I wish thy way.
And when in me myself should rise,
and long for something otherwise,
Then Lord, take sword and spear
And slay.-Amy Carmichael
Yes, it’s the day Rebekah has been waiting for the last 364 days! ;) Today is HER BIRTHDAY!!! Super sweet & Spunky, Bekah is quite a “take-charge” kinda lady.♥ If you need a hug or someone to talk to you[She’s a talker!!], this blue-eyed beauty is the gal for the job! :) She also has impeccable taste when in comes to style, loves to ride her bike, and can cook-up a rather delicious breakfast! Rebekah is extremely helpful with kitchen cleaning and loves to serve and pamper her sisters by making their beds and giving them pedicures! :) Among many of her achievements this last year, Rebekah successfully hosted a fund-raiser to purchase a “no-crow” collar and save Rocky the Rooster from a sudden death ;), diligently cared for her pet turtle Flopsy, and learned to crochet… with her toes[this is truth… how she does it is beyond me! ;] And TODAY she turns 7 YEARS OLD! Happy Birthday, Rebekah!! So thankful to the Lord for you and all the PIZZAZZ you add to my life. :) Hope this birthday is beyond FANTABULOUS! ♥♥
Jehovah Mekoddishkem. :) I ran across this name for the Lord a while ago and it has been going through my mind ever since! In the Old Testament the name Jehovah Mekoddishkem occurs 2 times but this name and the declaration of God’s sanctification is ever-present in all of scripture! Today I am rejoicing that THE LORD is JEHOVAH MEKODDISHKEM. HE has sanctified His people once and for all[!] by the shed blood of Jesus Christ[Heb 10:10, Heb 13:12, John 17:19, Heb 7:27] and He does sanctify His people daily, promising to prove us and purify us as silver in the fire[Ps 66:10]. I am reminded of Job 23:10, “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”←WOW, Praise the Lord for that!! Pretty amazing, isn’t it? :) So if you find yourself in various trials today I want to encourage you to count it all joy knowing that this is the testing of your faith[1 Peter 1:7-9] and He is sanctifying you!! And remember He promises “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.“ :) →”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom HE did foreknow, HE also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of HIS Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29!! Happy Saturday!
“There is an active practice of holiness as we carry out, for the glory of God, the ordinary duties of each day, faithfully fulfilling the responsibilities given us. The passive practice consists in loving acceptance of the unexpected, be it welcome or unwelcome, remembering that we have a wise and sovereign Lord who works in mysterious ways and is never taken by surprise…. Which of these two requirements of holiness (active or passive) is beyond our strength? Remember the words of the apostle Paul, and the conditions (he was in prison) under which he wrote them: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12,13). This is all that God demands of us in His work of sanctification. He demands it from the high and the low, from the strong and the weak; in a word, from all, always and everywhere. A promise to which I have clung for many years is the prophetic word in Isaiah 50:7, “The Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded, therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Perfection does not consist in understanding God’s designs but in submitting to them, for “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Sometimes the explanation of his purpose (Romans 8:29) is overlooked: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” God works in the soul to make it holy—to make it, finally, like Himself. The whole essence of the spiritual life consists in recognizing the designs of God for us at the present moment.”- Elisabeth Elliot
GRACE!!!! Today’s the day!! The one day I get to dedicate an entire blog post to YOU[whether I decide to post 21 randomly embarrassing facts about you is completely my own prerogative]. ;) . *•*CUE Confetti*•*. TODAY IS YOUR 21st BIRTHDAY!!!! And now I get to talk about you for just a few sentences. :D This gal is well known for her shining personality, unbeatable beauty, and award-winning smile! Grace’s 21 year’s have been packed full but if I were to summarize them in a nutshell it would sound something like this: The moment Grace took her first breath, she breathed entrepreneurialism! ;) By age 2 she was dubbed a genius, at 7 she had plunged into the arts and created utter cuteness, when 11 came she had a booming resale business on ebay, and By 14 she traded in her ebay venture for a pair of shoes…. well, baby booties actually! ;) From 15-21 her days were filled with hard work, determination, & lots of espresso. But in the midst of all the entrepreneurialism, Grace has still found time to perfect her domestic skills! ;) Her bunt cakes are delicious, linen closet organizational skills superb, and she can make a rather tempting pan of beanie-weenies[and yes, she is single! Potential Marriage applications for Grace are being accepted. Application fees may apply. Inquire within.]! ;) In the last 21 years, many mile-stones have been passed, plans accomplished, and memories made for Grace! The Lord has truly blessed her with tremendous talents. I am looking forward to where He leads her in the days to come AND SO blessed to have her as my sister! Happy Birthday Grace!!♥
↑ Pretty amazing truth, isn’t it?! :)↑ He has done and does do wondrous things! We often wait for the BIG things to happen before we marvel in His wonder, don’t we?! But every single day is filled with His wonders. Those things we completely take for granted are such tremendous blessings! Every beat of the heart[approximately 100,800 ;], every breath breathed, every minute lived is a wonderful work of the Lord! And each day overflows with His faithfulness & truth!! I have been thinking about this verse lately and completely amazed at the magnitude of God’s greatness and His works→ “He determines the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names“[Ps 139:14]. Psalm 40:5 sums up my thoughts perfectly ;)→ “MANY, O LORD my God, are your wonderful works which you have done, and your thoughts which are toward us: they cannot be recounted in order unto you: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.“!!! :) Summer is in full swing here! :) Days are filled with work, birthday celebrations, too many ice-cream cones[If anyone’s interested, I found a recipe for cookie-dough ice-cream topping that is just fantastic! ;], quite a few product photoshoots[my hard-drive is now filled to the max with pictures], and a lot of random fun! Crazy kiddos and dinners out with a few of my favorite people have been added blessings & excitement to these hot Texas days. I warned y’all this would be a HIGHLY RANDOM post, didn’t I?! ;b I’m looking forward to seeing what the days ahead hold and thanking the Lord for the wondrous works that have been ever-so-present in those which have passed! Soooo, what have your summer days held? :)
As always, too many random photos! Hover for descriptions and enjoy. :)
Birthday Bows!
:)
Abel exploring the world! ;)
Out to Dinner with parents!
Grace! :)
Crazy girl
Work!!
Card craftin’!
Sending off!
Dress up for Bekah & Emmi!
Gift wrappin’!
Emmi & Me <3 :)
She mustache you a question! ;D
Let’s see if I can get this posted while I wait for my images to load in lightroom which may be possible with the current speed of my laptop! :) My thoughts can sometimes reach the keyboard jumbled & “bouncy” but I am overjoyed by the truth revealed in God’s word and love sharing, so bear with me. ;) I’ve been going through Matthew lately and made it to a favorite verse, “And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him.“[Matt 4:20] That word »the disciple’s reaction to the call of Christ« “straightaway” or “immediately” depending on your translation has always been my second favorite part of this portion of scripture! My favorite part is the call of Christ. :) I first rejoice over the call of Christ to follow Him then I rejoice that the supernatural call of Christ caused these fisher men to immediately leave their nets to follow their Savior! The same takes place in our Salvation. Romans 11:29, “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” I am reminded that those who follow the One True God are chosen in Christ from all eternity[He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world-Ephesians 1:4]. That is a pretty awesome truth, isn’t it?! :) Not only are we chosen and called but we are promised to be “preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ“[1 Thes 5:23] because “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” :) [1 Thes 5:24] He will faithfully preserve us, keep us faithful, and present us spotless. I also happened to be reading Revelations 17 on the same day and was amazed over verse 14, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for HE is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.“ Not by our own faithfulness or righteousness will we be called & chosen & faithful or be found “faultless“[Jude 1] before the throne of God but by the faithfulness & righteousness[Phil 3:9] of HIM who has called us, chose us from all eternity, and will present us faultless before the presence of His glory[Jude 1:24]. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ-Eph 2:13. I want to encourage y’all today to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called“[Ephesians 4:1 ] and let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ [Phill 1:27]! For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them[Eph 2:10]! :) For we are God’s chosen people who have been called out of darkness into HIS marvellous light that we may declare His praises[1 Peter 2:9]!! If you have found you are not following the One True God NOW is the time to seek HIM!! For HE promises, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.“[Jer 29:13] → Are you SAVED?
The BEST day of the ENTIRE year is FINALLY HERE[well, it actually ties for “best” with my mom’s birthday;]! Today is my Dad’s BIRTHDAY!!!! So much can be said about my Dad…. Hard working, caring, energetic, enthusiastic, entrepreneurial, sensitive, & self-sacrificing are just a few words that come to mind when I think of him. Words aren’t adequate to express how thankful we are for the years of life the Lord has given him and the amount he has daily sacrificed for his family! We are truly blessed & so thankful for him. I feel a little “THEN & NOW” is quite fitting for this special occasion proving the fact that though a lot changes over the years a few things stay the same… including my Dad’s good looks. ;] (: HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! ♥ May the years to come be as excited & blessed as those which have passed. :)
HOVER FOR DESCRIPTIONS! :D
1986(ish)
2014- He has successfully perfected the “selfie”! ;)
1989(or so! ;)
2014- He’s still teaching kiddos to bike ride!! :)
1994
2014- All the ladies in his life has made him a very sensitive man! ;)
1986
2014- He’s always ready to share…It might be time to get a bigger bed! ;)
1995
2015- and still going strong! :D
»Happy HAPPY birthday Dad! We love you!«“And if not, He is still good” My Iowa friend blessed me with a parcel containing a beautiful reminder that no matter what, God is good and His ways are perfect! ♡ :) IT’S TRUE!! :D By the grace of God, I know without a doubt say, “as for God, HIS WAY is PERFECT” and “HE doeth all things well“!!! Each momentary light affliction[2 Cor 4:17] and every prayer answered with “no” or “wait” has truly drawn me closer to His side and He has used to strengthened my faith & sanctify me! So, I wanted to share a few verses of encouragement with y’all today that the Lord has used to encourage me [okay, just a few because if I were to post all my favorites this post would be LONG;]! What are your favorite verses of encouragement? I would love to hear about them in the comment section below ↓! Keep on trusting in the Lord and resting in His promises!! He truly does ALL things well!! :)
“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. ” Psalms 18:30-33
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in THEE.” Psalms 84:11-12
“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”Psalms 16:8-9
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” Psalms 16:11
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Cor 4:16-18
↓ Thank you, Hannah! So lovely!! ↓
¡¡¡•‹»CUE CONFETTI & BLOW HORNS«›• ¡¡¡ There’s a birthday to celebrate!!! So much to say about this guy… where do I start?!! Joel is kind, compassionate, chivalrous [never lets a lady open her own door or carry her own bag], Hard-working, handsome, and super sweet. His list of talents are really endless!! Runner, hunter[have you tried squirrel soup?! ;], fisher[his catfish-catch is delicious!], photographer, and triple-chocolate-cookie maker are just among a few! Joel is always finding ways to lend a helping hand whether it’s cleaning the garage or running to the store or taking out the trash. His thoughtfulness blesses everyone around him! And today’s the day Joel turns 16!!!! Sweet 16. ;) HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS JOEL!!! HOPE your birthday is the BEST YET!! Looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for you as you serve HIM!
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
26!! I am so thankful to the Lord for all the lessons learned, daily blessings, and benefits God so graciously and abundantly showered on me during 25 and I’m looking forward to seeing what the He has in store for 26!!! It seems each new year the Lord gives me a verse that encourages me day by day and this year’s verse has proven to be so true!→ “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.” Ps 65:11!!! Praise the Lord for that. No, my years are not free of disappointment, weakness, trials, struggles, loss, or common heartaches that most endure but it’s through these difficult time God more deeply reveals to me who He is and I am promised “that the trying of your faith worketh patience“[James 1:2-4]. He is my Salvation[Isaiah 12:2], my Anchor[Heb 6:19], my Refuge & Strength even in the roughest of storms[Ps 46], HE truly does “satisfieth the longing soul“[Ps 107], and His ways are in every way perfect[Ps 18:30]!! The future is exciting as He leads me ever step of the way! Psalm 84:5 has always been a favorite of mine, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” Today I am thanking the Lord for another year of His faithful provision and this pilgrimage! We serve a truly faithful God. :) “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God”!
And now for the recap!! ;) Oh my, where does one start? :) I can honestly say I am so tremendously OVERWHELMED and filled with gratitude for the kind words, emails, birthday blog comments[each comment received is truly a “day maker”], and “postal surprises” ;) I received for my birthday! Each was such a fun and thoughtful blessing!! I am completely humbled by the sweet friendships the Lord has blessed me with and so thankful for each of YOU! :) THANK YOU! My family ALWAYS goes out of their way to make my birthday exciting and fun and this year was no exception! Joel took my “birthday photos”[he is a fantastic photographer!], Grace concocted a blog post that still has me laughing ;), My sisters surprised me with shopping and treated me to cheesecake the night before my birthday[we are firm believers that birthdays should last at least a week ;] which was such a fun and relaxing time! Then on my birthday my parents & siblings created a gourmet feast and fantastic decorations[complete with appetizers and cupcakes♥]. It was an outstanding party and truly a blessed birthday!! :) But I think pictures tell the story better so I’ll stop typing. ;) ♥ As always, hover for description and enjoy!
“There are joys of pilgrimage which make men forget the discomforts of the road” :)
Homemade hamburger buns! And spoon-lickin’ good icing. ;)
Fun snacks and beautiful flowers!!
Cutest strawberry treats! :)
Abel’s birthday note and my delicious dinner!
A delicious bag of coffee completely made my day! Best espresso I have yet to taste. :)
Super sweet cards & washi tape from sisters & Brothers! Plus a package straight from Belguim!!!!
!!!!♡ From my SUPER sweet Kansas friend ♡!!!!
•Just a little shout-out to Meadow Land design Jewelry! The quality of craftsmanship is superb!! And earrings BEAUTIFUL!! :) •
THANK YOU!
Gifts for my sweet tooth! ;)
Yep
;)
Hello-hello!!!!! It’s one of THE most exciting days of the year!!!!!! Can anyone guess?!?!?!?!?!!!! It’s National Corn Fritter Day, of course!!
……But it seems like there is something else going on today…. Hmmmm… It’s… at… the…. tip of…. my….. OH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s Rachel’s birthday too!!!!!!!!!! It’s also the day you come to realize why I (Grace) don’t have a blog of my own. {You can leave now if you want.}
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Oh, Rachel! You always have so much engergy.
Annoying, isn’t it?
Any older sister knows the horrors of a “knock” when your home alone babysitting…
Isn’t she the cutest?
This was actually from Rachel’s youth. Her aspirations were both simple and adorable.
So much wisdom wrapped up in those 26 years.
Stop judging the necessities.
Rachel’s more of a short distance sprinter, the 12 mile runs really wear on her.
Rachel’s been through the school of hard knocks a couple of times.
Frisbee — who’s good at that anyway?
She’s not afraid to tell it straight and confront those who beat around the bush.
So modest.
As an older sister, she always gives good advice…
Rachel has a smile that will brighten any day!
Rachel isn’t one to let dissapointment sink in. All about making the most of every situation and dissapointment.
When I was born. Don’t worry, we’re good friends now.
Recently, Rachel has becme a Driver’s Education instructor for the student drivers in house. This is basically her during 90% of the practice drives.
Rachel’s motto.
Rachel is always one to cheer you up when you’re down.
You aren’t alone, Rachel. Everybody knows the feeling.
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Today I came to the realization that I promised a random post over 2 weeks ago!! Oh my, I guess I’m a bit behind. The end of June and beginning of July has to be the busiest time for my family! With work, family, and many celebration these last 2 week, I’ve found myself in quite a busy routine of randomosity! ;) Texas heat has kicked in finally[we enjoyed an extremely mild June!], our gardens are exploding with produce[a few of our gardens more than others. We haven’t all been blessed with that green thumb ;], preparation for Fall product lines is in full swing, and each day has been filled with many blessings from the Lord! And to add to the June/July excitement, the kiddos enjoyed a few days of “camping out” in the back-yard complete with weeny roasts and s’mores ! Tooooo much fun. :) How has your summer been this far? Any exciting summer plans? Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the summer holds and thanking the Lord for the daily blessings He provides! Complete randomness mostly from the iPhone. Enjoy! ;)
Camping partners!
What’s really happening behind the scene. Sometimes icing is too tempting! ;)
Camp-out!
Learning to start a fire!
Perfect lunch! <3
Bekah’s harvest! ;)
Delicious peppers from Nathanael’s Garden!
;)
work!
Out with with the crew;)
