From The Cottage {October}

Oscar the Extraordinary Hummingbird Book Review

I thoroughly enjoyed Oscar the Extraordinary Hummingbird: And Other Tales From Life In My Father's World. It is such a great read! When I first received it I for some reason expected a children's book, but was delighted to find that it wasn't. It's amazing what you can learn my simply being quiet and watching the wonder of His creation. Even something as tiny as a Hummingbird can change your life if you only let it. It is a wonderful reminder that God cares for the sparrow and even a tiny hummingbird... how much more does he care for us?



You can find her website here and her blog here . You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook & Twitter.

Received this book free for my honest opinion. This post contains an affiliate link.

Heroes And Princesses | Heart Of A Hero

He wasn't the strongest, he sure wasn't the biggest. He had asthma. He couldn't run fast. He was picked on. He couldn't fight well. He didn't fit in. He wasn't most peoples first pick. Heck, he wasn't most peoples third. There wasn't anything special about him. Steve Rogers was just a kid from Brooklyn- one that couldn't make it into the army.

But he was a guy who wanted to do the right thing. He was a guy that hated bullies and not one to sit on the sidelines and let others take care of the problem. A guy who couldn't stand to be neutral. Even if that meant getting beaten up.

I love the part in the movie when he is going through basic training, agent Carter is making everyone do jumping jacks and the officer takes a fake grenade and throws it into the group. Everyone runs for cover, except the scrawny kid from Brooklyn. He runs toward it- while the rest of the guys that were passing tests -everyone's 'first picks'- ran for the hills. He jumped on top of it. He was willing to die for everyone else- the same one's that hated him, picked on him and laughed at him without a second thought.

Remember the part where he asks the doctor why he picked him?

"A Strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength and knows compassion."

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Isaiah 1:17

He had the heart of a hero. At the end of the day, he didn't need to be strong, or big, because he had the heart. He had the courage. He was willing to lay down his life for those same people who mocked him, without a second thought.

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Psalms 82:3

"Stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

Its so easy to wait for someone else to lead. To see a problem and let someone else more qualified to handle it. But maybe we have enough big guys, maybe we need a little guy. Maybe we've had enough neutral...

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17

Whenever he goes to 'war' it's in uniform, for us that would be the armor of God. Though our armor is invisible (and we don't to get to walk around with a cool shield), and we don't usually 'see' our battles they are just as real.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

I know some Christians that have some pretty cool moves- it's called hitting their knees. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just deal with it like Captain America and his friends? Cool shield, guns, sweet moves and a great brain for one- liners

But I think the way we fight is harder. At some point their battles end, ours don't they continue from the day we step in until the day we step out. I think we lose sight of what we are supposed to be fighting. We forget how strong we are when we hit our knees and let Him fight the battle. We feel like we pray the same thing over and over, without any results so we give up. Maybe it is time, that we find our 'heart of a hero' again and hit our knees. Because on our knees, we are stronger than even 'Cap'.

"He who kneels before God can stand before anyone."




Excerpts are taken from the movie 'Captain America: The First Avenger' , All rights reserved.

Cowboy Apple Pie Recipe

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Sugar

4 Apples pealed and cored

1/4 Cup Organic Flour

1/4 Cup Organic Oats

1/4 Cup Butter

Mix cinnamon, sugar, flour, and oats in a small bowl. Mix in butter until resembles dough. press into the cored apples packing it snugly.  Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Woodlawn Movie Review

We went to see Woodlawn this week- ok so we've seen it twice this week, its that good. I absolutely love this movie! I don't typically like sports, but this movie is definitely worth watching. Out of all the movies I have seen this year this is my second favorite.

Tony has to decide if he is willing to follow God wherever he leads- even when others don't like it. The deck was stacked against him, he wasn't wanted on the team because of the color of his skin. But then God got a hold of that team, and the same kids that hated each other became friends - a band of brothers. Giving a community hope- and showing them that there is only one way.

Staring:


Jon Voight, Caleb Castille, Sean Astin, Nic Bishop, Joy Brunson, Blake Burgess, Richard Kohnke ...

Written By: Jon Erwin and Quinton Peeples     Directed By: Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin

Tennessee Central Railway Fall Excursion

The day started early for us as we started our Saturday adventure.  The sun was not yet up.  Our first frost had covered everything with sparkling jewels and the fog curled around the ground and over the lake.  We had an amazing opportunity to go on the Fall Excursion Train ride that the Tennessee Central Railway hosted, aboard a vintage train. We had so much fun! Everyone was so nice. After awhile you kind of get use to the sway and move with the train- when you're walking its a bit more tricky. The easiest way is to walk with one- or both hands on the chairs on either side of you. That way you don't end up in someone's lap, or on the floor.  Mr. Cottage says it reminded him of being at sea- you would have thought he was a little boy by the look on his face. He also found great joy in getting his head in other people's photos that were further down on the train.

The way back was quite a bit bumpier, but by then I had found my 'sea' legs. Mr. Cottage and I rode part of  the way in between cars by the emergency exit. The scenery was gorgeous! This is a great way to see Tennessee- even if you live here! You can find them on Facebook here

Me checking out the scenery on the train. We were able to have seats facing one another on the train. A great thing for a family.

A view of the Caney Fork River from the train.

Mr. Cottage and Brianna exploring.

The train slowly winding through the countryside. So pretty.

Another look at the Caney Fork River.

Fields of Corn growing along our route.

Ice cream anyone? Well, why not head over to the Cream City Ice Cream Shop? It is a great place to stop.

We stopped here for an iced coffee when we were in town. The people were so nice and helped us try to find a place for lunch.

Here is their Facebook page.

Great people behind the name.  Thanks for everything guys!

Beautiful clothing shops dot the downtown landscape.

Here is the train station in Cookeville Tennessee. There was live music there to the left.

One of the eateries there in Cookeville.  It was bursting at the seams with folks from the train enjoying their lunches.  The people at the ice cream shop said they had great food. Here is their Facebook Page.

Love this mural on the side of the one of  the buildings in Cookeville.

This car was owned by Jackie Gleason who starred in the Honeymooners and as Sheriff Buford T. Justice in the movie Smokey And The Bandit.

The trip gave a great glimpse of the backroads...

The country...

The woods

Farms...

Rivers

and towns that make up middle and east Tennessee

It is a long trip, but the sights are so beautiful.

Going back through Lebanon on  the way to Nashville.