Friday Foto Friends: Pamela's Victorian Cottage Fixer Upper Update

Hello Friday Foto Friends out there in "Blogland"!  So glad you could join us today for another episode of "Pamela's Victorian Cottage Fixer Upper"!  I'm sorry that it's been over a week since our last episode, (which you can visit HERE), but I've been a bit under the weather and haven't felt like working on a full blown production of this popular show for a few days...so please forgive me for keeping you in suspense!  Not a lot has been happening, but then again, a few things have been added that you might enjoy! So here we go:

One thing that has been on my mind that this sweet little mother of five girls and one little boy might need is a sewing machine!  I mean, can you imagine trying to keep up with all of the girls' dresses and the little boy's patches on his knees (because he's always praying by his bedside! Click here for pictures of the children at play)

So last week I was scrolling through some pictures online and found  this picture, which I fell in love with:(In the Garden of Faith, Hope and Love, on Facebook)

And I thought that would be a perfect sewing machine for my little mother to use in her house, so I printed the picture out and then cut out the sewing machine and glued it to the wall. And now the family also has a cat!!!

This little mother reminds me a lot of my husband's grandmother, "Nanny Martin", who had four daughters to sew for...and she also made lots and lots of quilts, which she sold to make money to put my mother in law through beauty school!!!  "Nanny Martin" looked a lot like this little lady above, with her white hair pulled up into a bun on the back of her head. My first thought about this little house and family was that it was kind of like the story of "Little Women", but the more I think about it, it's more like Nanny Martin and family, except they didn't have a little brother...Oh well...some things have to be imagined..

For more about "Nanny Martin's" story you can click HERE. And HERE.  We may include more episodes about her life and family here in the future.

For now, I want to move on to a few more additions to the family homestead:

It seems as though every woman's dream these days is to have a "she-shed" or a garden shed of some kind...and our little family definitely needs a garden shed because they obviously will need to grow a big garden to keep everyone well fed:

The garden shed itself was originally built by my son, a.k.a. "Ben's Country Woodshop", as a gift for his grandmother, my mother in law,  "Nanny Steiner" (yes, one of the daughters of "Nanny Martin", mentioned above).  It is a bird house, but too nice to be put outside where it will get ruined. So Nanny Steiner kept it safe in her house, and when she passed on last year, this little bird house came home to live with me.

 I found this cute little farm boy and girl and some of the other accessories at the Dollar General...

 Some of the other things I already had in my "craft supplies" .  I love the little rustic table and bench above, which has a little teapot and cups set out and ready for tea time in the garden. (Do you see a doggie in the background? I think he is one of the farm dogs that helps keep the animals herded...)

Maybe it is time for another tea party!  The little boy and girl invited the sweet little fairy from the garden at the big house to join them. They are each holding a special little friend:  The little fairy is holding a baby fawn, the little girl is holding a gray squirrel, and the little boy is holding a brown squirrel. That along with the birds and butterflies should make for a lovely little tea party in the garden.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this latest episode of Pamela's Victorian Cottage Fixer Upper.
There are still a few more things that I hope to "fix up" in the big house soon, so I will let you know when that happens.

In the meantime, here are some thoughts for us to consider from the book of Joel, chapter 2:

21.  "Fear not, O land;

Be glad and rejoice,

For the Lord has done marvelous things!

22.  Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;

 (Yes, the deer are back in our yard! Picture taken Thursday evening as they ran away from me when I appeared in the yard, then turned back to look at me)

For the open pastures are springing up,

and the tree bears its fruit;

This young pine tree is sending out new shoots as it grows and prospers. I thought they looked unusually interesting as they reach out every which way.

The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

23.  Be glad then, you children of Zion,

And rejoice in the Lord your God;

For He has given you the former rain faithfully,

And He will cause the rain to come down for you...

The former rain,

and the latter rain in the first month.

24.  The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,

and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25.  So I will restore to you the years 
that the swarming locust has eaten,

the crawling locust,

the consuming locust,

My great army which I sent among you.

26.  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

 (those same deer in our yard, before I accidentally scared them away...)

and praise the name of the Lord your God,

Who has dealt wondrously with you;

And My people shall never be put to shame.

27.  Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel;

I am the Lord your God

and there is no other.

My people shall never be put to shame."

These verses were spoken from Jehovah God through the prophet Joel to His people Israel, in which deliverance was being promised to Israel if they would repent...
I believe God is also speaking to us today here in our land...if we will repent and stay faithful to God, He will not allow us, His believing children, to be put to shame.  This is also reminiscent of
II Chronicles 7:14, which says:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

As we approach Easter, may we pray more and more for repentance in our nation, and may God forgive our sin, and heal our land.

Amen.

Now, let us go over and visit with our other Friday Foto Friends, who are gathering at Deb's Place at Breathing In Grace, and see what beautiful things they are sharing today!! Have a blessed and wonderful weekend!!