Funtimes!!

I am off for a very fun

Saturday over the mountain

to the green, green

valley, leaving the

desert behind me

for a day. Pity. :)

YES!!!

I am happy to be going to the
Coburg Quilt Show. It is a lovely
small event that is very peaceful
and relaxing.

I am packing a Tea Party Picnic

lunch for my friend and I and taking

extra in case my friend

there, who usually has quilts

in the show, can join us!

I will be back with pictures!!

(I also took some pics

of my garden this

morning...I will

share my progress

there as well)

ENJOY YOUR

WEEKEND!!

In the Shop....

Some fun new "kitcheny" things

in my Etsy Shop today!!

Some "Dressy" Towels
A FUN vintage Hanky Apron

and a very "Happy" sign....

and there is more....

take a peek!! ;)

Summer Daze Tea on the Veranda

At the May Farm!

With the help of my wonderful husband, we have

created a "Tea Room" on our front porch....

Above he put a flower box on a piece of

lattice to block wind.....

Below I have added some tidbits to

make it homey and "tearoomish" :)

We are set and ready for our first

group of 8 ladies!!

And here they are..... celebrating two of the ladies
birthdays!!

That is tea on

the Veranda!!

So, I know I promised to be back Monday.

Again, it was computer issues.

I just now learned how to download

and resize and post

on my daughters computer.

My hubby is still working out

of town and has the laptop

which is what I am familiar with

...he was home last weekend,

but may be gone for more than a week,

almost two weeks this time.

Then they should be done.

There is rumor that he may go to

a job in C'ourdelaine, do you

know that is where

Mary Jane's new store is!!

Mary Janes Farm!!

Wouldn't that be fun?? I am sure

my darling daughter would

not mind tending the garden for

a couple days....hmmmm.

The Silent Blogger.....

Well, I am very sorry to

have been so silent!!

Life has just being going
and going at a very steady
and sometimes very fast pace.

But all that is behind me

now and I will get back to

being a good blogger

beginning Monday. I promise!!

For now a quick note for today,

in the next couple of days

I will share my pictures

from the Birthday Tea

we just had on the front porch

and then I am off for a

relaxing weekend at camp! :)

As I was reading
Proverbs 15 today,
I was taken in by verse 30.

My Living Bible reads:

"Pleasant sights and

good reports give

happiness and health."

I read the living Bible in the

morning as I am not always wide

awake and it is easy to

understand at that point

in my day. :) But once in awhile,

if a verse really stands out

to me and I really like it,

I will check it with another

translation to be sure I

have the real/full meaning.

My King James reads:

"The light of the eyes

rejoiceth the heart; and

a good report makes

the bones fat."

Well, the first does not

exactly mean the same as

"light of the eyes". I

looked up "light" in

the Strong's that is in

the back of this

Bible and the Hebrew

there means "brightness"

or "cheerfulness".

I also looked

up "fat". In the Hebrew

it means "to satisfy".

I LOVE that!!

That is telling me that

my brightness and

cheerfulness

affects my heart right

down to my bones!!

AND

That same bright cheerfulness

shining through

my eyes

can be satisfying

to other people!!

So, what a good word to

take to camp with me

this weekend

(and, well, every day:)

Be happy, be cheerful,

it is good for our health

and those around us!!

Hope you are enjoying your Summer Days!!

Be back soon with some pics....

Proverbs

Have you ever taken

Proverbs and read a

chapter a day?

You can read through

it in one month.

Especially fun with children,

to read the

Proverb for the day!!

We use to start our

school days like that.

But I still like doing

it myself. There is so

much practical wisdom

in Proverbs and advice on how

to behave in every situation...

I love it, no matter

what else I am reading or

studying I like to

read my Proverb

for the day.

Here are some of my

highlights for today...

from Proverbs 3

3- "Never forget to be

truthful and kind."

6 - "In everythiing you do,

put God first

and he will direct you and

crown your efforts with success."

18 - "Wisdom is a

tree of life

to those who eat her fruit;

happy is the man who

keeps on eating it."

21 - "Have two goals, wisdom -

that is knowing and doing right

and common sense.

Don't let them slip away!!.....

23 - they keep you safe from defeat

and disaster and from

stumbling off the trail"

Have a Blessed

Beautiful

Summer Day!!

Marriage, Children, Gardens, Sales and Fun Times!

Next Monday my husband

and I will celebrate

30 years of marriage!!

That is him on the right.

So, this week our last

baby at home is away.

She is visiting with

friends in Portland,

we miss her when she

is gone, we suddenly

have an empty nest! :(

But this week we decided to

make the best

of it.....we cannot

afford to do anything big

for our anniversary,

maybe we will go

out for a special dinner

but not even sure

if that is going to happen.

So, we have

been making every evening

special while we are alone.

We are both home working

all day, but at night

we make sure we

sit down to a meal

together on the porch

or somewhere cool and

refreshing and

special. It has been

nice to take that time

in the evening

to spend together.

So sorry, again, that I have

not posted for awhile.

I am a bit overwhelmed right

now. I have two weeks until

my first tea on

the porch and a week and

a half until the

sale I am in, I am

planting pots for the

tables at the camp

we have coming up

at our friends, I also

need to get a couple

freezer meals done for

them to feed the people

who come the week before

to help get ready for camp,

AND my husband leaves

for an out of town

job...need to have

some meals for him to take.

Yep, I'm tired and crazy.

So, every morning until

it is too hot I

have worked in my garden

just trying to catch up on

weeds and then spread bark

in the paths.

My garden needs to

look nice for the

tea ladies...my husband has

helped me finish a lovely

spot with an awning on

the front porch,

I will get pictures later.

Then every afternoon I come

in and try to make things

to sell, not getting very

far with that one. :(

(This is a tea towel bag I made for sale)

A fun thing we have coming up

is a camp we attend

not far from home just

a few miles from us.

Last year we had a

couple guys who did awesome

dramatizations. One was a

German soldier testimony the

other presented the gospel

in a drama, he works with

Michael and Debi Pearl's kids

back where they are from,

Tennesee, maybe. :/

It is an awesome time of

great speakers, great

food and fellowship and

some awesome fun

for younger people.

My husband made these

game tables for

camp last year, this

year they had him make

two shorter ones for

the kiddos...they are

really cute!!

We are looking

forward to camp.

So, for the next couple of

weeks I may not

post as often as I like,

but I will try.

I need to get pics of

my garden and porch!

Hope you are enjoying

your summer so far...

I think I will be able to

enjoy mine in a

couple weeks. :D

"Steady plodding

brings prosperity;..."

Proverbs 21:5

Listen to the Promptings....

Last night I covered up

my tomatoe plants in

my garden......

I am soooo glad I

listened to that little

prompting.....

We had a frost!!

Actually, typical here in

the high desert :(

But what I was thinking is.....

Have you learned to listen

to those little promptings

that are from God.

Sometimes it may seem

silly, like, I should grab

two of this food item,

not sure why, but that night

you have unexpected

company......and

God knew that!!

Or.....a little

prompting to call someone,

or stop by, and just

turns out they needed that!

Or a prompting to

"be quiet"

when everything in

you wants to speak out....

Listen to the promptings....

It is awesome to see God's little

every day miracles in our lives

and just to know

He is right there working

all along.

We have had some rain!!!!

One beautiful thing about

the rain is........

The Iris's are blooming!!!

We have lived here, going

on 11 years. These were planted

when we moved here, but we

did not have a well for some

time, so they never got watered.

Last year one or two

bloomed for the first time.

This year, because of

rain.....WOW!!!

My daughter, 23, who is still

living at home, spent some time

in England about a year

ago.....she actually loved

the rain there, so

She was out one day taking

these pictures in the rain. :)

We really had some downpours, making

pretty good size rivers through the

desert!!

It has mostly stopped,

just a little sprinkle

here and there.......

Has helped the flowers

and garden, and weeds...

so lot's of work to do.

My husband has had to work

out of town lately,

he has been gone all week,

he will be home

tomorrow and leave again Monday.

He has our laptop with

our pictures on it, so that is

why I have not posted

much this week. Then

decided to see what pics my

daughter might have that

I could use. :)

This week I finished

planting/transplanting

my garden. Have all

the transplants in

from my friend in the valley.

My daughter got the lawns

mowed between rains and now

we just have weeds to get a grip on.

We are busily preparing

for my husbands

homecoming and a special

Father's Day.

He has been gone so much, he just wants

to stay home, rather than go fishing or

something like that, so we will stay here.

All our children will come and we will

cook something on the fire and

have all his favorites...

potatoe salad, grammas

cabbage salad....

His favorite pie for holidays is Pecan....

His favorite cake for his birthday is

German Chocolate, his birthday is just

next month........so for

Father's Day, I am attempting

a German Chocolate

Pecan Pie!! With homemade

ice cream!! That will

make him smile. :)

God has been very good to bless our

family with a husband and Father that

loves the Lord and serves Him...

Loves us and takes good care of us....

He is working so hard right now just to

keep us afloat....

We are Blessed!!

Have a Blessed weekend, enjoy

it with your Family or

at least with the man

God Blessed you with!!

Think of something you

can do to make him smile....

Summertime......

What are your plans this summer??

My first plan is to get all

my garden going. Get all my starts

in the ground, the 9 tomatoe

plants a friend gave

me, some transplants sent home

with me from my trip.......

Then I just need to catch

up on weeds, it has been

raining, with thunder and

ightening and even hail!!!!

Very Crazy!!! But boy do

the weeds love it!!

After my garden is planted,
I will begin preparing for my

May Farm Cottage

Summer Daze Tea on the Veranda.

Every Tuesday and Thursday

through July and August,

Ladies can come have

tea on the porch.

So I am going to create a

"Tea Room"

at one end of the porch with

some fun finds from my trip. Had my

first call yesterday for a group

of 8-10 for a birthday celebration!

Then a lady I know is having an
"Upscale Yardsale"
in July.
She puts a pretty big ad in the
paper and it is not just a yard sale!

There are homemade items,

she has ladies serving

lemonade and cookies,

she has lovely

things on a clothesline, a

place to sit in the shade with

your refreshment,

several vendors as

well as we can bring our yardsale

stuff that is in good condition.

I have several things I want

to make, so that is in my plan.

Yummy Rhubarb Sauce....and I will

make some Strawberry and

Strawberry Rhubarb Jams.....

And, last big thing

of the summer,

well maybe not last

if I do an end

of summer tea in my

friends garden

.....but almost last

.......have not really

decided if I will do this.....

Prairie Day Camp!!

Yep!! Girls come for a

day camp, 3 or 4 days in

a row. First we

make bonnets and aprons

so they have them to wear,

then we do all

sorts of fun things,

from making candles

to embroidery......

Prairie stuff!!

Here they all are having

afternoon tea....

Ever seen girls have so much fun

washing dishes!?!

Sitting around doing handwork.......

Oh, yes, and in between

all that, I will be

busy keeping

the quail and such

out of the garden!!!

The girls love washing clothes in

the washtub with a washboard and

hanging them up to dry......

And just so you do not think I am a crazy woman......all these things just take a bit of initial organizing and then they are really very fun!! Also, my husband has not had much work and this is a little bit of income and a way I can help from home.

And, I do plan on having some nice breaks.....July is our 30th wedding anniversary and we plan to go somewhere nearby for a night or two.....On the Tuesdays and Thursdays that no one has called to reserve tea, I may have my own friends over for a time of relaxing and chatting......And, I do want to read this summer....in the shade......yes!! Not sure what I will read, nothing too intense, just something fun......

Some friends and I plan to go to the Coburg Quilt Show and take our own "Tea Party" picnic. We also have a fun local camp we attend that is very relaxing for me.....

And if I had small children around, which sadly I do not, I would have them by my side in the garden, they would help me make cookies and serve tea to the ladies, and of course they would enjoy Prairie Camp!!! And when it got too hot.....they would dip into their wading pool, while I cooled off in the hot tub which will be set on a low temperature......Enjoy your children this summer!! Keep them nearby, they will soon be grown, very soon.....

What are your summer plans???

Sunshine on a Rainy Day.....

I Love the sun shining into

the back room

between rain showers....

I am leaving town for a few days, so will not be on my computer until next week. Please come back......I have a short time after doing this tea and before I plant my garden to take a little break and visit some friends....AND get to go with my husband who is working out of town. Once I plant my garden, I will have to stick around and tend to it, which I do not mind one bit. So,I will be back.

Have a BLESSED week!!

A Jane Austen Tea

Here are our lovely girls
all dressed for a Regency
day.........

They practiced and

practiced and did a very

good job of dancing!

It was a very hot day,

so Iced Tea was on the menu......

Bath Buns!!

As Mrs. Elton recommended Bath for

Mr. Woodhouse's health.....

A Perfect Picnic Tray....

Beef pie....if you look closely....

Mrs. Jennings had one at her

Lawn Bowling Party

For Dessert.....Truffles and

Tarts, Mrs. Weston's

Far Too Rich Wedding Cake

and Strawberries from

Emma's outing....

Jane's writing desk.....

A bookmark to take home,

with a picture of Jane and

a quote from Jane. The

menu tied with a ribbon.

A very lovely day!!

Now...don't you just want to go plan

a Jane Tea Party for yourself!!

A Perfect Holiday..........

Memorial Day we took a BBQ

picnic to Suttle Lake.......

A wonderful time with

family and friends!!

Tea Time again.........

First I want to thank you all

who have commented....it means

alot to me and is helping me to

make the decision....if you do

not know what I am talking

about (LOL) see last post......

Yes!!!

It is time for another tea!!!

A Jane Austen Tea!!

We are having fun with all the

preparations, but that has kept

me very busy and have been

checking comments, but no time

to post....bear with me....

The girls have been great!! They are

practicing some Regency dances to

entertain the ladies at tea......

They will be busy helping set up

and they also serve for me, in

their own Regency dresses

of course!!

Aren't they lovely??

This is them at the Garden

Tea at the end of last summer....

This tea was at my friends house

out on her lawn in her backyard,

it was a perfect spot....

We have menus to make....

Name cards to make.....

Food to prepare.....

So, it is a busy week....

I will be back next week!!

Have a wonderful weekend...

Oh, and if you should

happen upon Mr. Darcy or

Mr. Knightley....

send them our way!!! *wink*

Ponderings......

I am sorry I have not been

here in over a week.......

Actually, I get on here and

become discouraged....

My purpose in doing a blog is to encourage

other women in their homes and

to give you a peek at what I do,

in hopes to encourage you.

Lately, however, I feel

like I am just

talking to myself :).....

If I am going to spend time

blogging, I want

to know it is doing some

good, otherwise

maybe I should not

take the time

to spend here.

Sring and Summer are becoming very

busy andI would love sharing what I

am doing, but is anyone listening??

I know people get busy and like just

checking blogs and not commenting....

I do it all the time. :)

But if you are out there,

and you are listening,

could you please leave

a quick comment just

to let me know.....

If there are even just a

few, I will continue,

but if not, maybe it is time

to reconsider.....

Thank You!!

And thank you for when you do take

time to leave a comment. Those of you

who do, have been and

encouragement to me!!

Independence Day Update....

The garden is calling me today.....so this

will be short and sweet! :D

Plant Something: I have had many

packages of seeds sitting around for years!!

This year I finally got

them scattered into egg carton lids just to

see if any of them are any good. LOL. Some

are VERY old....I just could not bare throwing

out a seed if it was good. Also I have green beans

and hollyhocks sprouting that I planted.

I also planted cucumbers, zucchini and

spaghetti squash all indoors, too early

for outdoors....

Harvest Something: Sadly

not this week. My good intnetions were

to take a bouquet of herbs to my son's

on Mothers Day....but I forgot!! :(

Preserve Something: Not this week.

Reduce Waste: Reclaimed this

thrifted basket that was broken, fixed

it with bows and am now using it for my

sewing basket...works great!

Preparation and Storage: Starting

over with our baby chickens.....

preparing to have eggs!

Community: Our community does

not really have a food storage system....but

we do have a couple of shelters. This week

made cornbread and cookies to send for the meal.

Eat the food: Eating our pickles,

applesauce, peach butter, giving away

jam and fruit butters....using my

sourdough starter for pancakes

and biscuits. I think just about

every meal last week came from

our food storage.

Have a Wonderful Mother's Day Weekend!!

Before I was a Mother, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mother, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mother, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mother, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him/her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mother.

Before I was a Mother, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mother, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mother. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mother.

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life....

Blessings to you all this Mother's Day!!

Pantry Homework

There is just soooo much going on this week.

Some fun projects in Blogland. :)

Shan over at Honey Hill Farm is

doing a series on deepening your

pantry and cooking from it. Something I have done in

the past, but I love her approach and am going to

go through her steps to regroup some of what I

have done......check it out!!

homesteadblogger.com/HoneyHillFarm/

Look around while your there,

I love her blog.

Independence Day Update #1

Thought I would join in on the fun over at Sharon's blog...

Casaubon's Book. She tells all about it, check it

out at sharonastyk.com

Here is my update....

Planted Something:

Inside have planted cabbage, broccoli,

cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, various herbs,

squashes, cucumbers, beans, hollyhock, ......

Outside have planted lettuce, carrots, spinach, onions,

potatoes, radishes, beets, kale.....

Harvest Something:

Too early, but we did eat the cabbage sprouts that

I thinned out. They were really good on a baked

potatoe with cheese for lunch!

Reduce Waste:

Used old newspapers to make pots, also used some

egg cartons and toilet paper rolls.

Preparation & Storage:

Have been organizing my canning pantry and working

on a years food supply. Lately have been canning beans.

Did Boston Baked Beans and have done

some Pork and Beans ......

Community:

We serve dinner at the Shepherds House

once a week. That is our local mission. Last week I

made pasta, vegetarian spaghetti sauce and sent

cones for the ice cream.

Eat the Food:

I have been trying to use up some of what is in

my canning pantry. Eating the applesauce

and using up jam, alot of jam left. And....

we did eat sprouts........

Hope you will check out Sharon's blog and read what

the Independence Day Update is

all about!!

And....be sure to check here every Monday

for my Update!!

Extreme Makeover!!

Well, it has actually been a few years since we bought

this little basket at the Goodwill. It had broken hinges

and so the lid was never connected, if I took it anywhere,

I had to carry it under one arm......

And it remained quite a mess for some time.....
All it needed was the hinge to be fixed!
How hard is that?!?!?

I decided to use fabric....looped it through the
remaining wire that was left....

then through the whole for wire on the

lid to the basket.....

Tied a nice tight bow and there you have it!!
A basket makeover!!

Things fit well inside.....
even room for extra fabric for my project....

even room for some crocheting.....

and the yarn!

I usually keep more than one project in my

basket in case i get tired of working

on one .... I can change. :)

Boy, a basket makeover, a bucket makeover...

what will be next?!?!?

The weekend is here, so will not be around

for a couple days. Finishing up planting seeds

inside and going to finish some that

go outside. My wonderful hubby

put pvc hoops over my raised beds,

so I will be turning those into

little cold frames.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Spring, Canning, Organizing.....

This is our usual Spring/April weather here

on the High Desert........

This is exactly why gardening in the spring can

be very challenging here. But...know what?!?!?

My garden is surviving!! Yay!

But in the meantime, while we wait for warm

weather I keep doing some canning for my stockpile.

Bought a 25 pound bag of Navy Beans to can Navy Bean

Soup, Boston Baked Beans, Pork and Beans and

anything else I think of with Navy Beans.....

I found the recipes in the Ball Blue Book. The Pork

and Bean recipe uses tomatoe juice boiled with

onions and spices.....mmmmmm.....
That recipe only had you boil the beans for about

3 minutes, boil the juice and pour over beans

in jars and process.

The Boston Baked Beans had to cook 3 1/2 hours,

so I had those cooking in my roaster pan in the back

room while I canned the others. Then when they

were done, I processed them.

A pretty full day, but don't you just love the results

at the end of the day when you can sit back

and enjoy the fruits of your labor.....

Soooo, all this canning lead me to organize my

canning pantry which is outside in a shed. Something

that I probably should have done first. :D

So, how about a bit of sillyness....

Designer Buckets!! LOL.

Yep! Someone gave me some old wallpaper

books....I keep forgetting to use up any

of the wallpaper....

So, how about this, it only took minutes!
You need a small bucket, this is my dishwasher soap

bucket from Costco. (Once I have used up all this

store-bought stuff, I plan on making my own:)

I chose the wallpaper strips that are trims.......

how about apples for canning??
Cut it to fit around the bucket then slit it
up 3/4 of the way as the bucket is not
straight.......

and Voila!!
Designer Buckets!!

I put them in the bottom of my canning

pantry to keep my jar rings in......

What a great feeling to get an area organized. :D