Update From the Country!

Greetings to all of you, my family and friends, near and far. My prayer is that the Lord has blessed you and continues to bless each one of you, in Jesus name.

I must confess that this is a difficult month for me. My mother, who has gone to be with the Lord, and my oldest daughter, who isn't speaking to me still, have birthdays this month, along with my daughter's youngest daughter. So, it has me a bit sad and blue. Yet, at the same time, it is the month that my husband and youngest son celebrate their birth, so it's a happy time, as well.

Ok, ok, it's a bit of a rollercoaster, emotionally. I miss my mother, though she has been gone for 12 years. She became my dearest friend and I miss talking with her. I miss her wisdom and insight. But I know I will see her again, one day. I miss my daughter. I continue to pray for her and her children. And I ask all of my praying family and friends to continue to pray for her and the girls (Lily-Ann and Haley) as well. I received some disturbing information recently that has me on my knees.

We celebrated my son Nathan's birthday this past weekend. It was a wonderful time. My sister Colleen and her husband Roy came down from Washington to help us celebrate. My sister is so silly! We had lots of laughing and fellowshiping that day.

She wanted to hold a chicken, so I took her into the chicken house so she could catch one. (It's not as easy as you think! It took her a minute or two!) She finally caught one and was just estatic! Silly city girl (hehehehehehe). I still get excited about my chickens.... I did catch my favorite one for her to hold. Colleen had a good time in the hen house!

We showed them the sawmill. They were dutifully impressed (teeheehee). It's still a work in progress, but it's progressing more. Calvin has gotten the carriage on it. He even put a log on it, it does look quite impressive. I will show you some pics next time I write. He hasn't downloaded them yet.

We took a walk around the property and we talked and talked and talked. Now the guys (Calvin, Nathan and Roy) were making fun of Colleen and I. I don't understand why. We only look alike and sound alike and we laugh alike. The fellas had quite a laugh!

Calvin's parents came up for the party and so did Nathan's sister and family. Our good friends and neighbors come up as well. So we had quite a number of people here for cake and ice cream. It was a good time to be had. I hated to see it end. But Roy and Colleen had a ways to drive back home and it was getting late. I did make sure they got some produce from the garden to take home. And she brought my dear husband and I a blanket she crocheted. (It fit the bed perfectly!)

I was glad the weather cooperated. It wasn't too chilly nor was it hot. We did experience a bit of sprinkling.... but overall, it was decent weather. Not necessarily typical August weather in the Pacific Northwest.... but nice.

We have been having a bit of a cool spell lately, weather-wise. But the weather people have assured us that we will experince some summer weather this week. We are expected to get into the high 80's and lower 90's. I just hope it will be nice and warm for my sweetheart's birthday. It's the 21st, and we are going to have family over again, for it. Now if I remember to call everyone, that will be good!

I remember the year my daughter was born, it was the hottest summer this area had experienced in years. The weather people keep referring to it when they talk about what's going on now with the summer weather.

It's hard thinking about my husband's birthday without thinking about Minyon's. She was born the same date as he was. So, it's a bittersweet day for me, right now. I pray for the day when we can celebrate both of their birthdays together. What a blessing that will be. Until then, I thank the Good Lord for my beloved husband and I pray for my baby girl.

Well, I did get my sweetheart a birthday present... it's a ........ Surprise! I can't tell you what it is, in case he reads this. You will have to find out later. I sure hope he likes it. He really needed some new socks and underwear... Oooops! I told! Or did I?

The garden is doing well. But, I have a problem gopher that is being difficult to get rid of. And something has decided my green beans are delicious because they are eating them right to the ground. If it's the deer, and I already told them this, they are going to be dinner on my table yet! I went out there yesterday and found half of them gone!

The corn is alreay producing baby corn! How exciting! And the apples are just about ready to pick! One of the trees has good, sweet apples on it already, even though they aren't completely ripe yet. The squash has blossoms and the rest of the garden is flourishing! I thank the Lord for such good harvest.

Some other news.....

On my book review site LaTawnia Kintz Reviews I have a drawing taking place. Those who enter have an opportunity to win one of two books. So be sure to go over there and enter. There are some rules to the drawing (of course) and if you want to try for both books, you can do that as well. They are both good books.

I also just posted a book review on a Bible study. So go check that out as well. If you are looking for a Bible study, this might be of interest to you.

In closing....

I pray the week is filled with blessings for you. I pray that the week-end is a time to relax and have quality time with your family. And I pray that each one of you will be kept safe by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:5 (NKJV)

Update From the Country!

Greetings to all of my family and friends!

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since I last wrote! Where has the time gone? In fact, I'm having a hard time believing it's August, already! 

Happy Birthday to Maggie! And Happy Anniversary to Maggie and her husband, Mark! I will try to send you a personal email today or tomorrow. 

Saturday, our neighbors had a combined birthday party for friends and family members whose birthdays were/are the last week of July/first week of August. Our son, Nathan, is having a birthday August 4th. So Calvin and I went birthday present shopping. It's difficult to buy a present for a 25 year old young man. But after some investigative snooping we determined he would like a RC car. WOW! Who knew those things were so expensive! And that was a base model! We finally found one we thought he would like and it didn't quite break the bank. We gave it to him that night. (Neither one of us could wait to give it to him!) He has been enjoying it ever since!

Critter updates:

The chickens are doing good. No eggs yet, but I am still hoping. The pheasants are doing well, also. All of them are growing nicely. Soon it will be time to begin cooking!

We found a home for the two female kitties. Now if we could only find a home for the two boy kitties. Momma cat decided she liked motherhood so much she got pregnant again! So we will have another batch of kittens to get rid of. I'm thinking these will go to a shelter, or somewhere like that. And before she can get pregnant again, Momma cat is getting fixed. 

Garden update:

The garden is doing well. I picked a good bunch of bush beans last night, along with a few beets and rutabagas. The corn is getting tall and they are getting tassels! The carrots are still small, but doing well. And I finally found the parsnips! They don't seem to be doing as well as I would like. But, my husband says they usually don't. 

I have never grown brussel sprouts before, but aren't there suppose to be something like little cabbage heads? I'm not seeing anything like that. I wonder if I didn't do something I was suppose too? They are getting nice and tall but I ain't seeing any little cabbage heads! Suggestions anyone?

We do have a gopher in the garden. Possible two. So my dear husband has been setting gopher traps. There is a mound by the beets and one by the squash. I am going to get that thing yet! 

The squash is doing good. We finally have blossoms on them. And the tomatoes and potatoes are blooming and growing as well. Yummy tomatoes and potatoes! I can hardly wait. 

And the apple trees are just about ready! The apples are still growing and are just now beginning to turn color. The boysenberries and blackberries are just about ready for picking as well! Hmmmm..... yummy blackberry cobbler, blackberry jam, boysenberry jam, apple pies, apple sauce, apple crisp.... 

The dogs are doing better now that they are kenneled at night or while we are gone. They were going through a phase of making a mess on the floors. My husband was getting a bit upset. Not that I can blame him. I was getting tired of cleaning it up! So we have a kennel (one we used when we went camping last month) and they seem perfectly happy in it! Dumb dogs!

The sawmill is coming along slowly. I'll go down and take some pictures this week. Calvin is putting the track on now. That's for the carriage to roll on. He also has to put in a pulley system still. There is a bit more work to be done. But he hopes to have it finished soon. We still need to cut lumber to put a new roof on the house. That needs to be done before Fall gets here. 

It's hard some days to come home from work and then go to work at home! I had half a day off this past week that I used to clean the inside of the house because it had been somewhat neglected. I usually spend that half day out in the garden weeding. My husband comes home in the late afternoon from work and he goes out to work on the sawmill or something else that needs to be done. There is a lot that has to be done to keep this place going. Some days it just seems to be too much. Thankfully Nate helps us a lot. He will clear brush or help on the sawmill or whatever else is needed to be done. He will even help me in the garden. It's not easy when I work nights, Calvin works days and Nate works graveyard. But somehow we get it done!

Yesterday I didn't get out into the garden until around 4pm. I just didn't feel like doing it. But, once I got down there and got to working, I felt better. I managed to get about 8 hours of work done in four! The poor thing needed lots of water and weeding. I even got to use my new clippers on berry vines that were invading the corn!

Well my family and friends, there isn't much more to say today. No great words of wisdom or anything like that. But I do want to tell you about a great site to get some good preaching and teaching. Go to Faith Harvest Church and be encouraged, strengthened, and blessed by sound Biblical preaching and teaching. It's where I go to hear the Word of God. I know you will be blessed.

Until we meet again, I pray the Good Lord to watch over you this week. May He keep you and your family safe and sheltered in His arms. 

And I would like to leave you with this verse.....

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

Update From the Country!

Greetings and blessings in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord! I pray all has been well with you and your families since we last met. 

My dear husband, Calvin, is finally much better. He was very sick for a couple of weeks. He got ahold of some type of virus and it was very difficult for him to get over it. But, praise the Lord, he is now feeling much better.

Our daughter, Jennifer, and the baby are doing well. As is our new granddaughter by our son Richard and his fiancée Crystal. Our youngest son, Nathan, is such a help around the property. He is truly a blessing to us. He works hard at his job and here at home.

I haven't hear from my daughter Minyon. I do ask that you continue to pray for her and her daughters, Lily-Ann and Haley J'lynn. They are still in Arizona. I ask that you pray for protection, peace and restoration. 

Lily-Ann just had her seventh birthday and Haley is going to have her fourth birthday in August. Minyon's birthday is the same date as my husband's so it's not difficult to remember either one! Both of them will celebrate in August as well.

(Just came back from giving water to the chickens and food to the pheasants. The chickens have figured out if they make enough of a ruckus when their water runs out, I will go see what's going on and give them water. Maybe they aren't so dumb after all!)

My beloved had a dream since he was a child, to own and operate his own sawmill. Several years ago he was able to purchase one. He and Nathan went to Idaho to get it. Since then it sat down from the house on the property, in pieces. Due to the discouragement from those who should have supported him, it never got built. The sawmill isn't just to satisfy a dream, but it is also another source of income, it's beneficial to the buildings and home (yeah! a new roof without the bats!)

The slideshow you are seeing here is a day's work on the sawmill. Nathan (in the red shirt) and Calvin, our neighbor's son Brodie and I all helped Calvin get the frame work together. Calvin is a welder by trade so he was able to do all of the welding of the frame. I wish you could see his welds... they are a work of art.

It may not look like much to you... but to those who have seen sawmills on private property know this is going to be a great sawmill. This is a Foley Bellsaw sawmill. If you want to see one in action, YouTube has several on there you can watch. 

I will be taking pictures as we progress, so you can see how it looks. Soon, it will be operational and I hope to have a video camera by then so I can video it! 

THE KINTZ'S SAWMILL - THE FRAMEWORK

Calvin and crew started working on the sawmill early Sunday morning and we were finally at a stopping place by 6:30pm. (Brodie and I went to town and got some KFC.... we were too tired to cook even for barbeque!)

More updates.... 

"Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow?" I don't know about Mary's garden, but mine is crazy! I get half of the garden weeded and the other half explodes into weeds! No, I'm not using any kind of chemicals to control them, just my little hands. I'm not using any chemicals of any type at all on this garden. (Does that make it organic?) 

Other than the weeds though, the garden is doing well. The corn is getting tall, and everything else is growing wonderfully. I thank the Lord for that. I am believing He will give us a bountiful harvest so I can bless others with food. The potatoes are doing great. The bush beans are flourishing. The carrots are growing. 

I was talking with a dear sister in the Lord the other day. We were catching up as we had lost touch with each other. (May the Lord bless her dearly.) I was telling her how with my work schedule and all that has to be done here at home, especially now at this time of year, I'm not able to attend church as I would like. So I spend a lot of time in prayer and praise while I am working in the garden. (I'm usually down there by myself. It's a good, private time.) I am also participating with an on-line bible study. (The bible study has been really good. It's on the book of Ruth.) My dear sister told me to use this time to allow the Lord to continue healing me (she knows my past and hurts) and in time the Lord will restore me. (I am a teacher of the Word.) She said that just as Ruth spent time in the fields gleaning before she was redeemed; the Lord is using this time in the garden to heal and restore me. It was confirmation to my spirit. How the Lord blessed me, through her.

I ask that you pray in agreement with me that the Lord will provide a video camera so I can video a teaching He gave me. I believe and have received confirmation that He would have me present this teaching online. I'm not sure how to get it from the video to the website I am going to set up.... but I am sure He will show me or bring into my life those who know how. I have a syllabus for those who will take the course that I want to put in PFD (?) format. That way, the students can download it and print it for free. If you have any suggestions as to how I do these things, please don't hesitate to let me know, as I am not that computer savvy. I felt pretty amazed that I was able to put together a slideshow! Of course Photobucket makes it pretty easy!

Well my family and friends, it's that time. I must go and prepare for work. I enjoy our time together and look forward to the next time. As always, I ask you keep me and mine in prayer as I pray for you and yours. If you have a specific prayer you would like me to be in agreement with, just send me an email or if you would like others to pray with you, leave a comment. 

Leave a comment that you've stopped by, please. I love to hear from you. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe throughout this week.

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 

"for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

"who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

"who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time." 

(I Timothy 2:1-6 NKJV)

Update From the Country!

Greetings in the name of the Lord to all of you!

I pray you had a wonderful week-end and as you are preparing for the upcoming week-end you will be blessed.

This has been a difficult week for me thus far, for some reason. I seem to be playing catch- up and I am not getting caught up! I am behind in my bible study, book reviewing, gardening, house cleaning, and sleep!

My dear husband had been sick with some type of virus at the beginning of this week. He is finally feeling better now. But it did make him take to the bed for a day and a half. That is so not like him. 

I am thankful for the warm weather we are having. I feel like my bones are finally thawing out. This weather is reminiscent of Arizona in the Spring with a little more humidity thrown in, of course!

The chickens and pheasants are doing well. We still have to finish the chicken house, but they are doing well. They should be laying eggs here soon. Hmmmmmm..... yummy..... fresh eggs!

We have been eating radishes from the garden for the past three weeks. They have been very tasty. I think they are done for now though. They are getting a bit woody. So I am going to pull the rest of them out and plant new seeds.

Calvin and I finally bought some tomato plants. We are going to plant them probably tonight. I do like a good tomato to just eat! 

The corn is growing well. Now that we finally got some sun, it should take off and get real tall. I can't wait to start picking it. I have four 50ft rows of sweet, candy corn. That is going to taste quite yummy on the barbecue.

I still have four more rows of vegetables to weed (out of 17 rows). The weeds just got out of hand with all of the rain we had been having. Now it's time to recover the vegetables and hope they make it! There are several insidious weeds growing in that garden that think they are going to take over. So between them and the wild blackberries I have my hands quite full.

I am finally beginning to heal from the quad accident. I am still sporting some good bruises on my left calf. It's sad that I can see the tire tread still. But I am thankful I was wearing my helmet and no bones were broken. 

I got a wonderful message on Face Book this week. It was from someone that I had helped some time ago. She is such a sweet person. I thank the Lord and give Him the glory because she and her husband are still together and serving Jesus with their whole hearts. She and her husband went through some really tough times and I am thankful that I was there to be of some support to her. But God gets all of the glory and praise, because He is the one that really brought them through it all. 

Sometimes when I look back at my past ministry, I wonder if the work I did, when it is eventually revealed by fire will end up being precious gems or if it will burned. (The biblical reference I am using here is found in I Corinthians 3:10-15.) I think that is something that anyone who has served the Lord in ministry questions. 

I am thankful though, that she felt the need to let me know she was thankful and how she and her husband were doing. The Lord has allowed me to see that what I did wasn't hay, wood or straw. He did that not so that I will be puffed up, but to encourage me in my walk with Him. I may not be "active" in a church at this time, but I still serve Him by staying in His word, praying, sharing with you, my dear family and friends, an encouraging word. I might not be traveling to other countries physically, or around this country, but I am able to "travel" through the internet and connect with you that way. Hmmm... I guess there is some good for the internet after all!

Well, now that I have babbled for a moment or two, I must close this post for the day. It's time for me to get ready for my other job. I do pray that you all will have a safe and blessed week-end. Please continue to remember me in your prayers and I will do the same for you. 

Until we meet again.....   

 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God... For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." I Corinthians 1:18 and 2:2

Update From the Country!

Greetings and Salutations friends and family! I thank you for stopping by and visiting me this day!

I don't know about any of you, but we have yet to really experience Spring here  in Forest Grove, OR. So far we have had record lows for our highs, and more rain for the month of June. The "keeper of the records" states we haven't been this wet and/or cold for many, many, many years. I know for myself, even though I did just spend 13 years in the hottest state of this country, I don't ever remember it being this wet or cold for June in the Pacific Northwest. So hearing it verified by said record keepers, I feel somewhat justified in my memories. (That's a good thing, because as I become "more mature" I find my memory isn't always what it use to be.)

I have been seeing and hearing from others around the country that they are experiencing some nice warm weather; such as 104+ degrees in the state I had vacated. I really don't miss those temperatures, but I sure wouldn't mind seeing some 80 degrees around here.

We did have two beautiful days last week. I hold onto those memories tightly, I don't know when we will see that much sun again. 

But in spite of the rain and cold weather, the garden is doing fairly well. I do think I may have lost a couple rows of seeds, because it has rained so much. If so, I will replant them. Hopefully we will get some warmer weather.

The chickens are flourishing. They are becoming quite big. Now, if only they will lay eggs. Having sixteen chickens, there should be some eggs showing up here soon. 

The two pheasants are now residing in the woodshed. They are still in a cage but they are doing well. Unfortunately for them, they are both hens, so that means they will both be joining us for dinner when they are a bit bigger; as the main course. 

Momma kitty and her babies are doing well. My son Nathan was going to try and tame the two male kittens, but has just recently decided that it was just too much trying to tame wild kitties. (He had them in his room and they made a mess of everything by messing in there. He should have never let them out the kennel..... kitties have a way of getting even.) So now all the kittens are reunited with momma kitty and are running wild outside. It really is a much better place for them. They will help keep the critter population down to a manageable state.

If you visited my book review site this past week you learned there was a winner for the drawing. That was a lot of fun. Next time I may try something a little bit different for a drawing. I hope to have another one soon. 

I did finally get caught up on the book reviews. I posted several in about two days. I had read all of the books, I just didn't have time to write the reviews. I have been working a lot of hours. Not that I am complaining, it just cut into some of my writing time. Now that they hired another part-time person, maybe I will get more time to write. I am way behind on my poetry and a book I am working on, not to mention I haven't written anything for Green Pastures in a long time. I have a few things to add to that page. 

I am very excited about next week. My sweetheart and I are going to go camping! We are going to go to the coast and camp and ride our quads and just relax. We will be meeting some friends at the campgrounds, so that will be fun. I am praying for beautiful weather. I haven't been to the coast for a long time. I am thankful that my dear husband has a nice camper to stay in, so if it does rain, we won't get wet. It has all of the conveniences a use-to-be-city girl like me can enjoy. Including a bathroom! 

Calvin is taking the crab-nets and is hoping to catch some yummy crabs. He went diving last week-end and came home with 14 butter clams, 9 crabs, some fish and oysters. (He bought the oysters!) We ate real good that night. I made some seafood chowder (for the very first time) and that came out real yummy. I had a recipe, used it as a guide, tweaked it a little and both Calvin and Nathan liked it! I have to say, my husband did have to help with the tweaking, but it was good!

Brrrrr..... I am going to have to light the woodstove and get some heat in here.   My fingernails are turning blue!

Until we meet again, may the Good Shepherd continue to guide you to green pastures to feed well and beside still waters to rest. 

Almost forgot..... there is a bible study taking place on-line at Women's Bible Study Cafe. It's going to be on the book of Ruth. If you haven't done so, sign up for it and get your workbook. It is going to be great. I am so looking forward to it, especially since I work most Sundays and don't get to go to church very often. The bible study only runs for 6 (six) weeks, so it's not drawn out. There is going to be women on-line from all over the country participating.  I do hope to see you there with us, studying the bible and fellowshipping with other women. It will be a real blessing for sure. 

Many blessing to you all! 

Update From the Country!

Greetings and blessings to you from the country! I pray you had a restful week-end. And I pray that our Lord and Savior made Himself evident in your lives.

My week-end was fairly busy. Friday I got to visit with my dear friend, Mary. That was a wonderful time. We hadn't seen each other in about 14 years, so we had a lot of catching up to do! I showed her the chickens. I even caught a few of them for her so she could pet them. She got to see the pheasants in the house. And we had spaghetti for dinner. It was a good time all in all.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day here in Forest Grove. The sun was shining and it was nice and warm. It was perfect for weeding the garden. I spent a good three to four hours out there. Then I not only got a blister on my hand, but it broke, so, I had to call it quits for the day. I still have a couple of rows left to weed. 

I did ride my quad around the trails here on the property. It was the first time I rode it since my husband and I took a spill on his. So it was a bit scary at first. I just rode the easy trails and took it nice and slow. I was experimenting with shifting though and got myself in a little of trouble.... to shift to higher gears you push the shift lever up with your foot. To shift down you push the lever down. Well, I was going through some especially muddy area (lots of fun!) and instead of shifting down I was shifting up and well..... I went around the corner on three wheels yelling, "Help me, help me... I'm going to fast!" By the time I got shifted down to first gear again I was stuck, in the mud. But it was fun. I got it out of the mud hole and was back on the trail again!

Sunday was a wet and raining day. That was a bit disappointing, especially after such a beautiful day Saturday. So, even though we didn't do much, (I did laundry while my dear husband took a nap) I did get to rest. I have been having a lot of pain and numbness in my hands and wrists and arms due to the carpel tunnel. Saturday working in the garden took its toll on me. 

We did manage to get the seed potatoes in the ground yesterday. So that was a good thing. It did it in between the rain showers. There are now about 30 little hills in the garden with seed potato in them. I pray they do good. 

I am praying for a bountiful harvest. I want to be able to give many vegetables away to families in need here. The fruit trees are loaded with fruit, so I will also be able to give fresh apples and plums, as well. I also am praying for good egg-laying chickens. What a blessing for those who can't afford to buy eggs. They are almost too much for me to pay for! 

We still need tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, onion (if I can find some seed onion) and a few other vegetables. I also still need to get more hoses (4) and sprinklers to attach to the hoses, to water the garden, when it isn't raining! 

Oh, may the Good Lord bless the garden and chickens so I may bless others with the harvest. 

REMINDER: This is the last week to enter the drawing for "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews. So be sure to go to my blog www.latawniakreviews.blogspot.com and enter. Sunday, June 13, 2010 is the last day. I will be announcing the winner Monday June 14, 2010 and getting the book into mail as soon as the winner sends me his/her snail mail address. So get your name in the drawing!

Well my friends and family, it is time for me to go. I must get ready for work. Please keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine. May the good Lord bless you and keep you and yours until that Day. 

Update From the Country!

Greetings to all of you from the country! I pray your Memorial week-end was a blessed time for you and your family. 

And another Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Mary. She celebrated her 50-something birthday this past Sunday. I don't know if she wanted me to broadcast how old, I mean young she is now, so I will just say 50-something. She is the oldest one of us girls that hung together when our kids were growing up. The four of us were single mothers with small children and we would laugh, cry, babysit, shop, just about everything, we did together. We are still all close friends, only miles have kept us apart. But now that I am back in Oregon, we are getting back together, as our busy grown-up schedules allow. How I have missed my girlfriends!

My darling husband had a wonderful surprise for me when I got home from work Sunday night. (Yes, I had to work this past holiday week-end.) He got the camper all ready for us to "camp" in that night. He even changed the sheets on the bed! There was a fire going in the fire pit in front of the camper and a couple of chairs waiting for us to sit in. The canopy was extended to shelter us from the rain while we sat at the fire. It was wonderful, even with the rain. 

The Lord has answered a prayer for me over the week-end. My oldest daughter had cut herself away from the family over a year ago. It has been a grievous time for me. She opened a Face Book account this week-end and when I found out, I asked her to accept me "as a friend." She did! So, even though we aren't "talking" yet, it is the first step in the right direction. I am praying for complete restoration with her. And I am praying that she will recommit her life to our Lord. Please keep her in your prayers.

The garden is doing well, in spite of all of the rain we have been receiving. It has been unusually wet and cold this spring. I am hoping for some sun over this week-end so I can plant my seed potatoes. My dear husband did get the extra water lines put in. Now we need to get the sprinklers in. Not that is any rush right now. It will take a good week of pure sunshine to begin to dry out the garden!

The chickens are doing well. They like their little house. They even have a couple of bent chairs to roost on. We still have to make them some nesting boxes. One of the hens wants to nest in the food dispenser. Silly hen!

The two pheasants that have survived are doing well, also. They are still in my living room since I still have to make a new house for them. I was going to put them with the chickens but I think they will fight. 

Since this is my third time in trying to get this blog completed ( I've been having internet connection problems) I think I am going to close this for now. I do hope that you all have a wonderful rest of the week.

Please leave me a message and let me know how you are doing! I do enjoy hearing from you. And let me know what you think about having a prayer page.... It will be a page that I can post prayer requests on, so we can pray for each other. Let me know what you think, if it would be something you would like to participate in.

Oh, one more thing.... If you have a crazy schedule like I do and want to join a Bible Study, but can't find the time because of your schedule.... Check out the Women's Bible Study Cafe. I just joined it and we are going to study the book of Ruth. (One of my favorites!) The study begins June 22, 2010. So just click on the link and join the group!

Also, don't forget to enter the drawing for "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews. The drawing will close June 13, 2010. There has been a good response so far. That is exciting!

Until we meet again.... 

"The Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

Update from the Country!

This has been a busy week! I know I updated you all earlier this week. But I have a few things I wanted to share before I forget! 


An update on the chickens and pheasants: The chickens are thriving and getting big. They are still living outside in their little house. We still have to give them some windows, but they are handling the cold and wet well. We have been having some pretty wet, cold weather these past few days, unusual for this time of year. We even had hail yesterday. 


The pheasants didn't do so well, though. Out of the five, we have two left. They just got too cold and wet. Calvin and I brought the two survivors back in the house and got them warmed up. We held them in our hands close to our bodies as we stood next to the wood stove. I brought a cage back in the house for them to stay in for now. We will build them a better shelter outside, before they go back out. 


It just broke our hearts to see those three dead birds. Calvin buried them for me, so the critters won't get them, or the dogs. 


Some good news to share, the corn I planted some few weeks ago is finally coming up! I walked out to the garden yesterday with my dear husband and saw green stalks coming up, I was so happy and excited I did a little dance there in the garden. It was heartening to see new life after having seen death.


I wrote a new poem, it's posted on the Poetry page. Please take the time to read it and leave a comment, if you would. I enjoy reading your responses. I have also added something to the Green Pastures page. I hope that it will encourage you and help you in your walk. Even challenge you in your faith. Look for May 21, 2010.


My sweetheart and I will be going out tomorrow to the coast. He and a diving buddy of his will dive tomorrow, should the water be clear enough to see. Please keep us and especially Calvin and Mark in your prayers for safety and for a bountiful harvest of fish. 


It is time for me to work on an outline for a story I feel the need to write. I had a outline format on my computer, but now my computer can't open it up. So I have to make a new format. That will take some time. Grrrr..... sometimes  I think technology isn't really better! There is still something to be said for go old-fashion paper and pencil! 


As I bid you all adieu, I do pray that each one of you has a blessed week-end. I pray the good Lord will keep each one of you safe as you go about doing your week-end things. I pray He will bless your families sweetly and that you will not only sense His presence but be filled with His peace and joy. God bless you all.

Update From the Country!

Greetings everyone! I figured it was time for an update to let you all know how things are going here in the country.


Have you ever had a week-end when you looked forward to Monday just so you could relax? Let me tell you, my week-end was like that. 


It began with Friday, my day off. I started the day with checking my email, then I spent the rest of the day down in the garden digging rows and planting seeds. There is now seventeen (17) rows of seeds planted now. 


The weather was absolutely beautiful for it. Sunny, warm and just beautiful. I started out with a long-sleeve shirt and ended up with my tank top. Of course, silly me, forgot the sunscreen and now I have a sunburn. Thankfully it's not too  bad.


I was exhausted though, from the work. I still have about 10 more things to plant. But I am buying seedlings for that. My wonderful husband, Calvin, is putting in more water lines for me so I can strategically place sprinklers down the rows to water. I can't wait. It will make watering that garden so much easier.


By the way, the picture is the first strawberry blossom in our strawberry box. There are now a dozen with more coming out! Yummy! Fresh strawberries!


Saturday Calvin and I drove down to Albany for a family gathering. My baby sister's middle daughter had a baby shower. That was okay. For those of you who know me, you know I'm not really a baby shower person, or wedding shower person or any of those shower things..... I went because I wanted to surprise my baby sister! I hadn't seen her since 9/11. (She was visiting me in Arizona at that time.) 


She wasn't doing too good that day and couldn't make it to the shower. She has MS, and has good days and some not so good days. Anyway, we got the directions from her husband and drove to Sweethome to see her.


Was she ever surprised! It was a great visit. So Laura, if you are reading this....know how much I love you!


Sunday was another day that was very busy. My husband tore down the truck so he can replace the clutch and flywheel, I spent it in the garden, watering, and then feeding chickens and I made a place for the pheasants to live in outside. Whoohoo! No more stinking birds in the house! 


Of course, my dear Calvin, who is such a brat sometimes, locked me in the cage for the pheasants, as I was cleaning it out, and took a picture of me in the cage! When he gets the photos downloaded to the computer, I might post it.... depending on how silly I look! 


Then it was laundry, cleaning the livingroom from bird mess and then out the door to the Senior Dinner.


Senior Dinner is something that takes place once a month here. Calvin's folks go, along with his uncle and aunt and other people we know. We go to a decent restaurant and have dinner and fellowship and get caught up on what's going on in each other's lives. It really is a nice time. 


Then back home to finish laundry, clean the kitchen, feed the dogs and finally drop into bed. 


Yes, I am thankful it's Monday!


The week-end was really an absolutely beautiful week-end, for those who don't believe we in the PNW can have beautiful days. The temperatures ranged from 70-76 degrees, sunny and breezy. Just perfect. Of course today we have ...... drum roll please.... RAIN!


At least I don't have to water the garden today!


Oh, I forget to tell you.... Thursday, my Calvin, such a sweetheart, woke me up (actually scared me to death) to show me something. After my heart stopped racing, I looked out of our bathroom window and there was a doe in our yard. Very cool! Except she was eating my roses! I did advise my love that we are going to put a fence around the garden to keep her and her family and any other critters out. Those veggies might make them taste good later, but I want to eat some too!


Well, everyone, it's that time....I must get ready for my other job. So I shall bid everyone a farewell......


May the Good Lord bless you and keep you and your families safe this week. May His precious presence fill you and bless you all week long.


Until later.....




(Don't forget to enter the contest on my book review site..... Just click on the link to LaTawnia Kintz Reviews sign up to follow me on Twitter and Google Friends or NetworkBlogs and leave me a comment with your email address.....in other words.... just follow the directions! Many blessings to you!)

My Weekly Update

Hello everyone! 

I hope you all had a wonderful week-end. Belated Happy Mother's Day to all of those who are mothers....whether you are natural mothers, foster, step, adopted... etc. 

The picture above is some apple blossoms on the apple trees down in the garden. The trees were loaded with blossoms this year. So I am praying for a good harvest this fall. 

Mother's Day was a bit tough for me. I think it can be one of those holidays that is hard for a lot of women, especially those who have suffered loss or are dealing with children or mothers who are physically or mentally sick or unwell. 

My mother died back in 1998, so even though it has been some years, I still miss her. My only natural child has walked out of my life. It has been a year since I have seen or heard from her and my granddaughters. 

But the Lord has blessed me in giving me a wonderful step-mother and a mother-in-law, whom I love, and three great step-children with children of their own to love. 

So was Sunday an emotional day for me? Yes. Through it all I counted my blessings and thanked the good Lord for all that He has given me. 

My poor husband though, just didn't quite know what to do.... so he went out and tilled the garden, again. The Lord bless him. 

While he was re-tilling the garden I planted corn. We have four rows of corn now. I no sooner got it planted when the rain started. It was a gentle rain, so the corn was gently watered. Thank you Lord.

I still have more planting to do. I believe, should the weather cooperate, I will plant some more vegies Friday. That is my day off. Saturday I have some family to see, so I will be gone all day. Going to surprise my baby sister!

Well, it's that time when I have to get ready for work. I pray all of you have a blessed week.

Don't forget to go over to the review site and enter the drawing for a free copy of "The Heart Mender."

God bless you all!