Sabbath Scriptures and Inspiration

Hello and happy Saturday--and happy Sabbath to those who keep it. ❤ It's been awhile since I've shared some of the graphics that I've made to match scriptures, so I thought I would add a few of my most recent ones--most of them made the last couple weeks.
During a sermon from last week, our pastor mentioned a fantastic phrase which got me thinking. I did some searching on the original source and discovered it came from the book Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I just HAD to make graphic.

Another scripture which is a surprisingly encouraging passage is Exodus 2:24-25. At first glance it doesn't seem like it is--but when you take it apart and look at the verbs used, you realize that it can describe what we hope God does for us. Just think, this is what is written after 400 years of slavery in Egypt--we see that God hears, remembers, looks, and acknowledges His people. In HIS time. He fulfilled His promise and His plan. We too can count on God to do the same for us.

 On the way home from the store, I was listening to KLove. While listening I heard something interesting. The segment was about how all too often we say Christ is the King of our hearts...yet our lips don't reflect this. That our speech doesn't support this. That our lips don't spend enough time praising God and giving Him glory. And I had to think of my own mouth.

 Finally today we heard a lovely lesser-known scripture that hides in the minor prophet of Zephaniah 3:17. I just LOVED the words that were in it and I had to make a graphic to go with it. 

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Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Pumpkins. Sweaters. Hoodies. Jeans. Boots. Football. Cinnamon. Apples. Crisp mornings. Cool nights. Red. Gold. Rust. All of these things a part of my favorite season of the year...Autumn! I have so many friends who are obsessed with Pumpkin Spice everything, that I felt the need to make them this graphic.

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Here are some delightful items paying homage to the favorite flavor of the season:

For the hard core lover, perhaps they need to warn everyone they are coming with this My Blood Type is Pumpkin Spice Latte T-shirt. LOL. I know more than a few friends who should be sporting this the whole season!

Maybe keep it more generic with this darling shirt giving homage to the real autumn Power Couple! I think it's darling and it comes in several different colors. 

One of my most favorite colors is Pumpkin, so you can imagine how excited I get about fall colors and all things pumpkin. And I just love ALL the fall colors together. My mother-in-law is a serious crocheter, and I love it when she pulls out fall colors like this chunky Pumpkin Spice yarn to start a new afghan or scarf with. Put that with a delightful olive green, or school bus yellow, or racecar red and I would be wearing it all season!

Should I even mention all the specialty scents exclusive to autumn that companies bring in? While I am not a fan of EATING pumpkin spice, I ADORE the smell! I would happily lather up with this Pumpkin Spice Herbal Soap from Plantlife. Yum!

You know you want this mug! I mean seriously. If Loving Pumpkin Spice Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right is the motto for so many people this time of year! LOL! Your PS loving friend will thank you with a smile for gifting this to them! 

Do you love pumpkin spice everything? I love the spice, but I'm actually not the biggest pumpkin fan. I do love APPLE everything which is also found abundantly this time of year. I just ADORE the Cinnamon Apple doughnuts at the local Tim Horton's coffee. Oh man. Delicious! And cinnamon and cloves--oh my. Those scents just can't be beat. My favorite cooking spices too!

Interestingly enough, although the weather for this weekend is very fall-ish with the warm/hot days and the cool nights, we are supposed to be back into summer again next week with 5+ days of 90 degrees. I think we will definitely be having an "Indian summer". I really don't mind because I know my "real" fall will be here before I know it. And then I can bask in all my favorite scents, colors, and flavors!

Imagination

As I sit here this evening, I am caught up in the sounds around me. The hum of the crickets and cicadas outside. The tick of the clock. The drip of the faucet in the bathroom (gotta fix that). And then I hear the sound of motors running. Closer closer. Closer they come. But never fear, it's just the two boys "working" on their "farm".

"We've got a big load to do, Mommy! Make sure you watch where you step!"

And they parcel their land out between them, and work independently at their "job". Back and forth. Up and down. Mouth motor never stopping. Gotta get that hay in. Gotta plow that field. The will sometimes spend two hours like this.

In their eyes, the laminate floor is a ripe wheat field, ready for harvest. They have jumped into their combine and are hard at work bringing it in. Or they have their haybine hooked up and the field of clover ready to be cut and baled. And so they mimic what they have seen and heard around our farm. I hear my husband's words coming from their lips as they strive to get done before the big storm arrives.

You don't know HOW much a child can learn outside of the classroom, until you watch them caught up in their imaginary world. It's the beauty of letting children PLAY freely. I love watching them play when they are caught up in their own special world. And it doesn't take actual toys. Give them sticks, and boxes, and dirt and they will make something magical!

Don't forget to let them have time to just BE and to just PLAY. Their brain will be working harder than ever, as it weaves figments of imagination together, bringing it to life in their eyes and hands. It's what they do best. And why seeing the world through the eyes of a child is so coveted. We have lost our skills with imagination, because we want to quantify what we know. We've lost much of our own imagination, but if you sit down with a child, I promise you will be able to find pieces of it again. 

Now excuse me, but I've been summoned. Apparently some cows got out and I need to go drive the small tractor and herd them up again. If you need me, I will be on the floor relishing in their imagination.

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