Meet Buddy, Ben Hur, Valentino and sometimes...Brutus

We have a newly adopted doggy.  He is truly the Gentle Giant, perhaps we could even call him Gentle Ben?  Usually "Buddy" is the first thing to come to our lips though...This recent big baby is here at the Forest Cathedral and is just precious.

This day Jem and I went on an adventure and on returning I captured these following shots.

If you read about Mo-Mo in the last entry, we have been praying over her, and Joycie has had quite a few runs to the vet with her. Even Dr. H was a bit puzzled over our very, very sick, but still sweet kitty.  Thank God she seems to be back to herself after several very touch and go weeks.  ...Just in case anyone is wondering how she is these days.  We love our pets.   

I feel now would be a good time to thank the pastor from India, the young homeschool mom who had messaged me a while back, and the anonymous commenter who replied favorably to one of my comments on another blog, (even though a meanie-boots erased it) it was auto messaged to me.  What a precious lot and Godsend you all are.  Usually at various times of discouragement in blogging, a tiny Remnant of Saints will message me or comment and are truly the typing fingers of the Father.  We serve such a personal God, He knows our hearts and sure knows how to show that He does...I am in major awe at times.

It's all for an Audience of One and my Family here is also so wonderful on verbal encouragements as well. 



Meet our most precious gentle-giant fur-angel...Buddy.  He is actually in front of me on a concrete table outside one most enchanted eve after Jem and I took a drive...He just hopped up on top of the table!  He thinks he is little.  But we don't mind..

Jem and I arrived from our day-adventure and these family shots ensued..




Dad, (Jem) quickly gives his wisdom to life's questions...Buddy at his side so glad to see Jem.




 Our feather angels, Jem and two of our daughters just enjoying that beautiful evening.




 Janie discussing the world's problems as Buddy officiates in his most peaceful way..


So cute, Buddy and Henrietta visiting... Joycie and Janie are thoroughly amused. So great.




Buddy and Coffee...Isn't it funny?  He makes Coffee look so little!  Coffee chews Buddy's legs and cheeks and Buddy doesn't even mind... They are the team.  As you probably know we have four small little doglets too...and kitties....and chickens...


Buddy our sweetheart.  The gentle giant...Thank you God for sending us Buddy, we will take good care of him. 


I've been busy sewing the Jasmine top from Colette patterns and enjoying that, just taking my time, sizing it, altering it as it needs be...just designing a pretty little top I will be proud of.  I have several other creation waiting my creative hand as well...So fun.  Sew fun.  Our daughters are doing well, just having fun in life, a Life in Christ.

This week's movie for our family will most likely feature the old movie, Seven Days in May (1964).

Tonight's dinner will be a Mediterranean pasta dish made with cashew flour, lemon juice etc. and it is so gooood.  Jem tells me to make it again!  It's a keeper! : )

When we reflect on God's goodness, pure gratitude wells up in our hearts for all He's given to us.  And it's easy to be joyful and at peace.   




Randomness:  I love pretty ballet flats.  That's all I wear....So dainty I think.  I say I've been liberated from geisha-girl shoes. (high heels)   Yes indeedie!



Take care now, Amelia:  The Last Child in the Woods, just happy to be here.  Thank you Father.

Listen, Look...the Cross. God is Everywhere...Everywhere

The Cross.

At the cross at the cross where I first saw the Light and the burden of my heart rolled away...

This past week Mar and I had to rush our kitty, Mo-Mo to our country vet's, she was in pain and had come to my door meowing loudly at 3amish.  This is a mild mannered kitty, she is.  So we knew something was wrong.

..a quiet moment...Mo-Mo and Rebecca...

Mar and I hopped in the truck and Mar asks me to drive...Just call me 'Sister Steve' from Father Dowling mysteries in cases like this.  My adrenaline knows how to do it's thing.  I've been known at 9 months pregnant and overdue how to calm my husband holding a tot (Marianna herself!) with a bleeding wound as he was about to pass out, that was one of those ER visits back then.  I've done my share of freaking out and done my share of calming and miraculously doing and thinking fast.  This was a fast moving moment and I drove.  

Mo's symptoms?  Her breathing - rapid, she couldn't walk, she would try and flop over, so pitiful. Her eyes were moving oddly. She was in pain when picked up.  

On the way to our precious Dr. Hester's I see a cross on the front of a mactruck...It was early morning and the cross was lit up...Oh how it spoke to my heart.  What a beautiful sight!  As we pull up to the clinic, Mar bolts in with Mo and I follow a very thin little lady with a dark tan, short grey hair, she looks like a very hard worker reminding me of someone from the waterfront where I grew up.  She was so precious she picked up on the emergency and held the door open quickly, another athletic man with a worried, compassionate face quickly stood back. 

Later I sit on the waiting bench, it looks like an old church pew, probably is, knowing Dr. Hester.  I see up close the very small and thin, hard working tanned woman's hand as her hand is relaxed on her jean pocket...A silver band...with a cross.   The Cross.

Never underestimate what a cross, the Cross will do for people who are in trouble or perhaps are seeking.  I like to wear a Cross these days, it speaks to people who I am and why I do what I do. 

In the exam room I talk with the helper and I hear a little goat bleating in the back...So great.  Dr. Hester appears in his jeans and rodeo buckle, the dude was a rodeo clown and that got him through vet school.  

I watched Doc Hester with our little Mo.  He was so sweet and gentle to her...chastising the helper for not holding her properly.. He tells the helper:  No, you leave her there on the blanket, you leave her there.

 I think God might tell some that too...He is saying, No leave her alone, just leave her alone. 

Mar is at the vet once again with Mo, hopefully things are winding down now...Hopefully a little light, Light shone on the last of the problem will be a happy and joyful end to this mystery. 

All of these people speak various messages to my heart... The merciful tanned, hard working lady, the merciful jogger man with the worried face who stood back... our gentle vet.  They all speak messages.   The mac truck with the cross on the front lit up, the Cross-ring on the precious tanned lady's hand... All messages.  All encouragements and whispers from God the Father.  Quiet, sweet messages... They were there.

More shots of Mo-Mo from a little over a year ago...

Lea with Mo-Mo as Rebecca captures the moment that Holi-day season...


  Howdy and Mo-Mo our precious kittens then...now big boy and big girl...

I'll close with Guisseppe that same year, remember Guisseppe?  He just went through eye surgery, God sends these fur angels and we care for them...A Blessing. 

Ask the animals, and they will teach you.   Job 12:7


St. Francis of Assisi used to talk to animals and never felt the fool.  More to the point, they listened.  He loved animals because to him they were God's special messengers, bearers of his secrets.  

From the book:

"Author says Calvinism can't Make Sense of the Cross"

An excellent article:  Author says Calvinism can't make Sense of the Cross

   I hope you are all having a sweet day in Jesus,   ~amelia

God Gets Me...And an Epic Dye Fail

To be so smart I sure am dumb sometimes...

Do you ever feel like your thoughts look a little like this? 




Mixed with this?  

The outward manifestation and hurt may feel like this?   Kind of  like...This is nutso, crazo and soooooooooo  unfair.  What do I DO?!

Yeah...We get our thoughts off of the Lord sometimes don't we, we start to worryin' and a-frettin'.  It's not that we are abnormal for being upset but we forget that in the background God is doing His best in the situation...we forget to keep praying to the Father.

Today when I left for the store my thoughts were a combo of the above but I kept praying but was still assuming some things, past and recent things...when I got home things looked different.

I received a delightful note from my dad and talked with him over the phone...some major weirdness and discouragements had been going on...  Other major discouragements too were brewing on the radar...some things weren't quite what I thought.  One concern was what I suspected and actually was an answer to prayer that it crashed! I was cor-rect on that one!  : ) 

It's been an intense week and season but God is really good.  There were also some things I prayed about and ya know?  I shut up about what I was praying about.   And God came through!   Why should I be surprised?  dummy-dummy-dummy  ; )  Absent minded professor here.

I am glad to say I have shut up, did not say a word on some things that were being misunderstood even by those I love and God came through when I least expected it!  It's very hard and can be extremely hurtful, being intuitive on things, many things and being with those who have different spiritual giftings...and they don't get us.  You want to scream! (you know... like Donna Reed in it's a Wonderful Life when she's caught behind the bushes?)   So I've learned to shutteth-uppeth if at first, maybe even if at second, ; ) ...if I'm not received. ; )  God gets me and gets me sooooo well.   When only a few folks do, God gets me!

God is moved by our prayers, His answers will many times vindicate, soothe us in mercy or He will gently correct us in a way we can receive and sometimes He corrects the other party..we sometimes are even allowed to see it.

I'm not giving the Father enough credit I know, I could write a book on how He moves, He is just so intricate, so multi-faceted...I'm 53 and I'm blown away at times... Just blown away and sometimes?  Maybe I'm not so smart.  Maybe?  I just need to pass the test of trusting the first time missy?   

.................................

Here is a Dye-fail I would like to share with you:

Dying Clothes of a Different Color:   Oh noooooooo....Do not try this kids.

We are a bunch of creative geniuses over here don't ya know? ; )   Actually we do try...I tell Jem that I will be in my studio on days like this... I tell him I am CoCo Chanel on these days and the artist will be at work creating.  At one time I could illustrate and design fashions pretty quickly.   After being married for 34 years we get each other on this stuff... I can be as little girl as I want with Jem...Plus.  I was saving money by George.

Marianna and I thought we were going to have some fine new clothes in one of our favorite colors, Dark Navy...Honey Child, I thought I was going to be spiffy in my new navy blouses and Mar in her eyelet no longer school bus-yellow dress... oh yes indeedie. We were going to rock our worlds!

  Heh.

*fail*

As the Italian Mama in the old movie, Marty (1958) said about Marty's date...She don't-a looka like-a no Italian girl-a to-a me...

This-a-don't-a-looka-like-a-navy to-a-me....

The white turned lavender.

The white turned  purple-pink.

The yellow turned...I'm not sure...a mix of khaki green on the lining (kinda pretty), purple mud with hints of red on the outer. Oh dear me...

Isn't this awful?  Yep, two entire bottles of navy dye, cotton material, a cup of salt and way too much time... and this is what we got.

I knew the trim wouldn't dye but I figured the look would be neat.  Well, I've dyed items before, say, a black cotton cardigan - black, or a brown shirt - brown, faded pink towels-pink...it worked fine and dandy in brightening... but I haven't tried this type of thing over a different color in a long while if ever.  The last time I saw such a drastic dye, I noticed my friend's mom's dyed green cotton bathing suit 42 years ago.  Yep, I could see the blue dots through the green but I still thought it looked neat and I admired that beautiful and glamorous woman's thrift.  My project here was not so neat... *eh hem*.  (nor is it glamorous) 

So friends, don't waste over $7 for the bottles of dye, more $ for electricity used on rinsing and rinsing not to mention the water... and clorox used on bleaching your washing machine... on clothes of a different color.

No use crying over spilled milk but maybe I will save you grief, time and money.  I have no idea why ours came out like this... Such is life. : )   Maybe yours has come out differently, nicely?  Have you had dye fails too?  Let me know!  I love to re-purpose clothes, let me know if you have tips on successful dyeing! 

  Take care all,  from one creative messy blogger.... It's me, Amelia.  Last Child in the Woods.  : )