God's Promises....series... Philippians 4:13

This is a series from the book "God's Promises" by John Bradshaw!
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"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

This verse does not mean that you'll suddenly be able to "leap a tall building in a single bound" or "run faster than a speeding bullet." It means far more than that! The reality is that life presents us with some very real challenges. Often, a person feels as though life's burdens are too much to bear. Illness, financial challenges, struggles in parenting, a bad temper, or a cherished sin can sometimes seem like mountains far too high for us to climb. Medical school, a class project, or even mastering a musical instrument often brings discouragement, leading a person to quit, when with God's blessing he or she might be on the verge of a great breakthrough. The reality is that if God has called you to a certain position, task or circumstance, He provides grace enough to see you successfully accomplish His purpose.

God doesn't simply call those who are equipped for a particular task. He equips those He calls. He doesn't call us and then leave us to flounder. He calls us so that His will my be accomplished. If you find yourself in a place God has called you to be, but you feel powerless to continue through to completion or success, take this promise to God and ask Him to keep it in your life: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

This powerful promise contemplates a relentless reliance upon God's ability to do in our lives that which we cannot do ourselves. You might think you cannot accomplish the thing to which God has called you. On your own, you might be right. But through Christ, you are able to do all things. If you claim it, this one short sentence will change your life. He has promised!

The weather has only deteriorated...

So we have had our fill of winter weather here for a while. Today - is actually the worst weather wise day of the week. Seriously.  This is a map of the metroplex- this shows how bad the roads have been today:

We have snow - again. It started at about 7am area. What is sad is that the bad stuff came in after many were already at work and school. So many people who would not choose to be out on slick, dangerous streets - are not having to make their way home.

The sad thing about it all is that it is not suppose to get above freezing until tomorrow afternoon. So it will be slick and dangerous situation till then.

 

I am thankful to be at home - where it is warm(basically). But I worry about my family members who are having to be out in this mess. Praying they all have safe travels.

 

Oh and by the way it is still snowing as of 3:30pm.

 

Yeah- Texas weather can really be like that and more

First of all- my little loves are doing well. They are staying cozy warm in the sunroom. I am glad I remembered that I could play around with the photos to make it easier for you all to get a better idea of how cute they really are!

This next photo pretty much sums up our weather for yesterday:

 

Ok - remember how it was snowing yesterday morning? Well - thankfully the sun came out and melted the stuff before we had to leave to go to my husbands dental appointment. He had to have a root canal so that means that I went with him. The dentist that we went to is about 45 minutes away from here. On the way back - I decided that I wanted to take a different way home - just to be a bit adventurous. It was not very long into the new route that I came upon an intersection that was under construction and they had our lanes moving over to the right. I was on the outside lane and some how there was a pothole or something in the lane I was in - I did not see it till I was on top of it - because of all the traffic. Anyway we could sure feel that I had hit it pretty hard and then the car was making weird noises so I pulled into the nearest parking lot. And look what we discovered:

Well my car only came with some device to air up a tire. Well as you can see - there would be no use in trying to air up this tire - it was shot.
Here is a better view:  

I was so frustrated. You just don't expect to damage a tire that badly by just driving down the road.

We were lucky because our youngest son was off and came and carried me and the tire to a Discount Tire a few miles away. Of course because of the time of day - there was a lot of traffic and a lot of business at Discount Tires as well.

 

I am thankful that we were safe and that it did not do much damage to the rim- you can see a pretty big section on it that was scratched pretty bad but all in all we are ok. And that is good.

 

This morning we got more snow- not much stuck especially since our temps got up to about 50's yesterday. And there is another chance of snow for tomorrow and a chance of ice/snow for Sabbath as well. It looks like a wet week all the way through. I sure would like the weather to clear up for Sunday because I have some plans and would really appreciate dry weather for them. 

Snow~ In Texas....Really

Here is the view from my doors in my dining room- the doors that go out into the sunroom:

 

I am so happy that we put the babies in the sunroom especially since: 

 

Not only have we had icy weather the last two day - now today we got now- first we got quite a bit of rain and then we got a good amount of snow. We got more snow than this photo shows.

 

Yesterday we lost a little chick. :o(

I should not be surprised - they really went through a lot from their hatching till when we got them.

 

Yesterday when my husband got home from work - there was no wind so he thought it would be the perfect time to get our burn pile - burned. So we did. We got most of it burned - we will need to get rake some stuff into a pile and do another little burn before we finish getting this area ready for our garden area.  

 Now I am hoping that it will dry up enough that we can get a big machine in our back yard to square or rectangle our garden up - and then we will have to have a load of dirt brought it. Please pray that this will work out this year. We have been waiting for a long time to have a proper garden. And we have put so much work into our yard - in different areas trying to get an area ready and our soil is so rocky and not good for gardening. So we are really hoping to have to have a great garden area. I can not wait to show you all photos of our garden.

They are Finally Home...

Ok - so on Saturday morning about 12:30am - my little chickies began their journey home. They traveled for 9 hours from Iowa to Minnesota. Then they went from Minnesota to Texas in the next 8 hours. As of Sunday morning at 12:54am - they left Coppell Texas- traveling to our little town - which by the way is only about 1 hour away - maybe a bit more. Anyway some how it took till this morning at about 8:00am for our girls to arrive at the Post Office. We have no idea where they spent that 31 hours. All I know is that I was getting worried about them.

 

We got our phone call this morning that the girls were at the Post Office. And wouldn't you know it - the sleet and ice have moved through just like the weather men said. And most, if not all, of the school districts are closed. Thankfully my husband took the day off so he could go get the girls since he knew that I am afraid to drive on the ice.

 

When he got back from the post office - I noticed that the box was bigger than it was last time - but it had been almost 10 years since we had ordered from that company so I just thought that maybe they had changed things.

 

When my husband opened one side of the box- (the box was divided into 4 sections) we noticed that there were several dead. My heart sank. I was so sad. I had worried about the girls going that long without food or water.

 

We began introducing each chick to water- showing them where the water was so that they would begin drinking. I began counting the chicks and when I told my husband that I counted 16 he said, "They must have sent us a lot more chickens than we ordered." Especially since we had not even opened the other side of the box. He then handed me a little chick and said, "this one looks like a quail...oh no - I think we got the wrong box" Sure enough we had.

 

My husband was able to water a couple of chickens that looked like they were close to dying and we pray that maybe because we took the time to water them that they will make it.

 

We called the post office and found out that the other people were there to pick up their chickens. Well since we got the wrong box - it meant another trip - about 20 minute drive under normal conditions - to go get our chickens. All the while- worrying because if the other people had lost at least 7 of there chickens(50) then there was a chance that we had lost some chickies too. I began to brace myself- I had already cried over the couple of chicks that my husband had seen when he glanced into the box at the post office(the first time).

 

He drove back to the post office and got our small box. And when he looked in - our chicks looked and sounded so much better.

None - had died. It was truly a miracle! I truly believe it was. Especially since the other box lost at least 20% of the chicks.

 

Here are our girls - all 26-27 of them in their box!

 

The red light in the photos - is the heat lamps to help keep them warm. They are doing so well!

We ordered 25. They say that they put in an extra chicken, probably because the likelihood that some may be lost in transit. Well we did not lose any and our count so far seems to be 27! They move so fast that it is hard to get a clear count - you will be half way done and someone will decide to run as fast as they can to the other side of their home! They are silly. Anyway we broke it down to colors and that made it easier.

 Anyway ~ It has been a stressful couple of days- worrying about our girls. Not knowing where they were or how we would get them- with the bad weather and worried because of how long they were in that box with out food and water. They are certainly making up for not eating or drinking for 3 days!

Oh and I am not sure if I shared with you all or not- but I am excited about this. With this cold weather that we have going on here - I am so happy that my husband came up with the idea to put the baby chicks in our sun room. It is much easier to keep them warm and we can check on them many, many times during the day. And I can hear them peeping as I sit here at the computer! So that will be their home at least for the next week or so. There seems to be a chance for more slow stuff on Wed and on Friday. Oh and the temps are going to be down -so there is no way that the stuff we have will melt till maybe Tuesday afternoon- then a chance for more stuff on Wed and then on Friday. So I am more than thrilled that the girls are so easy to get to!

Well I will try to get more photos of the girls. It is just a bit hard because of the heat lamps - but at least you get an idea of what they look like!

Hope you all are staying warm and dry. :O)

Disappointed I am

Ok so I'm really disappointed tonight. It took 9 hours for my baby chicks to go from Iowa to Minnesota. Then 8 for them to go from Minnesota to Coppell, Texas. And they where said to have left Coppell at about 12:54am this morning so you can understand my disappointment that they did not make it to us today. Here is the biggest problem: we have really bad weather coming in tonight and there is a really big chance for icy roads tomorrow. I am disappointed about all of this for sure. I was SO hoping that they were going to get to us today.

Ok one thing that we did do today was move the metal frame thing that we are using for temporary housing for the chickies- into our sunroom. This will make it much easier to keep the temperature where it needs to be- 95 degrees for the first week.  

So we got there area all set up and we got the heat lamps set up and going so we could test the temps and also- so we could be ready for the babies when they arrived. I'm just so disappointed that they did not make it here.

So now the prayer is that some how God will get the baby chicks to us. God is not limited in what He can do. I continue to pray that they can get to us safely. And I hope we don't lose any, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about them. They have been in a box since Friday evening. That's a long time not to have food or water or be able to move around. Please pray with me that they will be ok. Thanks so much.

They are on their way!

Found out this morning that my Baby Chicks are on their way - could actually get here today! I am really hoping they do because we have bad weather heading this way and will get here tonight. So I hope they get here today so I don't have to get out on icy road- that wouldn't be pretty at all. It will be bad enough to make the trek to their home in the back yard. Be watching for photos! :O)

God's Promises....series --introduction

This week we will start a new series. I found this great little book at my favorite little thrift store and thought it would be something great to share with you all. I think that there are about 10 promises that are written about - so be sure and come back each week to learn about each promise.

But this week we will begin with the introduction to this neat little book:

"One of the most important discoveries in American history was made during the middle of the 19th century, along the banks of the American River near Placerville, at Coloma, California. James Marshall was operating a sawmill when he noticed shiny flecks in the bed of a narrow channel, and soon realized the flecks were nothing less than gold. Within a shirt period of time, a gold rush was born that would change life in American for thousands of people.

Who knows how long the gold lay in the riverbed--undisturbed and unrecognized. This metal of great value was simply waiting to be discovered. Gold was recovered worth tens of billions of dollars in today's value. While this brought great wealth to some, James Marshall did not profit from his discovery, dying a poor man.

Just as the goldfields of the Sierra Nevada yielded enormous riches, the Bible contains "exceedingly great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4). Speaking of the blessedness of God's Word, David wrote, "More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold" (Psalm 19:10).

The promises of God are sure. Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, "whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." God invites us to believe His promises. The Bible contains literally hundreds of promises made by God, which, if claimed, can bring into your life great blessing and spiritual riches. As James Marshall toiled on the banks of the American River, many people are toiling today without realizing that they have access to a source of immense spiritual wealth.

In God's Promises, I want to share with you some of the promises of God that I have found to be a blessing in my life--promises that are certain and sure. I hope you'll be blessed as you read, and encouraged to take God at His word and claim His powerful promises." 

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Next weeks promise will be Philippians 4:13.

Love With All Your Heart....the end of the series

(Posting this - the last thing in our series - because tomorrow I will begin a new series. Be sure to check back by)

 

Love With All Your Heart

 

by

Linda Driver

 

 

Because I Love You:

I will be patient and kind,

 

I will not be envious or try to "outdo"you,

 

I will consider you as better than myself,

 

I will not be arrogant or haughty towards you,

 

I will be respectful and considerate of you,

 

I will look out for your best interests,

 

I will not get easily offended,

 

I will always think the best about you,

 

I will be glad for your successes,

 

I will speak honestly and openly to you,

 

I will help you in your difficulties,

 

I will believe in you,

 

I will be an encouragement and support to you,

 

I will always be faithful and true to you,

 

Because that's what love is like,

 

And true love comes from God.  

 

 

Plugging Along...

Yesterday I went and checked out a couple of local stores, looking for supplies for our baby chicks. The good news is that I was able to find a lot of what I was looking for local!
Bad news- is that I totally forgot to get the wood shavings and the thermometers.

But that is alright because I still have time as it will probably be this time next week that I will be getting our baby chicks!!

 

Just Plugging Along and Getting Things Done....

So this week end we had beautiful weather and we were able to get the roof redone on our chicken pen. And we also were able to get a lot of work done in the chicken pen. The laying bins were cleaned out. We shoveled out a good layer of chicken manure and such - out of the chicken shed and the bigger chicken pen(dog run). We got a big metal rectangular thing that we are going to use in our chicken shed - to hold the baby chicks for the first week or so. It helps limit where they can go until they get big enough to be safe in the chicken shed area. We are getting ready because next Tuesday our baby chicks will be hatching and we will be getting them shortly after that!

Tomorrow I need to run to town, to the TSC and see what supplies I can get from there. I am hoping that I can find the things I need locally- it would save us a lot of money. One site- I can find the 3 things for pretty reasonable price - but with shipping and handling it cost quite a bit. So I will be going to the local place to see if I can find the stuff I want. And HEY - I just thought of a great Feed Store in a town nearby that I want to check out - I figure they will have what I am looking for!

Today it has been chilly - with the highs in the upper 30's. I know for some of you - that is like a heat wave..... I am so thankful for the firewood that we had in the house already and yesterday afternoon - while the temps were in the low 70's or upper 60's - we hauled in a couple more loads of wood. We were able to bring in some of the wood from chopping down our dead trees and will be using some of them this evening.

I have made up 3 batches of gluten today - and after I finish writing this I will be going to rinse the dough in cool water- till the water runs almost clear. It will take a bit of time - but it will be well worth it when I am able to put a few batches up in the freezer for later meals. Oh tonight I made up Chicken and Dumplings for supper.

Hope you all are doing well. :O)

Love With All Your Heart ....series chapter 15

(I thought it would be a very good idea to get this chapter posted today -especially since today is Valentine's Day. I hope you all are having a great day! Happy Valentine's Day to you all!)

Love With All Your Heart

by

Linda Driver

 

 

Love is unfailing and unconditional.

Love never fails, fades out, becomes obsolete, or comes to an end.

 

Lottie used her affection as a powerful tool. She "loved" fervently ad passionately as long as she got her way. Lottie set unrealistic expectations upon the objects of her love. If her loved ones failed to meet these demands, Lottie withdrew her love.  Lottie's children always felt that they must earn her love, and they never could quite measure up. When they misbehaved, Lottie would show her disapproval by refusing to give them love. She always emphasized how their behavior embarrassed her. Love to Lottie was a weapon to manipulate and punish.

Ten one day Lottie came face to face with the claims of God's love as found in the Bible:

 

 

"Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:8

 

"Let brotherly love continue." Hebrews 13:1

 

"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all,

 just as we do to you."

 1 Thessalonians 3:12

 

"God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." 

 1 John 4:16

 

"My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."

 1 John 3:18

 

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart."

 1 Peter 1:22

 

"Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ." 

2 Thessalonians 3:5

 

"We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds towards each other."

  2 Thessalonians 1:3

 

"But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." Colossians 3:14

 

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more

 in knowledge and all discernment."

Philippians 1:9

 

 

Love does not try to change others or set expectations or demands upon them.

 

Love accepts others just as they are, with no conditions.

 

Love does not waver even through the loved one may fail.

 

Love never fails, never fades out, or becomes obsolete.

 

Love never comes to an end, love is stronger than death.

 

Love is a divine principle, a permanent power.

 

Love conquers all for love is the character of God.

 

 

Stepping Outside of My Comfort Zone...

Ok - so yesterday I had shared that I had gotten a phone call that asked me a question- and that by saying yes- it would take me outside of my comfort zone. Well today I will tell you about it.

I actually got two phone calls- while I was talking on my home phone another person called to asked me the same thing. Anyway I was asked to be on my church's nominating committee. It is something I have never done before. But I had already felt like God was leading me by putting the thought into my mind that I might end up being asked to be on the committee. Anyway so when I got the call and talked for a little bit - asking a few questions- I decided that yes God had led and that I would accept the job. I am thinking that all churches have something like this- basically it is a group of people who prayerfully decided the best way to fill the many positions of the church. Then phone calls are made to the people being asked and they pray about it and give us their answer. I pray that God will lead in all the decisions that we make.

It might be a bit difficult this year because we have recently had a group of people leave to do a new church plant. So we have lost about 12-15 families- maybe a few more. So our numbers are down. Anyway I have full trust that God will rise up great leaders for the positions needed. I pray that God will give us wisdom and guide us to choosing the right ones that will fit the jobs the best. God is in control and with Him in control - things will work out. And I pray that God will give me peace in what jobs He would have me do as well.

Anyway so it may not sound like a big deal to others- but this is something I have never done before so I am a bit nervous but I trust that God will give strength and courage for each new day- just like Deuteronomy 33:25b promises!

About 2 years ago was the first time that I was called for jury duty and now I have nominating committee. I remember feeling successful after finishing my jury duty responsibilities and I am sure that I will feel accomplished with this job as well. It's good to stretch ourselves a bit further than usual. To step outside of our comfort zones -especially when God is leading us. :)

The Results are In...

So I finally got a call back from my Dr. Office and found out that my CA125 went up a whole number... Ugh The nurse said that that it was still under 10 so it was ok. I still didn't like the number going up. So I'm hoping that the next time it is tested that it will have gone down again.  I'm still waiting to get the results from my blood test, hopefully tomorrow.

So this evening I got a phone call and was asked a question - it'll be out of my comfort zone but I said yes. Be sure to come back tomorrow when I'll explain. :)

It's Done

Just checking in to let ya'll know that I made it through my Dr appointment! Yay me! The Dr said everything looked good. I should be able to get the results from the CA125 tomorrow. And hopefully access to the rest of the blood work results. Four vials of blood worth of testing done. And I guess my blood was thick cause it took quite a while.
Thanks so much for the prayers. :O)

What Chickens We Ordered

 

Ok - We have ordered our baby chicks!! We had to chose a week earlier to get our baby girls than what we had originally wanted to because of availability. Especially for our Easter Egg Chickens.

These first two photos are of Americana Chickens - the Easter Egg Chickens- photos were from the McMurray website(all photos are). We ordered 5 of these.

We ordered 5 Barred Rock Chickens.

We ordered 5 Buff Orpingon chickens.

 

We ordered 5 Black Minorca chickens.

We also ordered 5 Pearl White Leghorn chickens. These will lay white eggs. We have never had any of these chickens before. Most of our chickens have laid brown or green/pink eggs.

Our Baby Chicks should be hatched about the 23 of Feb. So we should have them in that general area. So be watching for posts about our baby girls! I look forward to that day! :O)

 

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Don't forget that I have my Dr appointment this morning. Prayers are appreciated! :O)

A Blessing...

 So this morning - I had a feeling that I needed to get to the nearby, little thrift store earlier than I usually do. So I since I knew they opened at 10:00am- I headed out shortly after 10am.

When I got there - there were several boxes of stuff right inside the door. Someone had just donated the stuff. The lady that runs the place is a really nice lady and many times we chat while I am there. So today we were talking and she decided to go through the stack just a bit to see what kind of stuff had been dropped off. And just a few things down was a treasure that was there just for me!!!

 

Yep- This beauty was in the pile. It is in excellent shape. Such a beautiful coat. And do you see the fur around the neck and on the sleeves? It is lined with that soft fur. It feels amazing. And even though the size it was marked looked like it would be too small for me - it fits me perfectly!!

When I got home - I looked up the coat - a "Gallery Woman" coat- and from Nordstrom - it was originally $330.00 and was half price for like $164.00. You can check it out for yourself. 

Oh and I forgot - the best part!!!

The Price:

$10.00

 

What a blessing this is to me!!! I have needed a nice coat - that was nice enough to wear to church for a long time. I just don't have the big bucks to spend on a coat- that may not be used very often- or it might be used a lot. All I know is that this is an awesome coat- and I could not have asked for a better blessing!!

 

You want to hear something funny?

 

So I buy this awesome coat. And later in the afternoon- I spend a couple hours outside trimming rose bushes, cutting down small prickly trees from the chicken yard, cutting old dried, dead herbs out of my herb garden to make room for the already growing herbs underneath! It was a beautiful day!! We also were able to go get some of the supplies to build the roof for the chicken pin. I wish I had have taken a before photo- maybe I can find a photo that will show what we were doing. But whatever, I will take a photo to let you know what it end up looking like! I am excited to have it done and know that we will not longer have to put the $$ into it every 6 months or so- and we will have an area for the chickens that is fairly dry.

 

Oh - Be sure to stop by tomorrow - because I will be sharing what chickens we have ordered- we got that done tonight as well. We had to - we had already missed the week we wanted to get our baby chicks due to one of our chickens selling out - so we had to order them a week sooner than we were wanting, but it's not a big deal. We were able to get our girls and that is what is important. :O)

 

Just a little cuteness...

Here is a photo of our baby chicks that we got back in 2009, the last time we got baby chicks. I thought I would get this photo out to help me focus on the positive of getting baby chicks instead of on the sadness of my girls being gone.

 

We have been working on getting their space ready. We got the layers of chicken wire and tarps off of the roof of the large dog run. This is in order to prepare for building the roof with tin. We are tired of having to put a new tarp out there every single year - if not more often than that. I like to have the area of there chicken pin at least somewhat protected from the elements. That way they have some where to go in bad weather.

 

 

I can't remember if I told ya'll that we were going to have to wait till the beginning of March to get the babies. Sorry if this is repeat information. Anyway the first month it is very important that the babies be checked on at least 5 times a day. You need to make sure they have clean water and food accessible. And they need to have their home set up so that they have the temperature set pretty high at first- they need to have it at about 95 degrees. And their home needs to have options for them - warmer area and an area that if they are hot they can move away from the heat source. After the first week -you gradually bring the temperature down- by 5 degree increments until it is temperature of their environment. So anyway baby chicks need someone watching out for them. So this is the reason why we have to wait till the beginning of March to order our babies, because Pathfinders has a campout scheduled for the last week of Feb. unless it is bad weather - only problem is that we would not know if it is being canceled for bad weather until the Wed. before the campout. So we are going to wait till the week after that to get our chicks.

 

When we got rid of our chickens, we explained to SweetPea that we were going to get baby chicks. So I am sure the next time she comes to see us she will be disappointed that we do not have baby chicks yet. But thankfully by the next visit we will have them!

 

It has felt good to at least be preparing for the babies. I have been doing research- I found a great website that has a great list of things that can be used with the baby chicks so I am learning new things. And I will need to go to TSC to see what supplies they have for the babies - and decide which place has the best buys. Even though we have had baby chicks a couple of different times- I have learned new information this time and I hope that it will lead to even more success with the babies.

 

Anyway that is just one of the things that I have been doing to keep myself busy this week.

Tomorrow I have my appointment with my oncologist - bloodwork at 10:00am and then seeing the Dr at 10:30am. This will be the first time going by myself. My husband had been able to work a double and be off on Fridays. The problem is that my Dr is no longer seeing patients at this facility on Fridays so we had to change the day to Wed. I am so glad that this is not the first 3 month visit. That way I am not as nervous about going alone. I am thinking I might even stop by a thrift shop that I enjoy going to - but don't like to do all the driving to get to it - just to go to the thrift shop - so this way - it will just be a couple of blocks out of my way - instead of a 30 minute drive. Anyway - please keep my in prayers for that appointment and that I will get a clean bill of health. Thanks so much! :O) 

What's Been Going On?

Ok - So I think it is time that I catch you up on what has been going on around here.
Since we are wanting to get our garden space ready for planting this year- we decided that we needed to take care of a few jobs that we have around here. The reason why we needed to do these jobs is because right now our garden area is where a pool had been taken down and it is about 1 foot deep and that is where we have our burn pile located at this time. So we had 2 dead trees beside our house and we needed to get them cut down and processed - so we could get the branches and twigs to the burn pile. We ended up with a good amount of fire wood. And now look forward to some cold weather - so we can use the wood that we worked hard to get processed and get stacked in our wood stack. So we got that big job done. I still need to work in that area to get a few briers cut down. But it looks so different now without the two trees. We were glad we were able to take care of them before they fell on their own.

We also have some bushes that are beside our garage that had grown way too tall - so we needed to trim them down and get all that stuff to the burn pile. So we have gotten that done- basically. I say basically because we found a nest in one end of the bushes and did not cut that bush down as far as the others - and will trim it down later.

And you might be wondering what my new toy is... Well last year we decided that since we had so many medical bills that we would not do much for birthdays/anniversary/ or Christmas. And so my new toy is basically a combo of those- well that is how I like to justify the purchase, since it is pricey. It is pricey but well worth the money. I got a D59!!!

 

So this has a section that you connect to the wall- the item at the top left of the bottom photo. And the way it is set up - when you hang your vacuum on it - it actually charges the vacuum so that it is always ready for use! The battery holds power for about 25 minutes or so. You can us it to vacuum the floor, clean walls, mini blinds, ceiling fans, and ceilings! Oh and also clean out your car! It will be so nice to take this out to clean up the RV - instead of having to carry my vacuum out there.
Anyway I absolutely love it!! It is great!

(by the way- I guess I need to say - these photos are from Dyson websites and I am in no way getting paid to share this info - this is just my own opinion. - Oh and I just have to say this - before we got a Dyson vacuum- we would have to buy a new vacuum every other year or so. I have a Dyson that we bought about 7 years ago - that is going strong- I LOVE it too! So Dyson makes great products which are well worth the money.-Sometimes you have to look at the over all usage of a product- like I learned with Paul Mitchell products- at first glance they look expensive but when you find out how long they last you and how good of a job they do- you are actually getting a bargain.)

Sorry I have been so quiet - just seems to be a lot going on- and then also just feeling quiet. Might be due to the up coming appointment with my oncologist. It does kind of cause a bit of stress. More than likely I will get the all clear- but once you get diagnosed - you have a fear of hearing bad news. So I am sure I will feel SO much better once it is behind me!

Well I just wanted to get on here and update you all on some of the things going on around here. I hope you all are doing good. I will be coming around to visit soon. :O)

It's been done....

So our 8 chickens have been loaded up and taken to their new home. I am thankful that one of our sons came by and was able to help my husband gather up the chickens and put them into the metal cage to transport them. Their new home looks like it will be a nice home. Only problem is that there are about 12 or so chickens already living in the new place - along with a rooster- (actually 3 roosters- but they are trying to get rid of the 2 mean roosters) and so it looks like there will be some battles going on- to work out pecking order. And I am not happy about that. Here - there were not many battles - mostly if there was a squabble - one of the chickens would move along to another place. So not a lot of fighting. I pray that our girls will be happy in their new home. I also pray that God will help me with the sadness. They really become part of the family - especially when you have them for 5-6 years. And every time that I look out into that part of the yard - I miss them so much. It will make my quiet times in the morning a bit less enjoyable- and maybe even sad while I adjust.

Getting baby chicks will be very helpful but it will be about 2 weeks or so before we get the babies. And for the first couple of months or so they will be too little to even be allowed out into the dog run part of the chicken run- let alone out into their new yard! So it will be a while before I will have the enjoyment of watching them from my bedroom window.

Please pray for me and my girls. Thanks! :O)

The Decision Has Been Made...

Hello~ Wow - it's been a while since I have sat down to write a post. Not quite sure why - just felt quiet. Still feeling quiet but thought I would stop and take a moment to write a quick post.

It looks like we have decided to get rid of our chickens and to get baby chicks. Some friends that live down the road have agreed to take our chickens and add to their flock. They have about 12 chickens and I am SO hoping that my 8 girls will do well there. I am kind of sad - because I love my chickens so it will be hard to part with them. But it is the best thing for us to do.

When I first started going to Aldi's the price for a dozen eggs- was only .39 cents! Wow- what a great deal! Well at that time we did not think that it would be a good investment to get new chickens. But now that the price of eggs had gone up to 1.49 a dozen- it is a much better idea to take the time and spend the money to get baby chicks and take the time to get them to the laying stage- about 5- 6 months after we get them in order to be able to get our own eggs. And then we also have the chance of sharing eggs with friends and family.

Anyway so this week end is when we will load up our chickens and take them to their new home. And then we will need to do some work on our chicken pen. We are planning on building a tin roof for the bigger side of the chicken pen(a large dog run). And that way we no longer will need to get new tarps out there - that just tear up - no matter how strong of tarps that we get. It will cost $100. or so- but it will guarantee that we will have some areas in there that are dry for the chickens. We will also spend that time to clean up the chicken coop- and prepare it for the babies. We have a metal rectangular thing that we will need to move to the chicken coop- and get the supplies needed for the babies. We will be ordering our chickens from McMurray- 25 baby chicks! Once we order them - we will have a time frame of when they will get here- the day that they come in to the post office- I will get a phone call to come get them. They are packed into a small box to try to keep them warm. They are in close quarters to help keep the heat in there for them. They need to stay pretty warm. And I will be on standby to go get them as soon as I get the call. Then I will bring them home and introduce them to their new home. I look forward to it!! :)

I will try to get back on sometime to share a few other neat things that have been going on around here. I really want to tell you about my new toy and about a big job that we finally got done around here- but the telling of those tales will have to wait for another day! :O)

Everyday

                                                

 

             Hoping to feel a bit more like posting something tomorrow.

Disappointments of Life..

Today I wanted to share a great devotion from my "Streams in the Desert" devotional book.

I hope you are as blessed by it as I was. :O)

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This is my doing. 1 Kings 12:24

The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love.
--C.A. Fox

My child, I have a message for you today. Let me whisper it in your ear so any storm clouds that may arise will shine with glory, and the rough places you may have to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a pillow to rest your weary head. "This is my doing."

Have you ever realized that whatever concerns you concerns Me too? "For whoever touches you touches the apple of [my] eye" (Zech. 2:8). "You are precious and honored in my sight" (Isa. 43:4). Therefore it is My special delight to teach you.

I want you to learn when temptations attack you, and the enemy comes in "like a pent up flood" (Isa. 59:19)., that "this is my doing" and that your weakness needs My strength, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, never ask your opinion, and always push you aside? "This is my doing." I am the God of circumstances. You did not come to this place by accident -- you are exactly where I meant for you to be.

Have you not asked Me to make you humble? Then see that I have placed you in the perfect school where this lesson is taught. Your circumstances and the people around you are only being used to accomplish My will.

Are you having problems with money, finding it hard to make ends meet? "This is my doing," for I am the One who keeps your finances, and I want you to learn to depend upon Me. My supply is limitless and I "will meet your needs" (Phil. 4:19). I want you to prove My promises so no one may say, "You did not trust in the Lord your God" (Deut. 1:32).

Are you experiencing a time of sorrow? "This is my doing." I am "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isa. 53:3). I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you, so that by turning to Me you may receive "eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thess. 2:16). Have you longed to do some great work for Me but instead have been set aside on a bed of sickness and pain? "This is my doing." You were so busy I could not get your attention, and I wanted to teach you some of My deepest truths. "They also serve who only stand and wait." In fact, some of My greatest workers are those physically unable to serve, but who have learned to wield the powerful weapon of prayer.
Today I place a cup of holy oil in your hands. Use it freely, My child. Anoint with it every new circumstance, every word that hurts you, every interruption that makes you impatient, and every weakness you have. The pain will leave as you learn to see Me in all things.
--Laura A. Barter Snow

"This is from Me," the Savior said,
As bending low He kissed my brow,
"For One who loves you thus has led.
Just rest in Me, be patient now,
Your Father knows you have need of this,
Though, why perhaps you cannot see--
Grieve not for things you've seemed to miss.
The thing I send is best for thee."
Then, looking through my tears, I plead,
"Dear Lord, forgive, I did not know,
It will not be hard since You do tread,
Each path before me here below."
And for my good this thing must be,
His grace sufficient for each test.
So still I'll sing, "Whatever be
God's way for me is always best."