Now

Now is the time to love. Tomorrow is too late to rock the baby. Tomorrow the toddler won’t be asking questions. Tomorrow the schoolboy will not need help with his lessons. Nor will he bring home his school and neighborhood friends to share in family fun. Tomorrow the teenager will have made his major decisions and will not feel a need for the nearness he longs for and which we can give him now  And tomorrow our child will be close to us or a stranger to us depending upon how we use our time for him now.

~John M. Drescher

 

 

 

*in case anyone is wondering why this blog has been neglected lately*

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

Look For The Beauty

Well of course the beauty was easy to see on Saturday. I mean, who couldn’t see the beauty in a 65 degree sunny still day in spring? Oh wait, it’s not spring yet. It’s not even March yet. Which made the beauty that much more beautiful. Or something.  Maybe we just appreciate spring more when it’s not spring yet? Whatever.

This was clearly beauty:

And not just the brilliant blue sky. But wow, wasn’t it gorgeous??? I also love the beauty of Ben helping Dad.

And Josh helping too.

And Dad teaching his kids.

Beautiful orchard.

A strong healthy young man pulling the last branch

and pulling the last branch

until it finally broke off.

More beauty – an old tree that was a bear to take care of and didn’t produce good fruit is now gone, soon to be replaced by a new tree which will be easier to manage and will bear good fruit. That’s beauty!

Beauty of a job well done: hauling said tree and lots of useless watersprouts to the burn pile.

Beauty of a special birthday Saturday night. Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Beauty of fun with cousins.

Yesterday – not quite as beautiful of a day outside as Saturday was. Although the beauty at church about raised the roof as two dear friends were wed. A Godly marriage is beauty.

See the tiny white spot above the house in the center of the picture? Well, just a moment before I took the picture, sunrays were streaming through that hole. Really, really beautiful.

No blue sky, but there’s still beauty if you look for it.

Beautiful cows?

Well sure!

And this smile today – how beautiful is that?!

Easy to see the beauty here!!

Truly beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Someone thought this was beautiful.

Well I guess it is then!

I found a few pictures from last week on the kids’ camera – more beauty.

Last but not least, this little man. Just beautiful.

Cloudy or sunny, gray skies or blue, cold or warm, sick kids or healthy ones, hard day or easy, there is beauty everywhere. Sometimes it’s a little harder to find. Sometimes our vision gets a little clouded by sickness, spattiness, or stress.  Sometimes we can’t see the beauty for the tears, tempers, and tantrums. Sometimes we forget that we need help to find the beauty. But it is there, every day; it’s there somewhere.

You just have to look for it!

 

 

The Difference…

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day:

I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task.

“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered. He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn’t show me. He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock.

God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day;

I had so much to acomplish that I had to take time to pray.

Author Unknown

 

 

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8

Sunshine

Friday brought sunshine in a couple of ways – beautiful weather and Lainey.

Sunshiney yes - - - but also really really windy which made it feel fairly cool.

Can’t have a blog post without Princess, now, can I?

Spring cleaning is more fun with sunshine .

I never get tired of this.

Or this!

Last year, February 28:

Yesterday, February 19:

Kids would probably prefer last year’s picture – while that was a really fun day, I kind of liked the 60* we had yesterday  - - -

And today!!!

That’s it for this time – I have laundry to hang out and sun to soak up and then maybe I’ll get to do some pruning - - -

Enjoy this beautiful day which the Lord has made!

President’s Day

Since we got a (very) little snow on Sunday, the kids enjoyed it as much as possible that afternoon. The rink got some use too; even though it was pretty windy, it didn’t seem to bother the kids any.

Guess who #1:

Guess who #2:

Guess who #3:

Yesterday we did something unusual – we took a day off school on a holiday. It was President’s Day, and after Ben & I did some chasing in Pekin, we came home to do a little music before some special guests came for lunch.

Can you tell that Princess is a favorite around here?!

Josh had such a fun time with Abe and Charlie, and I think Abe & Charlie had a good time too! Abe & Charlie’s grandma is my first cousin, which makes them my first cousins twice removed. Which means they are second cousins once removed to Josh.

Yay for cousins.

Abe & Charlie’s baby brother Theo, and their second cousins Maria (back), Eva, and Hanna.

AB - great-grandma to all these little tykes as well as the newest model, David Edward. Who by the way is absolutely precious. As they all are, but, well, this new little guy with his coos and smiling and talking . . . well he was never lacking attention that’s for sure!

Lots of fun inside,

and then the troops all headed outside for awhile. I didn’t get pictures, but Abe & Maria did great on ice skates for the first time; and the two young moms did great too (although I wonder if they’re maybe sore today…).

After skating was done, no one was ready to come in -

- so they got to help with chores!

Kids were out for a long time – and it was cold! (or maybe it just seemed colder because the sun never came out?)

I always have to smile at kids’ smiles on a horse.

Especially this one – Eva is only two and she thought she had the world by the tail. So cute!

That’s it! Enjoy the rest of this beautiful week!

 

 

Guess who #1: Jewel

Guess who #2: Tori, Josh, Sarah

Guess who #3: Wes, Jake, Ben, Kate