A Look Back Through Pictures…

 

2013 where have you gone? 

You were an amazing year, that brought some crazy challenges and many unforeseen blessings. 

Never would I have imagined that I would actually start a photography business.  That I would be able to capture God’s breath taking beauty and share it with so many.  My photos have been my words lately.  I’m learning to let go of my desire to write… because the words just aren’t coming.  But, the photography…. it’s speaking of God’s magnificent glory and that is something I could never capture with mere words.

Never would I have imagined that the Lord would call me into a ministry to help bring healing to hurting women.  I guess this is where I placing my words.  There isn’t time to write them all down, but they are flowing.  Flowing to the hurting and the lost.  I am still in awe over this call God has placed on my life.  The excitement for the possibilities for this next year of ministry are blowing my mind away.  I am excited and highly expectant (to say the least).

It’s been a breath taking year.  God is moving and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me in 2014.

January 2013

Soaking up the beauty of winter.

 

February 2013

Let it snow and Garden planning

 

March 2013

Pretty slim…. March the month of mud requires indoor photos!

 

April 2013

Welcome Spring!

 

May 2013

Planting Season

 

June 2013

June Photo Shoots

 

 

July 2013

July Photo Shoots

 

August 2013

Summer Fun

 

September 2013

Vacation

 

Soybean Harvest

 

 

September Photo Shoots….

 

October 2013

October Photo shoots

 

Corn Harvest

 

November 2013

November Photo shoot

 

 

December 2013

AHHHHH Home!

Merry Christmas!

 

May you know the deep, wide, amazing, life altering, LOVE of our Lord and Savior on this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God’s Son the Most High King!

 

 

 

Wintry

It has been beautiful here lately.  So snowy!  Sharing just a taste of God’s beauty with you today….

 

 

 

We’ve been enjoying all the snow we have gotten over the past week.  I enjoy it for the beauty it lays down over every thing in its path.  The kids love it for playing and I love that they desire to spend their afternoons outside soaking up all that fresh air.

Relaxed and Perfect Homeschool Days

 

I love these homeschool days, when the snow is gently falling outside my windows, the birds are flocking to my feeders, warm heat is circulating through the vents, and we can start school off right with a warm bowl of Baked Blackberry Oatmeal.  Not to mention we can still be in our jammies, snuggled under quilts, wearing slippers, or sprawled across the couch and still get our schooling done!

 

 

And when I take a few moments from teaching, correcting, or laundry folding,  I see some amazing things and some that make me laugh.

• My boys working hard… love it.
• The silence that comes with enjoyment in a really good book…. the best.
• My vantage point from the dining room table where I can watch my kids getting  comfy and learning… perfect.
• The giggles and laughter that bubble up when Sneakers (our cat) decides he wants to do school too… hilarious.
• Living these moments with my beautiful children…. priceless.

Raindrop upon Raindrop

The rain’s coming down drop upon drop.  Sheets of water hitting obstacles, sliding down, soaking in. 

My soul within me is tired and heavy. I can’t explain it, but there is a weariness and I feel the fight has left me.  I physically ache from weariness that plagues me.

I open the mudroom door, pulling my hood close around my face. I step out, hiding my free hand in the sleeve of my coat.  With my other hand I carry a plate of scraps for the chickens.  Bent over, I duck my head from the cold, pelting, rain, but it is persistent.  It finds my cheeks and speckles my glasses.  The cold air seeps into my lungs.  My nose tingles.  A sharp breeze that makes cheeks pink, dances across my face.

 

 

I breathe in deep; cold air shaking me awake.   I ask God to give me eyes to see, to fill me with His strength. 

As I slowly, walked back up the hill toward the house, I felt it.  I knew that the cold rain was like a touch from Him.  Washing away the heaviness. Cleansing my thoughts.  The cold air was His breath blowing away the cobwebs in my soul.  A gentle call from my Lord to re-focus.

To take my mind off the “what-ifs”.  To remove my thoughts from anything that wasn’t from Him.  To see His goodness. To hope.

 

For He has called us to hope!

 

 

 

“Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!” (Romans 15:13 TM)

 

He has called us too so much that we never focus on. We never grasp.  We miss the green and just aim for the same old routine.

We live in a blur and our spiritual eyes haze over. 

We lose our desire and expectation of obtainment.  Where is our hope?

 

That day in the rain was God’s wake up call for me. 

Live filled with hope!

Fine tuning my focus to pin point precision on my Savior.  Then will I obtain the joy and the peace that He has for me and I will bubble over with the Holy Spirit, spilling out God’s hope in a never ending fountain.

 

It’s Here!

 

Little Sis, is so excited!  It was white when she woke up today and she was ready first thing to get her sled and try the hill out.  To run out and make snow angles ALL OVER.  To make a snow kitty and a snow person. To roll around, to taste, to enjoy!

I love her excitement, because I feel it, too! 

Yesterday when I was in town I heard so much grumbling about the snow.  It was almost painful to hear all the complaining. 

I understand that the cold does bring with it some hardships.  I know and understand because I have Raynaud’s disease  and deal with pain in my feet almost every day during the  cold months. 

But, still when I see the changing of the seasons, when I see those first snow flakes floating down there is an unexplainable joy within me.  For me, it is like a kiss from God, those snowflakes so airy and light landing on my nose and eyelashes.  In them I was see all the beauty, all the magnificence that our Creator is showering down upon us. 

It pulls my gaze upwards, removing it from the earthly things.

As I gaze upwards into the shimmering sheet of whiteness, I feel His presence.  It is unexplainable, but oh so sweet!

Pumpkin Pancakes~ Recipe

 

 

It’s cold here and gray.

Its on day like this that I want to bake… A LOT!

One of my favorite ingredients to use this time of year is pumpkin.

The cold weather, moody skies, and bare trees just signal to me that we should eat  more pumpkin!  One of our favorite recipes that uses pumpkin is Pumpkin pancakes.  They are a favorite around here.  So much so that I had to triple the recipe.  The following recipe is enough for my family of six (3 teenage boys) to have some leftovers, including some for my parents (my mom loves these). You could even put them in the freezer and pull them out for breakfast on another day.

 

Pumpkin Pancakes (original recipe from Gooseberry Patch Cookbook)

3 cups all purpose flour

6 Tablespoons sugar

6 teaspoons baking powder

1  1/2 teaspoons salt

1  1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

6 eggs

3 cups milk

1  1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin

6 Tablespoons canola oil

 

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, pumpkin, and oil together.  Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until almost smooth.  Pour batter onto a lightly greased griddle.  Cook till pancakes are golden brown, turning to cook second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and slightly dry edges.  Makes 24-30 standard sized pancakes.

 

Apple Cider Syrup (recipe from Gooseberry Patch Cookbook)

3/4  cup apple cider or juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 45 minutes- I hour or until to desired thickness (this is a thin syrup more the consistency of real maple syrup). Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

 

The last time I made the Apple Cider Syrup I doubled the recipe and used the leftovers to make granola.  I used the syrup to replace the water and sugar in my recipe.  It was really good.

 

Thank you to those of you who commented on my last post. Your words were so encouraging and really touched my heart! I have some really wonderful friends and I am truly thankful for each of you.

Harvest in a Bundle

About a month ago we harvested the soybeans, and I have wanted to write about it for several weeks. 

But, life around here has been pulling me in a different direction.  The words I have flowing in my mind and heart have not had a chance to land here.  I’m missing that.  I miss writing.

It has taken me three days just to get this post around.  I am trying to accept the obvious fact that my blogging is having to take a back seat.

I have thought about stopping all together, but I don’t think God is calling me to that at this time. But, I do know He has shown me that I don’t need to cling to it like I have in the past.  At times I do miss all the great comments that others used to leave me, however, I think the Lord is tugging at my heart and teaching me once again that I can pour out my heart here. I can write, write, write because this is my spot to pour out my heart and I don’t need accolades, comments, and numerous page visits to make this little ole blog of my special and fantastic.  What makes it special is that here is a place that I can bring glory to my Lord.  Here is a spot where my heart for God can be displayed.  Here is a my little corner to place my feelings, thoughts, struggles, successes, into black markings full of me on a stark, white page.

So, for today, and for this post, I’m sharing harvesting season more in photos than in words!

 

Soybeans:

 

 

Little Miss loves harvest season as much as the rest of us do.  We can’t help but be in the fields watching and helping my dad and Joel when anything is needed, taking a ride in the combine, or going to the mill with a load of grain.  And this little girl is a child who finds the beauty in the fields just like I do.  There’s nothing like it. 

 

 

 

 

 

Corn harvest:

We started harvesting corn this week.  The beauty the other day was breathtaking and so was the wind!  It actually began to spit snow towards then end of the evening.

 

 

 

It is amazing that a month ago when we were doing soybeans we were in t-shirts and sweatshirts.   This week we broke out the winter attire!  The boys especially were bundled up, since they tend to stay out longer than their sister and I do.  I am more farm cook/gopher, but every once in a while I get to snag a ride in the combine with Joel.

 

 

I am so thankful for this opportunity for our family.  I love being a farm girl even if it is on a small scale for now.  It does my heart good and it is a blessing from the Lord above to watch the grain pouring into the gravity wagons.   The yellow gold speaks of His glory, His majesty.  What an amazing God who created these small kernels to produce such towering, wind catching, green giants with frilly hats, loaded down with a wealth of golden ears.  Only our God, the One true God could have created something so beautiful and intricately designed.

Autumn Harvest!

Twelve

You stand and we are almost nose to nose and I can see into the depths of you when I gaze long.

At twelve how can this be? 

And yet, here it is and here we are, together.

Your deep brown eyes are like a rich, dark chocolate and you can melt my heart with one emotion filled look from them.  It has always been that way.  You carry your heart in your eyes.  And that heart, Oh boy! It is so full!  Full of love, kindness, compassion, and a desire to serve.

 

 

I remember when you were just a babe. You would gently brush your fingers through the ends of my long hair.  You would pick out a curl and run your fingers down it.  There was never any pulling or yanking; just gentleness.  This same gentleness is still within you.  It glows from your eyes, it fills your heart. There are times when you push it aside, but it always returns in a rush like a never ending natural spring. It can’t be hidden, removed, or covered over, because it has to flow.  Therefore it finds a way out. 

That’s you sweet boy.

A gushing spring of gentleness.

Don’t cover it. Don’t stifle it.

Use it to touch others. Use it to bring glory to the Lord.  Use it because it is your gift.

 

 

 

I know the Lord has great, grand plans for you with this gentle spirit He has placed within you.   Oh, how I see God working in you!   When you came to me telling me you wanted to lead our Sunday devotion time while we were on vacation, I praised the Lord. He is using you! How exciting to see that you are following His leading.  You have told us that you desire to be a missionary and I can absolutely see you doing this.  If this is God’s plan for your adulthood then I pray that you will stay true to His calling. 

 

 

Another year has flown by and with it another birthday has come.  And another year of a blessing of calling you my son.  You are a treasure, pure and simple!

 

 

 

And I love you until my heart feels like it is breaking apart because it is SO full!

Happy Birthday, Tuddy!

Vermont Cranberry Beans

We are deep into harvesting season right now and so my words will be few.

But, I wanted to share my adventure of planting and harvesting Vermont Cranberry Beans.  For my first time venture into the land of dried beans I think it went very well. I will definitely be doing it again. 

I learned a few things that might be handy to keep in mind if you ever plant a bean that you intend to use for dry use.  I let my beans dry down on the plant while they were still in the garden.  As the plants dried out I pulled them out of the ground and stripped the pods off of the plant.  This worked great for the first 1/3 of the row that I picked. 

 

 

 

We shucked the beans into bowls and then I transferred them onto cookie sheets (which I covered with dish towels) to finish drying.

 

 

After about 4-5 days I placed them into a quart jar.

I waited for the plants to continue to dry down and then I picked again.

This time, however, I noticed that some of the beans had started to mold from too much moisture.  And upon further investigation we saw that some of the beans had gotten so wet that they were starting to sprout inside the pods.  It made for an interesting science discussion for my younger two, but it wasn’t so good for yields!

So, I learned that I need to pick sooner, keep a closer eye on the weather, and pluck those babies out of the ground if it looks like it is going to be wet for a while.  I need to keep in mind that I can always hang the plants to let them finish drying down.  Or just shuck the beans out of the pods and let them dry the rest of the way on cookie sheets.

 

 

 

All in all I would say that growing Vermont Cranberry Beans has been a success and the proof is in the pot!

 

 

MMMMM …..  So Good!!!