Laine's Letters. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Dear Sisters,

Hi! It is so good to come for a visit with you today.  For those of you who don't know me, my name is Laine. I used to write letters to encourage women in their homemaking many years ago when my four children, Quincy, Brady, Abbie, and Gabe were at home with us. Now those four children of ours are all grown up, married, and have given us 11 grandchildren with two more on the way. Presently they all live close by, so to say we are blessed is beyond words. When we started having our first grandchildren, we adopted a little eleven month old girl from China named Lucy. We waited over five years for her, and she was definitely worth the wait! Lucy is now eleven years old and in the 6th grade. I homeschool her, which I did as well for my other children. My husband, Art and I, are coming up on 40 years of marriage. I'm so thankful for him and our family. He is my beautiful man and has given me five beautiful kids, who have blessed us with our beautiful grandchildren. We have such wonderful daughter-in-laws and a wonderful son-in-law, too, who are all beautiful. We are so close to all of them. We are truly blessed beyond measure. When you love someone, are they not just beautiful!❤️

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD; and the fruit of the womb is His reward."

Psalm 127:3

I can't remember why I stopped writing all those years ago. I know health issues crept up, and I needed an hysterectomy. Then I developed a bladder condition soon after called Interstitial Cystitis, which caused me no shortage of crazy symptoms and severe pain. I found out about this condition three months before we traveled to China to get Lucy. Lucy had digestive issues that we had to unravel when we got back home, on top of my own health problems. So, needless to say, life got a bit busy for awhile as I had a new baby and a host of new health issues for me and her. Lucy is on a gluten free diet and is perfectly fine as long as she doesn't have gluten. I have been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for over six years to help with my condition. All those recipes I shared so many years ago look a bit different now, but I still strive to make delicious food for my family despite our different diets. 

I'm going to try to share a letter here and there as I can. There is so much going on in the world and in our country that can be very unsettling. But this one constant thing in my life, that I shared so many years ago, is still my daily habit. And that is rising early in the morning and spending time with the LORD in His Word before starting my day. Sitting at His Feet and hearing Him speak through His beautiful Word, and then speaking back to Him in prayer does more for my heart and soul than anything else in the day. I often pray after I sit with Him that I might enjoy this new day in His love, in His joy, in His peace, and in His Presence. No matter what the day holds I want to walk with Him and through Him in it. 

Jesus is so, so beautiful!❤️ His Word is priceless.

The Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. " Psalm 19:7

"And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' Feet, and heard His Word." 

"But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  Luke 10:39 & 42

As Jesus said, hearing His Word is so needful. It's a choice I've made for the past 28 years, and I'm always very grateful for that good part.

Today I made one of my favorite, frugal soups. I thought I would share the recipe with you. It's really quite easy, and I learned it from my doctor so many years ago.

Dr. B's Soup

2 T. Diced onion

1/2 to 3/4 c chopped celery

1  or 2 medium zucchini chopped

Sauté in olive oil til soft, about 4 minutes. Add in a bag of frozen broccoli. Pour water in to just cover vegetables. 

1 t. Salt or to taste

1 t. Basil

1 t. Oregano

 1 t. Thyme

Add and cover, bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Use a stick blender and purée until smooth. Serve with a a bit of extra virgin olive oil poured over the top. Sometimes, I put some cooked chicken, or cooked beef, or a cooked egg in it. I also sometimes add some cooked navy beans. It's very versatile!

Lucy asked me today what was my favorite thing about being a homemaker. (She often asks me these thoughtful questions.) I told her I love making our home cozy and soft so when everyone comes home they feel peace. She replied, "But only dad comes home." I want him to feel that when he comes home, I told her. And I mentioned that all her siblings used to come home from work or college when they got older, and that one day she will, too; and that is my goal for her to feel peace when she comes home. Why? Because it's crazy out there! But here we have peace, and we get away from it all. I love how my grandkids want to stay over all the time. I hope they feel that peace in our home when they come over, because it's something that I've really tried to create for them and for anyone else who "comes home."

I hope you are having a lovely week. I am so enjoying homeschooling with Lucy, cooking more soups as we head out of summer and into fall, decluttering a bit, finishing up the building of my pantry for the winter and organizing things in there, learning how social security works while taking many notes as we head into retirement in a couple years, making a gift box for one of my sons who is away from home right now, having my grandkids over and making them macaroni and cheese, and having a visit from my daughter-in-law (whose husband is the one away) and making her fresh gluten free bread. I am also praying and praying for our nation with this election, and for our state as we go into another Covid lockdown this weekend.

 It's been a blessed week with my LORD. 

Love,

Laine

"I will love Thee, O LORD, my strength." Psalm 18:1

Can I say it again? He is so beautiful!♥️