Home Sweet Home

There is no place like home for the Holidays.

Sunshine on snow covered trees.

Christmas lights on the deck that you can see when you turn onto Washington rd.

Burning wood in the fireplace.

Baby C kicks every hour of each day.

The smell of burning wood.

Horses and a Red Barn across the road.

Lilly Lou laying in the sun like a cat.

The sound of the fans on the hearth.

Puppy Chow.

Pete, Peri, Jeremy, Leslie, Kenney, Candace, Isabella, Wyatt, Owen, Evan, Tyler and Angi.

All together for Christmas.

Playing hymns on the old piano.

White rolling fields. 

I am so thankful and blessed. I am truly happy at home. 

There is no place like home for the Holidays.

Peace

The Great Life

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you:...Let not your heart be troubled." John 14:27

Whenever a thing becomes difficult in personal experience, we are in danger of blaming God, but it is we who are in the wrong, not God; there is some perversity somewhere that we will not let go.  Immediately we do, everything becomes as clear as daylight.  As long as we try to serve two ends, ourselves and God, there is perplexity.  The attitude must be one of compete reliance on God.  When once we get there, there is nothing easier than living the saintly life; difficulty comes in when we want to usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit for our own ends.

Whenever you obey God, His seal is always that of peace, the witness of an unfathomable peace, which is not natural, but the peace of Jesus.  Whenever peace does not come, tarry till it does or find out the reason why it does not.  If you are acting on an impulse, or from a sense of heroic, the peace of Jesus will not witness; there is no simplicity or confidence in God, because the spirit of simplicity is born of the Holy Ghost, not of your decisions.  Every decision brings a reaction of simplicity.

My questions come whenever I cease to obey.  When I have obeyed God, the problems never come between me and God, they come as probes to keep the mind going on with amazement at the revelation of God.  Any problem that comes between God and myself springs out of disobedience; any problem, and there are many, that is alongside me while I obey God, increases my ecstatic delight, because I know that my Father knows, and I am going to watch and see how He unravels this thing.

From the book My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers.

Rustic Pine Cone Garland

Rustic Pine Cone Garland Tutorial

This has got to be one of the easiest garlands to make out there!

It took me probably about 20 minutes at the very most. 

Including gathering the materials, each step, and the final placement.

What you need:

1. String

2. Scissors

3. Pine Cones

Steps:

1. Measure length and cut. 

(Because you are using the same string to attach the pine cones, double your length.)

2. Start to tie, using a pine cone at the very beginning.

3. Continue to tie around each pine cone.

(In order to have the same distance from each cone, fold over the string after the first tie.)

4. Tie around each pine cone until you don't have enough string 

to fold over for another cone.

5. Hang your garland wherever you like and enjoy!

I hope you like your new garland 

and that you feel awesome 

because you just made a cute Christmas decoration with your very own skill. 

Of course, you don't have to stop there, 

I'm sure adding little touches like bows between the pine cones can only make this better, 

so go for it and make it your own!

Merry Christmas!

Little Baby C, what will you be?

Surprise, surprise! It's a girl!

Daniel and I really honestly thought it was a little boy growing inside there, but, God had a better idea.

I am so thankful and honored to be blessed with a daughter. 

This is such a wonderful thing!

I am so happy.

Thank you, Jesus for all the blessings you give us!

Let the preparations begin...