November Days and a Prayer Request

Winter snow in October

Fall weather in November

Shall we have Spring in December? 

I wonder... strange as 2020 has been, maybe it will be so! 

Here are some bits and pieces from my November days so far... 

Our Blazing Red Maple has the most beautifully colored bright red leaves,
and this one I captured in the snow that we had in October.  The snow has now completely melted. 

I've had a bit more time to spend in my office/crafting space these days, since the garden got put to bed so early this year.  I've had fun doing some scrapbooking, and have found that I love these little fairy lights that are on a timer.  They come on in the afternoon just as it is getting dark and stay on for 6 hours.  They add a cozy feel to any space! 

I saw a recipe on Youtube for a microwave cake.  I've never made a cake in the microwave... have you? So, I thought I would give it a try. My oven recently had some issues which my husband was able to fix, but in the days when it wasn't working, I had to use my microwave, a lot.  So I found this cake recipe.  It was really good, I was surprised :) Here is the link to the recipe... takes only 8 minutes! Microwave Cake

And of course... what is a microwave cake without a cup of tea? A dear friend sent me a box of birthday goodies, including this gorgeous butterfly teacup. Oh how I love it! 

Hmmm... someone else thought the microwave cake looked good too...
but I wasn't sharing {wink} 

I've finally found the time to sit down and craft a memory scrapbook of our daughter's wedding.  I'm using Stampin Up's album which keeps things very simple.  In years past, I've spent hours on a single page.  I've decided to go the simpler route these past few years.  How about you? Have your scrapbooks evolved in style over the years? 

We've had some amazing sunsets the last few weeks.  Some days, we never see the sun at all, until the last moments of the day, and then the sun's rays are just spectacular!  This view was taken through my living room window while we still had snow on the ground.  

My neighbor's barn with the incredible sunset backdrop. 

Another evening as we walked, the skies were filled with this brilliant display. 

And tonight as I walked, the skies had ripples of rosy waves that billowed through the gray skies.
My walk began under heavy gray skies, but suddenly the skies burst with brilliant red waves and I finished my walk under the umbrella of its late-night rosy goodnight, like a sweet kiss from Heaven itself. I wrote the following when I got home: 

Do not despair,

when the darkness of the day

carries its weight

in worry and deep prayer

In the waning dark moment

a sweet kiss from heaven

May just be waiting

to brighten your weary pathway.

I know that the election is weighing heavy on the heart of those of us here in the United States as we wait and watch and pray for the results to be finalized.  Regardless of what the outcome may be, one thing I know absolutely for sure.  Our God is still Lord over this world, and no matter how we think things should be, sometimes God's answers surprise us, and may even bring pain, sorrow, and suffering to us, but in the end... it is all for the best. 

I am reminded of the story of Joseph, who had to go through unspeakable sorrow in his young life, and it must have seemed like the tide would never turn for him.  But it did.  God was faithful, and in fact, used the very desolate nature of his sorrows to bring about the greatest triumph.  Genesis 50:20 sums it up quite well:  

But as for you, 

you meant evil against me; 

but God meant it for good, 

in order to bring it about 

as it is this day, 

to save many people alive.

I want all of your hearts to be encouraged today, even as the days stretch on with uncertainties, that our Lord has heard, and is answering prayers.  We just need to be willing to wait and see how he unfolds the rose. 

I'll leave you today with this beautiful song that I hope will bless your hearts.  

I also want to request prayer for my special blogging friend Debbie Ray.  Many of my blogging friends will know and remember her.  I reached out to her recently, as she has not been blogging.  She is in a serious health struggle and has been in and out of the hospital for much of the last few months with infections.  She also is supposed to undergo chemotherapy, but cannot because of the infections.  I just found out today that many in her family have contracted the covid virus, and Debby is in the hospital, thankfully not with the covid, but with an infection.  If you would pray for this precious family, and sweet Debby Ray, it would be so much appreciated.  I will be sharing this blog post with her, and feel free to share with your readers as well.  We believe in the power of prayer!