My love for photography.

Since I was a little girl I was in love with color, beauty, nature and capturing it on paper. I used to doodle on each little scrap of paper I would get my hands on. Sometimes I still do, even at work and that sometimes gets me into trouble. Drawing and painting kind of disappeared as soon as I got married, but the love for photography emerged. Taking pictures of all the lovely nature spots we went to, and later all the photos I took of my children, made my husband trow up his hands as he bought me a digital camera, tired of all the times we had to develop ALL the photos I took on film. :)

So far this is just a hobby I do. I especially love taking pictures of nature, of beautiful flowers you see on my blog. Maybe some day I will be able to turn it into money making business? who knows... it does not hurt to hope. Then I can leave my office work and work from home taking pictures and traveling, my two dreams.

What are your dreams? Are you living your dream? If "Yes", then you are very lucky and blessed. If its a "No", May God help you fulfill your dreams, and live the life you always wanted.

Here is a web page I found that possibly will help me in my search for getting MONEY for my pictures!!
http://9eceffighuuf3papuwq8wbpjfh.hop.clickbank.net/

My creed.

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;

I would be pure, for there are those who care;

I would be strong- for there is much to suffer;

I would be brave, for there is much to dare.

I would be friend of all- the foe, the friendless;

I would be giving, and forget the gift.

I would be humble, for I know my weakness;

I would look up- and laugh- and love- and lift.

~~~Howard Arnold Walter~~~

Beautiful prayer.

Psalm 16 (One of my favorite psalms...)

1 Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.

2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."


3 As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.


5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.


6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.


7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.


8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.


9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,


10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.


11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Here are some pleasures that I enjoy... my children, the flowers... lovely hot summer days.

The Miracle of Life

Be still.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. ~~~~Psalm 37:7

Learning to be still and let God handle everything in my life is hard. I am usually  the one who is very impatient and want things done as soon as possible. So I guess I never learned how to be still, to be patient. To let God handle everything. But I am learning.

Learning to trust God in handling all the issues regarding my job.

Learning to wait patiently on some things I want done in my life and family.

Learning to step back and let God be the one calling all the shots, and for me to just watch. I am watching and waiting God. Let me see your amazing power work in my life.

My garden is growing so big now. So many green tomatoes... I love it. Can you see me here?

I have been quite busy for the past few months. Gardening, working full time, cleaning my house non-stop, teaching my girls their songs and verses for church. And just having a lot of family time, church time and less sleep time. But its all good.

Here is my 18 month old watering my favorite flowers...  Isn't she just too cute?

I think she is just too adorable. Makes me want to have more babies... they are just too sweet.

Marriage trouble.

We all go through marriage problems on and off. One day its better, and you feel loved and the next day you feel sad, and unloved and feel like the marriage has hit the rocks. I have been married for ten years and went through some tough years, with some moments thinking why I even married this man, maybe there is someone else who is better. A lot of us go through different stages in a married life.

In the first years of marriage I was lonely, and was upset that my husband didn't want to spend all his free time with me. Then I went through a stage where I was upset when he didn't show me acts of love in "my" way. I was blind to the acts of kindness and love that he was showing me in his own unique ways. Then I went through some months of disappointment in my husband, I thought he wasn't acting how he should be acting, so I tried to "explain" to him how he should act. I tried hard to change him to no avail, he wouldn't even badge. Sad to say I went through a lot of months, and possibly years in my marriage being frustrated and upset at him. There were a few issues we were going through and some of those issues still remain today, that made me really sad, angry and complaining when my husband did not see those issues as huge problems for our family.

Finally there was a time in my life, that I felt so unhappy, as tears streamed down my face, I sat and cried out to God. To help him heal my marriage, to change me, and make me be a better wife. That's when God started to change me, not my husband. He started to show me all the ways I tried to control my husband, all the times I complained, and He started to work on my heart.

I brought Him my loneliness and He filled me with peace.
I brought Him my sadness and He filled me with joy.
I gave Him all the family issues, and He promised to carry me through them all. He did not say he would remove them from my life, but that He would help me through the hard times, that he would carry me when I couldn't walk. I offered him my health, my children, my husband, my marriage.

I love the gentle ways God works in our life. He hand guiding us through the rough patches. I remember crying hard in the bathroom as I felt Him comfort me and fill me with His amazing presence. I am forever thankful in different ways He carried me in my marriage and filled it with hope and love.

He has removed the neediness, the clinging, the controlling nature and all the dirt to see the gold beneath all the tarnish. In Him alone I found true love, with which I was able to love my husband more. I found true happiness and joy.  In God alone. I still have a lot to learn, and there are days I fall back to my old ways and of course make myself miserable. I am glad we have God in our life, who lifts up our souls and helps us through the dark time in our marriage.

I pray that you find the same comfort in Him alone, and that He is the one who heals your marriage.

Here is a link to a  some nice advice on marriage as well from focus on the family.

Focus on the family- give your marriage to Jesus.

Summer.

Summer is here to stay. Life is busy, I am working full time, my husband is home with his broken ribs, watching the girls. I try to enjoy summer with my girls, bringing them as much fun as we can manage, and I am glad that little things, like sprinklers and ice cream makes for a fun day for the girls...:)

What does summer mean to you? Pretty flowers....

Strawberries over ice scream...

I cut strawberies up, sprinkle with sugar, cook for about 10 minutes, and then we pour over vanilla ice cream or short cake... um, so good.

We had our fill of snap peas... so fresh and crispy.

Water is a nessesity during the summer. Nothing can survive without water, not even little girls..;)

And finally, summer is all about resting, soaking in the sun, and enjoying the beauty of a hot summer day, that God has blessed us with.