These four shots are of the same butterfly, the upper side and the underside.
On Friday afternoon we opened up our patio umbrellas and were surprised to find this visitor. It was asleep but because it’s sleeping spot was disturbed it started moving and after about an hour it flew around the opened umbrella and then flew off into the woods. I don’t mind having a few bats around since they eat mosquitoes.
Jaymison and his sister had some fun in our backyard on Friday evening while Dear and Dan put up two more steel panels on the shop roof. Sprinklers were a delight and we enjoyed some time on the tricycle.
Addy and her daddy spent some time kicking soccer balls into the soccer goal.
We’ll be babysitting these two on Saturday morning so mommy and daddy can have some free time to move about freely for a few hours. That means I won’t be moving about freely visiting blogs. I’ll catch up later.
Not for me, none of you will be seeing me in a bathing suit at the pool. It’s for your own good and then there’s that pride issue that still needs to be mortified in me.
Our two grands are enjoying pool time and need some extra protection from the sun being fair skinned.
This little guy is cutting 3 molars! Yikes. A good night’s rest has not been happening for him or his dear parents.
And this little girl is growing like a weed.
They enjoyed these homemade summer popsicles before their pool time.
This evening we’ll enjoy seeing these 2 with their parents. We’ll have dinner together and then Dear will have some extra help with the a few more steel roof panels. Soon half of the roof of the shop will be completed. Our son has been chipping in whenever he can to help. With the temps warming up it gets harder to work on the roof. I’ll be chasing the two littles!
1. The sweetness of summer…where have you found it recently? If you’re in the Southern hemisphere, feel free to tell us about the sweetness you’re finding in winter.
When we have a group around our table enjoy each other I count it as sweetness.
2. Take your sweet time, sweet tooth, home sweet home, short but sweet, the sweet smell of success, sweet talk…choose a sweet idiom and tell us how it fits your life currently?
It would have to be Home Sweet Home. We’ve enjoyed being home alone and we’ve enjoyed overnight visitors in our home. I’m thankful to have a comfortable home where we can enjoy wide open spaces in our beautiful part of the country.
3. Sweet as honey, sweet as sugar, or sweet as pie, which phrase do you use when a sweet phrase is called for? What’s the last sweet treat you indulged in?
My mind keeps going back to Psalm 19:7-11. Dear and I have put this section of scripture to memory and recite it often. The Law of the Lord is Perfect. In verse 10 you find these words describing God’s teachings, “Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” Do any of you remember ths song from ages ago?
The latest sweet I indulged in while typing this on Tuesday afternoon was a slice of this frozen dessert below. This dessert goes a long way. I made it for 10 people and we still have part of it in the freezer to enjoy a slice of in the evening. The shot above with our 2nd batch of summer company has the dessert pictured in front of each place ready to be eaten.
4. First thing that comes to mind when you hear the word fidget?
True confession: I fidget when someone is long winded or takes way to long to explain something. I don’t consider most sermons in the long winded category at all. I can listen to a good long sermon when someone is rightly dividing the Truth. Usually long winded to me is someone who talks way too long on stuff that isn’t the truth or when I can’t figure out the point they are trying to make.
5. Share with us one of your favorite childhood travel memories.
I can remember very little snippets of our travels to places to camp or pick fruit growing up. We did not travel much as a family especially after four more siblings were born after the original four. I was the youngest of the first 4. Camping was the highlight and camping at San Clemente State Beach was the ultimate camping experience for me (despite sunburns). What added to the adventure at San Clemente was the fact that the Grunion were running one of the nights we were there. It was so exciting to hear the yells, “the Grunion are running, the Grunion are running” and then to scramble and try to pick up the silvery fish and throw them in your bucket. If you’ve never heard of Grunionclick here.
The above photo is of my family camping at Big Bear California.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
My other memorable summer experience in Junior High and High School was being able to go to Hume Lake Christian Camps in King’s Canyon between the Sequoia and Sierra National Forest of central California. Go north to Fresno from Southern California and turn right. This is where for the first time I clearly heard that I was a sinner who needed to repent and follow Christ instead of myself. God called me at this camp and He helped me to respond to that calling.
In the last couple of days we’ve had some progress on the shop roofing. Dear and our son Dan are getting the hang of the 20ft 7inch steel roof panels (50#’s each) and how to maneuver them up onto the structure. Underneath each panel is a reflective vapor barrier that they roll out and fasten before they put the steel panel up and screw it into the purlin.
Some encouragement for those who are called by God from Spurgeon and God’s Word…
It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase, “God is for me.” He was for us before the worlds were made. He was for us or He would not have given His well-beloved Son; He was for us when He smote the Only-begotten and laid the full weight of His wrath upon Him—He was for us, though He was against Him. He was “for us” when we were ruined in the Fall—He loved us notwithstanding all. He was for us when we were rebels against Him and with a high hand were bidding Him defiance. He was for us or He would not have brought us humbly to seek His face. He has been for us in many struggles; we have been summoned to encounter hosts of dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from without and within—how could we have remained unharmed to this hour if He had not been for us?
~
Psalm 56:9-11 ~ Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
We have had some action packed days here at our Country Bungalow. I only took a few of these photos. Thank you to my niece and daughter-in-law for the rest.
Addy really enjoyed her “medium sized” 2nd cousin.
Time to enjoy the flowers and our niece’s family from California.
She loves her Daddy’s cousin, who is Addy’s 1st cousin once removed.
The whole crew for the 2nd dinner at our Country Bungalow.
Addy and Avery.
We changed venues on Friday night and met up at Dan and Jamie’s home. Reyna had lots of love from Avery.
It took 2 days but Ryan finally won Jaymison over and was able to hold him without JJ crying.
The girls enjoyed building towers and JJ enjoyed demolishing the tower!
Yum, whipped cream!
A selfie after picking raspberries in the garden and before the mosquitoes ate them up!
Good food, good fellowship, lots of laughter.
Our family visitors left for the Coast on Saturday morning at 10:00 am with a stop in Oroville on the way to visit friends. They ended up at our Coast Kids’ home sometime on Saturday evening. On Sunday our family on the Coast gathered to enjoy time together with Ryan, Michelle, Jack and Avery. We got a text with this great photo attached.
My sister Lana and her husband, Steve. Michelle, Ryan, Jack and Avery. Our kids, Andrew, Katie, Laura and Josh.
I can guarantee there was lots of good food, laughter and fellowship on the “Coast”, too.
We had some good sunshine today and after church because Dear and our son Dan were starting on the roof of the shop I decided to mow the back acres to keep an eye on them while they were up on ladders. I’ll take my sabbath rest tomorrow. I had nursery duty during church today and it was so weird to have to have a mask on and have disposable gloves on, too. Poor babes…wonder what they were thinking.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The solemn watchword hear;
If while ye sleep He suffers,
Away with shame and fear;
Where’er ye meet with evil,
Within you or without,
Charge for the God of battles,
And put the foe to rout.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict,
In this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Each soldier to his post,
Close up the broken column,
And shout through all the host:
Make good the loss so heavy,
In those that still remain,
And prove to all around you
That death itself is gain.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song.
To him who overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
They with the King of Glory
Shall reign eternally.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
From Paul in Ephesians to Spurgeon good prayers to pray and to dwell on and in.
We have been enjoying our niece, nephew and grand nephew and grand niece here and are busy from morning until night. No time for the computer. I will catch up hopefully on Saturday.
In May of this year I took this photo. As you can see the paver section of our sitting area just below our back deck/porch is small.
In this July photo that I took on Monday it shows the space now after Dear added 40 more pavers. We still have enough pavers to make the space yet a little bigger. All the pavers were already on the property so this improvement is all labor with no cost to us except for sore muscles.
We’ve had a mild (cooler) and wetter start to summer this year and our plants are enjoying that.
Our California company arrived to our home safe and sound. We enjoyed a meal around the table and time throughout the evening catching up. Addy was thrilled to play with Avery, her “medium sized friend”. Jaymison was very skeptical of Ryan and Jack, mostly of Ryan. He was okay with the medium sized Avery and even managed a smile at Michelle. Nary a photo was taken. Oye. Maybe I’ll remember today…
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 