About Me

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Northeast, Pennsylvania, United States
We have 6 children - I homeschool 4, 2 have graduated. We have our own business - I try to help in the office when I can. I Love The Lord! I garden, I sew as I have time, can or freeze the harvest and really enjoy baking bread....

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

My Photographer...

What happens when you give a 16 year old a camera, a younger sister and a large pumpkin??




No princess this pumpkin will never be a carriage to the ball...




I did mention the pumpkin was the largest we ever grew ourselves.. didn't I??


Dreaming of Pumpkin Pie...

And Here is the photographer with the actual pumpkin..
Very Cute my son...

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Real Garden Pictures to Share

Here are pictures from my garden this year, unlike the last picture I posted of what I'd like to have my garden look like...


This is one of seven pumkins in my garden. This is the best year I have ever had for pumkins so my son thought he'd help me document some of what we ended up with.. bear with us.. we are not bragging with the photos.. just totally pleased :)


Two of the "Old Connecticut" pumkins- they are such a dark muted orange color.. They just scream fall .. you can see a corn stalk above the pumkins. We ended up with just a small amount of stalks but enough that we harvested 32 ears of corn.. Just enough for 2 dinners around here.


This is our "monster" even the picture doesn't do it credit. It is truely huge.



Another one that is near our "monster"... these were taken a week ago and the pumkins have all grown even more.. These two are worth weighing just for the fun of it...



Yes, that is my sidewalk under the pumkin. What can I say, my sweet hubby wanted the garden near the house and soooo, it is near by.


This is the sea of pumpkins overflowing my raised bed garden in the middle of my yard.
Being in town, I do wonder what my neighbors think..

Better shot of what the yard now looks like...


A chaotic and true picture of what a green bean square foot garden looks like when your five year old helps! :) But as I have mentioned before, we were blessed ubundantly with green beans and they are slowing a bit but still producing!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Fridays...

Good Morning...

Has fall hit your area yet? We are definitely seeing the weather that has cause me to pull those sweatshirts out. This morning the temperature is a chilly 52 with quiet a heavy fog. Sounds like apple picking time..


The pictures are from last fall, but today's weather has inspired me to get out those Autumn bowl and wreaths and make the house look warm and cozy..


This is also when I gear up for colds and visit some of my favorite websites to get their recipes for cold, flu and virus fighting remedies.. GOOT is a new one I will be using this year. You can find all of the information on it at Walking Therein.

You really need to visit Jacque Dixon's website anyway.. I could spend hours over there being encouraged and gleaning from her wisdom and walk with our Lord.

I also found another wonderful remedy last year I would love to share. I am extremely prone to Bronchitis and have a horrible week or two every year. That is until last year when an acquaintance told me about what she uses...

1 onion, peeled and sliced in 1/2
2 tbsp. honey - raw is best
water
sm. sauce pot

Place both halves of the onion in the pot, drizzle 1 tbsp. of honey on each one. Cover with water, just enough to be slightly covered. Bring to boil and then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer until syrup-y while stirring. Pour liquid in tea cup and drink while warm.

It took me quite a while to really try this, just the thought gave me chills. Now, I use it the minute a child sounds raspy.. It is actually very sweet in taste and in about 1 hour you will really notice a change in the tightness of your chest.

My cough was gone after 1 very large coffee cup of this. Warning: you do smell like an onion for 2 days or so and it does make you break into a short sweat right after drinking it. How you feel so shortly is worth the odor and if you already eat a lot of onions and garlic you may not even notice it.. LOL .. just warn your hubby before he hugs or kisses you that night... :)

Just so you all know, I have given up on my bathroom being done anytime soon.. this is the slowest construction job EVER!! LOL

How is school going for all of you? This, for the month that we have actually been homeschooling, has been by far our best year yet. God has blessed each of my children with a very open heart. I am curious to hear from all of you... I am thinking that Fridays are going to become my homeschool day. I'll share some of my thoughts, struggles and even some of the fun.. but I'd really love to hear from all of you too...

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

God's Word...



How many times have you needed something..

I mean really needed something and in the midst of your day say, "God, I could really use..." or "Please God, could you help me..." and then either go to the store and buy it with money you shouldn't have spent or started shopping for it

or just forgotten about it because maybe it really wasn't a true need??

Oh how many times I have been there.. How many times have I prayed, "God, Please bless us with xxxxx we really need that." - just to find out that either I didn't need or I could consume all of my spare time shopping for the best price on this item because it was a need???

Through a program called Financial Freedom - we were challenged to honestly pray for an item of real need...

My stove/oven. It died. Really died. We currently have 3 burners working. The large oven on bottom well, it works but the door doesn't open or shut. The hinge came off and my sweet daughter didn't know what was wrong so she "kind of forced it" .. the door is now slightly bent and if you want it shut you now need to use the latch for self-cleaning to keep it shut. That was working and I was limping it along until the other evening when we put some food it and on 450 degrees- guess what .. self-cleaning door lock at certain temps. Needless to say.. diner was a bit overdone by the time the oven cooled off enough for the latch to release LOL!!

The upper oven door works, but doesn't seal so I am constantly cooking the whole kitchen.

It was in the house when we moved in and the previous owner said she thinks her and her husband bought it in the mid 70's. It was a great electric stove with a double oven. I never cared for electric but the double oven was so great that I was never picky about electric or gas.

I didn't say much because we are spending enough right now getting the bathroom remodeled and cars ready for winter. You know..

So, we were challenged. David said, if you really need another oven, have you asked God? Did you really ask God? Don't you believe he will bring you one??? I prayed, and then bought a Paper Shop to find this great oven from God. You know, the perfect one for just the perfect price. That is when David asked why I was shopping and I read:

So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say?

Luke 6:46 NLT |

That is when I decided to stop looking and talking about it. I prayed. Really prayed and asked that if and when God wanted to bless us with an oven He would.

On Sunday, as we were getting out of the car from church, my neighbor yelled over to me. I thought she said, " Do you want a stove.."

What??

I'm sorry, I didn't hear you correctly...

What were you saying over the kids yelling I couldn't hear your words...

She repeats.. "Do you want a stove? My husband (our contractor) just pulled it out of another kitchen, they are doing a total remodel and gave it to us."

Again, me being a bit bad at the whole trusting God thing. "Well, let me see it, what is wrong with it?"

As you have probably guessed.. Not one single thing wrong- a four or five year old GAS stove/oven. Like new! We are putting it in this weekend---


Praise God...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

It has been a while..



Well, now that I remembered my password, I should be back up and writing again..

How our garden fared:

Green, Purple and Wax beans are almost done producing, I'm only getting a half filled basket a week now.

Corn is gone, we ate the last few stragglers last night with steak and fresh green beans... mmm, mmm, mmm :)

Carrots are in and one last crop has been planted - I really have to get the cold frame built with Josh so we don't loose anything.

My lettuce, cucumbers and radishes were another story- I ended up with one great picking of each and since then it has been some here, some there... 3 of my easiest crops yet not much of a success at all.

I really think this was due to the weather, we had the strangest weather this year.

Broccoli and Cauliflower are done- broccoli got burned from a one day hot spell this year and the cauliflower was amazing! I have at least a dozen heads blanched and frozen.

Raspberries are the big surprise still producing a cup or two every couple days. This is our best year yet.. Praise God!



Sunflowers have been a great.. I cut and filled two vases full of beautiful sunflowers. Bundled two large bouquets of sunflowers with twine and hung them upside down on my porch for the birds. Cut the heads off about 1 dozen to dry and feed to the birds in the midst of winter here.

Yellow squash ( I took a year off from zucchini) is just now growing really abundant.

My tomatoes got hit with this blight as so many of my neighbor's did.

Potatoes did not get the blight and in another 2 or 3 weeks we shall see what that harvest has amounted to... Oh how I am praying it is good.

Sadly, I have yet to see a butternut squash- I really love them...

But.. Happily I have 1/2 a dozen spaghetti squashes in my forest of squash leaves.

Lastly, my goofy pumpkins. I usually get 2 or 3 and they are ok. This year I have about 7 of the hugest pumpkins I could have ever imagined growing plus more coming up everyday. My husband and I are just amazed.

I asked God to bless this garden and also asked for just enough pumpkins for each of the 6 kids- again and again in the biggest and and smallest of my requests. God blesses beyond what is ever deserved.

So, how is your garden doing? Are you all ready to begin apple picking for some homemade applesauce and apple butter???

I'll be back to post pictures later.

Melissa
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