One of God's many reminders...

In the middle of winter with news that we are headed to another hot and dry summer...I love that God reminds me DAILY of just staying in the moment. Don't get ahead of yourself Mary Kay. Enjoy today.  I am blessed beyond what I deserve, I am trying hard to stay in the moment. I am working around the house today and had to stop and go out and take a picture of this:

See in the middle of winter when all is brown and dry...up pops a reminder of God's perfect plan! Sweet little violets. (Thank you Sherri for sharing these little plants with me MANY years ago!)

I have so many blogs to write but I am doing my best to not stress out with my long list of "to-dos" and instead keep my eyes on the blessings in today.

Glory Glory!

Wow. I have planted morning glory's in my back yard for several years. I was inspired by a dear friend, Sherri Luttrell. She has a very green thumb. I am trying too! The first year I put the seeds in the ground and they went crazy. The next year...not so much. This summer was my third attempt. The seeds popped up and began to crawl on the trellis. But, there were very few flowers. It was TOO hot and dry this summer, they just couldn't take the heat! :) But now that we are blessed with cooler days, just look what happened. When I see that out my kitchen window each morning...it sure makes getting up easier! Thank you God for the amazing colors, textures, shapes and the surprises of fall! I highly recommend these flowers! The seeds will set you back a couple of dollars at most but the dividend is quite amazing! Isn't God just the most amazing artist ever!!!

Yahoo, it is Spring!

I can see my tulips peaking through the dirt and it reminds me of how much I love Spring. I love how God renews the earth with color, textures and smells! It reminds me that I can start playing in the dirt again! I do love digging, planting and watching God take over! A few weeks ago, I pointed out to Owen and Clay the tiniest little green tip of a tulip that was poking through the ground and reminded them to stay on the path in the backyard instead of walking through the flower beds so that we didn't hurt "Honey's tulips". Owen came in from the backyard last week, so excited to announce "Honey, we didn't hurted your tulips, cause they are growing!!" Isn't it so fun to share nature with children! Wow, I guess that is exactly how God feels, sharing nature with His children! Thank you God for the amazing earth you have blessed us with!

R-Red Bike

There is just something fun about redoing something old! This bike has been leaning up against the shop for a number of years. I decided to give it a fresh coat of red paint, tie on a wire basket full of flowers and park it in one of our flower beds in the backyard. Some might say, I should have put new tires on it and hit the pavement...but I much prefer the relaxed feel I get when I look out my window and see the touch of whimsy that bike gives our yard!

T- Tulips

Tulips, they are by far my favorite flower. They make me happy. They are planted all in my backyard and I love to wait for them in the spring to start peaking their head through the soil. I watch daily, to see which one will bloom first and it is always a surprise to see what color will bloom first. Yellow, red, pink...it doesn't really matter, because when it comes to a tulip...I love them all!!!

U-Umbrella

I love when we put out the patio umbrellas! It means there will be cook-outs, dinners outside, watching the little boys splash in their kiddie pool, homemade ice cream, etc. Though the heat is a little much right now, we still enjoy sitting under those umbrellas and enjoying the sights and sounds of summer!Ahh.

V-Violets

Violets...lovely sweet violets!

Years ago, my sweet friend, Sherri Luttrell gave me a "starter" of her violets. I had always admired the border of sweet little green leaves with an adorable purple flower in the spring that Sherri had in her yard. I cannot tell you know much joy those violets have brought me. For several reasons:

#1-you can't kill em!

#2-they were free and during those days buying flowers was not always in the budget.

#3-they MULTIPLE!! So, I went from having them around one little flower bed to having them around almost every flower bed in my yard plus I have been able to divide them and share them with family and friends. This spring, I took a box full to Ashley's and she put them to good use! I just divided some to give to Meg today!

#4-in the summer, when they start looking pretty "burnt" around the edges of the leaves, I just snip them off at the ground and about a week later they pop back up and start "smiling" again! They flower in the early spring.

Thank you Sherri! It never fails when I am working in my yard and see those violets, I always think of you and your sweet friendship. 

(Okay, the picture isn't so great but it was the only one I could find! The violets are bordering the walkway up to the boys sandbox in the backyard)

God reminded me through a packet of seeds!

I can't say that I have a green thumb, but I sure try! I love working in my yard...actually I like digging in the dirt! I love planting flowers, designing flowerbeds...yes...I even find satisfication in mowing (though Larry might be shocked to hear this). I normally buy my flowers in those little six-packs...and it is not an quick run to the garden store for me. It takes me awhile. I have to survey ALL the choices, then I must select what type of flower I want to plant and then comes the decision of what colors to plant and if more than once color is needed...what will blend with each other and with what's already in the yard! Yes...it is quite a production! This year, I decided to plant some morning glory seeds that had sat in my utility room for over a year. To say the least, I was "doubtful" they would even sprout, which just goes to show you what little faith I had! I read the directions, plopped them into the ground, covered them up with a little dirt, gave them a little drink and went about my business.

THAT IS WHERE GOD TOOK OVER!!!

He has taught me a lot this summer...God has sweetly reminded me of His power and goodness through those tiny little seeds...

He has taught me about what can happen when we plant the seed and leave the rest to God. I have been blown away by the display of morning glories I enjoy each morning when I walk into my kitchen and look at the window. Larry had built me an arbor several years ago and I just hadn't found anything that would climb it and also give me a blanket of blooms...well God has once again reminded me of His power!

I even planted some of the seeds on the side of the house, and once again God blew me away!

The lesson has nothing to do with the flowers...which don't get me wrong...they have been a delight. It has been a beautiful reminder of all the ways God provides for us. He has nutured these flowers, watered them, given them just enough sun and just enough shade to flourish...like He does for us each day! He gives us all the right ingredients to live a good life...He provides for us so abundantly! He wants to see us grow!

But what I have been reminded about once again is about the seeds! He wants us to plant seeds in this world so that He can nourish them!

Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do NOT give up! Galatians 6:9