Busy Spring

Spring has proven to be pretty busy in the Driscoll household. Cam got back from his truly amazing trip to Georgia and our whole family is reaping the rewards of moving in the direction of a God centered life. So much is being opened up to us and we're really excited to see how we grow and hopefully multiply as a result.
We continue with seed starting every couple of weeks to be sure that the harvest times are a bit spread out. Keeping up with all of the plants is pretty demanding but it's so cool to walk into my kitchen every morning and see big beautiful tomato plants, herbs and other veggies getting an early start in our home. Wow.
While the adults are planting seeds, kids are playing dress up and whatever else strikes their fancy. Above, Zoe and Logan (Scout) are beautiful princesses and Sweet Lavender Leaf Super Hero is all set to save them when they wind up in distress ;)
We're super busy getting ready for planting season and other fun projects so if you haven't stopped by the homestead blog for a while give it a peek.

Lenten Fasting and More

My original Lenten fast had to be modified and I'm now managing a fast that is proving to be challenging and rewarding. I've given up breakfast - so liquids only until lunch. The last hour or so before lunch is understandably the biggest challenge. But it's also my daily hour in which I lean in a bit deeper toward Christ. I draw from His strength and I talk to Him a bit more, because I need to. As a result, I'm seeing prayers answered. I asked for God to provide a way for Cam to attend a conference in GA, and God provided. I'm praying for other financial provisions and it appears that God is answering those prayers and I trust that He will continue to do so.

Now, as I pray for Cam and his encounter with God at this conference I feel prompted to take my fasting a step further, on Cam's behalf. I'm giving up the internet until the conference is over. This is pretty significant for me, a pretty huge sacrifice. I'm not even really sure I can do it, but there again, I will be forced to lean into God and spend more time with Him because I won't be able to do it on my own. Cam always kids me about being addicted to the internet. He doesn't even know that I'm giving it up for him ;)

So if you feel so moved, please pray with me that God will speak into Cameron's heart in a way that he never knew was possible. Pray that God will bring Cam healing, mercy, power and grace, in Jesus' name. And that God will all the while, hold Adi and I in His sovereign hands with love and strength, and that our family will be blessed.

Thanks friends.

Good-Bye Great-Grandma Costello

In this photo I had just found out that I was pregnant with Adi when we attended a birthday party for Great Grandma Costello and the news was on the down-low, but we were sure to let her know that she had a Great-Great-Grandchild on the way. Blanche was always such a bright and shining woman. Her amazing health always fooled me into believing that she was much younger than her years. Cam says she would have turned 100 this summer. This morning, she went home to be with the Lord.

Blanche gave us a beautiful Christmas cactus when she moved from her house in Williamsburg to "the castle" - the assisted living center where she had an apartment, if you've been to Williamsburg, IA you know what I'm talking about. My understanding was that the plant was about 30 years old, this could have been an exaggeration but it really is huge, just for the record. She said it hadn't bloomed for many years but that didn't stop us from giving it a new home. The first year we had the cactus it bloomed prolifically. It was stunning. We were shocked and were sure to take plenty of photos for Blanche to see. I think it made her happy to see her old plant decided to show off for its new caretakers. Now, more than ever I feel completely honored to be the owners of this plant and I'm grateful that I've managed to care for it this long and it has bloomed every year since we've had it (about 6 or 7 years).

We'll miss Blanche and her sweetness. Her kind smile and warm eyes. Adi is trying to understand what it all means and we're trying to tread lightly while answering her questions honestly. It's hard, I know. As an adult, I don't really understand death so to explain it to my little girl is quite a challenge. But it's a tender thing and we're treating it as such. We're choosing to mourn, but celebrate as well. Just as we trust the angels in heaven are celebrating the arrival of beloved Blanche Costello.

Good-bye, Great-Grandma Costello