Category: 13924

Why Do I Hope? – Easter

Deana2 Comments

I do not particularly like the powerpoint that goes with the song but I love the song. 

Newsong – Can’t keep a good man down.

What song speaks to you?

A Few of my Favorite Things

Deana5 Comments

I promise you, I have no intention of grabbing a guitar, jumping on my bed and singing about raindrops or kittens ala Julie Andrews today. There is enough violence in the world without my tuneless singing.. I do however want to share with you some of my newly discovered favorite places to be or people to listen to. In no particular Order.

1. Tulsa Garden Center – the place to hang out with your family or learn about what grows in Oklahoma.

2. Blotanical – the web page where all the garden bloggers bloom.

3. Creating Culture – Randy Elrod. I just met Randy last month in Nashville. He has the most amazing blog – huge following too. You need to check him out.

4. Michele Cushatt – another blogger I met in Nashville. What an amazing heart.

5. Michael Hyatt-  Publishing CEO, Michael Hyatt shares all kinds of great stuff on writing, publishing and twittering on his blog. Check him out, I have. What a gift to writers to have this resource. I’m thrilled he is doing this.

6. How to Handle Criticism by Steve Erry – great post

7. Camp Lutherhoma– right here in Tahlequah Oklahoma. This camp is run by John and Joan Busch, Kristy Haines,  and a bunch of other staffers – my kids have gone there for years. They are growing and changing by the day. Your kids will have a blast, learn about Jesus and be loved through and through. They will come back changed. Mine always do.

8. CJ Rapp– Blog tour coming soon. CJ is president and CEO of Unfading Beauty Ministries. I’m presently reading her newest book, “I AM says You Are…” It is a 30 day devotional that speaks God’s truth to the very heart of women. I’m a 43 year old Bible Teacher – and this book speaks over me in ways that made me cry. In a good way of course. Great read.

9. This Ain’t Prettyville– Chonda Pierce. Maybe you guys all know who she is, but I honestly had never seen her until five years ago at a Women of Faith conference. I’ve since had the privledge to work with her, behind the scenes, as one of her Turbos. Turbos are women (and men) who work hard, love well, help promote the show and coordinate volunteers. Her story rips my lungs out. Her life, speaks of hope, forgiveness, love, and an amazing God. She is also hilarious to boot.

10. Don’t Give In, God Wants you to Win. – Thelma Wells. Another amazing woman of faith, with a story that blows me a way, and a mothering spirit I had no idea I craved, until I met her. She has a conference coming up in May. You will not want to miss this.

So there you have it. My favorite top ten right now.

I’m going to the dentist tomorrow for a root canal. I’m thinking after that, I just may post my ten least favorite places to be. 😉 Starting with that one.

Before then though – would you please share with me one of your favorite places or people?

Thanks.

Starting again

DeanaLeave a comment

It turns out that losing three of my four rosebushes wasn’t the end of the world. I still have a beautiful climber in the back yard, and I got to go shopping. There is a local nursery in town that supports people with developmental disabilities. They run the nursery and the money earned there, goes back to support job training, housing, and whatnot.

My roses died close to the end of planting season in Tulsa, so the nurseries were pretty picked over. I was however able to find lavender, a fir tree, and a beautiful yellow forsynthia bush as well as a barberry bush. I then moved some of my Iris’s from my back yard and added several annual pieces, like sweet potato vine, for color.

I found this beautiful plant at Westlake Ace Hardware on Memorial Day weekend. They had a close out on thier potted arrangements. It turned out to do really well in the heat and looked great with the rest of my plants, but it didn’t come with a lable and I have no idea what it is. I’ll take my garden scrapbook with me this Spring while I shop around so that I can lable it and know what to buy.

With all of the sandy loam and sawdust left behind from my pine trees – ants moved into the new territory. I don’t like ants and after we sprayed the tar out of the garden,I started putting in plugs to keep them away. The plugs worked.

I let my new bed grow for the season while I focused in on building up my other new garden spots. The results ended up a little “over done” by the end of summer, but for a first year garden, it really wasn’t that bad. Not a bad second start. I spent my fall pulling out the annuals, trimming back the lavender and pitching the barberry bush (it died under the vine – my bad). I’ve added several new perenial pieces from SpringHill Nursery and I’m looking forward to seeing what blooms this Spring.

Sitting to the side, in the white pot is a magnolia “bush” I also purchased in the Spring – I really need to stay from on line catalogs. I didn’t read the small print and the “bush” arrived as a bare root plant that will require several years to mature.

This was another one of my “oopsies” last year. I thought I was buying THIS.

Spring Hill showed it as part of a “sunny garden spot foundation garden set” that can be purchased as a group and I thought it would be perfect in front of our living room window.

I’m fortunate to have a husband who likes to read the small print and dig in the yard from time to time. While we were planting the new garden set, he read the little box this root came in. It turns out my cute little bush grows to a height of ten feet.

THAT – will not fit in front of our living room window. See what I mean?

I added building out a new bed to my fall clean up and plantings. I wasn’t planning on doing that yet – I was going to build those over the winter and plant in the Spring, but she needed a home and my South fence needed some covering, so that is where we put her.