An Anniversary and A Passing

Today is my parents anniversary!  They've been married 55 years!

This has only come about by God's grace!

They married young - he was 20 and in the Navy, she was 17 and in high school.  He went overseas, she finished school.

They went on to have three kids - boy, girl, boy.

They had some rocky married years.  It was hard.  But when they thought of breaking up and divorcing, they thought of the reputation of the Lord, and how people knew they were Christians and what would that say about Him?

They stayed together, and have worked very hard to communicate and love each other.  We are so thankful for them!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

The passing is of Tim's Mom's husband Terry.  He died yesterday afternoon.  Tim and I are traveling down to Florida with his brother and sister in law tomorrow.  We want to be with Jean (Tim's mom) and help to comfort her.  They were married for 30 years.  This was her second 30 year marriage - Tim's dad passed away on their 30th wedding anniversary.  We would appreciate prayer for us during this time.  Terry was a difficult man, estranged from most of his children for many years.  Their will be many mixed emotions during this time.  We want to comfort Jean during this time, and be sensitive to others as well.  

It is a blessing to be able to both celebrate and help those who mourn.  God is the source of all things, and we Trust in Him.

Baking: No Knead 1 Hour Rolls

My Amish friend Katie shared a recipe with me for a roll recipe that you can make as dinner rolls or buns.  These rolls are quick to make and delicious!

I made some on Tuesday afternoon to have for dinner with grilled chicken.  They were used to make chicken sandwiches, or as a roll with dinner.

Katie hand wrote out the recipe after church one Sunday and we made copies for us ladies.  Here is the recipe with all her added notes.

I love homemade breads, and this one is one I will use over and over because of the simplicity of the recipe.  

I hope you try them.  If you do, will you let me know?

Here is a video I took yesterday morning, as I sat on our deck before the heat of the day began.  You can hear birds first, then cicadas, then our chickens, then a jet plane.  Just the quiet country life!

A Fun Way To Cool Off

We took a quick drive to a nearby township park with a delightful creek.  It's been hot, and today the humidity was high as well.  We were in need of some cool fun, so we grabbed some towels, some water, a book, a chair and headed out.

 Left to right: my niece Kaitlin, Rachel, my granddaughter Kamryn, Sarah, and Kyle.

I enjoyed the creek, the cool breeze, my book, and my iced tea.  We were only there about an hour and a half but it was just the refreshment we needed.

Inspiration

Here are some things that I've been pinning lately.

Tartan Shoe by Cole Haan

Silver flatware.  Beautiful!

Inspiration!  My kitchen is a similar color, and I have white trim.  I love this sink, and I am thinking of these kinds of counter tops!

I really like this idea!

Dreaming of Autumn!

Truth!

What have you been inspired by lately?

Click here to visit my Pinterest boards!

Home Keeping: Cleaning The Outside Of The House

We all know that the inside of our homes must have daily care to keep them maintained and tidy.  The outsides of our home require care too.  We try to wash and clean the outside of the house at least once a year.

This year we took the shutters off too,  they will be getting a facelift, and we think it was the first time they've been off the house since it was built.

This is at the end of the house - the grossness is from behind the shutters.  

Tim scrubbing the siding

 We labeled all the shutters on the back of each shutter.  

 The head of the screw is the color we suspect the shutters were originally.

 These delightful things were behind some of the shutters.

 Sarah, Kyle and I had the charge of cleaning the shutters.

We found that there were quite a few spiders who had made their homes behind the shutters.

Including this ugly guy…

 Rachel removed shutters…Do you see the fence?  Peeling paint,

 Rotting wood…

More peeling paint.  

These panels of picket fencing, were from a neighbor of a friend of ours.  We got them when they were tearing out the fencing, to put something else in.  I've had them at least 7 years in my garden, so they are old.  We are talking about what to do exactly.  I love my picket fence so we MUST fix it.

I'll post photos when I'm done with the shutters.  We are hoping to re-side the house, but that is another project for another time.

Any projects on your horizon?

Literature: The Real Jane Austen

Being a Jane Austen fan, I receive a monthly newsletter from The Jane Austen Centre in Bath.  This month they had a link to a video that is a teaser for a documentary that is being done on the making of the new wax figure of Jane that has been done and is now in the Centre.  I think it is fascinating!  Here is the link to the teaser!

Photo courtesy of The Jane Austen Centre, Bath

The article about how it came about it here.

Are you a Janeite?  Which books have you read?  Which movie adaptations are your favorite?  Let's talk Jane!

Baking: Blueberry Muffins

I've had some blueberries in the freezer that have been calling to me.  Last evening, while Kyle and I were home alone together, I had him help me whip up a batch of muffins. 

The recipe is easy and delicious!

From Sally's Baking Addiction - Sparkling Jumbo Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients - 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (very careful not to overmeasure)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, room temperature preferred
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk*
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable or melted coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Check out the directions on her blog.

As you can see I didn't use the coarse sugar for sprinkling on the top of the muffins.  I used buttermilk as she suggested and for oil I used avocado oil.  They taste delicious.  I think the next time I make these, I will try 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to see how I like that.  Oh, and I made the regular cupcake size muffins rather than jumbo sized.  They go further around here that way.