Sherry's Hymn Survey

I know this is last minute. I've been so busy with life away from the computer this week that time got away... It's a good thing I'm re-reading Keller's book about utilizing our time (Strength of Soul). :)

Please take time this weekend to send your ten favorite Hymns over to Sherry at her delightful blog called Semicolon. Here is her request:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SEND YOUR TOP TEN LISTS TODAY! I really wanted to have at least one hundred responses, and so far I have heard from thirty SIXTY of you. Thanks to the Early Thirty! The rest of of you send in your lists! Deadline: May 31, 2009.

So, this past Sunday in church while listening attentively to the sermon, and even taking some notes in my Bible, I thought up a new project. I get some of my best thinking done during church. My excuse is that I can listen faster than my pastor can preach, so I have time left over to think. And I like projects. At least, I like thinking them up. Sometimes I’m a little bit lacking in the follow-through.

At any rate, inspired by Fuse #8’s Top 100 Picture Book Poll, which I enjoyed immensely and would recommend as a beginning reading list of picture books to accompany my Picture Book Preschool, I thought a Top 100 Hymns Poll would be a great summer project. I might learn something and be encouraged in my own worship. You might learn some new hymns or be reminded of some oldies. We all might enjoy visiting and re-visiting the hymns of the faith together.

Here’s how I think this poll/journey is going to work (I stole some of the rules from Fuse #8):

1. Make a list of your top ten hymns of all time.
Hymn (according to Webster): a song of praise to God
a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service.
For the purposes of this poll, I’m limiting the choices to Christian hymns, but the form of the song doesn’t matter. In other words, the songs on your list should be suitable for congregational singing and should be Christian. Handel’s Messiah is Christian but probably not suitable for congregational hymn singing. Anything you sing in worship service, even what are normally called choruses or gospel songs or spirituals or CCM, is fine. (Oh, English, please, or at least translated into English. Sorry, but it’s all I really speak.)

2. List these hymns in your order of preference. So your #1 hymn would be the one you feel is the best, and so on. I will be giving your first choice 10 points, your second choice 9 points, and so on.

3. Submit your list to me at sherryDOTearlyATgmailDOTcom. Write “Hymn Survey” in the subject line. I’d rather you didn’t leave your votes in my comments here because it’ll be easier to tabulate all the votes if they’re all in my email (plus I want everyone’s votes to be a surprise). Deadline for votes to be sent to me is May 31, 2009.

4. If you like, you can submit a justification for each hymn. Or you can send me a link to an audio or video version online. Include the name of the hymn’s author or lyricist and the composer of the melody you prefer if at all possible, especially if you think I might be unfamiliar with your particular hymn. At the beginning of June I will tally up the totals, and I will pull from the submitted pieces why one reader or another liked a particular hymn (naming the reader, of course). That way we’ll be able to hear from a whole bunch of people why they love one hymn or another. I will then count down from 100 to 1 over the course of the summer the top choices of what folks feel the best hymns of all time are.

I’m also going to talk to someone at my church to see if we can sing a lot of these favorites this summer in our worship services. As many of you know, churches get caught in ruts where they sing the same hymns over and over. I think singing some of the favorite hymns of the faith, even some that we may not have sung in many years, would do us good. By the way, I’m not any kind of expert on music or hymns, but I’ll bet I’ll be a lot more knowledgeable about both by the end of the summer.

Thanks in advance for your votes/nominations. I’m going to enjoy this little exercise, and I hope you will, too.

Oh, and if you don’t mind, I would appreciate your publicizing this poll on your blog. I’d like to get at least 100 nominations or lists for this survey; more would be even better. If you want to post your top ten list on your blog, that’s fine. Just be sure you send me a copy.

Seven Ten Fifteen Nineteen Twenty-five Thirty SIxty responses so far.

Sasha, ants, and Bigfoot

As I sit here typing away, Sasha is curled up next to me and I'm taking a break from reading Strength of Soul by W. Phillip Keller. I'll stretch out on the sofa and continue reading soon, making the fur ball move to the end of the sofa so I can be a little more comfortable.

One can learn a lot from taking Sasha lessons. I've already written how Sasha is the world's best at taking naps. At age eighteen in human years, she has relaxing down to an art form. She is also quite skilled in putting herself in a position to be blessed... in this case, curled up so close to me she can receive a little itchy behind the ears once in awhile.

My husband asked her recently what she has done to provide for the family. My reply, on her behalf, is that Sasha does not have to do anything... she just has to be. With all the changes in our lives in the nearly two decades she has lived with us, Sasha has been our sweet, pleasingly plump (fluffy) constant. Sasha... just is.

We still miss her sister, Storm, dreadfully. I'm grateful we've had more time with her. So far she has had no more mini strokes and I must admit to spoiling her constantly but then again... when I'm that old (in kitty years), I hope someone is taking such good care of me. :)

Now, regarding a couple of comments...

I was asked about bringing peonies indoors... yes, I have to run them under cold water gently running from the kitchen faucet. Otherwise one could find an army of ants coming out of the flowers. As it is, I check again after giving them a small shower. I know ants love these flowers as much as I do... and I'm feeling itchy just thinking of them.

Jody, I do believe community composts are different for each town. They usually let you know if they are safe for vegetable gardens. Our compost was from our own compost pile we built up over a couple of years and the soil came from a former creek bed in the forest next to us. The owner of that land gave hubby permission to dig up some soil there. Stephanie and her family are trying out a new compost maker, we're curious to see how it works. :)

Speaking of forest... I'll have to take a picture of it soon. With all the rain we've had this spring, it has grown thick and wild. Having that Bigfoot phobia, I still get a tad startled walking down the gravel lane to the rural mailbox and passing all that... jungle... and hearing the rustle of leaves and grasses. So far I've only seen the occasional squirrel or bird but one never knows what lurks behind those trees...

Now, time for some tea and a book. Saturday we deep clean the kitchen.

Getting ready for family

I have family arriving Saturday night so I'll be posting a little less during the next week.

The biggest difference you will notice is the lack of a Sunday Afternoon Tea. I do plan to get some pictures up of our raised bed garden and how we're building it in phases. So far it has worked well, even if we are planting some items late.

It has been good to be eating out of the pantry for a couple of weeks. I'm finding out where I need to add some items in the future. I'll write more about what I've found in a week or two.

We're also eating out of the freezer, finding what needs to be used first is easy with the way I organized it. I have to make getting in and out of the freezer as easy as possible and this has worked out great. You can find that post... here.

With the freezer half full, I decided to put the five pound bags of flour back in for a few nights just to make sure they have been completely debugged as it has already been humid in the garage off and on this spring.

Can you believe June is almost here? It seems I just put the 2009 calendar on the wall!

Picture: One of the peonies from my bush in the backyard.

Highways and Byways and flowers that bloom

Hubby and I left early this morning for a one day jaunt to meet his sister in their hometown near Chicago. Our trip was for the sole purpose of only one phone call... a very long day of driving so my husband could be on a conference call with his sister and a judge about her unemployment insurance claim and then turn around and come home.

The trip was important enough that his brother sent gas money to make certain we took the trip. We used just a little of the cash for a late lunch on the way home at Wendy's. Call it... a necessary user fee. :)

I "suggested" (okay, maybe a little nagging) we should leave earlier than planned in case we ran into one of those (dratted) detours on the country highway... the same highway we have traveled together over thirty years when his parents were still alive (and longer for him as he drove this road between home and the University). It is famous for warm weather detours taking one completely out of the way from their intended path.

As it turned out, the dratted detour sign showed up only half an hour down the road and led to a thirty minute detour (and... of course, an additional thirty minutes on the way home). Since we had padded our time, we enjoyed the scenery of Midwest farm country in late May and the sounds of John Denver and Selah coming from the itty bitty ipod.

We discussed plowing and planting and the lateness in the season of both. I reminded him of another detour off the same highway in the early 1980s when Stephanie was little and we were heading from Michigan to Mamaw's house. The adults in the car were frustrated with the inconvenience but she saw it as an opportunity to pop a Psalty tape in the player and sing her way through the country roads... a very pleasant memory.

One of my very favorite flowers is the peony and they abound in this area of the country at this time of year. We came to wonder if it was the custom for farm wives to plant their peony bushes as a border near country highways as we passed dozens of houses along the way with peony borders. They were all in gorgeous bloom, I could imagine homemakers making their way to the bushes in the early morning... clipping a few blossoms to fill their houses with fragrance.

Speaking of which... I mentioned to Stephanie this week how I was driving past the football stadium at the University.... windows down for a cool breeze... and caught the whiff of a lovely fragrance. I looked around just in time to notice many houses across the street had gardens full of peonies. What a lovely scent, certainly not one expects near football stadiums. :)

The peony under the dogwood tree in our back yard is blooming. I plan to cut a couple blossoms tomorrow and bring them in the house to enjoy. It produces better than one would expect growing under a tree. The two peony bushes I planted (from sticks) last autumn are growing very nicely near the fence line. They won't produce blooms for a year or two but they are growing.

It has been a long day and I'm glad to be home. No longer have I miles to go before I sleep. Perhaps a few pages of a book and a cup of tea before tucking in for the evening. Um... that is reading the pages of a book, not nibbling on them as one would with cookies and tea. I need sleep. :)

My summer of all things lovely reading list - June

As I write this, the Direct TV satellite radio is on the 1960s channel playing a Beach Boys tune, the sun has decided to shine upon the flowers on my deck after they have enjoyed a gentle rain, fried chicken is "oven frying", and the sound of my neighbor's lawnmower is heard in the distance... already the sounds and smells of summer even if we are in the last week of a May which has been quite cool (warming up fast, I may add).

If I didn't feel the affects of age, I'd be ready to grab the Coppertone, spray on some Heaven Scent or Wind Song, pick up the latest copy of Seventeen Magazine, put the top down on the Mustang, turn the radio to WLS Chicago... and head out to pick up my girlfriends. All of which did happen in my youth. :)

Instead I put the dishes to soaking, took an Advil for my hurting shoulder, placed the reading glasses on the end of my nose... and typed away on the laptop. The only computers I knew of in my high school years took up entire rooms which were temperature controlled. Technology isn't all bad. :)

So... what is my "summer of all things lovely" reading list for this summer? I've decided most will be books I already own with the few exceptions of books to review and rare library finds. Rare because I tend to stay out of the temptation of the library this summer... except for the DVD section of the library near campus which has the best selection of British comedies. Laughter is good for the soul, too.

I do enjoy library books, especially when I can check them out to decide if I want to purchase or just keep borrowing a book. For instance, after reading through Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen a couple of times, I knew I wanted to buy it with amazon credit right away. However, as much as I enjoyed The Gentle Art of Domesticity, I'll wait for it to come down in price and hopefully be able to buy it used. Such options can only be made by viewing them first. Libraries are a good thing. Just not what I need this summer.

(To answer the comment, I am very fortunately to have not only a huge county library but also a library near the University. I have library cards for both. Each library has amazing book sales, where I have purchased most of my books. Our Goodwill and the Mission Thrift Store also has good books... cheap. I am a very blessed frugal Bibliophile.)

I've decided I'm going back and reacquainting myself with old friends... titles and authors. Those that calm my soul, lift my spirits, and remind me of the lovely in life. So for June, I have taken off my shelf...

Three books by one of my favorite authors, W. Phillip Keller. Strength of Soul: The Sacred Use of Time and Taming Tension are two re-reads, actually books I've read over and over and over. Love those two books. I've also decided to read his A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 during this time as I've been spending a great deal of time reading that Psalm recently. Keller was a wonderful writer, naturalist, and poet... he had the gift to be able to see God in the world around him and share what he experienced with his readers.

I have John Eldredge and the late Brent Curtis' book called The Sacred Romance on the stack of re-reads next. The was one of my life changing books, one that I nodded and smiled as I read it the first time... they knew how I felt, they had experienced the same emotions as I have when I felt the Presence of God in my life.

They, too, knew what it was like to begin to stray off course and have the Hound of Heaven reach out and retrieve the one He loved. It is time for a re-read. (Eldredge is one of those writers people seem to love or um... not love. Obviously I enjoy his writing very much.)

I started Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers about a year ago and then passed it to my husband who needed something to read at the time. I never got back to it, although I've planned to from time to time. I immediately took it off the shelf for my "all things lovely" reading.

I also plan to re-read First We Have Coffee by Margaret Jensen. Stephanie mentioned it in the comments of the "I Heart Hobbit Houses" book list. Another lovely book to bring a smile.

I will continue reading Stand by John Piper and Justin Taylor as my "quiet time book". Since each chapter is self contained, I can easily read and re-read them as desired. Christopher may get it back someday. He's busy with a Calculus summer class soon, anyway.

As there is plenty of housework, lawn work, and gardening to do in June... this will probably be enough books.

July will bring more opportunities to read... I'm thinking E. M. Stevenson books (I have two sent to me by lovely blog friends and one I bought cheap through Amazon) and a couple Elizabeth Goudge possibilities, and maybe a Gladys Taber... although I do love her most in the Autumn. We'll see as the summer progresses. :)

Picture: Daniel Barger; allposters.com

The Prinicple of the Path, a book review

Andy Stanley has written an excellent book about a simple premise. One we should all know deep down inside but so often think we are exempt from... that being where we are now is a result of the path we have taken by the decisions and choices we have made in our life.

Reading it is like sitting down with a counselor who is taking one through the decisions they have made in life and helping them realize how they possibly went down the right... or wrong... path in life.

It would make an excellent book to give to a friend or family member who has not been making wise choices. I could see it as part of a weekly study for high school or college age students, each chapter opening up many areas for discussion about the importance of even the smallest decisions we are making and how they affect where we end up in the future.

The only problem I had with the book is the author's repeating himself over and over. I understand he's trying to get the point through but after awhile I wanted to say... "I get it already!". Once you can get past the way it is written, it is a great book and has much to offer in today's society.

Just a little book talk

Stretching out on the sofa each evening with a great book and a cat at my feet has been my reward for work well done in the house, lawn, and garden. Just as Earl Grey Green tea and a throw felt great in January, stretching out with a cup of tea at my side and a window open was quite cozy in our unusually cool May. (By the weekend the humidity made it necessary to close windows and turn on the air conditioner for the allergy sufferers.)

I've been asked what I thought about Jane Brocket's book The Gentle Art of Domesticity since I mentioned bringing it home from the library. Oh, my... I definitely have found a kindred spirit and I have "read to know I am not alone".

While in many ways we would be different, Jane's way of looking at life is so similar that I have read and read and read... and smiled, laughed, took notes, and generally had a grand time with this book. She has a wonderful way of writing and communicating her journey in the love of "domesticity".

The style of the book caused great controversy on her Amazon page... it seemed one either loved it or hated it. If you're expecting recipes, there are few (and I understand they had to be corrected as the original conversions from metric by the publisher were incorrect). It is definitely not a how-to book.

However, if you enjoy reading the thoughts and experiences of one who has come to see the various aspects of homemaking as an art form... you have met a kindred spirit. She's famous for her pictures on her blog Yarnstorm and her beautiful photography is well utilized in this book.

I loved this book so much, I added it to my Amazon Favorites. It is one that if I actually owned it (as opposed to the library copy it is), it would eventually become stained with chocolate and coffee and tea as it is reread through the years. You should see my copy of The Hidden Art of Homemaking (hardback from the original year it was published... not only food stains but water marks from reading it in way too many bubble baths over the years).

A few other books I read this past week...

Laura Childs' new Tea Shop Mystery called Oolong Dead was delicious. I found it to be the best in the series she's written in awhile. I enjoy every one of her Tea Shop Mystery books but I thought this one had a particularly good plot. I haven't read any of her new Cackleberry Club series but I'll be on the lookout, especially since they have been recommended by a few readers.

I've been skimming the two Gooseberry Patch cookbooks from the library. I am not a warm weather cook but I did remember both of these cookbooks having good recipes for summer cooking... there are now little red flags peeping up from a few pages... waiting to be written down in my spiral bound notebook where I copy such recipes.

Except for Joel Rosenberg's latest book, Inside the Revolution, all my other reading is going along with my "summer of thinking all things lovely". Joel's book was available at the library so I did bring it home while I had the opportunity. I've only read the first couple of chapters but I've already renewed it to read the remainder of this week. It is a fascinating look at the political and religious situation in the Middle East from someone who has lived and worked there.

It is his first nonfiction book I've read (as many of you know, his political thriller series of novels are among my favorites) but it is so well written, it is easy to read and understand. I'm looking forward to finishing it before returning to my light and lovely reading... much needed for my soul this year.

Besides reading, I've been enjoying watching The Good Neighbors on DVD (the British comedy that first got me hooked on British comedy in the 1970's... a great series to watch when planting your garden). The Good's attempts to be self sufficient while living "in town" is just as timely and hilarious as it was back then. We didn't have time to watch all the episodes but we did watch a few of our favorites before returning the DVDs (overdue) to the library.

Speaking of British comedies, I've been watching episodes of Last of the Summer Wine... off and on when I can catch it on TV by staying up way past my usual bedtime. Who would have thought the antics of older British gents could be laugh out loud funny?

I must now return to the review book I had set aside to read these books, all of which jumped off the shelves and into my arms at the library. :)

Memorial Day

To all of those who gave their time away from family. Thank you...

To the families who gave up their loved ones, who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. God bless you.

The families will remember. We will remember.

Freedom has never... ever... ever... been free.

Picture: War Bonds Iwo Jima; allposters.com

Sunday Afternoon Tea

This past week there was one morning where I finished the dishes, tidied up the kitchen, and did a quick decluttering of the living and family rooms before taking a much needed break.

I gathered my reading glasses, a second cup of coffee, my Bible, the latest David Wilkerson sermon letter which was acting as a bookmark in Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints... John Piper's book I'm still reading and re-reading long after swiping it from Christopher.

It was one of those Zen type moments (not a Christian word but I can't find one that works as well and also agrees with my theology). The door to the deck was open and a breeze came through the screen, the trees within my line of sight were lush and gorgeous, there were flowers on the deck... and the old Lazy Boy was comfy and cozy. The good life...

I don't know why there are moments in life which are unusually sweet. Often it is as if I'm remembering a special feeling or experience from my past, perhaps one buried deep within my memory... just close enough to the surface to remember a feeling but not clear enough to know the exact place or time in which the memory took place.

It had been a difficult couple of weeks, nothing huge... lots of little foxes spoiling the vine. Often it is easier for me to handle one huge challenge then a combination of the little trials nipping at my feet, causing unrest just below the surface.

How wonderful it was to spend an hour enjoying the late spring breeze and reading Wilkerson's sermon called Words of Comfort and Hope. Just what I needed. He reminds us that it seems "the world is teetering on a precipice as at no other time in history". However, he goes on to remind us God is in control and asks the question... do you believe in miracles? The answer is not "of course" but the reader is prodded to really ask oneself... do you believe God will perform miracles in your life?

I looked around the room where I was sitting and then through the screen... I felt the breeze... I remembered a miracle. For those who haven't read about the miracle of this house, the story is in the post Laying My Isaac Down... here.

God can and will do it again, perhaps not in the timing I desire but He always comes through. Whatever the little foxes snipping at you, whatever the trial... small or huge... do you believe in miracles?

Recession Ponderings - Even more frugal myths about spending

My frugal ponderings today actually began a couple months ago when two of my favorite frugal bloggers responded to negative comments about their paying professionals for major household maintenance projects. So, two frugal myths would be... hiring professionals is never frugal.... and... house and car maintenance is not necessary when we're on a budget.

We do keep a tight budget (on an Excel spread sheet) and all of our maintenance projects since we've lived here were decided ahead of time, written on our Priority List, and paid for with the paychecks made from our twice a semester bookstore checks.

Our current project can be accomplished with a slim budget and by my hubby (with a little moi' help). The last couple of projects required hiring professionals (for instance, when hubby paid to have the deck sealed by a professional rather then risking a serious allergic reaction to the chemicals needed for the project).

Also, not necessarily the "lowest bidders" but those recommended by friends and the family who used to own our house. (there is a great line in the movie Armageddon where the shuttle is taking off and one of the crew reminds the others it was built by the lowest bidder.)

We were very glad to have hired a professional to install our antennae, even though people told us we could do it ourselves. As it turned out, it took him a few hours to make the installation as the wiring running into the house had been corroded and needed a repair or it wouldn't have worked even with the new antennae.

We wouldn't have known where to look, much less make a repair. He also replaced the old booster box (necessary since we have a ranch style house and live in a forest area) and installed the new required converter box.

There are many reasons I love Edith Schaffer's writings but one of the most important is... as a missionary wife on a tight budget, she gave me the permission to live surrounded by beauty and "good things" and teaches me how she did it with little.

She also wrote about those times they decided to invest in memories by spending money (as when they took all the family to a special concert). She is a wonderful portrait of one who is frugal and still lives well.

Sigh... I think I'm all pondered out again. I need a cup of tea and a beautiful book to recharge the pondering part of the brain. :)

Frugal Myths Part 1... here.

Frugal Myths Part 2... here.

Recession Ponderings: Further rethinking of frugal myths

We are experiencing our first humid day this season. I opened the kitchen window and the door to the deck in the family room while cool breezes could come through the screens. Even after it warmed up, I left the kitchen window open. It provided a nice breeze as I rolled out the dough for cinnamon rolls.

The last time I was at the grocery store (to buy bananas for Christopher's morning potassium rich smoothie), I passed by the package of cinnamon rolls from their bakery. They sparked a craving which became a morning of mixing dough in the bread machine and finishing it by hand. I tried something new that I'd seen the West Ladies do (on their DVD which was shown on a Christian channel, yes... the one I am coveting... sorry, Lord). I just love to find new ways to make homemade baking taste even better.

Anyhoo, about the frugal ponderings... I was reading an article about getting organized recently and came across a few suggestions that I've heard many times before. For some reason, this time I was struck about how "un-frugal" some of these recommendations were.

Here are a few "Truths" I've also found to be myth, or at least we need to rethink...

If you haven't used it in a year, get rid of it... I found the opposite is true as I live a life of forced frugality and simplicity. Especially with seasonal items. For instance, I have Christmas and other Holiday items (clothing, decorations, etc.) that I may use only once every few years (given the short season they would be in use). Same with sweaters, jewelry, and other seasonal accessories... I can't afford to purchase new and at the last minute when I find them suddenly needed.

I purchase different kinds of bakeware at thrift stores and garage sales. Many were originally very expensive (as in the $60.00 range and more). I'm sure some of them were given to Goodwill as a result of the above "rule" of getting organized. :)

I don't have a lot of storage space but there is space for bakeware (even if it is under the bed). A simple sugar cookie recipe looks spectacular when baked in molded pans, shortbread becomes "uptown" baked in a shortbread mold, and we all know what various Bundt molds do for pound cakes. Everyone I know loves to receive baked good as gifts and to be served them when they visit.

There are other items in my kitchen that aren't used regularly but when I need them, I am very happy they are there... the electric citrus juicer, the cupcake stand, the collection of pitchers (I need all of them when we have company out on the deck), the small teapot for use with my loose tea PG Tips... just to name a few.

There is fabric stored on a shelf in the garage, scrapbooking supplies under the bed, and board games in the end table. All items that have been sorted through and those left are keepers, even if I go years not using them.

I also have serving pieces that are used rarely these days but what I have left is what I love and know I'll use off and on. The buffet cabinet hubby brought back from his sister's place (originally belonging to his parents) provided excellent storage space for the serving pieces.

Then there is... china. It's hard to believe when we were first married we had only a Correlle set of four place settings and two place settings of our wedding china. I have my everyday china, wedding china, inherited Victorian china, my Royal Albert purchased at Goodwill, my small Transferware plate collection, and my red plastic plates we use when eating in the family room.

Last month I was at the Mission Thrift Store and came across an entire set of gorgeous off white bone china for only $20.00. I didn't have that amount to spend thrifting or it may have been just too hard to leave without. :)

Some women drink... some collect china. But I digress...

Throw out your spices after a year... I just recently found out this is not true (unless they have become "buggy" and then we're talking a different problem). I read that they lose their intensity and flavor but it usually takes much longer than a year and you can quite often just use more to obtain the flavor desired. Much better then throwing it out and buying new...

Basically the recommendation to throw spices away (I've seen as short a time as six months) is made by the marketing companies who want you to buy more often. Whole spices can last a long time. I had whole coriander last a few years.

It makes you wonder what else we think of as Truth is all Marketing.

Herbs are different, they can lose their intensity and flavor in a much shorter time. I've found if I taste them and they have no flavor, it is time to restock. I check all my herbs and spices in the autumn each year, just a handy time to do it before the baking season begins.

Canned goods last six months to a year... As long as the cans aren't dented, bulging, or open... they can last for a few years (cans containing acidic foods need to be checked earlier). The quality and vitamin content may decrease a little over time but they are quite often still good.

I learned to never even open a can that is "bulging" as the contents are not only spoiled but may explode when opening.

It is not worth getting shoes or clothing repaired... I've found this to be both true and false. Leather shoes are well worth sending to the shoe repair shop as long as the only thing wrong with them is the soles needing repair. My husband's dress shoes were repaired last year and they look brand new. The shoe repair person can look at your shoes and tell you if they can be fixed or not, that is what they did for us.

Almost all clothing is worth making an attempt to repair. I've repaired the usual small rips, lost buttons, unraveled sweaters, etc.

However, just last week my husband showed me a pair of Dockers (slacks) that were already old and worn and needed a major repair. I told him they were not worth the time and effort it would requite to repair so we would put them on the Gooodwill list (those items we are looking for each visit) to purchase for $3.99 (or half price).

Once again, I've come to realize how many Truths we've been told only work in a society that is experiencing financial abundance.

I have one more day of frugal ponderings for tomorrow, aren't you just thrilled? :)

Picture: I've been trying to find the name of this on allposters since I forgot to write it down when I saved it long ago. I'd love to order the poster.

Sorry about the strange sizing of letters in this post. Blogger appears to be creative this morning as they don't show up this way in draft form (and can't be changed).

Recession Ponderings: Rethinking frugal myths

I was brought up in a culture where if one practiced frugality they were thought odd or miserly. Especially if they had a good income. There were a few exceptions as we know from books like The Millionaire Next Door (where some people became wealthy due to frugal living instead of spending everything they made)...frugal without becoming miserly.

Last week I used a Panera gift card to pay part of the cost of a coffee and bagel (one of those days I was waiting for my son). I gave the manager at the cash register my gift card to use first and then paid the balance... knowing there was just under $1.00 left on the card.

It sparked a conversation about the use of gift cards. She said stores love to sell them because many people don't see them as real money and often lose them or forget about them. Most people don't use all the credit available (which is why my use of the last dollar was unusual).

I remembered at Christmas time, reading that gift cards were not welcome by many teenagers (those we know enjoy them, though). I love, love, love gift cards so it was hard to understand why someone wouldn't.

After reading a little more, I realized many of these young people had never "wanted" for anything in their life. They could not comprehend what a gift card meant to one who had little to spend on luxuries (or stocking up). It would be no different than handing the teenager $10.00 when they already had $500 in their billfold.

It has me thinking... perhaps a recession isn't a bad thing for all of us (as one who has been living in a Recession for a long time now). It helps us rethink the making, spending, and saving of money. So, being a pondering type of person... I thought of a few statements about frugal living which I've been told and found to be myths.

Some of them are...

Small expenditures don't count... On the contrary, I think most people tend to be careful about big purchases (cars, furniture, etc.) and get in trouble with the small purchases adding up. I've been (trying) to teach this to Christopher, telling him to think about how much he is spending on each small item multiplied by say... 52 weeks. Once I started doing that, I realized being frugal meant being honest with myself about the dollars spent "here and there".

Money can't buy happiness... Well, that is quite true. What money can buy is convenience. The myth is that... doing that which is convenient and easy automatically brings more happiness than that which was brought about by hard work. A simple and frugal lifestyle is not always easy or convenient, it is full of hard work... but it can bring about happiness from a job well done... not to mention peace of mind when we don't have to finance a convenient lifestyle.

Frugal people don't shop... I've found that not to be true at all. Just the opposite, frugal people are good shoppers. They find enjoyment in searching out the best places to shop at the right times, knowing where to get the best deals, when to shop (for instance, the end of season sales), etc. They are masters at living "off the financial grid".

Frugal people never spend money... No, frugal people know how and when to spend money. Misers don't spend money at all if they can help it. Not spending money can get you into as much trouble as spending too much (more about that in tomorrow's ponderings).

Frugal people are hoarders... There is a huge difference between hoarding and stocking up. Frugal people save money by stocking up when items are at their cheapest prices, especially items they know they will be using like food and household goods for the pantry, craft items, clothing they will need, household and automobile maintenance products, school supplies, etc. Misers hoard, frugal people let their money work for them in a timely fashion.

Frugal people are stingy... Once again, misers are those who hold everything tight to their person. The people I've known who are the greatest givers are those who have known what it is like to be in need. Frugality gives those with little the option to be able to give and those with "more than enough" the freedom to share.

Frugal people never have any fun... On the contrary, some of the most creative and fun filled people I've met are also frugal with their expenditures. Some are forced to be creative by lack of money and end up growing in their creativity (and fun). Others have money because they are very careful with their spending and they know when to spend for pleasure (without putting their family into debt).

Children of frugal people have often learned from one or both parents how to have fun with little or no money to spend. They are often quite creative and resourceful. Children of misers grow up needy and often with hostility toward the miser.

You can't be frugal and have beautiful things... Well, anyone who has read this blog and those by many of my blog friends know that is not true. Quite the contrary, frugality in general (and forced frugality by circumstances in particular) causes one to think through their purchases in such a way that their homes tend to have more beauty and less things... more simplicity and less clutter.

I'll write a little more about these ponderings tomorrow.

Decorating the deck... cheap

Ivy geraniums which will someday become lush,

flowing over the side of the flower pot.

I'm glad you are enjoying the book and film list. I have added a permanent link to it above the Follower's widget (doesn't "Follower" sound like this is a coffee, book, and tea cult?). :)

We live in a small-ish house but the former owners built a huge deck and changed out the sliding glass doors for French doors going out to the deck. In good weather, it adds a lot of living space. Last June, we were able to host a large gathering for Christopher's graduation since we were blessed with great weather that day.

I love the look of a lush container garden but there is no way I can afford to create one as they do on the HGTV shows. However, what I lack in money I make up in... patience. :)

This will eventually be filled with lush geraniums and ivy hanging over the side. I started snipping ivy from an indoor plant in late winter and sticking the "starts" in jelly jars until their roots were all a good size when planted.

It would actually look much better if it weren't for the flooding rains we had last week. The large, blue pot is a Goodwill find, I found two just alike last winter and put them in the shed for later. I have a large collection of containers now which are reused from year to year. I find them at garage sales very cheap.

I have a few beautiful flowers that are rather lush already. They were all about $3.00 each and they add color. I've learned to look for flowers that bloom all summer, now staying away from those which bloom mainly in spring.

I've been purchasing a bag of soil now and then since they became available (off brand for the most part) and the plant "stands" were purchased years ago and stored when cold weather comes.

This year I moved a few "country" accents from the front porch to the deck. All ideas received from pouring over gardening magazines (mostly found on the free shelves of the library).

All the accent pieces were from thrift shopping and garage sales, cheap enough that if they don't hold up to outdoor weather, they'll just look a little more shabby than chic. :)

Those two green pots contain zinnia plants but no flowers... yet. Soon, very soon. Small plants are a fraction of the price of the larger containers with mature, flowering plants.

Of course, when you are surrounded with God's natural decorations and all those shades of green... it is already beautiful. :)

The only way I can do this each season is by keeping a pantry. Except for purchasing milk and eggs, most of my grocery money goes to purchasing flowers and plants... food for the soul. My sister, Bonnie, does the same thing.

The raised bed garden is being built with the money hubby earned by working at the bookstore one week. I'll show pictures once it is complete.

"Cozy" book and film recommendations #1

What a wonderful selection of recommendations we have!

I was going to include the comments after each title but it became clear I would have to give the link to the original post at the end of this one. Otherwise the list would be a novel in itself. :)

The recommendations came by comments to my original post, e-mails, and Sally Clarkson made suggestions on her blog. I asked for favorite books and films which give wonderful accounts of warm and cozy homes, mealtime, tea time, etc.

My inspiration for putting together such a list came about from authors I "discovered" through my reading and the recommendation of people who like the same types of books I do. I love to find out favorite authors of... favorite authors. I'll be asking for more recommendations come summer... so please, either send an e-mail with more suggestions or keep a list of your own to share later.

I added a permanent link on the sidebar just above the "Followers" widget.

Recommended Authors
(these names kept coming up aside from specific titles)

D. E. Stevenson
Rosamunde Pilcher
Grace Livingston Hill
Rumer Godden
Elizabeth Goudge
Gladys Taber
Tasha Tudor
Miss Read
Jan Karon
Jane Austen
Anthony Trollope
Elizabeth Gaskell

Books
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Quartet In Autumn by Barbara Pym
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther
The Enchanted Barn; April Gold; The Honor Girl by Grace Livingston Hill
Shell Seeker; The Blue Bedroom (Home For the Day short story) by Rosamunde Pilcher
China Court by Runner Godden
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

The Three Tenses: A Fugue in Time by Rumer Godden
Farmer's Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
(with special attention to the meal served by Mrs. Beaver)
Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink
Mandy by Julie Andrews

Girl of the Limberlost & The Beekeeper by Gene Stratton Porter
The Penderwicks by Jane Birdsall
The Gone Away Lake & Melendy by Elizabeth Enright
Big Susan by Elizabeth Orton
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Country Kitchen; Home Grown; Cousin William; and Millbrook by Della Thompson Lutes

The Blue Bedroom (Home For the Day short story) by Rosamunde Pilcher
All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
Four Story Mistake and The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
The Plums Hang High by Gertrude E. Finney
Papas Wife & The Home Has a Heart by Thyra Ferre Bjorn
The Country Child by Alison Uttley

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
Dying For Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson
First We Have Coffee by Margaret Jensen
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney

Cousin William by Della Lutes
Mrs. Appleyard and I by Louise Andrews Kent
A Civil Contract and Frederica by Georgette Heyer
Cherry Acres and Under a Country Sky by Grace S. Richardson

Book Series
The Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Boxcar Children series (#1-19 was written by Gertrude Chandler Warner)
Tea Shop Mystery Series by Laura Childs
The Brambly Hedge books by Jill Barklem
The Mitford Series by Jan Karon
The Blossom Street series by Debbie Macomber
Borrowers Books by Mary Norton
The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques
The Beatrix Potter series by Susan Wittig Alberts


Recommended Books About Cooking & Decorating
Home Cooking and More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
Living a Beautiful Life and Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard
Beautiful Home on a Budget; Welcome Home; If Teacups Could Talk by Emilie Barnes
The Pleasure of Tea; The Charms of Tea by Victoria Magazine
Mrs. Sharps Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach
The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brockett
Frugal Luxuries by Tracey McBride
Frugal Luxuries By the Season by Tracey McBride (Added)
Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson
Creating a SenseSational Home by Terry Willits

Recommended Films
You've Got Mail
State Fair (1945)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Little Women (1994)
The Christmas Box
Babettes Feast
Pride & Prejudice
Sense & Sensibility
Sleepless In Seattle
Home Alone
North and South
The Shop Around the Corner
In the Good Old Summertime
Three Coins in the Fountain
The Human Comedy (1943)
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945)
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
It's a Big Country (1951)

Recommendations on Sally Clarkson's blog
Brambly Hedge
Pilgrim Inn by Elizabeth Gouge
The Hidden Art of Homemaking; What Is a Family; L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer
Heidi
The Gold Thread
Just David
The Little Princess
Eloise Wilkin (artist)


My original post (with comments) can be found HERE.

Gardening and writing

Someone (can't remember which blog friend) had noticed the pillow the tray was propped up against last week. I bought it for $3.00 at the Mission Thrift Store a few weeks ago, it is perfect for adding some "cream color" to that chair.

The blue wing back chair was purchased for another formal living room in another color scheme in the late 1990s... it is awaiting placement on the priority list to have it recovered. I think it will be waiting a long time. :)

However, the $3.00 pillow helps it blend in a little more to the deep greens and browns of this living room. It also makes me smile and my husband doesn't hate it.

I was able to pot everything for the deck on Saturday. Hubby built the two wood beds for the garden on our driveway yesterday afternoon. He will build a third later and have it ready for next spring.

We ended up using southern yellow pine on a recommendation from his best friend in Holland (Michigan). It is much less expensive than what we were originally looking at and he says it will hold up for years and years.

Today I must plant the Sweet Annie in the ground near the house, one of the few places it will receive lots of sunshine. I love Sweet Annie, the fragrance reminds me of the many times we traveled to The Feast of the Hunter's Moon and the shuttle bus ride back to the parking area was filled with the aroma of the Sweet Annie I would purchase... along with Bittersweet and a few other dried flowers.

I hope to get the book and film list completed today, working on it between outdoor chores. It's fun putting it together (slow going but very interesting) and I plan to keep a link to it permanently on the sidebar as well as asking for more ideas later.

Now, I must put my computer on sleep mode... lots to do and miles to go before I sleep. :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted...
Ecclesiastics 3:1,2

It was with no difficulty that I thought of what I'd write about this week. My ponderings have been of sowing and reaping and seasons... and odd weather. As I sit here today, I have my gorgeous purple-ish heather sweater on that Stephanie brought back from Ireland when E. was a baby. Our temperature is unusually cold for mid-May.

We have even more flooding as a result of wicked, wicked weather which went through on Friday. Our first "scary" storm all spring. The storms were so intense, we lost our ability to contact with the server so even computer use was impossible. They started in early evening and continued throughout the night.

Our raised bed garden is still in the early stages of building, the plants being kept damp and safe all huddled together in a shallow vintage enamelware pan. I'll help put up the chicken wire this afternoon and we'll lay the weed fabric. If all goes well, the beds can be built tomorrow. Our friend who raises cattle hasn't been able to get into the fields to collect manure for the soil, anyway. His fields are flooded. Farmer's are very concerned as most of the crops have not been planted.

I was thinking yesterday how our lives can be so much like seasonal living. There are beautiful, sunny days when life is lovely, creativity is flowing, and even toddlers are easy to live with. For some of us there are "storm watches" as we know trouble may be brewing such as the announcement of possible layoffs at the factory or the doctor telling us we must "keep an eye" on a possible medical problem.

I've found most storms in my life have come about quite unexpectedly... a sunny day with the dark clouds, thunder, and lightening taking me quite by surprise. The affects in my life can be brief or long term... changing everything forever. However, like the tall trees in the forest, if my spiritual roots are deep... I can come through the storms stronger than ever. Sometimes I am forced to be more adaptable than usual... as the weeping willow tree, swaying with the winds to keep strong.

I was chatting on the phone yesterday with a precious blog friend. (Unfortunately I had to cut the conversation short to pick up Christopher from work.) We talked about how one goes through the storms of life and then it is when we look back (having passed through the storm) that we can see the Lord's work in the midst of each storm.

When one is walking through a particular season of life, it would seem the circumstances are controlling us. For instance, all our energy and budget in our physical life is going towards building the garden, planting the garden, planting flowers in the containers on the deck, and attempting to do it all with as little money as possible. (Thankfully, we can eat from the pantry!)

This is the season of planting. We may like to move a little slower to conserve funds and energy but the season will soon be past for planting, moving into the season of growing. It takes just a little slumber and procrastination to miss out on the planting season and there will be nothing to show at the harvest.

Even in our physical life, we will find ourselves in seasons which cause limitations... financial storms, physical challenges that keep us bedridden or working with little energy, life at home with preschoolers, concern about decisions being made by family members, moving from one house to another, a season of necessary business travel, the inconveniences that come with having survived a hurricane or tornado... overall those seasons that prevent us from planning ahead and force us to live one day at a time.

However, even in the midst of such seasons in our life... we can look for the beautiful and that which brings warmth and light in the darkness... the baby's smile, grandmother's stories of "the old days", putting together an inexpensive picnic that delights the family and making the decision to celebrate in the midst of the trial...

We can make the decision to spend our small amount of discretionary income on flowers which will bring smiles all summer, brewing a pot of tea in a beautiful teapot, the luxury of real cream in cheap coffee, finding the book we've been wanting to read (free) at the library, the excitement of a check in the mail, looking for the "God circumstances" in life... a cup of cold water in the parched days of trials.

There is absolutely no storm in our life where He is not present already. He is the Alpha and Omega... the Beginning and the End... the One who never changes. No storm and no trial goes unnoticed and He who knows when the sparrow falls also realizes when the path has become weary and we are in need of refreshment.

We take a deep breath, open the Word of God, drink in the refreshment offered, and wait as the winds of adversity are blowing around us... knowing this is but a season. It isn't Heaven, yet, and we know no trials "not common to man".

Belated Happy Birthday to my Hobbitt!

We love you, David! :)

Porches, gardening, and the inability to say no at the library

My neighbor's barn at sunset
last week

I sat in my rocking chair on the front porch last night, reading The Gentle Art of Domesticity and watching the sun disappear below the horizon. It was my first evening of rocking and watching and pondering this year. All the rain we've had combined with recent warm weather has brought back the forest into its' full lushness. No longer is the neighbor's shabby red barn easy to view from my porch. Now there are all shades of green, everywhere I look... as one would expect living at the edge of a forest.

Life has suddenly become overwhelmingly busy. My husband caught the raised bed garden bug (and I'm thrilled) but there is a lot of work to setting one up that first year. There's nothing like giving a former engineer a construction project and watch him go to work. He and I both decided this is the priority list item we would use with the paycheck he earned at the bookstore this time. So, for days and days he has been drawing pictures on paper and making calculations. He started on the fence yesterday and we'll work on building the frames for the beds today if the weather cooperates.

Since we needed the car yesterday morning, I had to pick Christopher up at work and drive to the college where he was to be part of a commercial they are making. Then waiting for him, first at Panera and later at the campus library.

Both are dangerous places for me... after a bagel and coffee at Panera, I drove back to the college and perused the New Fiction shelves, the New Non-fiction shelves, and took the stairs to the cookbook section. I came home with an arm full of books... note to self, always take a basket or bag to the library as you know you'll get carried away.

I was absolutely thrilled to find The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket at the library. I have enjoyed it already. I've been on the lookout for the new Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mystery titled Oolong Dead and it was finally there, just waiting for me to check it out... along with Katie Brown Celebrates and Joel Rosenberg's new nonfiction book called Inside the Revolution.

I also checked out (again) Get-Togethers with Gooseberry Patch and Coming Home With Gooseberry Patch... eye candy combined with great recipes... love these books. As I've mentioned before, I've changed the type of cookbook I'm reading and using for this year... recipes and relaxation all in one book.

My apologies for not getting the book and film list completed. Life became very busy and unforeseen circumstances popped up (like spending Wednesday at the Veteran's Administration clinic and chauffeuring duties yesterday). I'm chipping away at it... soon, very soon. I am so excited about the new authors and titles, at least new to me.

Wonderful idea for using vintage hankies

I haven't been able to get near the computer for awhile. Hubby had some medical tests done at the Veteran's Administration yesterday. They found a mild heart problem so what was suppose to be a short visit ended up being hours long. I'll explain more later.

I received an e-mail from Debra (who won the Dayspring give away) telling me she'd purchased one of the Dayspring trays and that she'd put a vintage hankie under the glass. As I wrote her back, that was a brilliant idea!

So I swiped it. :)

I couldn't make up my mine which of the five vintage hankies I own would work. So I used all of them.

The picture in the last post is of the lavender silk flower arrangement I purchased at a garage sale a couple years ago. My wallpaper in my dining area was already lavender when I moved in and since I love that color, I've used it a lot since then.

Still working on the book and film list...

My this post is choppy but I'm on my way out the door so I can't edit so you will have to read sentences that go on and on and on. :)

Still writing

I'm working on the book and film lists in between lawn and garden chores.

Still taking advantage of dry, sunny weather!

Thrifty finds this past week

I know I've already posted today but I wanted to take part in the Today's Thrifty Treasures posts hosted by Southern Hospitality.


Would you believe I bought this little table for a dollar at a garage sale a week ago? The lady was getting ready to close so she sold me ten to twelve My Little Ponys, a large stuffed horse, various books, and this table all for $7.00.

I've seen this table sell for well over $100.00 in catalogs.


My husband loved this Goodwill purchase I made last week. Impressing someone with a degree in furniture engineering is always a good thing. I've seen it in catalogs for $200.00 to $300.00 and he said he could see why it was originally expensive.

It looks like it is made by a cabinet maker and he said the wood used is excellent. It can be a bench and a child size table.

Both of these thrifty finds will be good when the grandchildren visit. :)

Join Rhonda at Southern Hospitality and show off your thrifty finds.

Star Trek for Mother's Day

Coffee and key lime pie served on my girly, girly china. :)

I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day. Isn't that picture above pretty? I just love the Royal Albert china I bought at GOODWILL a few years ago. Click on it to see how pretty it is. God does bless as He leads us to what we desire and what we can afford. :)

I always remember my own mother, known to us as Mamaw, on Mother's Day. She entered the hospital on Mother's Day one year and left us the next day. She had been suffering for years and although we would miss her, we were all relieved she was "free". I held her hand before she went into a coma and reminded her very soon she would be able to jump and dance and laugh again and she'd be with Alice (my first sibling to pass away).

Then there are the thoughts of my Matthew, my son I never saw or held. He was born a preemie and died soon after birth. Now he could have been saved. These days they let families hold babies that pass away. Times were different then. I had thoughts of Mamaw running with Matthew. :)

So, yesterday I... went to church... put together lunch... did a little web surfing on the sofa... and... Christopher took me to see the new Star Trek movie as my Mother's Day present. If you remember, he took me to see the Transformers movie on my birthday a few years ago. He knows my eclectic taste in movies. :)

So, how did I like it? I loved it. But then again... I've been a Trekkie from the beginning. The question of "which Star Trek series was the best" has been a point of deep discussion in this household for awhile. They did an excellent job telling the story of how the original Enterprise crew came together.

It has one scene with a college age Kirk and a green girl in a compromising situation and in underwear and there is one swear word. I saw quite a few children in the theater and I personally would not take a child. There are intense war scenes in it that could scare some children.

I had a lovely chat with Stephanie. They are planning a trip to see us in late spring. I hope they are able to make it. She is bringing my Mother's Day present... and the grandchildren... and the world's best son-in-law. It is hard to believe it has been a year since we met in Pennsylvania! Tempus does fugit.

My pastor preached about Matthew 6:25 Sunday morning, an excellent faith building sermon. Christopher has been attending another church with friends for the last couple of months and that pastor preached on the same verse. There are a lot of hurting people in our community who find themselves with no jobs and no hope... I expect many pastors are teaching the same set of passages to their flocks these days. It is so easy to worry and see no way out of a situation (been there... lots!).

I will spend part of today working outside again, taking advantage of a short period without rain. I hope to finish the book and film post this evening. I'm also going to start working on a post called "To college or not to college" to post later this week or early next week. There have been a lot of comments and e-mails asking what I thought about sending kids to college. For what it is worth, I'll write it out.

Then there is the garage... that is the one area of spring cleaning still to be finished. Sunday was such a good day of rest that I'm ready to get to work this morning.

Oh, my back is so much better. Thank you to all who prayed. Hubby is home again to help carry things around, I told him this morning that I needed his brawn and not his brains today. :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

Happy Mother's Day!

I love Mother's Day. It is the only day I don't feel guilty not doing the laundry. That.... is a good feeling. What am I doing today? Well, the budget doesn't allow for eating out this year. Getting the flowers for the deck and a garden planted is more important.

So, I found thin chicken breast cutlets half price at the grocery store (one doesn't have to pound them flat!) and they will be sauteed in butter, lemon juice, and capers from the pantry (hey, it's a Holiday). I'm trying the asparagus casserole recipe from my Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen cookbook. Then there is the Key Lime Pie. Yum...

I love being a Mom more than anything else in the whole wide world. Well, I like being a Grammie, too, but truth be told... I don't get to see those cuties very often. (Soon... very soon.) So, my maternal memories are pretty much as a Mom.

I still smile when I think of the day Stephanie was born, over nine pounds of cuddly baby. She was truly one of the most beautiful babies I'd ever seen. No... really... even the nurses all talked about how cute she was. She was born with a full head of dark-ish red hair (which eventually turned as black as mine used to be) and the first time I saw her, she was four hours old and had a ribbon in her hair. As I was still groggy from the C-section, she and her father had already bonded before she met her mom. He was never the same and she was Daddy's girl from the get-go.

I loved placing her in the stroller and introducing her to my favorite places... the park near Mamaw's house, feeding the duckies, the china displays at the department store.... those important places one should learn about early.

She was still in the crib when she held her first book. She cut her teeth on books... literally. There's a reason those cardboard books don't last long. I remember her favorite literature at the time... I Am A Bunny.

I always told her that raising a daughter is also raising your own best friend. How lovely it was to see her grow and become a wife and mom. It has been a grand journey.

As for her brother... well, he was a surprise. A big surprise. Albeit a welcome surprise... twelve years later. He was born cranky. He didn't sleep through the night for eighteen months. He was hyperactive and drove his mom crazy those first few years.

We tried school... that didn't work. We homeschooled... that did. Without my boy I wouldn't have known the fun (and hard work) that came with educating a child at home... and in the car... and at the co-op... and at the library... and at the park... and at the beach on Lake Michigan... and at the museums... and at church... well, you get the idea.

If I hadn't had my boy, I wouldn't have known what it was like to spend hours and hours walking on trails in the woods and stopping to look at science projects like dead bugs. I wouldn't have spent two years teaching about World War II and having to go on... hardly even touching on the war in the Pacific. Or, his fascination with swords after studying the Middle Ages for what seemed like years and waiting a few nights a week in the hallway of an ancient school, on a hard bench with a book, watching his fencing class through the glass window. What has surprised me about having a boy? I didn't know I was "growing up" a different kind of best friend.

I have often wondered what Hannah thought as she left little her little boy with Eli, knowing she would only see him once a year. My imagination is filled with images of a Mom hand sewing little outfits, the size growing a little each year. I just know she talked to Jehovah about her boy as she made each stitch. I am also certain a lot of prayer went into each piece of clothing. As Samuel dressed each morning, how he must have thought of the mother who prayed for him.

Did you ever wonder what she taught him those few years he was under her roof? Whatever she said... "took". Just as Daniel's mother, and Joseph's mother, and thousands upon thousands of godly moms after them... mother's whispers into little ears. Faith, hope, trust, obedience, courage, love... introducing small minds to an infinite Father who would be present when they were not.

So, I'm doing a little cooking and some reading... but no dishes... and no laundry. That is a good day by any standards.

Recipes in lieu of lists

It is quite apparent I won't be able to finish the list of books and films until early next week. Just too much going on here at home this weekend. So, I'll lead you to some recipes instead. That's where my attention was this afternoon as I'm planning what I'm making for Mother's Day.

I like to make pies for dessert once the weather turns warmer. Well, it will turn warmer even though this is the coolest spring I can remember! I thought I'd direct you to some recipes over on my other blog, those that are good spring desserts.

I was pondering what to make for Mother's Day, which is why this post came about. I don't make desserts often (it would be too hard to resist as a Juvenile Diabetic) but I do enjoy making them for special occasions and if we have a Sunday dinner here at home.

One of my husband's favorite pies is rhubarb. I just took the time to post my favorite rhubarb pie recipe for you fellow rhubarb lovers. It is called Peoria Rhubarb Cream Pie (from Peoria, Illinois) and it is no fail yummy. I used to use a recipe from my sister's mother-in-law but it didn't always turn out right. This one is good every time, it can be found... here. I'll add a picture of this pie the next time I bake it.

I'm making a key lime pie this weekend. That recipe is... here. It's a great pantry recipe, which is why it is the star of the dessert show this weekend. I have a bottle of key lime juice in the pantry (needs to be refrigerated only after opening), one last graham cracker pie crust saved back, a can of sweetened condensed milk getting cold in the frig, and Cool Whip defrosting from the freezer.

I'll make key lime squares with leftover key lime juice (although the juice lasts for a long time in the refrigerator after being opened). That recipe is... here. I made these for Christopher's graduation open house last June and everyone raved about them. I love this recipe, it's a little like lemon bars but different enough to be special (don't tell them how easy they are). These make a good compliment to serve with another bar cookie (like brownies) when hosting a crowd... or a big family. :)

I have also used the leftover key lime juice where lemon juice is called for in a recipe with excellent results. For instance, I have used it in my lemon Jell-o cake recipe and I liked it even better than with just lemon juice... recipe here. This is also a great pantry recipe.

I find the Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice in the juice aisle in most grocery stores. Unlike bottled lemon juice, this stuff is great. I realize key lime juice may not be available outside the USA, in that case just use the juice of limes!

Okay, enough high calorie ideas for now.

Making excuses...

Sigh, I made up for being home for four entire days. I had to run a few errands so I dropped Christopher off for his final Chemistry class at 7:50 AM, then took my husband to his next-to-last-day of work, and then started my own errands. I didn't arrive home until the afternoon.

My destination was my favorite nursery which isn't too far from the college. Oh, how I love walking through their greenhouses. I could spend a gajillion dollars on flowers and herbs and veggies and... well, everything there.

The place was so packed with people, you would have thought it a sunny Saturday as opposed to a rainy Friday morning. I could have stayed much longer but my will power was quickly slipping away. Even with the economy taking quite a hit in our area, people were smiling and purchasing many flats of flowers. One does have their priority. I came away with what I'd gone after... zinnias to plant in containers on the deck and a couple small basil plants.

I had time to stop by the Goodwill and the Mission thrift store in that part of town. My best purchase was a small bench that can be made into a child's table (much like a small picnic table when fully extended). I've seen pictures of something similar in catalogs for a couple hundred dollars so I knew it was an excellent purchase. We can use it as a bench and when the grandchildren visit, it can be a table.

I was not feeling well when I arrived home. I pulled a muscle in my back a few days ago by carrying a planter from the front porch to the back deck. Can we say... impatient? I should have waited for one of the guys to arrive home and I'm paying for the stupidity. Ouch...

I was stretched out on the sofa with Sasha at my feet when I heard the neighbor's dog barking (better than any fancy alarm system to tell me someone is in the area). It was my favorite brown truck (UPS), delivering a box from Colorado which held the beautiful items I won from Bernideen's give away.

Just what I needed to take my attention away from aching muscles. Thank you! If you haven't visited Bernideen's blog... click here. I would love to visit her store, especially since she's having an Anne of Green Gables tea. :)

All this to say (and make excuses) that I haven't had a chance to work on the book and film list at all today. I hope to do so in the morning. God willing, the creek don't rise (which is really iffy this spring), and I can keep nose to the proverbial grindstone...