~Bloom where you are planted~

Written by Sue, Sunday, July 16, 2017                Very hot, and humid, high 90's

In early spring while I was out weeding in the flower garden, I saw this very small plant, I knew it wasn't a weed, I also knew that I had not planted it!  I go out to my flower gardens to weed about three times a week, and fertilize twice a month, I decided to help this plant, I kept the weeds away, watered and fertilized it, this once small plant kept growing and growing, it soon became a vine, blossoms appeared, and then these tiny  gourds came forth! Just tickled me pink. Why, because fall is my favorite season and I love decorating with gourds, and pumpkins.

The vine is just outside my back door, I pass it several times a day, as I have watched this plant evolve, a lesson also evolved, and it is this...

This plant was not intentionally planted it was placed by  someone or something else besides me, maybe a bird, or it was accidentally dropped. This I do know, this little plant decided it was going to be the best plant ever and produce more fruit than any other plant! It has taken up most of the area, crossed over into the herb garden and just keeps right on going and producing! I just watch and say 'You go Girl"

Many of us have been planted in places that we might not have chosen or wanted to be! When this plant came forth it could have decided to just lay there and die, instead it's roots searched for fertile soil to grow, and I, the Gardner, noticed it and began to nourish it! Just as God, who notices us, nourishes us through His Word, Presence, family and friends; nothing gets by the Master Gardner's eyes or ears, God hasn't forgotten us, He knows exactly where we are at!

One year ago, to this day,  I was planted in a place I did not want to be, I will admit it has been a struggle but God and has encouraged me through His Word, fellowship with Him, family and friends, just like I encouraged this little vine! Like the vine I have decided to "Bloom where I am planted!" How about you?

Blessings,

Sue

Psalm 92:12-13

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in the courts of our God.

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A BEEE-U-TI-FUL EXPERIENCE

Written by Sue, Saturday May 6, 2017        Cool, partly cloudy with a few showers

It has been quite sometime since I saw a honey bee here at the farm. At one time we had three hives, we didn't gather honey, we just left the bees to themselves, as they happily gathered their nectar, and pollinated our plants!

Since the bears destroyed the hives, and the bees left, pollination as not been what we wanted or needed, so after attending a seminar on beekeeping this spring, we decided to get another hive or two! This time we are going to try, and I underscore the word, (try) to maybe  become better bee keepers! To our understanding, insects, diseases, and predators have really took a toll on the honey bees, which are so important in producing crops! I can really tell a difference since ours left!

At the seminar we bought a hive, found a gentleman who raises and sells bees, and waited and waited for the call to come and get them!

He called last night and said they were ready, so off we went this morning!
What a wonderful experience it was for me, I learned so much by just talking and observing with this gentle man!

I was a little afraid, as I didn't want to get stung,  of course I asked lots of questions!

I was amazed at how well he handled the bees! Would you place your hand on a screen full of bees, not me, but it came so naturally for him. He did get stung a few times but told us it didn't bother him because he had been stung so many times!

Looking for the queen bee, and he found her, I asked how he knew which one she was,  he said he had marked her, sure enough there she was with a orange dot on her back! Do you see her? I still don't know how he did it! I guess you would call him a "bee whisperer" ~smile~

Once he found the queen he then began to place the trays of bees in the hive !ots and lots of honey bees!

Would you believe we drove about 30 miles with a hive full of bees inside our vehicle?However he made sure it was secure for us before we left!

 Mr P taking them to their new home!He looks like a natural, doesn't he, as that hive is full of bees.

There,... all set, we let them sit for about an hour to calm down before taking the bottom screen halfway off!

We checked on them a little later and they were as happy as bees could be, flying in and out, I hope they like their new home, I know I am happy!

This has been another busy week for us, lots more projects almost completed. They say you never get to old to learn new things, that is so true, I learned of what to do and what not to do in my work!  I also learned a lot about myself, and of how God takes the small mundane things to teach me and grow me into what He wants me to be, for that I am so thankful! I never want to get to the place that I feel as though I have arrived, I want to always be open to what God has for me! Each day brings me so much joy in knowing who really is in charge!

Much love, from me to you,

Sue

Psalm 119:103~ How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

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A Saturday project~ not finished yet!

Written by Sue, Saturday, April 29, 2017                    Sunny, very warm, 90 plus temps.

Good Saturday afternoon dear friends, it is so warm and humid here today, so I decided to come in and rest until late evening when the temps. will cool! Since I am not much for napping during the day, I thought it might be a good time to journal my day so far!

There's a lot going on here at the farmhouse, we are getting ready for a college graduation celebration in two weeks, Susan is getting her BSN, this has been a dream of hers for many years! We decided we needed to do some sprucing up, and have been working so diligently for weeks, thus, one reason I am not in bogland to often!

Already started decoratung

We have about 4 major projects going on at once! One of them is the screened in back porch that can be entered from either the master bedroom or the TV room.

Here I go, I didn't take the fan blades off, as I am a pretty good painter,if the kids and my mother knew that I was on a ladder today they would have had a hissy fit, especially Mother! ~smile~ * I am very cautious, though!

As you can see the screens are missing so two wrens decided to take advantage of this and try raise a family inside the fountain, I must admit they chose a very good hiding place!

For, now their plans are interfering with my plans and that is to get the porch, ceiling, bannisters, walls, and floor painted, and the screens put back.

I told the wrens, I would not bother them if they would not bother me, I think I was being very generous, don't you! And we all kept our word!~Wink~

 I am amazed at how often they would have to feed the babies, both kept going back and forth!

Today I painted the ceiling a very light blue, (Spring Rain) I first trimmed it and had planned to roll it but opted instead to hand brush it, as rolling waste so much paint! BTW I can paint a straight line without any tape>

 I was so pleased at how it turned out! I put two coats on, as I previously stated, all done with a hand brush! I only bought one gallon, sometimes I even amaze myself at what I do! ~smile~ The truth is I can do nothing without  Christ who strengthens me, and I always tell Him "thank you" when I finish!

Philippians 4:13~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

When I finished Mr P. and I started sanding the floor, that was a very hard job, because there are so many nooks and crannies around the screen frame! My plans are to do some painting this evening on the bannisters, we shall see, as I am a little tired from the week of projects. LOL

I also have decided that the fan needs painting, (or maybe a new white one,) I am now wishing I had taken the blades off! Ha! Ha!

Hope you have had a blessed week as I have, I cannot tell how wonderful it is for me to be back doing things that I used to do, I am so thankful to God for his healing power in my life!

Love from me to you,

Sue

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A new playhouse for me

Written by Sue, April 18, 2017              rain, cool temps.great day for blogging!

Spring brings lots of work here on the farm, we always have a project list that seems to go on and on! Some projects take years to complete, such as this one, it was started in 2012, left to its own until this year! I am so pleased with the results! It was truly a labor of love, because Dh and I did it all by ourselves!
I have always wanted a green house, of my own,

I love to garden and being able to jump start my plants,since this photo, I have added more seeded plant trays! I planted seeds in the trays on the rack, on April 11, they were up in 4 days. and are really growing!

This is my storage area,has my tools of the trade, such as a place to  mark the labels, etc.

In a green/hot house you must have water available at all times,  we first went and spent well over one  hundred dollars, on a sink with a faucet, and had a plumber scheduled to install it, which would have been even more added expense, but he became ill and canceled, which turned out in our favor, why, because I didn't have peace about spending all that money, but my main reason was I wanted it to be as country or rustic as possible! I love the way this turned out, putting the tub under the faucet was my idea! ~grin~ Dh loved it too! Cutting that round hole was quit a feat, we have some trim to add, jut haven't gotten to it, because time was running out on getting my seed planted!

I found these dahlias, on sale at Lowes, for $1.00,  regular price was $4.98, I asked the lady why, she said they were dying,  do they look like they are dying! I smiled all the way to my green house!

Seeds planted, flowers and herbs, really growing, they will soon be planted!

I am tickled pink over my new "playhouse" just can't get enough of it!

 Even Wally and his ladies(Bea, and Rose) came by to see what was going on!

 DH built the G/H house so the sides and back can be removed when the temps. are high.

Easter Sunday was very quiet, and restful for us, church, lunch, visited with our third son and stopped by to see Mother, 

 and took her two sun ferns, she was so pleased! Her flower garden is so pretty, she is like the energy bunny always going!

That's all for today,

love and hugs from me,

Sue

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Getting ready for spring & saying good-by to loved ones!

Written by Sue, Monday, April 10, 2017                 Sunny,, very warm mid 80's,

Have you ever had one of those days where every thing just fell in place and you accomplished so much? That has been my day today, ~smile~, Much needed I might add!

After a busy weekend of family visiting, actually coming back to the farm to say good by for awhile, you see our grandson Will and his precious sweet family are moving quite a ways away! For the past few years they have been just a hop, skip, and jump from the farm! Will loves the farm almost as much as his Papa and I do, and would love to live here, and plans to one day! Most of my friends know that he is now serving his country in military service!We are so proud of him and I might add he is moving up in rank!

(Like father like son)

Mother stopped by to get some hugs and kisses!She is doing fantastic, still cancer free!

Getting back to what I accomplished today....
After devotion this morning,
Bathrooms were cleaned
House straightened,
Laundry finished (8 loads, including washing bed linens) I decided today would be a good day to change bedding from top to bottom, I wanted something a little lighter for spring and summer, so I went with white! I bought this coverlet a while back, just for such an occasion! I thought I had a white bedskirt, but could not find it, so I will soon be shopping for one, (only if on sale), Rarely do I pay full price for anything!

The photos do not do this coverlet justice, everything seemed so new and fresh when I finished, I was so pleased! Yes I dust all those whatnots, but not today! ha ha 

We rinsed the pollen off the porch, hung our hanging baskets, DH loves ferns,

To save money, last week we bought small plants, potting soil, and repotted them in larger pots, we already had the larger pots, and figured we saved $10 a pot, when you need 13, that is a big savings! Another advantage to buying smaller plants is that they won't get root bound before the season is over!

I like colorful flowers, so we compromised,  I planted these petunias a few days ago, and plan to plant more! Compromise is always good!~GRIN~I am hoping the weather has finally broke, as we have had such an up and down spring!

(LOVE WAVE PETUNIAS)

This is just a little gathering in the breakfast room

 Let me see, ...what else did I do today, oh I vacuumed and cleaned the floors,fixed dinner, showered, and now I sit here in my PJ's journaling my day for you to read.(BTW it has taken me three hours to write this) Yikes!

Remind me to tell you of a blog post I read today about blogging that really spoke to me, I would talk about it tonight, but it is a little in-depth, and I need some time  to share!
There is a lot going on around here all good, well most of it anyhow! ~smile~

Love from me to you,

Sue

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Hi! from me to you

Written by Sue, Tuesday, March 21, 2017     Sunny, 80's

After such a long absence how does one begin, again in Blogland, as is the case with me! If I were to update all that has been going on, the page would not hold it, nor your attention, some interesting things have happened, some not so! More about that later. One thing for sure life goes on. I learned a long time ago that life did not evolve around me, though I was a big part of life!~smile~



Soooo let's begin now...
Yesterday, Susan and I did some tweaking and Spring decorating around the farmhouse, our tastes are  similar, therefore it is easy and fun!

This was our first try at decorating the foyer, hmmm, not quite what we wanted

This was our second choice, I liked this better, but there still seems to be something not right! So we will let it rest for a few days!🎶🎶🌸🌺

Redoing the mantle was next, still not sure.. The sign on the hearth I put up for Valentines's Day, and had taken it down, but Susan liked it so much, saying "mother this is yours and daddy's story", so I put it back, it will stay for a little while, to be replaced as soon as I can find something else!😘❤️

Later on, DH and I met  Susan for lunch and then we all visited two nursing facilities! Very upscale, so nice, quiet, and very professional, we visited a dear lady in our church, who is 91 who had fallen and broken her hip, she is not doing well, after a short visit and prayer we were off to visit DH's aunt at a local facility! She is also 91 and doing quite well, and was so happy to see us, our visit was longer, with lots of hugs! We also visited  with other residents, there is such a need in nursing facilities, if you or your church have an opportunity to visit please do! Sadly, some folks have no family, and some are just forgotten,therefore they are very lonely!

The evening was so nice, the sun was shinning and had warmed up considerably (60's), I decided it was time for no more excuses for not walking, I will admit I have been so lax in exercising, which is a no no for me!  So off I went, 2.5 miles under my belt or should I say feet, and will admit, there were times when I didn't know if I was going to finish. ha ha

Afterward, We decided it would be a great time to have a fire outside in the fire pit,(haven't done this in a while). There is something about sitting by a fire that is so soothing, it causes one to do a lot of thinking and reflecting, the air was crisp, the sound was very quiet! Each of us spoke of how blessed we were to be able to enjoy special moments like this!

The rest of the evening was business as usual, bath, light dinner, and bedtime, and now that is history!

Until next time,

 Blessings,

Sue

P.S. I have just now realized why I don't post often, I have been working on this post for over two hours,when I should be outside painting, 😅😜🙃 we are going to have 80 degree temps. today!😎😎😎

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An update

Just a quick note each day brings renewed strength and hope for a soon full recovery! Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and prayers!

I never gave to much thought about how much part the brain played toward my vision, (science was not my favorite subject) I just thought that if the eyes were working then you could see, well it doesn't work that way  and my brain is not telling my eyes to work together. I am told eventually it will all come together! Sue needs some patience, and I think God knows and understands this more than I do!

When I entered the hospital via emergency,was stabilized,given a room and doctor, (he probably realizied I was anxious ) he sat beside my bed an said " you know God made our bodies to heal themselves!" I agreed, he went on talking and all sudden he asked me if I was a Christian, I answered "yes", by this time we both were smiling the smile that only two believers could give each other. It was now time for him to go he took my hand prayed one of the most precious prayers I have ever heard prayed! It was not a short prayer but before he petetioned our Heavenly Father for my healing he gave recognition to who God was and quoted scripture verse after scripture before asking, I truly felt the presence of the Lord! God knew what and when  I needed His help He is always on time. This Dr was just a few minutes away from getting off his shift and was going to be away for seven days!

I wanted to have a pretty photo to show you so I stepped outside,these are my summer lilies they smell heavenly,  if I tell you a secret will you promise not to tell my dear sweetheart, I slipped and fell! That's okay I only hurt my pride and my shin! I am okay-smile-

Love

Sue

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