Busy Days

Days have been filled to overflowing here lately. Hence, my poorly updated blog.

I have zucchini coming out my ears, so I have been canning and freezing it. I have shredded, sliced and cubed zucchini in the freezer and canned squash as well as another experiment: pineapple zucchini. I got these recipes in the comments section of this post. The zucchini crisp listed below is pretty good I think. We've had it twice now. I just canned pineapple zucchini. The person who gave the recipe said that you can't tell the difference between this and regular crushed pineapple in recipes. We'll see, but my daughter licked the pot after it simmered and she said it tasted like pineapple. (Mom, can you email me your pineapple bar recipe??)

Zucchini Crisp My Way
Topping:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
5 oz. (5/8 cup) butter or margarine

Filling:6 to 8 cups zucchini, peeled and cubed
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Prepare the pastry topping by combining the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the butter or margarine until crumbly. Set aside.

In a medium-sized pot, cook the zucchini in lemon juice until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the sugar, nutmeg and the teaspoon of cinnamon. Simmer for about a minute then add a half cup of the saved pastry topping. Simmer until this thickens stirring constantly. Let cool a bit. Pour the zucchini mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the topping over the zucchini. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Zucchini Pineapple
1 gallon ground zucchini, green or yellow
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
2 1/2 cups sugar
46 ounce can unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tsp. pineapple extract

Mix together all ingredients except extract; simmer 20 minutes. Add extract and stir well. Fill hot jars according to manufacturer's directions. Process in hot water bath 20 minutes. Makes 9 pints.

My husband graciously helped me can 38 quarts of peaches and I have canned and froze green beans and broccoli. The tomatoes have started ripening. I can hardly wait to dehydrate some of the roma's for sun-dried tomatoes. I have some scrumptious recipes that call for them.

I'm getting revved up to have a regular school schedule. We've been trying to establish a routine, so within a couple weeks we'll be ready for how the next year will go. My struggle at this time is figuring out how to do school with a 20 month old wanting to destroy the house. I'm toying with alternative schedules, and trying to have multiple containers with activities to occupy his time. I've gotten some good ideas here, here and here.

In addition to a school schedule, we've been desperately trying to get into a chore schedule. My older two have their list of chores and are expected to know their chores and do them fairly independently. My "house destroyer" helps me with my chore list. He adores filling the washer and dryer and helping carry folded clothes to various rooms with me. Now that we've been doing it for a month or so, it's finally becoming more tolerable. Less-thandesirablee attitudes have surfaced more than once in the children and adults in this house. It's amazing how "work" brings it up from the depths of the Adamic nature. I appreciated what a friend told me that she tells her children, "Work is a major part of life. It would be better if you decided that you were going to like it. Otherwise life is going to be quite miserable for you."

Also, our farmette has started. We added on a lean-to on our shop for a "barn" this spring. We are now proud owners of 6 rabbits and 4 kittens. We got two male and two female kittens, so hopefully we can get some to stick around. We were proud to see that one of the females got a mouse already today. That's their job. They have to earn their keep. Talk is that we may get a pig next spring. I'm not sure what to think about that yet, but the bacon sounds good.

Off to pick more zucchini...

Heaven

I can hardly wait to be in Heaven. What a glorious place to be; worshipping Jesus with the saints that have gone before and the throngs of angels; bowing to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords saying "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!!" over and over again. Can you see it?

I had someone tell me once that she can't dwell on thoughts of heaven too much because there was a time in her life when she did and it just made her discontent with where God had her now and what God had her doing in this life. That did give me pause to think. Is there something to the saying that "one can be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good"? I just don't think so. To long to be Home with Jesus keeps my focus on Him. It helps to keep my perspective right. There is a precious balance between being content with where God has us for the time-being and a discontentment because we are not at home with Jesus. This world ISN'T my home. I AM just passing through. I am part of the Kingdom of God and I am currently living in a foreign land.

How Beautiful Heaven Must Be

We read of a place that's called Heaven,

It's made for the pure and the free;

These truths in God's Word He hath given,

How beautiful Heaven must be.

Chorus:

How beautiful Heaven must be,

Sweet home of the happy and free;

Fair haven of rest for the weary,

How beautiful Heaven must be.

In Heaven no drooping nor pining,

No wishing for elsewhere to be;

God's light is forever there shining,

How beautiful Heaven must be.

Chorus

Pure waters of life there are flowing,

And all who will drink may be free;

Rare jewels of splendor are glowing,

How beautiful Heaven must be.

Chorus.

The angels so sweetly are singing,

Up there by the beautiful sea;

Sweet chords from their gold harps are ringing,

How beautiful Heaven must be.

Chorus.

by A.S. Bridgewater

Public Domain

And then there is this hymn that is so precious as well.

My Saviour First of All

When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,

When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;

I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,

And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

Chorus:

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

As redeemed by His side I shall stand;

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

by the print of the nails in His hand.

Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face,

And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;

How my full heart will praise him for the mercy, love, and grace,

That prepares for me a mansion in the sky.

Chorus

Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come,

And Our parting at the river I recall;

To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home,

But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.

Chorus

Thro' the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white,

He will lead me where no tears shall ever fall;

In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight;

But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.

Chorus

Fanny Crosby

Public Domain

My favorite part about this hymn is the fact that even though heaven will be wonderful to see, along with reuniting with loved ones, the main joy and longing will be to see Jesus, our precious Saviour.

Hmmm..."How beautiful heaven must be..."

God's peace versus the world's peace

A few days ago I came across this verse in my quiet time with the Lord, as I'm going through the book of John.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the
world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
KJV

So, there's true peace from the Lord and false peace from the world. I had heard this before and even acknowledged it, but a light bulb went off in my head. It spurred my curiosity.

So how do we know when we are feeling true peace versus false peace? Gotta love the PC Study Bible. Here's a couple commentaries on this verse.

John 14:25-27
The world's gifts concern only the body and time; Christ's
gifts enrich the soul for eternity: the world gives lying vanities, and that
which will cheat us; Christ gives substantial blessings, which will never fail
us: the world gives and takes; Christ gives a good part that shall never be
taken away.
The peace which Christ gives is infinitely more valuable than
that which the world gives. The world's peace begins in ignorance, consists with
sin, and ends in endless troubles; Christ's peace begins in grace, consists with
no allowed sin, and ends at length in everlasting peace. As is the difference
between a killing lethargy and a reviving refreshing sleep, such is the
difference between Christ's peace and the world's.(from Matthew Henry's
Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database.
Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

"A killing lethargy" reminded me of when some say that those in overt sin eventually seer their conscience, accepting the world's peace as a substitute for the real thing.

John 14:27
1. Not as the objects which men commonly pursue-pleasure, fame,
wealth. They leave care, anxiety, remorse. They do not meet the desires of the
immortal mind, and they are incapable of affording that peace which the soul
needs.

2. Not as the men of the world give. They salute you with empty
and flattering words, but their professed friendship is often reigned and has no
sincerity. You cannot be sure that they are sincere, but I am.

3. Not as systems of philosophy and false religion give. They profess to give peace, but it is not real. It does not still the voice of conscience; it does not take away sin; it does not reconcile the soul to God.

4. My peace is such as meets all the wants of the soul, silences the alarms of conscience, is fixed and sure amid all external changes, and will abide in the hour of death and forever. How desirable, in a world of anxiety and care, to possess this peace! and how should all who have it not, seek that which the world can neither give nor take away! (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

To have such peace with the Lord, that you are ready to die, without fear or thinking "Am I truly in right standing with God?"

Many questions arise for me.

How do we relate to one that is not walking with the Lord (they may be of another religion all together) and says that they are at peace?

How do we explain to someone that has never experienced the peace of Christ, what it is like?

What about the one that apparently did walk with the Lord and is now walking in overt, Biblically-stated sin and claims that they are "at peace"?

I suppose the analysis of deception is relevant here. A person that is deceived doesn't know they are deceived because they are deceived.

Phil 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

KJV

In some ways, this verse makes it even more "sticky". It passes all understanding. We can't put words around it and package it with a bow. It is much deeper than that.

So when we are to "let the peace of God rule in [our] hearts" (Col 3:15a), how do we know if we are experiencing true, Godly peace? It passes all understanding. It's like trying to explain to someone how you knew when you had met your spouse and you were going to spend the rest of your life with them.

"I just knew." (with a huge smile)

The singles that you are talking to give you blank stares or say, "Yea, right. Now tell us really how you knew!"

"No. Honestly. I just KNEW."

"Ok, Ok. Now tell us the nuts and bolts of how you knew."

"That's all I can tell you. I just knew." (another huge smile)

How do I know when I'm at peace with God? I just know...with a deep, restful, beyond understanding knowing. And it seems that the longer that the "Lord and I walk through the fields together", my spirit is more and more sensitive as to whether I am at peace with Him. He is faithful to lead and guide, bringing me back to an ever deeper closeness with Himself, when I have begun to drift or made a decision that was not His best.

He is SO good. There is no better feeling on earth than being at complete peace with God our Father.

Sewing modest clothing

I have seen post after post from women that are frustrated at trying to purchase decent clothing for themselves and their children, specially their daughters. We have become a culture that wants to flaunt our bodies. In the process, clothing designers have moved that philosophy down to even our children...and people are buying them.

It is sad that at 4 and 5 years of age, my husband and I are having to teach our children to look away and guard their eyes when there are those walking around stores in little more than bikinis. It is a skill that they will need to utilize for the rest of their lives. "Oh, be careful little eyes what you see..."

I understand that there are different perspectives on what is modest, but I am simply presenting here a few ideas that we have incorporated.

Though this post has the potential to get into quite a debate, my heart is to share that it is possible to sew modest dresses for your daughters and yourselves (I'm talking to women here although I'm sure there's men out there that may want to tackle such a project as well.) if that is on your heart. I am here to say, "Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! You! Can! Do! It!"

I haven't been sewing clothes for too long. Maybe 5 years or so. In that amount of time I have learned tons. In fact I just learned how to put in an invisible zipper. Hint: you need a special foot on your sewing machine that makes it really easy. For the most part, follow the pattern, and you will learn basic techniques that transfer to most sewing projects. Of course there's always tricks to the trade as they say, but you can do quite well without them.

When I was in high school, I made a quilt and some other smaller projects in home economics class. I will never forget what I was taught there: use lots of pins and a good sewer will be a good riper. I don't see myself as a great sewer yet, but I have done my fair share of ripping out seams and pins are my friends even though it takes me a bit longer. The finished product is much more satisfying for me.

Here is a jean jumper dress that I made some time ago. It is starting to get worn-looking, but my daughter loves it. I put daisy buttons on for fun. I can find shirts to wear underneath at Walmart or garage sales. I also have had her wear pants as she is quite an active child! I know some make pantaloons. I have considered that, but now that my daughter is 5, she likes the thin sweatpants that I find cheap. I just got a pattern at Walmart or JoAnn Fabric and lengthened the skirt.



Here is a dress that I recently made. I got the pattern here. They do a great job and I've been more than happy with their products.


Here is the most recent dress, hot off the press. This type takes longer because you are basically making two dresses; a regular dress with a jumper over the top. But, I really like them, so every once in awhile I do it.

I hope that your are encouraged to give sewing a try if you are frustrated with what is out in clothing stores. Like I mentioned, I'm not the best seamstress out there, but if someone has questions, I'd be happy to try to help you.

"Praise the Lord!" and flowers

My 5 year old daughter absolutely LOVES flowers. She is bringing me flowers at least a couple times a day. I enjoy it so much. When I'm driving home, I often stop to pick up the mail on our main road. While I'm walking across the road, she jumps out to pick a couple flowers that are in the ditch. She knows where every flower is on our property and she is the first to notice any new ones that sprout up. She must be my mother and grandmother's heir!

In the last few weeks we have really noticed our need for rain around here. The lawn looks ratty because we are afraid we'll kill it totally if we mow. In some ways it's pretty. The daisies have started blooming in the grass again. So last week my children were in their rooms for nap time. My daughter doesn't take a nap so often anymore, but she needs to rest so that mommy can rest. After 20 minutes or so, she comes out of her room with a bouquet of flowers for me.

"Did you go out your window to get these?" (Her window is only 2' off the ground. Great for fire escaping. Not so great for "fun" escapes.)

"Yes! And mommy look at this one! It's so pretty. I got it out of the garden and this one I got in the grass by the trees and this one was growing by the house...."

What could I say? They WERE pretty.

She also loves the garden. She is forever saying, "Mom! Come out here! I have to show you something!" So I go out and she jumps in excitement at the zucchini, the peas or the broccoli.

Being the dramatist that she is, the same day she went through her window to get me flowers, she came out of her room again and said, "Praise the Lord, it's going to rain! Mom, I looked out my window and it's dark over our house and PRAISE THE LORD it's going to rain!"

And you know, she was right. After weeks of not a drop of rain, we got a gully washer. The thunder woke my 18 month old from his nap and my other son woke up so everyone was awake and watching the wonderful, nourishing rain. My 18 month old went about crazy. He's a slow one for talking, but he was screeching and pointing for me to follow him to the window. When I complied, he would climb up the couch and up into the window sill to screech and point some more. If I walked away, the sequence started all over again until I followed him back to the window.

There's no doubt about it. Praise the Lord for His love for us in the big and the little things of this life!

Ps 34:1-3

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall
continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the
humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let
us exalt his name together.

KJV

Companion Planting

A few weeks ago I wrote this post about building our raised bed gardens. Since then the majority of the garden has gone hog wild and it has been so much fun to watch those plants grow! I had heard about companion planting before, but had never tried to implement it. Well, this spring I had ordered a couple books on companion planting, but this book is by far my favorite. Sally Jean Cunningham has done an excellent job of writing a fun, informative and inspiring book called Great Garden Companions. I devoured it and tried to incorporate most of her ideas. There are going to be some changes next year, but overall I'm thrilled with how my garden is growing. Hopefully we will have trellises inbetween the boxes for viney crops and flowers to grow on next year to utilize space better and give it an added flare of fun. And, I'm going to try starting my flowers for the boxes from seed to save some money, for a homeschool educational project and just for fun.

My pictures do not really show it well, but it may give you a bit of an idea of how things are going. Even though my boxes are 4' x 48', it is divided into 4' x 8' sections. This section has broccoli, cauliflower, asters and marigolds. We just picked our first head of broccoli for supper last night and I'm going to have to get much of it cut and in the freezer tomorrow.

This one is quite hard to see, but there are peas growing up a wire trellis on the north side of the section, then a watermelon plant that is taking over with onions, asters, zinnias, marigolds and my daughter's geranium. Oh, and there were radishes interspersed too. You can see the soaker hose coming out the end of the box. That has saved me MUCH time in watering!
Here are my tomatoes with basil peaking up between the plants. In the past we have used cattle panels for trellising up the tomatoes, but it just didn't happen this year. They are sturdy, and work wonderfully. You just stack the panels 3 high with about 1' inbetween layers and use 2x4's or something for a frame. They are a bit hard to explain, but really quite simple. I'll have a picture next year! You can see white PVC piping at the base of the plants. I't 6' pipe that is cut in 6'-8' lengths. I use those around the new scrawny plants when I first put them in the ground. That way they are protected from the wind. I haven't figured out how to start tomato plants from seed without them being scrawny and leggy, but they seem to take off just fine once they are in the ground and they've always produced for me. I hear that some people have problems with cutworm, but I've never had that problem when using these around the base of the plants.
And here is the "3 sisters". It's kind of silly to plant corn in raised bed gardens. I'm going to have to stand on a ladder to reach the corn, but I just HAD to try it! You plant corn seeds in a 2' circle. When they come up a bit, plant pole beans just outside the corn. Then plant squash inbetween. The pole beans are growing up the corn and the squash is a ground cover for weeds. It works beautifully, but the squash really needs more room than a 4' x 8' section. It's going over the sides and into my potatoes and broccoli. Oh well. Next year those trellises between the boxes will really help.
So there you have a brief overview of some companion planting techniques. I hope it's helpful for anyone that may be considering such a venture. It is tons of fun, but you have to get over the fact that it's not a traditional way of gardening. It's cheerful to have all the flowers in amongst the vegetables and there's good reason for having them, but for those that have never seen such a technique, it may take some getting used to.

Happy gardening!

The "Lost Forty"

Yesterday we took an excursion to a little known treasure of a state park. The "Lost Forty" is 144 acres of land that was surveyed incorrectly years ago. The team of surveyors at the time apparently didn't want to go out in the cold rain of November and thought that a nearby lake was larger than it was. Hence the 144 acres was never logged. Because of that, it is a rare look into what this area looked like before the loggers came. 350 year old red and white pines tower above you as you meander on the walking trail. A couple of the trees my husband and I could barely touch hands around the trunk.

The children just loved it! Sincer there wasn't anyone around, we let them run down the paths as long as they stayed in sight. We had a regular homeschool field trip, learning to identify the trees, what happens to trees when a forest fire goes through (a fire went through part of the area years ago and you can tell which way the fire was heading by the marks on the base of the tree trunk) and the history of the area. Of course pictures don't do justice to the magnificence of the area, but I had to try!

We were the only ones there when we first arrived and by the time we left, only one other vehicle was there, but we never saw them, and a van was pulling up. It was amazing to us that on a national holiday, no one was really there. Yet, you really could get lost getting to the Lost Forty, with lots of gravel roads. It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, yet what a special middle-of-nowhere place it is!

Ps 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament sheweth his handywork.
KJV

Blogs of Beauty

Sallie at A Gracious Home is again hosting the Blogs of Beauty Awards. Nominations are open until July 9th. This is a great way to get the word out about your favorite blogs by Christian women and find out about other wonderfully gifted and God-fearing ladies in bloggerland.

Have fun nominating and browsing!

Times have changed

My husband's mother is quite the technology tackler. She had Web TV for emailing for a few years. Then she was getting frustrated with that. She tried a laptop and now has a pretty high-tech deskstop with a 19" monitor. I won't tell you how old she is, but suffice it to say that she has some years under her belt and most her age have never understood what the world wide web is.
We got her a web cam a few months ago so we could see each other when we talked as we live about 3 1/2 hours from each other. It took a bit of practice, but she is doing great.

A couple days ago, my husband was talking to her over the internet and she got a phone call. I had to chuckle when I heard her say, "I'm on the web cam with my son...yea, I'll call you back later."

Twenty years ago, I don't think very many people would have had a clue what that was, and most of her relatives and friends her age probably still don't.

Then the conversation went to my husband walking her through doing a web search for a new part for her dishwasher.

"Now type this in the Google box."
"Now do you see this?"
"Click there."
"Scroll down."
"Now which model do you have?"
"Is that the part you need?"

They found the part and he had her save the page on her favorites.

I thought it was all pretty amazing.

Sandbox

When we built our house, we had to haul in sand for under the cement slab. Needless to say, the front of our house turned into an excellent sandbox.

Now that we are planning on putting a patio on the front, we thought we better build a regular one for them, so last week we put one together. The children all helped my husband with bringing screws and support boards.

Today they were burying themselves up to their rib cage in the sand.

Like father, like son

Last night after supper, my husband said with a smile as he often does, "That was great, honey. Thank you!" Then, as he had projects to attend to right away, he got up from the table and headed outside.

Fifteen seconds later, my 4 year old son said as he was leaving the table to follow after his dad, "That was great, honey. Thank you!"

I smiled. My daughter giggled. It was so cute.

Sick and praising the Lord

The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur. I have been sick much.

Yes, we are expecting baby #4 in our house around the end of January and we are all very excited!

Despite times when I have felt too awful to get out of bed and having the flu over the weekend, God has been with me through it all. I admit to having to remind myself of that fact.

I have been blessed with friends that have come to help me cook and clean at times. My wonderful hubby has burnt the candle at both ends to keep up with work and cleaning the house. On Monday, a special friend came unexpectedly, folded my huge pile of laundry and brought lunch. I almost cried.

Today, praise the Lord, I am able to function!

Ps 34:1

I will bless the LORD at all times:

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

KJV

Backrubs

Yes, my husband gives me wonderful backrubs. But if I am craving a backrub in the middle of the day when he is at work, I've found a tolerable option:

Just lay on the floor and your children will crawl all over you like a jungle gym.

It kind of works.

Raised Bed Gardens

So what have we been doing the last couple weeks in addition to many other tasks? Building and planting our garden.

I've had this thing about wanting to use raised bed gardens for some time. Yep, there is quite an initial investment of time and money, but weeding is easy, there is no problem with drainage, moisture is better controlled, you can do concentrated gardening to maximize your space and crowd out weeds, etc.

When we lived at our previous residence, we made 4' x 8' and 4' x 16' raised bed gardens. We had grass around all of them, so we had to trim, which was NOT fun. Experience is worth gold. This time, we put plastic down when we seeded our lawn so grass did not grow under the garden area. Then we hauled in road gravel (class 5) on top of the plastic. No more trimming!! We discussed many options for how to build the 4' x 48' boxes. We checked into the cost of plywood, 2" x 6" tongue 'n groove boards, brick and plastic lumber. In the end, we went with the 2" x 6" treated tongue 'n groove boards because they were strong, would last a long time and were within our budget.

(Plastic lumber was VERY appealing, but it's quite expensive, we would have had to pre-drill all of our holes for assembly and getting the pallets off the semi was going to be challenging.)

So here is the initial stage of framing up the first box after the Class 5 was put down over the black plastic.


Because we used treated lumber, we had to line the boxes. We ordered custom-sized 19 mil plastic. I had called the Extension office about any dangers of using treated lumber. They said that in all their studies, if the boxes are lined with plastic, there is no leaching from the wood to the plants.

You will notice here that we also covered up the cross braces of wood with plastic. We took a shovel to punch holes in the bottom of the beds through the plastic for drainage. Because of their height and our experience with raised beds before, I'm happy with this set-up as it will allow some drainage, but will also maintain some moisture in the boxes. Then we filled them up with compost manure from a farmer friend.



So now we have 3- 4' x 48' raised garden beds that are about 20" tall. There is almost 5' between boxes so that our lawn mower with trailer will fit inbetween when I need to haul in mulch or compost. This picture was taken this morning. The box closest on the picture was planted about 2 weeks ago. Overall, the plants are doing well. I think that the soil has a bit too much nitrogen. I didn't take the time to test the soil. It was getting late in the season and I just wanted to get plants in the ground. Some things are growing like hot cakes and others aren't doing so great. I plan to test the soil for next year and also am thinking that the soil will just naturally compost itself more by next year as well.

The initial couple years of compost manure takes diligence to get rid of weeds, but after that, it's very easy to keep ahead of them and with raised beds, you don't have to battle quack grass! Sure, premium black dirt without weed seeds would be ideal, but we got what was available to us and it will work fine. Because there were a lot of weed seeds to contend with, and for other reasons, I was behind on weeding. I am SO thankful that family who came to visit this weekend helped me get a handle on the weeds.

I also am trying companion planting this year. I think I'll write more about that in another post.

May you be blessed today as you draw closer to Him!

My precious bouquet

Here is the very sweet bouquet that my daughter and son brought in this morning. God knew that I needed it today. God is so good!

"Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares...!"

Matt 6:28-29
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
KJV

My heart is heavy

Today my heart aches.

Last night I found out that an acquaintance is at the last stages of cancer. Her battle is almost over. Despite the fact that this person hurt me in the past, I am grateful that today I have no ill feelings toward her. I only feel compassion. It is truly a gift from the Lord.

I called a special friend of mine to find out if she knew and if she wanted to come with me to visit this ailing lady. I was stunned by what I heard over the phone. My friend had been hurt by this lady. I don't know all the details, but I do know that I sensed deep anger and pain from my friend. She felt that she had been taken advantage of and despite her attempts at getting what she felt she deserved, the issue had not been resolved.

After her explanation of their minimal correspondence over the last year she said, "...so, no, I don't think that I'll go down to visit her."

Bitterness.

The thought of bitterness being so deep that someone would refuse to visit another that is close to death overwhelms me. My heart aches with the thought of her standing before the Lord on judgment day, having to account for her unforgiveness. And for what reason? Because something that she thought she had a right to has been withheld.

Am I holding such bitterness in my heart? Am I willing to give up what I think I have a right to for God's higher purposes? Am I trying to make another miserable to get "revenge" for how I have been hurt? I causes me to examine my heart...again.

I am praying that my friend will change her mind. Will you please pray with me for this friend?

Field Day

Last Friday was a milestone for my daughter. She was finally old enough to participate in Field Day. Our church hosts the track and field activities for homeschool families in our area. Families come from quite a distance to participate in this end-of-the-year event. In fact, that's one of the things that I appreciate about it...it's a family day. About 200 participants are registered with boy's events on one side of the church and girl's on the other. Then it's lunch time. Picnic baskets and blankets come out and everyone sits down with their family and enjoys the chance to be refreshed in the shade. (It was really hot for this cool weather gal.) Then in the afternoon, the girls and boys switch sides to complete the rest of the events.

Yes, there's competition, but I honestly don't think that that is the main focus of the day. Good Sportsmanship ribbons are available for everyone. The children are encouraged to do their best and just have fun. Despite this, my daughter was tickled to get 3rd place in the 100 yard dash. I was proud of her for trying her best in the other events that she participated in and I was proud that she took her ribbon status well. She wasn't gloating or anything. She was simply excited.

I know it's kind of hard to see the running 5 year olds for this 50 yard dash event, but my daughter is on the right side with Daddy at the end of the race cheering her on.

It was such a fun day.

Where do I want to be?

Yes, I'm still here. This last week has been a bit of a blur of activity and I want to write much about it, but first I want to write a synopsis of the message that we heard last night at church campout by Rick Rhodes, the guest speaker. Interestingly enough, this is the second time in a few months that my husband and I have heard similar messages on this passage/subject by two totally different preachers. It would seem that God is wanting to instill this message deep in our hearts, so that we do not faint and lose heart.

Rick explained that when he knows where he wants to get to via driving, he stays on the road, no matter what that road is like. If there is a detour because of road repair, he had better stay on the detour. If he decides to get off that road because it is too busy with semi-trucks and holiday traffickers, and heads off on a side road, that road may eventually become less than desirable with curves and poor pavement. So, he turns off on another road. Eventually, he is lost.

If you know where you want to go, you will stay on the road that you need to in order to get you there, even if it's bumpy, curvy, gravel or muddy. You will endure the hardship and discomfort, because you know the goal of where you want to be.

If you know where you are going, only one way will get you there. If you don't know where you are going, anywhere will get you there.

Prov 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish:
KJV

In Genesis 13, is the passage about Abram (later to be called Abraham) and Lot. There are getting to be too many people and herds by both men to be sustained by the land, so Abram tells Lot to choose whether he wants to go to the left or the right and Abram will go the other way.

Gen 13:10
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

KJV

Lot chose the land that looked good. It looked prosperous with worldly lusts. Therefore he turned his tent toward Sodom. He simply chose to head that way.

It did not take long before Lot was living in Sodom. It became his home. He had become comfortable, even though he was very aware of the sin around him. He strongly urged the angels to stay in his home instead of in the square of the city (Genesis 19:3). He wouldn't allow his guests to be exposed to the sin in his home town. Lot went outside, shutting the door behind him, so he could talk to the evil men of the city without the angels hearing. He was ashamed and embarrassed of the behavior of his neighbors. There was an element of secrecy. Lot was even willing to give the sodomite men his daughters for the night so they wouldn't harm his guests. How did he get to this spot in life where he was living amongst such gross sin and needed to shut the door behind him in secrecy?

In Genesis 19:12, it would seem that Lot had more than just two daughters. His sons-in-law would not come with when he pleaded with them to leave Sodom before it's destruction. The angels even had to seize the hands of Lot, his wife and his two daughters on the day of their exodus. They didn't want to leave. It was their home.

It was because of the compassion of the Lord (Genesis 19:16) that God led Lot, his wife and daughters out of Sodom.

Lot lost his wife. Why did she look back and turn to a pillar of salt even after being warned to not look back? It was her home. She was comfortable there. Everything she knew, not matter how sinful, was there. Sodom was her life.

How did Lot get to such a place? What happened to bring him to this? Lot's choice to turn his tent toward Sodom. He made the initial decision to turn toward that which was not best. Despite what Lot knew (he is even called righteous in Scripture), he made a choice based on the things of this world. It was a bountiful land and very prosperous. It looked good.

When God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, it destroyed everything, even the valley that Lot initially turned toward; the valley that had initially looked so appealing to Lot. (Genesis 19:25) And another interesting tidbit from the 1st message that we heard on this, Genesis 19:25 is the first time "fire" is used in the Bible. Also, brimstone is sulfur and sulfur burns at 9000 degrees.

Lot turned off the straight and narrow road.

Matt 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

KJV

Rick took time to explain that decisions are not always just right and wrong. It is the question of good, better and best. Some of the decisions that we make are not really ones of right and wrong Scripturally. We can't always pick out a verse that says, "Thou shalt not __________". It becomes a question of where are we going and what is it going to take to get us there? The decisions and answers from the Lord may be different for different people.

For instance, if I wanted to raise very competitive, award-winning, athletes in my children, I would be starting the training for that right now. I would take them outside a couple times a day for vigorous activities. Sure, I would make it fun, but other things would have to be set aside because they wouldn't fit in with my goal. I wouldn't have time to learn gourmet cooking or teach my children the science of raising animals and learning to sew. My time would be filled with my goal of training them in athletics.

If my goal is to grow close as a family, instill Biblical truths in my children and share/exemplify my love and devotion to the Lord with them, my life choices will reflect that. If my goal is to be deeply rooted in Christ, that goal will take time and energy. Some things that I used to view as important will have to be put far down on my list of priorities. Some things will be put on the altar, killed and sacrificed in order that the things that I need to focus on to achieve my goal can be accomplished.

So what is your goal? What is mine? Seek the Lord in prayer. Read His Word. Seek Godly counsel. The Lord desires to tell us the direction in which we should set our tent. Do we want to hear His instructions, or do we want to go our own way?

Broccoli Cheese Soup and Blueberry Muffins

This is one of my favorite meals to make. Friends that come over for dinner will likely have this meal at least once.

The Broccoli Cheese Soup comes from my Sue Gregg: Soups and Muffins cookbook. I purchased the cookbook set about 8 years ago and they have been used consistently ever since. She has tons of nutritional information interspersed with the recipes. She uses honey and other natural sugar ingredients instead of refined white sugar and whole wheat and other grains instead of white flour. I highly recommend the cookbook set.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Amount: 6 servings
1. Peel out edges of stalks and chop:
1 cup small broccoli florets (set aside)
4 cups broccoli stalks with remaining florets

2. (Optional for added flavor) Saute the 4 cups broccoli and onion in butter for 5 minutes:
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 onion, chopped

3. In soup pot heat broth to boiling; add vegetables and oregano, reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is tender:
7 cups Chicken broth
chopped broccoli and onion
3/4 teaspoon oregano leaves

4. While soup simmers, prepare cheese sauce for soup in small saucepan. Blend flour into butter until smooth, cooking 1 minute; gradually blend in milk, stirring with wire whisk over medium heat until thickened; blend in cheese until melted:
3 tablespoons melted butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup lowfat milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

5. Puree soup in blender, pour back into soup pot and blend in the cheese sauce

6. Steam the 1 cup broccoli florets about 5 minutes; add to soup just before serving

7.Season, as desired, with salt.

*I wrote this recipe out as written in the cookbook. I usually just saute all the broccoli with butter and onion and don't leave any out to steam at the end. We still like chunky soup, so I don't puree the soup all the way in the blender...just little spurts with the blender.

**Also, I use Frontier Herbs Chicken Broth Powder. It's a staple ingredient in our home. No MSG and great taste. I use a bit more of the powder than the package calls for cuz I love a very flavorful soup.

The blueberry muffin recipe comes from my grandmother. Where they live in Wisconsin there is a well-known "orchard" where there are a few acres of blueberry bushes bursting with huge blueberries each summer. It draws people from miles around.

My grandparents have the art of blueberry picking down to a science. First you take an old belt and put it around the handle of an ice cream bucket. Then fasten the end of the belt closed so you have a ice cream bucket necklace of sorts. Put it around your neck and you are ready for two-handed blueberry picking. Not only can you pick with two hands, but if you are really good, the bucket can be underneath your hands to catch the inevitable blueberry that falls inbetween your fingers. Much more efficient and less wasteful. :)

Getting as many blueberries as possible is challenging when you are trying to maintain blueberry picking etiquette. You see, picking is only open on Saturdays. There are hundreds of people there. You have to get to the "orchard" by 6:00-6:30 AM and then wait for the owners to signal that the pickers can head down the rows. After the owners relay a few directions, they give the green light. There is a wave of people, almost running, to their favorite spot from last year.

Despite the initial aggression, people are generally very kind and cheerful...almost giddy to be able to get their year's worth of blueberries in their freezer. Favorite blueberry recipes and the raving nuturitional benefits of the fruit are discussed across rows with complete strangers. These are memory making days.

Frozen Blueberry Muffins

4 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter softened
2 cups sugar *
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups frozen blueberries

Topping:
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Combine flour, baking powder and salt
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk and vanilla
Stir in dry ingredients until moistened.
Fold in frozen blueberries
Fill muffin tins 2/3 full **
Combine sugar and nutmeg and sprinkle over muffins
Bake 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes
Cool 10 minutes before removing to wire rack
Yield 2 dozen

*I usually cut the sugar by 1/3-1/2 the amount called for in this recipe

**I really don't like to clean muffin tins, so I usually put it in a greased 9 X 13 pan, put the oven at 325 degrees and let it bake for 1 hour and 10 min. or so. I just use a toothpick to know when the middle is done.

Enjoy!!

Flowers

This past weekend we went to see family. Here are some of the beauties that I was able to take pictures of.


This hanging basket of fuscias was outside the back door.

These were planted in an old tree stump. I guess they are some new kind of daisy.

I really enjoy pansies and this one just seemed so cute. Multicolored pansies filled the large, home-made wheelbarrow.

And the tulips! They were planted in a row near the road and are a sure show-stopper! If I remember correctly, 100 bulbs were planted here.