Hospitality, Friendship, Encouragement

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Growth

I decided to post again, feeling as if my post from last night was too gloomy.  These things are happening and I do feel them deep inside and want to rail against it all,  but this is not the purpose of my blog.

I started my blog in 2007 because I was finding encouragement online through other bloggers and wanted to be a part of it.  My goal was to offer Hospitality, Encouragement and Friendship.

That is what I am going to focus on once again.

With Spring deciding to finally arrive, there is new growth everywhere here at Creekside Cottage.

I've been mowing on our property for several weeks now, and soon it will need the twice a week treatment!  Tulips are blooming...





Rachel and Lindsay have both started seeds - 
 Three kinds of peppers...
 
 This wee one is basil...
 
 Sunflowers...

 Tomatoes...

      Rachel replanted the lavender as it didn't come up the first time.  Every year we try new things and learn new things.  I didn't grow up gardening.  My Dad had a veggie garden a few years behind the garage but I was a little kid and wasn't involved in that.  My mom usually grew some annuals, though we did have some Agapanthus's that attracted bees right by the front walk way, so I hated those things.

It was after I married, that I was inspired through reading Victoria Magazine, and Emilie Barnes. I discovered that the desire inside of me to create and enjoy beauty was God given and through Edith Schaeffer I learned that He was okay with me using my creativity, in fact wanted me to use it! 

I've taught my girls these lessons too, and I see growth in them, and the desire to beautify their surroundings.  For each girl this looks different - for one it is sketches she has drawn, or photographs she has taken.  For another it is a gathering of things that are loved. It doesn't matter.  One style is not more correct than another.

This verse has been on my mind this morning -

 2 Peter 3:18 
 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
  

5 comments:

  1. This is a beautiful post and captures your heart every bit as correctly as the last post. It is so good for us to live in a balance of recognizing where we need to focus our passion and I think you do a very good job of encouraging and building up the moms God brings into your life.....and sharing the beauty in life as you find it. Love you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Having just read and commented on your previous post, I must say that, although it is "gloomy," it is truth.

    This post is also truth. We are called to reflect His grace and beauty...and you do that so well!

    (Tulips are my favorite flower! Don't ask me why I never plant them in the fall. Yours are lovely!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haven't read the gloomy post...should I skip it? ;D

    My blog gives the false impression that all is lollipops and roses when nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps I need to reassess what my blog is about. At some level, I feel that remaining silent about some things makes me complicit in them. Guess it gets back to the concept of balance.

    I certainly believe that beauty is important in this world.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your tulips are so lovely, and the seedlings look great too! I love to see things sprout and grow. Emilie Barnes is one of my favorite authors and has been a mentor to me for years through her writings. AS I have visited here I see a woman who has a heart for God, and her family, and I am always so blessed.
    I read your last post, and say thank you for your insight, and for your holy boldness to speak out.
    thanks for sharing your heart and home.
    Blessings,
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that your blog is mostly full of encouragement and lovely family happenings. However there are times when the truth needs to be said out loud and in public and since you don't do it often I think it has even more impact.

    I love your blog!

    ReplyDelete

Welcome to Creekside Cottage - a place of Hospitality, Friendship and Encouragement!

Information Friday

Tim and I had a great time visiting our daughter Emma and her family. This birthday crown has seen a lot of heads this past week, but I had ...