Sunday, May 29, 2011

...how the garden grows...






My garden is growing! I am so excited about this! The first picture are my tomatoes. They are actually growing. I had no idea how to start a garden a month ago. The ground was tilled and I bought my seeds and planted them. A friend laughed and told me my tomatoes should've been started inside and I thought, "oh well, too late now. Just like Jennifer to just jump in and do it." But now, 3-4 of them are growing!

The best ones are the corn! They're getting higher and higher each day. When they started I wasn't sure if they were the grass mixed in there or if it was the corn but now I can tell the difference.

The last picture is what I believe are the green beans! It's still a little hard to tell. I planted 6 different fruits and veggies. 3 out of 6 isn't too bad. The others are still working and there are beginnings of them I believe but not quite sure.

A wise man told me not to weed until I could tell what was growing and where:) I'm listening to that advise and just plucking the weeds where it is safe to do so and not ruin all that is growing.

Thanks all for reading and letting me share a little bit of joy from my garden.

God Bless,
Jennifer

(p.s. - I write this as my kids are watching Gnomeo & Juliet in the background and talks about "Love builds a Garden:)" LOL

Friday, May 27, 2011

Just sharing...

I've had a few sleepless nights this week. A lot is going on, a lot is happening around me and my life. I have a routine in the morning when I wake.
Feed the dog
Start the coffee
Let the dog out
Pour my coffee
Open the laptop
Start my email with a prayer
Read my inspiring newsletters that come from Joel Osteen, Beliefnet and 5 mins of Faith
Go to Facebook and see "what God wants me to know today"
Then have my quiet time with Him and pray

I'm tired today. I feel as if I have been running a race. A race of making up time that I missed over the years of really "getting it". Ironically, the Joel Osteen message hit me today, like every other day, right where I am at.

Thought I'd share it:

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“...Run in such a way as to get the prize”
(1 Corinthians 9:24, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Oftentimes, when we have a dream in our heart, we start off strong. We head down the path toward our goal, and we’re so excited! But along the way, we hit some roadblocks and encounter some adversity. Many times, people will just give up and take the easy way out. But we have to remember, it’s not how we start that counts; it’s how we finish. Anybody can be fired up at the beginning, but I’m encouraging you to stick with it until the end! Have the determination to go all the way through. Don’t stop at the halfway mark just because times are tough. Don’t quit because you don’t see anything happening. The scripture tells us not to walk by sight, but to walk by faith.
Today, if there’s a dream in your heart, something you’re believing for — a relationship to turn around, a business opportunity or to overcome an addiction — keep pursuing it! Run your race to win the prize! Don’t settle until you see the fullness of what God has placed in your heart. As you stand strong in your faith, I believe God will pour out His favor and blessing upon you, and you will see the victory He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, today I choose to stand strong in You. I set my focus on Your promises and choose to run my race with conviction. I let go of the past by faith today and press forward into the destiny You have in store for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

My turn again:
I've hit some roadblocks...yes. And as early as two days ago I told God - no more or I'm turning away and going back. This isn't what I thought it would be like. He started dreams in me many years ago and again this past year and again just recently. They keep changing and tweaking along the way. There is a vision He gave me of my life two years ago when He entered my dreams while I was at my lowest. It's what has kept me going on. It is such joy and happiness. As I have pressed on thinking it was this or that and nothing happened or I had a mountain to move...We grew closer and I continued to go by faith and trust.

Yes, I now understand surrender. And there are days when it feel awful and then a prayer gets answered. Then in that moment you continue to believe and go on - whatever the result. So that's what I've been doing. He has asked me to share my story in so many ways and to so many different people. It's been confusing but it's starting to make sense - just as recently as yesterday.

Here is a version of my story to share with families who are in the midst of a cancer diagnosis:
My book Jenny's Angels available at:
www.inspringdesignsbyjennifer.com
direct link to:
https://www.createspace.com/3587070

I'm zapped, I'm tired. I'm going to rest this weekend as I have been told to. He's taking it from here...for now. I know this is just the beginning of something else. Not sure what. But I'm trusting I'll be ok.

Thank you everyone for reading my blog. Sharing my emails and Facebook status', twitter stuff and all the junk we have to learn to do in order to get out there and make a difference...even if it's just for one single person.

Today, I'm going on a field trip with my daughter. I'm going to be tired due to broken sleep last night but I also know that I will pray for enough energy and receive it for the day and laugh with my child....it's priceless.

God Bless,
Jennifer

Monday, May 9, 2011

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Mother's Day doesn't get any better than this...













Gifts from my children. Funny, when you find yourself questioning if you really are a good mom and doing your very best...God provides you an answer:)
Happy Mother's Day!
Enjoy your day with the ones you love!


Mother's Day doesn't get any better than this...




...and yes, I cried:)

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Mary, Mary, quiet contrary...How does your garden grow? cont....


As my garden grows, so do my creative ideas:)

I encourage anyone who feels stuck in a place in your life to find a space you can make your own. Inside or outside your home. Reuse old furniture. Go through your basement and attic for items you can repaint and give new life to. There is something very theraputic to making something old into something new again.

For so long I have envisioned a garden with colorful, eclectic furniture and decorations, but never did it. I love looking at magazines and seeing how pretty some gardens are, but never did my own. After clearing the weeds and leaves from the abandoned garden behind my barn last week - I found my garden muse. The butterfly shape needed color...so I gave it to her. But it needed more. I painted verses and sayings around her shape as reminders of my prayers and positive affirmations. But now I needed a place to sit. Years and years ago, my dad gave me this old metal chair that he had when my mom was alive. I remember this chair when I was little. It used to have an ugly brown cover over it - totally 70's. This chair has moved from house to house with me and never has been used because it's a little broken. Dad always reminded me that this chair is now in the Smithsonian so I never felt like I could change it. Soooo...I called my dad:) Yes, I wanted his approval of spray painting it before I just did it. Now 76 years old and realizing that things are just things and we can't enjoy them unless we use them...he agreed to the painting. So now this chair is bright pink. Next came old shutters. A fresh painting, design and some words of a song and a verse and we have more interest and color. Lastly came another chair. It felt lonely out there in just my wire chair so I made room for a friend. Again, with a little spray paint and some left over fabric - I have another sunny chair.
My prayer garden will continue to evolve this season. I am blooming with ideas! I invite anyone who would like to stop by and see my prayer garden to come on by and have a cup of tea, a talk and some time with me in my garden.

God Bless,
Jennifer


Sunday, May 1, 2011

Mary, Mary, quiet contrary...How does your garden grow?














...with silver bells and cockle shells...no...with pink-painted chairs and yummy-veggies:)
(that doesn't rhyme...oh well)
I spent a beautiful, sunny Saturday cleaning out my old flower gardens and preparing a new veggie garden. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. There is deeper meaning to all of this, too.

Personally, Jen never kept up nor created her own garden's. At the homes that I've lived at, previous owners always had beautiful gardens planted. I may have started caring for these gardens for awhile with weeding and remulching but I never kept up with them. I didn't know much about gardening nor had any real interest in learning. So they always became overwhelmed with weeds.

I have envisioned my gardens with eclectic, colorful furniture pieces and signs of all sorts, but never did anything more than stuck store bought decorative stakes in the ground. This year, I'm revamping my gardens and revamping the garden in my mind, body and spirit, too. My muse will be created later this afternoon. I envisioned her at the end of the day but I was too pooped to do it.

Jennifer, is ready to revamp, recreate, reinvent her garden. Jennifer is ready to weed, turn the soil, plant the seeds, water and watch her garden grow. Jennifer is ready for the maintenance of her garden's now...even in the hot, hot summer heat...no excuses and no looking for someone else to do the weeding:)



Happy Gardening!
and God Bless!
Jennifer