Our Shepherd

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.

John 10:11,14, Isaiah 40:11, John 10:27-28

Here is where I found these beautiful paintings.  They were painted by Luigi Chialiva, a Swiss artist, who lived from 1842-1914.

Hoosier Cabinet

For a while now I have been on the lookout for a Hoosier Cabinet for our kitchen.  I wanted one that was in good shape so I could actually use it for a baking center.  So many of them have peeling paint or doors missing so I was very pleased to find this one on craigslist recently!  The enamel table top pulls out so I can roll out pizza crusts or cinnamon rolls easily. 

 My mixer stores in the large cupboard on the bottom and although it does have a flour storage bin inside I am not using it because it's a little rusty inside.  I haven't decided if I will buy a new one or not yet.

Of course it's fun to decorate the top, I used some of my Grandma's vintage kitchen utensils and an Albert Anker print and nesting chickens.

Here are a few interesting ads for Hoosier cabinets from about 100 years ago.  I think it's funny how they claimed to save steps for women, to give them health, youth, good looks, strength and time, and nowadays the trend is to wear a step counter to try and take as many steps as possible!

I guess my life should just be one big holiday now that I have a Hoosier too!  Haha! (:

I'm joining No Place Like Home

Peaches and Cream Tea

Life is crazy and busy and full and complicated, at least, at my stage of life it is.  School starts next week and two boys will be in football on separate teams, and I will be homeschooling two boys and nobody's very excited about it (school, that is, not football!).  So, it was time for a little tea with my Miss E! 

We had peach cobbler with ice cream and it was delicious on this hot day.  Miss E helped me pick the flowers and which tea tray to use.  Tea is always more fun with a little girl helping out!

I love vintage snack sets and collected a set of 8 this last year.  If you would like the recipe for our peach cobbler you can find it here.

Lately I have been re-reading One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.  I first read it about five years ago and started my own list of things I am thankful for.  Being in an attitude of thankfulness has definitely helped me get through rough times in the last five years, and as I read Ann's book again it convicted me in new ways that I hadn't thought of before.  I really liked this part, that I read today--

"When the laundry is for the dozen arms of children or the dozen legs, it's true, I think I'm due some appreciation.  So comes a storm of trouble and lightning strikes joy.  But when Christ is at the center, when dishes, laundry, work, is my song of thanks to Him, joy rains."  ~Ann Voskamp

Jesus has blessed us with so many good things, and if I look at my work as a gift of service back to him, how great is that?  It really changes everything when your perspective changes.  Like Jesus said in John 9:4~

As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. 

Night is coming, when no one can work.

The August Garden

We have had a lot of beautiful rains this summer .  Everything is greener than usual for the beginning of August-- including my gardens.  Green with weeds that is.  But cameras can crop out the weeds a whole lot easier than going out there and pulling them in the heat and humidity!  So here you go- what's blooming these days---

Knock out roses just bloom and bloom, I love them.

Next year I am going to devote this flower bed to zinnias and marigolds and that's it.  They do so well every year.

My little bit of lavender.

I heard that marigolds are good for tomatoes, but this year the marigolds took over the tomatoes... oh well!

The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild rose smells amazing!

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory."

Isaiah 6:3