shhh.. .. .. .

Do you hear it?

Neither do I . .. . ..
 
I don’t know about you, but I prefer God to speak loud and clear in my life. I like road signs and markers along my faith journey telling me I’m headed in the right direction.

Lately, with the detours I’ve been given, I have struggled.. .. . . . but I am trying to get past that and see them as blessings.

I know there are many things that can distract us and prevent us from hearing God. Television, radio, iPods, cell phones, Internet, email, traffic, and crowded schedules all contribute to our noisy world. One of the things I have learned over the past year and a half about God’s voice, is that it quite often begins with a whisper. If we’re all full of a busy to-do life we could end up not hearing Him. If every moment is bombarded by noise, our thoughts can get cluttered and it can cause us to lose the ability or desire to really listen to God.

As I look at 2013 and continuing to focus on my one word, I’m leaning in close enough so His voice is the only one I can hear.  This will require me to be still and sit long with Him in the quiet early morning hours. It may even mean I have to listen while I mow the lawn, because apparently He likes to speak softly to me while I’m out in His backyard. Since I have A LOT of grass, this gives God ample time to speak to me.

I want to live my life being true to who I am, and yet… I struggle to define it. There are those in our lives who try to define it for us, whether they are our teachers, pastors, parents, friends. And for much of our lives, we let them and yet .. . . . … I don’t think I can any longer.

I want to live authentically to who He made me to be and follow His way for my life.

Blessings

　

Another Anniversary

A Happy Anniversary shout to my parents.  Who, today, are celebrating their 49th anniversry!!!

{sadly this is the most recent photo with the whole family}

What a legacy!

Blessings

Happy Anniversary!!!

to the cutest couple I know and love:

 May you be blessed with many, many, many more!

Blessings

blog interrupted

we interrupt this blog for a very non-important announcement:

on saturday, i started this post:

Girl Running
My daughter decided that her new hobby would be running. And when this girl decides to do something she puts her whole heart, soul & mind right into it.

After looking up on the Internet and learning the how to’s of running - she in her typical A-type personality printed off a running chart and started training. She knew after a few times out this was her thing and today she is running a half-a-marathon. 21K, yes you read that right.. .. .. . She’s also sighed up for a half-a-marathon run in Toronto in October.

Each time I read that she’s run another #K, I am motivated to run as well. I am inspired by this girl. Either that or I am jealous. I like to think it’s the former. Regardless, she does inspire me in more ways too. Krystle is a person of such contentment. Her wisdom and gentle leading heart have people just wanting to be with her. Her passion for life is an inspiration to those who are close to her and one can’t help but.. .. .. . … .. .. … .. . …

and there it ended, because that same daughter who was running her half-a-marathon around our country blocks, had just finished and i wanted to celebrate this amazing accomplishment with her.

 

that afternoon, we then went to my husband’s uncle’s funeral and by the time we got home our son and his girlfriend who live in orillia ended up surprising us and came home for a weekend visit.

sunday rolled around and with church, time at the beach, a bbq, the original post still sat in the queue. . . .. . .. waiting.  i figured time spent with family is more important than sitting at the computer blogging about spending time with family. not a big deal, i thought i would just finish writing the blogpost on monday and share it then. or so i thought. my plans were however quickly changed when i ended up going in to the centre for Krystle, so she could attend her friend’s father’s funeral.

i find it quite interesting that after i blog about either struggling with blog blok or complaining that I do not have many ‘blog-worthy’ events, my life it seems, gets quite busy.

there is something theraputic for me when i write out my thoughts, ideas, and opinions, whether in a journal or on a blog.  it helps me to process all the ramblings that are swirling through my mind.

so after all that, here is a blogpost.

blessings

Summer lovin'

FACT: Today marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, and this is the day of the year with the longest hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere and the shortest in the southern hemisphere.

ahhh Summer! I truly like snd really enjoy like all the seasons we experience around here, but if I had to rank them in order of most favourite to least favourite, it would be: Autumn, Summer, Winter, then Spring. There are definitely pro's and con's to each one and yet I couldn't imagine life without the change in seasons.

As we enjoy the changing of seasons, I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. . . ..  .”

This helps me keep things in perspective.  

Happy 1st day of summer!

Blessings

blog blok

ugh! i've been struggling the past few days with what to write. it's not that nothing has been going on, quite the opposite. this week has been busy. in fact when i stop to think about it, alot has happened. but nothing it seems is blog worthy. i envy fellow blogger friends who seem to have a never-ending supply of topics to tantalize, taunt and tease their readers. i have what seems to be a writer's block of some sort.

according to Wikipedia ~ Writer's block is a condition, associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task in hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked" writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers.

it's amazing that i'm actually facing this, keeping in mind that i don’t consider myself a writer.

top 3 reason why i think i have blogger's block:
1. i am a perfectionist. i operate under the belief that in order for me to post anything on my blog, it should be a coherent & meaningful.
2. i am a “slow-cooker” writer which means that i need ideas to simmer for awhile. i need a lot of time to process my thoughts before i'm ready to share them.
3. while many bloggers are quite content to be spontaneous, impulsive, and informal, i have this crazy notion that i should strive to take blogging to a higher level.

so until then.....

Blessings

Lately . .. . .. ...

In the Kitchen: bbq grilled vegetables, wraps, chicken caesar salad

On my Night table: twelfth of never by james patterson

Through my speakers:  bx 93, and i just love this one - hillsong united: still

Search Engine History: blogger, facebook, mennonite girls can cook, gocereals {farmer is pre-booking the 2013 crops}, CIBC {trying to get my bookwork done}

Readings in my Bible: kinda fallen off the wagon on this one 

 

Enjoyment: time spent with family, reading, walking

 

TV Shows: nothing, been spending more time outside with all the nice weather

 

Movies: life of pi, lincoln, django unchained ~ all borrowed from the library

 

how about you? what have you been doing... . . ... lately?

 

Blessings

2:06

for the past several days, weeks, ugh! really it’s been several months. i’ve been waking up at exactly 2:06 AM. not 2:05. not 2:07. 2:06 on the dot. it's like an internal alarm has gone off. 

most times i am able to turn over and fall back asleep, but then there are those nights when i am full on, totally with it, awake.

it can be very frustrating waking up in the middle of the night ~ er, well, i guess that’s almost morning, but whatever, it’s still frustrating. waking up, listening to the gentle snore emanating from the hubs . . ... .. i lay there. and my mind begins to wander. .. …. thinking about tomorrow, the next day, the day after that, next week, next month, even years down the road. thinking about someday. and you wanna know something? i've wasted a lot of time waiting on somedays.

someday i’ll make a workable cleaning schedule and stick to it; then we’ll have company more often.
someday i’ll become a morning person and have quiet devotionals and get things accomplished before the day even begins.
someday i won’t procrastinate and stay ahead of the bookwork.
someday i’ll take violin lessons so i can play in church.
someday i won’t be quite so tired and ... . . ... . .. ... . .
the list goes on. 

do you wait for somedays? what do yours look like?

someday we’ll have a house that’s big enough for entertaining.
someday i’ll have children and be a stay at home mom.
someday the kids will be older and i won’t be so tired.
someday the kids will be grown and i’ll do all those things i’ve waited to do.
someday i’ll have a bigger blog and more opportunities will come from it.
someday i’ll write a book and then i’ll consider myself a real writer.

do you see yourself in any of these somedays?

planning ahead isn’t a bad thing. God has plans for us, as he tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” {New International Version {NIV}}

although God has a future planned for us, i don’t think we’re supposed to be waiting for those “somedays”, i think we're supposed to live our life right here, right now and do the work He’s put in front of us.

Blessings

Riddle me this???

We love a good movie quote - in fact when both the boys were still at home they could have whole conversation only using movie quotes.

Can you tell me what movies these quotes come from?

# 1
: Chickens go it and pies come out .. ..
: What kind of pie?

# 2
: I do believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks.. .. ..

# 3
: Please describe your idea of a perfect date.
: That's a tough one. I'd have to say April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.

# 4
: You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

# 5
: Congratulations. You three have just won the Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Morons Olympics!
: Who won the gold?

# 6
: Fish are friends, not food.

# 7
: Nobody makes me bleed my own blood...nobody!

# 8
: They’ve done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.

# 9
: Do you concur?
: Damnit! Why didn’t I concur?!

# 10
: You idiots! These are not them! You’ve captured their stunt doubles!

# 11
: There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

# 12
: I’m kind of psychic. I have a fifth sense. It’s like I have ESPN or something.

# 13
: Well, you have a sweet bike. And you're really good at hooking up with chicks. Plus you're like the only guy at school who has a mustache.

# 14
: According to the map we've only gone 4 inches

# 15
: Just because we have chiselled abs and stunning features, it doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.

# 16
: This house is so full of people it makes me sick. When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone.

# 17
: Watch out! The yellow ones don't stop.

# 18
: Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

# 19
: 1st RULE: You do not talk about FIGHT CLUB.

# 20
: You girl scouts want to hear a story. Once upon a time there was a magical place that never rained... The end.

# 21
: Hey Mr. Donut Man, who's trying to kill ya? I don't know but they better not!

# 22
: Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

# 23
: So long, farewell, au revoir, auf Wiedersehen! Good night. ..

# 24
:Hey, let's play a game. It's called "See Who Can Be Quiet the Longest".
: Cool! My mom loves that game!

# 25
: Tell you where I'd go. Zihuatanejo.

********************************************************************

And the answers are:
# 1 Chicken Run
# 2 The Wizard of Oz
# 3 Miss Congeniality
# 4 Batman
# 5 101 Dalmatians
# 6 Finding Nemo
# 7 Dodge Ball
# 8 Anchorman
# 9 Catch me if you can
# 10 Spaceballs
# 11 Goldmember
# 12 Mean Girls
# 13 Napoleon Dynamite
# 14 Dumb & Dumber
# 15 Zoolander
# 16 Home Alone
# 17 Elf
# 18 Forrest Gump
# 19 Fight Club
# 20 Holes
# 21 Wayne’s World
# 22 Gone with the Wind
# 23 Sound of Music
# 24 Up
# 25 Shawshank redepmtion

So? How many did you get right?

Blessings
　

Fear not

In Isaiah 41:10 {New International Version (NIV)} it says “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

There are many things that I am afraid of ~ spiders, skydiving, mice, snorkelling, snakes, pansies, um hallo, did you say pansies, as in the flowers? {yes, I know that one is irrational}, getting lost, not being good enough and sadly the list could go on.. .. .. .. .

I enjoy writing out my thoughts, ideas and opinions and have been doing so regularly for several days, and then, poof . . .. I ran out of words. There are a ton of things I could tell you, a lot of things I want to tell you and only a few things I can tell you like I am up to my eyeballs in trying to stay ahead of everything {mowing the lawn, baking, gardening, dishes, cooking, reading, laundry, weeding, cleaning and don’t get me started with how far behind I am in getting the bookwork done} and yet .. .. … Good things are coming down the pipes and when good things start to come into focus, unfortunately I have a bad habit of letting fear, anxiety and doubt invade my territory.

DANG IT.

It's okay.

Don't get me wrong it is not okay that fear, anxiety and doubt show up, but if and when you are able to realize/recognize that they are coming and you are prepared for it, then it will be okay. . . .. except when you forget to remember .. … anyways. . . remember this: Fear keeps you from being who God wants you to be and as soon as you remember that, then, poof . .. . . it all goes away. When fear, anxiety and doubt creep up, recognize it, quote those scriptures of encouragement into your life and hand all your worries over to God. Pray for wisdom, and then get on with what you are doing.

Be who HE made you to be. You can do it {and so can I}, wanna know why?

Because “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 {New International Version (NIV)}

Blessings

Front Porch Sitting

I love sitting on the front porch. Whether it’s early in the morning with a nice hot cup of tea, in the afternoon when the sun warms the area or in the evening as the day comes to an end. There’s something magical about sitting out there. We are very fortunate to live in the country where we have the most fantastic sunsets and great opportunities to enjoy the out of doors in our own backyard.

Growing up in a small town I never would have thought that I would become a country girl. It's kind of ironic, my mom was raised in the country who raised her family in town. We then raised our family out here on the family farm and now my daughter & husband live in town {although recently they informed they that they too would like to move out to the county}. There is just something about country living.

Our property is on the corner so we only have one neighbour and with 15 acres separating us, it's pretty secluded around here. Lending itself to give us the quiet, the tranquility, and quite possibly the best view around.

The country band Lonestar sing the song “My Front Porch Looking In”.
The only ground I ever owned was sticking to my shoes
Now I look at my front porch and this panoramic view
I can sit and watch the fields fill up
With rays of glowing sun
Or watch the moon lay on the fences
Like that's where it was hung
My blessings are in front of me
It's not about the land
I'll never beat the view
From my front porch looking in . .. …

While I do love the view from my porch looking in, as it reminds me of family & home, I also love the view looking out. 

Sitting on the porch with the one I love helps bring balance to every day.

Blessings

Baking day

There isn’t much of a difference from day to day around here. .. .. I mostly putz around the farm, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, making meals, wash the laundry - oh, not all in one day mind you.. . . .

But. That’s. About. It.

Since it's only the two of us, I don't do alot of extra baking, cause guess who ends up eating it all?  But with it being significantly cooler today, I decided to do some baking this morning.

And boy did I bake.

Brownies, Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits, Apricot Muffins, Chocolate Cake, and these Donut Muffins

Farmer will be quite pleased to have some desserts around the house again. .. …

How did you spend the day?

Blessings 

Encouragement

When I need encouragement, I turn to this passage:

and it helps me through whatever I am struggling with at the time.

How about you? What scripture do you turn to, when you need to be encouraged?

Blessings

The Sweetness of Sunday

Our Sundays are pretty relaxed ~ always have been…. .. after the farmer puts in another lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ng work week, he truly needs this day for rest. We usually start our day with an amazing time of worship in the house of the Lord with our friends and then spend a fairly quiet afternoon together. There are times when we’ll enjoy a bite to eat at a restaurant, but mostly we come home to a simple lunch. We’ll then spend the afternoon doing a variety of activities from walking the dog, watching a movie or reading while sitting on the front porch. Pretty relaxed, huh?

Then there are times when our daughter and her husband invite us over for lunch and to spend an afternoon together.

Today was one such day. Arriving to their house we were greeted with ice cold beverages ~ mine, a cherry-key-lime palm bay and for the farmer he enjoyed a nice cold beer. We were then treated to a most delicious lunch with BBQ’d turkey kabobs, coleslaw salad and grilled veggies. Oh. My. Goodness. Lunch was super delicious and our conversation always enlightening. Our afternoon quickly sped by as we enjoyed the beautiful weather with a walk through McNaughton trail and to no surprise to any of us, we ended up at DQ to enjoy an ice cream treat.

Today was perfect, it blended all my favourite things to do; dinner out, going for a walk, being outside with the beautiful weather and probably my very-most favourite ~ was time spent with family. As we headed for home, I thanked our lovely hostess for a perfect day!

How about you? What’s your perfect day?

Blessings