Harvest Time

Things continue to be extremely busy here in the Fowler home...therefore, my sporadic postings on the blog. And, it doesn't look like it's going to be much better in the near future. What with the summer months getting underway and farmers advertising their local produce, we are beginning to take advantage of the harvest and starting to store up produce for the winter months. Friday morning my mother and I, along with the five children in tow, drove to a farm about 30 minutes away and picked up 12 dozen ears of corn. My mom took 6 and I took six. We spent the rest of the day, shucking the corn...as you can see this large black trash bag full of corn!

Here is our little Julia trying to shuck her first ear of corn! Most of the silks and husks managed to get on the floor!

Once that was done, it was time to look the corn over, cut off any bad parts...oh and we can't forget squashing all the worms we found along the way! (The kids really liked that one!) Then it was a time consuming job of getting as many silks out of the ears as possible. Once that was done, each ear was washed.

Then placed in the two pots going non-stop to blanch them. Once they were blanched, I cut them off the ears with a knife and then ran the knife down the cob to get as much of the juice as possible. Last step, put them in a ziplock freezer bag and into the freezer to enjoy in winter. This next week we have field peas to pick, shell and freeze and we are also headed to the blueberry farm for picking fun.

So, if my posts are sporadic for a while...you will understand why! I did want to tell you all that today marks week number 11 for dh and Daddy being gone. It doesn't get any easier as time goes on...I am just learning more and more to rest in Him who is my only consolation.

I want to leave you all with a wonderful prayer. It is entitled, "The Valley of Vision," taken from a book by that title of some of the great Puritan prayers. It reminds me that even in this valley of separation...He is and will always be our vision.

"Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley."

Beauty from the Eyes of a Child

I was busily working in the kitchen, cleaning up dishes, wiping off counters, getting ready to prepare for our morning juicing, thinking to myself, "My the children are so quiet. Thank You God that they are not arguing, or bickering this morning. That they are playing so nicely this morning."

A bright-eyed, excited five year old boy comes running into the kitchen, almost shouting, "Mommy! Mommy! You've got to come and look at our house!"

"Okay," I answer,"Just let me finish up this last little bit here in the kitchen."

The pictures tell it all! If you cannot tell...these are supposed to be bunk beds. They look more like shanties in the picture. Dress up clothes are hanging from the top bunk...legos spilled on the floor and in every type of container imaginable. Yes, this is a house in the eyes of a child.

Now, I must admit...the first thought that popped into my mind was, "Oh, what kind of cleaning up will have to be done here."

But instead of saying that...I smiled. Said something about how nice it was...took a picture for the sake of future memories and left them to their play.

Isn't it great that children find beauty and fun in all sorts of things?

Things we as grown-ups may find unlovely...they see wonder.

Oh to have the eyes of a child once more. We should never grow too old to see things from a child's perspective. Life would be so much lovelier if we did.

Thank You God for helping me to look past the "mess" to see those five precious jewels...my diamonds in the rough. Take time to see life from the eyes of a little one today. It will be moments cherished and not wasted.

Three Teens Define "A Real Man"

Lori Hainline & Rebecca Chandler co-authored this list at the respective ages of 19 and 17. Their closing comment: This list is not exhaustive and men like this do exist!

A real man . . .…understands and lives according to the basic purposes for which he was created: to worship, honor, and serve God. (Romans 12:1-2)
…values and carefully handles the scriptures. (2 Timothy 2:15)
…doesn’t pride himself on being knowledgeable in the sinful ways of the world. (1 John 2:15-16, James 4:4, Philippians 4:8)

A real man . . .…isn’t embarrassed to worship God and pray in a group setting. (Mark 8:38)
…is wise, yet humble. (Proverbs 2:1-10, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 12:16)

A real man . . .…takes leadership in a self-sacrificing way. (Ephesians 5:25-28)
…is kind because, “What is desirable in man is his kindness” (Proverbs 19:22)
…doesn’t try to prove himself but is simply confident as he walks in the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 14:26-27)
…doesn’t put others down with his actions, attitude, words, or his strength. But on the contrary, he affirms and builds others up (Proverbs 15:4, Ephesians 4:29)

A real man . . .…treats his sisters and mother with as much respect as he would treat a prospective wife. (Matthew 25:21)
…not only respects but appreciates a young lady’s purity and innocence. In our culture innocence isn’t retained by accident. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3)
…values his purity as much as he values a young lady’s purity. He is not ashamed to live and act differently from the world in order to guard himself. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, Ecclesiastes 7:26)
…can look a girl straight in the eye without communicating any impurity. (Proverbs 20:11)

A real man . . .…isn’t ashamed to identify himself with his family (Ephesians 6:2-3)
…is a gentleman. He is polite and shows women honor in everyday things such as opening doors, etc. (1 Peter 3:7)
…has no desire to be gross in order to impress other men. He doesn’t burp, swear, or tell disgusting stories. (Proverbs 13:5, Ephesians 5:4)

A real man . . .…shows by his actions that he loves children. (Matthew 19:13-14)
…is pleasant and expresses joy rather than feeling that it’s masculine to be sullen. (Proverbs 21:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:16)
…doesn’t blame others for his own problems but embraces responsibility. (Proverbs 12:27)
…can accept correction (Proverbs 12:1, Proverbs 29:1)

A real man . . .…is mature in his emotions and his expressions of them. He can deal with the trials of life logically, with wisdom, not on a basis of emotional instability. (Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 12:18)
…understands the value of work and is financially responsible. (Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Luke 16:10-11)
…expresses himself with intelligent words rather than using “street talk”. (Proverbs 17:20, Titus 2:6-8, 1 Peter 4:11, Ephesians 4:29)