Little House by the Railway Line

Thought for the Day

Topic for Today:  Worship (Blessings)

There is more healing joy in five minutes of worship than there is in five nights of revelry.---A. W. Tozer

Have a Day Full of Blessings!

Happy July 4th

What a day of celebration!  I think specifically this year as we see things changing in our country, it takes me back to our roots.  If you would like to read the Declaration of Independence, you can do that here:

www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm

Or, maybe you would prefer to hear and see it read on you tube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYyttEu_NLU

I want to personally thank each and every veteran who has served our country.  Your sacrifice, your bravery, your dedication has kept our country free.  We have freedoms to vote, to protest, to live as we want, to work hard, to enjoy entertainment, to worship God in the way each of us has chosen, etc.   

There is no country as great as ours, however, if we are not careful, we will lose those freedoms.  So, let's set aside a little time today to remember our founding father's and what they truly gave us on July 4, 1776.  May God's hand be on and bless America!

Happy 4th! and Making Herbal Vinegars

Wow, I can not believe it is already July.  The summer is going by quickly.  I sure hope you all enjoy the day with your families. 

We will go see fireworks this evening with another family or two.  Since the kids and I are going out of town on Monday (Kids NJ and me NC) we still have much to get done around the house and yard today.  Dh and ds need to move some wood to the wood pile from a tree I had taken down this week.  Then they will mow, I might help with that so we can finish quickly.  But my help consist of mowing on the riding mower...not a tough job.

We will have a nice dinner of marinated chicken on the grill.  Can't celebrate the 4th without the grill.

I have gotten alot done the past few days.  Esp. with the weeding.  That is a never ending chore.  Even with mulch, the weeds find a way to creep through.  They are clever little plants!

Yesterday I harvested some herbs to make herbal vinegars.  I want to take a couple down to my mother and sister next week.  They are so easy to make and look so pretty out on the screened porch soaking up the sun. 

This one is tarragon in white wine vinegar
And this is dill and peppercorn in red wine vinegar.

Herbal vinegars make great gifts.  I look for inexpensive bottles at the thrift stores or Walmart.  So the cost for the gift is relatively low.  And they make great use of all my herbs that are needing to be harvested.

Well, I had better get going....much to do today.

Have a Day Full of Blessings!
Lori

Auction Day

Saturday! Auction Day in the neighborhood. We will see how everything goes. There are a lot of neat things down on Elmers hay pasture. Everything from smokehouses and gazebos to wringer eashers and wood cook stoves. Mark drove our tractor down last night. The little ponies and carts are selling today too. I hope the buyers with money come :)

My in-laws arrives last night to stay the weekend. My father in law hopes to get a bunch of chickens today at the auction. I think they are selling about 300 young hens. He set up shop in our front yard yesterday and made a picnic table out there. It is made out of the extra rough cut lumber Mark has accumulated, a mixture of maple, oak and poplar. The table weighs a literal ton and I think we will need a group of amish guys to move it over to it's final spot under a maple tree. Until then, it can stay where it is.

I worked a lot on staking our 70 tomatoe plants the other night. My hands are such a mess now, between the scratches from the raspberry brambles, and stained fingers from the berries and stained hands from working in the tomatoes.... definitely not a hand model moment here.

Good weather today, thank you Lord. I think I need one more cup of coffee before I go out to face the cows. I'm trying to dry up Mrs Calloway ecause she should be due in a couple months (if I calculated right) and I'd like to give her a little rest. I just milk her out about half way each time until her milk supply goes down to the point where I don't milk at all. She has had a good long cycle this time, nearly two years. Not bad for an old girl.

Well, I'm off to get coffee in me. Have a great one!

I love roosters.

So far they have taken 3 truckloads out. They found better than expected trees here, so maybe we will be getting some extra money for them. We shall see.

Due Date And More...

Dear Friends,

Today was another mile-stone for us.  We had our first OB appointment with the High Risk specialist.  The appointment was 3 hours long and quite eventful. 

We started out at the desk where we filled out the usual paperwork and back I went to run to the bathroom stop.  I went into a room on my own as the nurse (Karen) asked for information.  I am 35 now, and not considered a spring chicken anymore, so they asked right away for genetic testing and an Amnio.  I denied the tests and signed papers denying each genetic test.  While I'm sure they have their reasons for them, I find no cause for us to have them.  If God created this little Miracle and has since continued to care for him or her, I am faithfully trusting HE will know best and there is no reason to cause fear and discontentment.  God doesn't create trash and thus, our baby is wanted no matter the outcome.  While we pray our baby is healthy and happy, we also accept it's diversity if he or she has a genetic predisposition.  I find no good in this testing for me and actually put more trust that God knows what He is doing with the miracle He has created as our Great Physician.  Praise Be To God for such a miraculous creation!

My husband was brought in the room shortly after, where we discussed insulin questions and agreed to focus on getting the "pump" for insulin regulation.  We want to keep this baby safe and having regular "good" readings  through pump regulation will help lessen a WHOLE lot of stress.  So I'm doing the paperwork as we speak, will call the company on Monday who will get the ball rolling with our insurance company ((please pray Pomco doesn't give us any problems. The sooner I get on the insulin pump, the better and healthier it is for me AND the baby)).  If all goes well, in a month or two, I will be hospitalized for 2-3 days to place the cathetor and pump inlay.  I'm hospitalized because I'm pregnant and they MUST watch the baby.

After our questions were answered, I asked if they would give me a sonogram to date the baby and make sure our baby was doing well.  We got into the room, and the Dr. couldn't see anything or hear anything.  My heart skipped a beat...but I just kept praying that God would again provide a miracle to see the baby and hear his or her heartbeat so early.

He got up and asked to have a pelvic sonogram done to get a closer look.  While we waited, I had the basic checkup done, breast exam, paps, heart rate, etc.  Then was led to the room with the sono technician.

She too had a hard time seeing the baby and then had me put both hands under my back and lift my bum up.  Sure enough...there was our wee little one with a heart.  The heart monitor was flat and I began to pray again to ask God to help us hear the babys heartbeat.  Please God....Let us hear the babys heartbeat.  Bless us dear Father with Your presence.  Give us confirmation though many have said it's too early.  Sure enough......We heart the heart beating.  Praise God!  129 was the heart rate.  Not only was there a heartbeat, but a GOOD heart rate.  We prayed and God answered.

Shortly after, we found out we are 6w3d and are due February 23, though the Dr. is confident it will be earlier.  Would you believe our Wedding anniversary is February 9th?  What a blessed month in February....when most find winter to be a time of death and spring to be a rebirth, I have found nothing but LIFE in the winter.  God has been VERY good to us and my life is an absolute testimony to His grace, love, protection and mercy.  I do not deserve anything I have, yet I am blessed by His gifts and am content where we ARE.

Again, Praise Be To God.  My Cup Runneth Over!

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

Knowledge and Wisdom: July 1, 2009, Jerry Marshall sermon

Wisdom: Jerry Marshall Sermon July 1, 2009

The difference between knowledg and wisdom.

Who has this wisdom?  Who doesn't have this wisdom?

Before I was regenerated I remember I prayed to God to "know the truth" and I thought He was going to show me some sort of philosopy by which I could live my life.  The wisdom of the world that I had caused me to even search for the wrong thing.  Then, God in His grace, showed me that the Truth was not a philosopy of life and a way to live but the Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ.

He said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."

Jesus isn't a way of life, Jesus is "the Way."

There are no 10 steps to life.  Jesus is "the Life."

All this we received by the Sovereign Grace of God!

Mysteries:  Wow!  Christ in you the hope of glory! 

Eye has not seen and ear has not heard ... misapplied verse.  This verse is not talking about the glories of Heaven. 

What am I doing with this gift?  I don't think I am demonstrating it.

This is my prayer after hearing this sermon: 

Jam 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Jam 1:22

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Pizza and Perspective

Last night, I didn’t have a dinner plan.  I will spare you all the reasons why; they aren’t important.  But at 6:15pm, I was without a plan and had about 45 minutes to get it figured out.  I wanted to fix pizza but the pizza dough in the freezer was frozen solid, and, there wasn’t enough left for our whole family.  I was mad with myself for not being on top of this like a “really good wife and mother”.  There was a battle going on in my head --  Perfectionist and Self-Loather were letting me have it and I could hardly think through my options for all the noise.  I almost called my husband and told him we’d meet him somewhere for dinner; I was that desperate.  But what a hassle that would be!  We’d have to put on clothes suitable for being in public, hair would have to brushed, shoes located, and then it would be late by the time we got home; plus, it would just be expensive.  I considered calling my husband and having him stop at the grocery store on the way home.  Self-Loather had brought along Helpless and Hopeless.  I was ready to give in.  I repented for ever judging anyone who fed their family prepared foods, and told myself this healthy eating from scratch thing was just too hard. Then Stubborn showed up.  She and Perfectionist make a great team and suddenly I knew what I would do:  stop feeling sorry for myself, suck it up, and just make pizza from scratch.  The voice in my head was loud:  I will NOT give in!  I will NOT give in!

With determination I began flipping through my cookbooks.  My first choice, the King Arthur whole wheat cookbook, had a pizza dough recipe but it was lengthy and complicated.  Not an option.  In my mind I scanned my recipe file; nothing there.  Then I remembered the good old plaid cookbook that had been a wedding gift so long ago.  The Better Homes and Gardens NEW COOKBOOK, copyright 1989. There is always a recipe in there for the most basic of things and sure enough on page 247 I found one for pizza.  A quick scan revealed that it said to pre-bake the crust, then top and bake again.  I started to doubt, then Stubborn told me pre-baking was a waste of time and to hurry up and get busy.

So at 6:16pm I started mixing dough for pizza.  The recipe said to combine 1 ¼ cups flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl then add 1 cup warm water and 2 Tablespoons oil.  Beat this with an electric mixer, then gradually add the remaining 1 ½ cups flour while kneading by hand, until the dough was “moderately stiff” and “smooth and elastic.”  I quickly grabbed my bag of King Arthur organic white flour from the pantry and started in.  At 6:20 my dough was “moderately stiff” and “smooth and elastic.”  I couldn’t believe it – 4 minutes!  The recipe said this would take 6 to 8 minutes!  And oh, it felt so good to have my hands in that dough!  I worked Helpless, Hopeless, and Self-Loather right out of my head.  The recipe only yielded 2 pizza crusts so I did it again.  In about 8-10 minutes, I had fresh homemade pizza dough resting on my kitchen counter, enough to feed my whole family.  Ahhhhh, satisfying.

As usual, my thoughts turned toward processed convenience foods.  I wondered what the big deal was – this was so easy.   And, I was in total control of the ingredients.  Not only that, but our pizza would have cost more.  I paid $7 for a 5lb bag of organic flour and only used 5 ½ cups – that is barely a dent.  To buy enough pre-made crust for our family would have cost at least $7.  Some of you are gasping at the price of my flour, but you can see that even at that price I am saving money by cooking from scratch.

What took the longest amount of time in my dinner preparations last night was not the making of the dough from scratch.  It was the baking of 4 different pizzas, and this would have been true had I used pre-made crusts.  The total cooking time for 4 pizzas baked back-to-back was about 40 minutes.  I made the kid-friendly pizzas first because they would be sitting out longer and would be cooler when it was time to eat.  During the baking time, I threw together a salad and made my own salad dressing.  The girls set the table and my husband stood nearby, nibbling and chatting.  We were home, eating our own food that we prepared ourselves.  We didn’t have to brush our hair, change our clothes, or drive anywhere.  There was no wait to be seated, harried servers, or immodest dress to shield from my son.  And I didn’t have to worry about what scary things were in our food, because I had made it myself.

When dinner was over, instead of driving home from a restaurant, the five of us ran outside and played in the yard until just after dark.  My 8 year old daughter joyfully announced, "I love it when we are all outside together!"  Helpless, Hopeless, and Self-Loather were now very distant memories.  Satisfaction and Thankful had just moved in.

Was this a gourmet meal?  No.  Would I have preferred a healthier meal than white flour pizza?  Absolutely.  And we could have had all the above had I been a better steward of my time and planned out our meals for the week.  But even when you live by the seat of your pants, you still do not have to buy into the myth that you don’t have time to cook.  And boy, our pizza was delicious.  Next time, I will try this recipe with our freshly milled whole wheat.

So, I ask you this:  Where are the savings when buying pre-packaged, pre-made, processed foods if you aren’t saving time or money?  There are no savings.  In fact, ultimately, you lose money – you pay more for these pre-packaged foods, and spend more time and money at the doctor’s office.  The idea that we don’t have time to cook from scratch is just a sales pitch from big companies out to make a profit.  Who are they fooling?  You?

"...be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."  Matthew 10:16

It's Official

Brianna is the "little" sister now.
I always knew she wasn't meant to be tall. She was the daintiest little baby you ever did lay eyes on and quite unlike her older and younger sister.Good things come in small packages and I LOVE this small package ;--)

Wisdom: July 1, 2009 Sermon Jerry Marshall

Jerry Marshall Sermon: Wisdom

The difference between knowledge and wisdom.