Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

 It's been an exciting 12 hours on the property! We're helping the IDNR with orphan deer rescue this year, and our first baby arrived yesterday. She is only a few days old - her mother was hit by a car. It's easy to remember how young she is because she is incredibly tiny and all legs. But she can run like the wind! We have an amazing friend who has been raising orphaned fawns for years, and he has been a fount of information. We're incredibly thankful that he thought of us to help with this amazing project. So, much like having a new baby, we were up for a 5:30 feeding this morning. She's not drinking a lot yet, and we're sure there will be a lot of trial and error on all three of our parts before we get this figured out. We have a structure and enclosure already set up just up the hill from the house, so she has a warm, safe, dry place to stay. Danny's already decided to clear out a bunch of the weeds - just enough that we don't have to sear...

We've had these brown sugar-cinnamon apple bites for breakfast twice in the last week. They're just that good! And yes, I took that bite out just to show you the inside. That's the sacrifice I'd make for a great picture! They combine the healthiness of fresh apples with the ooey-gooey goodness of sweet and spices. It doesn't get much better than that ... and at breakfast, even.  Ingredients: 1 can crescent roll dough 1 medium-sized apple (I used honeycrisp the second time and liked them much better.) 1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/8 cup granulated sugar 4 Tbsp cinnamon Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. The amounts I gave are just estimates, so adjust them to suit your taste. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish. Cut the apple into eight slices. Lay each crescent out on a lightly-sprayed baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. P...

Remembering today that freedom isn't free. Have a happy Memorial Day, filled with joy, peace and loving memories of those who have gone on before us.

I have been waiting for these eggs to hatch for absolutely forever! I'm ready to see the little babies inside. It's been a year since I've seen the nest full of little fluffy baby birds. It's time. Well, it's apparently not time. God knows exactly when they'll be ready to hatch and meet me. This is something I absolutely do not know. Obviously. So in the meantime, I wait. The great benefit of this waiting is the growing anticipation for those wonderful babies. I'm getting more excited by the day. Make this a weekend of  waiting. The Lord has some wonderful things planned for your life, but only if you're patient enough to bring them to pass. If we rush and get ahead of Him, we probably won't see the best of what He had planned - and that's just not acceptable! So wait. Be patient. Use this weekend to slow down your pace and see what God has in store for your days.

 I'd been wondering for several days why we didn't have as many birds around. Now I understand. Silly Kitty.

There's a great spot in our woods, just back from the edge of the big pond, where the trail widens and circles around the edge of the property. The girls love to go back in here because it's about as far away from the house as they can get. This means more room to run! When we were down here fishing last week, I noticed that a large tree had been knocked over in the last storm. It fell in two pieces, and one caught so that it's suspended over the other. This makes it very difficult to get up this trail. I couldn't help but think about what an obstacle this silly tree is. An unobstructed walk through the woods is now challenged by something much bigger than I am. So what are the choices? 1. I could move it out of the way. Well, no. I couldn't. So that's out. 2. I could climb over it. But it's pretty far off the ground and that seems like lots of extra effort. 3. I could crawl underneath it. And come out the other side with ticks and ants and tre...

OK, this is absolutely the cutest idea I've seen in ages. In keeping with yesterday's Home Decor on a Budget theme, I put together these adorable button flowers. I had everything I needed right here in the house, so that made it quick, easy and downright cheap. Yay! All I used were buttons, some wire, a vase and some jewelry pliers. That's it. You probably have most of those things handy, too. Check now if you'd like ... I'll wait. Choose three buttons that have whole approximately the same distance apart. They don't have to be exact, but they'll stack better if they are, and the wire will go through them much more easily. Yes, this is the voice of experience speaking. It's also a neat idea to pick contrasting colors so they'll stand out. I made a whole bunch in several different combinations, and the ones I liked best were completely different shades. Thread one hole of each button onto the wire. Don't cut it off ...

One of my favorite things in the world is getting new home decor ideas. With the Internet and tablet apps, this is so easy! Suddenly you have a whole new world of pictures and options enough to make your head spin. The only problem is that my bank account doesn't always allow for the ideas that I fall in love with. You probably know that feeling. So what's a woman who's in love with making her house a home to do? DIY! 1. Rearrange. While I love moving furniture around as much as the next homemaker, you can take it one step further. Switch pieces from one room to the other and see what you'll end up with. I don't mean the kitchen table in the middle of the master bedroom, obviously. Try swapping lamp tables, foot stools or artwork. The bookshelves in the living room might look phenomenal in the kids' room. Or the desk from the spare room could work even better to create an office space in the living room. Don't tie yourself down to where things are ...

When you're right smack dab in the middle of a storm, it's easy to get distracted and discouraged. We get blinders to everything else around us and can only see the trouble of the moment. As a newspaper editor, I get swept away with this feeling a lot. I'm working on stories that are the most important thing in the world to the people involved. There are fires to put out, questions to ask and answers to give. When the day starts to fall apart or people have complaints and concerns, it can get very dark very quickly. You can almost feel the thunder from the storm that surrounds you. But despite that darkness and no matter what the storm may bring, we're never, ever alone. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Even in the darkest of circumstances, God is in the midst. Those blinders force us to take our eyes off Him and only loo...

I have lots of plans for this weekend - you should see my to-do list! Two whole days are stretched out before me, and I'm ready to take them on with gusto. But if I get too bogged down in my own plans, I might miss out on something wonderful that God has planned for me. My ideas might be just fine, but the Lord always has something bigger and better in mind. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11 We can't get so focused on what we've decided for ourselves that we aren't willing to turn the weekend over to God and see what great and mighty things He has already thought up for us. Think of all the potential! Make this a weekend of making big plans - and then stepping out of the way when God comes up with something better. It's OK to be productive and accomplish a lot of neat things, but it's even better to be flexible and see the expected end the Lo...

We've been waiting (semi-) patiently for spring to arrive in Iowa. It's been cold and wet for ages, but this week it finally showed up! And that means gigantic farm equipment getting back out into the fields. I love it! It's the only traffic jam I want to be caught in. You won't find this in the big city. Hello, Spring in Iowa!

Late last week, I was completely in the flesh. I was complaining about the troubles I was having, crying over water in the basement and threatening to thrown in the towel. It was a heart-wrench time, and all I could think about was how terrible I felt. Then Danny gave me the words I needed to hear. "Why don't you think about all of this as gaining experience?" Having a godly husband is an amazing, humbling experience some days. I thought long and hard about that simple phrase for days. What if everything I've been struggling with lately is experience for what is coming down the road? * Maybe my challenges at work are opening up doors to witness for Christ. * Learning how to fix the leak in the basement may allow me to help someone else with the same crisis down the road. * Following through when I 'm exhausted and ready to collapse can prove to myself that through Christ, I'm capable of a lot more. * Keeping a journal of God's blessings shows ...