Knee High... and a miracle

Each year I take a photo of my children in front of the field. This year I took the picture on the 4th, because corn is to be "knee high by the 4th of July."

Jeremy took a risk this year and planted early and was able to get his crop started when there was still good weather. We had a neat story that happened last week. It had been very dry here in Ohio for awhile and Jeremy was home working on his semi. I walked out to see him and asked him what he was doing - he said he was praying for rain. I went back in the house and had my two oldest children gather with me to pray for rain. I prayed for a drenching rain, and the kids prayed for thunder too. :-) By the time we were done praying, dark clouds were over our house and it started to rain. There had been a zero percent chance of rain that day. The rain drenched the ground! People 5 miles away did not get a drop. It truly was a miracle!!! I was glad Jeremy led us to pray, that my children could see the hand of God on our family, and that he chose to bless us that day. 

islamorada necklace

I love the beach, especially when I get to walk in the water and collect shells. When we visited family in Islamorada, Florida a few years ago I was able to collect some very pretty shells which I have been saving. I decided I would like to make a necklace out of them, as they are so iridescent and pale.

I drilled a small hole in the hard end of each shell, then added a silver connecting ring.

                      

I then built the necklace using needle nose pliers and a few materials. I was actually sitting in the car making this while my husband was taking scrap metal to the recyclers. We multi-task around here. :-) I think this is a nice way to enjoy my memories.

a visit to auntie e's

summer's fresh lemonade

Fresh squeezed lemonade is one of my very favorite drinks. This recipe makes about a half gallon.

Start with 10 fresh lemons (reserving 1 for slicing)
6 cups cold water
1 cup sugar
Mint leaves

Roll lemons on hard surface to crush the tissues to make the juice easier to come out. If the lemon is on the firm side, put it in the microwave for a few seconds. Mix the cold water and the sugar. Squeeze the lemons into a bowl, then strain the pulp and seeds. Pour lemon juice into the water and stir.

Cut the reserved lemon into slices and add to the pitcher. Pick a few fresh mint sprigs and garnish the top for a little mint flavor. Enjoy!

raspberry trellis

Last year I wanted to start a raspberry patch so I could pick my own fresh raspberries for jam, pie and freezing. My mom gave me 16 starts, each with 4" or less of growth. She dug up wild plants from her woods. They took very well and are huge this year, with many berries coming on. These are black raspberry plants.

They were planted on the South side of the barn, where they are protected and get partial sun the entire day. They also get runoff when it rains. Jeremy built a trellis last week for the raspberries and I wanted to share the steps to make one. Our raspberry bed is 28 feet long, so it was divided into two sections. We bought three treated 4x4s, seven feet long and buried 3 feet in the ground for stability.

For the cross sections we used treated 2x2s that are two feet long. They were attached half way between the ground and the top of the 4x4. Next we took heavy gardening wire and ran three wires: the first 3/4 the way up the 4x4 pole, the next two on either end of the 2x2.

The wires were easily attached with U nails and the wire twisted to keep it taut. To make it look a little nicer, we added copper tops, though they really serve no functional purpose.

It was relatively inexpensive to start a raspberry bed. If you are interested in starting a patch and want to save money, ask someone who lives near a wooded area if they would be willing to let you dig up plants for free. (Most farmers would be glad to get rid of the ones near their fields). Prune them back low to the ground and do not harvest the first year (depending on when you transplant, you probably would not get fruit anyway). I have only found the black raspberries growing wild in our area and their flavor is so sweet. If you are wanting the red raspberries you will most likely need to buy them from a nursery.

Last step: Enjoy produce from your own patch!

take heart

Like many other women, I have enjoyed the works of Jane Austen, particularly "Persuasion" and "Pride and Prejudice." She captures so perfectly what is elegant and proper to ladies, and describes the yearning of a heart to be loved. She speaks of grandeur and estates and maids and groundskeepers. As I was reflecting on this the other day while I was weeding my garden, I started to have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I was about to get a lecture, sometimes known as my time with the Lord. He had something he wanted me to think about.

Who has deemed this to be proper? A love story written by a woman who never married. Have women been duped into thinking they have a husband less than perfect because he does not have the social clout of Mr. Darcy? Or that he is lacking because he cannot sit through an hour of Brahms without thinking that it is his own lullaby and sleep away?

At the time when Austen wrote about the finer things of life, there was a different breed of man across the pond in America fighting for a different way of life. These men looked and acted differently. They were fighting for freedom, for their faith...they were fighting to live to see the next day. They loved their God and their family and the right to see justice for every person.

The Lord asked me, "What do I say is important in a man?" My mind was flooded with the character of a Godly man: honesty, obedience to the Lord, caring for others, generous, hard working, just, and wise. Those things matter. Ripped jeans and proper etiquette can take a second row. God looks to the heart and judges a man as such. I have looked to my husband's heart, and do you know what I have found? A good man. And in that I can be so very thankful!

Frederick's bed

I decided I wanted to restore a piece of furniture for each of my children that they can take with them when they are older. I look for inexpensive pieces that need restored, fully or partially, and I get to work. We found Frederick's bed in Northeastern Ohio a couple years ago and I refinished it this winter. I like to refinish with scrapers, chisels, hand tools, etc instead of chemicals.  It is old school and I find it relaxing to work with my hands. Typically, I will use sand paper on the raw wood, but as I was not taking this piece to the wood I used steel wool to rough the original finish so the new finish would adhere. The detail areas I did scrape clean for a sharper edge. After I had the bed smooth and ready to "shoot" with clear, Jeremy and my dad put the finish on for me. We use sanding sealer, which gives it a nice sheen, but not too glossy.

Frederick was SO excited when we set up his bed and he was able to sleep in it for the very first time. He took his little stuffed horse and his cherished blankie and jumped into bed.

The headboard