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

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

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

Flowers

This lily has had a rough beginning. In early spring, it was trampled and broken by a big footed pup. It seems to have survived nicely though. I have waited all spring to see what it would look like. I think it looks pretty next to the purple flowers. I most definitely will have to separate some of these flowers next year. The bed is extremely crowded. Yesterday was a busy day. The girls and I cleaned out both of the big freezers-making room for this year’s harvest. This took a major portion of the day. Then I helped Hubby by mowing some before he came in from work. For supper, I used some of the pork tenderloin I had cooked the day before. I like to cook a large amount of meat at one time and then use it in different dishes for another meal. So I put the tenderloin in the oven with some potatoes and roasted them. We also had corn on the cob from our freezer, biscuits with butter and homemade blackberry jam for dessert. Today is starting out to be a beautiful day here is Floyd. Lots of sunshine. Tomorrow our church is doing a horseshoe tournament down by the river. We will play horseshoes, eat lots of good food, listen to good music and in general have a great time. It amazes me some people think Christian life is boring. We have a blast at my church! We are small in number but we do lots of things together. We are family. I will try to get some pictures to post of our activities. This is the first year we have done this and we are hoping many will come. Baby Sam and Mom are still doing good. Daniel says he loves his baby brother. Thanks so much for your prayers. I hope to go down to see them soon and get more pictures. Take care and God bless.

June 11, 2010 1

Garden

Here are just a few shots of our garden. We hope to soon enjoy squash as you can see the bloom on it. This one tomato plant will be an early one. The others are not near as big. Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Floyd. Hubby and I finished getting the garden out. We planted a few more tomatoes and beans and corn.

Later in the evening we got a good rain. I guess God knew our seeds needed a drink. The girls and I are working on cleaning the house today and washing clothes. My house is a little behind as we have been doing up the beef. Our total is 80 quarts of canned beef and 88 bags of hamburger. Pretty good I think. Tomorrow is bible study day. We are studying I Corinthians. Little Samuel will be here in 4 more days. Unless he decides to come before then. We all can hardly wait to see him and hold him. God is good! Also hopefully David will have my computer back in operation soon. I really miss it. It’s sometimes hard for me and Hubby to coordinate on one computer. His free time is usually my free time too. Well, my time is up. The wringer is calling my name. Take care and God bless.

June 3, 2010 3

Fishing Day

I thought this was just the cutest picture. This little girl was so intent on her fishing pole. Look close you can see her little bare toes sticking out from under her dress. You can also notice her hair is wet. She sat on this drain pipe through a little shower we had. She did not want to give up her spot. I heard we had over 100 people there Saturday. I think they said about 300 lbs. of trout were caught. The kids had a great time. Lots of fun and fellowship. Afterward, we went shopping for a few things. Hubby needed to replenish some of his electrical supplies. Yesterday was church, went into town to pick up some ink for the printer. When we got home, I made some baked beans to take to Sunday Evening Class. Then we worked some on our homework. Sunday Night’s menu was pigs in the blanket, baked beans, chips and homemade dip, a pasta dish, coleslaw. For dessert peach pie, ice cream and a dessert that Becky makes that I forgot the name of. (Happens as I get older) Temperatures have been cool here with quite a lot of rain. We haven’t gotten all of our garden planted because it has just been too wet. Hopefully this week we will get it finished. I am, of course, washing clothes today. Lots of clothes! I guess they will have to be dried inside as it looks like the sun will not shine today. Tomorrow the girls and I are going down to Jessica’s to watch Daniel while she goes for an ultra sound. Samuel is just about ready to be here. Just a couple more weeks, maybe sooner. Pray for a healthy and easy delivery for him and for her. I better get busy. Take care and God bless.

May 24, 2010 3

Butterfly

I took these pictures the other day when we were cutting wood. This butterfly is especially for Jess.

This is the view from where we were cutting the wood.

A picture of a fire pink. There were lots of these blooming in the wooded area.

There is a little trial you can walk that circles around. This is the beginning of the wooded part of the trial.

About 1 second after I took this picture, a squirrel came running down this trial straight toward me. I was not fast enough with the camera to get a picture. I am experiencing technical difficulties with my computer. My technical support team (Dave) says it is my hard drive. For now, I am using Hubby’s computer. For all the people whose blog I read and comment on, there may be a season of silence. I have them on my computer in my favorites list and I do not know how to transfer them. Dave will fix all this in due time. I hope to learn how to post pictures on this computer. Pray for me as you all know I am not very technical. This is my fourth attempt to post this. The pictures were already loaded from my old computer yesterday before it said goodbye. Well, enough of all that. Tonight’s menu at church will be hot dogs with homemade chili, slaw, chips, salad and some kind of dessert (unknown as of yet). Lunch today was beef roast in the crock pot, potatoes cooked in butter, home canned green beans, and watermelon for dessert. I guess I better get started on my study for tonight. Take care and God bless.

May 16, 2010 1