The rain has finally stopped!!

Twelve days of rain in a row. We are totally sodden but the rain has finally stopped. We have a week of fair weather we hope coming. Even the birds are happy. They are out flying around and chasing each other this morning. I am happy that we have finally gotten some cooler weather. It is supposed to hit 80 this week but that might help dry this ground out.
  We have been trying to get my guest room painted. We have the first coat on the walls of a beautiful silver green color.It is hard to describe. But it looks like the shallow area of the ocean before a storm. We still need to touch up any thin spots and then finish painting the trim work.  I will be glad when it is done.Then we have two rooms left to paint as well as the rest of the exterior of the home. At least the front is done.
  I need to get the rest of those sweet potatoes canned. I found a couple rotten ones in the basket. It is too warm in here for them.I am only canning them in water with a bit of salt.
  We had homecoming at church. We are on the committee and it was a lot of work. It was a good work but still very wearying. We ended up bringing quite a bit of food back. Someone brought two pans of deviled eggs and then went home. Well this year we had plenty of eggs for a change. I ended up bringing most of those two pans of them home and doctoring them up some. I made egg salad out of them.  I may use part of them to make potato salad. The church cooked a pig and we brought some of that home too. There was just so much food left over. One lady brought some soup. It was made from a package she told me that she added broccoli too. Herrs was the brand name . It was potato and cheddar. She cooked it up and added some broccoli florets to it. It was so good. She begged me to take the rest of it home. Such a blessing to be able to help out and then be offered food for my home. I need to freeze some of that barbeque.
  I have a mountain of wash it seems. I need to do that as well as change sheets and dust today. House Blessing. I get frustrated at times being here and not having the paycheck I was used to. But I think the benefits outweigh the loss. Once I get my garden and chickens and such going again, I will not have time to pine for my old job. I will find a way to make a few dollars from home.
  I finally went to the grocery store this month. It seems we were out of so much.  I now have more of my staples for making home cooked meals.  I need to go through my fridge and cook up anything that is getting old. Waste not want not.
  I had best get busy. So much to do. I am grateful for it. Diana

A glimpse in time. Standing at the cross.

Have you ever suddenly been hit by a physical feeling or vision of something that you knew about, as if you were actually there? This morning as I went about fixing my coffee, my mind paused on the thought of those poor people who were executed by the gunman for saying they were a Christian. Then as my thoughts progressed, I thought of the thief on the cross who knew he was guilty and yet realized that Jesus was not and who He really was. It was then as I thought about that that I felt the total impact and shock of what it must have felt like as the nail was pounded through His hands and I heard the groan of pain and misery as they nailed Jesus to the cross. It was as if I was actually standing there seeing it up close and in person. A glimpse in time so to speak. It almost sent me to my knees. I accepted Jesus as my Savoir many years ago. But it never hit me so hard until today of what it must have felt like to be crucified. The magnitude of what He did for me and all who believe in Him was overwhelming to say the least. It made me weep with sorrow at the horrors of it. But it also made me cry with joy at knowing He was raised after three days and completed the work that enables us to be reconciled to God and go to heaven when we die. Those people who died for their faith knew that they would step into eternity and see Jesus who shed His own blood on that cross so we might be saved.What strong faith it took . Would we be as strong in our faith? Maybe it is time to think about what it really cost for us to be a Christian. It cost God His Son Jesus.  Those groans I heard this morning were not because of the pain He suffered. It was because the sins of mankind were laid upon Him. Jesus knew no sin. He was perfect and all those sins were laid upon Him so even God could not look upon His own son.  Jesus could have any time stopped the crucifixion but He willingly laid down His own life so we might have our sin debt paid . The wages of sin are death. Spiritual death and separation from God whom cannot look upon anything that is not holy. That is the gift of salvation. If you ever notice when they talk about salvation, it is called a gift. The reason is that God offers it to us, but we have to choose to accept it. When we believe what Jesus did for us is true and confess that we need Him and accept what He did in our behalf those sins are covered by the blood and remembered no more. We are then new creatures in Christ. We are free from the curse of Adam. We are given a fresh start and a new life in Christ. Is it easy, no but it is amazing knowing that you have been adopted into God's family as a son or daughter. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is wonderful.Words alone cannot describe it. But this is something you have to experience yourself. You will never know what it truly  is or benefit from other people's experiences. It is knowing that should you ever be put in a position that declaring your faith in Jesus is going to cost you your life, you boldly say I am a CHRISTIAN ! Because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you know your name is written in the book of life.

The joys of being a homemaker.

  I know it has been awhile since posting. My apologies to all. I have been either sick or busy. We seem to have so much going on right now. My bible studies are going along well. I am now going straight to www.biblegateway.com before I go anywhere else.  I have found myself changing inside. I know have joy and peace where before I was in a hurry to get to Facebook.  Now I find it distracting and sometimes, it disturbs me. I hate all of the negative and block it when I can. I am not trying to hide from the ills of the world but to shield my mind from some of the things I have no control over. I do not want to see abused animals or violence. I do not want to read foul language and see nudity or immodest people.  I do enjoy the interaction with friends and the new recipes and such I see posted.
  I am part of a canning club online. We try to cheer each other on and help each other with answers to questions.  It is a joy to see a newbie canner with their first success. It is not always easy but it is so rewarding to know what you are eating. Just this last week, we bought 50 pounds of bagged leg quarters for $.38 a pound.They had been running sales on them off and on this summer. I wanted so much to stock up on them but my hubby had said no at the time. Well this time he said yes. I ended up putting up 14 quarts of them up. They did have the bones in them. Next time if I have more time and money, I might like to can up some boneless chicken breast or boneless thighs. Such a quick way to throw a meal together. 
  Today is homecoming at church. I have been up since five this morning. I have been helping set up for this event and decided to wait and do what cooking I needed to do till this morning. I am taking meatballs in sauce and a big container of peanut butter delights. I thought about making home made cinnamon rolls but decided against it.I wanted to take something that I knew would be eaten. I hope the weather does not stop folks from coming. The hurricane is taking its sweet time getting gone.
  My hubby is going to build me a chicken coop soon. Last time I had a huge 8x12 one. This time I want something much smaller that is easier to care for.We are using some of the pieces that are coming off the shop. They are damaged on the bottom. That is fine, they will be plenty big for my needs. I had hoped to have my birds already so they would be fully feathered and half grown by winter. We will see which way to go. I may buy older birds this time instead of pullets.
 Time to get ready for church. Have a blessed day.