MerryHeartCrafts.comMountain Momma… Country Living

Every Christmas Eve our church has a candlelight service.  I wanted to show you all how beautiful it is but the pictures just didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped.   We light all our oil lamps and they serve as our lighting for the service.  We sing Christmas songs and the pastor reads the Christmas story.  Then we have communion. 

Next, we make a circle around the sanctuary and light our little hand held candle, sing a few more Christmas songs and leave.   It is always such a moving service reminding us of the TRUE reason we celebrate.  

Sunday morning, Hubby and I got up and enjoyed our morning coffee together as usual.  Then the girls got up, we opened our gifts, ate breakfast and got ready for church.  It was a very nice service.  We did not have Sunday School.  We came home, ate homemade soup.  I made it from the leftovers from Friday’s dinner.   Then we just relaxed the remainder of the day.  We didn’t have Sunday night church. 

We had planned on taking down the Christmas tree and all the decorations today but I think that will have to be another day.  It is raining pretty hard here and it is cold.  Temperature is 28 degrees with a fairly strong wind.  All our decorations are stored up in one of our buildings.  I’m not too big on carrying all that up in the cold rain.  Maybe tomorrow. 

Enjoy your day and God bless.

I think you can learn a lot about a man by his hands.  These hands say I work hard.  I am married.  I love to work the land.  I’m sure if I were a good writer I could write a story just from this picture.  This man loves the Lord.  Not only in word but in action.  We are very blessed to have him as our pastor.  Thank you Lord!

A picture of his grapes.  He has several different types of grapevines growing.  I forget what he told me the name of these were but they were very sweet and delicious.

The girls and I have been busy with beans.  We canned 11 quarts yesterday.  One of them broke in the canner so we only had 10 to add to the canning list.  I picked a gallon of blackberries this morning and we’ll can those later today.    We love to make blackberry dumplings and cobblers.  I also want to make salsa today.  I think we have enough tomatoes.  They are mostly yellow tomatoes so it will look a little different but hopefully taste just as good.  Maybe even better.  I know we have enough peppers. 

Sunday morning is our Sunday School breakfast.  Every year we have a big breakfast at Smartview Park-a small picnic area on the Blueridge Parkway.  After breakfast we do Sunday school.  Tom will proably have a message as well.  We love all our little get-togethers we have.  Our church is really big on fellowship and I am glad.  I think it is an important part of being a church family.  If I remember the camera I will try to take some pictures to show you all.

I guess I better get busy.  Take care and God bless.

I

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.

Today has been a busy day.  Rain and temperatures have fallen all day.  A good day for sewing.  I finished the Christmas lap quilt and had enough material left to make an apron.  I think they both look pretty good.  I hope to sell the quilt for $25.0o and aprons are $12.00.  I wish I had more seasonal material, fall & Christmas especially.  I also set up another quilt this evening but I think I’m done for today.   Tomorrow is church day and I need to do my Sunday School and Sunday Evening lessons.  I think for tomorrow night at church I will take potato soup.  These colder temperatures make me think of soup.   Have a good evening and God Bless.