Something New for Me

Come visit me over at Sm'Arties and see what we are creating!

I can hardly believe I am featuring a boy wearing a UF shirt.

One ringy-dingy...

My previous cell phone company, as of October 1, no longer provides cell phone service.  So now I have a new service provider, and a new phone. Can you hear me now?

It's smarter than I am, and it's not even a smart phone.

This would be a good place to put a cute little picture, but I don't have one, so here is a cute little clip instead.

Peanuts

It's peanut harvesting time in South Georgia.  That means it's time for boiled peanuts. Now, sometimes we Southerners have been known to tease those from elsewhere, telling them peanuts grow on trees.  Actually, you can see the peanuts grow on vines, and the nuts develop below ground.  The whole harvesting practice is mechanized for the main harvest, but for boiled peanuts, after the peanuts have been dug (really, the vines are just scooped up and flipped over), we grab a few vines, toss them on back of the truck, and come home to pull them off the vine.  Boil them in water with a lot of salt until they are soft.  I'm a purist - not interested in hot spiced boiled peanuts, or any other addition. 

The Georgia Peanut Commission (children's section) provides  information about peanuts. Here's another good write-up.  I wouldn't expect anyone to just take my word for it.

This is one of my brother's fields.  You can see he has dug a few rows, and further back the peanuts are not yet dug. You can see how two rows are dug and tossed together into one windrow. We are at one corner of a large field. 

September in Central Florida

First day of autumn. 90 degrees. Sigh.

A little more on "fruit in Season"

My previous post spoke of waiting for the fruit of a child in our family.

2002

    Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
         The fruit of the womb is a reward.  Psalm 127: 3, NAS

Yup, I got tired of hearing that one.  Even now, it make me sigh. Waiting is hard work.

I don't want to imply that our child was the only fruit that came from waiting. I know the "fruit" Kat  speaks of in her post, and that the Bible speaks of, is mostly spiritual.

The Lord has much to say about fruit.and most of it has to do with fruit being the absolute witness of our lives. Jesus said it in multiple ways but the bottom line is this, we can talk all day about what we believe and what we hope but the veracity of our testimony is proven by the kind of fruit we bear.

From Concerning this Salvation, a new blog by my friend, Kat

Let me tell you, there was some spiritual fruit - and lots of pruning involved.  Bunches of pride and presumption were lopped off me during those barren years.  A certain amount of patience and long-suffering were grafted in. Some lessons I had to learn again and again. I'm glad that season is over.

I don't ever want to forget what we have learned or to cease praising God for both the lessons of that time, and the blessing of our little girl.

 2008

 

 

Last week

fruit in season

A decade ago I was a barren woman -- married a decade and a half, approaching my forties, no medical explanation for our inability to have a child, and each time we began to approach adoption,  we saw God close the door - not slamming it and saying "forever no," but always, "not yet."

But then, nine years ago, God did something marvelous in our life.  He opened my womb to give us my favorite little girl in the whole world.  And now she is nine years old, a blessing every day.

Earthgirl on her ninth birthday, earlier this week

Promise one: you will yield fruit in season. The phrase "in season" is always determined by its context; for example, an orange tree doesn't begin to produce edible fruit for about three to four years. In other words, when the right amount of time has passed to to accomplish the pre-determined purpose then fruitfulness comes. There is a right season for fruitfulness and often we are guilty of accepting the world's timetable instead of waiting on the Lord's "season."

 From Concerning this Salvation, a new blog by my friend, Kat

We are thrilling to this season of fruit. 

Focusing on the important things

This week, and in fact, last week, too, have not gone as I planned.  I'm not seeing the fruit from my energy - at least, not the fruit I wanted and expected.  

But there has been a time of sewing and harvesting a bit in relationships - the fruit God has put in my way for this week.  I am seeking to focus on that fruit and give up my expectations and, well, more of my pride - ouch!  (Note the "more of my pride" comment  refers to a blog post not yet posted - like I said, my week is not going in the order I expected.)

The appearances I seek, that is, the impressions I make are not as important as the persons I encounter. I am holding to that priority and letting go of my other expectations.  I want to reflect Christ. I am praying for a peaceful demeanor; not a frantic, impatient, fidgety one that adds to stressful situations surrounding us.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
  
2 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)

Illuminated Book

Here is a site out of the Victoria and Albert Museum (a place I want to visit someday) with directions and a template for making your own illuminated book.Earthgirl and I have not done this yet, but we will - oh, yes, we will! I don't remember where I first saw this, but a recent post in Jamin's blog reminded me.

In the meantime I started playing with one page, printed by accident on goldenrod paper, using watercolor pencils, a recent addition to our art stack. I love these! You color just like regular colored pencils, then can wash them with a wet brush.  The colors pop out, and you can blend a little.

I think this will be a popular project.  While I was preparing this post, 2 little almost-9-year-olds looked over my shoulder asking, "Did you do that?  Where is it?" 

Be humbly grateful; not grumbly hateful.

Seen on a local church sign

No, I'm not pointing a finger at anyone - I don't blog pointed fingers.  

I'm not saying I just spent a week grumbling - I didn't.  (I'm not saying I have not ever spent whole weeks grumbling.  I have.  This was not one of them.) 

I just thought it was a clever little reminder.