In a Sun-scorched Land

I have a great book recommendation for you!  Back in junior high and high school days I sat by a sweet girl in band, playing the clarinet together.  God took her through many adventures after our school days, and she recently wrote a book about her life, called "In a Sun-scorched Land".  It's about her family's journey of missionary life and adopting in the country of Haiti.  The book is very interesting and encouraging.  We all have trials in life, and hearing other's stories of God's working helps me see God how God is working in my own life and helps me trust Him more.  If you would like to read it, you can find it here on Amazon.

In a Sun-scorched Land by Jennifer Ebenhack

Happy Easter

 

"God sent His Son- they called Him Jesus;

He came to love, heal and forgive.

 

He lived and died to buy my pardon;

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

 

Because He lives I can face tomorrow;

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

 

 

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,

And feel the pride and joy he gives;

But greater still the calm assurance:

This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

 

And then one day I'll cross the river;

I'll fight life's final war with pain.

 

And then, as death gives way to victory,

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He reigns.

 

 

Because He lives I can face tomorrow;

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives."

 

~Gloria and William J. Gaither~

 

And that's exactly why I want to wish you all a Happy Easter--

because He lives!!!

 

Favorite Wedding Dresses

For Valentine's day this year our church had a date night for all the couples in our church.  It was a lot of fun, and one of the things they did to make it really special was printing off copies of everyone's wedding photo, and displaying them for us to guess who they were.  Some people change a lot more than others!  After the banquet the wedding photos were gathered and I got the job of putting them in an album for the church library.  I have enjoyed looking through the photos and admiring all the dresses!  Here are a few of my favorites, with the year of the wedding.

2015

2008

1981

1964

1961

1954

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Daffodil Tea

Daffy-down-Dilly
Has come to town
With a yellow petticoat
And a pretty green gown

Spring is here!  And I'm so glad. (:

 

 

Miss E and I enjoyed our tea this week out on the porch, which was a welcome change from the cold winter months.  It's hard to be sad in the spring, you know?

I hope you are having a beautiful spring where you live as well!

I'm joining No place like home.

 

Easter Garden

You know how those little fairy gardens are all the rage these days?  They have the sweetest little fences and bridges and paths all in miniature.  Well, I'm always on the lookout for new Easter ideas, because my Easter décor isn't really very amazing, so this year I had the idea of making an Easter garden.  I already had the Resurrection figurines from several years ago, and I thought it would be a fun project for the kids and me to do together.  We bought a few houseplants from the home improvement store, and gathered some interesting rocks to make a little creek and tomb.  It was a lot of fun and we are enjoying it!

 

 

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden,

and in the garden a new tomb,

in which no on had ever been laid.

Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation

and since the tomb was nearby,

they laid Jesus there.

 

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning,

the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

but when they entered, they did not find

the body of the Lord Jesus.

 

While they were wondering about this,

suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

...the men said to them,

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here; he has risen!"

 

John 19:41-42, Luke 24:1-6

 

I am joining No Place Like Home

No-fail flowers

If you live in the middle of America like me, you probably know gardening can be a challenge.  With our unpredictable weather, high winds, and hard clay soil, you never quite know what a year will bring!  But after gardening for a few years, I thought I'd share my favorite flowers that have done well in years of drought and years of steady rain.

Bulbs-
     Daffodils... Every spring I am so thankful I took the time and effort to plant daffodils!  They are the first flower to bloom after a long winter and they bring lots of joy as well as bouquets for Easter dinner!

     Tulips... They are the second flower to bloom and I just love them.  When we moved to our house I planted some red ones along the woods behind our house and they are so pretty and cheerful.

     Irises...  Irises just might be my favorite flower, or maybe roses, or lilacs, or peonies...  But yes, back to irises, they are so beautiful, and smell so sweet, and once you plant them they are good to go for many years.  We have irises growing in ditches around here with no house in sight.  The flowers lasted longer than the farm.

     Daylilies...  I'm talking about the old-fashioned orange ones.  They grow really well and are hard to kill.  We see these at old farmsteads around here as well, where they've been faithfully blooming for a hundred years.

Seeds-
     Zinnias...  These are my favorite flower to grow from seed.  They don't bloom till a little later in the summer, like July/August, so when the May flowers are a memory your garden is still beautiful and full of color.  Plus they attract butterflies, so that's fun.

     Marigolds...  These little cheerful flowers are easy to grow and give lots of color.  They are a little pungent, but are pretty if you don't get too close!

So there you have a few no-fail flowers for our part of the world.  Do you have any additional suggestions?  My flower beds are full so I might need to do some expanding this year! (:

I am joining No Place Like Home.

Loving Tea Parties

My great aunt gave us an amaryllis bulb kit for Christmas this year, and I was excited to try it since we've never had one before.  It did not disappoint!  Miss E and I enjoyed having a little tea party with the beautiful amaryllis front and center last week.

Miss E asked me who made it and I was glad to tell her God did!  

This pretty little Valentine belonged to my Great Grandma.

With Valentines day and our pretty red amaryllis, we had to use our red transferware.

These teacups are called Romantic England, by J.G. Meakin.

The amaryllis has cheered up our winter, we might have to get one every year!

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