Snowfall, Blessings and Distractions

How is it I am so blessed? Look at this beautiful morning sky on the first little snowfall for the season yesterday. God knows each of us so deeply that He knows the simple thinks like a beautiful sky will make my morning start out with a smile. This makes me think about how much I have been missing. Do I look for the ways God blesses me each day? Do I take for granted the things in my life and miss the joy and pleasures God wants me to have because I am not paying attention? I think I have been sliding along lately not being aware of what is around me. I have been so focused on "me" and things in "my" life that I am missing out on what He has to share with me. I think I am going to work on looking harder at those around me and be more aware of His presence in different ways. :)

Jed really likes this barn on the neighbor's property. It does present a beautiful background for photos. Today there is just a skim of snow. I am sure it will be really great when we get a deep snow. I just missed the horses. They were feeding on the hill in front of the barn but by the time I grabbed the camera they were being called to breakfast. There will be other days.

I believe this is the evidence of the critter that wakes me up some nights (like last night) crawling around under the house. Good thing is, if this is the critter, I believe it is a cat and that means she is keeping the mice under control. Bad thing is, how is she getting under the house and can other critters get there also and.....why does she have to be so noisy!!!!!

 

Another beautiful shy painting by the most Awesome artist ever....GOD!!!



 

 

Pumpkins and Hedge Apples with a tiny touch of the snow flakes.

 

 

I think once the house is in better order and organization is my friend again, I am really going to like living out away from the hustle of city life. I find myself being more observant to little things of beauty like the picture above and less worried about the stresses of this fallen world. Do you struggle with "the world" we live in? I find my mind wonders a lot on the negative that surrounds me. I want to get away from that and be able to focus more on the beautiful blessings. And yes, some of those beautiful blessings come in the form of trials but still they are blessings of strength and growth. I desire to be able to search scripture and read more and secretly ( not so secretly now I guess) I am thrilled that we don't have TV. The internet is enough of a distraction we don't really need TV. Jed may not feel the same with football season in swing. LOL! What are your distractions in life. What keeps you from being able to enjoy the little things God puts in your path? What do we do about it?

 

Well, enough rambling for today. Hope you have enjoyed the pictures and ramblings. Have a blessed day!

 

Ronda :)

 



Trying Again - The Journey has Begun

It is obvious Blogging is not one of my strong points...yet. It has been 7 months since my last blog and the main reason is to have a "diary" per say of what is going on in my life. I really wanted to track the process of buying a house but I found it so time consuming that I have not written a thing. So here we are now in our new home and no details have been recorded. I think I will start some things about the house and life now.

So here it is. There have been a lot of changes happening at this location since September when we closed. We are thrilled to have lots of room to roam and a little pond to keep Jed's fishing wrist happy. What I have been most impressed with so far is the beautiful sun rises and sun sets the Lord has put in our view. It is something most people don't think about but when you are in the city and you see beauty like this, it is always laced with towers and electric poles and high rises. Out here, there is the occasional pole or line but mostly it is all just the beauty of God's Creation!

For my "diary" purposes I am going to add a few more pictures and explanations. Feel free to browse through. I may even try to post before and afters...well nearly afters....since nothing is totally complete yet.

Day of Purchase

Getting started on the renovation.

Pantry removed and wall extended upward.

Floor and cabinets installed with new paint color :)

Other new appliances with old cabinets. We will eventually replace them to match the new ones and get a new sink and all new/matching countertops. Next step is to paint the cabinets red and repaint my cabinet (the white one) and add the top hutch part to it.

A peak at the next project - finishing the hall bathroom.

This is what it looked like upon purchase.

Tub and surround are installed and that is what we use. Still no sink or toilet.

This will be part of the bathroom. Hopefully this weekend.

I close out today's writings with one of those beautiful sunrises I talked about. Have a blessed day!

11/12/13

 

Ronda :)

 

Silence... a God thing

Silence is golden....really? I guess there are many times when silence is preferred; after a long day with a fussy toddler, phone calls that seem to go on and on, construction all day long...yep, silence can be golden. But that is not the silence I am talking about. I am talking about silence from God. Does it happen? Is it really His silence or are we just not listening? If it is real, why does it happen? When does it happen?

Right now I am in a time of silence from God. I question it. Is it OK to question it?  God called me to do a task and it seems like He has left me. NOW....I know better!! He has not and never will leave me. But why is He silent? I believe it is OK to question His silence as long as I am searching for the why. It there a lesson or two I should be learning? Is this a time of growing, patience, trust?

As time goes on, I will talk more about Journey Women. But for now, it is a ministry in my life that is having a season of silence. I am anxious to see where God is going to take this ministry but He has not given the next step...yet. Waiting can be discouraging. This is where I feel my faith being tested to grow. My husband just said God is telling me to be silent...LOL! I think that is Jed's wish not God's. HAHA! Back to discouragement....I fight it, I loose the battle, I try again, He strengthens me, His Word encourages me at just the right moment. Have you been there?

Share with me. What seasons of silence have you gone through? Did you find the purpose? Tell me your journey through that time. I want to grow, learn and love more than ever before.

Loving my Jesus!
Ronda

The Beginning; The Why; The Me

Today I decided to start writing my blog. The very first thing I want to do is give a great big THANK YOU to Tessa @ eyebrow…http://www.tessamcknight.com/ for her help….ok….her “design” of this page. I tried, I really did. But in the end I hated it. Thank you Tessa for getting me set up and started!

 

About now I bet you are asking why I am writing a blog. Well, there are several reasons why I have chosen to begin writing.

 

     First is because it will become a diary of sorts for me to look back and see where God has guided me in this journey home. Now before someone asks I will answer the obvious “elephant in the room” question. What does “my journey home” in the title mean? We are all headed to an eternal home. I am so thankful to my Savior Jesus Christ that my eternal home is Heaven. I don’t know when that journey will move me into Heaven but I do know every moment on earth is a part of the journey God has called me to take. It is my desire to love more and grow closer to God while on this journey.

 

     Second is because there are things I am passionate about and things I really dislike but they are important in life. So you will be hearing about many topics ranging from spiritual issues, to prepping, to being frugal, to uuugggggg….the dreaded topic of politics. When I find things in other places or blogs that are important to me, I will link to them (when I learn the proper way to do this) and share with you.

 

     Third is the simple reason of leaving a legacy. I have done very little to share with anyone about who I really am. Honestly, most days I wonder who I am. LOL! I often wish I knew more about who my mom was at certain ages and stages of life. As I seek to leave something behind for my children and others, I also hope to find inner nuggets into who I am according to God’s desires for me and in turn I hope to GLORIFY Him in every post.

 

     I am confident this is going to be fun for me simply because I already know God is working in my life. Will it be fun for you?? Some days you may love it and others you may wonder why you are wasting your time. I hope it is more of the “love it” days but ultimately this will be who I am and what I want to share or simply remember; not about pleasing or impressing anyone else.

 

     There are no promises to write daily or weekly or whatever. I will post when I have something to say or God leads my hands on the keys. I will always try to be brief but as you can see, I write just like I talk…lots of words. So, stick me in your “favorites”…or not….and come along as I continue a journey.

 

May your heart always be open to the truth we find in scripture and willingness to be what Christ has called you to be.

 

Love in Christ

Ronda :)