Rhubarb and Snails

The other day I was outside checking to see if the rhubarb was ready to cut so I could make some concoction such as rhubarb crisp, rhubarb sauce, rhubarb muffins, or whatever else I can experiment on, er, tryout on, er, make for myself and my family. To my delight it's almost ready and the science project can begin soon!

I saw this cute little snail amongst the rhubarb, sitting on a rock. I had to snap a picture of it. You can't really tell from this photo, but the snail is peeking out of it's shell. When I was a kid, I thought snails were disgusting and slimy. Now I think of them as one of God's cutest creatures. Not that I would have one crawl on me or anything! I wonder how they would taste with rhubarb?... eww... never mind!

Wait for the Lord and keep His way. - Psalm 37:34

My sister got married!

That's right everyone! Yesterday my baby sister (okay, so she's 27), got married! I couldn't be happier. In fact, I'm getting teary eyed right now... She and her husband make to most amazing couple. He fit into the family right away when we first met him. It was like we had known him forever.

When we first met Ryan he brought us pan of brownies that he had made himself. Bonus points, or brownie points in this case. He was also polite and even offered to do the dishes after dinner! It wasn't a forced thing either, he was being a genuine gentleman. We knew right then and there that Sarah was smitten with this guy! That and the fact that she wanted us to meet him in the first place. Something she had never done with other guys she has dated.

I think it was my dad who knew first that these two were meant to be together. Then when my mum and I met him, we also knew.

We were so pleased to know that Ryan was a strong Christian man who loves Jesus with all his heart, mind, soul, and spirit. I know that he encourages and uplifts Sarah in her daily walk with Jesus because I have seen the change in my sister since she has met him. There is a side to my sister that I haven't seen when she is with Ryan. The love in both of their eyes is so cool!

I ceremony went so smoothly! The flower girl tripped near the end of the aisle which just added to the sweetness of the day. She was so cute in her puffy white dress and curly blonde hair. Brought back memories of when I was a flower girl when I was three. Of course, I ran down the aisle holding my cousin Ben's hand with my tongue hanging out. Don't ask... I even said in a really loud voice when my aunt was coming down the aisle "Who's that lady in the the white dress?!" Oh, boy! I was a monkey!

Back to my sister. At one point, I could see Ryan tearing up during the vows. Then when my sister was saying her vows, she started to get choked up. Which more than likely got my mum choked up as well. I know I was. And then when the pastor said "I now pronounce you man and wife", I got butterflies in my stomach with the thought that now my sister is married woman!

The dress she wore was a dream. I beautiful long train, beads, and a lovely corset at the back. Her makeup was so beautiful and it made her blue eyes really shine. The grin on Ryan's face when he first saw Sarah down the aisle didn't stop the whole rest of the day. He's smiley to begin with, but this was a new reason to smile even bigger. I wonder if his cheeks hurt!

The reception went well, with amazing food and stories to tell. Some I won't repeat in this forum! It was a wonderful day despite and inspite the torrential down pour outside. Friends and family alike, we all enjoyed ourselves, had pleasant conversations, shared a few laughs, and saw a side of Sarah and Ryan some of us have never seen! The crazy side!

Of course, we all wish Sarah and Ryan all the best in the world, no matter which part of it they may be in. Have a long and happy marriage as you continue to grow in Christ and in each other.

Cori-Beth

BTW, I left my running shoes at their house when I stayed over Friday night...

The Steps of the Father

This post was originally posted on one of my previous blogs on August 20, 2006. I feel that it still very much applies to today and needed to post it again.

One night just last week, God gave me a vision of a group of people, mainly youth, running out of a small cabin out in the wilderness at a high rate of speed. I saw Jesus walking behind them. I wasn't sure what all this meant until God spoke to my heart and told me that there are those, especially youth and young adults who lead themselves, instead of allowing Jesus to lead them. They follow their own path, running aimlessly and think that they can do it on their own. They are out in the wilderness wandering and running towards nowhere. I am myself guilty of this as many of us are from Generation X. We tend to give into the cliche label that we are all lazy and don't have any work ethic, we lack a sense of direction and tend to lead ourselves to nowhereville in the wilderness.

But Jesus doesn't want us to be that way. We need to stop living up to the cliche and start living for God. We need stop running aimlessly to nowhere and have Him lead us and guide us and show us direction.

The Steps of the Father

Following a path
of destruction.
Surrounded by
the wilderness
of your own making.
Following your own way.
Lead by yourself.
Aimlessly plotting
a course unknown.

Walk in the Way.
Walk in the Truth.
Walk in the steps of the Father.
Step our of despair
and into His arms.
Walk in the steps of the Father.

Following your
own beliefs
Surrounded by
the comforts of home.
Following yourself
and your selfish ways.
Lead by yourself.
Aimlessly wandering
a course unknown.

Walk in the Way.
Walk in the Truth.
Walk in the steps of the Father.
Step out of despair
and into His arms.
Walk in the steps of the Father.
Let Him lead you.
Wander no more.
Walk in the steps of the Father.
Let Him take your hand.
He'll be your guide.
Walk in the steps of the Father.
The steps of the Father.
-CEC

To add to the original post: I will not be a cliche! I will not follow myself, but follow Jesus. And as I am writing, the old hymn "I have decided to follow Jesus" is running around in my head. This song just doesn't apply to non-believers when they first accept Jesus, but those of who have been Christian's for many years as well.

It's a daily thing of taking up your cross and following Him just like it says in Mark 8:34. Deny that apathetic selfishness in your heart. Deny everything about yourself and hand it over to Jesus. Stop living a cliche! Stop being Generation X and Generation Y! Be a generation after God's own heart. Stop running in the wilderness of your own making and come to civilization with Jesus. It's the best reality you could ever have! The highest high you could ever have! Freedom beyond belief! Peace that passes all understanding! ...that's only some of the idea...trust me!

Be a freedom fighter, and again, don't be a cliche! Walk in the Steps of the Father.

The Right Ingredient

One thing that I learned when I was a teenager, when baking, add more salt to the recipe to make it sweeter. That being said, too much salt can spoil the whole recipe.

The same goes when witnessing to others about Christ. As Christians we are to be the salt of the Earth, spreading the good news to others. We are to show that salt to others and be an example to them showing just how the love of Jesus can change their lives. But too much salt, and that could turn someone away from the Gospel pertinently. We could give them a bitter taste in their mouth and harden their heart about Jesus all together.

How would you like it if someone flung a Bible at you??!! That's how some people perceive pushy Christians. We don't want to come across like that. We are to be aggressive with the love of Christ, not pushy Bible thumpers...or throwers in this case. Approach as Jesus would approach. WWJD right? What Would Jesus Do?

Also think about how much salt you have in your life to sprinkle on others. Do you have enough of it? Are you being the salt of the Earth? Or are you just a little pinch that only you can barely taste yourself? Then wake up and start asking for the sweetness of Jesus.

Come on everyone, fill up on your salt and spread it around! It will be sweet! Sprinkle it around! The right ingredient can go a long way!

If you can't taste
the sweetness of
Jesus,
then maybe you need a little more
salt.
-CEC

The Squirrel in the Bird Feeder

Check out this nutty squirrel outside our kitchen window last winter. Pun intended!


















When they want that seed, they will do anything!

Some of my weird thoughts

I have some pretty strange thoughts that go through my head. I don't know which side of the family that it comes from. It could just be me....yah, I think it's just me!;-)

I think God gives me these weird thoughts to sort out the true ones. Either that, or they are my true thoughts, at least at the time. In which case, I have a strange mind!

Anyway, here are some of those thoughts that I have in my warped sense of humour, and of course my strange mind.

Sensibility

Sensibility
has lost
it's mind.
That is...
if it has
a mind to begin
with.
That doesn't
make sense
that sensibility
has a mind.
And, if it had
a mind,
how would it
lose it anyway?
Sensibility has
more sense
than to lose it's
mind because
then it wouldn't
be sensibility
anymore.
All things considering,
sensibility can't truly
lose it's mind.
That would just
be plain
nonsense...ilbility.
-CEC

Know

I know that
you know,
but do you
know that I
know you know?
How do you
know that I
know that you know?
You just know that
I know that you
know?
Well, if you know
that I know that
you know that I know,
then we're all
okay, you know.
-CEC

And last but not least (at least for now), one that I wrote when I was 16.

Say What?

Nobody wants to be a Somebody
But when Nobody doesn't
Become Somebody
He's a Nobody.
In other words,
We're either a Nobody
Or a Somebody
Trying to figure out
Our real names.
-CEC

Hope you had fun reading these. I'll share more later, including one about Door Hinge Squeezed Oranges.(-:

Tornado hits my home town

God was certainly looking out for us with last night's storm.

A funnel cloud was right near us. It must have been a mircoburst or down draft from the twister that downed that big maple. This twister and downed tree was from the first storm surge we had. The second one also had black, ominous clouds, but it was down graded to a severe thunder storm. A probability of another today.

Again, God was sure looking out for us when He did some of that crop clearing last night. No one was hurt and we're all safe!

Should let everyone know as well, after the second storm surge, a robin began to sing. God's cool way of letting us know that the worst is over! I love robins!

The Hand of God

In my post from this morning I showed you photos of flowers that come in the beauty of Spring. Well, God also shows His mighty hand in other ways, too. These photos were literally taken just about an hour ago after we had a Tornado Warning with hail and sideways rain. I had been taking pictures out my one window of a rainbow after this storm and well, I was in for a shock when I looked out my window on the other side of my room. This is what I saw looking out that window and when I went outside to get a better look. I should point out, that no one was hurt.











(Yes, the tree is uprooted!)

Getting closer to the scene












Closer yet












Tree meet car, car tree
BTW Apparently this was the first time this lady parked on the street!
She usually parked in the driveway behind her husbands truck.
If she had, her car would have been totaled!












The rainbow outside my other window that I was distracted by :-)

It shows you the extremes of God's majesty of His powerful and mighty hand! Stay safe everyone, and God Bless!

Spring Photos

With the springtime comes flowers. These are just a few photos that I took of some of the flowers we get in our gardens. Enjoy!

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail. They are new every
morning, great is Your faithfulness.
- Lamentations 3:22-23

Ancient Relic

Tainted
Stained
Misused
Publicity Stunt
Fashion Statement
Misrepresented
Mistrusted
Destroyed
Burned
Broken
Misunderstood
Glamorized
Categorized
Bloodstained...
The Cross.
- CEC

Singing at the top of our lungs in the morning

We all wake up in the morning differently. Some wake up grumbling and growling. Others wake up perky and ready to go. Others can be immovable and want to sleep just "another five minutes". They hit the snooze bar over and over again. By the way, just to annoy everyone, I wake up alert (usually) in the morning, very early. You can tell by the time of this post! I've been like this since I was a little kid, just like my dad.

Well, this morning like many mornings, I woke up to hear a robin happily singing away. It's funny (in a good way) how God has made this beautiful bird so happy in the morning. No matter what, it sings in the morning! What would happen if we all sang to our Creator every single morning? Studies have shown laughing is good for you, but what about singing?

The Bible says to make a joyful noise unto to the Lord (Psalm 66:1; 95:1; 98:6). Does that also mean in the morning? I'm not sure the writer of these Psalms was saying to wake up and sing at the top of your lungs until you annoy even the neighbour down the street. (No, the robin's singing isn't annoying. At least not to me, anyway.) They are saying to make a "joyful noise". Okay, I didn't mean to make that sound funny. Oh, well.:-)

You don't have to sing to make a joyful noise. You can wake up and not growl that you have to go to work. You can thank God that you have a job to get up to! You can thank Him that you have a warm bed to sleep in! Thank Him that He kept your family safe and warm during the night! The list goes on.

So enough with the grumping and growling in the morning. Think of the robin as the dawn comes. Probably one of the happiest of God's creatures in the morning. They also makes an amazing environmentally friendly alarm clock.

The Robin

Your voice is so clear
Robin of the Spring.
Your greet every morning,
it awakes as you sing.

A flute so sweet and melodic
brings the early dawns song.
Your voice resounds above others
it's beauty sweet and long.

Your notes are delightful
like music to my ear.
Never cease singing
so that all may hear.

Sing your song with exuberance
the rest of your life.
Sing it to your Creator
with all of your might.

Sing on lovely Robin.
Have your voice be heard.
Let it rise to the heaven's
like no other bird.
-CEC

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

I thought I'd start off this blog telling you about a cute woodchuck that made his presence known around this time last year.

My dad was the first to spot him in our backyard. The woodchuck soon made his home in our one and only window well. That window well, unfortunately wasn't really sealed inside, so any creature could get in the basement if he or she so pleased. A woodchuck wouldn't be as bad as a skunk, so that well was soon sealed off.
















Wilbur, as this little (???) cutie was soon named then made his home under our back deck. Everyday, we (or at least I) would look for him in our backyard. Around dusk and dawn, and sometimes throughout the day, he was make his appearance to the world. By the way, these guys run really fast!














Winter came and Wilbur went into hibernation. With anticipation, a little too much on my part, I waited for the woodchuck to make an appearance again. He soon did about a month ago, then he decided to live up to his name. He started to nibble on one of the posts of the deck. That did it for my dad! He sealed off the bottom of the deck. Wilbur then disappeared. No, my dad didn't so something to him! Oi! What kind of a person do you think he is?!

A couple of weeks ago, Wilbur showed himself again, this time across the street in the neighbour's yard. He was happily munching on some dandy lions. Then, he disappeared again. They are shy and don't like to be around a whole lot of people.

Just last week, Wilbur showed up again. We soon realised what he had been doing all those times he vanished. He has a girlfriend! Well, the two of them, at least we think so, have figured out how to get under our deck and have taken up residence there. Ah, how sweet! Maybe we'll have babies soon. Eeee! Maybe that's not such a good thing under our patio. Also let's hope they got married before the decided to move in together and have babies. Can't have any illegitimate kids and have them living in sin!

My dad named the she woodchuck Winnie. I don't know why my dad named her after his grandmother. She didn't look like a woodchuck from what I remember. Maybe she liked to chuck wood. Or just live under patios??? Well, that's my tail, er, tale about Wilbur the Woodchuck for right now.

And for closing this post, a poem, that although is an old tongue twister, I have named "Ode to the Woodchuck".

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

A woodchuck would chuck as much
as a woodchuck would chuck wood!