Please read this important post at Mrs. Dewey Smith's blog.
It will be vital to families and the country to grow our own food in the coming growing season. It's cold and snowy...a great time to check out those delightful, colorful seed catalogs.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Reorganized
When we first moved into this home, I was determined to get on a schedule that would help me keep up with the cleaning. This house is considerably larger than what we came from--three full floors--so I needed to get my act together. It worked great...as long as I kept to the schedule. Now I am at the point of needing to be back on a stricter schedule.
It seems that most folks work best when there is a regular schedule--a rhythm, if you will, to life. So here is my attempt at getting better organized and becoming more godly (since cleanliness is next to it).
Each day: clean up dishes
make bed
devotions
excercise
Monday: Dust and sweep second floor
Tuesday: Any ironing
Clean the bathroom
Burn paper between 9-1--don't get me started on the intrusion of our local government that tells me what day and during which times I can burn paper so it doesn't fill a land fill...ACK!!
Wednesday: Market day (spring-fall months
Catch-up day
Thursday: Sweep porch--spring/summer/fall
Feed plants
Burn in the afternoon
Friday: Dust and sweep first floor
Saturday: Market day
Burn between 9-1
Weekly chores:
Week One: Clean fridge
Week Two: Clean oven (if needed)
Week Three: Sweep down stairways
Week Four: Clean bathroom and sweep on third floor
Spring and Fall: Curtains, Windows
Fall: Carpet cleaning
Since there is just the two of us, laundry can be done as needed and according to weather conditions. It leaves time, too, for breadbaking and other baking. My hope is that, if I have cleaned the bathrooms and the rugs are swept, that if there is company coming, I just need to do spot cleaning. During the months that the garden and the yard consume a great deal of my time, this schedule allows for time to weed, cultivate, plant, harvest, mow, etc.
If I can get my chores done by noon each day, then I have time to quilt or sew or read without feeling that I am being neligent in homekeeping.
I'm open to your ideas and suggestions. Do you see something I've missed?
While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.... If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. --Samuel Adams
It seems that most folks work best when there is a regular schedule--a rhythm, if you will, to life. So here is my attempt at getting better organized and becoming more godly (since cleanliness is next to it).
Each day: clean up dishes
make bed
devotions
excercise
Monday: Dust and sweep second floor
Tuesday: Any ironing
Clean the bathroom
Burn paper between 9-1--don't get me started on the intrusion of our local government that tells me what day and during which times I can burn paper so it doesn't fill a land fill...ACK!!
Wednesday: Market day (spring-fall months
Catch-up day
Thursday: Sweep porch--spring/summer/fall
Feed plants
Burn in the afternoon
Friday: Dust and sweep first floor
Saturday: Market day
Burn between 9-1
Weekly chores:
Week One: Clean fridge
Week Two: Clean oven (if needed)
Week Three: Sweep down stairways
Week Four: Clean bathroom and sweep on third floor
Spring and Fall: Curtains, Windows
Fall: Carpet cleaning
Since there is just the two of us, laundry can be done as needed and according to weather conditions. It leaves time, too, for breadbaking and other baking. My hope is that, if I have cleaned the bathrooms and the rugs are swept, that if there is company coming, I just need to do spot cleaning. During the months that the garden and the yard consume a great deal of my time, this schedule allows for time to weed, cultivate, plant, harvest, mow, etc.
If I can get my chores done by noon each day, then I have time to quilt or sew or read without feeling that I am being neligent in homekeeping.
I'm open to your ideas and suggestions. Do you see something I've missed?
While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.... If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. --Samuel Adams
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sunny Days and Game Nights
It was a beautiful, sunny day today...and actually above freezing! It is amazing how warm 32 degrees feels after below zero temps at night and frigid, wind chills during the day. We have over 12 inches of lovely snow on the ground! My hope that is that a good snow pack will kill off some pesky bugs and we won't be so "bugged" this summer. We told our kids that this is the kind of weather we had when we were kids; lots of deep snow that lasted until spring.
It was such a lovely day that I was able to trudge up to the clothesline to get some towels and a tablecloth hung out. The nice breeze dried even the towels.
The family is coming here tomorrow night for "Game Night"!! Since there are extended family from out-of-town, we thought we would indulge in a non-holiday funfest. Pizza is being served and, no doubt, enough finger food for a small army. I've been busy making cookies and gathering extra chairs and the card table. Speed Scrabble and Sequence are in the line-up on the game side of things. Who knows what else will be brought to enjoy. Thank goodness for my brother-in-law who could have fun with a paper bag. He has a quick laugh and is always able to create a good time for everyone. Our family's game nights have brought many of the kids' friends to join in.
If you are in the neighborhood, drop on in. We won't notice a few dozen extras--the more the merrier!
It was such a lovely day that I was able to trudge up to the clothesline to get some towels and a tablecloth hung out. The nice breeze dried even the towels.
The family is coming here tomorrow night for "Game Night"!! Since there are extended family from out-of-town, we thought we would indulge in a non-holiday funfest. Pizza is being served and, no doubt, enough finger food for a small army. I've been busy making cookies and gathering extra chairs and the card table. Speed Scrabble and Sequence are in the line-up on the game side of things. Who knows what else will be brought to enjoy. Thank goodness for my brother-in-law who could have fun with a paper bag. He has a quick laugh and is always able to create a good time for everyone. Our family's game nights have brought many of the kids' friends to join in.
If you are in the neighborhood, drop on in. We won't notice a few dozen extras--the more the merrier!
A Life Remembered
It has been some time since I posted last and I am not even sure where to begin.
My father-in-law was buried yesterday. He died on Sunday. While he was ill with cancer and in the hospice unit at the local VA, we did not expect his passing this soon. It is a blessing that he is no longer suffering. Our lives have been full with loving family.
My father-in-law was an amazing man. He could tell stories for hours, and often did. As I grew to know him, I tended to believe them less and less. This is difficult for me to reveal. I loved him, but at a distance. He was in the Army during WWII. A prisoner of war in Germany twice and escaped twice. He was a Purple Heart recipient; sent home to die. He made a remarkable recovery and lived to be 90 years old. He was quite dashing, to hear him tell it, in his prime. Swept my mother-in-law off her feet. They attended the opera and symphonies together. I know for a fact that he was one of the top ten wealthiest men in town at one time. For his profession, he was a chiropractor and a good one. In my opinion, he let his "gift of gab" take his busy practice away from him. My mother-in-law then went to work with six young children in school, when it was not common to be a working mom, in fact it was frowned upon. She is almost always cheerful and optimistic, but I often wonder if she struggles with the loss of the easier, carefree life they once had that was lost. He loved his grandchildren and was proud of his own children, though he never told them--it showed.
His passing has given me a chance to reflect on how I live my life and the improvements that need to be made. Things don't always turn out the way we think they are going to. God's plans are not often ours. We never know when we are going to be called home.
"Lord, give me more of thy likeness;
Enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness; engage me to live more for thee.
Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual experiences, and when I feel at ease after sweet communings, teach me it is far too little I know and I do....
Wrap my life in divine love, and keep me ever desiring thee, always humble and resigned to thy will, more fixed on thyself, that I may be more fitted for doing and suffering." excerpts from Longings After God, found in The Valley of Vision.
My father-in-law was buried yesterday. He died on Sunday. While he was ill with cancer and in the hospice unit at the local VA, we did not expect his passing this soon. It is a blessing that he is no longer suffering. Our lives have been full with loving family.
My father-in-law was an amazing man. He could tell stories for hours, and often did. As I grew to know him, I tended to believe them less and less. This is difficult for me to reveal. I loved him, but at a distance. He was in the Army during WWII. A prisoner of war in Germany twice and escaped twice. He was a Purple Heart recipient; sent home to die. He made a remarkable recovery and lived to be 90 years old. He was quite dashing, to hear him tell it, in his prime. Swept my mother-in-law off her feet. They attended the opera and symphonies together. I know for a fact that he was one of the top ten wealthiest men in town at one time. For his profession, he was a chiropractor and a good one. In my opinion, he let his "gift of gab" take his busy practice away from him. My mother-in-law then went to work with six young children in school, when it was not common to be a working mom, in fact it was frowned upon. She is almost always cheerful and optimistic, but I often wonder if she struggles with the loss of the easier, carefree life they once had that was lost. He loved his grandchildren and was proud of his own children, though he never told them--it showed.
His passing has given me a chance to reflect on how I live my life and the improvements that need to be made. Things don't always turn out the way we think they are going to. God's plans are not often ours. We never know when we are going to be called home.
"Lord, give me more of thy likeness;
Enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness; engage me to live more for thee.
Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual experiences, and when I feel at ease after sweet communings, teach me it is far too little I know and I do....
Wrap my life in divine love, and keep me ever desiring thee, always humble and resigned to thy will, more fixed on thyself, that I may be more fitted for doing and suffering." excerpts from Longings After God, found in The Valley of Vision.
Reselling Clothing
This was posted on "Our Plain and Simple Life" the other day. It may be beneficial to continue to write Congress.
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This was posted at Choosing Voluntary Simplicity...and I just got around to reading. Doesn't really give a breath of relief to folks like Etsy, EBay or even simple folks like us with yard sales and such, but maybe it's a small bit of common sense coming around (yeah, well, I don't really think so either, but I'm trying to be Mary Sunshine here...)
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act — A Reprieve
Last week it looked like the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act might put an end to thrift stores, consignment stores, and home crafters who specialized in children’s products.
Then the Consumer Product Safety Commission attempted to calm the public outrage. Their press release, with the bloated title of “Requirements of New Children’s Product Safety Laws Taking Effect in February; Guidance Intended for Resellers of Children’s Products, Thrift and Consignment Stores,” was supposed to clarify the confusing new law. Instead it left many more important questions still unanswered.
Although the clarification does state that resale stores can continue to sell children’s toys and clothing without being required to test each individual product for lead, the Commission’s statement warns that the penalties are high for selling children’s products that do contain lead… and that violators will face strict penalties. A reprieve of sorts, but it still sounds a lot like a no-win situation, doesn’t it?
The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.
The new safety law does not require resellers to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.
While CPSC expects every company to comply fully with the new laws resellers should pay special attention to certain product categories. Among these are recalled children’s products, particularly cribs and play yards; children’s products that may contain lead, such as children’s jewelry and painted wooden or metal toys; flimsily made toys that are easily breakable into small parts; toys that lack the required age warnings; and dolls and stuffed toys that have buttons, eyes, noses or other small parts that are not securely fastened and could present a choking hazard for young children.
–press release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, January 8, 2009
There were no clarifications or reassurances for the handcrafters and small businesses selling new items on a small scale, or for the people selling used children’s toys, books, and clothing online. The public anger isn’t going to go away on this issue. Look for more clarifying press releases coming soon…
To read more:
Resellers breathe sigh of relief after lead-testing law is eased; secondhand stores won’t have to check all items for children
Consumers, shop owners breathe big sigh of relief
Lead rule weighs on kids’ clothiers
Resellers spared lead tests for toys
Consignment, thrift store owners questioning lead law standards
Safety law has consignment store owners and sellers of homemade baby items concerned
window.google_render_ad();
This was posted at Choosing Voluntary Simplicity...and I just got around to reading. Doesn't really give a breath of relief to folks like Etsy, EBay or even simple folks like us with yard sales and such, but maybe it's a small bit of common sense coming around (yeah, well, I don't really think so either, but I'm trying to be Mary Sunshine here...)
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act — A Reprieve
Last week it looked like the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act might put an end to thrift stores, consignment stores, and home crafters who specialized in children’s products.
Then the Consumer Product Safety Commission attempted to calm the public outrage. Their press release, with the bloated title of “Requirements of New Children’s Product Safety Laws Taking Effect in February; Guidance Intended for Resellers of Children’s Products, Thrift and Consignment Stores,” was supposed to clarify the confusing new law. Instead it left many more important questions still unanswered.
Although the clarification does state that resale stores can continue to sell children’s toys and clothing without being required to test each individual product for lead, the Commission’s statement warns that the penalties are high for selling children’s products that do contain lead… and that violators will face strict penalties. A reprieve of sorts, but it still sounds a lot like a no-win situation, doesn’t it?
The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.
The new safety law does not require resellers to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.
While CPSC expects every company to comply fully with the new laws resellers should pay special attention to certain product categories. Among these are recalled children’s products, particularly cribs and play yards; children’s products that may contain lead, such as children’s jewelry and painted wooden or metal toys; flimsily made toys that are easily breakable into small parts; toys that lack the required age warnings; and dolls and stuffed toys that have buttons, eyes, noses or other small parts that are not securely fastened and could present a choking hazard for young children.
–press release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, January 8, 2009
There were no clarifications or reassurances for the handcrafters and small businesses selling new items on a small scale, or for the people selling used children’s toys, books, and clothing online. The public anger isn’t going to go away on this issue. Look for more clarifying press releases coming soon…
To read more:
Resellers breathe sigh of relief after lead-testing law is eased; secondhand stores won’t have to check all items for children
Consumers, shop owners breathe big sigh of relief
Lead rule weighs on kids’ clothiers
Resellers spared lead tests for toys
Consignment, thrift store owners questioning lead law standards
Safety law has consignment store owners and sellers of homemade baby items concerned
Monday, January 12, 2009
Seed Shopping in the Snow
If you are doing some shopping for seeds while you are perhaps snowed in, here is a website that you may enjoy. Botanical Interests found me and I have explored their family-owned business on line. The site is colorful and informative. It is a "happy" site. For me that means that the colors are pleasing and the well-done artwork is delightful. A bit of Spring and Summer in the midst of the cold and snow. Please check out this on-line catalog. It may chase away the winter blahs!
There is also a blog to enjoy with recipes and more good gardening info.
Author of all existence, source of all blessedness,
I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee, for giving me reason and conscience, for leading me to desire thee;...
thou hast moved my conscience to know how the guilty can be pardoned, the unholy sanctified, the poor enriched. May I be always amongst those who not only hear but know thee, who walk with and rejoice in thee, who take thee at thy word and find life there.
Keep me always longing for a present salvation in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings, for spiritual graces and blessings, for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.
May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character,
Help me to be in reality before thee as in appearance I am before men,
to be religious before I profess religion,
to leave the world before I enter the church, to set my affections on things above,
to shun forbidden follies and vanities,
to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace,
to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good.
Excerpts from A Present Salvation as written in The Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett
There is also a blog to enjoy with recipes and more good gardening info.
Happy Shopping!
Author of all existence, source of all blessedness,
I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee, for giving me reason and conscience, for leading me to desire thee;...
thou hast moved my conscience to know how the guilty can be pardoned, the unholy sanctified, the poor enriched. May I be always amongst those who not only hear but know thee, who walk with and rejoice in thee, who take thee at thy word and find life there.
Keep me always longing for a present salvation in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings, for spiritual graces and blessings, for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.
May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character,
Help me to be in reality before thee as in appearance I am before men,
to be religious before I profess religion,
to leave the world before I enter the church, to set my affections on things above,
to shun forbidden follies and vanities,
to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace,
to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good.
Excerpts from A Present Salvation as written in The Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett
Weekend Snow and Tieing Up Loose Ends
Saturday we received eight inches of snow here! To some folks that might not seem like much, but that is a lot for us, especially all at once! My husband and I spent a good part of the day plowing and shoveling out the driveway and trying to find the car. As soon as the snow was off everything, is began to rain--freezing rain. How lovely. It took us 15 minutes to clean off the car and even get in the doors on Sunday morning. Never a dull minute. It really was a pretty snow to watch. Sometimes it was coming down so hard that it was hard to see across to the neighbor's house. The snow piled up on the pine branches and that always makes a beautiful winter scene. The sun is shining a bit today and has helped to melt off the remaining ice on a large part of the driveway.
Our church voted last Sunday to call our new pastor. The church is filled with anticipation and excitement. While there are a couple of hurdles to clear with Presbytery, he is well on his way to beginning service to God and our congregation early this Spring. Where will God take us next?!
Our church voted last Sunday to call our new pastor. The church is filled with anticipation and excitement. While there are a couple of hurdles to clear with Presbytery, he is well on his way to beginning service to God and our congregation early this Spring. Where will God take us next?!
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Christmas Postscript
Remember my Christmas wish list? Well, no, I didn't get a gun or a rototiller. I did get a new blender and a bigger food processor. These items will be a big help at canning time. Hubby and I also have come to love hummus and our tiny food processor just was having a difficult time of it.
It has been said that one should never buy a woman a gift with a plug on the end. Well, I used to think that was a good guide, but not any more. My kitchen is my "workshop" and what I use in it are my "tools". If a better tool will help me in my work by making the homemade soup or tomato sauce process go smoother, then I'll take the "tool". I don't need fancy earrings or jewelry.
So, perhaps the rototiller will come another time? Spring, perhaps. We want to keep looking. I also need to do more research on what type of gun I should have. Some have said that I need to handle one to find which suits best. My knowledge of guns is limited to the work-related one my husband carries. My dad didn't own a gun so I have much to learn. Hubby is not so sure I need one anyway. I think I make him nervous.
It would have been hard to wrap a rototiller anyway (smile).
It has been said that one should never buy a woman a gift with a plug on the end. Well, I used to think that was a good guide, but not any more. My kitchen is my "workshop" and what I use in it are my "tools". If a better tool will help me in my work by making the homemade soup or tomato sauce process go smoother, then I'll take the "tool". I don't need fancy earrings or jewelry.
So, perhaps the rototiller will come another time? Spring, perhaps. We want to keep looking. I also need to do more research on what type of gun I should have. Some have said that I need to handle one to find which suits best. My knowledge of guns is limited to the work-related one my husband carries. My dad didn't own a gun so I have much to learn. Hubby is not so sure I need one anyway. I think I make him nervous.
It would have been hard to wrap a rototiller anyway (smile).
Quilting Season
Most of the Christmas decorations are put away--only the tree remains. The days and evenings are quieter and chillier. Time to get back to my quilting.
It is shameful to admit that I am behind before I even get started. One baby blanket is close to being completed. It should have been done months ago and the little one for which it is intended will be walking before I get it done if I don't get busy. Our new little Zachary's quilt is pieced, but needs quilted. There is another baby quilt that is in need of being started for a friend who's baby is due in the spring. Then there is my big project that was started almost two years ago. A replica of a dear friend's quilt that has been in her family since the late 1800s.
There is something relaxing to me about the feel of fabric, especially a good cotton fabric or a good muslin. It is calming. If I were a knitter or a crocheter, I think that the yarn would work the same magic.
Since most of my quilts are smaller, I do them in a 12 inch hoop. I have a smaller 10 inch size for smaller spaces. This keeps my project mobile--from comfy chair to Amish rocker or quiet corner. It also helps to keep me warm. Our big old house is a bear to heat, so to have my work covering my lap helps to keep the chill off. I've done a couple big quilts in my frame. It is, obviously, not portable and takes up a chunk of the dining room.
The baby quilt I am in a hurry to finish is all white or a whole cloth quilt. My Amish friend, Sarah marked it for me on white muslin. (Since then, she has started a little business marking quilts for others.) It isn't difficult, but I let it sit during the summer with gardening and grass and that is how I got behind. I'm also pretty slow. Whole cloth quilts are my favorite. The design that shows up on the fabric from the stitches is beautiful to me...not that my stitches are all that beautiful. I just enjoy the process.
Both my grandmothers made quilts. My paternal grandmother is famous for making lap robes for elderly folks as well as quilts for all of the grandchildren as we were growing up. My cousins and I would always look for patches that were made from the scraps our mothers would send to Grandma from their sewing to use for quilts. There was Suzanne's dress, or Paula's shorts, and even my own or my sister's dresses. I still have a few of my grandmother's baby quilts that she made our kids. These quilts were not prize winners nor were they hand stitched. She tied them with colorful yarn and bound them with love. I've kept them so I can pass them on to my grandchildren so they can have a piece of the family's past.
While I can never be the quilt maker my Grandmother was, I hope to give my grandchildren something they can enjoy and use to keep warm. It is a connection to my own past and reminds me of the love my grandmother showed to her family in her sewing.
It is shameful to admit that I am behind before I even get started. One baby blanket is close to being completed. It should have been done months ago and the little one for which it is intended will be walking before I get it done if I don't get busy. Our new little Zachary's quilt is pieced, but needs quilted. There is another baby quilt that is in need of being started for a friend who's baby is due in the spring. Then there is my big project that was started almost two years ago. A replica of a dear friend's quilt that has been in her family since the late 1800s.
There is something relaxing to me about the feel of fabric, especially a good cotton fabric or a good muslin. It is calming. If I were a knitter or a crocheter, I think that the yarn would work the same magic.
Since most of my quilts are smaller, I do them in a 12 inch hoop. I have a smaller 10 inch size for smaller spaces. This keeps my project mobile--from comfy chair to Amish rocker or quiet corner. It also helps to keep me warm. Our big old house is a bear to heat, so to have my work covering my lap helps to keep the chill off. I've done a couple big quilts in my frame. It is, obviously, not portable and takes up a chunk of the dining room.
The baby quilt I am in a hurry to finish is all white or a whole cloth quilt. My Amish friend, Sarah marked it for me on white muslin. (Since then, she has started a little business marking quilts for others.) It isn't difficult, but I let it sit during the summer with gardening and grass and that is how I got behind. I'm also pretty slow. Whole cloth quilts are my favorite. The design that shows up on the fabric from the stitches is beautiful to me...not that my stitches are all that beautiful. I just enjoy the process.
Both my grandmothers made quilts. My paternal grandmother is famous for making lap robes for elderly folks as well as quilts for all of the grandchildren as we were growing up. My cousins and I would always look for patches that were made from the scraps our mothers would send to Grandma from their sewing to use for quilts. There was Suzanne's dress, or Paula's shorts, and even my own or my sister's dresses. I still have a few of my grandmother's baby quilts that she made our kids. These quilts were not prize winners nor were they hand stitched. She tied them with colorful yarn and bound them with love. I've kept them so I can pass them on to my grandchildren so they can have a piece of the family's past.
While I can never be the quilt maker my Grandmother was, I hope to give my grandchildren something they can enjoy and use to keep warm. It is a connection to my own past and reminds me of the love my grandmother showed to her family in her sewing.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Of Mother Earth News and Broken Clotheslines
While in the local market, I noticed Mother Earth News on the news stand. I've never bought or read the magazine before, but what caught my eye was the banner: "Grow a Bigger, Better Garden". I'm all for that! Also, there are articles on How to Grow Potatoes, and Anyone Can Raise Chickens This looked like a good purchase for $4.99.
Someday I still want to pursue chickens and the article looks like a good one for those of us who are clueless. There is also an article online about purchasing chicks from a hatchery.
I still need to read the garden article. The potato article has some good, common sense information.
These folks are far more "green" than I am, but the information they provided in this issue at least, will be helpful in printed form for me to keep as a source.
My clothesline broke today while it was full of the last of the bed linens from the Christmas full house. Thankfully, there was still snow on the ground to keep them clean. They were still frozen, so that helped, too. I am so tired of my clotheslines breaking! Mine only last a couple of years. I have bought cotton ones, but maybe it's time to find something more sturdy. My neighbor has plastic covered wire ones, but (maybe it's just me) there is something about them that I just can't get used to. Do I need an attitude adjustment?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
It is nice to see the sun here today!
Blessings!
Someday I still want to pursue chickens and the article looks like a good one for those of us who are clueless. There is also an article online about purchasing chicks from a hatchery.
I still need to read the garden article. The potato article has some good, common sense information.
These folks are far more "green" than I am, but the information they provided in this issue at least, will be helpful in printed form for me to keep as a source.
My clothesline broke today while it was full of the last of the bed linens from the Christmas full house. Thankfully, there was still snow on the ground to keep them clean. They were still frozen, so that helped, too. I am so tired of my clotheslines breaking! Mine only last a couple of years. I have bought cotton ones, but maybe it's time to find something more sturdy. My neighbor has plastic covered wire ones, but (maybe it's just me) there is something about them that I just can't get used to. Do I need an attitude adjustment?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
It is nice to see the sun here today!
Blessings!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Spring and Summer Arrive at the End of December...Along With the 1040 Form
The last day of December brought color to the mailbox, even if it also brought the tax forms. My first seed catalog of the season: Johnny's Selected Seeds. They say they have varieties for Northern gardeners, but most of their seeds, I believe, are pretty adaptable. The descriptions are very helpful. I have ordered from Johnny's for several years. I like their variety. The catalog is very helpful, too, with gardening and planting tips for each flower or vegetable. Last year I tried edemame for the first time...it was wonderful. I called Johnny's with some questions and they were very helpful (and they didn't think I was dumb...at least they didn't act like it).
I have been looking forward to this since I tilled the garden for the winter. My garden needs to be better organized. While I think that I remember where everything was last spring, I am not always sure. It would also be helpful if I get things written down...what I ordered, how much, and from where. I bought a recipe box to keep things in there as a file, but it is just sitting. So, I am determined to be a better organized gardener.
The hope is that we can make the garden a bit bigger again this year. I have not grown sweet corn since we moved here, so I would like to have a plot just for the corn. Carrots are also a possibility to add to the garden. My husband and I have also considered sweet potatoes. He and I just love them and since I can now can them, it takes the worry out of storage. I just need more room! When the kids were home they found it amusing that the garden is about the same size or bigger than when all three of them were home!
I need to spend some time on line checking out sites that may be helpful in garden planning. I'll get back to ya on that one.
On another topic...our potential pastor arrives today to candidate. There is a dessert reception tonight, a big tureen (covered-dish) dinner tomorrow and then he preaches on Sunday. The excitement within the church is wonderful! Our church family is so anxious to see what God has planned for us in the future. Our whole committee is excited and thrilled! God willing, the last step on Sunday will seal the deal. As I said in the past, I have had a front row seat to see God work in an amazing way, and I am indeed grateful.
I have been looking forward to this since I tilled the garden for the winter. My garden needs to be better organized. While I think that I remember where everything was last spring, I am not always sure. It would also be helpful if I get things written down...what I ordered, how much, and from where. I bought a recipe box to keep things in there as a file, but it is just sitting. So, I am determined to be a better organized gardener.
The hope is that we can make the garden a bit bigger again this year. I have not grown sweet corn since we moved here, so I would like to have a plot just for the corn. Carrots are also a possibility to add to the garden. My husband and I have also considered sweet potatoes. He and I just love them and since I can now can them, it takes the worry out of storage. I just need more room! When the kids were home they found it amusing that the garden is about the same size or bigger than when all three of them were home!
I need to spend some time on line checking out sites that may be helpful in garden planning. I'll get back to ya on that one.
On another topic...our potential pastor arrives today to candidate. There is a dessert reception tonight, a big tureen (covered-dish) dinner tomorrow and then he preaches on Sunday. The excitement within the church is wonderful! Our church family is so anxious to see what God has planned for us in the future. Our whole committee is excited and thrilled! God willing, the last step on Sunday will seal the deal. As I said in the past, I have had a front row seat to see God work in an amazing way, and I am indeed grateful.
Christmas Joy and Surprises
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
The holiday week has been one that has been full. Not only have I enjoyed the children and their families around the same table for more than one evening, but also family game night with the in-laws and visiting friends.
The night after Christmas we had all of the in-laws over for the traditional Game Night! All of us pitched together and brought what ended up being enough food for a small army (it was just supposed to be easy leftovers). The In-laws have no concept of a small meal. We played several games all evening. Everyone left about one a.m. Jon and Stephen and I stayed up until 2:30 playing Speed Scrabble. Had I known that the phone was going to ring at 5:30 a.m., I would have gone to bed much sooner.
Aaron called at 5:30 requesting that I meet them at the hospital to pick up little Daniel...their second baby was on the way. This little one was not expected until mid to late January. I sped--literally--off to meet them at the hospital. I could not imagine Aaron waiting with a tired toddler in the Birthing Suite and a wife that was in full blown labor. Providence would have it that I actually met them along a side street and followed them up to the parking lot. We traded car keys, and I took Daniel to our house. The phone rang later that morning with the news that Zachary Pierce was born at 7:30 weighing 7 pounds 1 ounce. Not bad for a little guy that was supposed to be early. (Just my opinion, but I don't think he was all that early when I saw his chipmunk cheeks!)
It was delightful to have Daniel with us for a couple of days and Aaron came and slept here, too. Poor Uncle Steve was gracious enough to give up his room for them and sleep in the Living Room. So our hearts and house were very full. Emily was a great help with meals and, even though we didn't get to visit like we had hoped, it was wonderful to have her here.
We learned, too, that my father-in-law, who is going on 91, has lung cancer that is not treatable. He has been struggling with 'stuff' for several months, but has been his usual stubborn self in getting treatment. We are now in the process of seeking what care is best for him. My mother-in-law, who has been trying valiantly to care for him at home, has finally determined that she cannot do this (thankfully) and is pleased with his new doctor and his current care.
My husband, at the very last minute, has decided to wait to retire until May. It seems that the State is not going to be replacing employees until then and he is reluctant to put his wonderful department members in a pinch because of him. I agree that this will work out best. These men have been great for him to work with and we hate so see their families suffer.
May you all have a rich and full New Year full of the realization of God's richest blessings.
O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence, in thy service to thy glory. Give me grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour, that I may not be one moment apart from thee, but may rely on thy Spirit to supply every thought, speak in every word, direct every step, prosper every work, build up every mote of faith, and give me a desire to show forth thy praise, testify thy love, advance thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year, with thee, O Father, as my harbour, thee, O Son, at my helm, thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt, my lamp burning, my ear open to thy calls, my heart full of love, my soul free.
Give me thy grace to sanctify me, thy comforts to cheer, thy wisdom to teach, thy right hand to guide, thy counsel to instruct, thy law to judge, thy presence to stabilize.
May thy fear be my awe, thy triumphs my joy.
from New Year in The Valley of Vision
The holiday week has been one that has been full. Not only have I enjoyed the children and their families around the same table for more than one evening, but also family game night with the in-laws and visiting friends.
The night after Christmas we had all of the in-laws over for the traditional Game Night! All of us pitched together and brought what ended up being enough food for a small army (it was just supposed to be easy leftovers). The In-laws have no concept of a small meal. We played several games all evening. Everyone left about one a.m. Jon and Stephen and I stayed up until 2:30 playing Speed Scrabble. Had I known that the phone was going to ring at 5:30 a.m., I would have gone to bed much sooner.
Aaron called at 5:30 requesting that I meet them at the hospital to pick up little Daniel...their second baby was on the way. This little one was not expected until mid to late January. I sped--literally--off to meet them at the hospital. I could not imagine Aaron waiting with a tired toddler in the Birthing Suite and a wife that was in full blown labor. Providence would have it that I actually met them along a side street and followed them up to the parking lot. We traded car keys, and I took Daniel to our house. The phone rang later that morning with the news that Zachary Pierce was born at 7:30 weighing 7 pounds 1 ounce. Not bad for a little guy that was supposed to be early. (Just my opinion, but I don't think he was all that early when I saw his chipmunk cheeks!)
It was delightful to have Daniel with us for a couple of days and Aaron came and slept here, too. Poor Uncle Steve was gracious enough to give up his room for them and sleep in the Living Room. So our hearts and house were very full. Emily was a great help with meals and, even though we didn't get to visit like we had hoped, it was wonderful to have her here.
We learned, too, that my father-in-law, who is going on 91, has lung cancer that is not treatable. He has been struggling with 'stuff' for several months, but has been his usual stubborn self in getting treatment. We are now in the process of seeking what care is best for him. My mother-in-law, who has been trying valiantly to care for him at home, has finally determined that she cannot do this (thankfully) and is pleased with his new doctor and his current care.
My husband, at the very last minute, has decided to wait to retire until May. It seems that the State is not going to be replacing employees until then and he is reluctant to put his wonderful department members in a pinch because of him. I agree that this will work out best. These men have been great for him to work with and we hate so see their families suffer.
May you all have a rich and full New Year full of the realization of God's richest blessings.
O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence, in thy service to thy glory. Give me grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour, that I may not be one moment apart from thee, but may rely on thy Spirit to supply every thought, speak in every word, direct every step, prosper every work, build up every mote of faith, and give me a desire to show forth thy praise, testify thy love, advance thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year, with thee, O Father, as my harbour, thee, O Son, at my helm, thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt, my lamp burning, my ear open to thy calls, my heart full of love, my soul free.
Give me thy grace to sanctify me, thy comforts to cheer, thy wisdom to teach, thy right hand to guide, thy counsel to instruct, thy law to judge, thy presence to stabilize.
May thy fear be my awe, thy triumphs my joy.
from New Year in The Valley of Vision
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