An Apple Orchard Today...

An Apple Orchard today was good medicine.  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's our day in pictures.

Sweet Tango Trail

Don't you just love this little fox? (Our grandson, Micah)

Thanks, Carrie and Mardo, for letting me use some of your pictures in this post, and for coming with us to the orchard.

Artful Photography

For a long time I have wanted to have the ability, the eye,the knowledge for taking interesting photographs. I thought about taking a photography class, but never have had time. So I just keep trying on my own. I know that I need to learn about lighting and shutter speed, and just need to develop an eye for the right angle. (A better camera wouldn't hurt either.) I really wish I could take pictures like my son-in-law does. Check out his pictures at Live The Life.

Here are some pictures I took two weeks ago at the North Shore. Which one do you like best?

My New Gallery Wall

Ever since we moved up north, I've wanted to put up a gallery wall. I had one in our previous home, and wrote a post about it. (My Gallery Wall) Our new home, however, needed to be finished before I could start putting pictures on the walls. So my pictures were boxed up, and stored in the garage.
Last week I decided that it was time to get everything out of storage. I figured that Memorial Weekend would be the perfect time to put up my gallery wall.  I decided to have my gallery wall in our piano room. There's a big wall, and we can see it from the hallway.
After lunch today I got started. It took me about 5 hours, but I am so happy with the results so far. There's room for a few more pictures/treasures, and I need some heavier black frames on the right for balance, but at least now we can enjoy the things I have.

It's funny - I spent a lot of time trying to make sure all the pictures were level, but in the picture some don't look straight. I also found out it's hard to take a good picture of the wall. I didn't have much natural light.
Here's a picture from a different angle and different lighting.

Special Visitor

Last Saturday morning when we got up and looked outside, we saw that we had a special visitor on our dock. We had seen him in the nieghborhood visiting other parts of the lake shore, but it was the first time we had been privileged to see him at our house. He stayed for quite a while, just sitting quietly, not saying much (probably looking for breakfast.) But when he left, the dock looked strangely empty, and we realized just what a gift we had just been given.

This Is My Father's World

When I look out the windows of the cabin toward the lake, my heart is so full of thanksgiving to God for allowing me the opportunity to live here and experience so much beauty in nature. What a magnificent Creator He is!

And then an old hymn comes to mind:

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, 

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

From Winter to Spring

It has been a long winter.

Back on April 19 we had a big snow storm.

And we wondered if spring would ever come. But ever so slowly, the snow melted, and then the ice on the lake began to melt.

Every day I would come home from work and go to the window to see if the ice was off the lake yet.

Last night the lake looked like this...

 And today, when I got home it looked like this!

There's just a little bit of ice left close to the shore, and the trees hide it from view.

 Welcome, spring! We're glad you're finally here.

“It was such a spring day as breathes into a man an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes him stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out his arms to embrace he knows not what.” 
― John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga

A Great Start to the Day

When we got up this morning and looked out the window, here's what we saw:

We don't often see deer in our front yard. But it's been a long winter with lots of snow. Craig had cut down a couple of trees two weeks ago but couldn't haul the branches away because of the snow. And now I'm glad he didn't. We have had such fun watching the birds play in among the branches, and now we got to see this beautiful deer munching on them.
The sun is out and the sky is blue for the first time in ages. It's going to be a great day. Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of your creation and for giving us eyes to see!

(Here's one more look at our morning visitor)

Holy Scrap Weekend

This weekend I went to my first scrap booking retreat. I have been scrap booking for many years, but since Craig was only home on the weekends, I was never able to go to a retreat.
Holy Scrap is a weekend retreat organized by a couple of women in northern MN, and they just happen to work with me. I am so glad that they invited me - and so thankful to God for this weekend. It was awesome!

When we arrived Friday night at Miracle Bible Camp, the room was all set up for us.  Each woman was assigned her own table.There was a special goodie bag, a piece of special paper and some die cut flowers, and a t-shirt waiting for each of us.

The t-shirt said, "Holy Scrap" on the front and has Psalm 102:18 on the back:

Let this be written for a future generation,

    that a people not yet created may praise the Lord

I knew right then that it was going to be a great weekend. In addition to scrap booking, we also had three make-and-takes, three page challenges, time for snowshoeing, and time to get to know one another.

The three make-and-takes were:

A mini album made out of cardboard coasters

A card made from Stampin' Up die cuts

and coasters made out of ceramic tiles, paper, and Mod Podge.

Each time we came back to the work room there was some kind of treat waiting for each of us at our work station - almost like there was a scrap booking fairy there - a piece of paper, an embellishment, ribbon...even a cloth bracelet with the same Bible verse on it. It was so much fun.

Those of us who were there for the first time each got a flannel scarf.

This was the 10th anniversary for Holy Scrap, so Saturday night we had carrot cake cupcakes with candles in them. We took group pictures, shared ideas and supplies, had meals and devotions together, and worked on creating scrapbooks that would tell our stories, showcase our pictures, and save our memories.

I want to thank the ladies who organized the weekend, planned the events, bought the gifts, and made this a weekend to remember.

In my next blog I'll share some of the pages I made- I was able to finish 18 pages this weekend!