Celebrating Home.....in the mountains.....

~The Living Room~

Between towering pines, Aspen trees, and a stellar view of the Casper mountain range there is a view of captivating sights which surrounds my sweet daughter Kacie's home.  A little over a year ago, she and her husband, Josh, moved there with their twins.  They have rooted deeply into the local traditions of sking, hiking, ice~skating, and the western culture!  I am proud of them for making this brief job change so fun and interesting for their twins and for the rest of us who have had the honor of visiting them. They won't be there too long but long enough to find an appreciation for all that the states of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and the Dakota's have to offer. 

The climate and plentiful sunlight which floods their home provides ideal conditions for an outdoor life~style that has allowed them to create their home as a sort of haven for the rest of us who visit.  On my visits there, I have found their home so peaceful and restful.  Every corner of the relaxed home is filled with books, photos, and pieces of furniture that hold sentimental meaning for their family.  Many of the items in their home, such as Kacie's treasured antique dining table are from her family.  They spend a lot of time indoors this time of year, due to the snow and they have created a beautiful and pleasant home. 

Two weeks ago, I was blessed to be there for a few days.  I came home rested and refreshed!  Such a happy place!  Simple, yet elegant!  Such a beautiful Western Home!

~Warm and beautiful kitchen~

The windows above the sink roll out.....love this feature!

~The View of Casper Mountains~

 ~Kacie's Dining Room Table....a GIFT from her Grandmother...Baba~

~Snow falls through from October through April~

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!"

Psalm 37:4

Blessings.....

The original five....

"A friend loveth at all times"

Yes, each one is a Dreamer....

My beautiful daughter in love, Sara with my son, Steven.

One can never see all that God has prepared.....she is a blessing and a gift!

These precious daughters of mine are a blessing in my life....over and over again.  I am thankful....over and over again!  "Every time I say you're name in prayer....I thank God for you."  II Timothy 1:3 ~The Message

I didn't plan on having four daughters but God planned this, yes HE did!  (not to get personal....but I only had one ovary) Thinking of family, now as I look back, I was too busy as most mothers are to understand the blessings that were ahead through their lives and the precious women that I know and love because of them.  Love always increases when shared.  You know broken and spilled out.....overflowing as I said in the last post!

To have a daughter is to know  true JOY!  A girl can feel like no one else.  She can laugh like no one else.  She can be confusing like no one else.  She can be counted on like no one else.  Her smile can light up your heart and your life for weeks at a time!  She can bring beauty into life.  Yes, she must be taught there are borders in life and to be careful not to go far past the border for these are good life lessons.  I pray, I hope, I taught my daughters well.  I believe I did by the grace of God.  

My daughters are similar, yet different.  All are creative and artistic.  All are loyal to each other and to their families and to their friends.  Each one would go to the ends of the earth for the other.  That has always been my passion as a mother......that they would love each other and share their lives with each other as the years increase.

If you are blessed to have a daughter, you are blessed indeed!  Maybe it's a daughter by marriage........ and I do love my daughter in love too....she is beautiful and special!  Maybe it is a daughter by choice....what could be more beautiful than to be chosen.  

Enjoy the blessings of family!  Invest in what is truly lasting......results will be more than you ever dreamed possible!  Have a magnificent Monday and if you have a daughter.....may she light up your life forever!!!!

Lovely Words from India Hicks

"My children have undoubtedly taught me more than I have taught them.  They have taught me to shed any selfish expectations I may have had.  They have taught me to live in the moment, with an awareness of what that present moment requires.  And they have taught me a depth of love and understanding I never imagine possible."  AMEN!!! 

Overflowing.....

Life experiences fill our spirits with so very much!  Our heart is able to hold so many feelings and emotions.  Our mind on the other hand files experiences and enables us to deal with life in rational and productive ways.  We should know that we cannot always act on emotion and feeling.  This is hard.  Why?  Why, because if we are blessed to live a long life so many experiences will pass through our hearts and minds. We must learn to let go of experiences that we cannot change and embrace the ones we can keep.  The Bible says that we should watch over our hearts with all diligence because out of the heart flow the springs of life.  A spring is always fresh and clear and clean.  The rocks and natural resources purify the water as it rolls over them and keeps the water sparkling and fresh.  Everyday this happens in nature.  It amazes me how this happen in nature.  When I was younger, my Grandmother would take us to a spring near her home and we would fill bottles with fresh water for drinking!  She made this experience fun and it was a beautiful memory etched forever.

Our spirits are like that!  Each day, God has purposed us to empty our spirits of the prior day and be filled again.....refilling our spirits with a freshness from His Spirit.  I have recently finished a book by Stormie Omartian, Lead Me Holy Spirit, and in her writings she speaks of how God loves us and desires to have a relationship with Him and to walk closely with Him and be filled with His Spirit. In this relationship, His desire is also for us to desire Him and His love and His wisdom.  He freely gives this to the Believer.  I have been a student of the Bible for many, many, many years now and find that everyday, I need more of His word and more of His filling.  When someone bumps me, my desire is to respond the way that The Lord would......I want my spirit to be filled with His so that others will know His love and acceptance through my life.  Prayerfully we can change.  I once was honored to set under the teaching for a weekend on How Prayers Changes Us under the teaching ministry of Evelyn Christianson.  Her teaching on prayer pointed out our need for repentance of sin and seek forgiveness.  We have to desire to have this change.  Change can happen when we look to our Heavenly Father for direction.  He has prepared our inheritance as HIS sons and daughters!

The good news is that God has a plan for you.  Ask for His blessings in your life.  Ask for His filling of your spirit with His.  Ask for His favor. Ask for His protection.  Age has nothing to do with wisdom.  In my own life, I find that I learn from younger people and older people.  Wisdom is a spirit and one does not have to be old in age to have it.  Look for an anointing on a person's life and you will see the fruit of the spirit manifested in surprising ways! Get involved where you sense God is at work!  Pray your spirit will be filled with His joy and peace!  Look UP!  He is waiting!  May you have a life that is OVERFLOWING with the blessings He has stored up just for you!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him!"  I Corinthians 2:9