as much as I’ve changed, moved on, moved around, been away it still always feels like coming home.

this farm in Maine is where i sojourner and i’ve been blessed here. but my heart is not here… i am always one for “leading your heart” and sometimes i believe my “heart” can learn to be here but time will only tell if this is actually where i even belong. the fact that i’m willing to say this out loud is a huge step, if this where a 12 step program for “Learning to More Than Survive Maine” then this would be like step 10 or something : )

but truth is, i will always be a Pennsylvania cowgirl.

I support a Higher Power. The Higher Power Who for centuries and centuries has decided the goverment’s patterns and will continue to do so without any help from me [Job 38-] I have often thought that; if we were doing things the way He ordanined anyway we wouldn’t have such a “mess” [and it's true, but not the plan] but you know what, things ARE GOING TO GET WORSE before He makes them better! I know this, therefore I am NOT worried!

HE IS IN CHARGE, HIS plan will prevail. THIS is His plan. He sets up kings and takes down kings, you might think you’re playing some role in this but ha, you have NO idea how insignificant you are.

Something to chew on….

Romans thirteen one.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Careful when you vote… or you could be found kicking against the prods if you vote for the one GOD does NOT put in office.

Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

While the verse above DOES mean a variety of things.. could mean, resisting arrest, could mean resisting laws that are in effect, but it also means quite clearly that if we RESIST the authorities GOD puts in place we are disobedient.

If we try to ordain our will and vote for who we humanly see as the best “next in line” we could be failing miserably in our human way and resisting the plan of God. no one can change the course of God, but we can resist until he gives us the gift of understanding to see the beauty of letting Him work

i hear folks going on about how bad Obama is, making fun of him, insulting or just thanking God he’ll be gone soon,  [not to mention all the junk been said about Bush and etc etc] well… sorry to bust your bubble folks but just as David said to Saul, you are my king, I cannot take your head. We too must understand the concept.

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.

The words to look at are “For he is a minister of God to you” the rest is explaining why. He is a minister of God to us because God set him up as authority.

What ever ill he does, shall bring about the plan – what ever good he does, shall bring about the plan.

we are living a Christ like life if we are Christians, let’s not warn people about who to vote for and who to shun, let’s warn people about the end – the wrath to come – if we must be prophets. Just like Jesus did.

Wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of darkness. [Eph 6;12]

to be continued….

when you talk about things i say on here or you comment to me how you liked a blog post it tells me two things, 1. you are here and 2. you didn’t interact with me here.

this is a call to interact. blog back at me. yell, question, agree, say what ever, it’s not that i care what you say, it’s that i care you take the extra incentive to enjoy outloud.

i’ll keep blogging because it’s therapy for me, the only cheap therapy i can afford : )

you’re welcome to share or talk about anything i write here, all you want…

but i’d like to hear more from y’all. HERE.

i have a feeling it will go on with “oh, that blog post about yadaya was so informative” and “that photo was so cute from a couple blog posts ago” at every other location but this blog, but….

you can prove me wrong, go ahead : )

~~

you call me angel

but i am no saint

you call me evil

but i am no devil

your moods switch

they change so fast

your back and forth

just like the wind

i always stood strong

to guide you back in

i guess that counts for something

i loved you even

when you walked away

i watched you change

like night to day

you fell in love

you fell back out

you came to me

in self pity and self doubt

your beautiful

you were angry, all the time

you hate to be wrong

but your wrong just the same

there’s moments when i thought

we could get through this

but you never gave a chance away

without selfishness

i wanted to teach you

but all i could do was guide

i felt so disheartened

but i showed my gentle side

over and over again

after every rain storm

God gives a rainbow

catching us off guard

teaching us to know

blessings in disguise

make us strong all the time

and i laughed the day

He made you mine.

Project Barn 2011 was becoming tiring… understatement of the year.

Working outdoors in December meant it was usually either just chilly and really wet or it was plain out cold and frozen… it really can be disheartening. Working as hard as we are and stuggling with a constant battle against soaking wet days or freezing cold days can be exhausting… mind and body.

On day 38 I wandered for five minutes around the barn site searching for my hammer. Sighing with frustration I jammed my hands in my large coat pockets to warm them up and found where I’d put my hammer. The coat pocket is large enough to accomidate the hammer head and the rest of the hammer sticks up out of the pocket and so I have no idea how I forgot it was there, it bumps my arm any time I try to bend or move much… that’s how mentally blocked out we were getting.

And then we got a warm snap. The 46 degrees, balmy, southern breezey days we got, a few in a row. It lifted the spirit a bit and the work ethic, although I was spending the same amount of time out side – pretty much all my daylight hours – it lifted the work ethic spirit and helped with productivity. God is good.

The walls were all up, the ridge pole in place, the rafters were going up! Our sawyer put us under delay after delay… taking vacation, working off site and not cutting wood… but finally all the rafters were up! We began laying strapping down and then, the roof was ready for metal…

rafters going up….

this post is for all those friends of mine who doubted that putting “all that stuff” that I put in my hair is different from putting “all that stuff” they put in theirs.

well, folks. time is the test and mine has not fallen short. while you go through spells where “your hair just won’t do right” i’ve always been in love with my hair.

the junk you put in your hair and let your hair stylists put in your hair would make my hair turn over in it’s grave, were it dead.

“all that stuff” i put in my hair is natural and happy. peroxide, German chamomile, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil and aloe.

i would literally rather die before subjecting my hair to a perm.

my hair has always done right by me. from time to time i get bored with the style i cut it in but my hair, albeit sometimes thick as thieves, has always been my happy point.

i love my hair. i’ll say it today, i’ve said it for years, i’ll say it tomorrow!

mmkaythanks.

We did a lot of research lately – over the past year or more – on teeth, gum and mouth health because my little sister has a problem with a couple of her teeth.

And what we found, then experimented and found to work, was raw, homemade butter and raw honey – together – daily – is like a miracle food, and especially such for teeth.

God knew this. That’s why He was always promising the two together!

Such a neat discovery! : )

i was laid up for four days, at which time i caught up on some sleep but the pain didn’t help.

day four after my injury i wrapped up in my boot cast and headed back out. it was so good to be back outside, doing chores, putting up walls.

the walls began to go a lot fast, the south wall up in three hours, the east wall in two hours – not even.

on the 5th of December – day 28 of Project Barn 2011 – I headed North West to Amish country for roofing medal.

the Amish are some of my favorite people, no matter what stresses or fast paces you have going in your life you get to Smyrna [our local Amish country] you just naturally slow down.

i really enjoyed being up there. they are busy but they always have the presence of mind to keep up with you. i almost walked out and drove off from the shop without the screws I had already paid for along with the medal roofing that was already loaded on my truck.

and the guy in the office had three other people with a bunch of problems and questions but he came out after me asking if i had gotten my screws to go with the order. i had completely forgotten! haha.

they really are nice guys who work at the metal place.

then i stopped by the Pioneer Store [love that store, but didnt have time to stay] to ask where the Tack Shop had moved to. because a friend of mine asked me to stop in and find out their prices on harnesses the next time i was up there because he’s trying to sell his leather draft horse harness and didn’t know what to price it at. 

so i drove down to the tack shop at it’s new place of residency. i couldn’t help myself i wasted a few minutes there just talking and listening and catching up on the new, great ideas that the Amish are always coming up with as far as horse “la natural” and longevity.

p.s. these photos of the Amish are really from my area! these are my Amish : ) I know the places in both photos and some of these people!

then it was off to houlton to stock up on grain for the critters.

it was a gorgeous day, albeit it spent driving and driving and driving. everything is a long drive from where i live : )

but that afternoon i got most of half the West wall up and the next day finished it. all the walls were up and done!

then we began working on the beams for the rafters… day 29 the first beam was constructed and set, day 30, the second beam. day 31 we began working on the ride pole, preparing to set it in place….

sometimes i just don’t wanna be, but the more i train myself in the good habits of positive vibes the easier it becomes through out my life. 

affirmative answers; super charge them with positive vibes! if someone asks for your help or asks you a question and the answer is affirmative then give it all you’ve got. you’ve got good news so why not super charge it? i.e. yes, we’ll be happy to help = yes, absolutely! we’d love to help out with that project, sounds like a real ground breaker! super charge your voice with positive energy, out of the heart the mouth speaks… train your heart, train your mouth to speak positive. 

smile. it isn’t always easy and at first might not always even be from the heart, but if you start you do it better, more, and start to enjoy it! for a couple years now i’ve been working in a program at a summer camp where we usually deal with a lot of people on a daily basis who are getting first impressions of us and expecting us to be friendly, helpful staff. that’s what we have to do. smile, answer as affirmatively as possible, do what ever we can to make the guests week a success so they’ll come back and keep it positive, Godly energy. plus you never know who’s going to have a camera and frowning staff never look good frozen.ha. [not seriously, well, sort of i guess] anyway, i’ve learned how to keep a smile on my face just about at all times…

positive clothes. we all – or most of us – really enjoy our brown, black and blues. safe colors, colors we feel established in. expand, put some positive color in your wardrobe. yellows, oranges, greens, lighter blues, prints, pink [ if you must ]… super charge your closet with a little color… go with your colors, don’t fight yourself, you don’t have to wear colors that make you feel ugly, you’ll find your own personal range of color if you experiment a little. 

Philippians 4. whatever things are lovely, whatever things are pure, what ever things true, what ever is of good report… keep positive thoughts. think well, judge less, use logic. 

all these things will not only make you come across as a more positive, happy person it will also help you learn to feel that way, for those of us who don’t already have this come to us naturally, all you who do, lucky dogs  ; )