Take time to smell the roses!

Isn't this the prettiest color rose you have ever seen?  It came from my rose bush....my grandmother bought it for me as a birthday gift.  Today is my birthday and I found this perfect bloom waiting for me this morning.  It made me smile brighter and stand a littler straighter too.

Often I wonder why I can look at things in creation and it makes me feel better. Does that happen to you?  This morning as I was walking enjoying the peace and quiet, the serene sound of birds chirping, feeding their young, the waves crashing on the lakeshore, dogs barking in the distance, trees whistling in the wind and the sound of my footsteps along the road, I thought what an awesome God I serve.  He created all this that is around me, all that I was enjoying.  He knows every bird, animal, person, feather, hair, direction of the wind and waves....and He is not overwhelmed with it all.  I have felt every emotion this week with the closing of my dearest friends moving, yet not once was I overwhelmed with it.  God has given me a peace that I can't explain, an acception to the fact and blessed me beyond anything I deserve.    So I can look around at today and say...THANK YOU GOD for all you have given me, you have blessed me beyond my years.

Have a super great week!  I am off to help my friends move, so I'll be offline for about a week!  Enjoy the roses!  Take time to smell them too!!

Will you love??

Ahhh....the peace of freshly fallen snow.  Isn't it beautiful?  It started snowing here late yesterday afternoon as I drove the 2 oldest arrows to their sleepover at a friends house.  Earlier yesterday we made sure to pack extra clothing just in case the snow actually arrived and they needed to stay an extra evening.  Well, I'm sure the children must have been ceaselessly praying because we awoke this morning to 6" of snow here in our town.  The town where they are got at least 4".  They are having a blast at their friends and I am missing them terribly.

The youngest 3 arrows woke early and wanted to play in the snow.  "Let's make a snowman!"  The snow is too fluffy for that, it doesn't pack well at all, it kinda crumbles.  So that didn't work.  Our youngest arrow lasted only a few minutes before screaming his head off!!  He had had enough and wasn't taking it anymore.  In his defense, it was still sleet/snowing, the wind was blowing and it was cold out there!  We sent him inside while the youngest girl arrow decided to sled down the driveway with Daddy pulling her.  Well needless to say, 2 times and she was done and ready to go inside.

After getting the younger ones settled inside, I continued to take some pictures of the beauty surrounding us.  I am always so amazed at the snow, I mean think about it.  Every single snowflake is different!!!!  No two are alike.  I can't even begin to imagine how that is possible, can you?  There is 6 inches of snow in my yard, all over my neighborhood, all over the town I live in, surrounding towns, up to surrounding states!!!!  And NO TWO SNOWFLAKES ARE ALIKE!!!!!!!  What an awesome Creator we have, how immeasurable His love for us.  He shows us His divine power through His creation and we see it everyday, but do we stop to think about it?  Really?  I often see, feel and experience these "God Moments" or "God Thing" and I am still constantly in awe of Him and all He does.  Are you?

Another thing I am in awe over is the way that God has provided for me throughout my life, whether I professed to be His child or not.  He has always cared for me, loved me and molded me to be the woman He wants me to be.  I am forever grateful and indebted to Him.

Today marks a very special day for me and my husband.  It was 17 years ago today that we were united and made into ONE.  I married my best friend, my soul mate, my help meet, my lover and friend.  At the ripe age of only 19 I thought I knew everything and I thought there was no way I could love anyone more than I loved my new husband on that day.  God has grown me in so many ways.  Not only do I love my husband more today than that day, but my heart has been blessed to love 5 Blessed and Earthly children and 1 Heavenly Child I have waiting.  I can't explain the love that one has for a spouse, but I can

tell you that it is far beyond anything you could ever dream or wish for.  These little beings have been given to me to care for, mold, instruct in the way of the Lord, guide to know Him, and protect as best as I can.  How can your heart hold so much love for one person, let alone 6 more????  Only God can fill your heart and make it stretch.  I don't feel by any means that my heart is stretched to its max.....I have sooo much more to give, My Savior, my husband, my children, my family and my friends.  Oh how grateful I feel today to have been blessed beyond all measure.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and may have strength to height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all grounded in love, comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:14-19

 So I leave you all with this question.  How are you loving?  Are you loving to your fullest extent or are you with holding from your Creator?  Will you not give to Him freely the love He has promised you, that He gave you in the first place?  I will choose to LOVE today and always.

Happy Anniversary My Love.  Thank you for 17 wonderful years together and May the God Peace grant us many more years together!  I LOVE YOU!

Wonder

I often find this little cutie just staring out the window or front door and I wonder what he is thinking? Does he wish he were out there running in the wet grass? Maybe he wishes to chase squirrels out of the yard like the dog or play soccer like his big sisters? Or is he just enjoying the beauty of God's creation?
Whatever the wonder.....I am so grateful the Lord gave him to me.

Christ Is Risen!!!

He is Risen Indeed!!! What a beautiful Easter Sunday it was yesterday! We enjoyed Worship with our Savior, good food, family, friends, egg hunts, and relaxation galore.

Lake Norman State Park Fun

We went to the Lake Norman State Park a few weeks ago with a couple sets of friends. We had a BLAST!! I thought I would share the slide show of all our fun! Enjoy!

Spring has Sprung!! God's creation is in full bloom, from the flowers, trees to the animals!

A New Day....

Ahhh, a sigh of relief as I start a new day, a new week, a new chance to glorify my Lord in all I do. I am so grateful for a new day, last week was a struggle to keep my head afloat. I felt overwhelmed and like I was drowning, but today is a new day! I feel much better and I finally feel as though the waters are drying up! I can see new life in the world around me.

Spring has sprung in God's beautiful creation and in my heart! At church yesterday I felt something change in my heart. I can not explain it. I only know that it came from the Lord and I am going to rejoice in His blessing. I have been working on my prayer life, my quiet times, and our daily schedule. I feel as though the Lord has answered my requests in more ways than I could have ever asked of him. Don't you find that joyous? I mean, when you ask for something and the Lord gives to you, but He gives more than what you ask? I just think that is AWESOME!!

Do you have something to pray about? Go ahead....ask it and the Lord will answer. Maybe not like we had hoped or asked, but it will be better than what we thought we needed. I can assure of that!

Chickadee Rescue

Yes, I said Chickadee rescue. Today after finishing up school and the youngest arrows waking from their nap, my oldest arrow found a beautiful little chickadee stuck inside the bird feeder. I didn't believe it at first. I thought it was just on the opposite side of the feeder and it only looked as if it were inside, but I quickly realized the bird needed help. My oldest arrow volunteered to release the bird and I said "Sure, but not before I get a picture!" I love taking pictures of our wildlife with my fairly new camera.
Here you can clearly see the bird is stuck inside the seed cylinder. She looks so peaceful, doesn't she?


The Chickadee Rescuer....


She tried to fly out a number of times, but she couldn't go anywhere. Poor Chickadee


Here you can barely see her flying out of the cylinder....I think she was very thankful to her rescuer.


After releasing her back to the wild, we filled the feeders back to maximum capacity as to ward off any other victims. Let me also add that the feeder she got into was filled just Monday afternoon and emptied yesterday. We have 4 bird feeders, 3 suet feeders and 3 thistle seed socks. All were filled on Monday, but gone by today. The poor birds just don't have any food around, so we have to feed them, plus we don't mind feeding them since they let us watch them so closely. 3 of the feeders hang on the window to our kitchen, so we watch the birds all day long. They don't seem to be frightened by the kids noise inside. They just eat and go on about their business with wide eyes looking on at them. We are sure to thank Lord Jesus for our birds, he made them so beautiful, so tiny, so strong and so different. The girls enjoy our hands on nature study.....right on our kitchen window sill.

Here are a few other pictures we got today after filling the feeders. I was sitting in the middle of the yard just waiting. As I waited, I said a prayer for the birds to not be frightened of the camera sound. Let me say that He answered me! The birds were afraid of nothing! They sat right in front of me, looking at me, eating away and even flew by me that I could feel the wind from their wings. They are such beautiful creatures! God is so good, all the time! Enjoy God's Creation! Blessings!