HOLLYHOCKS AND HONEYSUCKLE

I am anxious to share a few flower photographs with you! My first hollyhock of the season is blooming right outside my laundry room window! Hooray! Hollyhocks are one of my favorite flowers.

Next is the amazing honeysuckle. This humble vine was "borrowed" from JT and Kori's house. It is so fragrant its scent permeates the entire English Garden. What a treat to sit out there (if the mosquitoes don't carry you away) and enjoy it's perfume. My English Garden is way in the far corner of the back yard, far from the house. I noticed yesterday that the honeysuckle perfume hits you about 20 feet before you get to the garden!

We have been very busy. I've worked 4 days this week and will work 4 next week as well. We also started cleaning the barn in anticipation of a BIG sale! Today I washed all my garden dishes--none were put out this year...yet. I smashed a few for garden stones and kept a few for a playhouse in case we ever can put one up for the granddaughters. The rest are ready for a garden!

Have a great Sunday! I hope you will attend church and remind your pastor and his wife that you appreciate them! Blessings, LORI

AN EARLY SPRING UPDATE

I thought I'd write a little update to let my blog friends know I'm still alive! We have been very busy with our daughter in law and granddaughters home from Colorado Springs since Wednesday. Clint, Rhiannon, and another aunt picked them up from the airport in Chicago on Wednesday evening. I had to work and missed going along, but waited up til midnight to see them.

They stayed the first two days with us since Kori's little sisters were sick. On Saturday, Kori had to be in a wedding of a girl from our old church. That took up much of Friday and all of Saturday for her. On Friday evening we took Emma to our new church for a concert of a children's choir from Uganda! Emma was enthralled with the vibrant singing and dancing for almost the entire hour and a half before she got a little "antsy." She got up and stood behind our chairs and began to dance along with them. She loves musicals and dancing and at the tender age of just three, I think I see a life pattern here. We were seated in the balcony and suddenly at one point, Emma was so moved by the children that she darted for the double doors leading downstairs. Aunt Rhiannon caught up with her on the stairsteps and retrieved her! Emma said, "I have to go down there!" I see this as a possible indicator of ministry to come in her life. I can look back now and see the patterns of my own children and how they developed into ministry and life. Rhiannon always played a toy guitar and sang along with all the music in the house--and look how that turned out--a worship leader! JT was a compassionate little boy who always wanted to know if everyone he met was saved! Now he's studying in Bible school and I expect he will minister in some way with all that knowledge when he's finished.

Tomorrow we will have a morning birthday party for Emma--the only time we could fit in and hopefully spend some time together. Then on Wednesday I return to work and the girls head back to Chicago to catch a plane home. The time went so fast. But this is why I've not posted. Lots going on to keep me busy. As well as all that, we started cleaning out closets and bookshelves, etc. for a garage sale today. Have been walking for exercise too. For those of you who are praying for us on the evangelism front, we are ministering once again this weekend in an area church. We appreciate the prayers. We were at our new home church this last weekend for a very wonderful service that charged us up for more ministry! Blessings, LORI