Gentle Joy Photography

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

A Day At The Park In Pictures

One day, some of my kids and I had a day at the park..... the weather was beautiful-low humidity and cool temperatures- very unusual for July. It was an unplanned trip.... one of those times when the kids asked if we could just go to the park - I think it was the first or second time we have gone to a park this summer.

We took cameras and just really enjoyed the time we were there. Lots of other people also thought it was a beautiful day to be at the park, so there were many people, but it is a big park.

There were quite a few lily pads and lilies that were open.... and beautiful.

Several turtles.... this small one just kept swimming around under the lily pads since he couldn't get up on a lily pad.... he tried again and again.

Later, he finally made it up on one... then only stayed there for a minute or so..... like a child... needing to keep moving, I guess.

Other ones sunned themselves and swam.... this one wasn't very big either, but was bigger than the little one. There were a couple of quite large ones, but they stayed in the water and out of sight most of the time.

It was relaxing and pretty as we walked around the little lake.... as long as we watched out for the little boys riding scooters around the lake again and again. They kept asking if anyone was missing a flip flop as they had found one in the water and were trying to find the owner. They seemed to be on a mission and were having fun. :)

So peaceful... and relaxing to be near the water.

The mother duck and two ducklings swam around a lot.... especially toward anyone who offered bread.

I just love the rich colors of the scenery....

We saw the bird house out in the water..... and the shield under it. The shield is like what is used for preventing squirrels from getting the bird food.... or cats from getting the birds. We couldn't figure out why they had it on this one though, out in the water.

This is a city park, but this area had the feel of being out in the country a bit.

What is it about tossing things into the water and watching the ripples? Just something about it that is enjoyable. :)

In parts of the park, there were lots of lilies - tiger lilies and other kinds. Someone had obviously taken two of the head of those lilies and tossed them into the water.... that was interesting and my kids tossed them out a bit further....

Well, then my kids got an idea.....

One of my sons was able to reach one of the flowers... and pick it out of the water....

Then they put it on a lily pad. :) They wondered if anyone would wonder about the strange lily pad flower.

Later, when they crossed over to the island and my oldest daughter and I were the keepers of cameras and cell phones on shore.... three girls came along and spotted the flower. "Look at the lily pad!" they said. :) We chuckled over that.... So if you see an article about the unusual lily pads... you know they aren't really real. :)

Big trees in the park.... so interesting from this angle......

Another big old tree.....

Lots of bright echinacea flowers....

The rose garden had some really colorful roses.... so pretty.

The park has been full of the beauty of God's creation.... so much beauty especially in this time of year with the growing season.

Time to leave.... it was fun..... it was nice to go to the van for granola bars-we were hungry.... then we headed home. Of course the kids asked if we could do it again tomorrow. I smiled, and said.... "no". :) We will have to do it again though.... we don't do this enough and there are so many nice parks around.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and enjoying our walk in the park with us. I hope you have a great day. :)

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Friday, July 11, 2014

Such A Busy Bee....

This week in the garden, I watched a busy bee.... and decided to try to get pictures. He kept moving...

He prepares for take-off here and one leg is extended. Notice that the extended leg has yellow dust on it - that is the pollen being collected and moved to other flowers.

The phrase "Busy as a bee" is pretty accurate.... they move here and there so quickly - I never saw him stop... he was in constant motion.

Always moving.... .always searching....

God has equipped the bee to do the job he needs to do.... and to do it well. What a blessing to have bees in the garden.... it is helpful on our flowers, but his work is vital for our fruits and vegetables.

He has left the echinacea........ and moved on to other flowers.... hopefully on the melons and squashes.... or maybe the cucumbers.... or any of the other plants in our garden.

I am so thankful for bees... and their dedication to their job. I am reminded that like God equipped the bee for his job.... God has also equipped me for my job and I need to be faithfully doing the work God has for me. There is joy in knowing that I am doing what I am created to do..... and that the work God has for me to do.... has a purpose, even if I don't always see it. Thank you for visiting...... I hope you have a wonderful day. :)

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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Am I Worth More on Productive Days?

Yesterday was a VERY PRODUCTIVE day for me. I really like productive days.... I feel good about what I get done. I feel pleased with myself for what I have done. I feel like I can hold my head up just a bit higher - not in pride, but not needing to be ashamed either. I feel a sense of being worth more on those days.

Okay, back to yesterday... my VERY PRODUCTIVE day..... This is how my morning went....
1. Up and dressed before any of the family
2. Spent time with the Lord and in prayer -
before anyone was up.
3. Made a breakfast casserole - again, before anyone was up...... Turned on the music to wake up the family in a nice way and called everyone to a nice hot breakfast.
(By the way, this is not a brag fest... hang in there with me to see where this is going....)

4. The kids and I made 17 loaves of banana bread - using about 46 bananas!! There were 8 large loaves and 9 small loaves. We have a big family.... and I like to put some loaves in the freezer.... plus we eat a lot of them... and give some away.

5. Strained the kefir - considered making smoothies, but it had sat for many days, so was REALLY STRONG, and the smoothies would be sour, so.... tried an experiment......
6. Made 3 large loaves of homemade bread using the really strong kefir in place of the water. The dough was different and looked odd, but the bread tastes really good.

7. Time to make Kombucha again...
These have been sitting for about 10-14 days and are ready to strain and bottle for use.

The kombucha from above has been strained into these bottles.... ginger was added ... and they are ready to drink and will go into the refrigerator in a couple of days.....

New kombucha was started and put into the pantry to sit for another 10-14 days, when we will do it all over again.

All of these things were done and the kitchen was almost all cleaned up by 11:00 am. Like I said, it was a very productive morning..... Can you see why I felt so pleased? For lunch, rather than fixing something, we ate banana bread ..... it was good and we all loved it. For supper, we ended up buying pizza since my energy was gone and I really hadn't done much of anything all afternoon. Neither meal was actually "healthy", but that's okay once in a while.

Today, I was up to see my husband off and get the day started, but oh, how I wanted to go back to bed. By 10:00 this morning, I couldn't stay up any longer.... and I went to bed..... and slept soundly for 2 hours and stayed in bed for 2 more. You see the thyroid and adrenal fatigue issues that I have mean that I have no reserves, so when I overdo it, I pay a price. I have to budget my energy. Today, I was REALLY tired..... and wasn't able to be productive until about 3:00 PM! I spent today's energy - yesterday, so it wasn't available to me today.

I used to have many days like yesterday, where I would zip through the day and through my "to do list" and feel so good about myself and about my day and I was truly seeking to honor the Lord by fulfilling my responsibilities. My husband was generally pretty pleased and since I was quite the "super woman", he would ask me to do something more.. and I did. When tired, I could keep going.... after all, I was serving the Lord..... and I really was, BUT..... things were out of balance.

I have to admit that I FEEL like I am worth more when I work so hard and have a lot to show for it. Sometimes, I think I have felt that GOD loves me more on days like that...... but that is very wrong thinking. God loves me..... on days I DO a lot......and on days when I do a little..... or on days when I am sick and get *gasp* NOTHING done. His love does not depend on what I do.

So.... can I enjoy getting a LOT done? YES! Should I get my self-worth from that? NO! God loves me.... and I want to honor and serve Him.... I need to be careful that I am not out of balance. Do you struggle with feeling better about yourself when you get a lot done... or when you win something... or when you have succeeded? Maybe we need to get our security from knowing that God loves us..... and not from our own performance. He is the same yesterday and today and forever..... and He is the One we need to trust.... not our own ability.

Thank you for visiting.... I hope you have a very good day...

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Monday, July 7, 2014

A Quick Easy Breakfast

For a quick breakfast, we love to have banana bread "sandwiches" with cream cheese in the middle. A plate of fruit, maybe a plate of cheese and a pot of tea makes a great fast breakfast. :)

Homemade banana bread smells so good. :)

Putting cream cheese between slices makes a wonderful little sandwich. :) This also works well with other kinds of breads - like cranberry, cherry, pumpkin, zucchini or more.

We take these on trips as well - a wonderful snack.

This time we have little orange slices - sometimes we have apple slices, grapes, strawberries or other fruits. Lots of times, we also have a plate of cheese slices which goes well with such a meal.

One nice thing about such a meal is that it is very easy to prepare..... and to have things ready for a child to prepare.

Thank you for visiting today..... so nice to have you stop by. I hope you have a great day. :)

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Fireworks- What Do They Mean?

Fireworks can be so spectacular - bright and colorful..... and loud! :) The excitement and suspense of what will be shown builds..... as we wait for the sky to darken enough......

Parties happen to watch the displays...... at this time of year, the reason is to celebrate the founding of this great nation and the liberties we still enjoy. Flags may be shown.

There is quite a bit of smoke, especially by the end of a large display...... At this particular display, we heard the beautiful sounds of the symphony as they played...... The patriotic songs brought a sense of thankfulness for the USA... and the sense of unity that on that day, we were together with thousands of people proclaiming our commitment to this country...... and enjoying a sense of belonging, of being a part of a larger part.... a country that others have tried to destroy, but it continues on.........

Different colors and designs - some simple and some more complicated..... but all seem to draw our attention....

The "ooooohsss" and "aaahhhhs" come with regularity as each new brilliant show of light appears.....

When there are multiples at the same time, we love to watch....

Even simple designs become beautiful against the dark sky.

The short wait between the explosions seems long as we anticipate the next colorful display.....

We all know fireworks are dangerous......and that every year there are those who will lose their lives... or their hands.... or eyesight.... or maybe their home..... from fireworks...

Yet, we can appreciate the safety of a professional display and the magnificence of it.

Do we still sense feel a sense of pride in our country as we observe these grand bursts of beauty? Our country is damaged greatly and many who benefit from living here.... hate and scorn the principles that our country was founded on.... and many look on patriotism with suspicion. Believing in the Bible is ridiculed.

Flag burnings are talked of and flags are banned in places.... and the Pledge of Allegiance is avoided.

Much of what has made our nation great has become tarnished or outlawed. Even our top leaders in the land ignore the law and take away the freedoms that have been taken for granted.... and are now disappearing...

Textbooks, especially in the Common Core Curriculum, are rewriting an untrue version of "history". Apathy demands that we stay busy with other things and not "worry about it".

Are those big bursts of loud color just hollow then? Just noise... a reason to party? For some, yes.

On this 4th of July, though, I want to remember WHY we celebrate... and what this country means.... or what it was MEANT to be...not what unscrupulous leaders have done to it. No, the USA is not my God and never will be... and the changes that are happening in this land will not change my destination after I die. However, we who live in the USA have a heritage- not a perfect one, but a good one all the same. Yes, our country has strayed from its beginnings.... and we have forgotten to appreciate the God who allowed this nation to form and become great.

This year, I DO thank God for the USA. This land is troubled, to be sure, but we can still honor God here.... there is still a respect for God in many people.... there is much to thank God for as we celebrate another birthday of our country. May we be moved to thank God and pray for our country.... .... may the fireworks we see and hear be more than noise and bright lights.