A Summary

 

 

It's a chilly rainy day here in Northern Michigan, a good day to stay home and blog. The photo above was taken last month while camping at Reedsburg Dam in Houghton Lake.

It was supposed to be a four day or more camping trip, but it rained all that week so we came home early...and now we are getting ready to wrap up the camper for the winter, but may take it out for one more trip first...and it is raining. But, with what folks just went through from the hurricane down south...I'm not going to complain about a little rain here!

It's funny how I can get all sorts of ideas to blog about, but when I sit here in front of the screen with the curser blinking on the page...I can't think of anything!

So...Here's a few photos that were taken through the summer...Kinda like a 'summary of the summer' lol!

Enjoy!

*(just click on them to see bigger)*

Beautiful spring sunset

A bored Buddy...C'mon, Mom n Dad...I'm tired of doing puzzles!

Sunrise over the Saginaw Bay

Probably the biggest thing that happened to us this year is that WE SAW A BEAR!

Our home away from home



 

This pup's got the right idea...Camping = relaxing

 

This is not Buddy...He is a pup we rescued from the middle of a busy road and kept him for a weekend until his owner was found...His name is Moose...and we absolutely adored him and would have kept him forever!

 

 

This is the first baby cardinal I've ever seen. There was a nest next to our bedroom window. I felt honored that the parents trusted us enough to place their nest there

An inquisitive little calf

Sasha and Bud exploring

A busy little beaver

Not the best picture, but I like how this hummingbird looks kind of ghostly

 

 

 ~Blessings & Love~

and always remember, we are...

 

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

When I grow up.

 

These are some of my current art projects...The last one I made with the intention of coloring them someday.

What kind of grown up do you want to be?

That is a question reserved for children isn't it?

Hi friends, I was listening to 'Family Life Radio' on my way to Bible study yesterday when they asked that question...It was meant for those of us who are already grown ups, and the question was actually about what sort of person you wanted to be when you become an older adult. Well, I know a lot of my friends who read this blog are older adults, and since I was on my way to Bible study where most of the ladies are older adults, it made me think about the attributes that I so admire about my older and wiser friends...and the many valuable things that I have learned and am  still learning from them....Things like patience, gentleness, kindness, respect for others, humbleness, and loving the Lord and others.
Daily I pray that God will help me to be like this...
 (1 Peter 3:4):
 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

 God has truly placed many precious older women into my life since I was very young, and now that I am growing older myself I hope that I can be an example to the younger women too. This is scriptural...

 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (Titus 2: 3-5)

Having raised three daughters, I do have some experience with teaching younger women...But now that I am back in church I realize that when I left I was still considered a young woman and now I have returned as an older woman which means I have a new responsibility within my church family to be a good example to and to teach and encourage the younger wives and mothers.
The question posed by the radio station was two-fold. The second part of that question was: What are you doing now to become the older adult that you feel the Lord wants you to be? I can't honestly and completely answer that yet, I am doing this one thing for now though...I am patiently  waiting to hear what the Lord is trying to say through His Word and through the older friends who He has placed in my life, and I am learning to be a kinder, more loving person who resembles the Savior more as I grow older. At least that is my goal!
*But this doesn't mean that I must be a grown up all the time...Me and my best friend Deb are arranging a play date real soon...We are both pretty artsy fartsy so we're gonna get together and draw and color like a couple of little girls!

So, my dear friends...
How would you answer the questions?


~Blessings & Love~
and always remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

De-cluttered living room and more views from my Venture van!

BEFORE

                                                                                   AFTER

I can't believe how dramatic the change is by just removing a couple items!

I am loving this de-cluttering. ♥ 

Here is close up at a better angle

 

 

Now for some pictures I took on the way home from my daughter's house today...

 

 

 

I'm so glad I decided to explore a new road!

This barn sure caught my attention...

Here's some details of the art work:

 

While I was taking pictures of the barn...

Someone was intently

watching me!

 

I almost missed him and nearly drove away.

 

More autumn beauty to behold 

 

Well friends, The appraiser has come and gone. She was a very nice lady who is a fellow dog lover. I took Buddy to my daughter's house before she came though because I didn't want to have to deal with his anxiety at having a stranger walking through the house...My own anxiety was enough to handle! I kept Sasha home though because she has been acting as though her arthritis is bothering her and I didn't want to stress her out. She is much more easy going than Bud is anyway.

 

The lady got a kick out of this rock that I painted for Jeff last July!

(He is infatuated with Big Foot)

 

Well, that's about it for today...I will be back soon, Lord willing...and maybe with a few more pictures as I continue to de-clutter some other areas of the house and explore some more in the Venture van...weather permitting.

 

~Blessings & Love~

and always remember, we are...

 

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

AdVentures in my Venture van...

I was late for Bible study last week because I kept pulling over to take pictures on my way to the church...

 

These two are normally always side by side whenever I pass by them. This was the first time I seen them apart. If they were standing together it would be obvious that the one in the second picture is actually a tiny pony! I see these two twice a week on my way to church and Bible study.

 

This trail seemed to beckon to me...Sigh, I cannot follow it on foot anymore, so I must be content to view it from my van.

 

On our way home from dinner Friday evening...

 

Love the vibrant splashes of yellow in the sky

 

...And in the trees!

 

Autumn is indeed in full color here in Northern Michigan, and I am trying to soak it all up before it is gone. I have been very busy de-cluttering the house this week in preparation for an appraisal because we are in the process of refinancing our mortgage! At one point I had to call my best friend Deb to pray for me to be able to continue the job as the chilly fall weather has settled into my bones, and the arthritis has been nearly unbearable!

Well, her prayer really helped...Thank the Lord! I was able to press through and get the last room finished...it was the room where everything seems to get dumped into, but it is very neat and tidy now. After clearing out so much clutter from this house (mostly decorative objects) I am determined to keep it clutter free. I have better things to do in my spare time than to constantly clean, maintain, and rearrange stuff...Life is just too short. I am making more room(and time) for the people and activities that I enjoy instead :-D 

 

I pray you are being blessed with time spent doing what you enjoy with the people you love!

 

Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.

¹¹ As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners    except to feast their eyes on them?  Ecclesiastes 5:10-11

 

~Blessings & Love~

and always remember, we are...

 

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

 

When I don't have all the answers...

...It's OK, because God does!

 

 

We don't have to understand everything.

 

~Blessings & Love~

and always remember, we are...

 

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

The secret to perfect peace is...

 

...What more is there to say?

 

 

~Blessings & Love~

and always remember,

we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~