It Is Well with My Soul

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul!”

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend –
“Even so, it is well with my soul”

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live;
If dark hours about me shall roll
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Probably very few, like Spafford, are able to maintain their faith in the face of such devastating bereavement without spiritually faltering. The natural tendency of one confronted with such senseless tragedy would surely be to question, to doubt, to blame, to accuse God. Yet this hymn reveals a person who had been graced by God to mourn without bitterness, to sorrow without anger, to trust without resentment, to rest in the peace of Christ which surpasses every man's understanding (Phil. 4:6). The remarkable faith exhibited by the author of this hymn is the same precious faith allotted to all the believers (2 Peter 1:1) which enables them to believe steadfastly as the author did, that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

My life is for God's purpose, whatever happens to me, I must not be sad but trust and still have the peace He offers us. My friends, I love you, my family I love you. I want to believe, I want to love others, my lot has made me a stronger daughter.
Onward Christain Solidier...............
Bloom For Your KING!
QB

He Knows My Name

He knows my name, He made me, He planned my whole life. I did not have a very kind childhood, which someday I will share. Right now in my life, I'm having trouble with some family issues, which are very sad and unkind too. But I have hope.

While doing the dishes this morning, I had a wonderful thought, I'm sure from my Creator, who loves me. If God helped me through my childhood troubles, and answered some of my childhood prayers, then He can do it for me again as an adult. I must remember to have faith and to remember He knows my name. I must be patient, kind, gentle and relaxed among others and to keep helping my church with dinners, with my scrapbooking etc.

I must remember He knows my name!

In Christ Alone,
QB

A Season in LIfe

Dear Friends,
I'm going through some tough times right now, and during these times, I'm slowing down with my blog. My heart does not know what to write about, even my gardening time has been limited. I do have my hand on my Pillar, my Lord and Savior while I'm feeling so sad and old. It's a weird feeling when your thinking you are Job, being attacked by Satan. This situation is stopping me from doing God's work or stopping me to love and smile.

Staying home and baking cookies has helped me, but only Christ Alone will bail me out of this Season in my Life.

I'm a small little seed, trying to get out of this pit, I want to bloom for my KING!
QB

Sorry I've been away

I apologise for being away for so long. I've stopped writing, first of all my eldest son had been very sick in the hospital, he is now doing well and feeling better. Thank You Lord. Secondly, I have been focused on my daughter Laura, getting her ready for college. She is now tucked away in her cute dorm room.

I must get back on track with my plants and with my house work. I am praying about trying to help my husband with college finances and medical bills we recently required. I'm going to start working at home with Malaleuca Products. I'm excited about it, the more I learn I will share with others.

It was very hard for me to let Laura Beth go. I have home schooled her for 13 years. My wish would be for her to stay at home and learn to cook, clean and study God's word, while learning a skill from home. It was very hard for me to let her go.

My third son James, will be a junior this school year, while playing football for Calvary Chapel High School. My prayer is for me to focus on his home school and to prepare him for College.

Thank you Lord for being there with me, please help me to let go of any hurt feelings I felt from Laura Beth and help my sadness to go away because she did not text me back when I said Good Night.

Apple Butter

My apple tree bears fruit in July, I call it my Fuji apple tree, but I'm not really sure what type of apple. I just love my tree especially when the blossoms appear and the scent of apple blossoms fill my back garden with their fragrance.

I planted this tree in honor and memory of my Grandfather, Gene Coke, in 1989. It took about 15 years for my apples to taste good and sweet enough to can apple sauce or apple butter. This year I made apple butter.

First, I cleaned the organic apples, cut them and boiled them until soft. Then I put them through a hand turned sieve into my crock to simmer over night, with the spices added and sugar, the following morning I canned my apple butter, mmmm good.
Great gifts for dear ones and friends.

Glechoma hederacea

This is my "Creeping Charlie" hanging in my back garden in the shade. What I knew about the plant was that it preferred the shade and moist soil, and it likes to be trimmed. This is the first time I have ever had one that grew this big and produce these orchid like flowers. Yesterday I was cutting some of my roses to make a center piece for Sunday, and I went to my "Creeping Charlie" to cut some vines for my arrangement, and I saw these tiny minute sweet flowers. I was so excited I took a picture and called my mother. They are so little and darling, I knew this would be my next species right from my back garden.

What I learned about this Plantae Species is my "Creeping Charlie" is called Glechoma hederacea from the Family: Lamiaceae - "Mint Family" Common Name: ground ivy, a difficult to control weed that most often frustrates professional lawn care operators.

Ground ivy is characterized by its coin shaped leaves with scalloped edges and square petioles (the blade that attaches the stem to the stalk) and stems. All plant parts have a strong mint oder when crushed or cut. Ground ivy's orchid like purple flowers appear for a short time in mid May. The flowers can easily be overlooked as they are often exhibited below the turf canopy. Which is probably why I never saw them before this.

It spreads by stolons or by seed. Part of the reason for its wide spread is this rhizomatous method of reproduction. It will form dense mats which can take over areas of lawns, and thus can be considered an invasive or aggressive weed.

Cultivation and Uses:
Glechoma is sometimes grown as a potted plant, and occasionally as a ground cover. A variegated variety is sometimes commercially available.

While often thought of as a weed because of its propensity for spreading, Glechoma has culinary and medicinal uses which were the cause of its being imported to America by early European settlers. The fresh herb can be rinsed and steeped in hot water to create an herbal tea which is rich in vitamin C. The essential oil of the plant has many potent medicinal properties; the plant has been used for centuries as a general tonic for colds and coughs and to relieve congestion of the mucous membranes. The plant has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been claimed to increase excretion of lead in the urine.[citation needed]

Its medicinal properties have been described for millennia, Galen recommending the plant to treat inflammation of the eyes, for instance. John Gerard, an English herbalist, recommended the plant to treat tinnitus, as well as a "diuretic, astringent, tonic and gentle stimulant. Useful in kidney diseases and for indigestion." It is also useful as a "lung herb".[1]

Glechoma was also widely used by the Saxons in brewing beer as flavoring, clarification, and preservative, before the introduction of hops for these purposes; thus the brewing-related names, Alehoof, Tunhoof, and Gill-over-the-ground.

Lacecap Hydrangea

I thought this hydrangea in my front garden was having trouble blooming, I kept feeding it and probably over watering this perennial plant, but today I know different after learning about the Hydrangea macrophylla, I know now, this sweet plant is called "Lacecap". I read on the web, the Lacecap Hydrangea petals of the flower symbolises the mask of love. Lacecaps with their flat, round flower heads are a great addition to a garden.

If you cut flowers like I do, and put them indoors, submerged them completely in cool water for about an hour and then place in water filled vase. If you do not do this, the flowers quickly wilt. But by conditioning them, they will last for days. If they start to wilt in the vase, submerge them again, and they will revive. I love having arrangements of them in my dining room, especially on Sundays.
Many believe the name Hydrangea, with it origin in the word hydra, means that the plant requires massive amounts of water. Actually, the name was given because the seed capsules look like water pitchers.
What a nice morning learning about Hydrangeas.
Bloom for the KING!
QB