Flannel Jammies Farm

...praising God on our 1/5 acre of suburbia

Monday, March 28, 2011

Bright Gifts on a Dreary Monday...

81.  New glasses to better see the beauty of God's word and creation
82.  Tart, crunchy pickles

83.  Spending a Sunday afternoon with my daughter

84.  Fresh kale and Swiss chard from the garden, bringing health to the body

85.  Caring doctors for my mother

86.  A warm and lovely place to attend worship each week
87.  Flannel sheets when the Spring weather goes into hiding

88.  So many generous hearts, reaching out to disaster victims

89.  The love of learning new things

90.  Again, the fragrant lilacs

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Signs of Spring on a Cold Saturday...

Just as I was getting used to working in the garden, planning for Springtime diversions, and swapping my tired winter clothing for Spring-y pieces in my closet, the cold returned.  And there's a chance of a wintry mix in the morning!

Blessed with a positive outlook and the love of a faithful Lord (and a very patient family!), I continue to look toward warmer weather and Easter joy.   I no longer have little ones at home, but a little seasonal cheer does every soul good.  So here's a look at some of today's sprinklings...

Doorway Greetings: A ribbon wreath created by a dear friend and a tiny Easter banner









Signs of Spring Buffet
Egg Cup... we dyed and decorated these blown-out eggs last year
One Egg Cracked Open... and look what came out!
Primitive Bunny Reading Stories... on the rocker from my father-in-law's childhood

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Spring Day on Flannel Jammies Farm

Asparagus peeking through
Radish seeds sprouting in the garden
Rose bushes
Japanese Maple budding
Blooming Rosemary
Lilacs in full bloom and fragrance
Beautyberry coming back
Hibiscus, too
Fairy garden
Goat in the greens
Bee Balm
Daisies a-plenty
Bright Forsythia
Succulent pot
Hostas return
Violet and Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Dogwood branch
Dogwood Buds
Variegated Hydrangea... my favorite
Daylilly spilling out of a crock
Dogwood Branch and Birdbath
Boxwood and Hawthorne... and an old mower/cultivator
What's coming up on your 'farm' on this fine Spring day?

Monday, March 21, 2011

Gifts I'm Thankful For...



71.  Finding inexpensive cardigans for the in-between season

72.  Amazing inspiration at a Spring craft marketplace

73.  Cranberry beans in the crockpot

74.  Buds and blooms all around our gardens
 75.  Tender asparagus spears, straight from our garden to our salad
76.  Friends sharing sweet stories

77.  Granddogs coming to visit
78.  Reminders of the brief time we are given

79.  Faithful and Godly examples all around me

80.  The sound of my dear husband's truck pulling into the driveway at the end of a long day

Monday, March 7, 2011

Spring morning Gifts...

61.  Lilacs ready to burst with fragrant bloom
62.  Rains for the garden

63.  This week's ashes

64.  Opening the pantry to find abundance

65.  Warm baths, soothing, refreshing

66. Tiny birds singing songs so big

67.  Salads picked just steps from the kitchen
68.  Squirrels running and jumping and playing

69.  Clothes drying in the sunshine

70.  New work for the hands

Friday, March 4, 2011

A New Direction...

Once again, I am going against the flow.  I've arrived again at the fork in the road

And again, I've waited and pondered and chosen the path of less work, less money, and more joy.

The last year has been a challenging one.  A new job for me.  A new job for Treasured Husband.  A new job for Sweet Daughter.  New pursuits for Precious Son and his Wonderful Wife.  A slowing down for Mother Dear.  It's been a year of constant change and constant searching and constant adaptation.  I'm tired... worn by the shifting priorities and survival moments and just-trying-to-keep-up.
But again, God is in the midst.  Calling me to calm, wooing me back to the Word for relief.  He is my refuge, my strength, my salvation in those moments when I know I've reached not the fork in, but the end of, the road.  When I hang my head in despair, He calls me to take one more look, revealing that it's only a bend in that road.

So I have a new direction, a soft spot to land, part-time publications work for my hands and more time for the real and true things.  It's a sweet surprise.  I am awed and grateful.