It is time to be...

Simplifying...

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Letting Go...

(photo - Google search)

Prioritizing...

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Organizing

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I wish I could be so organized!

Trusting...

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And Resting in Him

(photo - mine)

We've done it - we put money down on a lot in the new neighborhood we are going to move to, God willing. We chose our house plan, and it is called The Roe River Cottage. A cottage it will be, with the square footage much smaller than we now have, yet we will have more usable square footage when we eventually finish the basement. Our present home's basement is usable for storage only, as the house is 103 years old and the basement shows its age.

This is a photo of our present home, taken earlier this spring...

We've lived here for 28 years, and we have a lot of junk keepsakes to go through and to donate, sell or toss. While I will not have much time to loll in the hammock, I will make time to rest, especially in the Lord, because without Him, I''d most likely be overly stressed and also a bit sad at saying good-bye to the home He provided for us all those years ago.

One of my favorite verses for our family has been in Psalm 127:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
Psalm 127:1

We may plan and create a new house from the ground up, but it is only when we do so with His guidance and His plan for us that we will really succeed in building a home.  He alone provides us with shelter, security and food. He is the source of our strength and abilities and gifts, and I want to give Him praise for His provisions for us. He has provided us with godly people to help us with the design of our new home; He has provided us with supportive friends and family who understand why it is time for us to downsize; and He has given us a peace that it is time to make this move, even when it doesn't make sense for us to sell our home right now with the economy the way it is.

I know that by giving Him our lives and our plans, He only wants what is best for us, and that means not what the world has to give, but the peace only He gives. Last night, we had a terrible storm head our way, with rain, hail flooding and tornadoes forecasted. The heavy, ominous black clouds grew larger and frightening, and the tornado warning sirens blew. We learned shortly after that 1 and maybe 2 tornadoes touched down only a few miles away. By 10pm the skies were calm and the rain didn't come until after we were asleep.

It could have turned out differently, as it has in so many towns this spring. We could have lost our home or even our lives. But we are trusting Him with our lives, and I know that no matter what we plan, it is His plans for us that I desire.

And, yes, God does fit into all of this...

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I came across this art on Pinterest, and there were a few words on it that spoke to me:

Laugh Out Loud

&

Don't Whine

I wasn't in a good mood when I read it, because I was feeling sorry for myself for;  a) a bad haircut, and b) finding out that my eyes are only going to get worse. So I was finding it hard to laugh out loud but I was not finding it hard to whine, at least inside my heart.

The haircut came after the eye doctor appointment and it was like pouring salt on a wound, or so I thought. I mean, not only can I not SEE very well, but I don't think I LOOK very good, either! You see, my eyes have been effected by the chiari malformation/syringomyelia I have and the resulting nerve damage, as well as my years of having a low thyroid. I am having double vision problems that can only be helped by having prisms in my lenses, so I had to give up my contacts a while ago and get used to wearing glasses all of the time.
(That part is a vanity thing. Sorry.)

So , here it is, a beautiful SUNNY day, after all of the rain and flooding going on around most of the state of Montana, and I am feeling down in the dumps. Now, I know that God cares about my concerns as much as He does the people of the natural disasters we have been seeing, and so I am not dismissing my issues, especially my eyes. But His Word reminded me (just this morning!) that He desires me to:

"pray in the Spirit and on all occasions with

all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always

keep on praying for all the saints."

                                                 Ephesians 6:18

Ah, yes, instead of grumbling, I am to pray in the Spirit (hard to grumble then!) and on all occasions (not just when I feel like it!) and with all kinds of prayers and requests (nothing is too big or too small for our God!). His Word also tells me to be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints, and I know that when I lay my needs before my Lord and clear my heart and mind of what is troubling me, I am free to pray for others' needs, even those I do not know. It releases me from the stronghold of self pity Satan tries to have on me so that I may move on, knowing and trusting in God's sovereignty and His great love for His people. 

The other words in the above art become easier to read when my heart is righted...

Love One Another

Be Grateful

Share

Say I Love You

...and this sunny day becomes one in which I feel the arms of my Lord and Savior wrapped around me, warming my heart as the sun warms the temperature. And with this, I am reminded of another art post I shared from Pinterest not long ago and I purchased it from a shop on Etsy...

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And He is!

Here is a video from Samaritan's Purse about the tragedy in Joplin, Missouri,
 a place where the people need our continued prayers.

P.S. The Laugh Out Loud art work is a free printable from the blog
Betty Crocker Wannabe. This was my first visit there, and she has a lot of
wonderful posts  as well as printables and recipes.

Design Seeds

If you read my previous post about the rain and flooding that is happening in my area, you'll understand why I have a need for pretty colors and sunlight. One of my favorite websites is called Design Seeds, and if you click here, you can read about Jessica and how she came to create Design Seeds. All of the photos below are from Design Seeds.

I do not live well with bright and bold colors. I tend to use quiet colors both in my clothes and in my house. I like to use colors as accents to a neutral background. I am not a great designer, but I enjoy looking at the designs other make. Jessica has a gift for creating her designs based on photos and clever names. Enjoy!

spring pollen

cottage rose

vintage floral

morning light

cottage color





canine color

glass stones




Jessica also has published her beautiful work into 4 books, and the latest can be viewed online:



Make yourself a cup of tea or a glass of lemonade, depending on your weather (I'm having tea!), curl up in a comfy chair or in your backyard hammock, and click here for the link to see this pretty book.

Rain, rain, go away...

We have had an abundance of rain in Montana, in fact, in eastern MT where we live, we have had just in May 8.79 inches of rain, and normal rainfall is 2 inches. It has been raining or cloudy most of April and May, and as I write I am wearing jeans and sweater over a t-shirt - no capris these days! Normally, we would be thankful for spring rain, as we do not get much rain after June and things really dry up. But this year, flooding is a big problem.

While our small town is not having a problem with flooding so far, many communities are. Here are a few photos...

This is Crow Agency, about 1 hour southeast from us - it is totally flooded...

and Interstate 90 is flooded there...

you can't get to the Little Big Horn Battlefield...

To the southwest of us, there is flooding in the town of Joliet,

and students are being held at the school for safety unless their parents can get them

without having to drive through flood waters.

Here is some flooding going on in Billings...

These photos are just a few of the flooding that is happening in eastern MT.

And it continues to rain.

We feel surrounded.

Yet, we remain safe and only have a wet basement, and

no flooding is occurring here. We are thankful, and we know our

prayers are what are needed.

Prayers for the people whose lives have been disrupted and homes destroyed,

as well as for the families of the 2 people who have died because of the flooding.

We pray for the many responders that are out in the rain trying to sandbag and help people

get to dry and safe ground, and for those who have provided shelter to those displaced.

The flooding may be widespread, but our God is bigger than

 any flood,

any tornado,

any volcano,

any tsunami,

any earthquake,

anything that seems to be out of control.

He is IN control,

He is sovereign,

and He is good.

So we will watch for the rainbow!

Happy Birthday, Maya!

Our sweet granddaughter, Maya, turned 3 years old in April,

and the only thing she wanted was a chocolate cake with blueberries.

I am so proud of her - not toys or new clothes or candy,

but

c.h.o.c.o.l.a.t.e.

A child of a child of mine, for sure!

Not to worry, though, she did receive toys and clothes,

and no matter what the item was, she received each one with

great joy and glee. One special gift was an amazing dollhouse found

by her dad last summer and stored in hiding at our house.

Mommy and Daddy scored big on that one.

Thank you, Jesus, for this precious granddaughter,

Maya Christine Kane,

who has the tender heart of a caregiver

and plenty of hugs to share with all who ask.

Her name, Maya, means "nurturing mother",

and You have given her a heart that loves others.

She loves to sing and dance and to be outdoors,

swinging and singing and loving the sunshine.

Perhaps because her Mommy and Nana have sung

"You Are My Sunshine" to her since she was a newborn baby.

Maya is truly our sunshine, Lord; thank you so much for giving her life!

This song's for you, Maya!

Brotherly Pancakes

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; “Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website: 

Puppy Dog Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

2 drops strawberry syrup

8 semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another large bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk and butter. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Place 2/3 cup of batter in a small bowl; stir in chocolate syrup. Place 1 teaspoon of batter in another bowl; stir in strawberry syrup.
• For puppy ears, pour eight 1 tablespoonfuls of chocolate batter onto a lightly greased large hot griddle. For muzzle and eyes, spoon eight 1 teaspoonfuls and eight 1/4 teaspoonfuls of chocolate batter onto the griddle. For tongues, spoon four 1/8 teaspoonfuls of pink batter onto the griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes; cook until the second side is golden brown.
• To assemble, arrange ears, eyes, muzzle and tongue on plain pancakes; top eyes with chocolate chips. Yield: 4 puppy dog pancakes.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 224 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 483 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 7 g protein.

 

Every Thing

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I felt nudged to post this, and perhaps someone who sees it

needs to be reminded of this as I do. Perhaps you struggle with what to wear

once in awhile. I know I do. I put on several outfits yesterday before I finally

settled on something that didn't make me feel frumpy.

Perhaps you struggle with worry, and there is much to worry about

these days. I won't make a list of things we often worry about; you know

what you are dealing with and you don't need a list.

In fact, I am posting this because the Holy Spirit prompted me to.

I leave the reasons that it may be intended for you, for you to share

with the Father. Perhaps it wasn't meant for you, but someone you know and love.

Consider this a gift from God, a reminder that He loves you so very much,

and that the God of the universe, who made the beautiful lavender in the fields,

also made you. You are beautiful to Him.

You may trust Him with your self image, your worries, everything.

E  V  E  R  Y

T  H  I  N  G

Cast your cares on the Lord
and He will sustain you;
He will never let
the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 55:22