God and DNA

Comparison pictures of Rachel and her Auntie Jess.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ~ Psalm 139:13

Pretty banking

Every spring this beautiful flowering almond tree stands sentry beside the drive-thru of my bank. I was glad to have my camera with me this morning, although the pictures don't quite capture color like our own eyes do.

The heat has zapped my tulips and daffodils but there's always something new coming into bloom.

Saturday afternoon delight

I had the unexpected priviledge to keep Rachel for a few hours Saturday. She was supposed to take a nap but was totally not interested.


She played happily but about 3 hours later she started slowing down, eyes glazing over. Her blanket and a bottle plus hours of busy playing finally took its toll......

Ah.... sweet rest.

An hour later she was ready to go again.

The Wild, Wild West

Jess & Jamie are moving west this summer. In trying to prepare my mommy heart for this long distance trek I did some Google Earth searching this week. Here are some of my early finds.

They currently reside at the yellow pin (lop left corner) between Elizabethtown and Mount Joy. #283 is less than a mile as the crow flies from their home. Mount Joy is under 3 miles. (bottom right corner). Amtrack train runs between their development and #230.

Using the same scale markers on Google earth this is where they are moving to. I'm not sure - I'd need to check with Jamie - but I don't think the quantity of acres of land the ranch sits on would fit into a picture on this scale. And there are no other ranch home on this picture.

And the nearest highway that's remotely paved is 21 miles away (as the crow flies). I'll let you know in July after we've returned home how many miles it is using land vehicles. The bottom right yellow pin marks the southeast corner of the state of Montana. Billings, MT is a two hour drive west from the ranch. The only thing running between the ranch and the main road is an occasional tumble weed. I've learned over the years that I'm a visual learner. Give me an address and some mapping capabilities and I'll head out to any parts unknown. It helps me to 'see' where they'll plant themselves. Hopefully actually physically seeing some of their new surroundings will help rest my quickly beating heart.

The webcams have been purchased and will be the first thing put into commission when the distance between our yellow pins will be 1700 miles.

God bless the person who invented Skype.

Shades of green

The rains have brought various shade of green to spring again.

From where I sit in the morning I have view of a large tree. The first buds of spring are always exciting - a sign that winter is soon behind and the warm of summer is coming. I've enjoyed watching the shades of green change as the buds begin their growth journey to full leaves.



But yesterday I happend to look and see the bright morning sun (so nice to see the sun again) make the green look yellow.

They say some animals are color blind while others only see a few colors. How sad! I'm so grateful the Lord created us with vision capable of seeing the full spectrum of color. Slow down for just a tad today and notice the colors God is using in your life today.

~~~

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; ...... Isaiah 33?17 NASB

The colors have arrived!

For some reason this spring I have been waiting.....waiting for the colors. Usually I all of a sudden realize that it's time to plant the flowers. This year I'm waiting for the weather to say 'yes, it's safe to plant'. Mom always said 'don't plant the annuals til after Mother's Day'.

But the things that were pushing through the ground have been flowering and the colors are here. I'm still waiting to add the additons - not safe yet. =)

~~~

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Audra Foveo

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

Welcome Elianna!

The Lord has blessed us with another little pink bundle. Elianna Renee Smucker was born Wednesday, April 15 at 6:14 p.m. weighing all of 6 lbs. 1 oz. What a flood of memories revisited me as my own little 'betz' weighed 6 lbs.

Grandpa even took off work for a little and made a quick trip in to welcome Elianna to the Smucker clan.

I kept saying 'I need to leave, I need to leave', wanting to allow mommy and daddy to have some quiet alone time. Isaac was home taking a much needed nap with his other grandma. Just as I was leaving she awoke from a very sound sleep and her eyes popped open.

"Well hello, little sissy."

Last evening Isaac met his new little sister.

Oldies Breakfast

Today a regular foursome met for breakfast at a newer restaurant in our area. DJ's, a 50's themed restaurant is located in Smoketown. The setting is colorful and the food is excellant.

L to R: Bonnie Rohrer, yours truly, Bonnie's mother-Anna Mae Lapp, my mother-Becky Fisher. We've known each other for years having attended the same church as little girls. We plan regular breakfast mornings out and try to get a day trip in at least once a year to visit gardens, nurseries, etc.... What a treasure to have such delightful relationships that spans generations.

Isaac's Visit

We had a quiet day yesterday with no family plans for various reasons. Jay & I were relaxing after supper when our front door opened and little Isaac came walking into the living room. What a nice surprise! He arrived at our home via wagon pulled by Mike and Maegan who are trekking around hoping to 'shake loose' Lil' Miss Smucker. Isaac brought his Easter picture along.

Seven to Eleven

Awoke to rain this morning and hubby said "Rain before 7 clear by 11". I was hoping it to be true. But alas, it was not to be. At 11:30 I took this picture of the tree budding behind our house and it was still raining.

I was hoping to plant some perennials I picked up during my visit to the greenhouse this week.

I know it's too early to plant annuals but I'm so ready for some color this spring. I picked up these plants of color and will baby them for a few weeks before sticking them in a pot. In the meantime it's a little color inside the glass sliding door.

A few weeks ago I started some moon flower seeds - they aren't looking too promising. =( I'm hoping they are the kind that are hardshelled and just take a while to crack open.

So since I couldn't do as I was hoping this morning I decided to do a craft project from an idea from another blog. Used a cheap plate from the dollar store, an extra bow I had around and some 'stolen stickers' from daughters scrapbooking stash she stores at my house and some buttons. I have a weak spot for buttons.

Decided to set it on a shelf in our family room/basement where we do most of our relaxing.

So now the sun is shining brightly and after helping youngest son with some eBay listings most of the afternoon I think I'll try and find another project that looks like fun. That's what Saturdays are for, right?! And then I'm going to RELAX!

I wish you enough

From an email:

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'

The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom.'

They kissed, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'

'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead, and the reality is - her next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said.

'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'

She began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we wanted the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

Then, she began to cry, and walked away.

They say, it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.