Time

(Photo by Eli taken through a knothole in the barn)

"We all have 24 hours put into our spending account each and every day. What we do with that time is in our hands! Will we be faithful? Will we use it wisely? Will we make it count for eternity? Will we use our gift to the fullest? Will we use our gift for what really counts?

If we want to live a life of balance, we must guard this precious gift! We must measure our time as one of our greatest resources we have to invest in this life! This requires that we go back to our precious Giver and seek HIM for how we can most faithfully invest each moment! We must let Him be the Lord of our schedule, our to-do's, our calendar. We must commit our way - ALL OF OUR WAY - to Him from our work to our studies that we pursue to our commitments to our books that we read to the activities that we participate."

-- From "Homeschooling the Easy Way! - Reprint Book - Volume Two" by Cindy Rushton

Birds & Blueberries

(Photo by Eli)

Not only did Eli and I find blueberries in our blueberry patch the other evening, we also found this bird's nest. The nest contained four birds - the funny thing is that one of the birds was as big as the other three put together! After realizing it was also a different kind of bird, we figured that it was probably a cow bird baby as cow birds are lazy mothers who will actually lay their eggs in another bird's nest to be hatched and raised.


















Last summer my sister-in-law used some of our fresh blueberries to make a Peach & Blueberry Cobbler for us. Using some of the berries that Eli and I picked, I adapted the recipe a bit and used nectarines instead of peaches - delicious!

Nectarine & Blueberry Cobbler

Combine the following in a saucepan, cook over medium heat and allow to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
1/4 C. water
1 tabl. cornstarch
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. brown sugar
(Next time I'm going to lessen the sugar amounts a bit as it was pretty sweet.)

Remove from heat and stir in 1 tabl. lemon juice, 2 C. sliced nectarines (or peaches) and 1 C. blueberries. Place this mixture in a 2 qt. baking dish.

Mix together 1 C. flour, 1/2 C. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add 1/2 C. milk and 1/4 C. soft butter. Stir well and spoon over fruit mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with milk or whipped cream or ice cream or all of the above!

Writing Books For God

(Photo by Eli)

"A talented woman was asked by a friend, "Why have you never written a book?"
"I am writing two" was the quiet reply. "I have been engaged on one for ten years, the other five."
"You surprise me!" the friend said. "What profound works they must be!"
"It doth not yet appear what they shall be," said the woman, "but when He makes up His jewels, my great ambition is to find them there."
"Your children?"
"Yes, my two children. They are my life's work.""

-- From "The Shaping of a Christian Family - How My Parents Nurtured My Faith" by Elisabeth Elliot

Tea at Seven Oaks

The seasonally-dressed front porch of The Seven Oaks Tea Room -














My sister-in-law was given a gift certificate to this local tea room by her husband for her birthday. She invited her sisters, mother and sisters-in-law to evening tea at Seven Oaks last night.














We enjoyed a delicious Evening Time Tea of:
* Blueberry Scones with Devonshire Cream
* Mixed Greens with Buttermilk Avocado Dressing
* Orzo Soup with Escarole and Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
* Cottage Cheese Biscuit with Country Ham and Honey Butter, Grilled Cheddar Cheese Tea Sandwich with Escarole and Fig Preserves, and a Spinach Phyllo Cup of Egg Salad
* Fruit Plate of fresh grapes, orange slices and golden kiwi
* Daisy Anne Dessert - a shortcake cup filled with lemon curd and garnished with strawberries
* Blueberry Tea

One of the Girls

(Photo by Eli)

A Jar of Beauty

One of my favorite hostess gifts to give is a wide-mouth canning jar filled with flowers from the garden or store - sometimes with a ribbon around the middle, sometimes without. This lovely arrangement was given to me by a friend I saw yesterday that's filled with flowers from her gardens. It sure makes the kitchen where it now sits brighter -

Home

"Home - it's such a beautiful word! It's the center of our lives, the place that holds us with invisible strings of love within its walls. Home is the place where the delectable smells and tastes of "my favorite food" linger; where the comfort and beauty of "my room" and "my bed" can be enjoyed; where "my dreams" are inspired and begin to grow; where bedtime routines, prayers, and blessings give comfort; where the intimacy of deep relationships - unconditional love, grace, forgiveness, encouragement, unselfishness, laughter, and memories - is shared with people who have made us a priority in their lives. It's where appetites for favorite music, movies, books, games, art, and traditions are shaped from infancy on up.

Home is a haven from a world that is swimming with challenges and difficulty. It is a school where one learns how precious life is intended to be. It provides the context of learning to know and love my Creator, the beauty of the world he made, and his Word, which guides me. And it is the environment where direction and purpose and values are passed from generation to generation, protecting and preserving all that is precious in life.

The task of building our home into places of beauty and life that will feed the hearts, souls, and minds of our children is the most comprehensive task to which God has called us as mothers. We are called quite literally to be "home makers" - to plan and shape a home environment that provides our families with both a safe resting place and a launching pad for everything they do in the world."

-- From "The Mission of Motherhood - Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity" by Sally Clarkson

Puddin'

Every summer my grandfather, sister and I would set out into the woods behind our home to pick wild raspberries. After we had a few buckets full, we presented them to my grandmother who would turn them into raspberry puddin'. I always loved (and still do!) how the puddin' turns the milk we pour over it a lovely shade of lavendar. In my grandmother's recipe below, you'll see that the puddin' can be made with raspberries or cherries which is pictured above - I made raspberry last week. : )

Raspberry or Cherry Puddin'
1 egg
3/4 C. sugar
1 tabl. melted butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 C. sour milk (make sour milk by placing 1 tabl. of vinegar in your 1 C. measure and adding enough milk to make 1 cup)
2 C. flour
Beat egg and then add sugar. Mix well and stir in melted butter. Dissolve baking soda in the sour milk, then add milk to batter alternating with flour. Fold in 1 qt. of raspberries or pitted cherries. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350. (You don't need to use a mixer for this recipe - just beat it up by hand.)

How to Stay Out of the Lion's Mouth

(Photo by Eli)

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

-- II Peter 5:8-11

I was nearly killed when the lion tried to devour me. But God pulled me from the mouth of the lion and tended to my wounds.

How not to be eaten again?

* vs. 8 - Be sober/be vigilant - PAY ATTENTION! Remember that the roaring lion is not a little pussycat to be played with. He seeks to devour me. My heart and mind need to be focused and looking for Truth, sorting out lies.

* vs. 9 - Resist him - Turn from evil quickly. Don't entertain the snake/lion even for a moment (Genesis 3). DON'T PLAY WITH SIN!

* vs. 9 - Remain steadfast in the faith - Stay near Christ, close to the Word, prayer/reading/studying/memorizing faithfully and diligently every day for my own protecton. It's SO much easier to sin if I am not diligent in this!

* vs. 10 - Remember that the God of all grace is far mightier than the roaring lion. God has Satan on a leash. Trust in God's strength/peace/provision/protection. Remember that God WILL help me - I can't do it on my own strength but must walk in obedience to Him.

Abba, help me to be sober, resistant, and steadfast. Help me to remember Your great might, strength and wisdom. Help me to stay out of the lion's mouth.

Protecting Our Sons

"The devil does not have to defeat us to steal our boys. All he has to do is distract us from protecting our sons.

If a police officer came to your door and warned you that your neighbor's boys had just been mugged and then murdered, you would be on the lookout for anything that might let that enemy in your home or near your loved ones.

God warns in His Word that there is an enemy after us, and he is out to steal, kill, and destroy us and our boys. If we are not careful, we will aid him in his mission. This is too often accomplished through what we allow our sons to read, watch, and listen to.

The devil uses many venues to destroy boys' minds, morals, and manhood. The more mindless entertainment they take in, the less capable they are of distinguishing right from wrong and good from evil.

Can you imagine sending soldiers into battle unarmed? They would be the laughingstock of the military and decimated by their enemies.

Our homes need to be places of refuge where our sons can find peace for their young minds, protection for their hearts, and training to prepare them for the mental and physical battles they will have to fight every time they exit our homes. Consider these years their training ground for the giants they will fight to protect their own families someday."

-- From "Preparing Him for the Other Woman - A Mother's Guide to Raising Her Son to Love a Wife and Lead a Family" by Sheri Rose Shepherd

Corning Museum of Glass

One of the places we visited while away was the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. If you are ever in the vicinity of Corning, make sure to drop in and enjoy this art, science and history musuem combined! There are hallways of glass sculptures, galleries of ancient glass artifacts and a big area of hands-on science exhibits. We enjoyed various demonstrations and shows involving glassblowing, the science of glass and how different types of glass break. Who knew glass could be so interesting?! Visit www.cmog.org for more info.

Raspberries

We picked the first raspberries this morning. This bowlful is destined to become our supper for the evening - raspberry shortcake . . .