{ When God starts working through you }

 

I am in absolute shock and awe at the moment.  Pure overwhelming, awe, love, thanksgiving and amazement at God and what He does.

I always heard that when you start having a close relationship with God, that He will sometimes work through you.  He will use you to minister to someone, to send a message, to tell someone something they really needed to hear.  It hadn't happened to me yet, but this afternoon, at my doctor's appointment no less, He used me, gave me the words and helped me minister and encourage my gynecologist.  Unbelievable!

I had mentioned that I was nervous and anxious, as I always am for these appointments, let's be honest, it's not something that any woman likes doing.  It's scary, it's uncomfortable, awkward and seems to instill this fear in you of what could possibly go wrong or be wrong.

My biggest thing has always been the breast exam.  For some reason that just freaks me out more than even a pap smear.

I had been in prayer the past week, because my previous doctor who I absolutely loved, left the beginning of last year, so by the time my appointment rolled around in November, I had a new doctor.  

When I went for that appointment, I was so nervous and though she was very sweet, I felt that she was a bit rough with the breast exam.  I know they have to check and prod and poke but she was pushing super hard, I felt like I was sore for days after.  I didn't want that to be a repeat, and so I had been praying over that.  Turned out that I didn't even need to do the breast exam.  Apparently they are no longer being used if you are low risk and are up to date with mammograms.  I don't know, but right there a huge relief washed over me.

She proceeded to do my pap smear and pelvic exam, everything was fine, and then we were doing the final chat, you know when they tell you everything is fine, what and if they need you to do as a follow up, like my routine blood work, and she also wants me to get my colonoscopy done.  (I have been putting that off forever, but it needs doing).

She commented on how amazing I looked, how much younger and healthier, she was shocked that I had lost 45 pounds, and was genuinely so happy for me.  

I was telling her what a blessing this whole blood work had turned out to be, because even though I was upset at first, if she hadn't sent me for the blood work, and my triglycerides hadn't show a slight increase, I never would have started this health journey.  She was a blessing in disguise, and the results of the test were a blessing from God too because it gave me the push I needed to get healthy.

At this point, I started feeling the tears pooling in my eyes.  I tried very hard to not cry, but I couldn't help it, and I started crying and before I knew it, she had moved her stool next to me, and was crying herself.  I then started feeling this immense need to minister to her, to talk to her about God and I am not a person to do that at all.  I am quite shy in public.

It was an internal struggle for a minute or two, the holy spirit pushing me and me essentially going "nuh uh, I'm not saying anything."  And then it happened, before I knew it, it just started pouring out of me.  I told her that God loved her, and she began bawling, she grabbed me and hugged me so tight, just sobbing, and I continued to tell her that He loves her, she's an incredible doctor and such a blessing not only to me, but to her other patients.  I don't know why I was saying these things, I have no clue, but she pulled back and through tears said "Oh my God, you don't know how much I need to hear that today, how much I needed that today.  I've had a horrible year, lost so much that was dear to me, and felt like I wasn't doing right in anything.  I have been praying to God to please shine some light, to help me, to let me know that I'm on the right path, that I'm helping my patients, and you come and stand here and give me exactly what I was asking to hear."

Needless to say, there was more hugging and crying.  At one point the holy spirit prompted me to wipe her tears from her face and when I tell you all, that it was almost like it wasn't even me, it was surreal.  I again didn't want to do it, but my hand came up and slowly wiped away her tears and continued to tell her that it's going to be ok, that no matter what she faced last year, that this year is going to be amazing, she's got so much to give, and she is going to do amazing things.  I told her that sometimes God allows us to go through tough situations to mold us into the people He wants us to be, to be better versions of ourselves, to move us out of places and things that no longer work for us. 

 

Before I knew it, she asked if we could pray.  She held both my hands really tight, and prayed, such a beautiful heartfelt prayer.

 

In that moment, I thanked God so much for what He had just done for me and through me.  I have always wanted to have a doctor who is a Christian, who loves God like I do and is not afraid to show it.  And now to have a doctor who is all that, but then prays with me right there in the exam room.

 

I wasn't even dressed guys, this is what makes it even crazier.  I was still in my gown, with my little white sheet over my bottom half.  Essentially naked, and God used me to lift her up and give her the words she needed.

 

When she said goodbye, she told she was going to have the best day, and that seeing the rest of her patients was going to be so wonderful, because she felt she had a purpose again and was doing what God wants her to do.  She left the room with these words to me "I love you sister and I thank God for bringing you to me.  When I first saw you today, I could tell you were different than last year, not just physically but I just felt and saw a light coming from you."

 

Wow!!!!  Just no words!!!  I left that hospital in tears, tears of joy and awe, of shock of what had just happened,  of so much love, so so much more love for God, I can't even put into words the love and the gratitude I have for Him. 

 

There is no bigger compliment than to have someone tell you that they see light shining through you, even if we don't see it ourselves.  To see Jesus in you, to feel closer to God because of you.  That is the most incredible joy anyone can feel.

I wish more than anything that I could somehow transmit to you what I feel and what I experienced today.  If this has happened to you before, you will understand exactly what I'm feeling, but if it hasn't, and if you don't know God, I encourage you to seek Him tonight, right now.  Stop what you're doing, and seek Him, He is waiting with open arms, ready to welcome you and to work on a relationship with you.

Being a Christian is not easy, you go through a lot, you are tested, you are put through the wringer, and some people find that enough reason to not want a relationship with God.  But, if you actually have that closeness and that bond, it is the most powerful, most wonderful most beyond words blessing you could ever have.

Open your Bible, read, get to know Him, don't waste anymore time.

This is an experience that will forever stay with me, it will live etched in my soul forever.  I wish the same for you, truly, I really really do.

 

Let me know if you've been through a similar experience, I would love to hear all about it.

Be aware, but not consumed!

Hello everyone, how have you all been?

I managed to get only one post up last week, which was the Happy Homemaker Monday, and then the rest of the week is a blur.  I was busy, I was tired, I was needing to step back a little.  

Be aware, but not consumed!

This short little sentence has been stuck in my head all week.  With the way things are looking all over the world, I started to feel like I was being pulled into all the negativity.  Everywhere I looked, everyone I talked to, was all about things happening in our country, in the world, the spiritual fight, how everything is so bad, and, and, and......you get what I mean.

During my daily prayers, the only thing that kept coming to my mind was "Be aware, but not consumed".

It's been plaguing me all week, and when I feel this way, I pull back into my shell and disconnected from the outside world.  I needed to go into prayer, I needed to spend time with God, with myself, with my home, and to cut that negativity chain that was keeping me stuck in all the happenings.

It is so important to do this my friends.

Why?

Because you should know what is happening so that you are informed, but you shouldn't allow it to pull you in, to become so consumed with the bad news, that it starts affecting you mentally and physically.

We are God's children, and He is watching over us, protecting us and guiding our steps.  He wants us to know what is happening, but it is not for us to allow it into our souls.  What we surround ourselves with matters, and it affects us and determines what our days will be.

So I did what I do best, I pulled back and into my homemaking.

The days have been super hot too, triple digits with heat advisories and warnings, and when the temperatures get this hot, all I want to do is close the windows, doors and curtains, turn on the AC and stay in my little cocoon, and that is what I did all week.

We have a deep chest freezer which is wonderful, but it is always a huge mess.  Things get tossed in there, it is filled to the top but I don't always know what is in there, which is frustrating because I don't like wasting food or money.  If I don't know what is in there, I end up buying more and there's no need for that.

So, I decided to tackle this freezer.  I opened it up and as you can see in the two pictures above, it was terrible.

I pulled everything out, cleaned it, made a list of everything in there, and then bought some stackable baskets to pack things in, making it look tidier.

It took me a while but I was so happy when it was all done.  I can now see everything in there, and it makes looking for something much easier too.

 

 

Just pottering around the house brings me joy, and peace.  It often makes me feel like I am in an island all by myself, without drama, without craziness, just me and my family, our home, our animals and peace.  It's a good way to live, really, it helps to stay grounded and not overwhelmed.

Mother Theresa once said, "if you want to change the world, go home and love your family."  

How truthful is that?

I've always believed that the reason for so much violence, anger, and chaos, is the heart, the people you surrounded yourself with and how you choose to spend your time.

If more people stayed home, stayed focused on their family, their lives, and keeping to themselves, we wouldn't see the things we do.  I may be completely wrong, but it's what I believe, and since I can't change how others act, I choose to live a life of kindness and positivity myself.

 

 I finished another book this past week, and started a new one, the third in the Sweet Black Waves Trilogy.  I also got in some other books that were on the way from Thrift Books.  I now have a nice pile to read for the month of August, I'll share my August Reading List next week, when I'm back to posting daily again.

I also picked up my yarns and crochet hooks again.  I started a project, didn't like it, pulled it all apart, started again, didn't like it, and pulled it apart again.  Sometimes crocheting is like that for me, until I find the one I really click with, it's a constant start and end and start and end.  But I'm sure I'll get it done.

Printed some patterns up, just quick and easy little things to make for the house.  Also printed out a pattern for some fabric mushrooms I want to make, and hopefully share them all with you next week.  

 

Nothing much else happened.  Like I said, I really just took the week to re-center myself, to remember not to get so caught up and anxious about what is happening or may happen, and to spend more time with the Lord.

I spent the week also in prayer for those that needed it.  A sweet girl that I follow on Youtube was and IS still in need of much prayer, so if you could please send up a prayer for healing for Juliana.

I have followed her on Youtube for many years, and she is such an inspiration.  She has 2 little boys, a 4 year old and a 2 year old, and was pregnant with the third boy.  He was born last week Friday through a C-section, but unfortunately during the surgery a rare occurrence happened where the amniotic fluid mixes with the mom's blood and in 40% of the cases it is fatal for the mother.

Juliana suffered an embolism and cardiac incident and had to be intubated and put in a medically induced coma.  Her little boy is perfectly healthy.  

So many people have been praying for her, and God has delivered a miracle.  On Wednesday she woke up, by Thursday the doctors had started slowly bringing her out of sedation, and today she is fully awake and off the sedation and oxygen.  She is still very weak and in the ICU while they work on making sure her heart and lungs can fully work on their own.

Please pray for Juliana to heal completely so that she may go home and finally get to pick up and hold her baby boy, for the first time.

And with that my friends, I say goodbye, I need to go get my dinner prepped and check on my chickens in this horrid heat. 

Have a wonderful Saturday, God Bless!

 

{ Blog 365 #4 - Ecclesiastes Bible Study }

 

It is January 4th, and I am 3 days behind my Bible Study.  In my defense, hubby only went back to work today, so technically we were still enjoying the holidays.

As life gets back to normal, and the busy holiday season is put behind us, we start to look to the new year ahead.  Some of us make goals, some have resolutions and some have words.

I have neither, though I will say I'm slightly leaning towards some goals this year.  But I won't dare say it out loud, because if I do, I will surely fail.  Really!!!!

You may think I'm kidding, but it's true.  It's like when I say I want to go on a diet and the next thing, I am raiding the fridge in the middle of the night.  It never works.  I've learned that the way my brain works, is to say nothing, and just kind of do it.  

I was supposed to start my Bible Study on the 1st, I didn't but that's ok.  What matter is actually starting it right?

Are any of you currently doing a bible study or starting any this year?

 

I wasn't sure what book I would be doing the study on.  So while in prayer, about 2 or so weeks ago, I asked God to put in my heart which book to focus on.  Immediately Ecclesiastes popped into my mind.  It was so quick, I didn't even have to wonder if it was me thinking it or the Holy Spirit nudging me.

I can tell you that I wouldn't have ever thought of Ecclesiastes.  Was thinking maybe Esther or Ruth, but I have learned that when God speaks, I trust and follow.

After doing a quick search online for a bible study on Ecclesiastes, I came across the Women Living Well website, and there it was.  Not only a video series and study on this book, but even a workbook that I could purchase.  I immediately bought it on Amazon and waited patiently for it to arrive.

 

I don't know why Ecclesiastes, specifically, but I do know that it will be life changing and have multiple light bulb moments.

 

 

If you've done a study on Ecclesiastes, I would love to hear your opinion and what you learned.

A look back:

2006

2007 - Slow Cooking Thursday

2008 - New recipes and some bloggy links

2009 - It's been a long time since I slept in

2020 - Winter break is over

2011 - First day of homeschooling

2012 - Yarn Along

2013 - Between Thread and Needles

2014

2015 -

2016 - Happy Homemaker Monday

2017 - Cast Iron Pizza and how I clean my Cast Iron Skillet

2018

2019 - A blessings jar and the snow has melted

2020

2021 - Happy Homemaker Monday

2022

{ The next time you see a sunflower }

 

The temperatures keep rising, and we keep waiting, sometimes not so patiently, for God to move in this moment.  For Him to send us the rain we desperately need.  The rain that will put out all these wildfires we are having in our State, some very close to home, to quench the dying vegetation, and to help the wild animals that are really struggling to live without water around.

 

There are times in our lives, where we feel a little left out, like in a friendship or around coworkers, sometimes even in our churches.  We feel like we are invisible, like no one is seeing us, our needs or wants are being ignored, and it tends to leave us in a vulnerable state.

 

I have tried very hard to be completely transparent here on my blog, and in my life in general, about my struggles as a Christian woman.  My ups and downs, my battles and trials, the tests I feel I fail or the tests I think I actually excelled in.  There is nothing I am ashamed to admit, especially when it comes to falling short in my spiritual journey.

Sometimes, life gets in the way (because we let it), and we find ourselves not reading the Bible as much as we should.  *raises hand*

I was reading the Bible daily, and even read it whole from the very first page to the last.  Then I decided at the beginning of the year, that I wanted to read it again.  But I should have known that it would be hard to get through the old testament again, it is after all a pretty dry first few books, a lot of information, numbers and tribes, names and names and names that seem to never end.

I should have just picked a book, like I am doing now with Isaiah, and read it, not tried to do it from the beginning to end again.

What ended up happening was that it didn't last long, before that dreaded *life*, got in the way, and I found myself going days and sometimes a week without picking up my Bible.

And so the guilt set in.  The guiltier I felt, the less I read, and the less I read, the guiltier I felt.  Just like that, a constantly spinning circle of guilt holding on to my mind and heart.

I also used to pray constantly, throughout the day.  I sometimes felt like I was in constant prayer, and really living the phrase "pray without ceasing".

But again, life, and then I fell back to praying every morning and every night, then the past week, I've been so busy and so tired, that I fell asleep one night, woke up the next morning and realized I didn't pray at all.  Or, there's those days I would start praying, then fall asleep, wake up and try to continue only to fall asleep, then wake the next morning knowing I never finished my prayer, never said my Amen.....then question myself over the effectiveness of that prayer, if I never closed it off *so to speak*

See how my mind just went completely off the rails?

You're probably wondering where I'm going with this, or why I'm babbling on about it, wait, there is a reason for this whole backstory.  It's something I want to share with you all, in the hopes of bringing you a smile and some hope for your own lives as Christians.

 

Needless to say, I was starting to feel extremely guilty about myself.  I felt that God wasn't listening to me anymore, I mean, why should He?  I wasn't exactly living the life I should be.  I wasn't praying as I thought I needed to, wasn't reading the Bible every day.  I felt so guilty and so sure that He must be just downright upset with me and so disappointed.

 

But God has a way of reeling us back in, and He often uses things He knows will get our attention, like music, or tv or a book, or someone you usually talk to.

 

I was scrolling through Youtube yesterday afternoon, looking for a video to pop on to listen to, while I went about my housework.

 

I stopped on a video that just caught my eye, it was an interview with Donna Rigney.  Donna is a book author and a pastor, who has actually been taken to Heaven and loves sharing what she encountered and what she saw.

She told a story of an encounter she had with Jesus, where she was taken to a field with huge sunflowers.

 

How he told her that many times, the enemy will makes us feel that God is displeased with us, that we have fallen short, that we don't spend enough time with Him or read the word or meditate on it long enough.  But that is the furthest thing from the truth, because God sees our heart, He sees how much we love Him and how much we want to do His will.

 

The enemy will make us feel like we are not loved, we don't deserve to be heard by God because we are not faithful.

 

You guys, that hit me so hard.  It was exactly how I had been feeling.

 

She continued to say that what the enemy is trying to do is to put out our light, make us back away, shy away from being who and what we want to be.  If we do that we no longer talk about God to others, and we no longer shine that beacon of light that brings God's love to others who many not yet know Him.

 

Jesus' last words to Donna were "Whenever you see a sunflower, let it remind you of our smile, our satisfaction and our pleasure with you.  No matter what men say or think, we are well pleased, and you bring delight to us and a smile, not just to our face, but to our heart." 

That was so needed for me to hear, at that moment.  It left me speechless, and I knew that once again, God was pulling me back in, and giving me what I needed to push through this fogginess the enemy had sent over my mind.

 

 

A few hours later, I was out with my husband running errands.  All of a sudden, a car passes us on the highway, and on the back of the car, is a huge sunflower decal.  I have never seen a sunflower decal on a car, ever, in my whole life.

 

I stared at the car in total disbelief and immediately thought of the video I had just watched earlier in the day.  How Jesus said to remember how much we are loved, the next time we see a sunflower.

 

We got home, and I went about my day, totally forgetting about that car.  As I was laying in bed waiting for hubby to come and sit down, so we could watch Mad About You, I popped on a youtube video of a Brazilian girl I have watched for years.

When out of the blue, she pulls out her oven mitts and they are brown with yellow sunflowers.  What?!?!?!?

I have never seen these oven mitts.  At this point I started to laugh, because God has a sense of humor, He has done things in my life at many times, that made me burst into laughter.

I finished that video, hubby came to bed, we started the next episode of Mad About You, and I don't think I need to even tell you what was on the first scenes.

Yeah......a vase with beautiful sunflowers, on their table.  Hahahahaha

Message received loud and clear.  

So moral of the story.  I am no longer feeling as I was, and I am trying my best to get back on track with my prayer and Bible reading, without feeling that overwhelming guilt, or that God is so angry with me over it.

I really do hope that if you have also been feeling this way, you take some peace from this post.  That it may relieve you of any negative feelings you may be feeling.  We are all doing our best, and there are days that we will fall short of our own expectations, but no matter what, we have a God that loves us, that sees us, sees our heart and our true intentions and above all, never leaves our side.

So get back on that horse.  Pick up that Bible and start reading again, pray when you can and share with others.  In the end that is all that matters.

Oh and I think it's safe to say, "Not today, Satan."

{ Wednesday Catch Up }

Good morning everyone, welcome back to my little corner here on the web.  It's been a while since my last post, so I thought it was time to come in, and show you what I've been up to.  

Be prepared though, I have a lot of pictures to share, so you may want to grab a cup of coffee or tea, before you settle in for a little chat.  I just felt I needed to get these pictures and my thoughts, on the blog, but there really is no sequence or events, so I'll be kind of just jumping all over the place, hope that's ok.

So what has been happening around here?  A lot of homemaking and getting back to the core of who I am.  I was feeling so discombobulated for a while.  Felt like I couldn't get back to the things I wanted to do and loved doing.  But that kind of changed about a month ago, when I pushed myself to just get on with it and quit allowing life and my convoluted mind to keep me in a unmotivated, stuck place.

The first few days were hard, I wanted to revert back to old habits, to sitting around, to not wanting to do anything, to making excuses for not baking this, or making that, or gardening or whatever it was that I had floating around in my brain.  It was like a bubble of all these things just brewing in my mind, but being stuck there and not really coming out and being accomplished.  

If you've ever been in that state of mind, you know how difficult it is to snap out of it.  But I did, I forced myself and I am so happy to be where I am at this moment.  I've regained a renewed love for homemaking, cooking and baking, taking care of the home, working on projects, making things and watching the kind of shows and movies I've always loved.

So, I've bounced back and I couldn't be happier for it.  I just hope that it also keeps me focused on the blog, and putting out posts like I used to, whether it be something I want to show you, a day in the life, a recipe or whatever it may be.  Life goes by so fast, and I'm letting it go by without documenting it.  Well that's a sad thought, isn't it?

Anyway, that little intro went on longer than I thought it did, but that is what happens when you haven't talked in a while, then open your mouth and it all comes tumbling out.

Let me now shift gears a bit and show you in pictures, what I've been doing.

Little man Elliott, was a bit sick on Sunday.  Being the cat that he is, he sometimes gets into things he shouldn't, like Kaia's peanut butter treats.  He vomited them up on Saturday night, then spent most of Sunday feeling quite sick, threw up two more times and just wasn't his usual bubbly self.  Thankfully, after much prayer and no doubt the offensive treats making their way through his digestive system, he bounced back and got back to his sweet, funny, naughty nature.

I've been quite busy faffing back and forth, between the inside of the house and outside.   Thought truth be told, it's been more in than out, because the triple digit temperatures we've been enduring the past few weeks, have been way too much to endure.

We are desperately needing rain, our rivers and ponds are drying up, our grass is all dead, our plants and fruit trees are struggling to survive.  It's been quite the dry summer for us.

Inside though, the plants are thriving.  So much so, that this gorgeous Peace Lily above decided to flower after about 3 years of not producing anything.  

Let me tell you a little story about this specific plant.  My sweet mother in law Pat, gifted me this Lily when my equally sweet grandmother Odete, passed away in 2016.  Had this been years ago, this poor thing would have been dead within a month, tops.  I just could not for the life of me, keep any plants alive.

But to see it not only thriving but now flowering, is just amazing.  I am so happy to see this beautiful Lily in all it's glory.

In between my homemaking, I have also started a college course.  Brace yourselves, I know you're probably wondering what on earth, and where did that come from?

But, this is a free course, amongst many others that are offered by Hillsdale College.  It is called The Great American Story:  A Land Of Hope, and is available for anyone who is interested to take.  I must admit, I am quite enjoying it and learning more about our beautiful country.

They have quite a few free courses to enroll in, and I'm going to take a few more of these, just for fun.  Wanna know my next?

The Young Jane Austen:  Northanger Abbey

 

No surprise, is there?  Hahahahah

I have also been reading, a lot, like a lot.  (That just reminded me of Johnny Depp's trial when Amber Heard on the stand said that when she met him, he drank a lot of tea, a lot of tea, like a LOT of tea.  LOL)

This wonderful book pictured above, is for an upcoming review.  It is called The Weekly Gratitude Project.

Also am on book 2 of Janette Oke's Women of the West series.....Julia's Last Hope.

And, currently, also reading What Will They Think?  Nine Women in the Bible who can Help you live your Life Boldly by Grace Valentine (also for a review)

Desserts, cakes, and breads have also been working their way through the kitchen.  Along with delicious home cooked meals.  

This delicious looking pasta dish below, will be up on my food blog, hopefully by this afternoon.  It is a really inexpensive, yummy meal that stretches quite far, and is the easiest thing to throw together.

The grill has also become our newest friend, and weekends are spent outdoors, under the gazebo, eating yummy things, like steak and these amazing Korean Barbecue Bratwurst, from our local butcher shop.  

 

They are divine!

Homemaking is full speed ahead as well.  I've moved things here and there, I've reorganized, cleaned and focused on keeping our home lived in and cozy.  There is nothing quite like having a clean, tidy home is there?

For this purpose, I've relied on some trusty and long time favorite cleaners, like the Old English.  I've been using it for over 20 years and have never found another that is as good.  

You know I believe that when we find a good product, as long as it's still in production, why change it?  They make so many.  The shelves are usually packed full of dozens of cleaners, which sometimes just confuse a shopper.  I just stick to what I know.  anyone else like that?

In the garden, we've been having a hard time.  The drought that I mentioned at the top of this post, hasn't been kind at all.  Our little grape vine, has been coming along for 3 years.  We actually thought it had died, but it suddenly sprung to life and has clung onto the wire fence.  A few weeks ago we noticed a grape, one single grape.  Can you spot it in the photo below?

I am hoping that eventually it will grow into more, but the fact that it has been growing slowly but steadily the past few years, is enough for me to appreciate.

I have two pepper plants, and only one has produced so far, and again, just one single pepper.  What is it with the single fruit and veg?

My cherry tomato plant has been consistently providing beautiful red tomatoes, so at least this one is doing well.

One of my Hibiscus plants, has a ton of mushrooms growing in it's soil.  Now, for a newish plant lover, as I am, this was a bit of a concern.  I first noticed my money tree growing mushrooms, and now one of my Hibiscus.  

But I researched it, and apparently it's normal and actually means your soil is quite rich and providing a wonderful ecosystem for your plant to thrive in.  I was pulling the mushrooms out, and will continue to do so with my indoor money plant, because I don't want Elliott to get into it.

But as for my outdoor plants, I think I'll leave them be.

Besides, am I the only one that looks at this photo above, and immediately pictures a fairy house?  There is something about this picture that is so magical in a sense.  I have stared at it for far too long, but I can't help it, it takes me into fantasy worlds, with beautiful English forests.

Boy my mind can travel can't it?

And with that my dear friends, I bring this catch up post, to an end.  I really enjoyed sitting with you and chatting a bit, bringing you up to speed with what I've been doing or working on, and showing you a bit of what is around me.

On today's agenda, I have:

• College Course Work
• Feeding my sourdough starter
• Pulling down my bag of fabrics to sort through, for a project I want to get into
• Watering all the plants out on the patio
• Taking more photos for another blog post
• Reading
• Hoping to finally watch the new Downtown Abbey movie

What are you up to today?