Where is your hope? | A Really Really Random post ;)

Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord,
by the power of grace divine;
let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
and my will be lost in thine.

“Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, and my will be lost in thine.” Beautiful portion of ‘I am Thine O Lord’ isn’t it? :) To hope in something or someone literally means to place your expectation or trust in that thing or person, to “to expect with confidence : trust”. So, where is your hope? That is the question I’m going to ask y’all this fine Sunday evening! If your hope is not in Christ, it will not be steadfast. He alone offers a living, incorruptible, unfading, eternal hope!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1:3-5

I am reminded of Psalm 145 where it says”Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God“! Though it is so very easy to place your hope{expectation/trust} in men or things, true everlasting hope, joy, and happiness is found in God alone! He is the God of hope{Romans 15:13}. Place your expectation/trust in the Lord, He freely offers that steadfast hope{Psalm 62:4-5}! “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is!” :)

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:25-26

::Lets see if I can get this done before I have to go start dinner::Well, I figured since its been almost 3 weeks since my last really random{mostly from the phone} post it’s about time for another one! :) The last couple weeks have been filled with lots of work with a few minor hurdles that God seems to always wonderful work for the good, baking, birthdays, grocery shopping, and a bad cold{thankfully Bekah “nursed” me back to health and the cold is subsiding today!} Plus Nathanael & Abel have been showing me the ropes on knife throwing… I have yet to hit the tree but am hopeful that my skills will improve. ;) AND so blessed by the kindness of my Washington friend when a lovely packaged arrived for me!! :) If you know me, you know I LOVE mail{with exception to bills!} Plus, it’s summer which means lots of ice cream. :) Side note: I took a quick moment to throw together a random post for my cooking blog! Hop over to take a look: GranolaGirlBakes.com. Yes, this is an extremely random post… I happen to be a very random person! :) Hope y’all are enjoying your summer and this beautiful Sunday evening that The Lord has given you! I’m off to make dinner. :)

Hover for descriptions & click to enlarge! With random posts come too many pictures. :)

Ruth!

A perfect spot to read. :)

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TEACHING ME HOW TO THROW THE KNIFE

LOOK AT ABEL’S FORM!! ;)

Micah & Abel at Market days!

Grace at Market days!

Gid & Emmi

Mom & Emmi at Market days!

Fun in the office! :)

My nurse! ;)

Snugar on their way out the door to their customers! :)

The guys did a 14 mile hike for Joel’s bday! :)

Praising the Lord for this!

Emmi & her animals

Homemade pudding is the best!

Packaging!

Chocolate pound cake with chocolate icing! :)

Thank you to my WA friend!! SWEET!!

Icecream!

Grocery Shopping!!

THANK YOU for the new shirt MOM!! My “Happy Camper” Shirt :D

Lydia diligently working!!

Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Psalms 80:18

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33

{Saved?}

A quick reminder from the little girl in the funny sunglasses…

The little girl in the funny sunglasses wants to remind you all, it takes 17 Muscles To Smile & 43 To Frown…. She suggests you give you face a break and SMILE! :) Below she will kindly demonstrate how it’s done. ;)

Happy Saturday from me and the quirky little kid! ❥

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
Proverbs 17:22

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“Rejoice evermore”
1 Thessalonians 5:16

{Saved?}

Joel Turns 14 today! | HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Joel!! The man who literally never stops working, who is always asking how he can lend a helping hand, who can handle ghost pepper salsa without even breaking a sweat{pretty much drinks the stuff for breakfast ;)}, who can shoot a squirrel out of the highest tree then skin/cook/eat it{that takes an extremely strong stomach a lots of guts! :-|}, and makes a fantastic cup of coffee turns 14 years-old today!!! That’s right, it’s his birthday!! :)

Now the common question for this dashing tall 14 year-old man is “what does you future hold?” I know y’all were thinking that exact thing, right?! =) Well, wonder no longer! I’m pretty sure I know. ;D Though he and I had high hopes of getting back to our Irish roots & learning how to river dance then touring the world together doing so, I am about 154% positive that is out of the question{though he dances like an angel… if angels danced}. ;)  I reckon he will continue to work extraordinarily hard, become a world-renowned hunter by hunting massively large boars{see last picture}, save up enough money to fix up a little house on a few hundred acres way out west in the wide expanse of  Montana, then someday in the near/far future with those big blue eyes and the heart of gold he will end up snatching himself a little lady… if  she doesn’t snatch him first! {I am accepting “future potential wife” applications by the way. There will be a filing fee of $5.00 per application. Inquire within! ;)} Okay, all of the above may or may not be in Joel’s future but I am positive that The Lord has a perfect plan for my brother and I’m excited to see what the Lord does in him and through him throughout his life!

So blessed to have you as my brother, Joel! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Numbers 6:24:26

P.S. the last picture is for you, Joel! ;)

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JOEL :: SHILOH PHOTOGRAPHY

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JOEL :: SHILOH PHOTOGRAPHY 4

JOEL :: SHILOH PHOTOGRAPHY 7

JOEL :: SHILOH PHOTOGRAPHY 6

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“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.”
Psalm 84:5

Plans Change!

Yes, there is a story behind these two pictures! :) The scene is set: a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon and the house is really quiet{must be something wrong!} The thought going through my mind during this uncannily quiet time is “PERFECT time to concentrate and get some computer work done!” My computer just happened to max out it’s 500GB storage capacity and I needed to move lots of pictures over to my external hard-drive plus a few emails were in desperate need of being answered. I grab my computer and fix myself a delightful raw-sugar latte in my favorite mug{added an extra shot just because it’s Sunday ;)} and find a refreshing spot in our breakfast room to start my work{even snapped a quick picture with my phone just because it looked so serene!} Within 60 seconds of sitting down I had half a dozen kids surrounding me, Bekah was on the back of my chair “doing” my hair, Abel was reading his book out-loud to me, and Emmi… well, she was downing my highly caffeinated latte. :) Needless to say, no computer work was accomplished and emails waited until later that evening. Truth is that I wouldn’t have missed the 30 minutes of fun with these kids for an empty computer or answered emails! Plans change, often times very quickly, and in my case in under 60 seconds! ;) This is a friendly yet random reminder that “A man’s heart plans his way: but the LORD directs his steps.” Just remember, “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.”

Happy Monday everyone!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

{Saved?}

Real Men Wear Aprons {To Gideon with love} ;)

My Dearest little/big brother, Gideon,
I assure you, the fact that you didn’t show-up in my last post was no accident{though you really did show-up when your head unexpected made it in my picture ::here::}! ;) And it’s definitely not the fact that it can be quite a challenge for me{at 5’4″} to get your 6’2″  frame in the camera without chopping off your head… You see, I was saving my all-time favorite picture of you for its own uniquely special post!  :D Here you so valiantly demonstrate the fact that real men wear aprons! ;)

Much love,
Rachel ;)

P.S. That apron looks fantastic on you!

7.20.13“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer”
Romans 12:10-12

A Birthday Recap in too many pictures!

“So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12

Here I am 24 years-old! Wow, never thought I would live to see this day. ;) I am so grateful for the 24 years of life God has so graciously given me and I am extraordinarily excited to see what the He does in this next year! I don’t know what the future holds but I do know Who holds my future! Because the Lord is the Author of my days I can truly go forward with joy and peace. If there is any brief word of encouragement I can offer to my younger lady readers it is to consider the lilies! Do not worry about tomorrow{Matthew 6:25-34}, be anxious for nothing{Philippians 4:6}, and trust in the Lord with ALL your heart{Prov 3:5-6}! :) God’s way is perfect! I am humbled by all the tremendous and beautiful birthday wishes I received from around the country. :) A huge “thank you” to you all!! Each birthday email & comment completely made my day and still are making my day! :)

So are y’all ready for a million and one pictures? I was going to split the pictures up into a few posts but decided to just make this a post with too many pictures. ;) Birthdays are a BIG deal for our family! Each one is celebrated in a unique way and I am always blessed by how much thought my family put into my birthday{and, yes, I still love birthdays just as much at the age of 24 as when I was 5 ;)}! We were suppose to head to the coast for a 2 day trip on Monday, soaking up the sun and enjoying the beach but due to a warning on the radio that “flesh-eating bacteria” was at an all time high at the particular beach we were going to, we decided to play it safe and stay home. I think it was a smart move, don’t you?? ;) So the coast will have to wait until the hot weather begins to cool. Since we didn’t leave for the coast my family and I loaded up in the big white 15 passenger van on my birthday taking a drive through the hill country of Texas, stopping at random thrift stores, coffee shops, and bakeries throughout the day! I must say, this was the best & most relaxing birthday I have yet to have! So a HUGE “thank you” to my family for the fun day!

And to add to a fantastic 24th birthday, I returned home to my first ever bouquet of flowers from my Kansas friend. The are so lovely! Thank you, Sarah! :) Then I received a birthday parcel today from my Iowa friend! She must have noticed my extreme infatuation for aprons. ;) Thank you, Hannah!! Hover over pictures for descriptions!… Yes, lots of pictures! :)

A glorious bouquet of flowers from my Kansas Friend! :)

From my Iowa Friend

Lovely card that made my day! :)

Me in my New APRON!!

Love it Hannah!

Our day trip:

Lydia & Bekah :)

The world’s best frappe. :)

strawberry Smoothie for Bekah

Ruthie ;)

All the girls! :) Photo credits go to Joel ;)

Emmi & my Dad :)

She enjoyed herself!

Joel & Grace :)

Matching! ;)

And now for the decorations! Since I couldn’t go to the beach, my older sister, Micah, brought a bit of the beach to me! She decorated the dining room in the cutest “sailboat” theme I have ever seen! She really does a magnificent job when it comes to decorations. :)

Micah :)

The “party room”

And last but not least… Does anybody remember my {future} home post a few months back? With the gorgeous dishes that I had hoped to outfit my home in one day? Wellllll…. my family chipped in and bought me a few of my favorite pieces! I can hardly wait to use them for my food photos. And the day was made complete with half a dozen home-made cards and an extremely cute iphone cover! :) And that friends is my beautiful birthday in pictures! I hope you all enjoyed! May this day be filled to overflowing for you as you serve HIM!

“As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.”
Psalm 18:30-32

{Saved?}

Nathanael, brother in Christ! | Amazing Grace {Video}

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“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
John 10:28

My brother,Nathanael, surrendered his life to his Lord this weekend, repenting of his sins & putting his trust in the Perfect Savior. Now he not only my physical brother but my spiritual brother! What a tremendous answer to prayer!! This morning we went down to the river and I was blessed to witness his baptism! Join with me in welcoming Nathanael to the household of God! :)

“For he says, I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped you: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
2 Corinthians 6:2

Since I was taking pictures, all video footage shot by Joel! Fantastic job, Joel!! :)

Currently….

Editing and lots of it!! :) Our Fall 2013 photoshoot is complete and now all that is left is a bit of editing. As I type, Lightroom is exporting somewhere around 2,700 photos and they are running through photoshop for a final touch{my computer is rather hot at the moment ;)}! I am so excited to see how the Lord brings everything together and can’t wait for our Fall launch on August 5th! So, my normal almost-too-frequent blog posts with lots of pictures should resume within a few days, Lord willing!! :) Until then, enjoy your weekend!

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”
Jeremiah 32:17

Tonight I am thankful for: parents sisters & brothers who have put hours into new designs & production, a computer that cooperates :), external hard-drives, photoshop batch-editing :), Lydia’s delicious chocolate chip cookies ;), happy little models, extremely strong coffee, and God’s grace! What are you thankful for?

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Of Raspberry Swirl Cupcakes, A Video, and Crazy Kids | a very random post :)

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
Psalm 107:31

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness! :) So true isn’t it? He is good but we  too often trade in thanksgiving for complaining. We so quickly forget His goodness which is in every single second of ever day! Though His wonderful works surround us, we many times overlook them. Our ever minute of life is sustained by the Creator of the universe, each heartbeat divinely ordained by our sovereign Savior, the ability to take another breath is a demonstration of His extreme goodness & handiwork!  His mercy is abundant{Psalm 103:11}, His grace is sufficient{2 Cor 12:9}, He satisfies the longing soul{Psalm 107:9},  He offers hope to the hopeless and salvation to all who call upon His name{Romans 10:13}! Rejoice evermore, my friends. We serve a truly awesome God who is worthy of our praise! “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!” :) Today I want to encourage you all to give thanks to the Lord, rejoice always, count your blessings, and sing His praise constantly!!

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Psalm 100:5

Now, I did forewarn you that this would be a random post, didn’t I? ;) My friend was good to remind me it has been over a week since my last random post so this post is dedicated to her. :) Time is flying by here! July-September are my busiest months of the entire year and so much is going on! I am so thankful to the Lord for the work He has given me and the family He has blessed me with! So, with my random post comes a million random iphone pictures! And to make a random post all the more random, I now have a new favorite cupcake recipe that I am sharing with y’all on my cooking blog plus a new video that I have posted below… if you like raspberry & lemon than you will love these cupcakes!! Enjoy your Tuesday, everyone!!

Before we get to the cupcakes I have to ask, does anybody else have such handsome body-guards accompany them to the grocery store? I made an attempt to sneak out the door to grab a jar of raspberry jam at my local grocery store but didn’t get away without these three telling me the dangers of going to the grocery store alone and then escorting me there and back. Thanks guy, always safe when your around! ;)
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Raspberry Swirl muffins on my cooking blog granolagirlbakes.com!


Snack time!

Abel, Emmi & her Chickens :)

Hard working guy!

Grace, Ruth, & Micah getting Emmi ready for pictures! :)

Day 12!

True!

Enjoying a lovely evening outside!

Lydia diligently embelishing!

Sweet sisters!!

Emmi & Ruth!!

Gideon & Day 7 of the Gmay Studio!!

Peach Muffins

Blueberries!

Orders ready to ship!

Crazy Kid!

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”
Psalm 145:3

30 years and counting!!

“He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the Lord.”
Proverbs 18:22

It all began at a hog roast when these two were around 17 years-old… I guess they would be classified as “high-school sweethearts”! :) By 18 years-old they were married and here we are, 30 years later!! I would go into detail on how true love{1 Cor 13} and God’s grace has been the binding force keeping these two together through the good and hard times but I think y’all will be able to see it in the pictures. My Dad has described this period of his marriage as “marital bliss” and as I watch their lives together I am amazed as each year of their marriage seems to get better and better! :) Thankful to the Lord for the 30 years{and counting} of marriage He has blessed my parents with!

Happy Anniversary, Dad & Mom! ❥ mom & dad

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“Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9

Happy Birthday to a Colorado Cowboy!

Nathanael Ebenezer
The gift of God :: Stone of Help

Nathanael!! Where do I start?? Well, first off, IT’S HIS BIRTHDAY!! :) Today this young man turns 10 years-old. Can hardly believe it! Nathanael’s “face the day with a smile” attitude, eagerness to lend a helping hand, and infectious grin completely light up the house! He has a work ethic that I aspire to and can work a thousand times harder than most men twice his age. His motto is “A job worth doing is a job worth doing well!” And did I mention he can climb a rope using his toes?{video below to prove it} He’s quite a guy!! :)

Now, Nathanael is a cowboy at heart but not the normal “El Paso” type of cowboy. You see, he is a Colorado cowboy!! That explains his nick-name “Colorada Pete”{nope, didn’t just miss-spell Colorado, just the way it’s pronounced around these parts ;)}! Future plans for this handsome blue-eyed 10 year-old? Funny you should ask! :) You see, he has had this dream for several years of moving to the rugged mountains of Colorado, building a cabin, and becoming a classic gruff mountain man living off venison stew & corn-cakes….. But just recently he has told us his plans have changed! He has decided to stick close so that he can support and care for our mom & dad once they are too old to do so themselves! :) This is one Colorado Cowboy with a huge heart of gold!! We shall see what the Lord has in store for Nathanael!

Happy Happy Birthday, Nathanael!

” The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26


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“But if from there you shall seek the LORD your God, you shall find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Deuteronomy 4:29

Name above all names | Glory to the King

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11


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“You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”
Revelations 4:11

1,461 | It’s that time of year… again! :)

“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Psalms 90:17

1,461  is the number of photos I took today. :) Today is day 1 of our GraciousMay & Snugars Fall 2013 photoshoot!! I sit here multitasking{because I tend to work best when I multitask ;)} editing photos while watching ‘Mr Smith Goes to Washington’ and decided to do a quick post while I wait for the photos to run through lightroom{would that be triple-tasking!?} If you have been following my blog for a while, you know exactly what I’m talking about. :) For those who are new, I have been blessed with the privilege to photograph for my family’s businesses and it’s that time of year when we photograph our fall collection for 2 of our brands! 1 day down and 3 or 4 to go!!  Thankful for the Lord’s goodness in this day and the amount of work we were able to accomplish… even with a few hiccups and “road-blocks”!  :) And I can’t wait to share the new Fall 2013 with you all… in August! :)

And on another note, we have started the construction of our official GMay office!! Day 4 of several in the building process but we are praising God for 4 days down and this opportunity! A few Photos below. :) 6.27.13

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Equipment Prep!

The crew! :)

Scouting out a locoation this morning!

Bekah!

“Dressing Room” :)

Cookies, best for breakfast! :)

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Thanks Micah for the photos! :)

“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
Psalm 127:1

Missing milk and happy little girls…

The funny chickens are wondering why they are no longer the center of Emmi’s affection and Dash{the dog} is fretfully pacing the backyard! The little girl in the piggy-tale is sneaking out back any chance she can get and breakfast scraps are going with her. :) Milk is also suspiciously and quickly disappearing from the fridge and my guess is that it is either Ruth or Bekah filling a small saucer and quickly darting outside. Yes, you guessed it! A kitten has arrived!! It was love at first sight for Emmi. :) Her wildest dreams have come true and she is now the happiest owner of a somewhat feisty kitten! He has been dubbed “the kitty from heaven” by the little people since he simply appeared out of nowhere but he is officially called Skippy. The fact that he is missing over half his tail doesn’t matter one bit! They all love him to pieces. :) Now we are just a cow and pig short of an official farm! ;)

The little people & Skippy{the cat} wish you a very happy Wednesday!

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And along with a new kitten has comes the lesson of sharing for the little girl in the piggy-tale. ;) She is learning… slowly but surely!

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“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Philippians 4:20

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