Labor of Love..........

Today as I was in town, I picked up my son to bring him out to the farm as he had offered to help me with a couple spots that needed landscaping. We made a quick stop at Trader Joe's for some goodies for a BBQ lunch ...........after I paid, the cashier handed me this little potted rose!! It was the last

one and they had been

giving them away for "Customer Appreciation"!!

Made me one happy shopper!!
Isn't it gorgeous! It is in a nice metal pot too! Made me happy!! :)

This is one project my son helped with.....this is what we had before,

just dirt and weeds.

This is my son laboring in love..........
These are the stepping stones in the middle part, that is a rock in the middle with cement molded around it. The man who owned this property before us made them.

This is the end result!! My son's very own creation with what I had laying around. I saw these and realized it was something I "had right here in my hand".....what could I do with them? This is a spot from our deck stairs by the hot tub over to the grass, the rest of it will be something someday to create a small patio area. I think he did an awesome job!!!

Quiet Places.........

Do you have a quiet place of rest, a place where you or your family enjoys putting their feet up and savoring a quiet moment. I have always tried to make inviting spots around my home for my whole family. This is a porch swing that is shaded in the afternoon.....this is the kind of place that would encourage my children to grab a book and do some reading alone or perhaps all of us aloud....on a hot summer afternoon. Or it draws my husband and I to it's coolness on a hot evening for a little conversation. Or even just a place for me to grab a cup of tea and slow down for a bit......savor these moments, have places around your home that draw you and your family in for quiet times together.........they will make memories not soon forgotten.

I plan on spending some time there later today, to wind down, gather thoughts in a day that is rapidly becoming overwhelmed by sign ups for Prairie Camp....someone coming to see our house this Sunday, that is for sale, so has to be beyond clean.....wedding gift to make.......and needing to take one step, one moment at a time and allow for a moments rest.

Dinner Tonight.........

I really thought I was done blogging for today.....and then......I started putting together our dinner for tonight. Ok, you might find this disgusting, but I hope not....let your imagination sore as you consider an idea......Maybe some of you already do this sort of thing,

and that is great!

Whenever I have leftovers, first we may just eat them again, but then if there are still left overs, I cannot stand to throw food away, so I freeze it in ziplocs, doesn't matter what it is.

Just like today, in my freezer I found......

1. A bag of frozen chicken soup, might have had noodles in it, not sure, noodles pretty much disappear when frozen......Voila!.....chicken goop!

2. A small bag of BBQ Beans........just ad some Mexi flavors and Voila! Chicken and Beans!!

3. Corn tortillas, which I keep stocked up on in my freezer.

4. A bag of enchilada sauce (I had bought a gallon size can and split it into ziplocs, way cheaper this way, unless of course you make it from scratch, but nice to have some on hand for when you do not have time to do that).

Getting the idea??? :D

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas!!!

When I make enchiladas, I put some of the sauce in the bottom of the pan, then layer about 6 small tortillas, then spread the meat, beans and sometimes rice, a little more sauce......

Then layer more tortillas, sauce and cheese on top (You can also freeze grated cheese in smaller portions, which is also cheaper to buy big blocks and grate it yourself). Then bake it. Some have called this Enchilada Casserole.

My husband affectionately refers to this type of meal as "sink trap" casserole.....or soup.....or whatever.....believe me it does not sound very nice AT ALL....but he always loves it!!! :) I just believe in practicing "waste not want not" within reason of course and I love the concept "what do I have in my hand?"

Today I did both! :)

Preparedness, Farmgirls and such......

OK, this is a Farmgirl verse if I ever saw one............

".....so, watch the state of your flocks and your herds; then there will be lamb's wool enough for clothing, and goat's milk enough for food for all your household after the hay is harvested, and the new crop appears, and the mountain grasses are gathered in." Proverbs 27:24b-27

Sorry, just had to point that out........ :)

I love the idea of planning ahead and being prepared when it comes to being a woman at home. That is why I love canning and buying some foods in bulk and just having extra.

That way, in the winter you have food for your family, but also you have food to share if need be. If you run across someone who is out of work and needs help, you can send over some home canned goods and some of that flour you bought 50 pounds of and you have blessed someone. Or, not always likely to happen, but if you ever were caught in the middle of a disaster, flood, earthquake or anything.....again, you can help those who did not plan ahead.

Also, it is fun to think of Thanksgiving and Christmas during this season of putting up food. Special jams or jellies, those spicy pickles or sweet relish...........there are just so many things you can think about and get ahead on this time of year.

We will probably be touching on some of them over the next little bit here. I have some friends who want to know how to can, so I will share that with you. Trouble is here in Central Oregon, we have to search out our food. We cannot just run to the nearest stand to get it. Often for me, this has meant a trip over the mountain for the best prices........we will see, this year gas is high, so not sure where those best prices will be.

I am looking forward to getting together with others and preparing our pantries for the coming winter months. That makes me happy. :)

"A sensible man (woman) watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks and suffers the consequences."

Proverbs 27:12

A Very Nice Weekend...........

You drive down a quiet country lane and soon you come upon a sign and you know you are there

......awwwww......Firpoint!!
You park your car and report to the registration office to get signed in and appointed a cabin.
This is where we gather, usually for bonfires, but this time no fires, fire risk was high, but we gathered here just the same, for fellowship...................

for a great time of singing....................
and for awesome encouragement from God's word!!


This is the dining hall where they feed us.
This is the lodge, we actually got to have a room in there since we had no children with us!

Friends that live not far away came to camp so we could see each other.......

Becka here and her mom came

with us from Bend.......

This is Rose, this is not Rose's baby.... :) Rose was a cabin leader at the same time my oldest daughter Aimee was a cabin leader at Firpoint a few years ago. She is smiling a big "Hello" to Aimee!!

My friend Sue from Roseburg.....

Lights out at 11:00, so we used every minute we could til we had to be quiet!! :) Here we are playing Apples to Apples.....that is a pretty fun game.
Another restful, relaxing weekend with friends and my dear husband....enjoying God's wonderful creation all around us and then it was time to go home.


Our friends we took with us had never seen the Umpqua River....this is the North Umpqua....

Then we had a stop at Fall Creek Falls..........beautiful wayside stop...........

Then on home, and back to life as usual........but a bit rested.