Sunshine, Gardens, and Grace

I was blessed late yesterday afternoon. Tulips that I did not know where going to pop up, suddenly appeared in my garden and will be open this weekend. They seemed to have multiplied ten times over from what disappeared in the flower picking caper. I can't wait to see how beautiful they will be. I had a few others open up today, too. I also planted most of my garden, after filling the bed up with new dirt. I got to dig deep in the soil and planted a lot of bedding plants. It felt great to get out in the dirt and plant new life. The temperatures were in the upper 70's and there were a couple times it actually felt hot, but I didn't complain! I also received a nice gift of a few flowers and a colored picture, along with an apology from the 'flower girl.' She said my flowers are so pretty she just loves them, and her mom told her that doesn't give her a right to pick them without permission. I accepted her gift, and gave her a hug, and we were good again. I had prayed earlier in the day that God would help me to extend grace where needed as I went about my day, and He definitely did help me. I'm grateful that he extends grace to me every moment of my life.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Disappointment

I would love to show you pictures of my beautiful tulips, daffodils, and forget me knots that opened yesterday. I had planned to spend part of the day today admiring their beauty, and probably snapping a few photos. However, some neighbor kids came up in my yard last night and picked every one of my newly opened flowers. One even picked a bunch of flowers off my hanging basket on my front porch. I know her mom was watching her because I saw something run across in front of the window, and as I looked out the side window, I saw the mom watching. By the time I looked out front, there wasn't anyone in sight. I thought maybe she was going to come over and ask a question or something but got side tracked by one of the neighbor kids. I came upstairs to put on a sweatshirt to go outside, and glanced out the window. I saw a bunch of kids in the bed of the pickup. As I walked downstairs, it dawned on me that each of those kids had handfuls of flower heads. I went out to my front yard, and sure enough, every flower had been taken. I felt sick. I know they are just flowers and in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter, but I lost seventy-five percent of my bulbs over the winter so the few that actually made it, I was thrilled to see. I noticed they had opened when I got home from work last night, and was looking forward to enjoying them today. Unfortunately, no one is going to be enjoying them. My hubby talked to the kids about how you don't just go into someone's yard and pick their flowers. He also talked to the set of parents where the mom watched what happened. One of the parents of the other kids marched the kids over and apologized, made them apologize, and offered to help the situation out by buying me more plants. I said that was not necessary, but told the kids I would really appreciate if they just didn't come in my yard and strip the flowers from the beds. I was guaranteed by the parent it would not happen again. I appreciate that this parent talked to the kids about respecting others property, and I appreciate the fact that they offered to buy more plants. I still miss my flowers, though, especially the tulips because I look forward to them all winter! So today, as there is glorious sunshine, I will go out and plant some annuals that I purchased yesterday and try to bring more color to the yard. I will also try to bury the disappointment I have over the loss of my flowers.

Praise

My friend and I were talking about attitudes last night, and how giving God praise is not always the easiest thing to do, and that it usually doesn't come naturally to us. I found this poem this morning and thought it went right along with what we were talking about. Practice an attitude of being thankful today, especially for the little things that you may not always think about.

Giving Thanks Always
(Ephesians 5:20)
Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings,
thank you, Lord, that I can hear.
There are many who are deaf.
Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible,
thank you Lord, that I can see.
Many are blind.
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising, thank you Lord, that I have the strength to rise.
There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned and tempers are short, my children are so loud,
thank you Lord, for my family.
There are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced,
thank you, Lord, for the food we have.
There are many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous,
thank you. Lord, for the opportunity to work.
There are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest,
Thank you, Lord, for life.
-contribution of Leona Mc Means

Garden Mumblings

"Take some dirt, add some seeds, Pour on water, pull the weeds, Rest a minute, work for hours, Then wait ... and smell the flowers."

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." ~ Lady Bird Johnson

I have seedlings coming up in my garden! There are radishes and kale peeking through the dirt so far. I have to have enough time home to get the rest of my garden planted, but the hope of new little plants is exciting!! I bought a bunch of flowers yesterday on a great sale at Fred Meyer, so they await planting as well. Some are pretty tender plants so not sure if I should plant them out yet or not. I think when you live down here, they go by safety to plant if they snow is off Mica Peak. I know in Sandpoint, it's Baldy Mountain, and from the looks of our trip up north over the weekend, it will be awhile until they can plant!! I see they changed the forecast some, as we were supposed to hit 89 this weekend, but now they are saying low 80's. Still, our systems will be in shock!! The snow is going to melt rapidly this weekend as well. Plants are going to love the heat so I want to get more garden in, hopefully tomorrow. This time of year, it gets really difficult for me to be inside working as I would rather be outside working in my garden and in my flowers, or just sitting and listening to the birds sing their beautiful melodies. We always have a short summer, but this one is going to be even shorter, so I want to take in as many moments as possible, which is the way we should live anyway. We should grab life's moments for all they are and live them to the fullest, taking in sights, sounds, smells, and love along life's path. We also need to remember to plant love, joy, and hope to those we meet along life's way.

"In every flower see a miracle, with every year seek more flowers."

"Joy is a flower that blooms when you do."

"Look for a lovely thing and you will find it. It is not far -It never will be far." ~Sara Teasdale

Special Times

We had a great weekend with our families. On Saturday afternoon, my hubby went to a Mother's Day tea with his mom at the place she lives. I took my mom out to a couple gardening places, and to Starbuck's for our own version of tea. My preference is an iced green tea latte with soy, and my mom's was a chai tea. It was fun just to hang out with my mom for a couple hours and have mom-daughter time, because no matter how old we get, we still need that special time with our moms.

Yesterday was a cold, and rainy one so the picnic was moved inside. My dad made delicious kabobs with chicken, veggies, and shrimp. We made sorbets in our Vita Mix and everyone got to enjoy them, even with all the food allergies in our family! We had a lot of laughs, and good times. I am very thankful that I have such a wonderful mom, and family to be with on these special days.

Even the mom and baby squirrel were celebrating Mother's day yesterday morning in my parent's front yard!

Mom

I am one of the lucky ones. I have a mom who has been there for me for my entire life, and I mean really been there. So many mom's aren't present for their kids, but mine was and I am so thankful for that. My mom took time for us as we grew up to instill values, love, and guidance. I am blessed to have a mom who is compassionate, loving, and was a good example to me as I grew up, and now is a good friend to me as an adult. I appreciate the moments we get to spend together, although they are much fewer now that I live an hour away, but each moment is treasured and precious. Thanks mom, for all you have done, and all you do. You are a true gift.

Her children stand and bless her. Psalm 31:28

"A mother's heart is a special place where children always have a home."

A mother's eyes so often shine with laughter, joy, or tears....and with the pride of seeing children blossom through the years. A mother's lips give kisses, cautions, praise, and good advice. She shares her faith and values through hard work and sacrifice. A mother's hands are busy trying to meet her children's needs, but quick to give applause whenever one of them succeeds. Throughout her children's lives, a mother plays a vital part. She is their shining star, their inspiration, and their heart.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! We love you!

Welcome Kierra

Welcome Kierra Cheyenne!
We have a new great niece. She was born yesterday. This is a picture of her, her big brother Kingsley, and her grandpa, my brother-in-law. Her dad, Josh, is in the background. The upper picture is her with her grandma. Congrats Nakisha & Josh!

Face Time

Yesterday afternoon, I got to spend three hours with my closest friend. She lives in Sandpoint, so we don't get to see each other like we would like to, so when we do get to see each other, the time is precious. We talked and talked, and still didn't get everything talked about that we wanted to, but it was good to see her face to face. We email and talk on the phone, but nothing beats that one on one time! God wants that one on one time with as well. We can get so busy going through a day that we might mutter a prayer while we are doing other things, and while that's okay, He wants face time with us, one on one, just us and Him. Just as Brenda and I need that time to rejuvanate our friendship and get caught up, I need to do the same with God in my prayer life. I need to take time to just sit with Him, and talk to Him, not letting anything rob that time from me.

As a deer gets thirsty for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God. In my heart, I am thirsty for you, the living God. Psalm 42:1-2

Great Weekend

We had a great weekend. First of all, it was finally warm!! I started out a great weekend by planting the beginnings of my garden-spinach, peas, kale, onions, and some broccoli raab. I finally have tulips blooming so enjoyed their show as well!!

After driving to my parents on Friday night, we drove north on Saturday. We meandered through the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, and on to the Boundary Creek Wildlife Management area. We had a great picnic with my parents and my sister and her family. My dad decided to make a new version of S'mores and used the typical ingredients of a chocolate bar, marshmallow, and graham crackers, then he added a big, thick chocolate brownie to the mix!




We enjoyed sitting on a bench in the Refuge watching goslings and just enjoying the quiet. We saw numerous deer, grouse, pheasants, turkeys, beavers, many varieties of hawks, turtles, geese, swans, ducks, numerous other birds, and up at the border, we saw a herd of elk! My hubby and I even planted a geocache while we were up there. I love the area up there but we hadn't been up there in two years, so it was great to just be able to take the time to bask in the beauty of the area and enjoy all the wildlife. That drive, out enjoying God's magnificent creation, and time with family were what I needed!

Relaxing Afternoon

I had a relaxing afternoon as I went for a drive around Hauser Lake. The shores were lined with people and kids fishing. I saw at least ten different varieties of ducks, including wood duck, redheads, cinnamon teal, bufflehead, mallards, along with numerous other birds - blue heron, red-winged black birds, killdeer, and a variety of song birds. There were also many of my favorite, the Canadian goose. I tried to spot some goslings, but didn't see any. At one point, I pulled off alongside the road and listened as the black birds squawked, the meadowlark sang it's melodious song, and the Canadian geese honked. It made a beautiful Spring melody. Suddenly, a chorus of frogs started in so loud, I couldn't hear the birds anymore. I listened to them, each ribbiting in their own tone and timing, and it made me giggle. Evidently the giggle was too loud, because the frogs were suddenly quiet. Hauser Lake is spilling over it's banks quite a bit right now. It was so high at one point, there was a blue heron, a pair of mallards, and a couple killdeer all walking down the middle of the road together. It was an interesting sight as I rounded the corner to see that menagerie all walking down the middle of the blacktop. An osprey perched atop an eclectic pole, posed quite nicely for me so I could take it's picture. Maybe it was just deciding if I looked good for lunch. Actually, it was sitting right above where a little girl was fishing. I think it was trying to grab one of her fish for lunch! I had a very wonderful afternoon, out enjoying a beautiful Spring day, while watching God's creation all around me.

Prayer

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

Today is National Day of Prayer. I challenge everyone reading this to take time to pray today. Pray for our nation, our leadership, our future leadership, our troops. This nation is in a lot of turmoil right now and if we would be truly humble and call on God, and start living for God, this nation would be restored. Instead, it seems we as a nation bash God every chance we get, and many mock Him instead of seeking Him. If we as Christ followers started to really pray and lived like we believed it, we could make a difference.

We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another. --William Law

"Most men pray for power, the strength to do things. Few people pray for love, the quality to be someone." ~Robert Foster

Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful. Colossians 4:2



What If His People Prayed by Casting Crowns

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let satan have one more
What if the church for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates
What if His people prayed
And those who bare His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way
And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day
What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face yeah
And turn from their own way
He said that He would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear
If only we would pray
If my people called by my name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If my people called by my name
if they'll humble themselves and pray
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face, yeah
And turn from their old ways
He said that He would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear yeaah
If only we would pray

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?-- Corrie Ten Boom