Visiting the Local Pumpkin Farm (MICHIGAN)

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

Visiting the Local Pumpkin Farm


We have had a very warm Autumn in southern Michigan and it hasn't seemed like Fall yet.  But just recently, on a lovely cooler day, we stopped by our local pumpkin farm.  ENJOY the following pictures!

This farm sells squash, gourds, mums, pumpkins (obviously) and so much more!

Harvest RECIPES & Ideas (click on each title to view the entire post):
Pumpkin Cocoa Bread with Dried Cranberries
Wild Rice Stuffed Squash
Gourd Decorations That Light Up
Caramel Apple Muffins 

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

This farm also has a "U-Pick Garden" for those who are not able to have their own backyard garden (see picture below). 

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

It wouldn't be a pumpkin farm without a darling little country store:

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

This gal was trying to chew my phone.

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

HAPPY HARVEST!

Photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

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Take Up The THANKFULNESS Challenge!

I challenge you to thank God for something everyday for one year!  Either write it down in a diary OR share with us on a blog.  If you have a blog & would like to share your THANKFULNESS posts with us, then please fill out this form: 365 Days of Being THANKFUL form - click HERE and you will be added to the THANKFULNESS page.

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Time To Link Up! Tuesdays with a Twist #235

Welcome to Tuesdays with a Twist #235!
Checkout the many great giveaways going on right now!

Click the button below to enter each Giveaway!!:

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Good Morning and Welcome to another No Rules Party!

We're your hosts & co-hosts 

Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Angie @ God's Growing Garden
Checkout my amazing "Featured" Pinterest Board

(click HERE to view & follow)

Features!

Each co-host will be sharing her own picks for Features. This gives everyone a better chance of being featured. Be sure to check all of our blogs to see if you were featured! 

My Features this Week are:

1. "$10 Antiqued Farm Table Styled for Fall" by Follow the Yellow Brick Home

2. "Accordian Paper Garland" by SimpleJoys

3. "Nurturing Faith and Strengthening Family Ties Around the Table"  by Living Our Days

If you've been featured we'd love for you to grab a button.

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The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Saturday at 11:59pm.  Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites.  Please visit other blogs if you have a moment. 

Share older posts as well as new ones.  No limit on links!

*Pictures should be your own* 

By linking up you give us permission to use these photos

 (with proper link backs) in our features.   And now for the party!

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You're the STAR - Week#4 HOME (October 2017)

You continue to amaze us with all of your talent and fantastic blog posts!

Thank you again for joining us!
There are many ways to follow me:

Angie @ God's Growing Garden

blog  |  facebook  |  pinterest  |  twitter  |  bloglovin  |  google+  |  instagram

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WELCOME to the October "You're the Star" Blog Hop!
Before we continue onto the Linky party I wanted to share from my blog:

My "Gourd-o-lantern" Babies 

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WELCOME to HOME feature week of the October "You're the STAR" blog hop!
Meet your HOME week Hosts

This week is HOME feature week
Swing by the Home Hosts' Blogs:
Bev @ Eclectic Red Barn
Heidi @ Heidi's Wanderings

This is a month long Linky party featuring YOU!

There will be 4 different features each week and 4 different feature categories.  Just to be clear - this is NOT a themed party - you may link up ANY family-friendly blog posts any day of each month. 
The "theme" occurs in our weekly features:
WEEK#4 HOME - recipes, home décor, antique/DIY &/or travel (this can include anything about your home - even history posts - all while remaining family friendly)




(All features were chosen from the September "You're the Star" blog hop)

Fall Front Porch by Fair Meadow Place


Farmhouse Style Basket by Follow the Yellow Brick Home


DIY Tray From a Frame by Comfort Spring

My Grandma's Old Costco Step Stool by Grandma's House DIY
If you've been featured then please grab a STAR button below:

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We are in need of more Cohosts (click HERE to view a list of our current hosts/cohosts).  For HOME feature week we  need 2 more Cohosts.
If you are interested in joining us as a Cohost then please click HERE & fill out the form.


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All Hosts/CoHosts will post this blog hop on every Monday of each week.
Please link up your family friendly blog posts below!
It wouldn't be a linky party with YOU!
(IMPORTANT NOTE: by linking up you understand that you might be featured next month and if so, we will use some of your photos from your post - rest assured - we will always link back to your lovely blog.  We might also share your fantastic posts on social media.  Also, you may link up as many family-friendly posts as you like & YES - other blog hops &/or giveaways are welcome {giveaways and blog hops will NOT be featured though}  Thank You & ENJOY! )

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Click the button below to enter the Great Giveaways going on now!!:

PARABLES - The Son Who Ran Away (The Prodigal Son)

PARABLES - The Son Who Ran Away (The Prodigal Son)




This is an amazing illustration and so true in our modern society.

Have you ever seen a pig in real life? - I'll admit that piglets are very cute but have you ever seen them eat?  And have you ever seen the slop that they eat? Words can't describe what a mess they create, plus the sounds that they make while eating - YUK!  Just imagine being so low in life that you desire the food that pigs eat - that is the lowest of low.  The youngest son in this parable found himself in that exact situation.  

How many times in our society  have you heard of a wealthy celebrity squandering all of their money only to become destitute? - I can't even count how many times I've heard of that happening (OK - not literally living with the pigs but still similar to this parable).  

I believe that this parable symbolizes our spiritual life and that we all must come to this lowly point in our soul before we realize that Jesus is the answer and the only way!  Not only must we realize this but we must go to our Heavenly Father and confess our sins - just as the youngest son did in this parable.  Notice in this parable: the son first said to himself "I will say to my father I have sinned against heaven and against you."  Then he had to act and go to his father and then when he saw his father in person - he again repeated to him directly "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you."  First came the decision then came the action. 
It's the same in our personal life - we must first make the decision to follow Jesus and then pray and ask our Heavenly Father to forgive our sins. 

I also find if very interesting that the father in this parable was looking for his son - "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (I think that is my favorite line in this scripture).  The father had never given up hope that his son would return home.  He was always searching for him and saw him long before the son reached his father's house.

Coming to the Truth can be very difficult but in the end the "Truth will set you free."  Our Heavenly Father has prepared a heavenly celebration for us - all we have to do is go to God in prayer and ask for forgiveness.There is a Celestial Celebration when just one person accepts God's gift of forgiveness
(read "It Only Takes One" )
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Previous PARABLE posts:
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "The True Vine & the Father Gardener"
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "Be a Fruitful Branch Instead of a Withering Branch"
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "Producing Joyful Fruit - God's Love Remains Forever"
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "Everlasting Fruit & Everlasting Friends"

Linked to:
Happiness is Homemade
Over the Moon Link Party
Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party
You're the STAR
Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
Friday Feature Linky Party
Pretty Pintastic Party 180
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GHOST - The Tomato Eating White Squirrel

Ghost - The Tomato Eating White Squirrel

For a few weeks now I have been hearing reports of a white squirrel living around my parent's house.  I thought that maybe my parents were playing a Halloween joke on me or something but I just returned home from visiting them and it's true!!  I was able to capture my encounter with the white squirrel:

Unfortunately, I was using my camera phone and since it is new to me I was not able to zoom in (like I would have been able to do with my regular camera) - so some of the detailed pictures are fuzzy.

(The pictures below are cropped and zoomed in versions of the previous pictures - they are numbered so you can follow along).






Here are two of my previous encounters with squirrels over the past 6 years:
(click on each title to view the entire post)
Circus AcroSQUIRREL
Cheeky Squirrel Posing for Pictures
Stingy Spuirrel






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This Post was featured on:

Thursday Favorite Things




Shared with:
Friday Feature Linky Party
Pretty Pintastic Party #179
Happiness is Homemade
The Pin Junkie #237
Over the Moon Link Party
You're the STAR
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Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
Thursday Favorite Things

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(Checkout this month's wonderful Sponsor!) 

Cynthia from "ShorelineDesigned"
Handmade one-of-a-kind jewelry & beads made from beautiful beach stones from the Great Lakes Shoreline.
Travel along the shoreline with Cynthia

(Please click on the ad above to view her shop)

Weekly Thankfulness & Growth Report #87

#87 - Weekly Thankfulness & Growth Report

If you were following this blog in 2015 then you will be familiar with my "365 Days of Being Thankful" challenge.  I have missed reporting on my thankfulness since I finished my challenge 2 years ago, so I decided to at least give a weekly Thankfulness Report & include a Growth Report also.  Growth in our Christian walk, growth in the garden & growth on this blog.  Finally, I am also including a "Posts From the Past" feature - ENJOY!


This week I have been thankful for my parents, my sister and my nieces.  I am thankful for my husband's clever humor.  I am most thankful that God created smiles and laughter. 





"Be on your guard;  stand firm in the faith;  be men of courage;  be strong.  Do everything in love." 
1 Corinthians 16:13 & 14
Love is the key to living a Christ centered life. 

Read: Do Everything in Love


We are still having warmer than normal temperatures and still find ourselves mowing the lawn (almost unheard of in late October in Michigan!).

- Here are my Follower stats:

GFC (Google Friends Connect) - 2,264
Bloglovin - 4,405
Twitter - 6,846

Pinterest - 6,111
Google+ - 2,281
Facebook - 4,460
Instagram - 354
Linky Followers - 108
Networked Blog - 1,242
Activate - 574
That's a grand total of 28,645 followers in some form or another (which is up 21 from last week).

(click on the title to view the entire post)
Three years ago we grew stevia and dried it to sweeten our winter teas:
Drying Stevia for a Natural Tea Sweetener







This week is FAMILY feature week - click HERE to LINK UP & you might just be featured next month!


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Linked to:
________________________________________________

Take Up The THANKFULNESS Challenge!

I challenge you to thank God for something everyday for one year!  Either write it down in a diary OR share with us on a blog.  If you have a blog & would like to share your THANKFULNESS posts with us, then please fill out this form: 365 Days of Being THANKFUL form - click HERE and you will be added to the THANKFULNESS page.

<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/p/thankfulness-challenge-365-days-of.html" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank"><img alt="THANKFULNESS Challenge" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o501/AngieOuelletteTower/Title%20Pages%20or%20Buttons/THANKFULNESSchallengeButton_zpsievqkttd.jpg" /></a>