A Serious Subject

The evening before last, we received a call from the son of one of our neighbors, giving us some sad news. Our neighbor had been suffering for some time with some rather poor health, even though he and his wife are not really all that old; they are the same age as David and I (and we happen to share the same first names!) The son related that his Dad had been in a coma since last Wednesday, and was not expected to live. He is under hospice care.

Right away, my thoughts were carried back to the rather recent past when my own parents were going through this. My Mother passed away in October of 2005 at home, after a battle with cancer, and my Dad, May of 2007 in a nursing home after a brain stem stroke three years earlier.

For most of us living in the 21st century, death is foreign to us. Because of great advances in medicine and other improvements in life, death just isn't a frequent visitor. Mothers and babies rarely die in childbirth, invasion and war is foreign to us. There was a time, however, even as recent as my own parents childhood, when people died from diseases that have been nearly eradicated now. We live without the reality that death will come upon us all.

We are living in a wonderful age; our lives can actually be extended longer than that of our ancestors, and can be lived with less pain and hardship. But I must point out that there is a bad side to this age of wonder. Because we are not faced with it on a real and frequent basis, we ignore it, being under the delusion that we have lots of time to deal with it. Young people go about their lives flippantly thinking they will live forever; but death still comes. It might take it a little longer to get to each of us, and life might be filled with lots of wonderful experiences until it comes, but it awaits each of us at last.

Perhaps one of the reasons this subject is avoided in life and we literally hate it's face is because it is not natural. That right. Death is not natural even though it always happens. We were not created to die. We were created to live. That's why we shrink back from it.

If you open up a Bible to the book of Genesis to the first and second chapters you will read the account of God creating all the lovely world for one purpose; to sustain the life of man who would be the crowning glory of this remarkable creative expression of God's. Man was made for the purpose of glorifying God! His end was not death~it was life! "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."(Gen. 2:7)

With this fact in mind, we must wonder, "well, what happened?". In the same book of Genesis, chapter 3, we read the account of how Eve, who being innocent of any sin, was tempted to disobey God~ and she did. She believed the lie of Satan. Sin was then born into the world, and thus death, because the Bible tells us in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death..." How awful... sin is awful...a lot more awful that we realize.

Since that time, every person born into this world have been born sinners, and have also inherited the same fate: death. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12)

But something must be remembered; this death that we are considering is just a picture for us. It is an illustration, if you will. It is showing us that there is spiritual death, and that is far worse that physical death. Now I realize this is a very unpopular subject, but just think of the doctor that has to deliver the bad news that someone is dying! That is not a desirable position to be in unless he is able to prescribe a cure! And there is a cure for spiritual death!

One of the biggest mistakes modern man is making, is this: he is denying the reality that he is a spiritual being and not just a physical being. And because of that, a person's reason alone is not able to answer the basic answers in life; it isn't enough to fill the void and emptiness that is within our souls. Man, in reality is a spirit; created to be in God's image, yet given a physical body to live in a physical, sensory world.

I hope you will go back and read the passages I mentioned in your Bible. I hope you will read them with an open mind, one that is willing to know the truth!

Welcome Home!

The Lord always gives us what is best. It's not always what we would like, but it is what He wants ~ and it is always best.

I love old houses. I hope my mansion in heaven is an old farmhouse with a big wide porch that wraps itself all around the house. It should have a nice wide entry way with the not-too grand staircase emptying out into it. It really ought to have a butler's pantry!



How thankful I am for the home He has given me! It does not, in any way, resemble that old farmhouse I just described. Instead, it is just right! Full of quirks! One of the quirks is that the big entry way is at the BACK of the house!

Come right in! Make yourself at home. This is part of the new addition my men~folk built for me.



The pocket door goes into the laundry room.



Looking into the kitchen.



My dear Dad loved building and he was was a bit innovative when it came to making things. He made this "little kitchen" for Ashley when she was just a little thing. The boys have had as much fun with it as she did.



It's a wonder he didn't make the burners to light up!

Tristan's baby cup sit atop a sweet dresser scarf my sister-in-law gave me from her aunt's collection. It's one of my favorites.



Another of Tristan's baby cups with a little basket of tiny clothespins.



This was my mother's lingerie chest. She was an avid yard sale-er. About the only thing she ever bought new was her mattresses and sofa. The same holds true for us!



This is looking into the dining room. We planned to put french doors into the room.



I would now like to share a couple of wonderful receipts with you. I love trying new things!


Rose of Sharon

Now for you who were not raised in the North as I was, you may not have as great of an appreciation for this one. Rhubarb IS quite edible! You just have to be introduced to it an a young age!


Nasturtium

You can feel free to substitute other fruits for the rhubarb, if you really must! I happened to have some frozen rhubarb from Michigan.

RHUBARB CRUMBLE

from "FEAST" by Nigella Lawson


2 lbs. rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1/4 C sugar
1 T butter,
1T vanilla extract.

Heat in a pan on med heat for about 5 minutes. Cook until the rhubarb is glossy and everything has melted together. Transfer to an 8 1/2" pie plate (glass if great) that is about 1 1/2" deep.

1 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 C unsalted butter.
3 T sugar
3 T brown sugar

Rub the butter into the dry until thoroughly combined. The texture should be that of soft crumbs. Spread evenly over the fruit, attempting to cover all of it. Exposed parts will bubble up.
Bake 35-45 minutes. Be sure to place a sheet under it to catch any drips that might occur.


I love the white and blue striped morning glorys that came up in this planting. These will be allowed to return!


My friend, Marmee, gave me a bunch of unripe pears and this following receipt. It is absolutely delicious! You must hoard it for Saturday morning biscuits or cornbread this winter! It almost tastes like honey!

This clematis was a surprise, coming up at the foundation of the addition. You don't know how many times I nearly pulled it up thinking it was a weed!


PEAR HONEY

8 C peeled, cored and chopped pears
(I ran mine through my Bosch berry press after slightly cooking them. It was a lot less work)
1 C unsweetened pineapple juice
8 C white sugar
(next time I'm trying raw sugar)

Place chopped pears into a large pot, and pour pineapple juice over them to prevent them from browning. Stir in sugar, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. When the pears are at a full boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is the color and texture of honey. The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets. Cooking time is usually 2-3 hours.

Ladle into hot sterile jars; fill to with 1/2 of top. Process for 10 minutes in hot water bath.

MMMM~MMMMMMMMM GOOD!


Morning clouds.

I'm so glad to be able to share a little bit of our home with you!

A Little Bit of This, and A Little Bit of That

There is so much to catch you up on. The house at Bull Run has just sprung up out of the ground, and it is exciting to see our son preparing his home.

For those of you who are not reading Ashley's blog, I will be glad to show you a few pictures I took. Here are Ashley, Trevor, and Sweet Pea.



He has the cleanest, neatest, most spacious crawl-space in the southeast!



It's not everyday a guy has the opportunity to help his brother build his house. I'm sure Sayre will have some good memories of time spent with Trevor.



Sawyer loves being over at Bull Run with Trevor.



The first wall goes up. How exciting!



Our lovely Thelma.



A woman's touch is just what this home needs!




Here's the best looking man on the job site, and he's ALL MINE !



Fearless.



Up goes the roof.



Notice the clear, clear blue sky.



He's done this a few times!





We believe these to be graves.



The home at the end of the road.

I'm so thankful that I've been able to catch up on many of the projects around my home this summer. I'm hoping to show you some of the fruits of those labors. It is so wonderful to be able to find great contentment and joy in these domestic projects!



A friend of mine is getting married for the first time at the age of 40+! So the ladies in her church are making her a friendship quilt. This is my quilt square for her which I hand embroidered



I've also been recovering lampshades. I don't know if I'm doing it right, but I'm doing it!



I've had lot's of help!



Canning season was a time of learning for me. My mother canned up until a couple of years before her passing away, and I was able to help her some. But there's nothing like doing it yourself. I'm thankful for Marmee who answered a lot of random questions!
Here you see me squishing all the blackberries I have been freezing the passed couple of years in addition to a bunch I brought back from Michigan.



The bounty of the summer. Tomatoes, peach , blackberry, and strawberry jam.


Now that the weather has turned a bit cool, the flowers are going crazy!



This rose was given to me by the dear Mother of my Sister-in-law, Mrs. Doney, when my Dad passed away. It is called Perfume Perfection~a JacksonPerkins rose. It is heavenly to sniff.



I'm normally not a fan of calla lilies, but the price was right the day Ashley and I visited the Jackson Perkins outlet in Greenwood, SC. I had no idea they would be so pretty!. They are only about 15" high, and they keep producing these lovely flowers that last~litterally~ for weeks in a vase! The more you cut, the more they produce! These are called Captain Romance.



I can not remember if I had a name for these. They are left over from the Wilson's garden when they lived here. Very pretty.



The "MONSTER COSMOS" (my name for them) finally bloomed and boy are they striking!




Thank you Lord, for your great goodness to me.

Glorious Days in Early October

NEW DAWN

We have been experiencing lovely breezy weather here in South Carolina. All the roses love the cool evenings and warm days. I think they are tired of the extream heat we had coupled with the dry conditions.

How wonderful to have all the windows open to let in the autumn breezes.

Would you like a little tour of the laundry room? It is part of the new addition my men~folk built for me. I'm just tickled pink to have this room! It's so nice to have a clean area to do laundry! This is a view from the sewing room. David, my husband, found this solid old door at a salvage place and stripped it. Collin refinished it. David hung it on a track, so it slides inside the wall and is a pocket door! It's so much fun closing it!




This is the folding table. David located some huge beams from a building and Trevor then affixed them atop the counter frame. We bought the legs new.
Do you like my little clothesline?




I love my sink! My Mother always had a set of laundry tubs to soak clothes in and do all sorts of things! She used twin tubs to rinse her clothes from the wringer washer.
My sink was salvaged years ago from a Mrs. MacBee's house. (You know your husband MUST love you when he lugs a cast iron sink home for you and THEN moves it to two more houses!) I have another sink "stored" down in the barn and it is bigger than this one! He's a really sweet man....

This is the little closet Trevor put in.





We call this Rainbow Row ~ after the historical street in Charlestown SC.




Here is a little garden spider I found working on her egg sac. She has attached it to the bottom petal of BLUE GIRL tea rose. Can you see the little strands of silk?

Today it is raining! We thank our God for this! I would like to give you a couple of receipts that we enjoyed on Monday evening. They would have been even better on this raining evening!
This gumbo receipt is really quick and easy (if you have access to a couple of boneless chicken breasts). It is one of those "Comfort Dishes".


EASY CHICKEN GUMBO
from Betty Crocker

3 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 small green pepper, chopped

Heat butter in 3 pt. saucepan until melted. Add onion and green pepper. Cook and stir until onion is tender.

4 C chicken broth
1 16 oz. can tomatoes
2 small bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
dash pepper
16 oz. okra

Stir these ingredients into the onion. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

2 C cut-up chicken
1 T nipped parsley

Stir into soup.

3 C hot cooked rice.

Serve gumbo over rice.! MMMMMM!



WHOLE WHEAT SNICKERDOODLES
from Taste of Home

1 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar

1. Cream until fluffy.

1 egg + 1 egg white

2. Add egg and beat well.

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 salt

3.Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Beat well.
Shape into walnut sized balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. (2T sugar:2T cinnamon)
Place 2" apart on ungreased sheet. Bake8-10 minutes in 400 oven.



I hope you all have a blessed time with your families this evening. God is good. Even when "things" aren't good.
It's getting about time to get Hamlin up from his nappy. He likes to have a little dish of tiny animal crackers, "candy birthday", and "cold water".

Evenin!