fall is settling in

Seems that fall is settling in over the land.
The geese are flying by daily
The farmers have gotten their crops off, and their land tidied up for winter
The garden markets are open in abundance down Henderson Hwy
The leaves have turned brilliant colors of gold, red, orange and rust
God's handiwork is all over this land
And I stand in awe
often

As I type this, I see the sun is setting
The days getting progressively shorter in daylight hours
Shorter by minutes each day
No wonder we just want to come in and just relax!

But there is always work to be done around here
A little of this
A lot of that
More work than play it seems!

We are thankful for the continued beautiful weather
As it allows us to do things without having to wear lots of layers and clothing
Like for instance - planting trees
Or watering them!

I will share some of the beauty of this land, along with some pictures of where things are at at 5839 Henderson Hwy.  We still have work to get done before the snow flies.
SNOW ...  don't even want to THINK of it yet.
(insert sad face here)

Enjoy the fall pictures - and the update.
And please keep us in your prayers as we continue on in this great adventure God has called us to.

our "amour" maple is planted

fall reflections in our freshly washed windows

outside of the barn - this red bush is so pretty

blue sky and amazing hot temperatures in September!

this thistle is purple in summer and now is white and fluffy seed!
even if it is a weed - it is just beautiful

now the front part of our lawn 

grass begins to grow just before it is time for it to sleep for winter!

the back yard "in progress" ... top soil covered with tarp, and the future pondless waterfall to the right of the picture
looks a little messy right now - but one day - it will be soooo beautiful!!
Thanks Jan for the arbor!

some trees about to be planted in the front yard

trees ... one day you too will be big!!

the planting is underway

my modern day "Noah"
just getting some more of the job done
all in a day's work!

leaves fall

once again, God reminds me of HIS love to us
and of HIS presence
and of HIS provision
through creation
Even heart shaped leaves.
What an amazing GOD we serve!!

more changes - including some landscaping

These pictures are not in order - mainly because I was having some trouble with the loading of them.

Regardless - you can see how things are progressing!  We are getting closer and closer ...

and closer :)

Alvin and Michael had some help from a neighbour!

the retaining wall is poured

yes, sometimes he stops for coffee breaks or in this case
it is a smoothie that is his drink of choice!

garage lights are up

I picked, ordered, paid, and now wait for the tile to come in for the kitchen
(I picked the 2" x 2" tiles)

grass seed is down
watering faithfully

covering up the topsoil before the storm

you can see the beginning of the paths for the gardens

the beginning of the "centre garden area"

topsoil is precious
do not want to lose any of it to wind or rain

top soil is spread - and gives the yard a whole new look
grass to come!

Maxine marked some places for Blue Spruce to be planted

Alvin in the bobcat - spreading the soil

Maxine explaining the pondless waterfall that she has in mind for the yard

"I'm the king of the castle!!"
Nothing like a little fun while planning the yard

"... this is how I will sculpt the pile to get it ready for the liner, and then the rocks ..."

"... and over here ..."

Josh working in the SPRING/SUMMER bathroom....

Alvin helps out Josh by washing off the grout off the tiles
This washroom is my favorite!!  

Josh turned each washroom into a work of art!

an encouragement lifted straight off of facebook

in spring we had Canadian Geese sitting here ... now we saw two crows!
 Seems to be a good place to rest!

We have had fill hauled in ...
and more fill...
and more ...
and we are not done yet!

the bottom of the retaining wall is framed in and awaits concrete 

the very beginning of the hill that will eventually turn into our pondless waterfall

at the side of the deck - Alvin has put some stairs so that you can walk off the deck and
onto a path to the back gardens
These steps look small but two people can sit side by side very comfortably on them

Even our neighbour John gets into the action.
He has helped us out with his cat, and used it to do some leveling of the fill

the end of the house - not yet finished.  The grey part will be finish stuccoed soon.
The blue part is the sunroom.

Alvin on the hill explaining to John how the hill should be made higher and sort of teardrop shaped.
Again, this is for the pondless waterfall.

Just a few more things before John gets going

The weeds in our yard are big and green and flourishing.
But the foxtails, they are so beautiful (even if they are weeds)

Now, how many trucks of fill does this truck make?

The bottom portion of the retaining wall is framed and ready for concrete.

And the truck arrives ...
Let the work begin.

almost finished for this part

"God is in every room. God has been in the planting of this vision seed and in the sprouting of every plank that is placed. Joy, I dream of this house...I see the front door opening often in my dreams and I exhale peace every-time! I have had prayers interrupted as God has simply asked me to lift you in that split second...I do! We are not connected physically and our lives don't intersect but one day God will reveal the link. I send blessings and pray you onward sister."

The question that a young friend asked that night was - "do any of you experience God?".  I could hardly contain myself.  Perhaps I need to work on that.  I do not always want to be the one who always has to talk.  (I think sometimes I do talk too much).  However, if there is ONE thng that I know for sure - it is that we CAN experience God.  He DOES talk.  He does want us to love him fully and to walk  in relationship with him.

I am so glad that God is so alive - and active - and present in my life.  SO GLAD.  Because IF He wasn't then I would be wondering just why we are spending our time, every spare moment - to build this.  The map is clear (especially) in retrospect.  It all makes ssense - the dips and doodles along the way - the waiting, the going - the idling. I am so glad that as a journaller - I can read the story - and I am continually in awe of what God is doing and what He is up to.  

I am constantly blown away by the people God uses to put in our path - to bring affirmation or encouragement at the right time.  Or the people He brings back into our life (like a mom that I used to have her child in Daycare, who has reentered my life and continues to be such a source of encouragement.  Thank you C.)  Or I am encouraged by people who read this blog, or my personal one (www.thoughtsfromacountrymouse.blogspot.com) and who pray for us and the build.  Or for people (like C) who brings her cousin and daughter to see the house, and we spend two glorious hours talking about what is happening at 5839 Henderson.  Those types of visits could not be planned!!  God just does things like that, and I am just, like I said ~ blown away in awe and wonder!

I often hear the comment from people that there is a sense of peace in the home. Sure, we have intentionally chosen colors etc to help bring a sense of calm.  HOWEVER, the feeling of peace that people are getting ... I can not MAKE that happen, but instead I firmly believe that it is because the land and project have been bathed/rained on with prayer.  Not just my prayers, or Alvin's or my family.  No, the prayers also of those who have come and walked the acreage ... who have walked through the house ... who have prayed for us during the day, or as the writer of the above quote said - God had simply asked her to lift us up in the split second, and she prayed.  We would not be where we are - without those prayers.

To those of you who have prayed ... thanks.

To those of you who are still praying ... thanks.

To those of you who will be praying in the future ... thanks.

To my friend M whose facebook quote I put at the top ... thanks for being obedient when God interrupts you and wants you to pray for me!  I don't take that for granted, not a bit.  I KNOW we have needed lots of prayer along the way!  I am so thankful M, that you listen to God.  

We do not take the power of prayer for granted.  NOT. AT. ALL.

So  ~  

THANK YOU for PRAYING on behalf of Alvin and I, the build, and the ministry.

God is blessing us through you!

Now, here are a few of the latest photos to show you what has been transpiring around the place!!

To GOD BE THE GLORY!!