Want to Take a Walk in the Garden with me?!!
I just had the best idea. You should come visit my garden with me! Isn't that a happy idea? Let's geek out over plants and other nerdy things together. 💕
Posts
How to Make Wine from Concord Juice
Awww...the good old days. I found this recipe from my old blog saved on a usb drive. 💕 Since I have been harvesting grapes this weekend, I thought I would give it a new flair. Our concord grape production was abundant. I had enough to make 8 jars of jelly after the first row of grapes. So, I figured I might as well re-try my hand at making a little mama juice. I have become a bit more selective in my taste over the years. I have even tried those fancy kits I couldn't afford back in the stay-home days. However, it just became more work than I wanted to take on...and I am not patient enough to wait long enough for it to be good enough to make it worth my time. (Did you actually get through that run-on?! 😂) Anyway...I did not want to scour the internet for easy wine making recipes, when I knew I had my own somewhere in cyber-land. And sure enough I found this old gem. Why not give it renewed access in a fresh re-post, while I re-attempt an old tradition? I wi
You Have Arrived
It was my first day back with students today, and I am finally remembering why it is I love my job so much. It's been a long summer. Not that I don't appreciate getting organized, researching lessons, planning, meeting up with co-workers, long walks in the garden😉, conferencing and travelling, but...I definitely prefer the direct work with students. And that is the part that makes me say so frequently, "I love my job!" Of course, please don't presume a Fakebook world of perfectness. Every day is not the best. I have just improved my ability over time to be content. (Thank you, Paul!💕) And I have been blessed to enjoy the overall work that I do. Of course, if I focused on it, the grass could always be greener somewhere else. But...I found when I lived like that, always longing and desiring, pining away for the something else, I was never fulfilled. When I got what I thought I wanted, I didn't really want it that much anymore. Just tod
To Those Who are Better
You know what is the skill I am most grateful for learning in all of my Master's in Counseling? Unconditional positive regard. Putting judgment aside and caring for the individual. This did not come naturally, and I did not develop the skill without hesitation. ("Is this being morally corrupt?!!" Dear God, no. This is showing the love of Christ in a way that is most effective! It doesn't mean I am advocating for immorality if I love someone and am kind and compassionate. When has hate and rejection ever once brought a person into the love of Christ?!) The truth is, we are all naturally judgy. And when we are all Christian about it, we are at our worst. (PLEASE read Jesus's remarks about the Pharisees. They were the "good Christians" of the day...and his views were not positive.) We all have the instinct to judge and gossip, and this internal, aching desire to make ourselves feel "better." I am not among the innocent. And