Walking Down Memory Lane

I was going through some old pictures...what a lovely walk down memory lane for me!

My children have grown so fast, I can't imagine where the time went!

Here are some of those lovely memories :)

If you still have "littles" at home...hug them tight!

Time will fly and you don't have a moment to waste!

Kiss and hug them every chance you get!

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Psalm 127:3,4



IF

I heard this in a John MacArthur sermon today...

I have a desire to be more steadfast as a Christian, and listened to this message

concerning that.

He used this poem as an illustration...

IF - Rudyard Kipling's Verse

IF
Rudyard Kipling's Verse

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

 

I found this so wise!

Psalm 34

Psalm 34

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

² My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

³ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

⁵ They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷ The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

⁹ O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

¹⁰ The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

¹¹ Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

¹² What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

¹³ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

¹⁴ Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

²⁰ He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

²² The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Berry Happy!

Bri and I were out picking blueberries the other day, and we think

that between the two of us--we picked about a gallon!

(I put the quarter there for size perspective)

The best part is...eating them!

(I'm so happy they're allowed on GAPS)

Oh, and the fact that there are lots more to pick yet! :)

Aren't these just gorgeous!?

I love them--mostly because they are from our very own yard!

The hydrangeas just have been breathtaking this year!

And, mixed with the others, I just think they're beautiful!

I love flowers!

God certainly showed His creativity when He created so many kinds of lovely flowers...

Hope your garden is giving you blessings too!

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come,

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

Song of Solomon 2:12

Bentonite Clay Toothpaste-My Daring Experiment!

I guess I really must miss homeschooling because I recently conducted an experiment....

just like the ol' homeschool days!

I tried the BulkHerb recipe for Bentonite Clay Toothpaste--and I love it!

Bentonite Clay Toothpaste Recipe
3 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon Stevia Herb
1 1/2 Cups Cinnamon Sticks
4 Tablespoons Whole Cloves
4 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 Tablespoons Celtic Sea Salt
1 - 1 1/2 Cups Bentonite Clay Powder

1. Mix the first four ingredients in a medium saucepan, and boil 30 minutes. While that’s heating, mix 4 tablespoons baking soda and 1 tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt and set aside.



2. Next place 1 cup of Bentonite Clay into a glass bowl. Note: it is important to use a glass bowl and wooden spoon because when the Bentonite Clay gets wet, it sets up an electromagnetic reaction which will absorb the particles inside of a metal bowl, or the toxins out of a plastic one.

3. Remove saucepan from heat and strain off herbs, catching the liquid in a glass bowl. Slowly add the salt and baking soda mixture. Expect it to foam and bubble. This is the cinnamon and the baking soda reacting to each other. While it is still frothing, pour the liquid mixture into the bowl of Bentonite Clay, and whisk briskly. The foam will start to settle down and a smooth paste should start to form. Continue adding the remains of Bentonite Clay until the desired consistency is reached. Store in glass jars and avoid any contact with absorbable metals.

I was a little leary because it looks different than regular paste...but everyone in my family likes it!

It has a very smooth texture to it.

I also love how each ingredient has a purpose and it is explained in the instructions. :)

I bought the kit from them-it came with instructions too, but they are also available on their site.

The link is above, and if you want to check out their site or order--

please use my affiliate button on the top right--I'd appreciate that.

Let me know if you try it!

Precious Visit

Earlier in the month our family was so blessed to get to visit with some dear, sweet friends 

from Ohio.

We don't get to see them very often, but boy do we try to make up for lost time!

We ladies yacked up a storm! lol 

The evening we spent at dinner and just sharing with each other will be a memory

that I always cherish.

Love you two!

Psalm 100:3

Verse for the Day

“Being confident of this very thing,

 that he which hath begun a good work in you

 will perform it

 until the day of Jesus Christ:” 
Phil.1:6

Happy Independence Day!

Our family had the privilege of attending a revival service last night, and one of the speakers was an ex-Marine.

He reminded us that July 4th is not just about "hamburgers and hot dogs"

It's about the many, many soldiers who have sacrificed for us, giving their

lives to protect our freedom.

My heartfelt thanks to those who have served, and currently serve our country!

More June Happenings...

Our Spring/Summer season has been full of celebrations!

We have been privileged to attend many graduations this year.

This was a double grad with 2 brothers.

It was a blessing to celebrate God's blessing on their lives,

and to fellowship with many dear friends.

The only downside?

We had another invitation for the same day, but due to distance we could only

attend one.

We pray God's blessings on all the graduates in our lives!