Last of the Summer Roses

Hello lovelies! 

I hope you are all having a splendid October thus far! 

We've had such a crazy Summer!  Our Mom was sick in bed ALL Summer as well as one of our sisters, and her husband had to be away for work, so we've also been taking care of our 4 year old niece.

Needless to say, we haven't got around to much of anything else. Sorry for the LONG absence!

I did manage to take a very few pictures of some things we did this Summer. Such as picking flowers from our much overgrown garden. I hope you enjoy them!

God has been gracious and loving and has provided everything we've needed and taught us much. And of course, what would we have done without our dear friends who have helped and encouraged us so much! If you're reading this, thank you so, so much!

I know this isn't very Autumnal, but... Happy October! 

♥♥♥ Marguerite 

We had snow...

..on Christmas Eve! And it stayed all through Christmas. yay!
I'm wanting snow again. Don't shoot me for saying that, but I do.

I really don't have anything to say except that I want to talk. I miss my friends that live far away.. and that live close for that matter. But I am resolved to actually learn how to communicate. I'm working on it.
Meanwhile I'm making Mochi and pillowcases. :)
Thanks for puting up with my weird moment.....s.
Moments.


♥Margo

vintage picnic...

Isn't it the time of year for picnics?

 via

I am in love with vintage picnics.

What better way is there to spend an afternoon in the early summer? I ask you!

via

The first two pictures are from an engagement photo session-- which is a lovely idea, but there's absolutely no reason not to have a vintage picnic for no reason! :)

I think picnics are "..SIMPLY CHARMING!"
Like these photos from about a hundred years ago. Aren't they marvelous?

I  say it is high time to get out your prettiest picnic basket, linen napkins and of course your favorite quilt... Make tasty sandwiches and delightful desserts made in canning jars, 

(Like this Chevre + Coconut milk cheesecake)

 via

Bring your favorite game or pastime -- such as scrabble, croquet, badminton, cards, knitting, drawing or embroidery -- 

 and find a nice spot in the grass dappled with sunlight and enjoy the day as if it has been made just for you... Because it has!

Each day is a special gift from our Creator, let's not waste it!

Love, and happy picnicking to you all!

♥ Marguerite

simple days..

...are the best kinds of days.

Sometimes they seem rather few and far between, but they are so lovely when they happen.

 Like a ray of sunshine peeking through the grey sky on a chilly afternoon,

we're reminded that spring will appear in small but sure ways.

xo Marguerite

Oatmeal, elbow grease and Autumn

Do you know what I love? Autumn. Yesirree Bob.

 via

I fell asleep last night to the sound of the rain tip-tapping on the roof of my home. And woke to a cool (not cold) breeze blowing gently on my face. Of course that was followed by a loud banging sound coming from my niece who was downstairs playing. 

Which, even after a slight grimace on my part, was no less delightful. It was  followed by a warm fuzzy feeling of coming downstairs in my warm fuzzy slippers to see my Mom drinking her coffee and having a cozy chat with my sister with her bible on her lap and all the Fall colors brightening the sky outside. 

I then proceeded to make my usual weekday oatmeal with flax seed meal and maple syrup and a cup of steaming hot strawberry lychee black tea. Mmm... nourishment.

Then I read the next chapter in Galatians, for my morning bible reading and felt so uplifted, even with the thought of impending yard and house work. 

To take care of that, I flipped through the Oct./Nov. issue of Mary Jane's Farm and suddenly I felt not only that I could get through my daily work, but that it just might be enjoyable! 

Which... it was.

I helped my Mom empty flower pots and take them up to store for the winter, planted an Aster, watered some bushes and plants, took the garbage up, fed some old lettuce plants to the cows and I got an old wooden coke bottle box to use in my room as a little shelf. Of course it was covered in dust and other things which I wont dirty the page with, so I hosed it off and sprayed it with cleaner and it is drying outside even now.

Days like these could always be described in less than heartening words. I could've talked about the headache I had last night, all the work that didn't get done during the summer or how the days all seem to blend together with nothing much to make them anything special. 

But today did feel different. Not because it was all new or exciting or everything in my life is perfect, but I felt the Joy of the Lord and heard His music in the trees and smelled the sweetness of the air and everything looked so much more beautiful when I thought of who created it and who He is and how much he cares for EVERY one of us. I was filled with gratitude and an overpowering feeling of how much Jesus cares about me. He takes care of us every day. Even though, we complain and ignore Him and make the same mistakes over and over again. He doesn't just ignore us or complain and He never makes mistakes. He is full of Forgiveness. A true friend, helper, healer and Father. He never leaves us or forsakes us.

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, 0 Lord, in the light of Your
countenance. In Your name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Your righteousness shall they
be exalted. For You are the glory of their strength: and in Your favour our horn shall be
exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

Psalms 89:15-18

I hope you all have a beautiful, joyful day. Filled with love, a little elbow grease and strength for each new day.

Love to you all,
Marguerite

AmandaBeth Online: My Love is Requited

There is a lovely post on Amanda Beth Online right now. 

AmandaBeth Online: My Love is Requited

Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

♥Genevieve

Everything is better with a Friend...

 (or two.)

January

is a very good month for...

...going out to coffee with a friend...

 ...reading a good book...

 ...taking a stroll...

 

 ...Or taking pictures by a frozen river in your bathing suit. 

Just for a smile...

I hope this post has found one for you. =]

Love,

Marguerite

jungle

 Have you ever thought about the word 'jungle'? Say it slowly to yourself a few times. It's a strange word. Jungle... jungle. Ha ha!  But that's beside the point.

These are the plants I have in my room. They are a Happy Thought. The nice thing about it is it keeps the air very fresh. Which is nice because my room is right above the kitchen. Food smells really good when it's cooking and when you're eating it, but after that... not so much. So, it's nice to have plants. And this is a very random post. So there.

Margo

Happy Thought...

My Lord is so Beautiful!
This song inspires and encourages me so much. I hope it will for you too.
(Don't forget to pause the music in the sidebar!)

xoxo Marguerite

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

Here's a fun and easy project for the family on Thanksgiving Day while they are waiting for the turkey. We do this every year and we all have a great time standing around it and writing down things that we are thankful for. We all love it...from Grandma to our little two year old niece.
Here are the things we were thankful for last year.
Just take a big piece of blank news print or poster board (or, if you don't have that just tape several pieces of paper together), tape it to a wall, write We Are Thankful (or something to that effect) in big letters and put a big jar of colored pencils next to it. Start counting your blessings! Don't forget to take a picture at the end of the night so you can look back at what you were thankful for and to laugh at the funny spelling! i.e. last year my nephew was thankful for "Bubels". Priceless.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
♥Genevieve

Remedies for colds

I thought I'd post these recipes in a separate post because the last one was so long. =]
So in case you didn't already see these, here are my favorite recipes to fight colds and sore throats. =]

Marguerite's Concoction of Delight
This is something I make when I get or feel like I'm going to get a cold.

Place in the blender:
1/2 cup frozen berries or fruit
1 cup rice milk
1 Tblsp. flax seed meal
1 Tblsp. honey
dash of cinnamon
pinch of cayenne
pinch of vitamin C powder (or whatever dosage on bottle is. WARNING: Very sour!)
1-2 droppers full echinacea
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
10-15 drops grapefruit seed extract
(these are all approximate measures. I usually don't measure anything exact when I make it.)

And then I put whatever liquid supplements I'm taking such as...
vitamin D
1-2 drops "Thieves" Essential Oil
Ningxia Red
or Jus

Then blend on high until smooth.
Voila! A much tastier way to gain back your health. And you can mix it up by adding different fruit with it like banana or coconut milk to make it more creamy or add or take away different supplements to make it more specific to your needs. =]

Here's a way to help with a sore throat...
A friend of Genevieve told her about this and Gen told me.

1. Wash your hands
2. Get one finger wet with water
3. Cover it with salt (I use natural, non iodized sea salt. I wouldn't recommend using regular iodized salt.)
4. Rub it all around on the back of your throat
5. Rinse it out with water and either spit it out or swallow it.
I prefer to swallow it because it's good for you. This helps SO much! I usually get really bad sore throats so I was very happy to find something that really works good!

Or there's the ol' standby: Chamomile tea with honey, apple cider vinegar and cayenne.
This helps me too. =]

Note: I am not, by any means, certified to advise about health issues etc... all I know is what works for me. =]

Well, I hope you don't have to use these recipes because you're already well, but if you aren't well, then I hope these will help you.
Blessings and love to you all,
Marguerite

Coziness...

Tea cozy picture from Salihan Crafts

This morning I woke up with a cold. Pooky. -as my sweet nephew would say. =]
But alas, it is an excuse to do all sorts of cozy things. And since the weather has been rather gray and wet (yay!) It makes it feel even more cozy. *smiles*

Here's my favorite recipe for a cozy day...
I wake up hearing rain on our tin roof and smelling the freshness of the wet earth. I look at the clock, 9:27 am. *contented sigh*...it's Saturday. I reach for my fuzzy pink monster slippers and put on my warmest sweatshirt, then shuffle downstairs to see who else is stirring. The first person I see is my Mom, with slippers on feet and coffee in hand. She greets me with a "Good morning" and a kiss. Then our dog Jebbers, wagging his tail so hard he can hardly walk over to me to give me a 'hug' and to look up into my face and ask, "Can we go play right now!?" So, I promise him we will later. Next, it's to the kitchen for a nice hot cup of Creme de la Earl Grey sweetened with a little honey. Then I sit down in front of a cozy fire with my tea and my Bible and thank God for giving me the blessing of life, home, family and the smell of bacon frying on the stove. Without Jesus, I wouldn't be able to enjoy anything, simple or great. Then I see my sisters faces and am greeted with a great idea or an inside joke they had been thinking of all night. My Mom turns on the Little Women soundtrack and everyone feels that all is right with the world. Then we sit down to breakfast and discuss our plans for the day, hopefully they'll include a walk when the rain lets up, afternoon tea, working on items to sell at the market we'll be participating in in October and playing some music later on. Of course, these are all possible plans but nothing is really fixed for certain. We could always decide to do something entirely different... it is a Saturday after all...

I hope you are all feeling 'cozy' today, as I said, I have a cold so I will most likely spend most of the day taking vitamins and scrubbing salt on the throat and hopefully brainstorming about the Bend Indoor Markets that is coming up next weekend (Sept. 25th and 26th). We, or Pretty Wit rather, got invited to participate in it! We're so excited! We have signed up for the first weekend in October and have been working on all sorts of things to sell. Here is the link if you live in the area and would like to check it out: http://www.bendindoormarkets.com/

>>If you are looking for the recipes for fighting colds and sore throats that was posted here, go HERE to find it. Thanks!<<

Have a cozy day!
Marguerite

ps Tomorrow, Sept. 19th, is Talk like a Pirate Day! Aye Avast!

Women of Faith Event

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you all know of a lovely event happening over at Melinda's blog Abounding Hope. It's called Women of Faith. I was so honored to be a part of this event!

Side note: I'm feeling really lame at the moment because I was going to post about it when it started but LIFE got in the way. But, most of you know how that goes.

Please go here to find out what this delightful event is all about. Then go here to read all of the entries and get your socks blessed off!


Love,
Genevieve

Happy Independence Day!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

“

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

”

We hope you have a wonderful 4th of July and that you remember what our men and women did for us to help keep us a FREE nation. And most of all that you would remember the One who is the ultimate giver of the blessing of freedom... Jesus Christ.

The Golden Afternoon

Don't you just love the time of day when everything seems to be dipped in gold?

Here's Aimee in Wonderland.
It's so beautiful and peaceful.



Always remember to bask in the golden afternoon.


Love,
Genevieve

Our God is an Awesome God!

Aren't these pictures from the Hubble Telescope amazing? I don't know how anyone can look at these pictures and think it all "just happened".

Eleven concentric shells of gas surround the dying star of the Cat’s Eye Nebula, one of the most complex planetary nebulae ever discovered.

The mass of galaxy cluster Abell 2218 distorts and magnifies the light of galaxies beyond it, allowing us to see distant galaxies in the universe.

 This view of nearly 100,000 (!!! Wow!) galaxies captures the faintest visible-light details of the universe ever seen. It reveals billions of light years of galactic history.

Gas heated to more than 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit tears across space at more than 600,000 miles an hour to form the butterfly-shaped nebula.

 

 

Do you feel tiny yet? 

I do. 

 

And it's a great feeling. Because I know that my God is bigger than all of these galaxies and stars. And a God who can create such beauty is a God worthy to be praised! Just think of how many gorgeous things are out farther in the universe that we haven't even seen yet and may not ever see. 

 

 

 Psalm 8

   ¹O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! 

who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

   ²Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained 

strength because of thine enemies, 

that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

   ³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, 

the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

   ⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? 

and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

   ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, 

and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

   ⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; 

thou hast put all things under his feet:

   ⁷All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

   ⁸The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, 

and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

   ⁹O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

 

Go here to see more photographs of God's handiwork. 

 

Have a happy weekend everyone!
♥ Genevieve 

Bon Appetit!

Hello friends!
The week is rolling into the weekend. Ahhh.... *breathes a sigh of relief*
It's been a busy and very good week! I'm always happy when Friday comes along cause it's the start of my weekend. =]
This week was a productive one for me. Which is a big thing! I did a lot of little things around the house, (the kinds of things you don't get around to until it's absolutely necessary, if you know what I mean), and did my usual Nanny job that I love and the every-other-week house cleaning for our sweet and very dear neighbors. The big thing this week was, I got up on time every day. (Also a big thing for me) =] It is so nice to get up and "sit just quietly" and sip tea and read my Bible before I have to 'get movin'. I am in a much happier mood when I get up in the morning. It is a very good thing.

Tonight we watched Julie and Julia.

Here's a picture of the real Julia Child.And Meryl Streep as Julia Child.

An Excellent movie, if you ask me! It was wonderful to watch Meryl Streep play Julia Child. (Both ladies I so much admire and adore!) and Amy Adams is always so cute and clever! I remember watching Julia Child on TV with my Mom and older sisters when I was little. I always liked her immensely!
The movie was very inspiring! It made me want to cook! The only problem is that we are on a 'cleanse'. However... it is not too strict. There's lots of things you can do with meat, veggies, fruit and quinoa. =] Yes... I really like quinoa. It is not quite as good as cous cous, but it feels like your eating something filling.. which is a very good thing. =] But, I confess... this movie really makes you want to eat something with butter. The amount of butter there is in this movie is well... let's just say, I really wanted to eat something that was completely slathered in butter.
And it made me want to get this book! So to cheer ourselves up, we took a little 'holiday' from our diet while we were watching the movie. I had ice cream with blueberries and CHOCOLATE. LOTS of chocolate (in my case anyway). It was most wonderful! I figure, on 'cleanses', chocolate shouldn't count. It doesn't fit in the 'food' category... it belongs in the 'mental health and well being' category.

Well, I must be off to bed! I hope you all have a good nights rest and a beautiful day tomorrow! Meanwhile... I'll be dreaming of Paris and things cooked in butter. Bon Appetit!
xo Marguerite

Fresh and Clean

It's seems like there's a lot of cleaning and organizing going on lately. Like here and here. I guess everyone wants a fresh look for Summer. Isn't a clean room one of the best things ever? It seems like you can think, sleep and even create things so much better when your room is clean and orderly. I know that it inspires me. Here are a few pictures of my room before and after. These are way back in October. My room had gotten to be a huge mess after the car accident so when I was finally rid of those horrid crutches I got to clean my room. Ah! It felt so good.

Before:

After:Ahhh, so much better. Since this was back in October my room got messy again of course. But it is now back to being clean and orderly again. I rearranged some things this time so it's a bit less cluttered feeling.

Hope that you are all having a beautiful and fresh Summer!

Fare thee well from Genevieve and her Prince in Shining Armor!

The Fruits of the Spirit

Fruits of the Spirit by Gesh"247 featuring Monsoon accessories

Aimee and I are just so silly! We just can't stop making Polyvore sets! It is so fun. :) I made this one a few days ago. I have always loved this verse.

²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:
love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
and self-control.
There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22 &23


Have a beautiful day!
Genevieve

Matthew 28:1-8

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word."

Happy Easter to you all!

Love, Genevieve