Taking A "Breather"

Before

This is another one of my favorite "redesigns". I took it with my phone...gotta work on the camera situation. I wish you could see its' emerald green splendor!

After

By the end of today, we will have cranked 29 redesigns, alterations or repairs and 17 fittings, this week alone, through the doors of "A Romantic Porch". Oh and cleaned 7 houses and 2 offices. Well, of course we fit real life and regular work in there somewhere too! Um didn't we?
One of my 4 sweet sisters came 600 miles to help me with sewing for 2 weeks. She fully realizes at this point that I truly couldn't have done this without her.

She leaves Monday.
uuuggghhh

At this moment, there are only 15 fashion orders for next week and I'll be flying solo! That should be interesting.
It's prom and wedding season, so the fun continues here at "A Romantic Porch"!
I promise I will be back...next time I come up for air!
I miss all of y'all so much.
Rachel

A Shepherd

Years before I was born, my parents raised and cared for sheep. Daddy had a route through Oklahoma and Texas that he would travel to sheer sheep for other people. He entered contests in fairs for sheep sheering. That was in the 1940's.

I've thought alot about how much work it took to care for all of the sheep. During the cold cold winter of 1939, my parents and oldest brother lived in a tent out on the sheep range to be there as the ewes began to birth the lambs. I've heard there were about 600 sheep and they could not afford for any of them to be lost.

Daddy fixed the tent with a stove. That is how mother could cook and they could stay warm and cozy.

Shepherding is filled with responsibility and constant attention to the needs of the sheep.

A shepherd keeps the sheep in the best pasture. If the sheep wander into harms way, the shepherd herds them back to safety. They keep the sheep with a constant supply of food and water. At night the sheep are herded back to the barn or arena to be protected from predators.

I know my parents and I know how hard and diligently they worked in every area of their lives. Though I wasn't born when they were raising and caring for sheep, I know they spared no effort in making sure the sheep were well cared for and had everything they needed.

I also know...as long as...

The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need.

Old Testament Psalm chapter 23 verse 1

Have a restful day.

Rachel

He Told Me

Mr. RP knows how much I love my blog and the friends that I've made. He hears the comments of people who talk to me about it that never leave a comment. I was telling him how much I miss visiting all of y'all and not having a chance to make posts regularly anymore. I miss not having the opportunity to leave you little comments of encouragement.

Being the good and kind and wise man that he is, he said I should just tell you what I've been doing with myself lately. But I'm not really one to just talk about what I'm doing as though I'm assuming you're even interested.

But I guess I'm going to, when I get a chance...but I'm still trying to get the thank you notes written from Christmas. I know I'm hanging my head in shame. It's not lookin' very good is it? I'm so contentious of how I spend my time. I want every minute to count for something. Aaaarrgh. Don't want to waste my life.

Until then...
Rachel

The winter has been long and cold. Sometimes the house has been cold! There has been LOTS of snow. I'm always looking for signs of spring. I see a few. For the most part the snow is melted except for the huge dirty piles that are mounded up on the edges of parking lots all over town.

But there is beauty in winter too. We've had fabulous displays of what some people refer to as frozen fog. The trees were breathtaking.

I've learned a lot of winter time lessons. I'm ready to inhale the fresh air of spring. And exhale
to new life.

I want to make each moment count. I don't want to speed through life working hard and harder without purpose. There must be purpose and intent or it is meaningless to me.

So are you seeing signs of spring in your little corner of the world?

Rachel

Tea Party Anyone?

The weather man says it's supposed to be 50 degrees on Saturday.

Yahoo! pumping fist joyfully in the air

I was wondering if we could have a tea party on Saturday? Hhhmm...don't know if it will be quite warm enough, but I guess tea parties don't have to be outside in the flower garden do they?

Our day yesterday was overcast and "lamby".

I hope yours was absolutely wonderful.

Spring will be here one way or another!

Rachel

March First

Though the weather outside defies the date of the calendar, still time moves along. I took this photo in January and though our mounds of snow are beginning to melt and grass peek through here and there, still it looks VERY winter!

When I was a child I remember Mother and Daddy anxiously awaiting March 1st. They had a saying that goes something like this: "If March weather comes in like a lion (furiously stormy) then it will go out like a lamb (calm and peaceful). You will know Spring has truly arrived.
However if March weather comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion."
And so they would usually hope for a stormy March first. If the storms came at the end of the month then they knew we would have a stormy Spring.
Has anyone else heard that?
They grew up in Oklahoma and lived half of their lives there...don't know if that had anything to do with it or not!
Anyway, I'm super excited that it is March 1st.
I'm just happy to be living today!
"Liony" or "lamby"?
Enjoy it!
Rachel