Featured Garden - Our Hoops Loop Garden

 Welcome to our home! We built our house in the spring and summer of 2012, and though it wasn't finished, we moved in late in October 2012. Every year we've managed to get a little more done on the yard, but I can never seem to get ahead of the  quack grass and weeds. I've resigned myself to the fact that as much as I love flowers, I'm a really lousy gardener! It makes me realize just how much time and effort my parents put into their garden at the farm. (The Garden of Ede'n Gerald)
 I'm sure people thought we were crazy, but while we were still building the house, we took some time to landscape the front yard, and plant this False Spirea hedge. Clearly, it loves the sand here! It just keeps spreading and producing suckers for me to transplant to other parts of the yard. I'm so glad we took the time to plant it. I love the way it encloses our front patio.
 So many of the perennials that we brought from our home near Portage La Prairie, didn't survive the move. I'm excited about any plant that can survive our little piece of desert!

This photo was taken last year, but it shows the patio behind the hedge. 

Every year, my husband, Brian, plants Geraniums, in memory of his mother, Alice Bolack. One day, I'll scan some old photos and post Alice's garden here.

I'm cheating here...this photo is from 2013. I wanted to show my Daylilies, but don't have a good picture....translation- they're now full of quack grass!

These next photos are of the back yard.

This stump is from a cottonwood tree, and was brought with us from our previous home. Along with the perennials around it, we apparently brought two little maple trees that are doing great. We dare not move them, because they're sure to die if we do!

Because we have very few trees on our property, there is no shelter from the wind, so we decided to fence part of our back yard, creating 'rooms'. We used pallets, moving crates, and wire for much of the fencing. We got some Virginia Creepy cuttings from a neighbour three years ago, and planted along this fence and trellis. With all the rain we've had this year, it has really taken off.

These irises are in the flower bed near the hedge at the front, and were some of my first blooms this spring.

This spring, we built a raised planter along the pergola to enclose the patio. We've tried a few times to get grape vines growing but most of them didn't make it. We're hoping they will do better in the planter. When this photo was taken we hadn't yet put up the wire for the vines to climb. One day, we hope to see the pergola covered in vines!

This patio was one of our projects for this summer. We started with patio blocks, and then Brian found us some bricks to finish off under the deck.

We needed hand rails for the steps, but Brian couldn't just put a simple rail up...he created this beautiful planter for me! All that's left to do, is the cap around the edge.

And this is the pergola wall with the wire installed. So far, the grape vines are loving it!

In the background, you can see a bit of our daughter's playhouse...another work in progress!

Still very much a work in progress, but I hope you enjoyed this little peak at my yard and garden.

Manitoba Wild Flowers

Linking at Wildflower Wednesday

  Our home is located on 5 acres near Shilo, Manitoba. There really is no topsoil, other than what might be caught in the vegetation that grows here...but remove that prairie grass and ground cedar, and we're left with beautiful, pure yellow sand...perfect for a sandbox! I cringe every time I see a neighbour plowing up their land, knowing I'm soon going to watch it blow away.

 When we moved here four years ago, we brought dozens of perennials with us, but only a handful have survived. Fortunately, I've realized that I wasn't born with my parents' green thumbs, so I'm content with the few perennials I have, and I fill up planters with annuals.

 What we do have here is an abundance of beautiful wild flowers. They thrive in our sandy soil, and from spring through fall, the flowers are always changing. 

 All of these photos were taken on our property. Just some of the many wild flowers that grow here...along with the cactus, prairie grass, ground cedar, and what most people might call weeds. The flowers change with the seasons; these are just some of the flowers that cover our property in the late summer and fall.

Goldenrod grows all over our acreage.

Black Eyed Susans and goldenrod growing through a pallet.

Black Eyed Susan

Gaillardia

Cactus

Liatris and Goldenrod

Hairy Prairie Clover? 

I love all of the wild flowers that grow out here,

 but I'm not sure of the names of many of them.

 This book is on my wishlist!

So This Is What Surrender Looks Like

 Recently, a visiting missionary repeated something he had heard someone else say,

  "Just get up every morning, and do what you have to do." 

Pretty simple, right?  It really is a very simple statement, but when you think about it, it truly is the essence of living the Christian life, and it was something I needed to hear.

 At the beginning of every year, I choose a verse for the year. 

My yearly verse can usually be summed up in one word. For 2016, I chose Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.....and the word surrender is what came to mind. At the time, I had no idea how that word would manifest itself in my life. I knew it wasn't something I could force or resolve to make happen, but I claimed it as my word for the year and left it in God's hands to work out the details. Many times in the past few months, I've thought about that word, and have to admit, I was wondering if I had the right word!

Maybe a little update on my life is in order...

My husband and I are both 58 years old, parents of eight children, and sixteen grandchildren. Five of our children came by way of adoption, and three are still at home. We are in our 29th year of homeschooling, and our youngest daughter is nine years old, so we have eight years of school left. Brian has often joked that our pension and the child tax benefit will overlap for about a year. Still, with each year that Danica gets older, I've enjoyed a little more freedom, and I've been looking forward to a new chapter in life. 

Then came June, and circumstances changed. One of our adult sons moved back home, and with him came a sweet pink bundle...grandchild # 16. I commented to someone....more than once...."I was seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and someone just rolled a boulder across it for the foreseeable future." As much as I love my granddaughter, I really had been enjoying my bit of freedom. After thirty-eight years of parenting, I wasn't the least bit interested jumping back into caring for a baby. Anyone who has followed my blog over the years will find it hard to believe that I didn't jump for joy over the prospect of a new little one in our home.

Enter the visiting missionary, and his very simple statement, "Just get up every morning and do what you have to do." As I thought about that statement, a lot of things came to my mind....but mainly,  the question,

 "What has God called me to do?" 

Because ultimately, that is what I need to do...Get up every morning and do what God has for me to do. In my Bible, I have a piece of paper dated, February 28, 2007, with these words written on it, "Not My Will, But Thine Lord." I won't go into the story behind those words. No matter what the circumstances, those words are always the answer, and this time was no different. I didn't have to think long to be reminded of what I know God has called me to do. In fact, when I asked my husband that same question later that day, he didn't even hesitate with his answer, "Take care of kids." Yup, that's it....the thing that God has shown me over and over, the thing that he gave me to do when he gave me the desires of my heart. Not something that I could just quit when I got tired, or when things got hard....and believe me, there have been some extremely hard days! No, this calling isn't something that I can just say, "Okay God, it's been great...thank you for answering my prayer and blessing me with this big family, but I'm done now...I want to do something else...maybe some Me time!" Not that it's wrong to take time for myself, but this is the life that I asked God for, and this is the life that he has called me to. My life is not my own; it's bought with a price...Not my will, but thine Lord. I realized then that at this moment in time, what I need to do is help my son care for his little girl. It won't be forever, it may not be very long at all, but for now, it's what God is asking me to do. And as I've said to my husband before, " What do you do when a baby is dropped on you? You catch it!"

 And then I had that "Uh huh!" moment. 

So this is what surrender looks like...

Surrender is setting aside my desires, and my plans and just getting up every morning and doing what I need to do. The moment I got that, life became sweet again....and that little pink bundle is a big part of that sweetness! 

Thank you, Lord for working your will and your way in my life in the most unexpected ways.

A song that I wrote for my sister, Victoria, comes to mind...who knew it would one day be for me?

More Than I Could Dream

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My verse For 2016 ~ Romans 12:2

 In my search for a verse for 2016, I reviewed my verses from previous years. each verse can be represented by a single word. Starting in 2011, these words have been SEEK, GO, SERVE, HOPE, and TRUST. In looking at these words, I see a progression. In SEEKing God's will, we followed when he said, GO. As we watched other Christians falling away, we reaffirmed that our home would SERVE the Lord. That commitment led to renewed HOPE and TRUST.

 The word that comes to mind today is SURRENDER. All of these other words are good, but if I haven't fully surrendered I am going to continually succumb to my own fleshly desires. I know there are areas of my life that I struggle with, and until I give them completely to God, I will not have victory.

I didn't have far to look for my verse.

  I want this verse to be more than words...I want it to be real in my life. I don't want to start out the year committing to 'doing' or 'being' better, only to find that somewhere along the way, I've lost that zeal, and I've slipped back into old habits....whether physically or spiritually. What I want is to truly be transformed...and unlike most years, I have no plan, no program, no idea really...exactly how that is going to happen; how this year will be different from any other year. And maybe that is the difference...maybe that is the first step toward surrender. All I know for sure is that HE is able, and I'm trusting in him to do a work in my life. 

Reflecting On 2015

Continuing my tradition of looking back over the past year....even though I haven't posted all year!

1. What were the highlights or accomplishments of 2015?

This year hasn't been one of big highlights, but more of steady progress, continuing in the direction we believe God has for us.

Brian has now been back to work at the Royal Oak Inn for almost a year and a half. It's been a busy time for him, but hopefully things will settle into a routine soon,,,,well, I can always hope.

The main highlight was becoming members of our church in June. We'd been attending for about 9 months, and knew it was time to take that step and become more involved in the ministry.

2. What were the major themes of the year?

I think the main theme of this year could be described as just putting one foot in front of the other and doing the next thing. It's been good to be a part of a church again, and to have opportunities to serve, whether in VBS, Ladies Conference, or the ongoing ministries of nursery, cleaning and yard care. Hearing the word preached regularly, and participating in Bible studies has brought back a stability and purpose that was lacking in my life, and in my family.

3. What disappointments or regrets did you experience?

 Last year, I wrote, "I can learn from my regrets, and I can commit to a better today and tomorrow. With that thought in mind, I look forward to the changes that 2015 will bring, and pray for the strength to embrace them," 

 This year I can say, I have no regrets, and have indeed embraced the changes in 2015, and am looking forward to what 2016 will bring.

4. What was missing from the year?

Last year I said, "We are closing out the year with a much clearer vision of God's will for our family, and the accompanying peace (that has been missing)." That continues to be true; we're following the direction we believe God has given, taking steps to bring our family closer to him. I know that I'm in a better place spiritually than I was last year, and believe the same is true for my family. But I also know that I still lack the self discipline needed to have a close relationship with the Lord. I was challenged by last night's message on TIME. What is required to be close to God is time...time in his word, and time in prayer, will result in a desire for time in worship. I'm lazy, plain and simple. I know this is something I struggle with and need to change.

5. What did you learn from the past year?

I think this year just reaffirmed what I learned the previous year. We need to be a part of a church to live this Christian life in a way that brings glory to God. I know that our time away from church was so detrimental to all of us. I also know I have a long way to go to get where I need to be, and I need the church to help me get there....we're not in this alone. 

Once again...looking forward to the coming year!