At the Fence

Psalm 127:3-5-"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." As a family we have been discussing these verses quite a bit lately, and I just wanted to share some of the thoughts we have had. And I hope this will help someone out there. First of all, an arrow doesn't just appear, someone creates them. Mom and Dad have the job of shaping and forming these arrows. A bent arrow, an arrow without the feathers to guide it, or without a sharp tip is pretty useless. So it is our job to shape and form these arrows to fulfill their purpose. An arrow needs to be straight to be of any use. Your children need to be trained to have Biblical beliefs and standards. Help them to memorize Bible verses. This will help them to stay strai

We all know that gossip is wrong, and it is often preached on, but the Lord has really laid on my heart the verse Matthew 12:36. "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." I wonder how often we say things idly without thinking first. Our family likes to have fun and joke around, but sometimes the joking becomes overly silly and I just wonder how the Lord looks on that. There are even times that the joking becomes disrespectful. You know like a brother or sister responding to an older brother or sister with sarcasm or disrespect and they do not have the correct tone, or step over the line in what is said. This doesn't just occur with children though, adults are just as guilty. How often have you been around adults and the joking becomes inappropriate in a sense of things being said that are just to be funny, yet we never would say them in a serious manner. Have you ever sat around joking an

Hi Neighbors!! You all may know that we used to raise Shelties, but now we have 4 Toy Aussies.  They each have their own personality that makes them just a little bit different, but one thing they have in common is FUR.  Lots of fur!  It is important to try and keep this under control, especially if you have someone in the family who suffers from allergies. We have hardwood floors and tile throughout the house, so if not taken care of, not only do I have 4 furry pets running around, I also start to see loads of little fur bunnies scurrying around from place to place.  I have come up with a few solutions to cut down on these little fur balls. The first thing we do, is to groom on a regular basis.  I have a grooming table , as well as bins full of grooming supplies.  We have brushes, combs, safety scissors, grooming gloves and wipes.  Using the glove and brushes on a regular basis will cut down on quite a bit of the loose fur floating around.  Wiping the dogs off when they c

Sometimes, a crack in the foundation is just a surface issue. Other times, it is a sign that your foundation is shifting and you need major repairs. Some home problems just require a little attention, and others are signs that you are dealing with more major issues. The only way to know for sure is to stay informed about the signs and to consult with a professional who can get to the bottom of the issue. Here are five of the problems that you might encounter that can signal that you are dealing with a bigger issue in your home:  Pests You see a few cockroaches, and you put out a few traps. But the problem persists. You're annoyed, but you don't think anything of it. Little do you know that behind the walls is a teeming nest of roaches that is growing by the day and ready to spread germs throughout your home. Moxie Pest Control ( https://www.moxieservices.com/ ) warns that any visible pests can be a sign that you have a serious infestation. Typically, pests ei

*Sponsored Hey neighbors!! Here is a super product, if you have a newborn, a DaffaDoot Reflux Wedge.  It would also make a wonderful baby shower gift.  Take a moment to read a little about this wedge pillow.   ** SPECIFICS ABOUT OUR CRIB WEDGE: DaffaDoot Baby Reflux Wedge Pillow. For babies who frequently suffer from reflux or dramatically spit-up. It's a safe, sound baby reflux treatment which gently elevates the baby's head and torso to help alleviate discomfort due to frequent stomach acid or frequent spitting up. Happy baby equals happy parents! What makes the DaffaDoot Reflux Wedge Pillow special: Many wedges are "foldable", which means that it's actually two smaller wedge pieces held together by a cover. In other words, it is split and can "gap" under baby. Foldable wedges are marketed as "convenient to store"... but this feature degrades its performance. It's better to have a wedge which focuses on performance instea

Overland trips allow you to experience the natural world in a way that few people do. But what if you don't have a particular destination in mind for your next journey? What if you need some fun travel ideas? Here are just a few places where you might enjoy an overland trip. 1. Japan One of the most incredible things about Japan is that you can travel the entire length of the country in just a few weeks. It won't take you months and months of vacation time to see everything that the Land of the Rising Sun has to offer. From the rugged snow-topped mountains of Akita to the glittering shores of Odaiba Beach, you can pack it all into one exciting trip. 2. America America has a number of highways, trails and driving routes that attract overlanders from all around the world. For example, the Trans-America Trail (TAT) stretches more than 5,000 miles between Tennessee and Oregon, and you'll get to enjoy everything from cliffs to forests as you follow it. It's def

If you love gathering your family and friends and hosting big backyard barbecues, holiday events and fun themed parties at your home, you may be in need of some ideas and ways to make your job as host easier. While it is fun to kick back with family and friends and enjoy the big event, there is a lot of prep work that needs to be done to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch. Here are some quick and easy tips to make your next outdoor event a complete success. One of the easiest ways you can save yourself a ton of headache during your next planned party or event is to stop playing caterer. You can spend a ton of money and time buying, preparing, cooking and grilling food for all of your guests, or you can simply tell everyone that it is going to be a potluck party. Hiring a professional caterer saves you a lot of time, but it can be very expensive. When you tell your guests that it is a potluck party, every guest will have to contribute a dish in order to attend the even

Pexels Running a home is not always easy, particularly if you have a large family. It can get very difficult to fulfil the organizational tasks from day to day for someone who is a homemaker full time, let alone someone who also has a career and has to manage the income on top of that. Adding even more responsibilities such as trying to make your household run "green" can seem like a weary burden you can’t afford to think about. It’s not particularly hard to understand why this is the case. Thankfully, a "green" home is much easier to run than you might think. After all, small and incremental steps, or steps taken every once in a while, will speak volumes more than no effort at all. Green work is all about sustainability and recycling. So if it is a burden to you to manage these tasks, it’s likely you’re going to fail no matter how noble your initial intention is. You walk up a mountain with small steps, and that attitude should be carried over to this.

   Arts and crafts are mindful activities that calm and quiet anxious individuals.  People who engage in activities like painting, drawing, sketching, and other forms of art find it easier to relax and to stay ahead of difficult emotions like sadness, depression, and panic.    As calming as these activities might be, they still require participants to have access to supplies that will serve them well.  You can shop online for specialty paintbrushes, stencils, paints, markers, and other supplies today. Top Quality Design    The paintbrushes that are for sale online are designed for budding artists who want to create memorable works of art.  They feature craftsmanship from top quality materials like horse hair and fine wood.  These materials are designed to last for years without breaking, warping, or coming loose while the brushes are being used.    They also come in a variety of widths and lengths, allowing you to have brushes on hand for all types of art projects.  When y

All throughout July you can earn large bonuses when sign up as my referral on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching the web, watching videos, shopping, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon or PayPal cash.   When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a 300 SB bonus! Here's how:   1.  Sign up using this link   2. Earn 300 SB total before August 1st, 2018. You'll get a 300 SB bonus for it!   3. That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned several thousand SB and usually use it for Amazon for gifts, or occasionally PayPal. 

The digital rewards site Swagbucks is offering big payouts on their July Swago Board, which runs from July 9th through July 16th at 9am PT! Swago is just like bingo, but in this case you're filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online. If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it, meaning you can get more gift cards faster. Here are a few tips:  Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. They can be anything from getting a search win, completing a survey, or just visiting one of our popular stores!   Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete.   You have until 12pm PT/3pm ET on Monday, July 16th to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely.   Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses loca

Concerned about the environment? With all the stories in the news lately about the effects of plastics, global warming and changes to our landscapes - it’s no wonder it’s at the front of your mind. The good news is that everyone can do their part to help out and make the planet a greener place. Image: Pxhere Whatever your current efforts, there’s always room for improvement. Take a look at these simple tips for becoming a greener home today to help you and your family do your part to help the environment. Reduce how much energy you use One of the immediate things you can do to help the environment is to reduce your energy use. Not only will cutting how much gas or electric you use help your home to produce fewer emissions, but it will also help you lower your electricity bills . Simple things like turning appliances off at the mains, using less heating and cutting your morning shower in half can all bring your energy use down. Set a target for your recycling How effe

If you have been searching for a great Italian Restaurant in the Burlington, Keokuk, Ft. Madison area, you need look no further.  After being recommended to La Tavola by my son, who lives in Burlington, ( we live nearly an hour away), I thought we would take his advice and try it out and I am sure glad that we did!  We have traveled quite extensively over the years and visited many Italian restaurants, including some well-known ones in Chicago as well as others in various states including Florida, Kentucky, Utah etc. Many individuals who write a review do so because they live close by and are impressed in comparison to similar businesses that are in the surrounding area.  Because of our travels, my experience encompasses a wide variety of Italian restaurants.   La Tavola ranks among the best and in my humble opinion, there is no Italian eatery in this area that comes close.          First of all the food is genuine Italian made by a man who understands Italian f