Ruby Jean's Giveaway!

Many of you are also followers of Linda at Prairie Flower Farm and know that her son and daughter-in-love are in the process of adopting a young man from the Ukraine.

This is a process that has had its share of ups and downs!

But it is coming down to the wire!!!

And God has been faithful!!!

Ruby Jean is hosting a giveaway to help!!!

Tressa and Linda Stubbs

Josh and Tonya will be leaving this coming Saturday for the Ukraine and will be there for a couple of weeks.  Two weeks later, Tonya along with Tressa, will return to the Ukraine to bring "V" home!!!  The giveaway on Ruby Jean's blog will help Tressa raise the money needed for travel expenses!

Just click on the link and go by and look at what the winners will receive!!!  YES, winners!!!  

There will be 4 winners! 

This is such a good cause and will enable a little boy to have a family and home here in America.  Please go by and read Ruby Jean's post and look at the wonderful things Tressa has made.

This is your chance to be a part of something big....you can be a big blessing in someone else's LIFE!

Blessings,

Cheryl

Fearless Friday, August 19th

It is Friday and I am praying for YOU and your families!

Many others are also committed to praying for you today.

There is more information in my side bar to the right.

I am still feeling a bit overwhelmed and I don't have the energy to write out all the prayer requests ~ but,

GOD already knows!

If YOU have a specific request you have not told us about, feel free to write it in the comment section or you may email me.  You can also contact Angela by pressing on the Fearless Friday button in the sidebar.

I do feel the LORD gave me this particular scripture for today.  If it speaks to your heart,

claim it as your very own message from HIM!

"For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."

~ Deuteronomy 20:4 ~

 

"If God be for us, who can be against us?"

~ Romans 8:31 ~

 

Know the LORD is on your side!  And know the victory is HIS!

I am working very hard, trying to get to this point:

 

"Be still, and know that I am God:" 

(Psalm 46:10)

It is difficult to "be still", it is even more difficult to keep my mouth shut.  Lessons I am trying to learn.

 

Please pray for me, also.

I have another unspoken request, God knows about.

Know you are loved!  God loves you so much and I cherish your friendship!  If you need me, just leave a comment and/or email me.

I will be checking back throughout the day!

 

(Sherri's photo)

Also, be sure and have a blessed weekend, allowing HIS joy to be your strength!

Blessings,

Cheryl

Hi! How are you this fine Thursday?

Just wanted to "chat" with you for a few minutes!  

Hasn't this summer ~ with all the relentless heat and lack of rain ~ gone by fast?!  But there again, maybe it is an age thing....nah!  Time is going FAST!

 Have you started thinking about the holidays, yet?  I know they seem along way off, but they will be here before we know it!  Every time I make jelly,  I think about who will receive jelly and a loaf of homemade bread over the holidays.  It is a favorite present for the neighbors and some of the cousins....favorite on "both ends"!  

I love making it and they enjoy receiving it!   

(I know, not good grammar.)

I want to get started on some personal cookbooks, too.  Soon.

Yesterday, Parsley (Seasons Of My Mind) posted a very special You-Tube video.  You will be blessed if you go and watch!!!  I promise!!!

Later today, I will be joining Beth to play

But for now, we need to do some more schoolwork and see what we are having for lunch.

Besides, Beth's choice of what to list on the Top Ten this week is hard.  I will have to really dig deep.  And it is much too early for that.  We had company until very late last night, after a really long day.  I think they were lonesome.  It was nearly
3:00 a.m. when they left.

I did fix honey-hunk his meatloaf last night, with sour cream mashed potatoes, fried squash, and cucumbers and onions from the garden.  

He was happy!  

Google Image

Maybe today I will get around to that Lemon Meringue Pie!

So far, it has been a busy week!

Oh, the boys and I did sneak over and checkout the work on the pond.  It is going to be awesome!  I think I am as excited as they are!

What's going on at your place this week?

Remember, tomorrow is FRIDAY.....Fearless Friday!  We will be praying!

I'll be back this afternoon.  Come by and join me.  I'll fix you a nice glass of the house wine....

Sweet Tea!!!  

with

Lots of Ice

Maybe I'll have the pie done also.  You can have the first slice!

Blessings,

Cheryl

Building Our Homes Together ~ August 17th

Building Our Homes Together.....with JESUS!

For more about Building Our Homes Together ....with Jesus, be sure and visit Prairie Flower Farm. 

You will be blessed!

Good morning, everyone!  Praying you are having a wonderful week in HIM!

The word COMPROMISE keeps coming to mind this morning.  Life is made up of a situations giving us the opportunity to learn to compromise, isn't it?  And that is never more true than in a marriage or in the home!

My friend, Angela, often refers to the following verse when speaking of herself and her husband:

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

(Proverbs 27:17)

In iron there is great strength.   Some of our wills are like that....we can be very strong willed, which can be an asset or it can be a stumbling block.  

It is an asset when it provides the foundation on which we can rest our beliefs.  It gives us that "step up" so to speak, to be able to express to others, what we believe is  

TRUTH.

However, when we display our strong wills by not being willing to compromise within our marriage or in our homes, it can be a very real "stumbling block"!

You and your "help meet" are one, your thoughts and actions can sharpen one another....not to use those sharpened weapons against one another (because you are ONE), but to be used against the enemy.

It is apart of that "armour" Paul tells us to put on, to be able to stand against the devil.  It is a part of the shield of faith, we are to use to quench the fiery darts of the enemy!

We need to learn to be quick to compromise within our families.  

With children, mom always said, "Pick your battles."  Meaning don't fight over everything.  Rather weigh the importance of the situation first.  Often, when children do not do something exactly the way you would like it done, they are not being rebellious, but developing their own ability to make decisions, to stand on their own two feet.  It is just a part of growing up.

This morning I had to compromise with my honey.  

I didn't want to, at least not at first.

We homeschool our 14 and 15 y/o, along with our soon to be 13 y/o grandson.  Dh is very conscious of keeping to schedules, keeping the boys busy with school during normal school hours, etc.  (He has a teaching degree....so while it gives structure to our schooling, it can drive me a little crazy.  I tell him it tends to cloud his reasoning, by not allowing him to think "outside the box classroom".

Dh and his brother are rebuilding an old pond and dressing the surrounding area.  I reasoned the boys would learn more by going with him today...heavy equipment (they are just beginning to learn a little about how to handle the bulldozers, etc), how about contouring the land, that type of thing.  

My thinking, ~ this type of opportunity to learn firsthand does not happen all that often.  Let's take advantage of it!!!

Dh's thinking, ~ he can get up and get an early start, leaving the boys to do their chores (along with a couple of his chores), they will be able to accomplish some class work (staying inside) and be here to help me.

But what I hear is....no, they need to be at home "in" school.  (Inside the box thinking.)

What he hears....she (me) doesn't want to do classroom work today (which has some truth, as I believe children are continually learning in a number of ways and the more ways, the better educated they actually become.  Obviously, my thinking has not been clouded by receiving my teaching certification.).

Anyway, our joint conclusion was for the boys to stay home doing chores, classroom work and going with me to buy feed, etc. today and tomorrow.  Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, they will go with him to work on constructing the pond.

The boys will benefit from both and hopefully, they will also learn a little bit about compromising, rather than holding out to get their own way.....after all, they can be pretty strong willed, too!

But ~ we are building our home, one day at a time.

BTW, I put up okra and squash yesterday.  Pickings from the garden are a little slim due to the excessive heat and lack of rain, but God is still blessing and we are taking advantage of everything He sends our way.

Praying for each of you to have a very blessed week in HIM!

Hugs,

Cheryl

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ Tuesday, August 16th

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Outside my window...  dark, cloudy and lightning.  Praying for rain.

I am thinking...  ~ about some old friends I recently heard from.  It blessed my heart.

I am thankful for...  ~ the rain we have received!

I am wearing...  ~ old, comfortable clothes….barefoot

always, barefoot (some things just don’t change, people)

I am remembering… ~ crazy things!

I am praying … ~ for a friend and for our troops around the globe.  This is a difficult time for them, I’m sure.

I am going...  ~ to try and get a little more organized and try to follow doctor’s orders.

I am currently reading...  ~ I just finished Mine Is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs.  It is a sequel to Here Burns My Candle and it is the best book I have ever read!  Loved it.

 (It is loosely based on the story of Ruth.)

 

I am hoping...  ~ for an early and long autumn.

On my mind...  ~ Ann Voskamp’s blog, A Holy Experience, she had a beautiful post yesterday about her son.  It is certainly worth your time to check it out.

Noticing that...   ~ the days (or daylight hours) are already getting noticeably shorter.

From the kitchen...  ~ going to be putting okra and squash in the freezer today.

Around the house...  ~ laundry, always laundry!

From the learning room ~ getting ready for the new school year.  For now, the boys are learning how to operate some new equipment and how to build and maintain a pond.  (I love it when honey-hunk does the teaching and I get to sit back and learn too!)

One of my favorite things…  Lemon Meringue Pie.  I’m going to make honey-hunk one this week, along with his favorite meal ~ meatloaf with lots of homegrown veggies and cornbread.

A picture to share… ~

Beavers Bend State Park

(I'm dreaming of fall.)

Quote of the Week… ~ 

 “Whatever You may do, I will thank You.

I am ready for all; I accept all.

Let only Your will be done in me…

And I’ll ask for nothing else, my Lord.”

~Charles de Foucauld

(from, A Holy Experience)

Be sure and visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook for more daybook entries.

 May God be gracious to you and bless you; may He make His countenance shine upon you forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Blessings,

Cheryl

Thank You(s) and Hugs!

And I mean  that!

I went for my two week checkup on Friday.  According to the doctor's scales, I had lost a total of 8 pounds of water (I liked mine better ~ 11, maybe I shouldn't have drank that Dr. Pepper!).  Nevertheless, he was happy with my progress.  I am to keep doing the same as I have been and I don't have to go back for a month!!!

As for my sinus infection, it is beginning to break up.....I think what I need most for it, is a change in the weather!

We did receive nearly an inch of rain last Friday night....it was WONDERFUL!!!  I am always shocked by how much difference a rain can make.  The pasture had such a yellowish-brown color before, now it has a yellowish-green cast to it.  You can almost see the chlorophyll returning to the blades of grass!  Praying for more rain, soon.

Our temperatures have began to move back away from the 100+ degree mark.  (THANK YOU, Father!)  Last night it dropped down to 73 and the daytime high has remained in the mid 90's the last couple of days.  It makes me so happy ~ especially for the animals (and the electric bill)!

I wanted to take time to say THANK YOU for all your prayers and well wishes.....they do make so much difference!!!  Each day, I get a little stronger and while I had rather wake up with a ton of energy, baby steps are okay, too!  Besides, I think it makes it easier for GOD to get my attention when I am not up and cumbered about by the everyday chores!  

(That's my story and I'm sticking with it!)

It has also giving me time to start planning out the homeschool year...at least until my brain gets tired of making notes.

Dh and two of the boys have been working on helping dh's twin build a pond.  Actually, they are reworking an older pond, making it larger and cleaning around it.  The 14 y/o got to drive the smaller bulldozer!  He has been super excited and I am looking at it as an awesome learning experience for both of them!!!

(I love hands on learning!)

I hope to be able to take a few pictures before they finish all the work.

I am working toward being able to post each day....Really!  But I mostly wanted to say Thank YOU and to let you know how much I appreciate each of YOU!

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining ~

Sometimes, it is up to us to look for it.

Happy Sonday, everyone!

Decided I need to post an update….

There was a time in my life, when things happened at a much slower rate.  Sure, we had a crisis now and then, but things would return to “normal” and time would move forward for a month or two before some other earth shaking event happened.  I miss those days!

I went to the doctor as scheduled Friday, a week ago.  Having realized for a few months that something wasn’t right, I thought (even though I’d rather not) going to the doctor was necessary.  In the back of my (naturopathic-like) mind, I was thinking I would get a diagnosis and rather than take the prescribed meds, search out whatever herbs I needed to cure the problem.  It didn’t workout quite that way.

I explained about my back pain, trouble walking, unable to loose any significant weight the last few months…etc.  He took one look at my feet and legs and told me, he was more concerned with me being on the verge of congestive heart failure. 

What a wake up call!

He did say, once we pull the water off, my joint pain should decrease dramatically, giving me more freedom of movement.

In the last 8 days, I’ve lost 11 pounds.  Yes, I’m taking the meds…..for now (as long as I don’t have one of those weird reactions I am prone to have).  I have ankles again!!! 

My next appointment is this coming Friday.    He was a bit amazed that at my age, I was not taking any prescription medicines!  That made me Smile!

Chasey’s (our 10 y/o granddaughter) shingles are beginning to look much better.  Thank you for praying for her.  Right now, she is suffering from sore throat, ear ache and such.  Everybody in this area has been having this “stuff”……the weather is so hot and so dry!  It is hard on humans and hard on our animals.

Silver Lining ~

The pasture at our oldest daughter’s (and family’s) place was struck by lightning last Wednesday……thankfully, three of their children were here with us!!!  The fire came within 25 feet of the house, taking out an electrical pole…..thus “killing” two computers, two televisions, the Wii and other appliances.

God is so good!  When Jenny had a wreck earlier this summer, three of the kids were (again) here safely with us!  So twice, God had arranged for protection for the grands prior to the incident.  AWESOME!

Silver Lining ~

We have some friends who are going to be gone for about six weeks.  Our youngest son is taking care of their animals and their plants, etc.  This means every other day, I have to take son to do his chores at their place and I usually help, by watering and checking on things.  With the temperature above 100 (and not feeling great), this hasn’t been my cup of tea….especially last week when the thermometer read 117 when we were leaving the house.

Some of you know, we have been looking for hay for the animals…..us and everybody else from Kansas to Texas and east to Georgia!  I called to check on some hay out of Minnesota last week…..the price (hold your heart) $105 a bale!

I’ve been thinking, we will be blessed if we can feed our animals and still buy groceries this winter….not even thinking about the utilities!

Our friends called to see how things were going and if everything was alright at their place.  They told me, there was a man coming to cut and bale their pastures (so I would know he had talked to them) and told us to take….TWENTY round bales for looking after their place!!!

So, again….God arranged a major blessing …(I just had to be welling to get out and do a little)!!

I haven’t been posting as much because with the heat, the kids are staying in out of the

sun more (therefore using the computer, the video game systems and the television) and while I used to write and post a lot after everyone else was asleep….taking these meds has me going to sleep before the rest of the family!

You are in my prayers though!  And I hope you are looking for the silver lining in the clouds that come your way!!!

Prayerfully, I will be back posting more regularly soon!  I miss you!

Blessings,

Cheryl