Friday, August 16, 2013

Summer time kid and garden photos

 Husking corn.  Yep, the long awaited for corn is getting ready!!!  Our most loved summer vegtable!
 Cucumbers that we picked at my parents market garden.
 Benjamin and flowers!
 Sarah in my flower garden.
 Sarah holding green beans, and purple beans.
 My little ones by my flower tire.
 Close up on the cucumbers.
 My pretty bowl of beans, green, purple, and yellow!!
 Anna and her pretty pink Vitenam clothes
My Anna and the flowers!

I love summer time, and what a perfect time to get some great photos!!   Hope you enjoy!

Did you hug your children today?

I haven't gave mine a hug yet today, because they are all still sound asleep in their beds.
 But I will be ready for them when they get up!!  :)


Maybe I'm the only mommy . But I have found that when I get super busy doing the daily tasks of the day, and especially summer time garden stuff, the simple thing of going over to a child and giving them a hug seems a hard thing to do.
 I know it sounds so lame. But day after day, this was happening. Sure I gave my little ones their hugs and cuddles cause they come to me and want held, and demand my attention.  But my older ones who do not need mommy like that, do their own thing, and I keep them busy doing things and helping me.
  Sure we chat as we work.  And we have nice companion time that way.
But an actually hug. It wasn't happening.
So I finally decided that I would hug each of them soon as they came down stairs form their bed. Or if they are up  before me I will go to them  and give them a nice good hug, and then go and get busy on breakfast.
  But even since I have started that, I have missed a couple kids on certain days.   Especially say if one of them are sitting on the couch in the living room, when I get up. If I take the route to the kitchen through the living room, then I am fine, I stop and give that son a hug and continue to the kitchen to get breakfast.
    But if I take the route through the utility room to get to the kitchen  ( promising my self I will go directly to living room after and give that hug), then I spot the pile of laundry that needs to be started, so I start it.  Then I arrive in the kitchen and see stuff lying out on the cupboard top where hubby has prepared his breakfast .I clean that mess up. And then my mind goes on to breakfast, and I start that, and soon forget that sweet son of mine that hasn't got his morning hug yet.

   I am wanting to keep this up because it gives them their special little bit of attention from mom, and makes them feel loved and cared for.  And should help to keep us close I hope.
 I also am hopping that if I do this everyday  they will be so use to ( and hopefully even enjoy that hug from mom) that they won't mind hugs as they get in their teens and so on.
     And even hoping that when they are grown, and left the coop,  when they return for visits they will still let mom hug them!   ( A far off dream I know ! )

  So take that moment this morning and every morning, and give each of your sweet blessings a hug, before you get super busy for the day.  And when ever you  have opportunity through out the day, give more hugs, or a pat on the back too will do wonders!! 
  In HIM,
Mae


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

summer time kids and animals ( photos )

 Sarah happily holding one of our newly acquired ducks. They are so friendly.
 Sarah and Anna with our cat.
 Sarah, Anna, and Benjamin with our momma cat who is very expecting. Soon we will have kittys!!
 Our six friendly and happy ducks. I have always believed that ducks smiled!!
 Enjoying our rabbit!
 Benjamin giving the rabbit hugs!!
 Our chicken bunch!  
 The girls having fun in the trees!
Clayton and Sarah holding a couple of the  ducks. The children sure love this new addition to our farm. 


Now altogether we have 48 chickens ( the other 64 are snugly in our freezer now ), 6 friendly ducks, one male giant daddy rabbit who needs a wife, and one very expectant momma cat .  Wished we had a milk cow too though. Yep, then our farm would be complete!!  :)

The garden is going good. We have lots of lettuce and onions ready to eat. The other vegetables  are coming along very well too. The weeds are unfortunately doing very well too though. So that means a constant job of weeding, and weeding, and weeding. I don't like a weedy garden!!

  So our summer so far finds all well and booming here. Busy and fun at the same time.
Thanking the Lord for all He provides.

In Him,
Mae

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Giving our lives to the Lord 100 percent

Here is something that has been on my mind lately.
    When we choose to serve the Lord and ask him in to our hearts, do we give him our lives 100 percent to use as He so chooses, or do we give just a part of our selves as we  choose.

   Do we say,  yes, I give my heart to the Lord and want to serve Him, but yet holding back a part of us?  Do we still want to do our own thing, and make our own decision based on what we feel is right? Do we want God's blessings in our lives, yet want to partake in the things of the world as well? That ought not to be, but I think can easily happen if one is not totally committed to God the whole way.

  I believe when we truly 100 percent give our hearts to the Lord, and truly choose to serve Him no-turning-back; then we are giving far more than our hearts.
  When we make this decision we are giving Him everything. Nothing belongs to us anymore.

 Our hearts, our minds, our souls, our bodies, they are all His.
 Our time, our money, everything!
 And when all those things belong to Him then He is the one in charge of making the decision on how we are to use these things.
  So then we must consider how does He want us to use our minds, our bodies, our time, our money, etc...etc.....

  What kind of things does He want us to fill our minds with?
What kind of things would He want us to do or not do?
What kind of places would He want or not want us to go?
How would He want us to use our time?
How does He want us to take care of our bodies?
What kind of things would He want us to watch or not watch?

    His Word ( the Bible ) gives us the answers for  all theses things if we truly seek for His way,
And when we pray for His Will in our lives.
   Every decision we make should be based on what God's will is for our lives.
Every thing we do, places we go, and movies or T.V we watch  should all be pleasing to Him.

 If we call our selves God's children then every part of our being should be used for His glory only, and our  lives should completely be in tune with Him and His Will. (Of course unfortunately we are not perfect and will be making mistakes way more often than we care for, so we have to be continually dieing to self, and continue to learn and grow in Him.)


I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave 
  himself for meGalatians 2:201

     If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  
        Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  
                For ye are dead , and your life is hid with Christ in God.   Colossians 3:1-3       



 We also need to keep in mind that there is no middle ground. If our actions do not please or glorify  God, then we are pleasing and glorifying Satan instead. We certainly don't want that!
   And we can not serve both God and mammon.
 
     No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.          
  Matthew 6:24

       May we commit our lives 100 percent to God, give Him our all, and seek only His will for our lives! May every part of our being be glorifying to Him.

 In Him
Mae
  As always I love to hear from you! Tell me how you like this post, and share your thoughts on this subject.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

One finger for the Lord

Here is a very beautiful story from the book Tramp For the Lord by Corrie Ten Boon.


On one of Corrie's trip to Russia she visited this  wonderful elderly lady who was badly crippled by multiple sclerosis. She was bed bound, and disfigured from this disease. Her  fingers were  gnarled. She had control of only her right hand, and had use of just the index finger on that hand.

  But with just that one finger she did something very great!  She would lay there in bed propped up by pillows, her head at an odd angle, and type way on an old typewriter with that one finger! Diligently all day long until late at night each day she would do this!

  She was translating portions of the Bible and Christian books into the Russian language, Latvian, and the language of her own people.  Only using that one finger --- peck.... peck... peck... peck--- she typed out the pages. She painstakingly copied books of Billy Graham, Watchman Nee, and corrie Ten Boon.
  And while she slowly typed away the keys, she spent time praying for the people of who's books she was translating.

Of course upon seeing this dear old lady in such a sad condition form this crippling disease, Corrie very much longed for her healing. But the lady's husband let her in on something.

  He told Corrie that every other Christian in the city was being watched by the secret police. But because she had been sick for so long, no one ever looks in on her. He said they are left alone, and so therefore she is the only one in all the city who can type quietly, undetected by the police.  So God had a very great purpose for her in her sickness.

  Now isn't that so beautiful!  This crippled lady with only one good finger is using it so fully for the Lord!!  She puts so many of us to shame! So much for our good health and good whole fingers. They are useless to us if we do not honor the Lord with them.

 May we use all that we the have for the glory of the Lord!  May this dear old lady inspire us all!

In Him,
Mae

spread the Word!

To travel through the desert with
others, to suffer thirst,
to find a spring,
to drink of it,
and not tell the others that
they may be spared
is exactly the same as enjoying Christ
and not telling others about
HIM.
 
~ Corrie Ten Boon   ( from Tramp For The Lord )
 
I found the above in the book Tramp For The Lord. 
  When I read it I thought,"That is exactly the way we should feel".  We should be so filled with joy and love of Lord that we can not possible keep it to our selves. We should be like, "Hey, I got this awesome truth, and am filled with such lovely peace and joy that I just got to share it with someone." "It is not fair for me to keep this wonderful stuff  to my self."
   But sadly do we honestly do that?
Are we sharing God's wording with others at every opportunity possible?
 
May we all be more like Corrie Ten Boon and share  Christ freely with others!
 
In Him,
Mae


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

inspiration from Corrie Ten Boon

Lately I have been reading some of Corrie Ten Boon's books.
  And what inspiration I have received from her wonderful books!

Here is the books of hers I just read.

In My Father's House

Tramp For The Lord

The Hiding Place  ( this one I have read several years ago, but just now skimmed over it again )

And now I am waiting for my mom to finish the book Prison Letters.  So I can read that one too!

In the book , In My Father's House, I enjoyed reading of how her growing up years really helped prepare her for what lie ahead in life.  And how her and her family opened their doors to so many people to help them in time of need. Her Dad would always read the Bible to the family sitting around their kitchen table, and he would do so no matter who all was present with them. What an example and witness they were to so many people that way.  Also Corrie had a ministry for girls and young ladies for many years.  So very wonderful!!

  I loved reading of Corrie's  years of traveling around the world and witnessing to thousands of people in the book, Tramp For The Lord.  She spent at least 20 years in constant travel, ( which she started right after her release from the German concentration camps ) and depended on God to lead her where she was to go and witness. And she also depended completely on Him for all her traveling expenses. What faith she had! And what great work she accomplished for the Lord!

In the book, The Hiding Place, we read of her time in the prison run by cruel guards. But even there, in that dark and heartless place, God's light was shining! Corrie and her sister Betsie witnessed to many, many ladies!  They even sang songs of worship and praise  while in great misery. And what an example and blessing that must of been for the other ladies!
   And Corrie and Betsie thanked the Lord in all situations, even for the lice that infested one place! It was because of the lice that the guards would keep their distance from that camp, and they then were able to read their Bible and sing and witness to fellow prisoners! Other wise they would not have been allowed too!  Now how awesome is that!!!
 
 These books are so worth the read for sure!

So read a book by Corrie Ten Boon today, and be inspired!!

 To be more like her I so long to be!

In Him,
Mae