Is it Spring?

Hello there.  It has been so long since I have been able to sit down here and write on this so called blog of mine.  I just don't set aside time to make this blog what I "envision" it to be.  What is getting in my way?  Well, I hope that I can find time this month to dig in and really work at what I can add to my blog.   I want to stretch my photos like never before.  I also want to share all the wonderful things God has shown me in His Word! 

As for today, I just thought I would share a little on our nasty weather. It has been ugly and scary.  Wet and wild. And I know when that sun does shine we will all appreciate it even more! 
Our chickens have been oh so confused as to what is happening in their little neck of the woods.  With the weather going this way and that, the chickens have hardly been able to step outside.  We've had freezing temps (with wind chills below zero) with massive winds, and then warm temps with extreme heavy rains!  Just yesterday, as I was sleeping, I could hear our neighbor plowing the yards and roads with his big CAT plow.  In my deep slumber all I could feel was "what in the world is our neighbor doing?", "Please STOP!". Heaven forbid I lose any sleep!  Then when I did wake up to take a look at our back yard, I realized and thanked my neighbor!  He saved us from a possible house flooding!  The backyard water level was up to the deck and when my oldest went to see how the chickens were doing she couldn't cross the "lake" because it was up to her knees!  Our awesome neighbor had plowed sections to release the waters to the front ditches to keep the neighbors from flooding!   It worked and the water levels were dropping. Fewwwwww!  

Today, the water in the backyard is still nasty, wet and down right ugly.  However, I am so thankful at all the hard work our neighbor did to help us not have flooding issues.  He still has the sub-pump running to keep the waters flowing to the front of the houses instead of sitting in the backyards.   I can't wait for some sunny weather and snow free yards!  It will be nice to have green grass and gardens again!  But this is Idaho and you never know what sort of weather you will have to endure!

Here are a few photos I took this afternoon to show what it all feels and looks like:

Our Bison boy finding his way through our backyard river!

I do believe this is Hiccup.  She is our friendliest chicken.

Heeee!

Doing the chicken dance! 

Yum!

The ladies were so excited to have a few fresh greens and scratch!  They haven't seen fresh grass in so long, so this was a special treat!

Love our chicken ladies!

Love Bogs!  These boots have helped us get through a lot in this backyard!  You can go anywhere in these boots. 

I hope all of you out there experiencing wild weather are doing well.  I pray that we are all turning to our Lord and seeing all the beauty He has provided for us in this month of March.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Roman 15:13

Live Wisely

I want to live wisely.  I want to listen more.  I want to obey the things God is calling me to do.  I want to pray more than ever and have a strong relationship with our Lord Jesus.  I will not be perfect and I know I will forget, but I will try and I know that Lord will be there for me always.  

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.  Colossians 4:5-6

12-18-13 Christmas party!  Santa came.

1-8-14  We are finally getting some real snow!

I would like to spend this year focusing more on our Lord.  Because I know when I do that all things come into place. 
Happy New Year!

Reflection

Today, I would just like to share a few pictures I took during early Autumn. These little Pine Siskins came to clean out our sunflowers!  It was so fun to watch.  I think at one time there were six birds visiting.  It was a beautiful day and perfect day for pictures.  Hope you enjoy!

There are 5 friends in this photo!

I pray that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day!  We had a very nice one.  Just us four, together, enjoying each other.  So nice that my girls are older and we can enjoy more things together.  I am so thankful for my family!  Thankful to our Lord for all He has blessed us with!

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him.  Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.  Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

Photo Day - Summer Catch Up

8-4-13 Castle on the Lake

8-4-13  I have lived here now for 14 years and they have been working on this castle since!  There has been so much done in these 14 years, but just think of how long it took all those Medieval time people to finish their castles!!!!

8-4-13  Rapunzel, Rapunzel...please let down your hair!!!  I want to live here!!!

8-4-13  Here is the Captain of the ship!  I love this man!  He is the best Dad EVER!

8-4-13  Enjoying the Pontoon!

8-4-13  This summer we were so blessed with having my brother all the way from New York.  I love him deeply and having him visit us made our summer perfect!  Wish I could keep him here.

8-4-13  Brother enjoying the Pontoon!

8-4-13  Arrrgggg Matey!

8-4-13  On the Docks, making great memories!

8-4-13 Meme and her girl! 

8-4-13  Meme enjoying the Pontoon!

8-4-13  My girl loving the open spaces!

8-4-13  Captain, giving the thumb of approval!

8-4-13  Storms a brewing across the way!  Such beauty here!  PTL!

Love sharing great times with my family!  This was such a wonderful day!  Being with my brother here in my hometown was priceless!  I miss him so much.  Can't wait to see him again!

Thank you mom and dad for always treating us with great times, but mostly for your incredible love!

God has blessed this family and I am so grateful for them.  Thank you Lord for all you do for us.  For giving us these great moments.  May we draw closer to You because of them!

School Has Begun...but first...

It has been such a long time since my last blog.  Truly time must be getting faster!  I wanted to share a few firework photos of our celebration for America and also my parents birthdays!  This year my parents were not able to come, but we still celebrated the fourth of July as if they were here!  We love them dearly and are proud of them as well!  Missed them extremely, but we were blessed with a visit from them with my brother (from New York) this month.  Hopefully I will get those photos ready to share that adventure!!! 

Love fireworks!

Oooooo....Aaaahhhhhh!  These were the fireworks right down at our city beach.  We didn't have our boat this year (sniff sniff), but we were blessed as always with a great show!

Happy Birthday American and Mom and Dad!

My sweet girl enjoying beach time! 

She played and played and met a new friend.  She is my social gal!

Here is my sweetie watching the Fourth of July parade downtown.  It was a great little parade and thankful we have this in our town.

So, now that it is August and now that we have a Freshman High School-er we decided to start school last Monday!  Our curriculum is brand new and we love it so far!  My eldest daughter has been showing super responsibility and getting up super early (hate to admit, but earlier than me!) and starting off with Geometry!  Crazy!  She has accomplished so much in just this one week!  From writing her first argumentative essay, to Bible study, Logic, Biology, Geometry, Apologetics, Chinese and more!  Wow...she is in for a real full year!  Plus, starting on Monday both girls will be involved for the first time in volleyball!  
My youngest (5th grade now) will start school Monday and we will be in full swing of the school year!  School, Music, Sports, Life, etc...

May God Bless you all during this next month...hopefully I will be back soon for another update! 

Sharing Photos

It is about time I had a few photos to share. With school finished and summer beginning, I hope to take more photos. Here are a few from May! I really loved the day my husband drove us up to the mountain to spy on this cute bear family! We had no idea she was a mother bear, until we heard not one, but two baby cubs crying!  Love our Heavenly Fathers earth and the perfect nature He created!

5-17-13 Our annual Lost in the 50's Parade!  Most years during this time our weather teases us with rain and possible thunder.  It did sprinkle a bit, but it turned out perfect and our town enjoyed the great parade.

Sweet family getting ready for the parade!  Love these two! 

Growing up, but her sweet spirit remains pure and perfect!

5-23-13  So we didn't see these guys first.  We saw momma just walking around.  Then we heard their cries!  Have you ever heard a bear cub talking?  They almost sound human!  So cool and exciting to be able to enjoy this!

Going higher and higher!

"Betcha I can reach the top before you!!!"

"Momma?"

We also saw a few does grazing the mountain grounds!

Momma resting while her cubs were running around.  I do believe she was feeding one of the cubs before I took this photo.  Not sure, but then she began cleaning herself. 

So very thankful for where we live. A little bit of everything here. Thank you God for you blessings! 

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

Late...Again

Time is moving...I am rushing, feeling like I can't stop and breath.  Our fifth year of homeschooling is coming to an end.  My oldest is finished and moving on to 9th grade!  She finished strong and aced everything!  I am so proud of her!!! 
Still finishing with my soon to be 5th grader.   The day we decided to switch her curriculum has put us little behind, but I am so happy with our choices and I don't mind us being a little behind.  We should finish in two more weeks!  So proud of how far she has come and the knowledge she is gained!  Thank you Lord!
The garden has been planted, the grass is being mowed once a week, projects are being discussed and soon to be in action!  So much to do!  Tomatoes and peppers are in as of last night...hope they make it.  Looks like a storm is brewing!
The new chickens are growing super fast and we need to move them into the bigger coop SOON!  However, we also need to cull the older chickens to make room.  Fourteen chickens are way to many for our backyard.  Also, we may have another rooster...not sure yet.  
I have lots of photos I haven't even looked at and I hope to sit down at the computer soon to show a few!  Seems like I have put my "picture taking" on hold...which I haven't, I just need a few moments to share them. 
Church is incredible and I am so very thankful for the people we have gotten to know.  Our Life Group on Sundays will be slowing down now that summer is coming and we will be meeting about once a month.  I will miss our studying here together, but look forwards to planning other things...hopefully camping!  I pray that we will continue to study Gods word and hold Him at the top of our list! 
So, I hope to continue with this blog once in a while.  I want to keep in touch with those who read it.  Just other priorities have taken its place.  So, I will try and come back soon with another update!

May God bless you during these weeks and may you find Peace in Him!!!

Happy Easter

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God's paths to follow our own.  Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all!  Isaiah 53:5-6

Jesus did die!

A good man named Joseph, a member of the Jewish Council went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.

Luke 23:53-54  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.  It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.  

 

This was a very sad time for so many!  However, little did they know, this was not the end!  It was the Beginning!

In Luke 24:1-7 we read:  

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus!!  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"  He is not here; he has risen!  Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again'"

 

Jesus returns to his Disciples.  He returns and says "Peace be with you."  They were all startled and frightened! 

Can you imagine what they must have felt?  They had just witnessed the death of Jesus and now he has come back and is standing with them once more!  

He said to them, "Look at my hands and my feet.  It is I myself?  Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." Luke 24:39 

 

Jesus tells his Disciples to go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation!  Whoever believes in Him will be saved!

 

Then when it was time Jesus ascend in to Heaven!

Then Jesus led them to Bethany , and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.  So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.  And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.

Luke 24:50-53 

 

I am not a writer...sometimes I just don't know what the perfect words are to say.  In this case I don't know how to describe with words the feelings I have about our Lords death and resurrection!  I don't feel I deserve such great love and compassion.  I am so imperfect!  I am flawed in every way.  I am a sinner!  

I am incredibly thankful for what Jesus did for us.  He went through complete agony and pain for all of us.  He died and rose again for all of us.  

All we have to do is believe!  Believe in Him with all our hearts and bring Him into our lives.  In return we will live with Him forever in Heaven!

 This is His promise and I am so thankful to be apart of it! 

 

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Romans 3:22  

 

 

His is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!

Our Easter Eggs this year!

God Bless you all and I pray your Easter was great!

Remember to reflect on what this Easter has meant to you and your family.