MerryHeartCrafts.comMountain Momma… Country Living

The field above our house has come to life.  Several new calves have been born.  They run and jump through the new grass.  They have so much fun and are such a joy to watch.  Today we worked outside most of the day,  picking up in the yard, getting the garden ready.  David, Jess, and Daniel came this afternoon.  We had hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.  Ate them outside at the picnic table.  The sun was shining brightly.  A beautiful day. 

The girls enjoyed some fishing time.  It was one of those days that I just thank the Lord I live where I do.  Clothes blowing dry in the wind.  The birds are singing so  beautiful.  Frogs peeping.  It makes me want to do all my work outside.  I even open my window just a little bit at night so the frogs can sing me to sleep.   Wonderful time of the year in Floyd.  It’s been a really hard winter but spring in sweet.  Just like life.   Sometimes life is hard but the Lord is good and brings us through to spring.  Well, I must go.  My baby boy is here.  Take care and God bless.

I could hardly wait to post these pictures!  The crocus are so bright and beautiful.  The rhubarb is coming up nicely.  I LOVE SPRING!  This has been a busy week for us.  All day Tuesday spent in Roanoke at the eye doctor.  Wednesday was a fun day spent with our friends, the Horns.  Today has been a beautiful day here.  Temperature around 60 degrees.  We can hardly believe it.  I hung our clothes out on the line-they will smell sooooo good!   I plan on having london broil on the grill tonight, probably home fries and corn on the cob (from our garden last year).  I purchased some strawberries at the store today.  I usually don’t do that this early in the season but they looked so good.  Strawberry Shortcake for dessert tonight.  We usually go down to Jessica’s in early May.  There is a” pick your own” strawberry patch.  We love it.  We try to pick a lot, freeze them for winter.  We also make lots of fresh strawberry jam.  YUM!  Anyway I have a praise.  My truck is fixed!!!!  Hubby and his brother worked until dark last night but we are back on the road.  I never imagined how much I would miss that old truck until I had to jiggle my schedule with Hubby’s.  One vehicle can be a little trying to say the least.  The girls and I don’t go a lot of places but it sure is nice to be able to go when we want to.   I guess I better get busy cooking supper, Hubby is looking in the pantry so he must be hungry.  Take care and God bless.

I did some research on how much it cost to run a dryer.   The info I got said  an average  of about 50 cents a load.  I wash about 10 loads a week which means if I hang them all outside I will be saving about $5.00 a week.  About $20.00 a month.  I like that.  I can do a lot with $20.00 extra dollars.  I just wanted to let you ladies know this information.  I thought it was very useful.  Enjoy your day and God bless.

What are beautiful sight!  The geese are back.  They look so pretty on the pond with the sun shining on them.  We heard our first frogs peeping Saturday night.  Spring is on its way.  I will be posting pictures this week of other signs of Spring.  I am sooooooooo glad.  Yesterday was a good day.  Pastor Tom had a good message, then we had a team leaders meeting afterward.  Our Sunday School Director retired and George accepted the position.  We really have no idea what his duties will be as of it but I’m sure we will learn as we go.  Last night’s menu at church included a hamburger casserole, baked beans, potato salad, pretzels and dip, a peach jello salad, and brownies.  I took something no one from church had ate before, pickled corn.  It was a success.   Most seemed to like it.  I guess its kinda like kraut, you either like it or you don’t, not much in- between ground.    Today will be school as usual.  Tomorrow both girls have eye doctor appointments.  We plan to leave early in the morning so as to do some shopping for shoes.  Recital is this Sunday.  I hope to hang clothes on the line today.  It  gives me an opportunity to be outside, plus saves us money.  Temperature is supposed to get in the upper 40’s today.  Things are drying up from all the melting snow.   It will soon be time to start preparing the garden for summer.  I get excited just thinking about all this.  Well it is time to begin working.  Take care and God bless.

I simply LOVE old school books.  Here are a few that I have collected over the years.  I learned to read with Dick and Jane and taught my girls with the same books.  They have such wonderful pictures.  The last picture is of two old books from my Dad’s childhood.  Inside the cover, there are the names of many of my aunts and uncles.  I suppose they just passed the books down.  Gotta love that.  We still do that here in this household.  Just pass them on.  These books have a very important place in my schoolroom/dining room, along with an old Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox.  The lunchbox is metal and still has the thermos in it.  It belonged to Jess.  Such happy memories. 

As you can tell, it was a much loved lunch box.  Lots of rain here last night.  Today has been overcast.  Temperature in the mid 40’s.  Not too bad.  Supper tonight will be pork tenderloin on the grill, fresh pineapple, home fries, home canned green beans and homemade biscuits.  For dessert we have some cinnamon rolls left over from the other day.  This will be served with cold mint tea.  Are you all hungry yet?  I am so I guess I better go get that grill going.  Take care and God bless.

I just love to see a sunrise or a sunset.  I think it comes from living in the mountains of southwest virginia.  Where I grew up, you never saw either one. Our house was in what we call a “holler” so the view was blocked by the mountains.  The sun would hit our yard about 11:00 and go down about 3:00.  I guess thats one of the reasons I love living here in Floyd.  In the summer, the sun is in our yard about 6:30 and leaves about 8:00.  Lots of sunshine, which I love.  This morning God put on another show for us to enjoy.  Thank you Lord!  School today as usual.  It is hard to concentrate on school now though.  We feel like we’re been let out of prison.  The temperatue is warm, the snow is almost gone, so of course everyone wants to be outside instead of in.  We try to mix a little of both so it doesn’t get to bad.  Jasper (young dog) had his first experience with a skunk last night.  Not very pleasant.  I tried a remedy one of the ladies from church told me about.  I sprayed him with Febreeze.  It actually helped quite a lot.  He still smells but not as bad. I don’t have to cook tonight, we are eating  at church.  Roast beef and potatoes with all the trimmings.  It has been a long time since we went to church on Wednesday night.  When the weather is bad, they call it off.   I am definitely looking forward to going tonight.  The girls are involved in TeamKids there at church.  They alternate Wednesdays doing childrens choir and handbells.  They really enjoy the handbells.  The adults are doing a Beth Moore study on the fruit of the spirit.  It has been a really good study so far, however we are pretty far behind because of the bad weather we’ve had this winter.   They have decided not to watch the video that goes with it, in order to hopefully get it finished in May.  Guess I better get ready to go.  Take care and God bless.

Today was spent running errands.  The girls had dentists appointments this morning.  We left home at 9:00 as it takes about an hour to get to Roanoke from here.    After their appointments, we spent some time in Lifeway.  I picked out several studies I think the ladies will enjoy doing.  Then we went to Toys R Us.  The girls wanted to look around.

  When the girls were younger, we always called Roanoke “big big town, Christiansburg was “big town” and Floyd (our town) was called “little town” .  So we came back, went to “little town” and picked up the wheat I had ordered.  It is called Prairie Gold.  It is a hard white spring wheat.  It can be used in all baking, from bread to cookies.  The price was $25.00 for a 50 lb. bag.  Pretty good price.  Tomorrow I hope to make cinnamon rolls to share with a friend on Thursday.  If I’m really industrious, maybe a loaf of bread too.  Our snow is melting more each day.  Temperature today was about 60 degrees.  I went out on my back porch and sat on my porch swing.  I love porch swings.  When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a porch swing and I have loved them ever since.  To me, nothing says relaxing more than a swing, so I have 1 porch swing and 2 yard swings.  All made for me by my loving Hubby.  The girls have had 2 tree swings since they were very small and still enjoy them.  I guess we’re just “a swingin” bunch.   Take care and God bless.

Yes, I know to many of you who know me, this only confirms the fact that sometimes I am a little crazy.  The sun is shining so brightly here today.  The birds are singing everywhere.  A slight breeze is blowing.  How could I resist hanging my cloths on the line.  Yes, I admit it was cold.  About 36 degrees.  My hands definitely were cold by the time I was finished, but don’t they look absolutely beautiful blowing in the breeze.  They are going to smell soooooooo good!  Spring is coming and it feels so wonderful.  Thank you Lord!  Take care and God bless.

Miss you, already!  We are back from our visit.  The weather was beautiful, 58 degrees when we left this afternoon.  Pretty nice here too, 45 degrees.  The sun is shining and lots of snow has melted.  We actually have a front yard now.  Our little man was sick this weekend.  He has the same thing Julie and Grace have had.  YUCKY!  However,  as we were playing in his toy room this weekend, he looked up at me and said “I love you, MawMaw”.  Well of course my heart melted.  I have tried since he began talking to get him to say that, and just like that he says it.  No prompting from me, nothing.  Just straight from his heart to mine.   Everything in God’s time.  That of course was the highlight of my trip.  We had lots of great food to eat, did some shopping.  I found the girls a dress for piano recital at Goodwill.  Could not find shoes though.  Hopefully we will find some before the recital.  It’s time for us to leave for church.  I just wanted to share with you all my sweet words from my special boy.  Take care and God bless.

My, what a difference a few months can make.  Jasper was about 8 weeks old in this picture.  The other one was taken this morning.  I think he’s grown some, don’t you all?  He is drying off from a bath, waiting on the girls to break for lunch so he can play with them.  I am not sure how this happened.  I’ve never cared for animals in the house.  We now have 2 full time cats inside and 1 part time dog. 

I used to be so strong.  Oh well, it’s not too bad.  The girls really enjoy them being in.  Cold here today.  The wind is blowing pretty hard.  The fire went out last night and when I tried to build a new fire this morning, the smoke was terrible.  I eventually just took the wood out of the stove and left it alone.  I would rather be a little cool than have to deal with all that smoke.  We have the gas logs on so its not too cold.  Hopefully, we will do bible study tomorrow.  I am very excited to begin this study.  Esther is such an exciting book to study and I’m sure Beth Moore will bring out things I would never think about.  We are hopefully going down to Jessica’s this weekend.  I want to do some girl stuff.  The town she lives in has an excellent Goodwill Store.  I love shopping at Goodwill!  I guess I just love thrift store shopping in general, yard sales, consignment sales, etc.  Good deals at good prices.  Well, lunch break is over.  Time for school.  Enjoy your day and God bless.