after clicking the affiliate link, you may be able to get a better deal. I found a pair for $10, but it did not have prime shipping. I was content to wait a week and a half for the savings.

Watch Out for What is Better for Others

If you are too busy in your own life, you can't watch out for what is better for others. Our focus is to remain outward not inward. How many times have you heard someone say they found healing when they took the focus off of themselves and started helping others in the same circumstances? 

Make time to help others...

even those you don't think need help...

My husband was the only one to respond to help a wealthy doctor we knew. Most people would look at the size of the man's bank account, his large home, his fancy sports car, and think he didn't need help. He asked Clint where he could get some free firewood. He said he wanted to sit by a fire with his wife. 
Clint did not question why he needed it. He simply offered him some of ours and also told him of a free resource locally.

The doctor did not tell Clint, but we learned later...

he was dying. 

I really liked the doctor. He was an OB who delivered a few of our babies and became a friend to Clint and I. 

Clint's kindness allowed our friend to have one of the last moments of joy in his life. It left his wife with another happy memory. I am so thankful for that. 

FYI, that bank account...it was heavily depleted by the bills in the fight to save his life. 

I am thankful my husband is the kind of man who, if allowed, will reach out and help others at the Holy Spirit's leading. 

Don't judge others by what you see, or hear, or think you know. Only God knows the full story and what's going on in their heart. Just show love to them. That's God's way.

Philippians 2:3-5

Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, 
but with humility think of others as better than yourselves.
Instead of each person watching out for their own good, 
watch out for what is better for others.
Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus:

The next step begins!

Nothing so clears the vision and lifts up the life, as a decision to move forward in what you know to be entirely the will of the Lord. 

-John Gibson Patton

Here 

we 

go!!

Dear to Me

I love where I live so much. It's like God created this little haven just for me.

These deer are eating some of the thousands of daylilies I planted along our driveway. I didn't mind at all and am happy to share the bounty with them. The fawn ended up jumping back and forth over the ditch which is hidden by the tall grasses. The mother is listening to eastern cottontails who emerged and played at the far end of the driveway which still sports our bent gate from Joshua's accident.

We've not been home much this summer so the driveway has been neglected. 

CFA Food

We are getting quite spoiled by the boys' bosses who have been sending home fries, cookies, grilled chicken wraps, and more. They bless us with something at least once a week. The boys also get a free meal (chicken sandwich, fries, drink, cookie) every shift they work. They frequently bring some or all of it to share with their siblings. Joshua brought his home last week and gave it to Amanda on her birthday. The job has been good for all of us in so many ways. We are so thankful!

One of My Favorite Kitchen Tools

I'm feeding nine in a hurry, so it being perfectly round isn't something I have time to care about.

This is called a "fish turner" because it can get under delicate fish and turn it without breaking it up. I absolutely love mine and use it for so many things like pancakes, eggs, bacon, cookies, for lifting cakes, and so on. It is very thin and flexible so it can get under those things that want to stick to the pan and pull them right up without damaging them. I use mine with my cast iron and take it with me when we go camping. These make great gifts for those who love to cook. Good tools make cooking fun!

Shingles Essential OIl Recipe

I snapped a picture of this recipe for a sweet friend who is in a lot of pain from shingles. She bought everything the next day and said it was giving her quite a bit of relief. She thanked me profusely. I wanted to make this available to other's who are suffering. This information came from Prescription for Nutritional Healing. As a medicinal herbalist, I HIGHLY recommend this book. I have had a few different editions. I have used it to find successful treatments for a multitude of ailments for myself, my family, friends, and our pets and livestock.

Grief: How to be a friend to the hurting... (video)

Believe me, it's no time for words when the wounds are fresh and bleeding; no time for homilies when the lightning's shaft has smitten, and the man lies stunned and stricken. Then let the comforter be silent; let him sustain by his presence, not by his preaching; by his sympathetic silence, not by his speech. -George C. Lorimer

October 15 is the national day of remembrance for miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. I've lost nine precious babies to stillbirth and miscarriage. Much of what you read here can be applied more broadly to include other types of loss and pain.

Here is a video from Megan Devine, which a friend recently shared, that shares about what works for those grieving and why other things like "cheering them up" do not. It will better equip you to help the hurting in your life.

When I lost one of my miscarried and stillborn babies, one of the things that helped me the most was someone telling me, "This sucks!!" I knew by their succinct words that they understood my pain. You don't need eloquence to show compassion. Your job isn't to move them to where you want them to be; it's to meet them where they are.

One of the most hurtful things ever said to me, for example, was by a Christian in law who claimed to be pro-life who told me less than 24 hours after the loss of my baby that crying was "feeling sorry for myself." Their words created a lot of pain in my heart. They did not care what I was going through and their words showed it. Their words suggested I was doing something wrong by mourning my baby. I share this with the goal that others won't say such hurtful things in a woman's time of great pain. It is not helpful, but it is very hurtful. 

Crying is a normal, natural response to loss. Jesus cried in grief too. Would you have said, "It's self pity for you to cry since you are going to raise Lazarus anyway?" Or, would you have shown Him understanding and compassion? Think before you speak. Words hurt and can't be taken back, but they can be forgiven. Be gentle and kind with each other even when you do not understand what the other person is going through.

Please don't add your misplaced expectations to someone else's struggle. You will only burden them further. Acknowledge a person's right to feel as they do. 

If you have had a pregnancy loss, I am praying for you today and offer my friendship. My email is in the header. 

A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, 
but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.
-A.W. Tozer

I had a friend comment:

That person that said that to you COULD NOT be a Christian! They may be a self proclaimed Christian, but if they really had Christ in their heart they could have never said something so cruel and cold! 

My reply: Christians aren't perfect, and we fail each other often. We have to bear with each other in love to keep unity in the church. I have forgiven them completely and have love for them. Grudges lead to bitterness and that's a weed I don't want growing in my life. It's too destructive! I pray for their well being and success of their business daily. Doing that honors Jesus and gives me peace and keeps me growing in Christ. Their words are a good example to show others what not to say to someone because it does not in any way help. It creates another burden on the person. If we claim to be pro-life, but deny a mother the freedom to mourn a pregnancy loss, we really aren't very pro-life. We have to come beside people and meet them where they are in whatever circumstance life throws at them...not drag them along to where we want them to be. I fail people too and am thankful when they forgive me and bear with me in love.

Most Overlooked Characteristic of Who You Want to Marry

"It sounds like the beginning of another marriage joke, but it's not. It's a real question and one which should be explored by every dating couple,,,,"

read the rest at the link The Most Overlooked Characteristic of Who You Want to Marry 

Holy by Mickey Turner

I love promoting my friends and family especially my brothers and sisters in Christ. I went to school with Mickey and his sister Cindy. His mother and father were leaders in our church. This is my favorite of the ones he's done. Please give a listen, subscribe to his music, click like so he'll know you enjoyed it, and consider sharing on your social media.

His Color is His Name

This was Amanda's cat. Grey is Orange's brother. Amanda adopted them right before she purchased her home. When you work 60+ hours a week, you don't have much energy for names. Everyone in the family kept referring to them as "the orange one" and "the grey one" so our tired girl ran with it.

Bethany and Grey developed a very close bond. Amanda took him with her when she moved into her new house. I was pretty happy about that. I'm not a big cat fan. Bethany and Grey missed each other. Amanda loves Grey very much, but she brought him back and gave him to Bethany because she loves her sister more. I am even happier about that.

Grey often runs downstairs to jump in Bethany's lap and hugs her face and neck with his paws while meowing at her over and over which is very sweet to see. I take joy in Bethany's joy in Grey. I'm thankful Amanda is that kind of big sister to her. 

Sacrificial love is beautiful! 

Galatians 5:13-14 My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love. The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.

Caleb's Third Job

So, Caleb, our 17 year old, has a THIRD job. He'll be the maintenance guy for CFA and will make $20 an hour. It is one weekend day a month. It carries a lot of trust and responsibility. Clint and I are very proud of him for seizing the opportunity. So far, he's doing very well handling the workload and his college studies.

His boss said in the letter to us, "I have been very impressed with him both personally and professionally." 

Clarifying the Roof

There is some confusion about the last post. 

The house in the picture is not where we live. 

We don't need a new roof at Contentment Acres. In fact...

Our family was given a free roof (nearly $4000) from a kind local contractor who grew to love our family as they worked on the roof a few years ago. We thought we had to pay until Clint called to ask where the bill was. They didn't bill us because they gave us the roof! What a blessing!!

The two days they were here, our children spent time learning from and talking with the crew who welcomed and enjoyed their presence. Our family lent them a ladder and some hand tools when some of their tools were left behind at another job. We set up shade canopies and put out chairs for them to use. We had bottled water and other beverages out in a cooler for them to show we cared about their comfort and well-being. We had snacks for them. The men were exhausted from the heat and work, so we cleaned up behind them. When a new guy dropped a bundle of shingles on the corner of my outside turtle's habitat, I didn't get angry. I told him I could fix it. We treated them all the same from the foreman down to the new guy on the crew. It did not matter to us that they had different shades of skin or that some could not speak our language. Love is the same in all languages. We welcomed them and looked out for them. 

When people pay for a job to be done, they typically make sure they get their money's worth (their own interests). The Bible teaches us to look out for the interests of others. I believe it was because of our kindness towards them that they blessed us with the roof. We know the roof ultimately came from the Lord. It was a huge gift that blessed us a lot, and we were/are touched and thankful for it! As a mother, I am thankful God provided such a hands on lesson about kindness and looking out for others for our children. The fact that He blessed us all for it will reinforce that God blesses us for our obedience. Our obedience as servants of the Lord is our greatest form of worship (expression of love) for Him. 


Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

James 1:17  Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.

Thank you for the prayers!

not Contentment Acres

God kept them safe! That front side was scary! The front is steeper than it looks. Clint kept our children on the backside which has a better pitch. They cut shingles according to the needed measurements and handed those and tools to him. Bethany worked herself into the ground during her time to help him, but she had fun being with and talking to her daddy.

I was not allowed to help in any way. They wouldn't even let me stand on the ladder. A bone in my foot broke when a piece of furniture fell on it nearly three weeks ago. I kept water and tea going up the ladder to them through Em and H-bug and had snacks, meals, cold cloths, etc ready for their breaks. 

Thank you to those who prayed! While I am glad they did it, I am thankful it is over. 

Caught a Little Dear on the Wildlife Cam

all of those curls!

She'll be double digits in Dec!

Risky Work

October 5th: Some members of our family will be engaging in a project that involves some risk to their safety. It will take place from this afternoon until late Monday. Please cover them in prayer. Thank you!

Update Oct 8th: The riskiest part was finished today. The job will be completed tomorrow.  Then ee go home and rest.. Thank you for the prayers. 

Update Oct 9th: The job is finished!! God kept everyone safe. We are home and resting. Thank you for the prayers.

Brandon

He's been flashing that smile to get out of trouble with me since he was a baby.
It works very well for him!

Orange You Glad We're Going to See Mama Asbell?

Orange "driving" in Amanda's lap

He's one of Clint's and my grand-kitties.
He likes the three minute ride to our house.

He's more like a friendly, very affectionate, follow you 

everywhere dog than an aloof cat.

I love that my children love coming home 

and feel comfortable enough to bring their pets.

We haven't had any messes...just lots of joy!

Have You Done This Lately?

"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.

Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper!”

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever."
Psalm 30:4-5: 10-12

Pool Time!! In October??!

I've never been in a pool in October before, 

but my three youngest and I took advantage of the 

warmer weather both days this week.

This is part of the group that has moved in to live with our family 

since Banana Pie came into our lives. We've shared the pool with them at H-Bug's insistence. I really dislike stepping on them in the pool, but they add a little lighthearted fun to our days. Since we are closing the pool, they've moved back into the house.

Pretty Spry!

Clint's eyes are closed due to falling debris.
I think he looks pretty spry for a nearly 50 year old guy!
He's always helping others!

I think he's incredible. He leads our family in Bible studies. He leads us in prayer. He sometimes works 10-12 hours a day 6-7 days a week and still has time to go help someone else. If he doesn't know it, he will learn it so he can get it done. He keeps a great attitude even when things are tough. He never gives up and encourages others along the way. He looks out for everyone around him. He gets things off shelves in the stores for old ladies and helps people who are broken down on the road. Everyone who works with him loves him, and right now, two groups are fighting over wanting him to be their boss. Young men call him their mentor and seek him out for advice as if he were their father. He has stepped in the gap for young men who didn't have a father. He's made some excellent financial decisions over the years that will bless us the rest of our lives. I don't think there is anything he can't fix. He has integrity. He loves his family including those close and estranged. He does not allow anger, resentment, or bitterness to grow in his heart. He gives second, third, fourth, and fifth chances. He is not greedy and will gladly share what he has with others. He is continually trying to improve himself. He always uplifts, encourages, and cheers others. I've seen him take a panicking rearing horse and calm it with words, gentleness, and patience. I am blessed because I saw these amazing qualities in him when he was only 16. He's not perfect, but he is my favorite person and better half. I feel so very blessed God gave him to me.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Sunflower by Bethany

Sunflower by Bethany

Just a Little Thing

I'm rocking my poodle because poodles don't keep.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend lost her baby to stillbirth. I reached out to her to comfort and encourage her broken heart. Sharing my story helped her know she was not alone, and that she will survive the horrible pain of losing her baby. 

After that, I had a time of contemplation regarding life's dance: the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows, and the triumphs and struggles. As I was lost in thought, Maggie, who has never liked the motion of the rocker, came to me. I picked her up and sat still with her for a while, but as my thoughts took over, I started rocking again. Instead of getting down, she fell asleep in my arms. As I held her warm, sleeping body, I remembered the blessings of rocking the babies God allowed me to keep. 

Ever since that day, she's come to me to be rocked. She is three pounds and not much bigger than Clint's work boot. She stands with her back legs on the couch and puts her two front legs on the arm of my rocker and stares at me until I put away my work and let her move over. Then she settles, and I start rocking her while she goes limp and dozes. I use those moments to pray for the children I have and to give thanks for all sixteen He made known to me. I don't know why Maggie changed her opinion of the rocker, but I've enjoyed it so much! 

Amanda's Art

Amanda has been decorating her new home with her own creations.
I love them!

Plain Pineapple on reclaimed pre 1940s wood

Sunflower on reclaimed pre 1940s wood

The Orange Matches the Cat on reclaimed canvas

Trees on reclaimed canvas

Exodus 35:32-33to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,  to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.