Lettuce in the Cutting Garden

We love salad! It is so good for us! This time of year, as it cools down, you can begin growing your own! It really takes very little space to grow. You just have to remember to water it if the weather is dry.

This is Romain. It's only about six inches tall. I started the seeds in plastic cups on August 11. I think it has had a pretty slow start.

This is Buttercrunch. It is doing pretty well. Replant your lettuce seed every three weeks for a steady crop throughout the cool months.

I remember my Grandma picking "greens" out of the yard and "wilting" them with hot bacon grease, and vinegar. Yum!

For wilting like Grandma did we use fresh spinach now, and sometimes even leaf lettuce. Both those types "wilt" nicely.

WILTED LETTUCE:

1-3 T Bacon grease
3 T cider vinegar
3 T brown sugar
Bring to a boil in a small saucepan, dissolving the sugar. Pour at once over the torn greens, spinach, or leaf lettuce. Add a little poppy seed if you like! (and maybe a few dried cranberries!)

I believe this is Black Seeded Simpson.

I planted some hollyhocks at the back of the planter. I might have gotten them in too late in order for them to be perennial.

Since we love lettuce salads so much, we have found some of our favorite toppings to be these:

cashews, raisins, crumbled bacon, cranberries, sunflowers, cheese ~ lots of cheese!
Are you hungry yet?

The Wash Basin at the Sugarfoot Festival

Most of the rural towns here in the south have some sort of fall festival. What a great tradition. They are wonderful events for families to attend together. Perhaps your town holds the same sort of festival.
The little town of Honea Path is about five miles from our home. Ashley and I decided we would like to participate in the festival they put on. Soooo ~ we took The Wash Basin to the craft fair!
What a lot of fun we had.



















My husband and the other country gentlemen loaded us up into "The Beast" (the name of my husbands old pick-up) and transported us and all our goodies to Honea Path. They set all our tables and "furnishings" up for us. We didn't have to do a thing but the decorating! (They take good care of us!)
Sawyer spent the morning with us, then went home for his nappie.
























We were rather pleasantly surprised to find the mayor open the festival with a word of prayer, giving God the glory for all His blessings! The Colors were displayed and the National Anthem was sung. It thrilled me!
A lot of blue grass gospel music was performed and one man even sang "How Great Thou Art" ~ acapella. I have to say, that it was good to know that God is still in the hearts of some of the people in this community.
When the love of God dies in a nation, the people have nothing left but a love of themselves ~ and despair. We see it everywhere, especially in the young people. I sincerely hope you know God~not just know about Him, but know Him on a personal level~intimately. If this is not the case for you, I encourage you to seek Him through His Book, the Bible. He has promised that "If you seek me, you shall find me, if you seek with all your heart".

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

by Charles Wesley

Jesus, Lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly,

While the nearer waters roll,

While the tempest still is high:

Hide me, O my Savior, hide,

Till the storm of life is past;

Safe into the haven guide;

O receive my soul at last!

Other refuge have I none;

Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;

Leave, ah! leave me not alone,

Still support and comfort me:

All my trust on Thee is stayed,

All my help from Thee I bring;

Cover my defenseless head

With the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;

More that all in Thee I find:

Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,

Heal the sick, and lead the blind.

Just and holy is Thy Name,

I am all unrighteousness;

False and full of sin I am,

Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,

Grace to cover all my sin;

Let the healing streams abound;

Make and keep me pure within.

Thou of life the Fountain art,

Freely let me take of Thee:

Spring Thou up within my heart,

Rise to all eternity.

May The Lord richly bless your Lord's Day as you set aside this day to worship Him alone.

Update on the Rose Garden

Planting roses here in the south is best done in the fall. The plants get a good start by developing their root systems while the weather is mild before going into dormancy. I ordered eight rose bushes this summer, and most of them arrived the first week of October, just like I requested. I ordered from a nursery in the state of Washington. I was very happy with their condition and overall health.

First, they boys dug HUGE holes. They had to be two feet deep and two feet wide. This was quite a feat since there was only three inches of topsoil before they hit red clay!

After the "dirt" was removed, a four inch layer of rabbit droppings was placed in the bottom of the hole. (Well aged manure was actually recommended, but rabbit waste is as good, but much milder.)

They then mixed one part peat with three parts good soil. One cup of bone meal was mixed in. Bone meal encourages root development. We found that our dogs can smell it a mile away, so we had to put the bag up out of their reach! They will also dig your plant up trying to find the "bone" in your hole!
The hole was well watered, partially filled with mix, then the little bushes were placed in the hole and the rest of the mix put in around it.
I so look forward to next summer when they start to bloom like the one below. This bush was already in place when we moved in. It is such a lovely plant. The flowers turn from medium pink to dark burgundy. I would love to know it's name.

God made such a lovely world for us to live in. How thankful I am that He made these beautiful flowers for US! I think He takes delight in admiring His handywork too! How we can marvel at their ability to point us to their Creator

Tea and Crumpets!

My Dad had a real dry sense of humor. He was a master of the metaphor. He had a name for everything. Being from the mid-west, he found common names just not imaginative enough for his tastes. For example, he called guns, "shooting irons". And he called a mid-afternoon snack, "Tea and Crumpet time"! And you always served "picky-nibbles" at these events.
I would like to share with you a wonderful "picky-nibble" receipt I found some years back in a cookbook called Perennials. I served it last night at our church fellowship. It went very nicely with all the sandwiches, although it is rather a lovely pastry.

AUSTRIA TWISTS

1. Combine in a bowl, and mix well:

3 C flour

1 package yeast

1 C butter, softened

2. Blend in the following:

3 egg yolks

8 ounces packages cream cheese, softened

3. Divide into four balls. Wrap each in waxed paper; refrigerate over night.

4. Roll each ball into a 1/4" circle the next day.

5. Spread the following over each circle:

1/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4C finely chopped nuts.

6. Cut each circle into 12-16 wedges. Roll each wedge toward small end.

7. Bake 350 or 18-20 minutes.

8. Remove and cool slightly. Drizzle glaze over warm pastries.

2 C confectioner's sugar

2 T cream

1 tsp. vanilla

YUM!

This is my favorite tea cup. It is marked "Bavaria Tirschenreuth" Theitilbury 4415
It is my favorite because the design is so very beautiful and feminine.

If you would like to see some more beautiful tea cups, go over to Lady Lydia.

A Hymn For The Lord's Day

I Am His, and He Is Mine

by George Wade Robinson 1838-1877

Loved with everlasting love

Led by grace that love to know:

Spirit, breathing from above,

Thou hast has taught me it is so!

Oh, this full and perfect peace!
Oh, this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,

I am His, and He is mine.

Heav'n above is softer blue,

Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in every hue

Christless eyes have never seen:

Birds with gladder songs o'er-flow,

Flow'rs with deeper beauties shine,

Since I know, as now I know,

I am His, and He is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms

cannot now disturb my rest;

Closed in everlasting arms,

Pillowed on the loving breast.

Oh, to lie forever here,

Doubt, and care, and self resign,

While He whispers in my ear,

I am His, and He is mine.

His forever, only His;

Who the Lord and me shall part?

Ah, with what a rest of bliss

Christ can fill the loving heart!

Heav'n and earth may fade and flee,

First-born light in gloom decline;

But while God and I shall be,

I am His, and He is mine.

My First Real Crochet Project

My dear Mother-in-Law, should be very pleased with me. I have finally learned how to crochet! I was so determined to learn this needle art! When you meet little crocheting ladies of the grand age of five who are old pros with the needle, well, you just have to catch up to them!
I'm working on a sweater for Sawyer. I just have the sleeves yet to crochet. I hope I get it done before cold weather hits.

Guess what's cooking tonight? Every one's favorite!

Macaroni and Cheese

16 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked

1 1/2 lb. process American cheese, cubed

8 ounces Swiss cheese, cubed (optional)

4 eggs

4 C milk
4 tsp. chicken bullion

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Melt the cheese into the macaroni. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well. Pour into a baking dish, (a 9x12 is just a little small) bake 30 minutes. YUMM!

Goes well with a big salad with all the good stuff! Add a side of steamed green beans with melted butter. Boy O Boy!

A View of the Cutting Garden

One of the things I wanted in my country home was to have a cutting garden. Do you remember in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth and Jane were out in the garden cutting fresh flowers for arrangements? I'm sure they had many sweet sisterly moments as they harvested beautiful blossoms while talking about the things close sisters talk about.
My boys cultivated my garden for me. They are not the visionaries that I am so it was hard for them to get very excited about this project, but they labored on it for me. They used a pick ax and shovel to remove the old hard clay and cart it off. Then they brought nice fresh, loose soil to replace the old. Sayre cares for his rabbits so well, and they produce wonderful fertilizer that do wonders for this soil.

My garden must have zinnias! This was the very first flower I ever grew ~ back as a young 11 or 12 year-old behind my parents house in the country that they had just bought!
Zinnias are prone to mildew, so it's best to water them in the morning-preferably keeping their leaves dry. It's been a dry summer so I had very little problem until recently.

This variety is called "State Fair" zinnia. It grew to about four feet high, with huge stalks to hold up all the blooms!

I love these colors! They remind me of Ashley! Bright, young and cheerful!

I also grew cosmos,bachelor's buttons, flax, nasturtiums, and phlox. It was wonderful growing everything from seed!

This is Cosmos. I had no idea what it was supposed to look like. After planting it, it grew, and grew, and grew, and ~ well it just kept growing ~ UP! It finally reached well over four feet tall without any sign of blooms! Then one day, while I was not looking, a little white blossom opened up and seemed to say "Surprise!" It all started blooming and is gorgeous!

Thank You, Lord for giving me eyes to see the lovely things You have grown just for me!

A Hymn For The Lord's Day

I sing the mighty power of God, that make the mountains rise;

That spread the flowing seas abroad, and build the lofty skies.

I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, that filled the earth with food;

He formed the creatures with His word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where'er I turn my eye:

If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky!

There's not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known;

And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;

While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care,

And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God, art present there.

May you have a Blessed Lord's day!

Lissette

October 14, is the birth date of a very special lady. She is my Friend. ~Lizett.

She is pictured above with her three precious daughters. They are all true ladies.

We began as neighbors.
Then we became friends.
Then better friends.

We shared a love for old houses,
old things, and old ways.

I came to realize how Godly she was,
and was rebuked by it.

Friends have a great influence over us.
That's why we should be careful in our choice of friends.
That's why it's important to be the right kind of friend.

Friend ~I want you to know that you are a blessing to me.

A Knitting Project

Being an admirer of all the fine Jane Austen films, the dresses are so fascinating to me. They bring out the grace and loveliness of the wearers in a way that our shorter styles just don't.

Now, if you have watched very many of these films, you have noticed the lovely shawls that are worn. Don't you suppose those houses in the 1700 and 1800's were pretty chilly?
The shawl above is one I knitted, inspired by Jane Austen's film characters.

I taught myself to knit when I was in high school. One summer day, my Mom took me into town to the "Dime Store", where I enjoyed looking at all the knitting things. I bought a little instruction book (which I still have), some yarn and needles, and went home that day to learn to knit. My first finished project was a pair of lavender mittens.

I used a pair of size 2 (2.75mm) knitting needles. The pattern is knit one row, pearl one row, etc.
I haven't done much knitting over the years, but my dear Mother-in-law has always inspired me to pick up the needles again. She, Mrs. Bertha Castlebury of Illinois, has always had some crochet project in hand. She has done most all kinds of needlework at some time: tatting, crochet, knitting, embroidery. Bless her heart; how she despaired of ever teaching me to tat or crochet!

The number of stitches across was probably in the neighborhood of 80 or 90. The yarn was by "Red Heart" 100% cotton ~ it was real fine and lustrous.

When it was all finished (it took nine months), I crocheted a simple little edge all the way around. Well ~ almost all the way around. I ran out of yarn three inches from the end!

A Hymn For The Lord's Day: I Want A Principle Within

At the little church our family has been attending, one of the dear ladies recently sang this song for the congregation. Thank you Mrs. Moore. What a message it contains; do I seek to live a life of holiness? Do You?

I Want a Principle Within

I want a principle within of jealous godly fear,

A sensibility of sin, a pain to feel it near.
Help me the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire;

To catch the wand'ring of my will, and quench the kindling fire.

From thee that I no more may stray, no more thy goodness grieve,

Grant me the filial awe I pray, the tender conscience give;

Quick as the apple of an eye, O God, my conscience make!
Awake my soul when sin is nigh, and keep it still awake.

Almighty God of truth and love, to me thy pow'r impart,
The burden from my soul remove, the hardness from my heart.

O may the least omission pain my reawakened soul,

And drive me to the blood again, which makes the wounded whole.

by Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

What Lovely Fabric I've Found!

After searching for weeks for just the "right" fabric for our master bedroom, it has finally been found! I wanted a "shabby-chick" type that could establish the color palette for much of the house. Do you know how hard it is to find this sort of vintage-look? Add to that a white background, and you have a hard search. Weeks.
But one Saturday, I just sat down and asked the Lord to help me find it. He did.
If you love beautiful fabric, and refuse to pay $78 a yard, I want to share this lovely little on-line store with you.



The fabric on the LEFT is Durham quilt cotton, pink roses on white.

The fabric on the Right is by Kaufman, Mary Rose 3, Pink Rose Nosegays on Eggshell. It has a slight moire pattern running through it.

You will see in the picture below how sweetly my fabric was bundled together with a pretty streaming bow, and a complimentary package of Laundry powder (Jasmine and Roses!!!).That made my day!



I found this fabric in an E-Bay store ~ of all places! Susan has a HUGE collection of fabrics very similar to these in her shoppe, Urban Gardens. I had a fit over all the beautiful fabrics; it was sooo hard to decide! And Susan was so kind and helpful when I asked her for help in coordinating possible companion fabrics. I though the prices were very fair ~ $8- $20 per yard. Nice high-quality!