J.Rae

The Ninety and Nine

2011-11-20T15:07:00.001-05:00

There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold.
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold.
Away on the mountains wild and bare.
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.

“Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;
Are they not enough for Thee?”
But the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine
Has wandered away from Me;
And although the road be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find My sheep,
I go to the desert to find My sheep.”

But none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark was the night the Lord passed through
Ere He found His sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard its cry,
Sick and helpless and ready to die;
Sick and helpless and ready to die.

“Lord, whence are those blood drops all the way
That mark out the mountain’s track?”
“They were shed for one who had gone astray
Ere the Shepherd could bring him back.”
“Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?”
“They are pierced tonight by many a thorn;
They are pierced tonight by many a thorn.”

And all through the mountains, thunder riven
And up from the rocky steep,
There arose a glad cry to the gate of Heaven,
“Rejoice! I have found My sheep!”
And the angels echoed around the throne,
“Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!
Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!”

Elizabeth C. Clephane

Cucumber lineup

2011-09-05T14:01:00.000-04:00

It's the whole family! :-)

A "Summery" of the Garden

2011-08-21T20:52:00.000-04:00

Here are some updated pictures of the garden!

The beans in the new bed in front of the house (I'm not sure what possessed me to want to plant more beans!!)

The potatoes (they're really small, I know. The soil has some deficiencies, but we'll work on building it up)

Romaine lettuce, yellow zucchini, volunteer zucchini and pole beans

Swiss chard! I planted a variety called "bright lights" and it's very pretty, with yellow, red, pink, purple and green stems/veins on the various plants.

Onions, marigolds and beets

Basil and onions

Carrots and tomatoes!

Peppers and cukes (LOTS of cukes!)

The new bed in back (we put a row cover on it for a little while) with kale and lettuce

I tried sun-drying some kale to make kale chips. It worked pretty well until it started getting windy and blowing the dried kale away! I had to finish them in the dehydrator.

It's an apple. It's an alien. It's kohlrabi!

The lettuce out back

This tomato looks like three growing together!

Spinach (I'm surprised that this spinach actually grew over the summer! I guess it was cool enough for it up here)

I'm currently harvesting cucumbers every day, and yellow zucchini every other day or so. The beans are slowing down a bit, thankfully (since we have PLENTY of them already!). We have enough lettuce for us to eat about 10 salads per day... most of the broccoli is in and processed, along with the cauliflower... what else. Oh yeah! We made our first batch of basil pesto! It is SOOO delicious. I should pick more of that soon. Anyways... let's just say I'm almost a vegetarian these days. :-) I even brought in a head of cabbage yesterday. That is significant because I thought that the cabbages were goners due to the out-of-control cabbage worms.

I'm happy that our garden this year has been very rewarding. We are greatly blessed with lots of produce!!

Just a Peek!

2011-08-18T12:19:00.000-04:00

It's hard to capture the summertime in photos (especially at my house! ;-). Here's an attempt at it, in any case. Enjoy the pictures!

I went for a walk one of the two dirt roads that connects my house's road to the main route. It's actually rather scenic all year round, but the summer greenery and wildflowers add a lot to it.

On the way...

One of the splendid views along the way.

The road home.

A fine specimen of a butterfly

Queen Anne's lace

The little pond by the road.

In another post I will have photos of my "exploding" garden! Let's just say we've put away enough beans (pole beans and bush beans) for... well, maybe two or three winters? :-) And with over 40 kale plants, which are all ready to be harvested, kale chips are definitely on the menu!

My Week in a Few Words - 8/4/11

2011-08-04T15:21:00.001-04:00

Traveling. Hotel. Bible. Tired. Buckit week. Prayer. Fellowship. People. Games. Evangelism. Parables. Learning. Notes. Cults. Church. Plans. Sitting. Sessions. Food. Tea. E-Sword. Sunshine. Fun. Ideas. Ish.

Quotes worth Quoting #16

2011-08-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event the humiliation of its God.
Bruce Shelley

AEDs, ankles and irony

2011-07-18T22:08:00.001-04:00

I'll be honest. Until Saturday, I didn't even know what an AED was. Now I have an adult AED certification. Scary, huh? :-)

In case you are wondering, AED stands for automated external defibrillator (say that three times fast!). It's basically an electronic device meant for shocking an abnormal heartbeat to get it back in a normal rhythm. My Mom and I took a first aid/CPR/AED course Saturday. Ever since I was younger, one of my favorite books to read was the American Red Cross first aid book that my Dad brought home from his work one day. I now have the updated version!

The hardest part of the course was putting the mannequins together. I think a good part of the beginning of the class should have covered that necessary detail. :-) I put the plastic bag "lung" inside my adult mnqn and the poor guy STILL didn't breath, no matter how much CPR I did on him. I think he had a hole in his lung. :-(

Anyways, it was a good class, and the Red Cross first aid book that the teacher gave us has a lot of good information in it.

Now here's the irony. Shortly after I got home, I was going outside to water the newly-planted snap bush beans, and as I stepped off of the landscape tie onto the driveway my right ankle decided to turn. My first thought was: ouch. My second thought was: This is ironic! I get home from a first-aid class and the first thing I do is sprain my ankle. Great! :-)

Garden greens

2011-07-12T11:34:00.000-04:00

Nothing like a fresh-picked mesclun salad...

...with garlic scapes and homemade lettuce/scape pesto!

Kitten antics video

2011-07-09T12:15:00.000-04:00

When Eppie and Ollie were small, we got them a "kitten condo": cat house, play toy, perch and scratching post all in one. We would have rather had them climb on that than on our furniture, that's for sure! I got this video of them playing on it. Watch for when they start playing with each others' tails; it's near the end (no pun intended!) of the video. :-)

What's in the Garden?

2011-07-06T08:57:00.000-04:00

I said that I would post pictures of the garden, so here they are!

The potatoes (the garlic is just past them)

The black seeded Simpson lettuce

Mesclun and more Simpson lettuce

The rather anemic-looking summer squashes (the soil needs more nitrogen in general)

Eggplant

Pole beans!

Romaine lettuce (some of which we already harvested)

Cabbage...

Onions and broccoli

The beets that mysteriously sprung up that I never actually planted right there...

Carrots!

Tomatoes and peppers (with radishes sprinkled in)

Pole beans (cucumbers are down at the end under the trellises)

Sad-looking sweet potato vines... :(

Snap peas

The basil bed

More onions!

More broccoli! (We have cauliflower growing, too)

And the garlic again!

We also got some strawberries from the farm, which will hopefully produce next year.

I am looking forward to raspberries! There are lots of plants growing in the woods in our backyard. I've already seen some tiny green berries.

We are being inundated with lettuce! It's nice being able to have salad for every meal, though! Some friends of ours are juicing theirs, they're getting so much. :-) We are going to attempt to make pesto out of garlic scapes and lettuce. Has anybody out there ever tried it?

My week in a few Words

2011-06-21T10:46:00.002-04:00

When I don't have much time to write a full-blown post but I still want to update the blog, I may occasionally write a post that just summarizes what I've been up to lately. Stay tuned for posts expounding on the details!

Summer. Biking. Gardening. Friends. Church. Bible studies. Studying. Prayer. Birthdays. Volleyball. CYIA. CEF. Camp. Packing. Last minute. Clothes. Bonfire. Goji berries. Cocoa nibs. Sunshine. Enjoyment. Scripture.

How would you describe your week in a few words?

"No Healthy Diet" website plug

2011-06-17T16:15:00.000-04:00

Recently I wrote a post for a blog that a friend of mine started. The blog focuses on maintaining a gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free healthy diet. You can find recommendations, recipes and products, along with some tips for avoiding foods containing allergens. I hope you check it out! The blog gets updated several times a week. It's an excellent resource to be aware of, whether you can use the information yourself, or know someone who has an allergy to dairy, gluten and/or soy.

Can you spot the common allergens in this photo? :-)

http://nohealthydiet.com/
And here's the link to the post that I wrote:
http://nohealthydiet.com/healthy-diet-plan/essentials-for-a-healthy-diet/

P.S. I am going to post photos of our family's garden as soon as I get our camera back! :-)

30-Day Bible Challenge

2011-06-10T11:00:00.000-04:00

In May I attended a day-long conference geared toward equipping and encouraging young people to share the gospel. While I was there, one of the speakers gave a challenge: For 30 consecutive days, read 2 Bible verses in the morning and evening, and meditate on what you read. I read the Bible each day anyway, but I still decided to take the challenge, and along with meditating on what I read, write down some of my thought about the various passages.

Even from day 1 I felt encouraged and refreshed by the Word of God all over again! I think that actually writing down the things I learned about the verses that I read really gave me the desire to explore them further and dig deeper into the truths that they contained. Certain things just seemed to "click" as I pondered the verses, how they applied to me, and how I should live in light of them. Just goes to show that the Bible is a living book, and you can never fully plumb its depths!

So here's the challenge.
For 30 days, read 2 Bible verses (it can be more!) in the morning and in the evening, meditate (think about) what you read, and jot down some of your thoughts about the verses. I hope you take the challenge, and if you don't already read your Bible daily then I hope you make it a habit!

If you decide to take the challenge, then please comment! Also, if you want to share any of the thoughts that the Lord brings to your mind along the way, then feel free. I would love to share some of thoughts He's blessed me with.

Not I, but Christ

2011-06-08T17:10:00.000-04:00

Not I, but Christ

Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted;
Not I, but Christ, be seen be known, be heard;
Not I, but Christ, in every look and action,
Not I, but Christ, in every thought and word.

O to be saved from myself, dear Lord,
O to be lost in Thee,
O that it might be no more I,
But Christ, that lives in me.

Not I, but Christ, to gently soothe in sorrow,
Not I, but Christ, to wipe the falling tear;
Not I, but Christ, to lift the weary burden,
Not I, but Christ, to hush away all fear.

Christ, only Christ! no idle words e’er falling,
Christ, only Christ; no needless bustling sound;
Christ, only Christ; no self important bearing;
Christ, only Christ; no trace of "I" be found.

Not I, but Christ, my every need supplying,
Not I, but Christ, my strength and health to be;
Not I, but Christ, for body, soul, and spirit,
Christ, only Christ, here and eternally.

Christ, only Christ, ere long will fill my vision;
Glory excelling soon, full soon I’ll see—
Christ, only Christ, my every wish fulfilling—
Christ, only Christ, my all in all to be.
Ada Whiddington

Pillar of Fire

2011-05-09T22:40:00.000-04:00

I saw this unique rainbow in the sky today. It looked even more amazing in real life!

Waiting... but not for long!

2011-04-29T16:06:00.000-04:00

Today was just too beautiful for words, so here are some photos!

(pardon the black spot in the upper right-hand corner of these photos... our poor little camera has suffered a lot of abuse! I suppose you could consider it a watermark... :-)

Here's the garden, waiting to be tilled and planted planted. Kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, bell peppers, onions, green beans, snap peas, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, zucchini and squash are some of the things we want to plant, in addition to the garlic, which took up residence last October. We already have peppers, onions and tomatoes started in little pots.

Here's the bonfire, waiting to be lit! Most of this brush came from the woods where Dad wants to put in another garden plot. The spot we have our current garden gets a bit wet, since it's in a lower elevation. We'll still use it this year, but we're hoping to have the other garden up and running next year.

Speaking of which, here is the site of garden 2.0.12! It doesn't look like much yet, but with a little (lot) of work, hopefully it will work out well for another garden spot.

Here's part of our lawn, waiting to be mowed! It's so refreshing looking out of the window and seeing GREEN instead of WHITE on the ground. Though I'm sure when summer comes I'll wish we had a little of that white stuff. :-)

Here's the recently-pruned lilac bush, waiting for flowers!

Here's the trusty weather station that never needs to wait for weather!

You can actually view the data from it here!

Here's one of the first few flowers in our flowerbeds, waiting for company.

They do say that two is company...

Speaking of which, Tucker kept me company on my photo expedition around the yard.

But he really doesn't like the sound the camera makes when you click the "shudder" button! :-)

So, there you have it! Spring at Green Gambrels.

Quotes Worth Quoting #15

2011-04-25T20:36:00.000-04:00

There is no failure in God's will, and no success outside of God's will.
George Washington Truett

Our prayers, God's answers

2011-04-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

"God always answers our prayers. The answer might be yes, no or wait. It might take us out of our comfort zone. But it's God's answer in God's timing nonetheless. So let us "pray without ceasing; [and] in everything give thanks". 1 Thess. 5:17-18"

100th day of the year!

2011-04-11T09:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, April 10th, was the 100th day of 2011. Do you know what today is? (I'll give you a hint: You can find it in Psalm 118).

Running, Walking and In Between

2011-04-07T22:06:00.000-04:00

After waking up, breakfast, quiet time and general puttering around in the kitchen, I was finally ready to go for a run. I had gotten some brand new running shoes the day before, and I was dying to try them out. My old sneakers were retired from running, as they had seen better days.

Now, I'm not a 'runner' if you think of a runner as someone who does marathons as a hobby, but if you think of a runner as a person who attempts to move both feet in a forward motion while clomping them up and down, then I'm a runner through and through. I'm persuaded that to runners, I looked funny, to non-runners I looked funny and to those in-betweeners at my level I certainly didn't look inspirational. In fact, I felt rather like a shire horse trying to do dressage. :-) Thankfully I had no observers save the few drivers that drove by me on my otherwise private route.

The sun was warm, the breeze was welcome and the surface of the road was just the right texture; firm enough to not be muddy, and soft enough for a bit of cushioning. A rapidly disappearing layer of snow still lay under the trees on either side of the road. I felt like my feet were pounding, thumping and thudding the ground; all of the things that they shouldn't have been doing! Oh well. I was enjoying the fact that I was able to be where I was with the strength and health that God gave me, along with all the added blessings of a sunny, warm day and a safe road to run on.

I had brought my mp3 player with me with a playlist of inspirational instrumental/vocal songs to keep me going. I decided that on the way down I would not use it, but that I would rather enjoy nature.
On the way back, however, I turned it on and began my run back. I decided that some of the most inspirational music to run to is the soundtrack from 'The Man from Snowy River'. I'm not a fan of the movie, but the soundtracks are great. Andrew Peterson's 'Pillar of Fire' is one that it's hard not to run to! Especially since I was "homeward bound". I began walking once I had reached my goal of running over 3 miles. Andrew Peterson's "Just as I Am" began playing as I neared the entrance of my road. I'm so glad that "He loves me, He does." Just as I got back to our house, "Rocky Top" started to play. I had to smile. There "ain't no smoggy smoke" near my house, and it just may always be "home sweet home to me".

I feel so privileged and blessed! Just last night I was reading Ephesians 5:1-21. I've been learning lately just how important it is to heed the exhortation given in verses 15 and 16:

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

In Ephesians chapter 5 we have three different verses that talk about walking.

Verse 2 says to "walk in love".
Verse 8 says to "walk as children of light".
Verse 15 says "be careful how you walk".

Then in Hebrews 12:1-2 the author compares living out the new life Christ gives (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4) to running a race.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Here it says "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us". The race that it talks about in that verse is our lives. At the finish line is a reward in heaven from God (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Are you 'entered' into the race? Jesus said "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved...". John 10:9. The only way to be right with God is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior from your sins: That we stood guilty before God, that Jesus died to take the punishment we deserved for our sins, and that He lives again.

I know I don't fully comprehend or follow the commands of all of these verses. It is my prayer that I will learn to walk more and more the way God wants me to every day. But I do know this: Whether I'm walking or running, I have a reminder from the Bible to

Walk in love
Walk as a child of light
Be careful how I walk
Run with endurance

I'm thankful to the Lord who gives me the ability to enjoy His creation by walking and running in it, but I'm even more grateful for the fact that I'm His child. It is my strong desire that I would

...Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:10

(photo credits: Microsoft images)

Quotes Worth Quoting #14

2011-03-21T13:46:00.000-04:00

Satan has no difficulty
in making sin look innocent.
John Blanchard

What's Cookin'?

2011-03-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we got a big box of utility apples from the orchard in town. I decided I was going to make a few things with them. Here are a couple photos from the The Big Baking Day. :-)

Pie #1:

Pre- top crust

(enlarged to show texture)

Ingredients: A boatload of apples, some honey, a dash of cloves, a pinch of allspice, a sprinkle of nutmeg, a little bit of stevia (and two whole wheat/butter crusts). Recipe? What recipe?! :-)

An apple peeler/corer/slicer is an amazing gadget. :-)

The apples bowl. Phew, that was a lot of apples!

The crust is on and about to be baked! Unfortunately I have no other photos of this particular pie... I put it out for dessert on Sunday and it completely disappeared. :-) I'm glad my first pie was edible!

Pie #2:

The final product

Pie #3:

I made this cake gluten free. I tried using quinoa and coconut oil for the crust.

I'll need to do a bit more experimentation in the future... it is (or was) still really good, though, as evidenced by this photo.

It went very well with homemade yogurt. :-)

A couple more experimental apple creations:

And that's how I spent my Saturday. :-) I used up the entire box of apples. Phew!

Quotes Worth Quoting #13

2011-03-15T17:30:00.000-04:00

Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into
harmony with Him.
Hudson Taylor

Ice-coated Winter Wonderland

2011-03-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

What I saw out of my bedroom windows this morning immediately made me think of the term "winter wonderland". Why's that? Well, what I beheld made me wonder: Can winter get any prettier than this?

Two days ago it rained//sleeted and the temperature got above freezing. Yesterday, in the morning it warmed up a tad and rained a little bit, and then towards evening the temperature got colder and it snowed some. Today, the sky is cloudless, and the icy coating on all the trees makes them sparkle like diamonds when the sun shines on them. When the wind blows on the trees the ice crackles on the branches! Here are a few photos.

Mom's artificial flowers remind me of all the color that I hope to see outside soon...

Can you tell I'm already looking forward to spring? :-)

Ice is nice, and it makes everything outside look very pretty, but I am looking forward to the kind of weather where I don't have to put on ice grippers on my boots when go out. Mud season will be here before y'know it. :-)

I think our cats are also looking forward to the warmer weather...

...especially the temperatures where the water is liquid again!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! Not many new things have been happening at Green Gambrels during the last month. I've started getting into running (more like jogging right now!), and icy roads are not very conducive for that. Oh well. Over the last year or so I've working on getting in shape, reforming my eating habits and learning more about fitness and healthy food. There are foods that I eat now that I hadn't even heard of a year ago, or if I had heard of them I thought they were "weird". But as I learn more, I'm amazed to see how God made so many different kinds of foods that are incredibly beneficial to the health of the body. Anyways, maybe in a future post I'll write more about my favorite "weird" foods. :-)

I've been involved with several Bible studies that we have going on during the week. On Tuesday night I attend a young peoples' Bible study hosted by a friend of ours from church. We've been studying the book of John, and it's refreshing to go through it again and see different facets of the same gems that have been in there all along. On Wednesdays I and a few other church friends go to a nursing home and visit the folks there. We sing, have a Bible lesson and sometime I do some fiddling for them, too. On Friday nights we have a Bible study there as well, and more and more people are interested in coming to hear the Bible read and the gospel preached. It's really exciting! We also have a Bible study at another friend's house on Sunday nights. We've been studying Romans. With every study I feel like I'm understanding a little bit more of God's grace, wisdom, power and plan, and more of my own position as a believer in Jesus Christ as my own personal savior from my sins. On Wednesday afternoons, after the nursing home visiting time I'm involved in study of the book of Revelation with my Mom and two other ladies. It's quite an interesting book, with lots of things in it that I don't understand! However, there are things that I can take away from it that are practical lessons/reminders for everyday life. For example, in chapter 22 Christ reminds us that He is coming quickly! I'm really looking forward to that day. The beauty that I see in the ice on the trees in winter time will be nothing compared to His glory!

Quotes Worth Quoting #12

2011-02-01T18:14:00.000-05:00

The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible
in our life and thoughts.
George Mueller

Quotes Worth Quoting #11

2011-01-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Faith ends where worry begins, and worry ends where faith begins.

George Mueller

The Sunset

2011-01-06T21:52:00.000-05:00

I never cease to be amazed at the beauty of the setting sun. It seems to be exceptionally pretty here at the farm! :-)

This is our view out of the kitchen window.

The heavens do declare the glory of God!

Proverbs 25:13

2010-12-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

Lunar Eclipse!

2010-12-19T22:34:00.000-05:00

Get ready for a total lunar eclipse on Monday night! Or rather Tuesday morning. The eclipse starts on Nov. 21st at 1:33 EST. According to this NASA article the moon is completely engulfed in the earth's shadow at 2:41 and lasts for 72 minutes. They say that if you only have a minute to slip outside into the cold and view the eclipse that 3:17 would be the best time to do that.

It sounds like it will be a neat display! Wake me up at 3:17. ;-)

Quotes Worth Quoting #10

2010-12-17T22:26:00.000-05:00

It ill becomes the servant to seek to be rich, and great, and honoured in that world where his Lord was poor, and mean, and despised.

George Muller

The Search for the Perfect Gift

2010-12-13T11:10:00.001-05:00

It's the time of year when many people are getting each other gifts. Sometimes it's hard to find someone something they need, might like, would use, etc. It's great when you hear someone say "This is perfect! Thanks so much!" in response to a gift that you or someone else gives them. Now, could you get that same gift for all of your friends and get the same response from them? After all, that would make gift giving at any time to any person very easy, wouldn't it! Well, I don't think it works that way! :-)

What would the perfect gift be like? Well, it would have to be very specific to each person, yet appealing to everyone. The perfect gift shouldn't wear out or break. It shouldn't be something people get bored with after a while.

Such a gift would be very hard to find, would it not?

But it has been found.

You can find out more about it here at Good News Now.

You can also listen to, download and/or purchase more items like this at the Good News Granary.

What We Think Matters!

2010-12-09T16:01:00.000-05:00

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Philippians 4:8

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...
2 Corinthians 10:5

Snow 2010

2010-12-07T22:17:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos at last! As you can see, we got some snow recently. I'd say it's about 6-10 inches deep (it's a little hard to tell with the drifts!). It's quite possible that we won't see the ground again until April... :-)

It's like a clear canvas...

The riding ring (just wait till the snow is up to the top of the fence! :-)

The barn

Snow clouds!

The driveway (and some snowy trees, too)

A self-portrait of what kinda looks like a snowman...

Eppie and Ollie followed me around outside as I got all of these photos. They love romping in the snow!

Eppie, right before she pounced on the camera. :-)

Tucker had his romp, but he was more interested in staying warm and cozy in the barn loft.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. It was really chilly and windy outside when I took them. In fact, it snowed again a little bit shortly after I went inside.

Weatherbug isn't predicting any more snow (or rain) until Saturday, so I guess we'll get to enjoy the snow for a few days. :-)

And He Did It!

2010-12-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since I've updated my blog, hasn't it! One of the main reasons I haven't had many blog posts lately is because I don't have my camera anymore (I sold it to a friend who is using it quite a bit more than I did!). Very soon I will be posting photos of the snow that we got today (we got around 8 inches). It's about time we got a real snowfall up here!

So, without further procrastination, here is another blog post. Oh, and speaking of procrastination... here is a poem to make this update a little more interesting. ;-)

And He Did It!

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t” but he would be one
Who couldn’t say no till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing and he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has ever done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quitting,
He started to sing and he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, you by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done”, and you’ll do it.

Edgar A. Guest

Quotes Worth Quoting #9

2010-10-27T14:32:00.000-04:00

Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible, the other ninety-nine will read the Christian.

D.L. Moody

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

2010-10-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

2010-10-23T11:54:00.000-04:00

This is how we grow potatoes in Maine. The "a" is coming next year. ;-)

A Great Piece by Bach!

2010-10-14T23:32:00.001-04:00

Recently I started learning how to play the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (or part of it, anyway!) on the violin. It's a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, and I really like it. Not just because it's by Bach, but that is a good reason to like it. :-)

Before you watch the video, here's a quote from Bach that I appreciate.

The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.

I agree that all music should give glory to God, and a lot of it is certainly refreshing to listen to and enjoyable to play.
Here's a video of the bit of the Brandenburg Concerto that I'm starting to learn. This video is well worth watching, not only to hear the music, but also to see how every instrument, musician and part comes together to form this beautiful and lively piece. The musicians are also fun to watch; they look like they thoroughly enjoyed playing this piece together. :-) I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did!

Overheard in an Orchard

2010-10-11T22:41:00.000-04:00

Overheard in an Orchard

Said the robin to the sparrow,
"I would really like to know
Why those anxious human beings
rush around and worry so."

Said the sparrow to the robin,
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
such as cares for you and me."
~ Elizabeth Cheney ~

Picture: http://doriswintch.com/blog/?p=8
Thank you, Jess, for bringing this poem to my attention. :-)

Rainbow

2010-09-16T21:07:00.000-04:00

The other day we had some strange Maine weather. In the morning it was cold and rainy. Then later in the morning it stopped raining and cleared up some. Then the clouds rolled back in and it started pouring! Then it started to clear up, but not before the sun began shining really brightly through the rain. I then had the privilege of seeing a beautiful full rainbow, right in front of our house!

Quotes worth Quoting #8

2010-08-26T11:39:00.000-04:00

Christ died for all men, not just the ones you know and like.

Anonymous

Some advice... :-)

2010-08-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

This last week I went to Buckit Week. Buckit stands for Bible University Christian Knowledge Intensive Training. It went from the evening of August 15 through the afternoon of August 20th. It was a wonderful time of good, solid Bible teaching, reading and study, and it was also a great time of fellowship with other believers!

One of the two Bible teachers, Mr. Wilson (all the way from Down Under!) spoke a bit on how not to study the Bible. When some people study the Bible, they take things out of context, read things into the text or misconstrue it in some way so badly that all one can really say is... well, watch this video and you'll find out! :-)

Stars

2010-08-14T16:35:00.010-04:00

I didn’t know there would be a meteor shower until I saw an article about it on a news website. I thought it was very timely, since I would soon be leaving to go to New Hampshire, and from there, Connecticut, and from there, Maryland. Watching a meteor shower would be a nice way to wind down the evening after a day of packing, laundry, errands and general pre-trip business.

I put on a light jacket and slipped on my sandals. It was chilly outside, but I didn’t feel like putting socks on. This is the kind of temperature I like. It’s too cold for mosquitoes, but not too cold for me. Fall is my favorite time of year, and what with the cooler days and chilly evenings we had had recently it seemed closer than ever. Time to break out the winter clothes! Well, not quite, but soon. Perhaps mid-September or so.
I went outside on the front deck for my little star-gazing experience. I was well aware of the skunk in our barn, as he was both a frequent visitor there and since he was also there when I went in to shut one of the outside doors we had left open. He didn’t both us, but our cats seemed to know that he wasn’t someone they should become close friends with. Our smallest cat, Tucker, knew this especially well. He was probably glad to smell normal again after a day or so of trying to get away from himself. :-)

I pulled one of our deck chairs into the center of the deck so I could get a better view of the stars. My view of the sky was clear, unpolluted and expansive. As soon as I stepped out onto the deck I was almost overwhelmed by the vastness of the sky and the countless number of stars. Of course, I was used to seeing the stars and the sky at night, but tonight seemed to refresh my memory and remind me of just how big it was. That wasn’t the only thing I was thinking of, though. I was also thinking of the One who created it all; God. The same God who made the stars, Milky Way, planets, galaxies and universe was the same God who sent His only begotten Son so that we could have a relationship with Him. It made me feel amazingly small yet extremely privileged. I didn’t deserve a relationship with God, nor did I deserve this extraordinary view of the heavens that He created. “He made the stars also”: five little words that almost seem like an afterthought in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible. Even from the beginning, God knew exactly where He wanted each star. The Psalms say that He has ‘ordained them’ and that ‘He gives names to them all’. And I can’t even name all of the constellations!

I sat outside on the deck for about forty-five minutes or so. A couple of my cats took turns being lap warmers and distractions, but I didn’t mind. Two owls were whoo hoo hoo hOOing in the woods down across the neighbor's field in front of our house. It was only about three quarters of the way through my star-gazing that I noticed the repetitive sound of the crickets and other night insects.

It was a very pleasant evening; even if I hadn't seen any meteors that night it would have been worth sitting outside just to enjoy the cool air, see the beautiful sky and hear the night noises. I saw a bunch of meteors, one being so bright and long-lasting that it left a tail for about 3 seconds after the white-hot particle's light died out!

I saw more than meteors that night. I saw a glimpse of power, majesty and mercy that can’t be measured, counted, exhausted or explained fully. The stars are in the sky are there whether we like it or not, and there are too many to number. There are too many unexplored galaxies that also have countless numbers of stars. There’s simply no way we can tally up the entire amount of stars in our universe. But from what we can see there sure is a lot of ‘em! It’s a bit like God, actually. We can appreciate what we can see of His character as shown in the Bible, revealed in His Son, and shown in creation, but we simply can’t understand all there is to know about Him. But with His help we can get to know Him better and become more and more conformed into His image.

By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:3

...that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God...
Colossians 1:9b-10

To whom then will you liken Me
         That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.
    Lift up your eyes on high
         And see who has created these stars,
         The One who leads forth their host by number,
         He calls them all by name;
         Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
         Not one of them is missing.
              Isaiah 40:25-2

Quotes worth Quoting #7

2010-08-09T09:33:00.001-04:00

A Christian shows what he is by what he does with what he has.

Anonymous

2010-08-02T10:34:00.000-04:00

The Mighty One, God, the LORD, has spoken, and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Psalm 50:1

God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Genesis 1:8

I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. Isaiah 45:5-6

They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. Psalm 50:1

Quotes worth Quoting #6

2010-07-28T09:59:00.000-04:00

True faith produces a life full of actions,

not a head full of facts.

Anonymous

Hymn Chords

2010-07-21T16:38:00.002-04:00

Here are some nice resources for hymn chords that I use often.

CCF Chordbook - This website has chords for many of the classic hymns.
The Gospel Music Archive - This site has a large database of songs which include gospel songs, contemporary songs and classic hymns.
Christian Gospel Songs - This website has chords for many hymns, gospel songs and worship songs.
Praise and Worship Chords - This website has chords for a few worship and praise songs.

The nice thing about having so many different websites with hymn chords is that you get a variety of keys. For example, with the three links I have up above you have Amazing Grace in the keys of G, D and F, respectively!

Also, as a bit of a side note, I recently added "reactions" to my blog posts. If you like one of my posts but you don't want to leave a comment, please feel free to click on one or more of the little check boxes if you thought one of my posts was neat, useful, interesting and/or thought-provoking. If you'd like more options... you can leave me a comment. ;-)

Who? Whose?

2010-07-17T22:31:00.000-04:00

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God ...

2 Corinthians 2:5

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Romans 12:16

Know that the LORD Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Romans 5:10

My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:5-8

... Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ ....

Ephesians 1:2

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

Quotes worth Quoting #5

2010-06-26T18:59:00.001-04:00

"To be like Christ is to be a Christian."

Daniel Webster

Macro-Magnificence

2010-06-24T10:47:00.003-04:00

I'm an author!

2010-06-21T12:32:00.000-04:00

Well, not really. But I did get my first recipe published on Recipezaar today! It's a variation on another recipe on there (you can find the original recipe via my recipe) for these really yummy brownies. Mom and I made some substitutions to make them a bit healthier and they were such a hit I decided to write down exactly what we did. You can find the recipe Here. Enjoy!

Quotes worth Quoting #4

2010-06-19T11:40:00.000-04:00

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator

for all I have not seen."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fowl, flowers and flying furry felines

2010-06-16T18:58:00.001-04:00

Yes, that's right! Fowl, flowers and flying furry felines. We'll start with the fowl first. :-)

Our chickens are getting bigger (if you can say that bantam chickens really get "bigger". Depends on what you are comparing them too, I suppose. :-)!

Sometimes diamonds are not a chicken's best friend...

Dad nicknamed her the "godzilla bird"

Cat "meats" bird

I think Eppie won that staring contest...

It's almost like being at the zoo...

But we can't mention Eppie without mentioning Ollie, of course!

And Eppie again...

...and that was the two flying felines. :-)

Now how about ferocious felines?

Yes, that would be Tucker! He is quite the terror sometimes...

...granted he looks quite tranquil in this photo. He's cute, too. :-)

Here's a glimpse of his wild side... I couldn't even get it in focus. ;-)

Here are some photos of the greenery/purplery/redery/yellowery that can be found around our yard.

Lots of tiny wild strawberries grow in our lawn.

The playhouse at sunset

I hope you enjoyed the photos! :-)

Unnamed

2010-06-01T21:41:00.000-04:00

Here's the latest addition to our "family". :-)

He doesn't have a name yet...

:-)

He is Coming

2010-05-29T21:52:00.000-04:00

He is Coming

He is coming, coming for us;
Soon we'll see His light afar,
On the dark horizon rising,
As the Bright and Morning Star,
Cheering many a waking watcher,
As the star whose kindly ray
Heralds the approaching morning
Just before the break of day.
   Oh! what joy, as night hangs round us,
    "Tis to think of morning's ray;
   Sweet to know He's coming for us,
    Just before the break of day.

He is coming, coming for us;
Soon we'll hear His voice on high;
Dead and living, rising, changing,
In the twinkling of an eye
Shall be caught up altogether,
For the meeting in the air;
With a shout the Lord, descending,
Shall Himself await us there.
   Oh! what joy that great foregathering,
    Trysted meeting in the air;
   Sweet to know He's coming for us,
    Calling us to join Him there.

He is coming as the Bridegroom,
Coming to unfold at last
The great secret of His purpose,
Mystery of ages past.
And the Bride, to her is granted
In His beauty now to shine,
As in rapture she exclaimeth,
"I am His and He is mine."
   Oh! what joy that marriage union,
    Mystery of love divine;
   Sweet to sing in all its fulness,
    "I am His and He is mine."

A.M. Monteath

Carrot Pancakes

2010-05-14T20:33:00.001-04:00

For breakfast today I was contemplating making pancakes. However, I wanted a pancake slightly more nutritious than the ordinary flour/eggs/baking powder/milk ones that I normally make. So I went to Recipezaar.com to see what recipes I could find for vegetable pancakes.

I found one very basic recipe for carrot pancakes, which I ended up making for lunch instead of breakfast (I had a scrambled egg with chopped bell pepper instead). I tweaked the recipe a bit and it came out tasting rather delicious! Here it is.

            Carrot Pancakes
           Makes approximately 6 3”x3” pancakes
            Ingredients

3 medium carrots, grated
½ medium onion, chopped
2 medium sized eggs, beaten
1 cup of flour
Salt/seasonings to taste (I used trocomare)
2 teaspoons baking powder

Peel and grate carrots into a large bowl; also chop and add the onion.
Add the eggs, flour, seasonings and baking powder, then mix well.
Cook in oiled frying pan on medium heat until brown (2-3 minutes on each side).
Enjoy! :-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can tweak this recipe as much as you want to, of course. You can adjust the size of the pancakes, how much onion or flour, ect. These pancakes are also good as a meal in themselves: with a glass of milk, of course. :-)

Photos from the Farm

2010-05-09T20:14:00.000-04:00

Mom and I have been staying at the farm for the last week and a half or so. The weather was gorgeous for the most part! Here are some photos.

The sunset is always beautiful on clear nights at the farmhouse!

O tell of God's might, O sing of God's grace, 
 whose robe is the light, whose canopy space, 
 whose chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, 
 and dark is God's path on the wings of the storm.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

2010-05-08T11:14:00.001-04:00

A Mind at Perfect Peace

2010-05-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

A Mind at Perfect Peace

A mind at perfect peace with God,
Oh! What a word is this!
A sinner reconciled thro’ blood;
This, this indeed is peace!

By nature and by practice far,
How very far from God!
Yet now by grace bro’t night to Him,
Thro’ faith in Jesus’ blood.

So near, so very near to God,
I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son
I am as near as He.

So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
The love where with He loves the Son:
Such is His love to me!

Why should I ever careful be,
Since such a God is mine?
He watched o’er me night and day,
And tells me “Mine is thine.”

Catesby Paget

Flowers and Photoshop

2010-05-03T21:17:00.000-04:00

Flowers: The "Photoshopped" and the "Non-Photoshopped"

Camera:

Canon G9

Photoshopped:

Desaturation, lighting effects, burn tool

Original:

Photoshopped:

Saturation, levels, crop tool

Original:

Photoshopped:

Saturation, lighting effects, crop tool

Original:

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

2010-05-02T18:49:00.003-04:00

A couple months ago my Mom found a really yummy recipe for chocolate pudding. But this isn't any ordinary chocolate pudding. It's actually healthy! Mom found this recipe on a blog called Food as Medicine. You don't even have to necessarily like avocados to enjoy this pudding. Here it is!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding :-)
Ingredients

4 avocadoes
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder OR 1/2 cup carob powder
1/2 cup of sweetener (maple syrup or honey with/and/or stevia to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Slice the avocadoes in half, remove the pit and scoop the flesh away from the skin.
Add to blender or food processor along with the other ingredients.
Process until smooth.

*Add water in 1 Tablespoon increments if needed to achieve a creamy consistency

We sliced bananas and put them at the bottom of our pudding bowls when we ate ours. It's quite yummy, and it's also good for you! Enjoy!

Some puns

2010-04-30T15:07:00.000-04:00

So my sister found some puns on the Duct Tape Guys website in one of their newsletters. Some of them are pretty funny!

A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
A will is a dead giveaway.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
A calendar's days are numbered.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
Acupuncture: a jab well done.
The roundest knight at king Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
He acquired his size from too much pi.
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said 'No change yet.'

More Chickies!

2010-04-25T16:10:00.000-04:00

Today I received three tiny bantam chicks from a friend! Here are some photos of them. They're still little enough to keep in a small cardboard box.

I don't have any names for them yet... I'll have to think about some! Suggestions would be welcome. :-)

Gulf Hagas!

2010-04-17T18:25:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, Dad, Mom, Jessica, myself and a couple other friends went hiking at Gulf Hagas in Maine. It was a very nice hike, but it was also quite an adventure...

To start out with, we had to cross a 60-foot, knee-deep, very cold river. It was also called the Pleasant River. Let's just say that it was pleasant to look at, but not very pleasant to wade across. :-)

A little further on we saw some huge spruce trees...

Another challenge was getting over a stream over a broken bridge. The "bridge" consisted of a log that was resting at a downward angle. It was easy enough to shimmy down, but climbing back up took a while!

Gulf Hagas is also called the "Grand Canyon of Maine". I suppose that's because of the river that runs through a deep gulf along some of the trails. The highlight of the hike was the waterfalls, which were really pretty.

The scenery was pretty impressive, too. The camera doesn't capture very well how high up we were!

It made a nice backdrop, too.

It was a wonderful reminder of God's majesty and creativity!

4/14/10

2010-04-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

Today I have successfully put a new theme on my blog! :-) I rather like it. Hope you do, too.

One of my favorite Pandora radio stations

2010-04-07T13:22:00.002-04:00

I like to listen to instrumental music while I do my schoolwork. One of my music sources is Pandora radio. I wrote a blog post a while back about Pandora.
One of the things you do on Pandora after you've made a free account is create 'stations' with your favorite musicians (if they're in the database). Pandora then adds songs with similar qualities to your station. As you 'thumb up' or 'thumb down' various songs, you can streamline your station somewhat so that it mostly only plays songs that you like, or songs that are very similar to the ones you like already.

One of my favorite stations is called 'Greg Maroney Radio'. Greg Maroney is a pianist, so it's not surprising that most of the music you hear on the Greg Maroney station is piano music. I've customized the station to my liking so much that it's become 'my' station. In other words, Pandora has saved all of the songs that I've 'thumbed up', or in the language of Facebook, 'liked'. It mostly plays songs with similar qualities to those that I've 'liked'.

Pandora allows you to 'share' your station with other Pandora users. So if you want to listen to some nice (in my opinion!) piano music, then here's the link to 'my' station.
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh138141511343262553

Most of the piano music that you'll hear could be classified as 'new age' music. New age is a very broad term, but in this case it simply means contemporary piano music. 'New age' piano music generally has a very soothing, rolling, pretty sound. Some of the music that you'll hear is more folk style, with hymns or other tunes that you may recognize. However, most of them are original compositions by the individual artists.

The artists that I've added to the station other than Greg Maroney, are:

Anne Trenning

Bernward Koch

Brian Crain

Dana Cunningham (Holiday)

David Carnes

David Nevue

Emile Pandolfi

Fernando Ortega

Franz Liszt

George Winston

George Winston (Holiday)

Greg Maroney

Gunnar Madsen

Jennifer Haines

Jim Brickman

Jon Schmidt

Karen Marie Garrett

Kevin Kern

Lorie Line

Michele McLaughlin

Paul Cardall

Peter Kater

Philip Wesley

Tim Janis

Also, you get 40 free hours of listening time on Pandora. And there's more than just piano music on there, too! :-)

Concert, kitties and construction

2010-03-22T17:15:00.003-04:00

Concert: I had the opportunity to play in another concert! This event was mainly organized by my violin teacher (Susan Ramsey). It went very well! I'm glad my Dad got most of it on video! :-)You can actually watch a short clip from the dress rehearsal here. The video takes a while to load. You can actually see me for about 1 1/2 seconds! :-) You can also read a little about the concert here
http://www.svweekly.com/joom1511/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1885:-foxcroft-academy-string-program-concert&catid=33:campus&Itemid=215
and here
http://dailyme.com/story/2010032000001922/bangor-daily-news-maine-joni-averill.html

Kitties: Today the kitties had a a big adventure. Well, maybe it was really a small one, but for them it was a big one. It actually started Saturday.
Ollie had the bright idea of climbing up one of the pine trees near the house. Perhaps he was chasing birds. But anyway, he climbed a little too high for his own comfort and got "stuck" about 20 to 24 feet high in the tree. We left him for a little while to see if he would come down by himself (he could have if he tried; there were lots of branched to latch onto). However, he kept on meowing and meowing and sounding quite pitiful, so we decided to attempt a rescue. Mind, this was about 30 minutes before I had to leave for the concert dress rehearsal. Dad got out our tallest ladder and I climbed up to retrieve our miserable cat. Well, he was up too high for me to reach, even from the top of the ladder, and I didn't feel comfortable climbing up the branches to grab him. So, down I went and up Dad went. Much maneuvering and a piece of cooked chicken afterwards, Dad and Ollie both made it to the ground.
I also made it to the dress rehearsal on time. :-)

Eppie on the ground, perhaps contemplating how
much smarter she is than her brother :-)

Me in the tree

Ollie in our apartment in one of his favorite places and poses

Eppie again

Some good friends of ours from CT have been here for the last couple of weeks helping us with construction on our house. Today a plumber came to help with, yes, you guessed it, plumbing. They needed to access some pipes from the outside of the house. They were up on the roof, so, out came our tallest ladder again. Both of the kitties were outside and they decided to explore the ladder. Mom found this out later when she found Eppie clinging to the screen one on of the skylights. She managed to get her inside through the skylight. Now Ollie had gone all the way to the tippy-top of the roof. Here's a photo of the spot where they climbed up (there wasn't any snow on the roof when they climbed up today, though!).

Sooo,I climbed up the ladder and rescued Ollie. I wonder if he'll ever learn his lesson? Or maybe he just has Spring fever. :-)

Psalm 37:25

2010-03-19T09:33:00.001-04:00

"I have been young and now I am old..."

Psalm 37:25a

;-)

Chickie (2009-2010) and Poquito

2010-03-13T15:13:00.001-05:00

Today Chickie got got by a hawk. :-(

She was a good chicken. She even gave us a few eggs! But the good news is... we have a couple eggs which we think are fertile, so we're going to try to incubate them and perhaps get more chickies! :-)

And... Poquito got got too. :-(

Psalm 8

2010-03-02T19:34:00.002-05:00

Psalm 8

O LORD, our Lord,

How majestic is Your name in all the earth,

Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

From the mouth of infants and nursing babes

You have established strength

Because of Your adversaries,

To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!

You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen,
         And also the beasts of the field,
    The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
    Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Autoharp hymn chords: Immanuel's Land

2010-02-26T20:51:00.006-05:00

Lately I've been playing the autoharp some. I mostly play hymns on it, and I've decided to write down chords for some of them. There isn't much autoharp music out there, so I decided that, to make things easier, I'd make some up. :-)

Most of the hymns that I've written down chords for aren't "chorded" in the same keys as they are in the hymnbook that I use most of the time (Hymns of Truth and Praise, or "the red book"). That was just to make it slightly easier to play, plus I'm more familiar with keys like G, C and F.

Here's one of my favorite hymns, which is actually really written in F! :-)

Immanuel's Land / The Sands of Time are Sinking

By Anne Ross Cousin

Music by Chrétien d’Urhan; arranged by Edward F. Rimbault

F C Dm

1. The sands of time are sinking,

Bb F Bb C

The dawn of heaven breaks;

C F Bb F C

The summer morn I’ve sighed for

C F C/C7 F

The fair, sweet morn awakes:

Bb/F7 Bb C F

Dark, dark had been the midnight

Bb C F

But dayspring is at hand,

F Bb F Bb F Bb

And glory, glory dwelleth

F C F

In Immanuel’s land.

More Ollie

2010-02-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

Psalm 121:5-7

2010-02-03T14:59:00.000-05:00

A couple of kitties

2010-01-25T21:32:00.001-05:00

Some close-up photos

2010-01-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I experimented with some close-up book photography. They're not incredible photos, but here they are!

Oh, and before I forget, the concert on the 16th went pretty well. :-)

Orchestra concert!

2010-01-09T18:36:00.001-05:00

http://centertheatre.org/

I suppose that poster is slightly misleading, since not ALL of those performing in the orchestra concert will be talented students of the Foxcroft Academy. Don't get me wrong; I'm sure all of them are students and that all are talented, but not all are students of the Foxcroft Academy.

One of them is a student of the Green Gambrels Academy.

Please pray that I would be practiced up enough for the rehearsal on the 14th, and, of course, for the concert on the 16th.

I don't know if this is considered giving out secrets or not, but here's a sneak preview of the four songs I'll be playing in during the concert. The arrangements we'll be playing are simplified versions, so what you'll hear isn't exactly what you'd here at the concert, but here's the gist of the pieces:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlLPLO90fSk - The part we'll actually be playing is from about 1:00 to 4:28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lC1lRz5Z_s - The part we'll be playing is about 0:00 to 4:19

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WomiJqiPQY - We're playing the whole thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTZb4_0TlNY&feature=related - We'll be playing something similar to what you'll here at 6:37 to the end of the video

So, if you happen to be in the area on the 16th, you can pop in if you want. :-)

A fiddle CD?! Part B

2010-01-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago I mentioned in a blog post that I wanted to make a Fiddle CD. Well, I've been playing around with the equipment that I have lately, and I've recorded a couple of fiddle tunes. They're pretty rough, but it gives a vague idea of what I'm after.

Mary Willie's (after you click the link you'll need to click another link on the page)
Ash Grove

What do you think?

Sledding!

2010-01-02T22:39:00.001-05:00

Today I went sledding for the first time this winter! It was a lot of fun. I went with my sister and some friends of ours on a looooong hill in town. On of the things we like to do when we go sledding is to make trains, where we line up the sleds, either side by side or front to back. Our goal is to make it all the way to the bottom without breaking up... it's not often that we actually meet that goal! :-)

The snow was powdery, so we had to pack it down a bit to make good sled paths. It was actually snowing some while we were sledding!

We're supposed to get 4 to 8 inches of snow tonight, and 12-16 inches tomorrow! I guess a lot of snow plowing/shoveling will be in order pretty soon. :-)

Oh, here's a picture that my Dad spotted and I took a couple nights ago. :-) The flash went off (by accident) and it ended up coming out pretty good... not quite what I wanted but I still like it.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! :-)

Psalm 74:17

2009-12-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

The mystery of the lost books...

2009-12-26T17:47:00.000-05:00

My sister lost a few of her Lamplighter books. Hmm...

Where could they be?

What's that?

Oh, there they are! :-)

Be sure to check out Lamplighter Publishing!

Psalm 50:1

2009-12-22T10:04:00.000-05:00

The Star of Bethlehem showing part 3

2009-12-20T18:19:00.000-05:00

We had two more Star of Bethlehem showings tonight. The first one was at 2:00 PM. About 70-75 came that time around. The theater looked pretty full! The second showing was at 4:00 PM. Only about 20 people came that time. But there were a few people that wanted to get copies of the DVD (which, by the way, you can get at http://thestarofbethlehemmovie.com/.

Overall we think the showings went pretty well. Praise the Lord!

The Star of Bethlehem showing part 2

2009-12-18T22:32:00.000-05:00

The showing went pretty well tonight. About 50 people from the community came, and a couple were interested in getting the DVD (for themselves or to show their church). I think it was pretty good. It was neat to watch the Star of Bethlehem in a theater, too! :-)

The Star of Bethlehem showing

2009-12-17T20:51:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow our little group of believers is hosting a Star of Bethlehem showing tomorrow (Friday the 18th) at 7:00 PM at the Center Theater in Dover-Foxcroft. You can check out the theater's website Here.

You can read more information on what the Star of Bethlehem is about. As a short summary, the Star of the Bethlehem is a documentary by Mr. Rick Larson that delves into the mystery of the star; was it a real event? Was it really a star?
Mr. Larson uses high-tech astronomy software to travel back in time and discover that truly, the heavens declare the glory of God.
You can visit the movie website here: http://thestarofbethlehemmovie.com/
You can find out more information about the star here: http://www.bethlehemstar.net/

Please be praying!

Quotes worth Quoting: #1

2009-12-17T10:25:00.003-05:00

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
Jim Elliot

First snowman of the year!

2009-12-16T20:53:00.001-05:00

Here is my first snowman of the year!
He's a very happy snowman.

Just as Dad was going to get a picture of me next to my snowman, he fell right into my arms. How tragic! We were able to rescue him and prop him up, though, and he is still standing to this day.

Some photoshop things

2009-12-16T15:33:00.000-05:00

I like playing around with making things in Photoshop. Someday I might get more serious about it and go into making graphics for some kind of business, but for not it's just for fun. My sister and I worked with a friend of ours for a little while who got us hooked up with some students of hers who were designing websites that needed logos. They were at about the same level HTML-wise that we were graphics-wise, so it worked out well. One of my first "major" projects was a header graphic for BeadnBeauty.com. From then on I just started playing around on my own.

I haven't made anything fancy, but I do like putting things together.

Here's one of the first business card designs I made.

I made a slideshow a while ago with some pictures of our friends in Maine. This is one of the last slides on it.

This is the original photo

Don't forget the Suppsign!

This was one of the headers that I made for my blog.

I was playing with making a CD design, and here's what I came up with.

Here's a design for the back of a CD

And last but not least...

Yours truly...

2009-12-14T21:07:00.001-05:00

10 years ago!
This picture was taken January 25th, 1999. I'm holding a friend's cap-gun.
Disclaimer: I am no longer a Tweety Bird fan

Victory

2009-12-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

Victory

O lead me to the Man that died,
Who all God’s nature glorified;
Descending to the depths of woe;
And for us vanquished every foe!

O lead me to the empty tomb
His death has robbed of all its gloom;
He’s ris’n! the Lord of life and peace,
And holds me in His fond embrace.

O lead me up to heaven’s height,
To see the Lord enthroned in light;
That gazing on His glory there,
I may reflect His image here.

O lead me to that meeting rare,
So often longed for in the air;
Then, then His blessed face I’ll see,
And praise Him thro’ eternity.

O lead me on to Zion’s hill,
To see the Lord His Word fulfill;
His glorious King is sitting there,
Ruling o’er earth and sea and air.

O lead me to that scene sublime,
Prepared by God before all time;
Sin death and night have passed away;
Light, life, and love are there to stay.

There, too, th’Eternal Three in One,
Blest Father Spirit, and the Son,
Rest undisturbed forevermore;
I wonder, worship, and adore!
~
Alfred Mace

Quotes worth Quoting: #2

2009-12-12T10:21:00.008-05:00

"If Christ is Lord, then He must come first. If the personal pronoun "I" is in the throne, then Christ is no longer in control."
William MacDonald
True Discipleship

Kitten photos!

2009-12-10T18:05:00.005-05:00

Here are some photos of our two new kittens! You can be sure there will be more photos to come, as well... :-)

I mostly have photos of the black and white one.

In these photos he's in Dad's lap. :-)

The one on the left is the biggest one in the whole litter of four!

A neighbor lady came and took the other two kittens.

We don't have any names for the kittens yet... but we've been brainstorming. :-)

Kittens!

2009-12-10T11:21:00.009-05:00

Today we're picking up two kittens! They'll be outdoor barn cats. They certainly will have work to do in the mouse department! I went out to the barn today and some snow got blown in (we got about a foot of snow) and I saw some little tiny footprints... :-)

Anyways, there aren't any goats in the barn anymore... just chickens! We're working in insulating the coop, so Poquito, Brownie and Chickie are enjoying the luxury of the barn.

So anyways, I'll probably have some photos of the kittens in a little while. We're actually picking up four of them, one for a neighbor and one for someone else (we don't know who yet!).

The Roses

2009-12-08T11:20:00.001-05:00

This is a story that I've heard several times. I don't know the source of it, but it's an excellent illustration.

There was a Sunday school teacher who wanted to impress upon her students the importance of giving their youth and prime to the Lord.
One day she was sitting in her car with the window rolled down and some of the girls walked past talking with each other. She overheard one girl saying that she wanted to enjoy her life first, and then when she got older she would serve the Lord. The teacher had a bright idea and sent that girl a package in the mail.

When the girl opened it, she found to her dismay that it contained a great bouquet of roses, but unfortunately they were all wilted, limp, and dying. They had a fragrance, but it wasn’t the fragrance of roses. She figured that there must have been some mistake.

The next week her teacher asked her, “so did you get something in the mail?”
“Yes,” she replied, “it had a great bouquet of roses in it, but unfortunately they were all wilted and old.”
“I sent those roses to you,” the teacher said. “I bought them early last week and enjoyed them all week. They were so fresh and beautiful, full of fragrance and delicacy. But towards the end of the week, they began to wilt and spoil, and when I saw them I thought of you and decided I’d send them to you for you to enjoy.” Then she leaned forward and said quietly, “You see, that’s what you’re doing with the Lord. You want to enjoy the beauty and prime of your life and then you plan on giving the leftovers to the Lord. Do you think that’s what He wants? Your fading years, or your prime? Is that all He’s worthy of?”

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

2009-12-07T11:11:00.001-05:00

Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Refrain

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

O, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Refrain

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!

Refrain

Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

Refrain

- Jean S. Pigott -

Quoted from: The Cyber Hymnal

To live is Christ...

2009-12-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:21

If to live is Christ: We have everything. [Romans 8:32]
Ephesians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ..."
If to die is gain: We have even more. [Revelation 22:3-4]
John 11:25-26 "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yet it must be: Thy love had not its rest
Were Thy redeemed not with Thee fully blest.
That love that gives not as the world, but shares
All it possesses with its loved co-heirs."

John N. Darby

Photos...

2009-12-02T20:12:00.001-05:00

Here are a few recent photos I've taken around our house.

The big paddock fence

The barn (the colors in this one were very slightly tweaked in Photoshop!)

A rock up close

More rocks up close

Testing the aperture on my Canon G9

A stone wall

The sunset

Quotes worth Quoting: #3

2009-12-01T11:00:00.004-05:00

"Christ is a substitute for everything,
but nothing is a substitute for Christ."
Harry Ironside
Taken from Wholesome Words

Good Christian websites

2009-11-30T10:50:00.002-05:00

Here are some links to some good Christian resources online. I'm sure there are many more, but these are just a few of the ones I've come across.

Sermons/Messages:
Voices for Christ - This website has hundreds (thousands, perhaps) of messages by many excellent speakers.
GoodNewsNows.info - This website has several different CD with good gospel presentations which you can order or listen to online.
BUCKIT Week messages - These are the messages from the 2008 and 2009 BUCKIT (Bible University Christian Knowledge Intensive Training) weeks. You can read more about what it is here.

Articles:
Uplook.org - This is the website for the Uplook magazine. You can read the latest edition and browse older editions as well.
Powered Youth - This is a sporadically updated website/online magazine with articles by and for young people.

Publishers:
Lamplighter Publishing - Lamplighter publishes books with excellent character-building stories. They have recently starting producing them in dramatized audio format.
Gospel Folio Press - GFP publishes many good Christian books, calendars and more.

Music/Hymns:
The Cyber Hymnal - This site has the tunes and lyrics for thousands of hymns.
Saints Serving - This website provides good resources for learning to sing 4-part harmony from Hymns of Truth and Praise (the red book) and Hymns of Worship and Remembrance (the blue book).
Bible Memory System - This website provides Scripture verses put to music.
PursuingLife.com - This website has many of the Psalms arranged a capella.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T23:00:00.006-05:00

Today is the day that is commonly called Thanksgiving. I looked up Thanksgiving on Wikipedia and it said: "While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday."

I'm not sure who or what the people that are celebrating it as a secular holiday are thanking! I'm sure glad that we can thank the Lord for all of the blessings He has given us, and especially for His Son Jesus Christ!

I looked up the words 'Thanks' and 'Thanksgiving' on Bible Gateway. It came up with a lot of passages!

Whether or not you celebrate a certain day of the year particularly for giving thanks, we should be sure to give thanks to God every day for what He's given us!

Here's a link to another post I wrote about being thankful.