Today is a beautiful fall morning in our little town.  I have my windows open and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees along with the gentle sound of my wind-chimes is just music for my soul.  Fall is truly my favorite season.  It just evokes the feeling of cozy times spent enjoying my favorite things.  

As I sit at my little desk this morning my heart is full with thankfulness to the Lord for all the little blessings in my life.  I am a firm believer in counting my blessing and putting my focus on them instead of my many hardships.  When I do this I have the joy that Christ intends me to have in the mist of all the worlds storms.  

 

I am still having to rest and try to get my strength back after a fairly long bout with Covid.  Even when I am dealing with recovering from sickness there are still blessings to be had.  It causes me to slow down and have quiet time spent in prayer and reading my Bible and just drawing close to Jesus.  My heart has truly been transformed  since I gave my life to Christ and made him the center of my days each and every day.  

My sister Tricia and two of my nieces Madison and Sarah  and Madison's precious baby Elliot came for a little visit last weekend.  It was such a gift to get to truly spend time with them.  My family is so dear to my heart and I am so very thankful for them.  

I just thought I would share what is on my heart this morning.  I hope and pray that whatever you are walking through in your life today, that you are able to put Jesus in your center and receive the gift of His peace.  Thank you for stopping by my blog.  I hope that you can find some time for some cozy fall moments in your days.  God bless you and keep you in His care.  Hugs to you.  ~Juli

~A Peek Into Our Weeks

Here is Steven letting baby Leo's stuffed animal drive the car.  Leo loves to make believe and is such a joy to be around.  These pictures I am sharing are from the last couple of months.  We have been sick with Covid, and it has hung on quite a while, so some of these pictures were from a month or two ago.

Here is a picture of Megan and I on a little out and about.  I always love it when she comes home to visit.

Tristyn flew to Colorado to visit some of his friends.  I thought this picture was really neat, so I thought I would share it.  

Megan was not able to come home for my birthday, but she sent me these beautiful roses and some very yummy candy.

Lauren knows I love stickers, so she made me the ones on the right.  I love them so very much.  

Here is a very normal sight in our little kitchen.  We almost always have freshly brewed iced tea to enjoy.

Here is a picture of Leo playing with his doctor kit.  He is so precious.  I just love to be his grandma.

Lauren was still sick, so little Leo put his toys away.  The top of the tv stand and the upper shelf he did by himself to help his mommy.  

Here are the devotionals and my Bible that  I use most every day.  They are a blessing to my life.

While Megan was visiting we went to the market.  They have all sorts of old fashioned candys and such.

The market has a wonderful selection of tea.

I love the look of old fashioned hat boxes, so I always enjoy this display in my little wardrobe closet.

I want to thank you for visiting my blog.  I am still recovering from Covid but have a lot more energy now.  I have been praying for all those dealing with hardships right now.  May God bless you and keep you in His loving care.  

Hugs to you.  ~Juli
 

~A Thought On My Heart

 Today I would like to share a thought that is on my heart.  In this life we all will experience hardships, no matter who we are.  Some hardships can rock our spirits to it's very core.  When this happens, we have to just hold on despite how hard each day may be. One thing I know is that when we hold on through these storms that may feel unbearable, things will get better even if it takes a long while.

We should never compare ourselves or our lives to other people's life.  Doing this in not constructive and will only cause us to suffer all the more.  Each of us are on a different journey in this life because God created all of us to be unique.  It is human to look at the things that people may share and feel as if our lives don't measure up, but please keep in mind what we see on social media and such is only a small part of people's true reality.  

So if today you are walking through one of this life's many storms, just hold on because it will pass.  (Even if it feels like it never will get better, it will)

The difference on my own personal journey now is that because I am saved and have given my life to the Lord Jesus, He is with me through all of those hardships and he restores my peace even in the mist of the storm itself.  If you don't have the gift of true faith and a personal relationship with Jesus, simply ask Him to give you this precious gift of faith and to save you.  When we ask this with a humble heart, (even if we don't believe) He will save you and transform your heat no matter how much we have sinned in our lives.  (He died for us when we were yet sinners)  

This life is but a vapor and eternity will come for all of us.  It is never too late while we still have breath to turn our lives to the Lord and ask Him to save us.  This is just what was on my heart this morning and I thought I would share this in case it may help someone.  Thank you for taking your time to come to my blog.  May God bless you and keep you in His loving care.  Hugs to you.  ~Juli

~A Peek Into Our Weeks

Here is my daughter Lauren and her husband Victor and sweet little Leo.(My grandson.)  Leo went to his best friend's Elle's 2nd birthday party.

Here is my precious daughter Megan.  She is such a blessing to my heart.  I miss her so very much but am thankful for our phone chats and the pictures she sends to me.

My son Justin got his first real job and he purchased himself a new computer desk and chair.

I have decorated my planner for fall. Fall is my favorite season, and though it is not yet officially fall, this morning I felt the first cool fall weather in our little town.  What a blessing!

My cousin Teri and I went to lunch and then went shopping at our favorite place, Hobby Lobby!  It was so wonderful to see her.

I purchased a few items from Hobby Lobby so that I could do a little Hot Cocoa bar this fall and winter in our home. 

I got this table cloth for Lauren from Hobby Lobby.  It looks like Fall in her little dinning room.

I enjoy having a cup of coffee while reading a good book once in a while.  Coffee is a blessing to me.

 This is a picture of my grandfather in World War Two.  I got the little blue truck on our Hobby Lobby trip.  My grandpa had a truck that looked just like this one.  It was vintage, but he kept it in amazing condition.  

I want to thank you for coming to my blog.  I hope that you can find some time this season for some cozy time doing what ever it is that makes your heart happy.  God bless you and keep you in His loving care.  Hugs to you.  ~Juli

~ A Peek Into Our Weeks

On my TV it shows my photos from my phone.  I was snapping a picture of a photo of my daughter Megan in high school and this is the photo I got.  I guess when it changes photos it transitions, but it happens so fast I never knew it.  So this photo of Megan has a picture of Jesus over the top.  I just think it is so beautiful.  

Here is a book that I am reading right now.  It is so good that I thought I would share it.

Here is a basket of cloth napkins that I keep in my kitchen.  

We always keep iced tea on hand in our little house.

I have added a couple little Fall touches in our home.  I know it is early, but I just am so ready for the beautiful Fall weather to replace the scorching heat we have been having.

 I have been thinking about how we can each do God's will in what ever way He calls us.  Some of us are just here to help encourage others to turn their hearts to Jesus.  Others are here in a more grand way to reach a great many people.  The most important thing is that we do His will in what ever way he has called us, and not to win favor in people's eyes.  We are to be His humble servants and just keep our focus on Jesus and leading other's to Him.  Iron sharpens iron, so we should be honored to do God's holy will in what ever way He calls us to do.  

I just want to thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog.  Please remember to keep your focus straight ahead on Jesus and not on the many storms raging around us each day.  God bless you and keep you in his care.  Hugs to you.  ~Juli

Laura Ingalls Wilder's personal items

I want to share with you some of Laura Ingalls Wilder's possessions.  These items are housed in the museum located near her and Almanzo's farm house.

Here is Laura's sewing machine.  Before having this, she hand sewn her and Almanzo's clothing.

Here is Pa's big green book that Laura wrote about in her Little House books.

The lace on the middle shelf on the left side is the lace Ida Brown (Laura's classmate and dear friend) slipped into Laura's hands when she and Almanzo were married by Ida's father.  (Ida's father was their minister.)

Here are some of the beautiful pillows made by Laura.

Here is Laura's wallet.  Notice how worn it is.  Even though Laura would have had the money to purchase a new one (after she wrote her books)  she used what she had.

Here is the little gift that Laura got in her childhood for Christmas.  It was given to her by her church.  She also wrote about this in her books.

Back in Laura's day, nothing was wasted and she repurposed books she no longer needed.  

Here is Mary's nine patch quilt.  Laura wrote about this in her Little House books as well.

Here is Ma's pen that she used to write letters to loved ones.

Here is Laura's Bible.  The little bookmark was given to her by a school child that loved her little house books.

These are the five cent notebooks that Laura used to write her Little House books on.

Here are Laura and Mary's slates they used in school.

This perhaps was something that touched my heart the most.  Laura's pencils were not discarded when they got low, she used them until they got very low.  I am touched by how much of a non disposable life they lived.  They did not spend money in a frivolous manner, but instead used what they had and made due.  My heart longs to live a life such as this.  With possible hard times ahead for our world, it is my hope that we can learn to live in a way that is not so consumer based.  Simple old fashioned living where our joy is based on the Lord and not on what we can acquire during our lifetime.

I want to thank you for stopping by my blog.  Have a cozy day.  May God keep you in His loving care.  Hugs to you.  ~Juli
 

~A Visit To Mansfield Mo to Laura Ingalls Wilder's Homestead

We went to visit the homestead of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almanzo in Mansfield, Mo.  Her books have been a gift to my life and have helped me to see my hardships with a different perspective.  Her home was left exactly as it was at the time of her passing.  Only three weeks after her death, her home was opened to those who loved and cherished her and her writings.

This is the outside of the homestead that she and Almazo built little by little.  It took 17 years before it was complete.  In the past people knew that waiting for something was part of life and they did it as time and money allowed.

Laura loved to read and she had this home library to keep her treasured books.  This is off of their parlor.

This is Laura's radio.  She and Almanzo never owned a TV.

Here is the parlor.  Almanzo made the beautiful rugs.

This is a little nook that Laura enjoyed sitting and looking out at nature.  Almanzo made the table.

Here is the chair where Laura would sit at and read her Bible.

Here is the desk where Laura wrote the Little House books.

Here is Laura's vanity in her bedroom.

Here is the dining table.

They have this cut out of Laura in her kitchen and it is the actual height of Laura.  She was tiny, so Almanzo built all of her counters and such low, so they were easy for her to use.

Here is Laura's wood stove.

 I have been reading Laura's books for most of my life.  The written word is such a gift.  If you have never read her Little house series, I hope that you will consider reading them.  In our fast paced society that demands instant gratification, it is a blessing to read about a time where life was less disposable and where people were not going at such a rapid pace.  

I want to thank you for stopping by my little blog.  Have a cozy day.  God bless you and keep you in His loving care.