Peaches and Goats

On Monday we processed some peaches we brought back from Fredericksburg. This year we got some really good peaches. Last year when we went and visited the wildflower farm there we got some peaches that weren't as good but we still enjoyed them. Here are the peaches when we started:


Here they are all skinned and sliced up and ready to be canned:

We got 6 full pints to process in the water bath.

The children really liked the fresh peaches and are looking forward to eating the preserved peaches:

A special thanks to Tracy. She helped me get the peaches ready to can and while I was finishing the peaches she prepared the supper I had planned. After the sermon that evening I came back and canned the peaches.

We also got 2 new goats on Sunday.

The tan goat we got from Mr. Woods and the one in the background we got from the Siffords and it is the brother of the one the Antes got. No official names yet, we are still deciding.

Y'all please pray for Michael, Chris and Joseph to have a safe trip and that all goes well at the ranch while they are gone AND that we get some rain!

In Christ,
Danielle

Something Stinks!

This is what I woke up to on Tuesday morning:

We had set a trap on Monday night(baited with 2 fresh eggs) because Monday morning I almost stepped right on him. It was still dark when I got up and this skunk didn't seem scared of much but he did manage to almost make me scream. I had a run in with a skunk last week where I had to be real careful about not getting sprayed. He(or she) was not impressed with my methods of trying to scare him away by throwing things at him. He was digging around the cage that we had our broody hen housed in and I was in the middle of cooking breakfast when I heard him. He did finally go away and nothing on the burner got burned while I was gone. Whew! Poor Tracy got sprayed in the face when she was walking by the trap but I think she is fine now.

On Tuesday morning, after the skunk trapping, we left for Fredericksburg, TX. One of the things we did was go to the Pioneer Museum where we saw some things that reminded us of home:


There were some other interesting things that I will post later. I hope you all are having a great week!

Peace,
Danielle

No Rain, It's Hot, Let's Cool Off!

Last Sunday at the end of another long hot day Michael suggested we go swimming. The Bunkers, Sustaires, Mr. woods, and Mr. Honaker went to a nearby lake. Boy, was it nice! The first few steps in the shallow water the water was warm but as the water got deeper it got cooler.
This is Mrs. Sustaire and Ella. Sarah is in the foreground.



This is the guys and the children in deeper water having fun. Mr. Sustaire just launched Mr. Honaker off of his shoulders and into the air.



Here is another shot of Mrs. Sustaire, Ella, and Sarah.



Last week the children got to do some fun art projects. They really had a great time doing them. Here are some plates they painted:
Top row from the left is Jennifer's plate. Next to that is Tracy's plate. On the bottom far left is Sarah's plate and then next to that is Robert's plate. They also made some garden stones. A couple they made for our goat Helen's grave, a couple were for Thomas' memorial tree, and a couple were just for fun. Here is one of Helen Keller's stones:


And here is one Robert made for Thomas' tree. That's the tree in the background.

You all keep praying for rain. I usually have wildflowers around Thomas' tree but this year water is scarce and so I stopped watering the wildflowers. The Lord will provide just as He always does, in His perfect timing.

In Christ,
Danielle

Repentance

To repent is to turn from sin(Ezek. 14:6)... and involves a turning to God. In this turning there are three steps: sorrow for sin, hatred of sin, and a resolve to forsake sin. Sorrow for sin means:

1. Affliction of soul, the pain of a contrite heart... a godly sorrow(2Cor. 7:9-10)... a sense of having sinned against God's authority, mercy, glory, blessedness, holiness, power, truth, sovereignty, and excellencies. David Clarkson, The Works of David Clarkson, 1:25

2. Hatred for sin- where there is no indignation, no hatred, there is no real repentance.

3. Forsaking of sin; resolving never to sin again: a resolution that is not weak, partial, and relegated to a distant future. the truly peninent must be truly vigilant against temptation, stand guard, no satisfied with cutting branches, but completely uprooting the tree of evil. Clarkson, Works, 1:27-28.

Richard Sibbes encourages sinner to go to the Great Physician for the healing of the dread disease of backsliding (Hosea 14:2). He will take away:

1. The guilt of sin, which is the venom of it,by justification.

2. The rage of sin, which is the spreading of it, by sanctification.

3. The judgement upon our estate, due to sinners.

Repentance should cover far more than a general confession. We should confess the particular sin(or sins)to which we are most addicted and guilty. Let there be no dallying with sin.


I got this information from a book titled Great Themes in Puritan Preaching. It is a very well researched and written by Mariano Di Gangi.

Reforming Daily,
Danielle

A Prayer for Rain

This is a prayer Michael posted on his blog.


You are eternally mighty, Jehovah. We ask you to give us that portion of your rain that will make our land fruitful and verdant when it is now dry and barren. You have used the image of water in your scripture to symbolize your might and power. You have used the rain or lack thereof to bless and to chastise your people. It is your power that caused the rain to fall that brought the flood upon a wicked world that perished.

It is your power that caused Elijah the Tishbite to prophecy that there would be no rain upon the land for years according to thy Word. You are our God and the God of our forefathers. We petition thee to provide sufficient rain to us in the merit of your great faithful ones, our forefathers of Israel. Remember the righteous Abraham, who was drawn after You like water. For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember Isaac who digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father. For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember Jacob, our Agrarian model who dwelt in tents, watered his herds and his gardens, and to whom Isaac said, "God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine". For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember Moses drawn forth from the water. He helped the seven daughters of the priest of Midian by drawing water for their flocks. For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember thy Son Jesus, in whose name we come to thee Lord. He turned water into wine and stilled the waters of the tempest that frightened His disciples. He was pierced for our iniquities and water and blood ran from His side. For His sake, we petition thee for rain.

Father we know that we have not perfectly kept your commandments or obeyed your statutes, and you have said "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit" (Lev 26:3-4). More than rain we desire to keep thy commandments and to do them and to walk in thy statutes. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Cause us to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do we trust: cause us to know the way wherein we should walk; for we lift up our souls unto thee. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. We know that you have said "if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full" (Deu 11:13-15); so we pray Lord that you will cause us to hearken diligently unto your commandments, because we know that the hearing ear, and the seeing eye, YOU LORD hath made even both of them.

You are our God who makes the wind blow and the rain descend, and we come to you by Jesus Christ the righteous one and petition that for his righteousness sake you will send us rain, Father.

Nevertheless thy will be done.

What we would love to see soon:




In Christ,
Danielle