Knit & Crochet Butterfly

 

Hannah crocheted the wings and antennae. I knit the body. Hannah sewed it all together.

This adorable butterfly going in my Etsy shop today!

Here

Journal Entry

5.16.16 - Monday

Yesterday I put my Russia 2013 scraps into a book. It was a bitter-sweet time. Sweet to remember that good time. Bitter to be so far from the country and people I love with no possibility of even visiting with this sick body. "Why, Lord?" The ache is deep, and sometimes those two, simple words are all I can ask my Savior.

Yet as I read God's Word I see I am not the first (nor the last, no doubt) to be brought to a different land and different plan than I thought best. Early in his ministry the apostle Paul thought Jerusalem would be the best platform for his testimony for Jesus. After all, those were the people who had known him since he was a child and they, of all people, would see what a difference Jesus made in his life. But God had other plans and sent him to other lands and other people (Acts 22:17-21).

Then there were the Israelites in captivity and exile in Babylon. They wanted to be their own, free nation, but God told them to settle in and work and pray for the welfare of that land. In so doing they themselves would be blessed (Jeremiah 29:4,5,7).

And then there is me. The need seems so much greater and the hearts more open in Russia. But God has anchored Hannah and me here in sickness. He has bound my parents here in caring for Dorothy... and their two, youngest daughters. I know God never makes mistakes. All things work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28).

So I join Paul and the ancient Israelites in living where God has placed me. As I obey Him I will see what good He has in store here.

 So will you.

At the Lake with Hannah

 

Noticing shadows with Hannah

 

 

Soaking up sun with Hannah

Thank you, uncles and cousins, for putting out the dock in frigid water!

 

 

Knitting with Hannah

Hannah's knitting: a first try at socks

My knitting: Maritime Signal Flag "L" Blanket (It will end up in my Etsy shop some day!)

 

Enjoying peaceful sights and sounds with Hannah

 

Seeing God in His creation with Hannah

Notice the carefully "planted" row of underwater weeds?

 

Watching and listening to birds with Hannah

We saw and heard loons! No pictures, though. They would have been "bird dots," as our family calls such pictures.

 

 

Being filled with good things with Hannah

Here's an ad: Buy Set Apart Girl Magazine no matter your age... and for all your friends! You will not regret it.

 

Easy re-heating and salad making with Hannah

 

Eating (and enjoying it) with Hannah

 

 

Filling my sandals with sand not with Hannah (Ha!)

 

 

Watching the lowering sun with Hannah

 

Seeing the colors of sky and water change with Hannah

Sun Tea on the Deck

I am learning a few of the many good things God made the sun to do. We all know He made it to warm and give light to our planet. It helps plants grow (and people too, I suspect). It gives our body vitamin D. It lowers inflammation in the body. And it makes delicious sun tea. Rose hips tea anyone?

In the morning.

In the evening.

Vegetables

 

Peas

 

 

Asparagus

 

Cabbage

Flower Gardens

Iris

Creeping Phlox

Forget-Me-Not

Bergenia

Heuchera (aka Coral Bells)

Lilly-of-the-Valley

Bleeding Heart

Trees & Bushes

 

Lilac

 

Canada Red Cherry (& Reginald)

 

Apple

 

Barberry

 

Mountain Ash

 

 

Weeping Birch

 

Honeysuckle

 

Chokecherry (aka Aronia)

 

Honeyberry

 

Basswood (aka Linden)

It's a Keeper

Finding protein dishes that tempt Hannah's and my taste buds* is always a challenge. Setting aside all forms of protein except meat and fish (until the digestive tract heals and autoimmune disorders calm down) means that I have to be creative. Thankfully there are many others who have gone this road of healing before us, many of whom are very good cooks. Here is a recipe from one such cook. This recipe is so good and easy that I will be carrying it with me past this time of healing. Check it out here! 

*Since writing this post I have learned that there is one in our family who finds eating off a bone a bit trying to her senses. If this describes you, choose a different cut of chicken - boneless, skinless, for example.

Summer in a Bowl II

I am experimenting with different fruits in my newly found crisp recipe. This time elderberries and raspberries took the place of rhubarb and strawberries. Not a distinctly summer flavor and not so exciting to the palate. I will keep trying.

After the Greenhouse

Four Gifts

An afternoon of amazing health and energy.

Working alongside Dad.

A tree that came from a supposedly dead stump.

And a messy flowerbed cleared and ready to be planted into grass.