So Blessed

 

This week of Thanksgiving is a time to set aside and consider all the ways that the Lord has blessed us. For me, it is truly breathtaking to consider the things that God has given me, all the Providences that have graced my life.

The ways that He has protected my family and provided for us are astounding. I want to be always grateful for the incredible love He has shown me in His uncountable blessings. I do not want to find myself lamenting about what I don’t have or events that the Lord has allowed in my life to help me grow and mature. When I consider what a beautiful life I have with my precious family, dear friends and home, what is left to desire? Yet, even if I had none of these, I would still have so many reasons to thank Him, for He loved me first and has given me the greatest gift of all, a place at His table.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving as we come together as a nation to bless His Holy Name.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

 

For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.”

 

-Psalm 100:4-5

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Reposted from my contribution on Six Angles.

 

 P.S.This year I am extra thankful for photo gear in the form of a new camera. 

The Nikon D800 has become my new photography companion, and I am enjoying it immensely! 


Planting

Recently we purchased some little plants consisting of broccoli, collard greens, cabbage and lettuce to plant in our garden. Cold-weather planting is a new thing for us, so it was an interesting experience to be gardening in long sleeves, to say the least.

Little broccoli plants. (Now happily planted!)

Ivey and Mom busy planting. (And yes, I helped. I didn't just stand around taking pictures the whole time, that would have been ridiculous of me. *ahem*)

Ivey

Tom Cloud. There were some of us who wanted to call him Cloud, while others wanted Tom, so eventually they merged. He's a wonderful gardening companion.

Pills wishing she could join us in the garden and shove her (somewhat squished) nose around in the fresh dirt.

Just a tip, if you are considering planting ground cherries in your garden and they supposedly do well in your area, think again. They will produce prolifically and consume your entire garden then come back to haunt you year after year. ^Proof^ 

Rochelle aka Fidget the Redbone, and Pills the Boxer. They say birds of a feather flock together, well then maybe dogs "flop" together. These girls are absolutely crazy.

Adalia loves to be outside in her stroller.

Little lettuces in the sunshine.

"For everything there is a season..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Getting the Tree

A beautiful, cold day a few weeks ago found us at a little tree farm up on a mountain choosing our Christmas tree. It was hard considering our amount of choices, but soon after arriving we found this year's perfect tree.

Daddy and Levi.

Cutting the tree down.

Carrying it up the hill to the van.

Gabriel assisted Dad with tying the tree to the van this year.

Levi watches Dad and Gabriel.

Little Miss Bright-Eyes: Dalhi Rose

Dalhi Rose

This is Dalhi Rose. Dalhi is my new baby sister, four months old today!

She was born on July 14, weighing 5 pounds and 4 ounces.

Her first and middle names are:

Adalia Nona Rose

Pronounced ada-lee-uh, and meaning "God is my refuge".
Nona is after our Great-Grandmother, and Rose is after our Naney (Nona's daughter).

Levi (almost 4) loves being a big brother. And he is a wonderful one!

Some of us are calling her Dalhi, others prefer Leah (lee-uh), and Levi insists on "Wose".

She is an absolute joy, and we are so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with her!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!"

Psalms 127:3

 

Rejoicing in His Presence

"I forsaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad. Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope...You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence."

Acts 2:25-26-28

 
 
 

In the Garden

Ahh, summer. In some ways it feels as if last summer was years ago, and in other ways it feels like yesterday. I love this season...not as much for the heat as the wonderful things that happen in summertime. One of these things includes growing a garden. This year Mother and I decided to try using some raised beds in our gardens. My sweet Daddy built them for us. ♥ They have proved very nice in the weeding department, but perhaps a little too nice in the drainage department. ;) When we don't get enough rain (which has been the case for most of this year so far) we have to keep the garden heavily watered with hoses, and the last thing we need is soil that drains the water before the plants have time to get any. 

Anywho...I thought I'd post some pictures of the herbs in Mom's garden, and some of the sunflowers in mine. :)

Thyme.

Sunny Basil.

Oregano with it's tiny white blossoms.

Dill and it's seed head. Perfect for making pickles with! :)

Sunflowers against my garden fence.

What do you love about summer?

With much love,

P.S. Did you know I started a photography blog? It's Livvy Taylor Photography. I've just given it a much needed makeover, and plan to post on it right away. The next post should be about our recent trip to the blueberry patch. :)