My Little Cowboy Nate

We have great neighbors!  They are the most precious family.   Texans from the "get go,"  they don't only put up with Nate but enjoy having him over to ride horses.  Of course, he thinks this is about the best way to spend a day.  I just received this darling picture from them.  Funny thing, after raising 4 kids who begged to ride horses (which we didn't own)....now #5 gets to just bounce over the fence and ride into the sunset (well something like that).

Comfort

Some days are just harder than others. Misunderstandings between friends or loved ones take away the peaceful calm that my heart yearns for. I sit down to try to make my heart happy in God, and He meets me where I am.  How long will I struggle with sin and pride and selfishness?  His calm reasuring answer? Until you arrive in "that paradise-land which is my true inheritance" quoted here from Valley of Vision.

"Thou art the blessed God, happy in Thyself, source of happiness in Thy creatures, my maker, benefactor, proprietor, upholder. Thou hast produced and sustained me, supported and indulged me, saved and kept me; Thou art in every situation able to meet my needs and miseries.

May I live by Thee, live for Thee, never be satisfied with my Christian progress but as I resemble Christ; and may conformity to His principles, temper, and conduct grow hourly in my life. Let Thy unexampled love constrain me into holy obedience, and render my duty my delight. If others deem my faith folly, my meekness infirmity, my zeal madness, my hope delusion, my actions hypocrisy, may I rejoice to suffer for Thy name.

Keep me walking steadfastly towards the country of everlasting delights, that paradise-land which is my true inheritance. Support me by the strength of heaven that I may never turn back, or desire false pleasures that will disappear into nothing. As I pursue my heavenly journey by Thy grace let me be known as a man (woman) with no aim but that of a burning desire for Thee, and the good and salvation of my fellow men."

                                                                                                            

Admonish the young women to be homemakers . . .

Last night, my mom "admonished me to be a homemaker" as it says in Titus 2.  But it wasn't in the way you'd normally expect . . .

The broken faucet in the kitchen sink was an untimely problem added to this busy week.  Left as the only one who had any time last night to do it, I was asked to think about trying to fix it myself.  Home Economics - Family and Consumer Sciences taught me many things, but it failed to teach me this.  Thanks to google, the pictures on the instructions, and a little compare/contrast of old and new it all turned out ok.  Nate made sure to provide some pictures for me to share.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

An Update on Mr. McGregor's Garden

My Beautiful Tomatoes! 

Let's Pretend

Joseph and I used to pretend all the time.  I remember growing up, one of the most popular phrases coming out of either of our mouths was "let's pretend that . . ."  We'd pretend that we were cowboys, soldiers, firemen, pioneers, veterinarians, pirates and so forth.  One of our favorite things to do was to take all the blankets we could get a hold of and set up the dining room chairs, table, couches or whatever else we could convince mom to let us use and make a tent/house.  It was grand fun!

The other day we went for a picnic and got stuck in a rain storm.  We got to "let's pretend" for real this time!

What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.

Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,

But I can be happy and building at home.

Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,

There I’ll establish a city for me:

A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,

And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.

Great is the palace with pillar and wall,

A sort of a tower on the top of it all,

And steps coming down in an orderly way

To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.

This one is sailing and that one is moored:

Hark to the song of the sailors aboard!

And see, on the steps of my palace, the kings

Coming and going with presents and things!

Now I have done with it, down let it go!

All in a moment the town is laid low.

Block upon block lying scattered and free,

What is there left of my town by the sea?

Yet as I saw it, I see it again,

The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,

And as long as I live and where’er I may be,

I’ll always remember my town by the sea.

Block City by Robert Louis Stevenson