Sunday, July 10, 2011

A Day of Rest

Listen closely to the words of this song--so beautiful!!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Things I'm Happy For This Saturday 2


Naps--I was up more than down last night.


Weeds--there's something very therapeutic about garden weeding.


Grilled Food--for me this means two things-I didn't have to cook, and my kitchen stayed clean.


Good Friends--sometimes a simple phone call can do so much to cheer, and encourage me!!


A Dishwasher--don't know how I would keep up with all the bottles and sippy cups without this appliance.


Sunshine--even tho we could use some rain I do enjoy the bright sunny days.


What are you happy for this Saturday?

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

 
It really doesn't get much better than this.  Fresh lettuce from the garden!!  Our lettuce is doing beautifully this year.  All the rain and the cool nights have made it a gorgeous crop.

Although lettuce is one of the more time intensive veggies to get to the table I would have to say it's one of my favorite garden treats.  Washing it takes a lot of time, and the fact that we mulched with grass has made it a little harder to clean.  There are a LOT of grass clippings on it.
This year I planted Leaf Lettuce and Romaine.  I don't usually let the Romaine go into heads I just cut it like leaf lettuce.  Because the leaves are long and flat it is easier to wash. 

We've also been eating a few little cucumbers and zucchini.  My family likes to eat zucchini raw.  We slice them up and eat them with ranch dressing or just plain.


I spent about a half hour pulling weeds today. I need to make it a priority to work a little on the weed crop every day--otherwise it gets overwhelming.


What's growing in your garden?
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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Open Hands


I tend to get attached to things.  Especially things that are close to me.  I like my house and the furnishings in it, and I get upset when something gets lost or broken.

I'm that way with my children too.  I tend to think of them as "mine."  I don't like the thought of them growing up and "flying away."  I hold them tightly with a strong grip.

For this reason foster parenting is a scary venture for me.  I don't like to think about losing someone I've grown close to .

However, none of the things that I mentioned before are really mine.  Not my house--the things in it--my children--or my foster children.  They all belong to God first.

I must hold all of it loosely.   If I grasp at things and people too tightly I don't have my hands open for God to place added blessings in them.

So, I hold all of it with open hands.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Is It Monday Already?

I'm not sure where last week went.  Somewhere between bottles and diapers it disappeared.  By the way--guess how many diapers I change on average per week.  You can leave your guess in the comments. 

I did manage to accomplish my list.  The chicken is all in the freezer.  I left 11 of them whole--to be roasted, and three of them our neighbor smoked for us--yummy.  (If you've never had smoked chicken try it!)  The remaining 19 I cut up and froze separately wings, leg quarters and boneless skinless breasts.  The necks and backs I freeze in large bags.  On cold winter days I pull a bag out of the freezer and cook it off the bone and use the chicken for soup, casseroles or dumplings--but who wants to think about cold winter days right now.

The corn patch is weeded. 

The clothing is sorted and organized neatly in a tote.  Wonder what people did before there were storage totes?

This week we have several dentist appointments, but there are still other things to be done.

I would like to finish some sewing that I started before our foster children arrived.

I need to patch a large pile of jeans.

Last but not least I need to work on my canning shelves.  I will soon be filling them again and I would like to organize them a little before then.  Am I the only one that gets a slightly panicky feeling about the upcoming canning season?  Once I'm in the middle of it I enjoy it, but the anticipation is stressful for some reason.

Today we host a family reunion at our place so my day will be filled to the brim.

Have a blessed week!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Sunday Music

A little music for your Sunday enjoyment.


Saturday, July 2, 2011

Things I'm Happy For This Saturday



Slobbery baby kisses--forgot how much I love them.


A clean house--thanks to my six year old baby entertainer.


Daddy's home--so I might get a nap this afternoon


Sams Club--plenty of groceries in the fridge.


Air Conditioning--it's sweltering outside.


Baby giggling--there's no sweeter background noise.


Good Health--my cold is finally better!


What are you happy for today?