Update

Now the flowers are blooming- time to take more pictures!!

Marie Bracey has it's first bloom~

Firewitch Dianthus
Massive daylily! And just planted some creeping phlox next to the rose bush.Hydrangeas beginning to come out...
Pee Gee Hydrangea

The Cherry Tree is blooming!
Bear with me as I can't figure out how to turn the pictures right side up!

The eldest rose bush in my garden- I think its "Peace"? In summer this baby gets taller than me!

Purple Daylily just starting to come out- just planted last week.
Blooming Hosta
Clematis

Next on Scott's list is to kill the grass and get some sod!

Bath's Pink Dianthus

The azaleas are in full bloom and not to mention gorgeous!

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.  ~John Burroughs

And another good one I had to add...

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.  Everything is simply happy.  Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance.  Look at the flowers - for no reason.  It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.  ~Osho

Backyard Makeover

Our Backyard Makeover!

Before:

After:

So this past weekend Scott and I made it over to the Grower's Outlet in Loganville and stocked up! Here's a list of new things in the back and front yard...

Leyland Cypress

Camellia

David Austin Roses- Heritage, Portmeirion, L.D. Braithewaite, Pat Austin, Evelyn

Dwarf Crawling Gardenia

Salvia

Blue Ribbon Lavender

French Lavender

Kim's Knee High Coneflower

Georgia Blue

Purple Crawling Lantana

Shasta Daisy

Vinca Minor

Azaleas

Daylilies

Mexican Petunia

Tulips

Daffodils

English Daisy

Clematis

Peony

That's off the top of my head....

It was such a beautiful weekend and perfect for planting.  I still have a few things to plant, but I need a break!  Scott and I got a nice sun tan- friends thought he went to the tanning bed, ha!  Later this spring and summer I will take pictures to document how it's all growing.  as for now I have to go water some stuff!!

~Quote for Today~

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are the Body of Christ

God has reminded me this morning that we are His eyes, ears, hands, and feet.  We are one with Him.  I randomly came across this passage in John this morning and it blows me away... this is Jesus praying for ALL believers:

"I pray not only for these (referring to disciples) but also those who believe in Me through their message.  May they all be one, as you Father, are in Me and I am in You.  

May they also be one in Us so the world may believe You sent Me.  I have given them the glory You have given Me.  

May they be one as We are one.  I am in them and You are in Me.  May they be made completely one, so the world may know you have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am.  Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me because you loved Me before the world's foundation. 

Righteous Father!  The world has not known You.  However, I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me.  

I made Your name known to them and will make it known, so the love You have loved Me with may be in them and I may be in them."

John 17:20-26

Jesus desires us to be one with all believers as He is one with God.  Jesus also desires for us to be one in Him and the Father.   What would it look like if we all acted as one in our faith together?  What if we set aside our traditions and denominations that only hinder us to be one in Christ?  What great things could be accomplished for our community? 

Scott and I have talked about this before about the church and it has been our hope and prayer for Cedarcrest Church to continually be one with God, in spite of the challenges of growing and building up a new church.  There can be so many distractions for the church- some people are used to having it this way or that way, complaints will be made about how the church is running this or that and soon you find that the church is off track trying to please its members and not God.  We must be constantly aware that Satan is always trying to pull us down whether it's internally or within a church.  I think our church has done a great job of avoiding this tragedy, but we will never be immune to the threat!  The same can be said for our personal lives.  Satan is always trying to tear us down, but Christ will build us up to fulfill our purpose in life!

We will be victorious if we allow God to be who He is in us.  We will will be victorious if we allow God to do His work through us- that is being one with God.  Just believe, and out of that life will flow!

I pray Father that your love will always flow through me and out to those I come in contact with.  May I be your eyes, ears, hands, and feet.  Use Cedarcrest Church in this manner as well.  May we put aside our traditions that may hinder us from knowing you and being one with you and other believers.  May we believe in you and trust you with all that we have and may your living water flow through us!

Roses Arrived Last Night

My 11 David Austin roses arrived last night!

I was so excited- like a kid in a candy store- opening this box that weighed 50 lbs. to find my roses in there!  And my husband laughed at my enthusiasm over rose bushes.  

What can I say?  I am looking forward to having beautiful and fragrant roses in my back yard.  Some people get excited about sports, like my husband.  And I get excited whenever spring is on the brink of emerging, so I can enjoy gardening all spring and summer!  Sports are one of my husband's passions-and gardening is mine. 

So as soon as the threat of frost is gone these babies are going in there designated spot in the garden!

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.

~Hanna Rion

The Preparation and Anticipation of Spring

Here is an update on my selections for our backyard!

Gerbera Daisy and Vinca Minor (Periwinkle)

These are nice to look at while doing the dishes.  It's good to see some color again!  Once it warms up they will be going outside.   

I have ordered a few plants off of my favorite nursery sites, here are a few...

Sweet Nectar Nursery- Specializes in plants and shrubs that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lonicera Mandarin (honeysuckle)

As a child I always remembered having honeysuckle in the backyard.  My father and I would spend a summer afternoon tasting the sweet nectar of the honeysuckle.  One of the many great memories I have with my father.  So I really wanted this plant to be in our backyard as a reminder of that and to pass that down to my (future) children.

Pink Double Delight Coneflower

I thought this was a beautiful coneflower compared to most coneflowers and just had to have it.  Coneflowers are extremely drought and heat tolerant.  Perfect for summers in Georgia.

Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile/African Lily)

I thought these blooms were stunning and thought it would be a great addition to the backyard.

Spring Hill Nursery- a nursery I order from on a regular basis

Harlequin Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are one my favorite shrubs and this one is so unique with its white tipped petals, so I got 2!

Purple D'Oro Daylily

I love daylilies!  There are so many different colors and styles of daylilies, and they are very easy to grow.  The Stella D'Oro's I planted last year have already popped up- no blooms yet of course.

Double Decker Coneflower

A very unusual coneflower, drought and heat tolerant!

Clara Curtis Daisy

Like the Shasta daisy, but is fall bloomer.  

David Austin Roses

 Portmeirion

Ordered 3 of these shrubs.

Heritage

and 3 of these...

Pat Austin (named after David Austin's wife)

and ordered 3 of these...

L.D. Braithewaite

I had to get one red rose bush!

Evelyn

I just couldn't resist this beauty.

Alright, so this is what I have ordered so far.  I am eagerly awaiting their arrival along with spring!  I am trying to get as much color as possible in the back yard.  I think I am headed in the right direction so far.  As for now prepping the soil for these plants and shrubs is on my to do list.

It is so much fun making something new and beautiful!

I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to.

- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Walking With God Daily

I am going to spit it out-I have come up short with my daily walk with God.  One reason why I created this blog was to have a way to journal about my walk with God and to encourage myself to follow His lead everyday.  Cause lately I have really fallen short.  I am hoping to turn a new leaf and begin reading a devotional in the morning  so I can start walking with Him again!  Right now I feel sort of lost in the shuffle of the mundane routine everyday and I need a way out.  Not only am I feeling convicted about this, but I feel like the devil has had me in a stronghold over this for quite sometime.  

I just haven't made time for a quiet moment with God.  Okay I got it off my chest.

This morning I read Beth Moore's online devotional "Walking With God Daily".  God always knows what you need and when you need it!

"O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you.  Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."

Isaiah 33:2

How I long for God!  I long for His presence, to know Him, to please Him.  But I am so WEAK.  I have felt weak and have forgotten to ask Him for help.  I have forgotten that I need to follow Him.  I have fallen in the trap of asking God to follow MY ways, hoping he will bless me along MY journey.  I have to constantly remind myself now that I am a follower of Christ it is He who will lead us on the path He has laid for us.  His path is pure and true!  My own path will lead to destruction. 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

At this moment I know all I need to do is pick up my feet and walk with Him.  Pick up the Bible in the morning and read His Word before I go to work- setting all internal excuses and hindrances aside.  The more I learn from Him in His Word, the more likely I will walk with Him daily.  And let's not confuse consistency with perfection.

 " Walking consistently does not mean walking perfectly. It means we may stumble, but we will not fall!"

Beth Moore

Lily, My Niece, Has Arrived!

What a cute face huh?  She was born on Feb. 12, 8 lbs. 10 oz., 21 in. long and already smiling!  The more I look at the pictures I think she looks like Brian when he was a baby.  I am so glad she is here! Enjoy the photos!