September 28th, Beautiful Day

Sunrise to sunset, it was a beautiful day!
Since it was the last nice in the forecast, I decided to take in as much as I could. My dog woke me up at 5:45 am, so I snapped a couple pictures of the sunrise through my sleep-filled eyes. Later, I enjoyed area scenery and color changes, until the sun made a stunning departure as it left this beautiful day as only a memory.

Everything Has A Season

I am still having computer problems, so computer time has been almost zero this past week. It's been beautiful out, so I haven't missed it too much as I take in the last days of summer weather. I have picked probably five gallons of tomatoes this week, so that has been productive! It does seem that most of the plants in my yard know it's time for their reign to be over and no matter how much I tend to them, they are just dying back for the season. As I was out looking at everything today, it definitely seems to be time to just let most of the plants go. I was kind of sad, but know that each plant has it's time, and we cannot extend it when it knows it's time to go dormant for the year, or to be uprooted after a season of producing. It made me think of the following passage:


There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Computer Issues

So, I didn't forget about posting pictures from our walk through Manito. My computer has issues-several of them! If this actually posts, I will be amazed. For some reason, I cannot open up any of my photo programs without the computer freezing up. Yesterday morning, it was all programs, but after running some scans, it appears to be my photos, and a few other files. I asked my husband if insurance covers a computer that has been thrown out the second story window and bounces across the yard. He said no. So, I am left wondering what to do next and have to find some time to try to figure things out. Honestly, I had to walk away from it yesterday morning because becoming that frustrated at 7 am, just is not a good way to start the day!

So, someday I will post pictures of our walk through Manito, I hope. In the meantime, it's a beautiful day out, so I am going to go enjoy it. Hope you do the same.

Date Day

With the help of my hubby, I just tucked in my tomatoes, peppers, geraniums, and miniature roses for the night. It's supposed to freeze tonight, which I know it's time, but it makes me sad. I stood out under the amazing starlight, with a tiny mag light in my hand, looking at my huge crop of cosmos that all came up from seed from one plant last year. There are so many, they took over my tiered bed, which now looks like a cosmos field. I had it all planted this spring with petunias, lobelia, allysum, and a few other plants, but in mid July those plants disappeared as the cosmos grew and grew. They are now a good six plus feet tall, loaded with light and dark pink blooms. Unfortunately, I am sure by morning, they will not be so pretty.

My hubby and I had a date day today. We went to early church, then stopped at Cabelas. Ok, it was more than just a stop. My hubby definitely out shopped me! He found several bargains on their big sales so we loaded up the trunk with all his new treasures. We went to Spokane where we enjoyed lunch and a couple hours at Manito Park. My estimate was half of Spokane was at Manito today. It was packed with people taking in the beautiful blooms of the amazing roses that were just loaded with flowers, the dazzling dahlias, and the other fall flowers and leaves that were dancing in their great splendor in the sunshine and breeze. I will post pictures of some flowers tomorrow from our walk through Manito, but for now, it's time to tuck myself into bed, after our busy day. We ended our day with a drive up through the historic homes, then a little drive in the country, a stop at one more store, and a hot mocha as the chill was already taking over the air. I enjoyed my date day. They are important times to reconnect and just enjoy each others company.

Update

From Ali's mom: Ali has been doing therapy all week. She has therapy again today, but right now she is cooking me breakfast...she is so much better, so thankful!

Special Day on the Lake

It was an amazing day yesterday. So amazing, I spent the day on the lake with my parents. My dad is a carver and makes beautiful geese, ducks, birds, and fish out of dead wood. You can check it out here: Wood N Wings Studios. He saw some dead wood along the shoreline when we went out a couple months ago, so we planned an outing to get out and find that wood in our boat. We met half way and loaded up our truck with our gear, and headed to the lake. We had a lot of fun, enjoyed a many laughs, and built some memories. We had close encounters with wildlife, including goats, an eagle, loons, hooded merganser, and grebe; we stopped at one point and before getting out of the boat, I heard the brush breaking. Mom and dad didn't hear the brush, just a very loud squirrel and told me it was probably just the squirrel running around. I thought 'if that's a squirrel, he's REALLY big because that brush is really cracking.' We were looking for wood, so I walked down the shoreline a bit and up into the brush. All the sudden I hear my mom yelling in her very motherly tone 'Get down here NOW, get to the boat NOW!' I can running out of the woods quite rapidly because I know that tone and when she uses it, she means it. I ran straight to the water and prayed whatever it was, it didn't like the water. I ran to the boat with my heart pounding out of my chest. Mom was still in the boat, eyes very big, holding her camera. She said something stuck it's head out of the brush a couple feet in front of the boat and it was hissing, growling, and snarling. We started to name things while mom gathered her senses...raccoon?...no! badger?...no wolverine?...YES! Mom is sure it was a wolverine she saw and dad is too after she described it. My dad, still on shore, picks up a tiny stick and starts to look for it because 'he really wants to see it.' Mom and I think he's crazy because they are not a nice animal. I heard it crash through the brush up the hill, so we finally convinced dad to get in the boat and move further down the shoreline.

We got the pleasure to watch momma and her kids, both on the way out and on the way back.

We did some fishing and caught some nice small mouth bass, but released them all to let them grow up and help populate the lake. It was fun to catch them, though! We also all caught some rays, and all went home a bit on the red side. We waded in the water, and one of us, that would be me, was trying to get a neat root for my dad that was in the water and as I took a step over a rock, I went from being up up to my knees to nearly my waste because the dropoff was that sudden! Did I mention I had on jean capris?? Lovely thing to be wet in for the next three hours! It brought some good laughs from my parents, however.

We loaded up the boat and headed back, and dad thought we looked like Sanford and Son, just in a boat instead of an old clunker truck. I must say, we got a lot of looks! I just kept laughing and thinking YOU KNOW YOU ARE A REDNECK WHEN............................

I enjoyed the time spent with my parents. It was a fun, memorable, and special day, that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Time to Unwind and Relax

Even though we have a huge list of things to do before winter arrives, my hubby and I took some time over the weekend to head to the lake for an afternoon. It was a wonderful time of relaxing, and letting all the pressures and problems of life just stay up on the shore!





We were extra blessed in getting to see three mountain goats...mom, this year's kid, and a yearling. It was fun to watch them and to marvel at the straight up and down hillsides that they can stand on. Our dog wasn't quite sure what to think of them, so she just stood really close to me, and watched intently, while I snapped pictures from the front of the boat.

We also had some very friendly, too friendly to be exact, ducks want to come in the boat with us. Now, the fun is when you have a golden retriever and five overly friendly mallards trying to get in your boat! They were finally content to just swim next to us, which our dog didn't seem to mind. She just didn't want them in the boat with us!

We pulled in to shore a couple times, and skipped rocks and explored some camp sites. The dog went for a swim each time, so we got quite wet as well after getting back in the boat.

It was a great way to spend the afternoon, and I hope we can get another day in before we have to put the boat away for the upcoming season.

Update and Request on Ali

Ali and her big sis.

I posted the below picture and request over the weekend, so am just going to add to it today.

Things Ali needs prayer for today: she is supposed to be up and moving quite a bit and the family is having a challenge with that right now. She also is supposed to be in therapy three days a week, three types of therapy which equals nine appointments a week! Ali's mom and dad have seven kids..some adopted, some natural born to them, all their kids! They are trying to figure out how to get to all these appointments and take care of their family. Please pray that friends and family come alongside them and offer help, because they need it right now. Please continue to pray for the entire family and for Ali's healing. Thank you.














Ali's mom is putting together a map to show Ali all of where people have been praying for her. If you would like to be included in that map, just leave me a comment of where you are from, or your church name and town. Thank you!

Have You Forgotten

Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I think most of our country has forgotten that feeling. I remember that morning like it was yesterday and all the feelings and emotions that flooded over me. Our country had been attacked. People rose up in patriotism, united as Americans, and were ready to fight for their country...briefly, that is, until the media told us it was wrong to feel that way and that we actually should feel sorry for the terrorists. The sad thing is, people went along with the media instead of fighting, and standing up, for their country. The same thing is happening today. The media is telling us how we should think, and many people are like robots and believe everything the media says, instead of thinking for themselves and standing for what is right. I pray that somewhere deep inside Americans, they get that fight back and they stand proud of their country and they stand up and stop letting our freedoms be taken away. I pray for people to be humbled and to fall on their knees and ask God for help for this country, before He completely turns His back on us.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14






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Ali Update from her mom:



Ali's friend is here she is sitting up acting totally normal again just like that. She has not stopped talking! Wow huge miracle!! Ali's friend 'unlocked' her.

First time Ali was in her right mind. I am so thankful. I am gonna try to sleep tonight I have not slept since Saturday.

Pray for the rest of my kids. They are stressed out and misbehaving badly!

This morning: Another miracle: Ali woke up normal today. She is doing math in her head, counting, knows all her abc's, she is still in baby talk mode and acting very young but it is all coming back fast. She is sitting up playing barbie. She has appetite again, and is doing great. She is functioning at about 90%! So happy

Details

My hubby got me a new lens for my birthday. I have wanted a macro lens for years but have waited. Now, I have one and am trying to learn how to use it properly. It definitely takes a little practice, I am finding out!

What I love is that I get to see all the intricate details that God put in flowers. It's amazing to me. Imagine how much more the details of our life, our bodies are put together by Him. Once again, I wonder how you can look at creation, all of it, and wonder how it was not created by a Creator. The evidence of God is all around you, do you see it?

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20

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Ali Update from her mom: (by the way, Ali is 10)

Yesterday: Ali may still go home today despite not passing speech or occupational therapy but did better in physical therapy, she is about one year old cognitively. She is hard to handle and not predictable...her personality is very different right now from the old Ali. Please continue to pray for all of us.

Ali shocked dr again by singing a Taylor Swift song to him word for word yet she can not count wow

Last night: We are leaving the hospital, Praise God.
We stopped for ice cream on the way home, and she insisted on feeding her dad ice cream!

This morning: Wow so great to sleep in my own bed, Ali was up so much during the night. She is super fast at getting to bathroom and is wild about it. She seems better every time she wakes up. Hubby went to work, we are gonna try to sleep the day away. She is Gods Daughter first, then mine, that is the first thing God spoke to me when I saw her. I have never doubted it.