My Yard Sale Find

On our way home from Grayson Highlands Saturday, we stopped at a yard sale. This is what I found. I know it needs some work but I got it at a really good price-$5.00. I figure my Hubby can do some repairs and it will look great. I need to find a belt for it. Hopefully, this will not be too hard to find.

This week is Bible School at church so things have been really busy. We have to leave around 6:15 P.M. and don’t get home until around 10:00. This makes for a long but fun evening. We start on Sunday and go through Thursday. The first night we had 11 kids, last night 19. As I have said before we are a small church-few in number but large in our love of the Lord.

Hubby has some days off this week, so he has started a project. We want to box in half of our back porch, move the washing machine and dryer in this new room. We also plan on putting a half bath in there too, as we only have one bathroom. All this means a really busy week here.

Time for lunch. Enjoy your day and God bless.

June 29, 2010 2

Grayson Highlands State Park

We had so much fun today! We went with our friends, the Horns, to this place called Grayson Highlands State Park. It was very beautiful there. This is one of the first places went.

Lots of old houses set up to walk through and look at.

An absolutely beautiful sky to enjoy.

A beautiful picnic area.

Then we begin our hike.

The temperature was at least 20 degrees cooler with a heavy wind. It actually felt like we were walking in air conditioning.

Here’s one of the main things we came to see. Wild ponies. We did not see very many but the few we did see definitely made the trip worthwhile. I had so many beautiful pictures of the scenery it was very difficult to choose what picture to post. I know this is a lot of pictures but I really could have put much more. Finally a happy crew ready to start the climb back down.

I pray your day was as nice as ours. Take care and God bless.

June 26, 2010 1

Yummy!

If I were making a list of things that make me happy, this would definitely be one of them. I feel so blessed when I go out in my garden and gather delicious food for my family to enjoy. I know it sounds kinda way out there but it is true. This evening’s supper will incorporate all these healthy veggies. I’m just not sure how yet. Maybe grilled chicken, grilled squash-I’m not sure but I know it will be good. Today has been busy. I’ve been trying to get some of the outside work done before it gets too hot. After seeing the big snake yesterday evening, Hubby immediately started weed-eating. I started mowing the yard. We got about half finished before it got to late. I finished mowing the yard early this morning. I have been washing clothes and getting them on the line to dry. They are probably already dry. It is hot here but we have a really great breeze so it’s not so bad (especially in the shade). I am going to work some more in the garden after lunch. I need to tie the tomatoes, get rid of some nasty potatoes bugs. It also needs to be weeded but I think I’ll save that for this evening. The girls have been busy inside doing housework. The ladies come tomorrow for bible study.

This is a picture of what we call the canning building. The bottom is our cellar and on top we store all our empty cans, our canners and all our canning supplies. When the girls were little, they started calling it the canning building and the name has just stuck.

Well, I think it’s time to get some lunch going. Enjoy your day and God bless.

June 24, 2010 1

Snake

We have lived here on the farm for 7 years. This is the first snake we have ever seen. There have been a few water snakes at the pond but never one close to the house. Now I know this is a black snake and many people think they are good to have around. I am not one of those people. The only good snake I have ever seen is a dead one. This snake was at the door to the canning building when Grace went to put the applesauce up. She came running down and Dad went to the rescue. Thanks Babe! I think this is probably the biggest snake I have ever seen. Now Shadow (our old dog) was resting in the shade when all this took place. I guess he knew Hubby could handle it.

The girls and I had fun at town today. No great deals to write about though. I saw a few dresses at Goodwill but nothing really caught our eyes. The girls used their chore money to purchase a new game for the Nintendo DS. They are really good about saving up their money to purchase things they want. We think it is better for them to work for things like that, then they appreciate them more. It teaches them how to manage their money, set goals and attain them. Good life lessons.

Enjoy your evening and God bless.

June 23, 2010 2

A Good Job

We were extremely impressed with the food strainer. It was super fast compared to the old food mill and had very little waste. We processed a bushel of apples in about 4 1/2 hours. We used both big canners. We got 12 qts and 24 pints. YUM! I have always used the hot water bath canner to process applesauce. However, I read in my Mennonite cookbook, they could be processed in the pressure canner. We tried that yesterday and it went very fast. 15 min. on 5 lb. pressure. Much faster than using a bath canner. Vicki and I had a great time and of course the kids had fun. It is so much more pleasant sharing canning with a friend. I am so thankful the Lord placed our families together. Good friends are sometimes hard to find and I consider Vicki one of the best.

The girls and I are planning a “girl day” out today. We are going into C-burg to run some errands. This will include Wal-Mart and Goodwill. Temperatures have been very warm here in Floyd. On the farm though, it isn’t near as bad as it is in town. We are usually a few degrees cooler. In the summer this is a plus, in the winter not so good. Thankfully, we have quite a few shade trees in the yard and that really helps.

Time for us to get ready to leave. Enjoy your day and God bless.

June 23, 2010 1

My Newest Helper

This is my new helper. I did not even know these existed. About 1 month ago, I was in our local farm supply store, and spotted one of these. All I have ever used are the old food mills. I have been told these are so much better than a food mill. I can’t wait to try it out. My friend Vicki and I will be making applesauce today out of early cooking apples. When we lived in Grundy, we had a June apple tree in our front yard. I sure do miss that tree. What they have up here has a little different taste than that one did, but they are still good. It is our favorite type of applesauce, so I hope to can a lot of it. Last year, apples were hard to find. We ran out of applesauce early in the winter and had to buy from the store. Not near as good as home canned. Guess I’ll get busy. Lots to do today but lots of fun too. Take care and God bless.

June 22, 2010 1

Boys

Ain’t they cute! We went down for a short visit Saturday. Not as long as we would have liked but still a good visit. Sam is growing so much already. He had really filled out. He seems to be a very content little boy. Daniel is busy drawing pictures for his mom. If you look close at his face you can see the “little boy” dirt streaks all over it. One of his favorite things to do Saturday was play in his little pool for a while, then get out and go play in the dirt and gravel pile. Pretty much all out fun in little boy world. Sunday was Ladies Day at church. This means the ladies have the entire service. We do everything. We decided since it was Father’s Day, we would say a few things about our Dads and how they had influenced our lives. It was a really nice service. Everyone did such a good job. Julie and Grace played the special music. Julie played “God’s Touch” and Grace played “God of our Fathers” and “Faith of our Fathers”. They both did a great job. Hard work and practice do produce results. Having a great teacher really helps too. Hubby and I make jerky yesterday from some of the hamburger meat we put up from the beef. We all really like jerky. It gets eat up pretty fast around here. After church we mostly just rested and enjoyed the day. No Sunday night study because it was Father’s Day. We won’t be meeting for several Sundays in the evenings. Next Sunday night, VBS will start and the next weekend is the 4th of July weekend. When we first started doing these studies, we all agreed not to meet on holiday weekends. Everyone is usually busy doing things with their families. I think I will be able to pick some more peas today. I have gathered a few more squash. I think I will cook a venison roast to go with them, maybe some homemade biscuits. Sounds good to me.

While we were down at Jessica’s we went to this little hardware store that is a Charlie’s soap outlet. I don’t know if any of you have heard of it or not, but it is a laundry soap that is made in Mayodan, NC. You can read about it on the internet. Well, Jess and I both bought some to try out. I am going to use it today and see how we like it. Time to go hang clothes out. I so enjoy hanging my clothes out on the line. It is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the sun. The birds always sing such beautiful praises to God while I’m out there and I get to be part of it. Thank you, Lord. Enjoy your day and God bless.

June 21, 2010 0

Enjoyment

Time to enjoy some of the fruits of our labor. Our first zucchini, our first squash, and our first peas. Delicious!! I think it is so exciting when the garden first starts coming in. I combined all these together with a few other ingredients and had a wonderful stir fry for supper last night. I am eating the remainder of it for lunch today. Today is ladies bible study day. We are on our third lesson. It is about being a true servant of God and how we can encourage our church leaders. I think it is a very interesting study. Many times in churches today, the members can’t encourage their leaders because they are too busy criticizing them. This lesson shows us ways to avoid that trap. The girls and I cleaned house yesterday, found some new kittens (which are adorable) and in general just enjoyed the day. Dale and his mom came by for a visit and to pick up his wood splitter. They came right when I was taking some homemade rolls out of the oven. It was so much fun to be able to share them. Hot and buttery. YUM! Food is so good when it’s shared.

Can you believe this is the baby geese? They are almost as big as mama and papa. It certainly has been entertaining to watch them grow. This morning as Hubby and I enjoyed our morning coffee together, there were lots of wildlife activity here on the farm. The geese were playing at the pond, a deer was grazing in the field straight in front of us, and a coyote was passing through on the ridge to our right. Some mornings we don’t see anything but cows and birds. Other times there are lots to watch. I so enjoy our morning time together. We think its worth getting up a little earlier for. The ladies will soon be here so I guess I better get ready. We are going to Jessica’s tomorrow. PawPaw has yet to see his new grandson. Take care and God bless.

June 18, 2010 1

Garden

It’s been a while since I posted pictures of our garden. It has really grown. Everything looks to be doing really well. You can’t tell it from the picture but the potatoes are beginning to bloom.

This is our beans and corn. We kinda got a late start on planting them but they look strong and healthy. Today is an absolutely beautiful day here in Floyd. Temperatures are in the lower 70’s with a nice breeze. It’s one of those days where it is hard to work inside. I would much rather be outside enjoying the day. Hopefully, later after our inside work is done. I plan on spending some quality time with my green swing.

This is the kind of space I always dreamed of having. It is one of the most peaceful places I know. I so much enjoy coming and sitting down in this swing. The Lord and I have had some of our best conversation here. I am so thankful to my hubby for making this swing for me and for helping me keep this area beautiful.

I wanted to show you all how the sun was glistening off the rows of corn. The corn stalks seem to be glowing. I thought it was very pretty. I guess I’d better get busy if I want to get my housework done today. After all, the green swing IS calling my name. Enjoy your day and God bless.

June 17, 2010 1

Horseshoe fun

Just a few pictures of the fun we had at our horseshoe pitch. We think we might do it again before summer is over. It was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful place down by the river, a great place to camp.

This is a picture of our pastor and his wife. I believe the Lord truly led him to our church. I have never known a pastor to fit in with a church like him and his wife do. I think they are truly dedicated to the Lord and want to serve Him.

One of our catawba trees. We have several in our yard. Right now we are enjoying our “summer snow”. When these trees bloom out and the bloom starts falling, it looks like it has snowed in our yard. Very pretty.

A better view of the blooms. We spent some time yesterday with our friends, the Horns. The kids had fun playing together. Vicki and I walked around her yard and garden. She has a beautiful garden this year. She has already picked peas from her garden. Hopefully, ours will be ready soon. We had a pretty good rain yesterday. The garden was needing a drink. However, the rain came while we were gone, so the clothes hanging on the line were soaked. I had to bring them in, spin them out again in the machine and then dry them inside. Oh well, things like that happen. I think it will be a nice day here today. Kinda hot for us but it is getting that time of year. Enjoy your day and God bless.

June 16, 2010 2