Decisions decisions

Trying to find the perfect shade for a rather dreary bathroom.

Sunday curls

Step one: section hair and tie a strip of cotton cloth around each section. Roll hair upward around the cloth and tie again at the head.

Step two: allow the cherub to sleep on her rag curlers.

Step 3: In the morning, untie and loosen curls with fingers

Step 4: Take a picture of Cindy Lu Who. Be sure to capture the tooth past on her chin.

Step 5: gather hair and fasten with a pretty bow. Take another picture

Curls should last through the day and maybe into the next day.

Rivers of Living Water

"The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, iwll hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." Isaiah 41: 17-18

Behold, you are in the hollow of My hand. Yes, in the moment that you lift your voice to cry out to Me, and when you raise your voice to praise and magnify My Name, then shall My glory gather you up. Yes, I shall wrap you in the garments of joy, and My presence shall be your great reward.

Lift your eyes to Mine. You shall know without a doubt that I love you. Lift your voice to Me in praise; in this way a fountain shall be opened within you, and you will drink of its refreshing waters.

Pour out your heart to Me. From the deepest recesses of your being, let your love flow forth to Me; let your lips utter My Name.

Let your praises rise in the daytime and in the night. Yes, when you are utterly spent, then shall My speech fall upon you. Then you shall lie down in peace and rise up in joy, and you will partake of a perpetual fountain. As it is written: "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

Let the Word of God dwell in you richly; for My words, they are Spirit, and they are Life. They are living and powerful, and you shall wield them in faith effectively against the powers of darkness.

Behold, you are in My embrace. Rest there. For My Spirit and My ways are not to be mastered by intellect, but My love is to be received by those who long after Me and who reciprocate in kind. As faith receives the promises, and those who seek after eternal life are recipients of the faith of Jesus Christ (for faith is the gift of God), even so, to those who long for a closer relationship with Me I will give a special portion of My love, so that they may have the power to love Me in return as I have loved them.

I give My Spirit and My love fully, not measured out in portions. I will open My heart to you and take you within, even as in salvation you opened your heart to Me so that I might bring you eternal life. Yes, I will hide you in my heart so you may experience constantly My peace and My joy. And you will no longer go in and out; but you shall dwell in Me as I have dwelt in you.

~ Come Away My Beloved

I've been feeling used up lately as I prepare for the new school year and emotionally drained as we dealt with Grandpa's heart attack. This passage was especially refreshing to me today as I try to get back into the normal rhythm of life here in our corner of the world. Actually, I'm going to try a slightly different rhythm and see how it fits our family. I'll tell you more about that soon. I hope this brought some peace your way too.

Green

* edit

Most of the green I have around my home is, no not money, but living plant life.  Once I started looking, I came up with some beautiful details of a simple life.

Our house is green and not the popular eco friendly "green" but the actual color. The exact shade is unknown but it's a grayish, greenish blue asphalt shingle. But it will be painted a mossy, earthy shade of green very soon. Oh, and we are pretty eco friendly "green" too but not because it is the popular thing to do right now.

A Belleek china sugar bowl by sister brought back from Ireland. I love the creamy delicate colors.

A plant - I know it's name but I don't know how to spell it - I've grown from a leaf cutting.

Mortar and pestle from Jody

A faux verdigris plant stand, ceramic pot and Norfolk pine: green, green, green

The tiles around my fireplace.

The stained glass in a lamp shade.

The chalkboard
The girls' bedroom. Pea soup anyone?

The green fabric from my grandmother's sewing room, sewn together by Josh's grandma.

Annabelle's frog and our dining room floor.

 

I'm waited on the color post for this month because a friend wanted to introduce it first. 

She gave me the okay to go ahead with this beautiful color of August.

The Pasture

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long. You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha'n't be gone long. You come too.

~ Robert Frost

At the end of March we joined a dairy association so we could drink healthy, organic, fresh, raw milk. In April the cows freshened (had their calves) and with the new green pastures of spring, the milk was delicious and plentiful, if not a little grassy tasting. I discovered that skimming the cream off the top and drinking just the milk really helped with the taste those first several weeks.

By May the pastures were mature and the milk had lost that grassy flavor and we were drinking the whole milk. Soon, our half share - about 1 gallon a week - was not enough and then in June the rains tapered off and the cows were going through the pastures more quickly. With milk production down through June and July, I was looking for a way to be able to add another half share. 

The milkers get paid, so by joining the milking schedule we could afford the other half share. My turn came last week and after two days of training with another milker, I was on my own with 6 cows, 1 yearling heifer and 3 heifer calves. The routine is very precise and completely wonderful. For seven evenings, I get to unwind on an 82 acre farm, take care of the girls and be surrounded by nature. It was an utterly sublime experience (no pun intended) and in just six weeks I get to do it all over again! 

Celebrate Eight: August 8, 2008

To celebrate a once in a lifetime date, 

we did fun things today that numbered Eight.

We

read 8 favorite or new books

got a haircut for good looks

had lunch at Chick-fil-A

went to Walt Disney School to play

ate ice cream for a snack 

had a pizza pie for dinner, Jack

walked down to the park and played until dark

finally topped off the day 

with a downtown trip to the chocolate cafe

Strange bug

found on my sill this morning. It must be quite comfy as it's been perched there all day.

A Horse in Striped Pajamas

Oh what fun!
Me and you
Walking through the zoo!
Look there Daddy, do you see?
There's a horse in striped pajamas
No, thats not what it is at all
That's an animal people call a zebra
I see, but it still looks like a
horse in striped pajamas to me

Look there Daddy, do you see?
There's a bird in his tuxedo
No, that's not what it is at all
That's an animal people call a penguin
I see, but it still looks like a
bird in his tuxedo to me

I see a fish with whiskers on
That's a seal, for real

I see a teddy with two black eyes
That's how they planned the little panda

Look there Daddy, do you see?
There's a cat with polka dots on
No, that's not what it is at all
That's an animal people call a leopard
I see, but it still looks like a
cat with polka dots on to me

Look there Daddy, do you see?
There's a bird with a big umbrella
No, that's not what it is at all
That's an animal people call a peacock
I see, but it still looks like a
bird with his umbrella to me

When we get home this afternoon,
You'll run and tell your Mama
I saw a fish with whiskers on
You saw a teddy with two black eyes
I saw a cat with polka dots
You saw a bird in his tuxedo
And, of course, the horse in striped pajamas!

An August birthday

Nothing says Happy Birthday like the cold refreshing tang of a homemade strawberry smoothie.

Just add:

One handful of strawberries

Two healthy scoops of vanilla ice cream

raw, whole milk - the amount depends upon how thick you like it

one birthday Girl

family who loves her oh so much

Blend well

Oh my goodness, that's good!

Happy birthday Mom. I love you.

fading beauty

They turned such pretty colors as they died.

I love the tiny bubbles clinging to the stems for dear life.

Have a beautiful weekend dear ones!