We Can't Be Everywhere!

But God can!
Just had to share this daily devotion on my calendar today. It's soooo true:

2/24/10
"We can't be everywhere. But God can. We can't see everything. But God can. We can't know everything. But God can. No matter what age our children are, releasing them into God's hands is a sign of our faith and trust in Him, and is the first step toward making a difference in their lives. Prayer for our children begins there."

"When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

And through the rivers,

they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire,

you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you."

Isaiah 43:2

Ahhhh...one of the first signs of Spring coming....tree tappin' fun!

Well...it's official...the trees are all tapped at the Winslow farm! We will have increased syrup production, too, this year. Glenn and the kids asked for permission to tap some of our closest neighbors sugar maples and he said yes! Yippee! I just love this time of year. So now...the prayer is...for days over 40 and nights below freezing and let the sap run!

Glenn and Jon started the tapping on Saturday morning and then Maddie and our friend helped to finish it early Monday morning.

Another Glenn invention is below....It's to help collect the sap. It's some plastic crates and they are mounted to an old pair of cross country skis! You gotta love my hubby....his mind is always at work with some new and improved way to do things!

Of course this post wouldn't be complete without a photo of our gift from great Aunt Frances last year. My uncle Earl's sap stove that he built and welded together 50 years ago! It has totally improved our maple syrup quality! It's all ready to go for another great year! Thank you A. Frances...we love you!

Oh Happy Day----When Daddy is working at home!

Oh how I love the fruits of when Glenn is working at home! It's such a blessing! There are two wonderful projects that Glenn completed yesterday while at home. One is a closet in the girls room, and the other is a wonderful custom shelf in the living room. Here are some photos! My hubby is what I call a "carpenter genius"...He is truly working in the field that God has greatly gifted him in! He knew since he was a young boy that this is what he wanted to do for work, and God has blessed him greatly! He creates such beautiful things, it never ceases to amaze me! Here are some before and after photos!

What do you get when you have three girls living in one bedroom with a tiny closet? A HUGE mess. After brainstorming about it, Glenn decided a better use of the space would be to eliminate hanging items and go to a custom made cubby system. Each girl will have one row of 5 cubbies to "neatly" fold their clothes and items in. So Glenn set about making the custom cubbies last week and was able to finish them and install them yesterday!

Before:

After! Glenn is going to order a door for the cubby closet and cut it down to fit. The girls were super excited!

Isn't is beautiful? We love it! I'll take another photo and post it once they get all of their stuff in there!

The "after shots" are in! Isn't it great! Three girls worth of stuff neatly in their cubbies! Maddie in the middle, Elisha has the left and Grace has the right.

Whoo--Hoo..this makes for a VERY happy Mama!! Yippee!

Now...another question.....

What do you get when you have an opening between the kitchen and living room? A very small shelf that I love to put things on! Like my entire Christmas village! Glenn decided that he'd like to give me a custom oak T-shelf here. I can't wait until next year to put up my village! It's going to be great!
Before:

After: Isn't it beautiful? I just love it!




Thank you Glenn! I love you, too! You are the best! Another happy customer of Glenn Winslow---"genius carpenter extraordinaire"!! :) :)

What do you do with a shorted out crock pot element and a 1/2 bushel of free apples?

Why make applesauce the old fashioned way, of course!




I've been so very blessed by free produce of all kinds from the food ministry that we go to weekly, and an item they have each week is cases of apples. I have kept my family in applesauce during these cold winter months for the last 6 weeks! It's been wonderful. I set out to make some the other day, only to find that my beloved crock pot had finally died. But what about all of those wonderful apples? Well...I threw away the outer metal element of the crock pot, but kept the crock part and the cover and then it dawned on me yesterday....make applesauce on the woodstove!

We have kept a fire going each day, and so the apples have been slowly cooking down on the woodstove since yesterday. They'll be ready for the food mill later on today. It fills the house with a wonderful aroma! It makes me feel a bit like little house on the prairie, too!

Nolie's Hair Design---Has her first customer!

Grace opened her hair salon today in the kitchen. The prices were right and her little brother desparately needed a hair cut. Grace named her salon Nolie's. Nolie is a nickname we call her. One of her middle names is Inolan, which is her Haitian father's first name.

We'd love to say her first customer enjoyed his "salon" experience, but well....you decide....as pictures are worth 1,000 words!

Here is his before picture. If you can look closely...he has a tear in his left eye! Sigh.

Things just kept getting a bit worse!

Oh...the pain and agony of it!

The finished haircut, though....priceless! Just priceless! Can you see the relief?
Such a handsome young man of almost 7!

The Man of the House (when Daddy is gone)

We take great comfort in knowing that we are protected so well each day when Daddy goes to work.

Gun in hand and holster and horse ready, Jonathan protects us very well from all manner of things during the day. Mama can breathe a welcome sigh of relief!

ahhhhhhhhhhh.....

Thank you Jon!

In Whom Do I Trust?

I had to share this. Yesterday, I was under a huge attack, and I was scared and fearful. The Lord brought me to the home of an 80 year old prayer warrior named Belle. She prayed with me, and shared with me from God's word. She encouraged me greatly. This is one of the verses she told me to look up, and commit to memory.

Psalm 56:3-4

When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

David cried this out to God when he was under great attack from his enemies. This is what I need to do, too!

Here is Matthew Henry's commentary on these verses:

Be merciful unto me, O God. This petition includes all of the good for which we come to the throne of grace. If we obtain mercy there, we need NO more to make us happy. It implies likewise our best plea, not our merit, but God's mercy, his free, rich mercy. We may flee to, and trust the mercy of God, when surrounded on all sides by difficulties and dangers. His enemies were too hard for him, if God did not help him. He resolves to make God's promises the matter of his praises, and so we have reason to make them. As we must NOT trust an arm of flesh when engaged for us, so we must NOT be afraid of an arm of flesh when stretched out against us. The sin of sinners will NEVER be their security. Who knows the power of God's anger, how high it can reach, how forcibly it can strike?

Thank you Lord for the truth of your word, and thank you that you used Belle to comfort me with your word! Incredible, Awesome Lord I serve, I thank you!