Welcome Spring! And An Update :-)

Well . . . it seems as though spring has finally arrived here in Wisconsin. :-) We had a very long, cold winter this year. But I am again reminded of how the Lord refreshes and renews the earth; even after the harshest of winters--what a mighty and merciful God we serve!

We took in a wounded pheasant this year. She had to stay inside during some of the coldest weeks of winter (we had a polar vortex this year with temperatures in the negatives and winds chills up to -50). Here she is below in her cozy house awaiting spring's arrival! :-) She was so excited that she has been laying eggs lately! :-) I've read that they are rich and high in protein, so maybe my husband will be getting an omelet ;-). 

 She is a sweet, sweet bird who talks back (in a good way! ;-)) with a kind of cooing noise when you go near her cage. It seems like we will be keeping her since her wing still hangs down a little and building her a bigger enclosure outside. She even has a male friend who comes to visit!!:-) He wears cologne and swaggers (haha; just kidding about the cologne :-)). 

Our geraniums came inside this fall and have been quietly  sitting in the hallway upstairs. I love this reminder to me of life, even through the bleak days of winter. Soon, they can go back outside, too. 

This is the picture that my niece drew for our ministry newsletter :-). For those of you who aren't familiar with our ministry or why we came here to Wisconsin, you can read more about it HERE. 

If you would like to be on our mailing or email prayer list for updates, let me know below (with your e-mail address) or send me a message through the box on this blog and I'll add you to the list. :-) 

Our home in the snow . . . 

Cheerful visitors this past winter . . . :-)

One of our rabbits climbed into the hay bin while I was cleaning out her cage. :-) We'll be building an enclosure for her and her sister outside soon, too . . . 

The arrival of spring means that I can burn again! :-) Hopefully, I won't accidentally burn our field down again like I did last year . . . haha; I seem to have a proclivity for doing these kinds of things!!

My 10-year-old nephew is always helping me in different ways outside; here he is chopping a tree limb that fell this past winter . . . :-) He and my niece are such a blessing to me . . . 

A sweet deer in the field across from our home . . . 

And here are a couple recommendations of things that I've/we've been enjoying lately--my husband gave me this CD for Valentine's Day this past February. Those of you who know me well know that one of my favorite movies is a Christian film called Old Fashioned (you can read my review for that film HERE). 

The CD --oh; I love it! It so perfectly compliments the film and was such a precious gift. If you have never seen Old Fashioned and would like to, you may find it HERE on Amazon. It is truly a beautiful film that speaks to the heart . . . I can't recommend it highly enough . . . 

And here are two devotionals that my kids and I have been enjoying; oh--I love these! I highly recommend Kenneth N. Taylor's devotionals for kids--they are simply written without detracting from the Biblical message and the illustrations are wonderful! I also recommend this devotional from Rod and Staff. It is a great devotional for young children (you can find it through a company called Milestone Books). 

And there you have it--an update and some recommendations! Again, please feel free to join the mailing list for our prayer letter for our ministry. I've also started a Facebook group for our ministry and you can join that by clicking HERE and asking to join. I would love to have you and am so grateful for your prayers! 

And finally . . .  :-) 

The Lord bless you, each and every one! 

You might find me on these link-ups:

Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Good Morning Mondays,  Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday, Tea and Word