Are we quenching the thirst compelled by that we love?

Wednesday at my doc appointment there was this new nurse who was so vibrant. Who just transferred from bed side nursing. She was glowing with a love of life energy.
She said something that touched me to the core.

That day I had a bit of a low sense of self. Of late I have felt dull and life was without much luster.
When I commented on the beauty of her energy


she said..."I love what I am doing, I am learning more about what I love to do every day"

It really hit me. Do I love what I am doing? Am I learning more about what I love everyday?
Just what is it I really love to do? For me there are several things, BUT am I learning about them.

Am I quenching the thirst, that the love, of what I am doing compels?



I think I will just spend some time listing out those things that I love. Funny how it gave me a very light heart and a hope.

I Love too...

sew

garden

parent

cook

train dogs

flowers

enjoy living things, wild life

live in a beautiful environment

live simply and debt free

avoid shopping

encouraging others

disseminating information that might help others

Interior decor

so today..

I will learn more about my surger

read up on the tomato problem in the garden and water the garden

decide if I will plant anything else for this summer (we will have a vacation this year and the care of pets and garden will be delegated. I want to keep that as easy as possible for whoever is doing those tasks)

Make a chore chart for the kids

Think about or read a cookbook for ideas

Walk my dog and train him

Water my flowers and feed them

let the hens out Maybe make some wild bird food?

Clean my closet

try baking soda to scrub the kids tub

fill in the budget ready the bills to be paid

email or call a friend

write this post

clear the sewing room wall of nails and tape fill holes
I hit ctrl/C, to copy this over to a word document and then printed it for my list to help me keep focused and motivated.

What do you love to do?

What will you do to fulfill your heart today?

:}

Thankful Thrusday

"...He has given a life, a life abundantly."

Outside the kitchen window the self sewn amaranth is drying as the wild birds are comically dangling from it gleaning the seeds.
I came home Sunday night from the folks and had a few fine gifts given to me.
My MILove sent home some empty containers (I put everything in jars in the pantry to avoid insect infestations).

She thought of me while watching a "Sewing with Nancy" TV show, she ordered the book for me.
Then she gave me the project she sampled and the lovely fabric too.
She made me some more knitted cloth for pot holders.
Lots of coupons too...they really did help a lot this week.

This bird house was made from the fallen oaks in Connecticut from this winters ice storms.
I love it when folks get creative.
My sister gave it to me for my birthday.

Monday the field trip to the state capital.
My friend came with her daughter too.
Unfortunately the girls (hers and mine) were in a tiff.
We had a real nice day considering it got up to 108* outside.
On a school buss with NO A/C

photo deleted

Arizona State Capital

photo deleted
This was my group.
Oh they were great kids.

Now on Tuesday morning my Dove came out of her room with a new look.
A new attitude to match it too :)
She is growing up so fast!
Daddy Man made her a CD of the Jonas Brothers, Camp Rock.
She is now listening to the music every morning (for the last week) while she showers.
What a wonderful child she is.
We are tending to the conversations of the Pre t*en year...
Soon she will be in her last year of early childhood.

Tuesday evening my beloved and I tended to gathering the last of the poppy seed and clearing off the walkway.
Seeds were also saved of the vines.
It is so hot now that the plants are off the eave and set under the others for some shade and heat relief.

We spent the evening Dove and I watched the Camp Rock on my computer to pre screen it.
I do not like to just let them get so involved without seeing if it matches up to my boundary.
It was so wonderful sitting there with my daughter. Every once in a while she would open up and tell me about the deep things she thinks about.
I am so glad to slow me down and spend that time listening.

So tired on Tuesday Morning I had no idea of how I might attend Bible Study.
I saw this and so set it up and made it a few minutes late.
I wish I had not gone...

Sadly pharisees were in their click.
I am an odd bird fly to my own view of the by and by.

An extremely small group now.
Pharisees have a way of filtering out those who are week, or sick are any unlovely.
Really Really SAD!
The two ladies in the foreground are an exception.

It took me much of Tuesday to over come the grief of it all.
Tuesday evening was a hard one for my darling too.
At his employ they had a catastrophic failure.
No lives lost thank God.
Millions lost, however.
The same day however there was also a grand success of a different project.
So it was a hard evening compounded by the efforts to go get a water tank.
My darling hurt his foot then the tail gate malfunctioned.
We all stayed home and postponed the trip to get it.

The last 5 days this is what I have been doing.
Loading up the freezers to get us through the summer

As many of you do for the winter I do in the summer.
In the heat of it groceries can spoil easily.
Food born illness is a real life threatening issue.

The heat in a car can get over 140 in 5 minutes here.
Going out in summer is avoided by me with great effort.

So I hit lead ins and got chicken breast for .77 a pound.
A lot of it.

Lunch meat is a staple here.
So with a smoking deal this freezer was loaded.
Note I remove the paper packaging on things.
Paying to chill card board is a little silly.

All groceries are on average only 30-50% of at cost.
I stood amazed at what I was able to get for so little.
No summer shopping!
YA!
Foiled are those onions harvested.

Yesterday I finally got the water tank.
I was able to get it for the same price as just the skid on the bottom of another one.
330 gallons

It was a wonderful drive on an aptly perfect rainy day.
It was so pretty out.
A good 30 mile trip I think S and E of here.
It was through the open lands, the farms and fields.
It was a good drive to heal the day before.

My life abundant...A raining day to go get the water tank.
Funny irony isn't it.
I know that this is going to make a real difference in the stewardship of the water resorces available to me for the garden.

It will find it's permanent home here. under the eave ans will gather the run off water from the roof. sq.----of the roof X .06= gallons for 1 inch of rain fall.

The fellow also had these screw on lidded buckets for food grade storage.
I got 4 of them. Now the bulk storage will be much easier to access and to keep safe.

Garden details to be found on
BEE BLISS BLOG
Last night several hours spent on this layout of the garden and the extension.
I planned for crop rotation. Nitrogen( high, medium, low) beds to suit the like minded plants.

This morning I did this work.
Because I was given this
:)
Staked out the plots for the extension.

Changed the plot from this....

To this...

It will have 2 ft raised path by the house wall , then 4 ft. recessed center bed, then 2 ft raised path and a 3ft recessed bed by the fence wall.
Study has taught about using gravity for water conservation. It I need to Hill Up the plants I will still be below grade in the main of the bed.

This will be the forth of the days that this has been an afternoon family time.
The kids and I really enjoy this time of laughter and just silliness.

They both made it through another school year.
Today is the last day of school.

I got them a little graduation gift.

Life...
More abundantly...
He wasn't kidding.
:)

Forever in gratitude.

Art Master Piece

A bit of a vent here.
I am so...struggling with the shades of anger here.
I just got a call from the lead over me in the volunteer service from the public school. She too just a person a mom of a student.

She began The call with ...."I will be picking up all the art prints next week...This will be the last week." no greeting or salutation at all!

I Said "oh hi S----, how are you? I did leave those in the class rooms and the material is in the box in the copy room... Oh, I will be interested in serving next year"

she then continued with " well I had an issue that you need to stick to the guide lines...no art projects...and the time limit must be adhered too." I never did an in class room art project. I did encourage them to explore art on there own time and passed out a paper one day of a flower. The one teacher gave them back to me, I did not expect her to and was surprised. Now Dash's teacher she was only ever Not hostile feeling on the very last visit".

"oh, say I, was there a problem?...Who had an issue?"
Wanting to apologize to the offended. Perhaps problem solve would be a timer next year?

She said "that is not important the important thing is that you stick to the guide lines that is why they are in place."..........

I told her..."I am not offend it is just that I was unaware there was any issue. The teachers have asked of me to continue and to stay"

She said "That's fine for those teachers. Well there was a issue , and that is why the guide lines are in place.

"All right well thanks for letting me know...See you next year..." say I

good by..was her reply!

Not a thank you or anything!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have gone out of my way to offer service for several months at the sacrifice of my own family and home by choice and the lack of acknowledgment...well I guess that is my issue that it is an offense to me...I am human.

Makes me wonder 1) either I am her kicking dog 2) perhaps someone used her for a kicking dog.
3) she is a well shall we say...a dark soul! (cant see her soul) all right to be fair...her behavior was dark!

The children and the fondness they show is thanks in full true, but really!

How well can you keep volunteers if you treat them like that!
Oh that's right I was the very last hold out, perhaps only one other person had prints in class rooms last week...That might just explain that.

I was so angry!!!!, and ya know that is alright I was just treated with rudeness and offensively. Now I have some work to do not to allow this hostile feeling to germinate. I want to just tell those two teachers off for not telling me if there was an issue.
I am humiliated and embarrassed too. I think she shamed me...Interesting I see it now. Well shame on her. That is not right to treat anyone with that as your power tool.

Did I error so badly because it is hard for me to keep time and talk to 28 kids at the same time.
I think I am hurt. I think I need to get a really good grip:}

I called Dash's teacher and left a message declining to demonstrate the painting with oils next week. I said it was not part of the Art Master piece and that I would not want to use up her valuable class time.

Now watch it was probably that other teacher who had an issue. You know what though I am not going to even put myself in that position. I wish I would of pulled my son from her room like I wanted to at the first of the year. I am sure there must be some grater purpose here but I am not enjoying it and neither is Dash.
I better shut up and cool off.
:}
Wow how hard it is to accept critique when given so poorly.
I am working through to keep my hands clean and my heart pure.

This bread baking, garden loving woman.

It was a good thing to be home today.
The service time in Doves class room was put off today.
I was tired and needed to nest and feel the earth.
Time in the garden is good for me.
Kneading bread is humbling too, so good for time in prayer.


The girls in the coop needed some new turf so I did some of the dung from the dogs and moved the hutch to greener lands. The chickens were very happy at this. They were enjoying a nice sit in the moist green grass that was high to them. then I mucked the coop and got the treat of petting Maybell and Prissy. They gave 4 eggs today. The new saw dust made for a nice place for the hens to come investigate. They are very curious birds.


Time in the garden gave way to my first salad.
Now that was just too....cool!!!!!!!!!garden salad

bread to bake
Today I tried a new thing or two.
Olive oil in the bread
Honey to sweeten it.
The yeast LOVED the living honey.
It was a good time to make bread today for we are low on the sliced loaf.
It is good to do the recipe and just make two of the loaf and then other things to fill in the menu.

This was a joy to wash my
living foods. Several little life forms took a swim down the pipes as the life in it is a testament to gardening organically.

The beauty of
organic earth in my sink.
The simple pleasures.

12:55 a fast lunch and out the door looking well lived in
this vessel of clay and flour. :)

At this point I had a commitment to attend
"Moms in Touch", for intercession. As much as I did not want to exit the estate...I am so very blessed to have done so. We three come together one mind one heart and one purpose.
In joint prayer it is the least lonely a human can be on the earth.

Upon my return!

Hello!
Gently I kneaded out two loaves for sandwich bread.
Then I had an idea...Oh ya!

Alteration from traditional Cinnamon Rolls
Brown sugar was used, butter and my trick to charm the heart a bit of clove.

The baking center is awesome.
Everything is so much easier.

My happy yeast was so excited by the brown sugar.

Bread sticks with herbs De France and garlic salt.

While all this was baking I set the task of securing the tomato plants from the dumb (to smart for my good) dog!

How is that for a ridiculous menagerie!

The chair covers were my inheritance when my first dad died.
I really do not want them out in the sun like that.

Man I hope I get to harvest these fruits.

Speaking of fruit.
The fruits of my labor.
Yet the dishes call you know oh boy howdy do they call!

A simple frosting of powder sugar , vanilla and soy milk was drizzled on the rolls.
Yes they were very very good! :)
Danger...step away from the roll...
Melted butter was drizzled over the bread sticks.

A real "garden Salad"
I did it!
after a lot of hard work and persistence I grew a salad!
Made the bread and served it all with spaghetti marinara.
Note the harvet of strawberry was four of them. Just enough to adorn each plate!

Dash to find out if he needs surgery in the morning

I have to leave here at 7 a.m. to take Dash to the city to St Joe Clinic. He has to find out if he needs surgery , he will also be getting new hearing aide molds. I'll take both the kids with me so Steve misses no work.
Then I will take the kids back to school and do my service in Doves' room 10-noon.
Then I need to head on over at 1p.m. to do our Mom's in Touch our intercessory prayer fellowship for our elementary school.
The kids get out a bit early on Wednesdays so I'll have time to get home then at 4p.m. our financial advisory is coming to look at what is left of our retirement.
At 7p.m. I have a session to earn $65. in a consumer consultation with a research firm. I am doing a study on carpet cleaners.
Five appointments in one very hectic day. A very long early morning drive 40 mile round trip.
service work, prayer, finance and employment all in a very full day.
Needless to say the lunches must be quickly made in the morning and sleepy kids loaded into a rig. With blanket fully dressed and fed on the road?
I need to eat too.
Wow, I had a full day today too. It is truly amazing what I am made able to do.
Almost 9 p.m. now so I'll sign off pretty soon and shower and do all the prep work. I have to find two documets to take with me in the morning. I have to do the financial review for qualifying in the morning at the hospital. I know already that our status has changed from zero out of pocket to 100% out of pocket, after insurance is billed I will then be billed a reduced medicar rate for all and any copays and all or any over an above or not covered. Insurance does not cover hearing aides for kids. So Peace be with me....
:) Finacaial at 7:30 a.m. and two kids who would rather be any where else! Oh how I hope Dash does not pull the attitude he did on me last time!

By the way President Oboma will be at the high school one block from our MIT meeting and 1/8 th mile from the elementary school.
Think traffic might be a challenge:)

I will overcome for He will cause me to be able.
The reward of a job at the nights end to help with budget is truly a gift.
$65 for 1 1/2 hours of giving my opinion. I can deal with that.
I will not be getting home until 10 p.m. by the drives end.
YEE HAW

Don't mind your prayer just one bit
:)
Please.