This Was Not Supposed to Happen Today

What was I going to purchase this week? Well, this week is the homeschooling convention and that means school book time! We need about 8 bags of wood chips for around the raised garden beds that the girls have been working on. We are beginning to plan Caroline's 16th birthday party. The graduation parties are beginning.......... Father's Day..........Anniversary.........

Oh, but wait. What is that smell coming from the cellar? Something is burning? From the hot water tank! An exposed wired has burned the insulation and important components of the tank.



So look what we bought to celebrate Memorial Day........

Don't you love hot water!!

A Memorial Day Must Have

We are spending Memorial Day at a picnic hosted by a sister church in New York. This is a wonderful yearly reunion for our family. Last year I did not bring this dessert, Ritz Delight, and was told not to come back next year unless I brought it . I assume they were kidding but I do not want to take any chances. Aren't they ugly! For years I have been trying to make them look better, but looks don't keep them from being a big favorite. I think it is the sweet and salty taste combination.

Ritz Delight

1 cup chopped dates

1 can sweetened milk

1 cup chopped walnuts

Cook dates and milk until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add nuts. Cool slightly. Spread over individual Ritz crackers. (Do not use a cheaper version of this cracker. Believe me, it will not hold up.) Place on baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

Let cool completely then ice.

Icing:

3 oz. cream cheese- room temperature

1/4 cup margarine

2 cups confectionery sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Beat until smooth. Spread over Ritz crackers. Not necessary to refrigerate.

Devotional by Elizabeth Elliot

Stars in a Dark World
One of the letters the apostle Paul wrote from prison begs his friends to think and feel alike, to love, to have the "same turn of mind, and a common care for unity" (Phil 2:2 NEB). In such company there would be no room for rivalry or personal vanity. Each one would be thinking the others better, seeking to put their interests first.
Obedience, humility, cheerfulness ("Do all you have to do without complaint or wrangling") are rare in a warped and crooked world--nearly nonexistent, in fact, where each lives for his own ends. If a marriage counselor were to ask each partner, "What are your goals?" and the answer were "How can I best serve my husband or wife? What can I do to further his or her goals?" the counseling period would be over, the bill low. Any two people, any community of Christians who set themselves to look only to the other's interest would be a rare and radiant thing, shining, as Paul said, "like stars in a dark world" (Phil 2:15 NEB).
In that same sense, a Christian might well pray, "Lord, make me a star."

Star
of the letters the apostle Paul wrote from prison begs his friends to think and feel alike, to love, to have the "same turn of mind, and a common care for unity" (Phil 2:2 NEB). In such company there would be no room for rivalry or personal vanity. Each one would be thinking the others better, seeking to put their interests first.
Obedience, humility, cheerfulness ("Do all you have to do without complaint or wrangling") are rare in a warped and crooked world--nearly nonexistent, in fact, where each lives for his own ends. If a marriage counselor were to ask each partner, "What are your goals?" and the answer were "How can I best serve my husband or wife? What can I do to further his or her goals?" the counseling period would be over, the bill low. Any two people, any community of Christians who set themselves to look only to the other's interest would be a rare and radiant thing, shining, as Paul said, "like stars in a dark world" (Phil 2:15 NEB).
In that same sense, a Christian might well pray, "Lord, make me a star."

For those buying and selling houses......

A number of our family members are selling and buying houses. I wanted to send this along for their amusement. (from Girl Talk blog)

Your house as seen

In your eyes.......

Your buyer......

Your lender........

Your appraiser.........


Your assessor........

Simple Pleasures

'Tis the gift to be simple,

'tis a gift to be free,

'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

It will be in the valley of love and delight.

What a simple pleasure to have a family of chickadees living in a birdhouse just outside our dining room window. These friendly birds flutter in and out all day. I should mention that we do most of our school work in the dining room and these birds are a major distraction to a homeschooling family trying to finish up their school work for the year.

simple pleasures

Aren't They Pretty Mommy!!

It's been said....

The difference between children and adults is dandelions

After Mother's Day Deals

Don't you love after Mother's Day deals. ALDI'S had a buy one, get one free flower deal. Now mind you, some were hideous! What mother wants green ,baby carnations coupled with a giant, yellow mum? One of my favorite bloggers talked about her Mother's Day gift from the Texaco florist. Our ALDI'S florist can sometimes get things right with a simple bunch of white roses. Way to go ALDI'S! My anniversary is only a month away.

The Wheel in the Yard

Why is there a wheel in our yard? We're trying to attract storks of course! Abby and I read the delightful book, The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong. In the book, the children of a small, one-room schoolhouse in Holland try to figure out why storks no longer come to their village. The reason- no trees for the storks to build their nests in. The children's solution is to find a wheel to put on the roof of their schoolhouse where the birds can build a nest. Did it work? You'll have a read the book.

I wanted to put the wheel on top of our treehouse, but that was a little too silly for Abby.

No storks yet.

Sooo Cute- Flower Pin Cushions

These flower shaped pin cushions were so much fun to make. Abby is taking one to a birthday party today. The idea came from Tammy's Times

http://lovetocrochetandknit.blogspot.com/index.html

A Wonderful New Obsession

I have been spending time at websites that display pictures like this. Why? Because of my new interest in sewing, sewing notions, vintage material and the organization of this new-found interest. I blame this recent obsession on several people:

~ My daughter Caroline, who counts away the minutes of school until she can be free to do one of her many ongoing projects, including, but not limited to, sewing.

~ My sister Sherry, who counts away the minutes of school (she teaches) until summer comes and she can begin one of the sewing projects she has been dreaming about all year.

~My sister-in-law Lisa, who dreams of free time from work and motherhood to take sewing classes.

~My friend Linda, who is also our 4-H leader, who took on the head banging project of teaching us all how to read a pattern. This gave me just enough confidence to try a few things on my own. ~My aunt Mary Carolyn, who gave me a quilt that my great-grandmother made. This quilt needs some repair work, which I plan to attempt with a litte help from my friends. This quilt makes me so happy when I look at it. It gives me that warm feeling every quilt maker hopes their creation will inspire. So, I have decided that if I have a great-granddaughter some day, who will find this much delight in looking at a quilt I made, I've got to get moving.

Mothers the World Needs

Mothers the World Needs

Mothers with courage; mothers who pray,

These are the kind the world needs today.

Mothers who think, who study and plan;

Mothers who laugh as much as they can,

Having the gift that is better than money-

The habit of seeing that some things are funny.

Mothers whose faith never wavers or falters;

Mothers whose spirits the world never alters;

Loving the right and scorning the wrong;

Facing the problems of life with a song.

Mothers whose bravery transcends their fears;

Winning the battle with patience and tears;

Never submitting to weakness or sin-

Storming heaven's gates till the children are in.

Mothers heroic, not guilty of whining;

Hands graced with service and faces of shining.

Mothers of purity, virtue and faith,

Steadfast in life and triumphant in death;

Looking beyond the dark pathway of sorrow,

Seeking a home in God's joyous tomorrow,

Leading the children; pointing the way-

These are the mothers, the world needs today!

Kathryn Blackburn Peck

Frugal Tip- Family Passes

Frugal Friday Tip-
Family Passes
Our family of six usually has a year's family pass to one museum, zoo, or other educational attraction each year. The cost is usually the same amount of money as six general admission passes for one day. We plan many family outings around these passes during the year. This year took us to the Fennimore House and Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown, NY.

Today we viewed a wonderful Ansel Adams exhibit and enjoyed the permanent collection at the Fennimore House.







The Famer's Museum is now privileged to house a hand-carved carousel displaying the history and animals of New York state. Take a ride for $0.50. Then take a leisurely stroll through the 19th century village and see what you will learn.

One of the great advantages to a family pass is that you can go, spend an hour or two, and leave. You don't feel the pressure of spending the whole day to get your money's worth.

Mother/Daughter Bible Study

Today we hosted our bi-monthly mother/daughter Bible study. We are studying a book by Elizabeth George, A Young Woman's Walk With God. I was struck, once again today, at the privilege of being with a group of women and young ladies who desire to display the fruits of the spirit in their lives. Today's topic was goodness. The following quote is taken from the study guide:

The supreme test of goodness is not in the greater but in the smaller incidents of our character and practice; not what we are when standing in the searchlight of public scrutiny, but when we reach the firelight flicker of our homes; not what we are when some clarion-call rings through the air, summoning us to fight for life and liberty, but our attitude when we are called to sentry-duty in the grey morning, when the watch-fire is burning low.
~F.B. Meyer

What we served: White cake with orange jello glaze and whipped topping (refreshing!), zucchini-chocolate chip muffins, vegetables with humus dip

Drinks: Lemonade, cold green tea lemonade, coffee, tea

Happy Birthday Grandma!

My Grandma turns 88 years old today. She is a very busy lady right now. In less than two weeks she will be moving from WV to SC to be with my aunt. In the true pioneering spirit, she is packing up, having a house sale, and getting ready to load a moving van. (not a covered wagon) We love you Grandma.

We made a birthday cake in your honor. It was put on the glass cake server you gave me that was your mothers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Glorious Afternoon

Today we had a nearly perfect afternoon! Dinner was ready by lunchtime. We made our first of many trips to The Flower Barn. Abby had a nice afternoon playing with friends. AHHHH spring.

It's still risky in NY, but we planted some container flowers

Big sisters spent some time in the treehouse with little sister and her friends. Little kindnesses of the older children go a long way.

A bumble bee met an untimely demise in our dryer. He then became a science project for Tom and Abby.

The Porch Swing

It has not been easy to find a porch swing. I wasn't looking for anything fancy. Just an old-fashioned porch swing, not to put on the porch, but to hang under the girl's treehouse. Traveling back from WV last month, we stopped in Scranton, PA at a store called "The Country Store." There it was! Already finished and in just enough pieces that I could get it to NY. The problem was that the van was PACKED with stuff. Five traveling women take up a lot of space, not to mention all the wonderful little family heirlooms each of us was bringing home from my mother and grandmother's house. The man in the shipping department at the store was determined to get the swing in my van. He took the box apart and packed the various swing pieces in any free space he could find. He was very proud of his success as we happily continued up I-81 hoping not to find any more good deals along the way.

The problem- we need two swings. Someone is always sitting in it.

Happy 14th Birthday Lydia

Our Lydia Hope turned 14 on April 29th.

When Lydia was born, she had two sisters. Three daughters in three years! I had no idea, at that time, what a delight and a blessing my daughters would be to me (another one came along 6 years later).

Lydia is one of the most contented and pleasant people I know. She had a heart for the things of God at a young age and she still strives to please Him. She feels things very deeply, which is what probably made her our poet. She has written a poem for me that is a treasure that every mother dreams of receiving from her child.

We heard a talk/lecture from a mother and daughter which has prompted the girls to make this statement: "We've decided to skip being teenagers and be young ladies instead." Lydia is definately a young lady. I look forward with great anticipation to the years ahead as Lydia becomes the woman that God is molding now.

Happy birthday Lydia. We love you.

Lydia's Birthday meal:

Mexican Lasagna

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 Tbs. chili p0wder

1/4 tsp red pepper

1 tsp. salt and pepper

1 can (16oz.) chopped tomatoes

10-12 corn tortillas

2 cups small curd cottage cheese (drained)

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese with peppers

1 egg

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded lettuce

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

3 green onions

1/2 cup sliced black olives

Brown beef; drain; add spices and canned tomatoes. Heat through. Cover bottom and sides of 13x9 baking dish with tortillas. Pour beef mixture over tortillas; place a layer of tortillas over meat mixture; set aside. Combine cheese and egg; pour over tortilla. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinke with diagonal rows of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions and olives.

Serves 6-8 people