Our Burden Bearer...

Times of deep trial and testing are definitely heavy and burdensome.  However, it seems to me that it is the daily burdens that we bear that are especially trying and wearisome.  Daily burdens can be as mundane as the seemingly endless piles of laundry, the never ending sinks full of dirty dishes,  referreeing squabbles between your children, the stresses of your nine to five job, or the challenges that arise in our day to day relationships.  It is the repetitive, never ending dailiness of our responsibilities and burdens that can wear us out and wear us down.

I am so thankful, so amazed, that God bears with me and bears my burdens day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, June 11th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Friday Faves...Mexican Sugarmold Centerpiece and some Mantel Changes...

My husband ordered a vintage Mexican sugar mold for me for Mother's Day.

He's really good at snooping around at what I've had my eye on online

and I'm good at leaving him clues!

The mold came with tin inserts and candles for each of the twelve holes.

I decided to put faux succulents in every other hole.

Because the sugar mold became my centerpiece, I then moved my demijohn collection to my mantel.

I also added a string of natural wood beads and a string of glass beads from Ghana 

around the necks of two of the demijohns for some texture and interest.

On the other side of the mantel is a faux succulent in a faceted vase stacked on a couple of antique books. 

I love how realistic the succulent is.

Well, it's almost Friday, friends!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and a safe and BLESSED weekend!

             

Our newest grandson...

Twelve days ago our sixth grandchild, our third grandson, was born.

He's the firstborn of our youngest daughter and her husband.

It was a privilege to be able to be there throughout the whole labor and delivery.

My daughter was a superhero.

After thirty six hours of labor, including four and a half hours of pushing, he arrived into the world,

a bit bruised from the long journey but surprisingly wide eyed and alert.

I love him so much.

He may be our sixth grandchild, but each one is unique, special, and greatly loved.

Isn't it amazing how our heart simply expands to make room for more love?

I admit, sometimes it feels like my heart could burst with the overwhelming love that I feel!

still following,

songography at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out"

image-in-ing:Variations

http://www.lifenreflection.com

buckaroo mama

peabea

God is good and does good...

I've been scarce around my blog for almost two weeks due to the arrival of our newest grandson and the joy of getting to help my youngest daughter during her first week home with him.  I'm posting two weeks of my gratitude journaling since I didn't post last week.  My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for this newest blessing to our family and for all of His continued faithfulness and love to us! 

****************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#9834-#9884

5-22-17-

-lessons about the olive tree as I study Psalm 52

-my Mother's Day gift from my husband arrived in the mail!

-a great walk and prayer time

-dinner grilled outdoors

-news that our youngest daughter is to check into the hospital tomorrow night to begin induction to have the baby

- our middle daughter and the kids coming over after our grandson's ballgame

5-23-17-

-trusting God and seeing Him take care of things

-God's working in a young woman's life

-this beautiful summer-like day

5-24-17-

-me, my daughters, my son-in-law and his mom all gathered to support my youngest daughter through delivery

-a helpful midwife

-her in-laws waiting and praying in the waiting room

5-25-17-

-finally, fully dilated after a long night of labor

-God's strength when she had to push for 4 1/2 hours

-worst cast scenarios spoken about by the medical staff, but which didn't happen

-our grandson born at 1:29pm, weight 7lbs11oz, 20 1/2 inches long

5-26-17-

-an early morning text from our girl asking us to come back to the hospital

-holding our grandson

-the joyful faces on our other grandchildren when they got to meet and hold their new cousin

5-27-17-

-our daughter and grandson got to go home from the hospital today

-a quiet afternoon/evening adjusting to life at home with a baby

-our son-in-law being such a kind, patient, helpful dad

-a good report that our church's outreach today went great!

5-28-17-

-good reports of how church went today

-my hub's bring us lunch at my youngest daughters

-our second born and her youngest stopping by-fun feeding the neighbor's goats with my grandson

5-29-17-

-our daughter's super helpful lactation consultant

-a happier baby

-watching the old version of Pride and Prejudice with my girl

5-30-17-

-our youngest and her sisters texting back and forth about the adjustments of being a new mama

-a much more restful night

-early morning texts from my husband-I think he misses me

5-31-17-

-reorganizing my girl's baking cupboard and pantry-(I love doing this kind of stuff!)

-kissing my grandson's cheeks over and over

-my girl asking me to stay "just one more night"

6-1-17-

-our grand baby doing good on his weight gain

-my husband keeping the house spic and span for me while I was gone

-coming home to my guy

6-2-17-

-a beautiful Friday day off drive to the beach

-lunch at our favorite restaurant

-a nice long beach walk

6-3-17-

-funny grandson photos via text

-sweet quiet time with my Bible

-home sweet home doing my usual Saturday cleaning and puttering

-our oldest granddaughter coming over to watch When Calls the Heart with me and to spend the night

6-4-17-

-God building His church

-help from a friend measuring for our new kitchen countertops and also our patio expansion

-seeing all five oldest grands today

still following,

God's faultless character..

Both the enemy and "religion" can be used to plant a distorted image of God in our minds.  If our minds are not renewed to think in alignment with the truth of God's Word, we may fall prey to these distortions. Our own experiences can contribute to making us more vulnerable to misrepresentations of God's character as well.  For example, if our earthly father was temperamental, moody, and hard to please, we can be more prone to thinking of God as inconsistent in character and difficult to please.

God's character is perfect.  There is no darkness, no inconsistency or changeableness in His character.  There is nothing "shady" about Him.  He is good and He does good.  Because of His faultless character He can be completely trusted. We can also know with assurance that whatever He gives us will be good and beneficial for us.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, June 4th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Far over and above...

What a week it's been!  Our newest grandchild was born, grandchild number six!  As I look back on the years of infertility and miscarriage that our two oldest daughters went through, and the years that our youngest daughter wondered if she would ever meet the man she was to marry, I can say that God truly has done far over and above all that we dared to ask or think.  Our oldest daughter and her husband have two miracle daughters after almost eleven years of fertility problems and three miscarriages.  Our second born daughter and her husband have three miracle children, two via adoption and one God surprise biological child.  Our youngest daughter married a wonderful man two years ago.  Two days after their second anniversary, their son, our sixth grandchild and third grandson, was born.

When you read the paragraph above, there is no way for you to know what it was like to live though the years and years of praying and interceding for each of our children as they struggled through the pain of hope deferred and the grief of loss. There were many times when we wondered if we would ever see the answer to our and their heart cries.  There were many times when we asked God why...
(Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, May 28th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Beautiful viburnum...

Viburnum, or "snowball bush", as my husband calls it, is one of my favorite spring blooms.

We had a huge viburnum growing in our backyard in Portland,

and I'd love to plant one here at our home in Vancouver.

I foraged one wee branch for this photoshoot from a viburnum

 that was hanging over into the street near our local park.

I wish I could have gathered an armful!

I set up this simple still life using an old tarnished silver tray, an antique bottle from Scotland, 

and a couple of tattered antique books.

Each photo was edited using Kim Klassen's waterfront texture, one of my favorites.

Hopefully, next week my photos will feature our newest grandson!

He's due today and my daughter is being admitted to the hospital in the wee hours tomorrow.

Prayers appreciated for a safe delivery and perfectly healthy baby boy!

still following,

songography at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out"

image-in-ing:Variations

http://www.lifenreflection.com

buckaroo mama

peabea