wishing

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!

BLESSINGS!

   I ASK FOR URGENT PRAYER FOR HOMESTEADBLOGGERS COUNTRYMOUSE (SISTER CARRIE). SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR WRECK YESTERDAY WHERE HER VEHICLE WAS T-BONED. SHE WAS LIFE FLIGHTED TO A HOSPITAL, TREATED AND RELEASED TO HOME.

   HER HUSBAND CONTACTED US AND TOLD US THAT ONLY GOD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HER LIVING THROUGH THE CRASH AND ASIDE FROM SOME INTERNAL BRUISING, CUTS AND SCRAPES SHE SUFFERED NO BROKEN BONES!! GOD'S HAND IS ALL OVER IT.

   AS I ALWAYS TELL FOLKS, GOD IS NOT SILENT AND YES HE STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES. THANK YOU JESUS!!!

   PLEASE LIFT SISTER CARRIE AND HER FAMILY IN YOUR FERVENT PRAYERS BOTH IN SUPPLICATION AND PRAISE. SHE IS GOING TO HAVE A TIME OF IT AS SHE HEALS FROM THIS. PRAY FOR HIS HEALING HAND. AND FOR THEIR COSTS TO BE COVERED AS THIS CAME AT A TIME WHEN THERE WAS A LAG IN THEIR INSURANCE.

   I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SUCH WONDERFUL PRAYER WARRIORS AND KNOW THAT GOD WILL HEAR!

GOD BE WITH THEE!

SISTER LORI

July 4th

4th of July!!!

Happy birthday America!!!!
What a grand place to live!!!


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We had a pitch in last night at work, which was fun.. we all ate until we thought we would pop from gluttony! LOL!
I do love my co workers, and I do love my job, but I miss being at home so very much. Being at home for my children and grandchildren. DH and I discussed it, and after this year, we are both slowing down. Taking time to "smell the roses" per say. I have absolutely NO free time this summer, due to school, work and other obligations, and DH has been trying to work extra to keep the house going, prepare for winter, and work a bit of overtime himself to get us out of a financial bind we've gotten ourselves into....
One exciting breakthrough is that...... although the financial *crash* time is almost here, we have enough money to pay the bill that is owed and we won't be garnisheed! YIPEE!  God is soooo good.....

He does certainly provide us with what we need whenever the time arises, and we also have to trust in Him to provide understanding in yet another delimma. (We're full of 'em here!)

A friend of the family (friend... I use that term loosely) decided last night to verbally attack our daughter and son in law. Simply because our son in law did not agree with this person's political views.
I have personally been attacked twice by this person, and choose not to have any further dealings with him based on this fact, but now to have my child attacked too? I am angry to say the least, and wonder what kind of venom is going to be spewed forth this time? How long until he comes crawling back begging forgiveness and promising to never do it again this time? Will our daughter accept an apology (I don't think so)? Will this person MEAN it IF he does apologize?
Isn't there a verse, "For out of the mouth the heart speaketh?"

Here it is... I found it:
Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Huh.

Guess now we know how he really feels (and has felt) about us all the while..... but that's ok.  We still have each other, and always will. We're a family. A true family.

And again..... as we celebrate the unity of America on this day (One nation, under GOD, indivisible).... we can also celebrate the unity of a family (One nation, under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.)
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the republic
for which it stands,
one nation
under God
indivisible
with liberty
and justice for all....

My blessed day

3 July 2009.

Thinking about the Fall Garden

I know, Summer just started, and I'm talking about Fall already! 

But, in order to have a Fall garden, some things should be done now- planning, ordering seed, planting seeds to transplant into the garden when it is time, adding compost or any other needed soil builders, etc.   

In my area, July 1 was the suggested date for planting tomato, pepper, and eggplant seed.  I'm a few days behind schedule, mainly because I'm trying to keep up with harvesting the tomatoes that are ripening like crazy right now!   

Most of the Fall planting for my area comes a little later, since July and  August are always HOT.   The bulk of  planting comes from September to November.  But, if I don't at least make a plan now and make sure I have seeds ready, I may miss my planting date when it arrives. 

Many of the same vegetables that grow in the Spring garden can be replanted for Fall, they like the cool weather and will do well if they have time to mature before a frost gets them.  You can probably get a list of what grows well in your area in the Fall either online, from a local nursery, or from your County Extension Agent. 

Here's a little chart to show when the first predicted Fall frost date is:

Zone 3 - Sept 1st - 30th
Zone 4 - Sept 1st - 30th
Zone 5 - Sept 30th - Oct 30th
Zone 6 - Sept 30th - Oct 30th
Zone 7 - Oct 15th - Nov 15th
Zone 8 - Oct 30th - Nov 30th
Zone 9 - Nov 30th - Dec 30th
Zone 10 - Nov 30th - Dec 30th
Zone 11 - Frost Free

If you aren't sure what zone you live in, here's a map that will show you.

With that information you can see how long it takes a particular crop to mature and then count backwards to get an estimated planting date.  Of course, it all depends on the weather, and it is good to give your plants at least a week or two of a head-start if your area often has early frosts.  I live in Zone 8, and sometimes we don't even have a frost until close to Thanksgiving.  Fall is a great time for growing here. 

Please share what you grow in your Fall garden and any tips you have.  Those of you who live in colder climates, please share your wisdom, as this Texas gardener has never had to garden where it really gets cold !

Hope you have a great holiday weekend, and maybe next week, spend some time planning (and perhaps planting) for the Fall garden!

Blessings,

Catherine

Happy July 4th everyone!!!!

Hope that everyone has a safe and happy July 4th.

Take care

Yes, another entry! :)

Each evening, we take a ride up top to check on our cows. Last night, we were rewarded with seeing a new bull calf! Had we been there 10 minutes sooner, we could have watched him being born.

What an amazing thing birth is. I am in awe of it. Animal births are so different than human births. We treat animal births as a natural event, and very few need any help or intervention. Human birth, on the other hand, is treated as some sort of illness that simply must be treated and have intervention. Whether the intervention is to "move things along with pitocin", or to "monitor to be sure all is well" or to "take the baby". God designed the female body to reproduce. I think we'd do well to let His design do the work, not the medical community.

I digress...sorry...birth is such an incredible event...I hate to see women give that time of their life over to the medical community. God is doing so much more than just bringing a new life into the world...though that's awesome in and of itself....He can use that time to grow you as a person. As a couple. As a child. As a parent. But, if you're all doped up, can't feel the labor pain, and can't move....you kind of remove Him from the situation, don't you?

Okay, okay....moving on.....

We're going to a cookout tomorrow for the 4th. Thomas wanted fireworks, so we may have to have our own private show another day. Wish our town put on a fireworks show. I remember living in NY, there was always a big show to go see. Even in FL, there were fireworks on the beach.

Honey starts a new schedule soon. He'll be working on the inventory prep crew. Instead of his normal 5am to 2pm shift, he'll work 2pm to 11pm. We all see this is a really good thing for the summer. It's light out so late that it makes getting to bed on time difficult. And it's too warm to sleep comfortably...course, in the morning, it's quite cool and pleasant, so sleeping in is really easy to do. (ask me how I know this to be true?!)

Mom's night out is next week. I didn't go last month, so I'm really looking forward to going this month. It's always a good time with fun friends. Sure, some seem to have their own agendas......and that I surely don't understand....but I do like my time out with friends.

Mary has a couple of loose teeth. So does Natalie. They just keep growing up....

Rebecca is going on a trip with my family later this year. My folks, Aunt Nina, brother and his family and cousin and his family are going to Cozumel, Mexico over Thanksgiving. Aunt Nina invited Rebecca since my niece will be there too. She's footing the entire bill, from her passport to her flight to her time there. How incredibly generous of her!!!! Rebecca is quite excited about this opportunity...and I am too....though I know I will miss her terribly.

Natalie and Mary have decided we need to do something special while Rebecca is away. They've tossed out some wild ideas....we shall see what the future holds...

Honey is stopping at the sawmill on his way home today to get the rest of our lumber for the corral. This needs to be finished up for so many reasons....one of which being just to cross off a HUGE to do on the never-ending list. What a blessing it will be to have this finished!!!

I need to get my July menu finished up so we can do our big monthly grocery shopping tomorrow. The cupboards are looking a bit bare. The pantry needs re-stocking. I will have a most happy family to have cheese in the house again. We ran out of all but mozzarella earlier this week....and I've heard many a comment about this tragedy.

I'm off to work on said menu.....Happy Fourth of July!!!

July? Already??

Is it just me or is this year flying by with lightning speed??

We're having a fun, busy summer. We've really enjoyed spending time with friends, gardening, going to the creek, reading, and just generally enjoying our time together.

I'm realizing how short my time with Rebecca is getting to be. Not that I expect her to go anywhere right after graduation, but she's going to be in 11th grade this coming year....who knows what the Lord has in store for her. I want to soak up every minute with her...and her siblings, of course.

Rebecca and Mary were discussing how old each of them would be in "so many years". When Mary turns 16, Rebecca will be 26. If she's anything like me, Rebecca will have a couple of children by that time. Strange to think about it that way....

If she did follow me...Rebecca would be married in 5 short years..and a Mama in 7. Doesn't seem that far away....

Okay...I'm going to get all teary-eyed if I keep on...so I'll stop and just love the time NOW.

Rebecca and I taught Natalie and Mary how to play Dutch Blitz. We have two more girls who love to play this game! Mary is the Uno girl..but she likes the Dutch Blitz too! What fun we have playing. We should get another deck of cards, since there's only cards enough for 4 players....

We're all getting nice tans. I'm loving this weather. Could be cooler for my taste, but I'll take it. It's not overwhelmingly hot as it has been the last few years. The a/c isn't running non-stop. It's not unbearable outside. Most days, we've had a nice breeze which makes such a difference. It's warm enough to make me want to swim, yet not so warm that makes me want to stay indoors. I'm quite thankful for this weather!!!!

Honey is going to the dentist next week. He's lost one of his crowns for the 3rd time. The dentist told him if it comes off again, there was nothing he could do to put it back on. It started out with one pin holding it in place...he now has 3 pins...and it still comes off. So, he's going in so the dentist can remove the pins....one less tooth for my beloved. I feel badly for him. I so wish someone had taught him...and emphasised to him...the importance of taking care of your teeth.

We've done some organizing and re-arranging...with more to be done. I have a pile here in the office....quite the pile...of things to sell. I'm not sure I want to deal with the hassle of eBaying them...but then....I've done two book sales and am left with this pile. The pile was MUCH larger before the sales, so I've done pretty well at downsizing it...but I want it GONE altogether!

Guess that job won't do itself.....I should spend some computer time taking care of such things....

Life is a Bowl of Cherries!

Blessings!

   Well, it's that time of year again...time for CANNING!!!

   I didn't take any pictures of our Strawberry and Strawbluey adventure (that was last week) but I DID take pictures of todays Cherry-ganza!:P

   First we have 67.8 lbs of cherries (yep you read that right:P)After washing them they are pitted. Here is Miss Mary-Ann taking care of that sticky chore:PLove my cherry pitter:)Once pitted they are put into a large bowl and sent to the cutting stationI had a little help from Miss Sarah (she did a little cutting but mostly did the cooking part)All cut and measured to send to the cooking stationThen the sugar needs to be measured out.

Miss Sarah mixes in the pectin and sugarThe jars are heated up while the fruit is cooking down

Time to fill the jars (me giving "the look":P)Not sure it will fill the last jarYay! it fits!!So pretty:)

Needless to say we are exhausted! But wow what yummy stuff this will be in the winter months when we begin yearning for spring once again:)

A bounty of provision. A blessing from the Heavenly Father. Thank you Jesus!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori