Sidetracked Artist

You’ve probably heard the prayer, “God, please give me patience, and I want it NOW.” When we ask for something in prayer, we naturally would like for it to materialize immediately. Waiting is hard. We want what we want, and we want it now. For the most part, I feel peace and happiness with prayers of gratitude. I feel a sense of God’s presence when I acknowledge His many blessings. Sometimes I make a special request in prayer, and that is when I struggle most with patience. I saw a quote recently on Pinterest , and it has been in my thoughts a great deal. "Faith in God includes faith in His timing " (quote by Neal A. Maxwell). I like it so much that I am sharing it in the form of the printable art seen below. Cindy printable version printable version Linked to Premeditated Leftovers's Gallery of Favorites: Favorites from 2011 .

Homegrown tomatoes are so delicious. I’ve planted at least a few tomato plants each year through most of my adult life. I enjoy eating fresh tomatoes when they’re in season and generally avoid tomatoes the rest of the year. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle , Barbara Kingsolver describes out of season tomatoes as tasting like “sour water”. I agree. Our short growing season means that we haven’t harvested many tomatoes when the weather turns cold again. My tomato plants have a lot of green tomatoes, and with daytime temperatures in the 40s and 50s and nightime temperatures near freezing, those tomatoes aren’t going to ripen on their own. In the past, I’ve harvested the green tomatoes and let them ripen on the windowsill, which works well. This year I’m trying something different that I remember reading about. The tomato plants are pulled from the ground, the dirt is shaken off of the roots, and the plants, with the green tomatoes still attached, are hung upside down in a dry, frost-f...

Laura and I enjoy going to yard sales during the summer. Whole house estate sales are the most fun as they frequently have interesting older items. We both enjoy looking at the junk treasures that people have kept for many years. I purchased a shabby old quilt for ten dollars at one of these estate sales . It was made using a pattern that was especially popular during the 1930s called Dresden Plate. Back in the ‘30s, women frequently made use of pretty printed feed sacks for fabric. These feed sack fabric designs are still popular and have been reproduced for present-day quilters. I don’t know the age of my shabby quilt, just that it is very worn and appears to be very old. I purchased it with the intention of using it for craft projects, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to cut it up. There are so many hours of hand work that went into making this quilt, and the workmanship is good. This quilt was made by an experienced quilter. I’ve also considered repairing/restoring it...

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson Imagine waking up in a strange bedroom next to a man you don’t remember ever having met. Even more startling is your reflection in the mirror. It first you don’t recognize the woman looking back at you, then you realize she’s you, just much a much older you. The man in the bed claims to be your husband and tells you that this happens every day. You learn that you can only remember what happens during one day, then you forget everything when you sleep. He has to explain this to you every morning. As your day progresses, you meet a doctor who says he is trying to help you. You have a friend and confidant who remembers things about you of which you have no memory. Your husband takes care of your needs and tells you he loves you, but he’s a complete stranger to you. Flashes of memory happen randomly, and sometimes they don’t match up with what you’ve been told. Are the memories real or a product of your imagination? Have you completely lost y...

People have asked, “Do you only have the one child?”  The question sometimes leaves me feeling as though I’m in some way lacking, like I didn’t finish the job.   I’ve even occasionally heard the comment, “So, she’s an only child”, which makes me think of the negative implication attached to being an “only child.”  Fred and I wanted to have more children, but sometimes we don’t get everything we want in life. I have been pregnant four times.  Three of those pregnancies ended in miscarriages.  This isn’t something I talk about and not something people ask about.  It’s generally understood to be one of those topics we all avoid.  Discussing miscarriage makes people uncomfortable. The pain of losing these unborn children has lessened over time.  It sits in the back of my heart, the pain just a smaller shadow of what it once was.  When our heartbreaking losses were still fresh, I wondered when, or if, the pain would ever go away...

To get this free printable for Halloween, click here .

We live on the edge of town, residential Bellingham on one side and open countryside on the other.  We  enjoy watching deer in the field across the street and the squirells that try to steal the stale bread we've given to the chickens in our backyard. However, sometimes living around wildlife isn't so charming. Last night our dog got sprayed by a skunk.  Holy moly, the smell!   We frequently have to close our windows at night when a skunk is nearby until the air outside has cleared.  Fortunately, we live about a half mile from the ocean, and there is usually a breeze.  But this is the first time we've smelled the vile stench of skunk up close. Laura and Bryan got her into the tub and started washing her while Fred found a recipe for a "de-skunking solution".  It contained 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap. After being washed with dog shampoo and rinsed, twice, th...

Researchers in Sweden claim that eating two chocolate bars per week reduces a woman's stroke risk by twenty percent. This is some preventative medicine I am taking full advantage of! You can read the details here about how Chocolate Consumption Likely Reduces Stroke Risk . Cindy 

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Amanda Soule          Today I'm joining Soulemama's weekly post of a single photo.