Is spring finally here?

I was just outside trying out my new camera and I think I found spring.  It's been cold and wet this spring and some days we wonder if it will ever change...change might be coming.  Enjoy the pictures.

Angie weeding the herb garden

Preston pulling the wagon with Karlie pushing and Livi riding

Lilacs thinking about blossoming

Tulips ready to open

Magnolias ready to burst with color

my finds at the Amish greenhouses this morning

Diesel our house cat

Emily mowing lawn for the first time

Cherry trees waking up

Apple trees showing life

Sedum poking through

Laundry, going to smell nice and fresh

Coloring Easter Eggs

Enjoy these pictures....Happy Easter to Everyone!  Karlie and Livi did the decorating, Preston got into trouble and Angie and Emily supervised and took pictures.  Thanks kids.

A Devotion to share

I just love getting these...this one is one that really speaks whats on my mind today.

FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY!
Part 4

"He will love thee, and bless thee; and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee" Deuteronomy 7:13.

IT IS A LAND WHERE WE MUST RELY UPON GOD

Deuteronomy 11:10-12 says, "For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year."
Egypt is a type of the flesh and the world. In Egypt they relied on the overflow of the Nile River for their irrigation. They stored the water by artificial means and irrigated the fields with treadmills, using their feet. It took human sweat and toil. But in the Promised Land they did not have the Nile River. They had to rely completely on God to provide the rain to grow and harvest their crops.
It is the same in our land of marriage and motherhood. Yes, we have to work hard, but when we do it in our own strength it is to no avail. As we raise our children we have to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and understanding and to help us moment by moment. We have to rely on God to provide for our needs. We are totally cast upon the blessing of God. Psalm 127:1 says, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
This is why one of the most important aspects of parenting is prayer--crying out to God for our children; crying out to God for help and wisdom. We cannot do it without Him. But when we trust in Him, we will find that He is absolutely faithful to show us the way and to provide for our needs (Matthew 6:25-34).
Many mothers feel that they need to join their husband in his role of providing for the family because they do not believe God is able to care for them. This is like being back in Egypt, turning the treadmills with our feet. In this Promised Land we must totally rely upon God, a God who cares for us from the beginning of the year until the end! Remember, God's eyes are upon your land. Why leave the "land" that God has ordained for you and go back to Egypt? Why strive in the workplace, leaving your children and taking your husband's place when God wants to bless you in your home? (1 Kings 9:3)

IT IS A FRUITFUL LAND (Deuteronomy 6:3)

Wouldn't it have been terrible for the children of Israel to go into the Promised Land and find it a barren land? That would have been devastating. But our God is a God who delights in fruitfulness and He chose a fruitful land for them.* God was the first real estate agent and He spied out all the lands to find the best land for His people. It was a land of fruitfulness that brought forth an abundance of grapes, figs, pomegranates, corn, wine, wheat, barley oil and honey. Ezekiel 20:6 RAV says, "I lifted up my hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out (spied out) for them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands."
I remember years ago traveling from Egypt through the Sinai desert to Israel. The moment we entered the borders of Israel we beheld orange groves growing prolifically. It was the same desert land but with hard work and irrigation the land was blossoming. For years the land lay desolate with deserts and malarial swamps but since Israel became a nation in 1948 it has began to blossom again.
But God not only promised to give an abundance of food but to increase them with children. God wanted His people to fill the land. Deuteronomy 6:3 says, "Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey."
This land of motherhood is a land where we embrace increase. We receive every child as a blessing from God. We don't endure having children but joyfully embrace them. Jesus said in Matthew 18:5, "Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me." The word "receive" is not the attitude of "take it or leave it" but an active receiving, "to receive by deliberate and ready reception of what is offered." (Luke 9:48)
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
www.aboverubies.org

Kimberly Nicole

Such a short time with us but taught us so much.  10 weeks 2 days April 8, 2008  Thinking of you today. 

Just Those Few Weeks

For just those few weeks

I had you to myself.

And that seems too short a time

to be changed so profoundly.

In those few weeks,

I came to know you...

and to love you.

You came to trust me with your life.

Oh what a life I had planned for you!

Just those few weeks...

when I lost you,

i lost a lifetime of hopes,

plans, dreams and aspirations.

A slice of my future simply vanished overnight.

Just those few weeks...

It wasn't enough time to convince others

how special and important you were.

How odd, a truly unique person has recently died

and no one is mourning the passing.

Just a mere few weeks..

And no "normal" person would cry all night

Over a tiny unfinished baby,

or get depressed and withdraw day after endless day.

No one would, so why am I??

You were just those few weeks, my little one.

You darted in and out of my life too quickly.

But it seems that's all the time you needed

to make my life richer

and to give me a small glimpse of eternity.

~S. Erling

No More Bugs

     The other day Mark came in from the barn telling me about something he heard on the radio.  We have problems in our house with Asian beetles, which look like lady bugs, and box elder bugs.  Everyone around here seems to have the same problem.  They burrow in the house during the fall and come back alive in the spring and are very annoying.
     Mark told me to put dish soap in a small dish and that will draw them in and kill them.  Well, I did it...and it worked!!!  I kind of questioned the whole idea and thought that honey would work better.  Funny thing is...it didn't kill them.  They crawled back out sticky and leaving sticky trails all over.  Not to pretty.
     I would supply pictures but didn't want to gross anyone out.  :)  So...get out your liquid dish soap and see what you catch.

Volksfest Vendors Needed

Last year was the first year that Volksfest offered an Arts and Craft show along with their popular festival.  After the success of the show, we’re planning to do it again.  Imagine yourself listening to the live polka bands and smelling the aroma of German food all while looking at 100% handmade crafts.  Being able to talk to the person who made the item brings a special effect.  Jewelry made from broken glass made some unique one of a kind pieces.  Wooden puzzles precisely cut with a scroll saw and rough edges all sanded to create a work of art.  Gourds grown in a garden then allowed to dry and beautifully painted or herbs pressed between glass to produce a natural trivet.  Antlers found from many walks in the woods made for great wine racks and other various pieces.  Goats milk soaps from real goats milk were some of the treasures found last year.

     We’re looking for vendors again to add to this unique experience.  These items must be 100% handmade, no resale allowed.  The festival already has food available so no food items.   The date is Saturday September 10, 2011 from 9 am to 6 pm.  The cost of a 10x10’ space is $30.  The proceeds go to the Volksfest festival.  This festival has given back to the community in various ways so the money stays local.   Please keep in mind that this is an outdoor event so plan accordingly.  

     I'm still trying to figure out how to get applications on here...so bare with me.  Leave a message and I'll get to you.   

Above Rubies email devotion

Mark and I were just talking about this a couple of weeks prior to getting this devotion in our email.  Please, enjoy reading it as much as we did.....  

GOD'S PRACTICAL PLAN

Part 2

"Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters"
Jeremiah 29: 6 NASB.

We continue to look at the seven points which God commanded the Jews to do while they were in captivity.

3. Get married and have children

"Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters" verse 6. Even in captivity God wanted His people to continue the original command He gave to them in Genesis 1:28, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." This command is reiterated over and over again in the Bible and has never been rescinded.* The adverse circumstances of the captives didn't change God's command. We notice the same thing happened while the children of Israel were suffering under great affliction in Egypt. Even though the Egyptians put hard taskmasters over them and made their lives bitter with hard labor they continued to be fruitful. They had all the excuses they needed to stop having children in such difficult circumstances but "the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew" Exodus 1:12.

4. Encourage your children to get married and have children

"Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters" verse 6. It's not hard to realize as we read these words that God loves weddings and babies! It's all His idea anyway! God delighted in bringing the first couple together and He delights in doing it today. Every wedding gives the hope of new life--life from God Himself!
God's judgment was to take away the joy and celebration of weddings (Jeremiah 7:34; 9:16 and 25:10). God's blessing was to restore weddings. Jeremiah 33:10-11 says, "Thus saith the Lord; again there shall be heard in this place... the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride." Weddings are the blessing of God. We should encourage our children who get married to embrace children rather than waiting a few years. In fact, if a couple is not ready to take on the responsibility of embracing children, they are not ready for marriage.

5. Do not diminish

"Multiply there and do not decrease" verse 6. God specifically commands them not to decrease! Isn't it sad that many believers in God are set on doing the opposite to His plan? They would much rather decrease than increase. They would rather follow the devils plan to eliminate life than to multiply life. Consequently, there is a whole army of God's people who are missing today!

6. Pray for your city

"Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare" verse 7. God wants us to pray for the city or area where we live. We have a responsibility to pray for God's peace to come to our city and in doing so we will reap peace. Make it a point to pray, and teach your children to pray, for your city as you gather together for Family Devotions each day.

7. Don't be deceived

"Do not let your prophets deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,' declares the Lord" verses 8-9. We must always guard against deception. Because we live in a society that is embedded in a humanistic agenda we must constantly line up our beliefs and world-view in keeping with God's eternal Word! If what we are thinking and doing does not line up with God's Word, we must walk away from it, no matter who proclaims it. We must also guard our children from being deceived by the humanistic public education system of our society. Our responsibility as parents is to watch that our children are not deceived by the society in which they live.
As we seek to obey God's plan for us, we will walk in the blessing of God. These reminders from God are all for our blessing. God continues to speak in the same message in Verse 11, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." The majority of God's people know this Scripture and claim it for their own. What they often forget is that it comes after the seven points we have been talking about. It is these principles that will give us a blessed future and hope!
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES

PRAYER:
"Dear Father, please save me from being gullible and duped by the humanistic propaganda all around me. Give me eyes to see through deceptions and to know the witness of your truth in my heart. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
I now know the answer to having a future and a hope!