halloween morning pictures

the moon

don't you just love the Moon? isn't it gorgeous, especially on crisp Fall nights?

big tree

a big tree, taken during a recent visit to biltmore house

i've been up since around 4am and i'm hoping that means i'll get alot done today, if i don't fall asleep while trying. we're entering Fall, one of my favorite times of the year, and i'm eager to get some projects, both inside and out, done before colder weather sets in for good.

this morning...

this is t, our large black cat, napping in the sunshine.

...it was biscuits, sliced fresh strawberries and a cool cup of herbal tea to start the day. still the sky threatens rain; we've had so much more rain this year than last and i think we're on the verge of being out of 'drought' status! the flowers, herbs and veggie plants (and the abundant, verdant grass) are all so very thankful---so are we, the people. this means an end to water restrictions; not that i mean to just haphazardly use water in whatever amounts i feel like, but we can actually water the garden adequately and not worry about everyone else having enough water, too.

memorial day was spent with friends having a cookout at their house. we were introduced to their five-year-old's new pet, a rat named cinco. very cute, for a rat! we spent mother's day seeing my sister married and then driving to my in-law's house, so both mothers were visited and loved and hugged.

now our time is filled with some deep spring cleaning, gardening, a bit of landscaping and enjoying the transition from Spring into Summer. relaxing into a routine not ruled by a school schedule is very, very nice.

nature pictures

i am enjoying more and more taking pictures with my digital camera. the following pictures were taken a few years back but i thought them worth sharing.

this a type of spine fungus, whose Latin name i don't know. some fungi have gills, some have pores (and look spongy on their undersides) and some have spines. the diversity is fascinating!

almost the entire patch of spine fungi growing on an old maple tree.

this is mountain laurel, Kalmia latifiolia. i'm uncertain if it's a cultivatar of some sort. this was the first good picture i took with my camera; i was pleasantly surprised at how well it came out.

more of the kalmia shrub.

pictures from Summers past

here are some lovely pictures from Summers past; enjoy!

our garden the first year; we moved in during the summer and let it lay fallow.

our storage shed. the other outbuilding is a root celler, partially built into the ground.

our rabbit statue, standing guard under the dogwoods and young black walnut trees.

saturday is here again

it's saturday, once again, and i feel worn down to my bony bits. we went two very cold days without kerosene for our monitor heater and two of the coldest nights this Winter (the first night was down to 10 degrees and the second one was down to 11 degrees; the highs for both days were below freezing). so we did the best we could: we shut off the rooms without water pipes, ran the small ceramic heater non-stop near the bathroom and had the oven on for nearly 48 hrs on warm. i DO NOT recommend heating the house with an oven; it is VERY dangerous and a FIRE HAZARD. but, with no other source of heat, what were we to do? sleeping under so many covers/quilts reminded me of staying over with my mamaw as a girl. in her house, many quilts were the norm, even in the Summer (though not as many as in the Winter).

on a very happy note, we had kerosene delivered yesterday (hoorah!) and today is near 60 degrees outside (!). i also noticed our daffodils beginning to peak out of the ground by the st. francis statue outside the kitchen door. there are several spring/summer birds beginning to return to the feeders. slowly the season is changing from Winter to Spring. i'm pouring over seed catalogs again, trying to choose a good variety of vegetables and herbs that i know we'll eat and use. pictures of sunflowers go a long way to cheer one up.

this evening is dinner with our neighbor, with perhaps a game of cards or a board game over after-dinner tea. right now i'm taking a break from house cleaning for tomorrow's Sabbath. my prayer is that all would enjoy a peaceful day of rest and worship. let us not forget to count our blessings!

current weaving project

my current weaving project is a pillow for my mother. as i'm having trouble uploading pictures to this blog, i'll try to post links to the colors i'm using for both warp and weft. my warp colors are three shades of 'maroon', found here, here and here. my weft color is here (top row, far right, 'raspberry'). i used two different sizes of warp yarns, 8/4 and 5/2. my weft yarn is 2/4 and is quite thick, making for faster weaving (especially as i'm using plain weave). i hope to get this project off the loom, stuffed and sewn very soon so i can mail it out.

my morning in pictures

snippets of my morning in pictures...

one of my kitchen windows this morning completely frosted with ice on the inside...thankfully, our water didn't freeze, too...

the temperature around 10:30 this morning; this was six degrees warmer than when i got up...

i took seven pictures of this feathery fellow from the coziness of my livingroom; he perched in our privet for severl minutes, as if posing for me on purpose!

adventures in homemaking--thrift store decore

in the past two days, my beloved and i have visited two different towns and three thrift stores! the adventure began wednesday, when i announced i had a doctor's appointment in the small town 30 minutes to our west. becaus of the travel time, we decided to take the afternoon and go to two thrift stores there we have been wanting to visit. although i was still not feeling my best, we went to both and took our time looking around.



the first store had a good selection of furniture and building supplies and some other odds-n-ends. i found a lovely (from my point of view) sturdy chair that works well in our bedroom. it's nice to have a comfortable chair in the bedroom to use for putting on one's shoes or even just sitting and reading/knitting and having a cup of hot tea.

the second store had lots of clothes, but all we found was some fabric swatches i can use to weave rugs with. yesterday, we traveled to the big town 30 minutes to our east for another appointment. after that was done, we went to a larger thrift store and found severl things: a bamboo tray to use in the livingroom for drinks; an old painting that looks nice hung up by the floor lamp; a food press; two pairs of pants for my beloved; and an old tin recipie box from the 40s or 50s. all in all, lovely finds for low prices!

photo: the thrift store chair

adventures in homemaking--baking cookies

i baked about two dozen pumpkin chocolate chip cookies yesterday. of course, i had to modify the original recipie; instead of using a pre-spiced can of pumpkin pie filling, i used just plain canned pumpkin and added 2 3/4 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice. i added an extra teaspoon of the spice because the chocolate can overpower the pumpkin flavor. here is a picture of the cookies cooling.

here is my photo of the recipie. notice my lovely recipie cards! :)

here is the photo of the cookie batter; notice how orange it is. the batter is in my favorite mixing bowl.

i'm enjoying learning how to post pictures to this blog, so bear with me as i learn! i hope everyone has a wonderful Preparation Day for the Sabbath tomorrow!

a new year

happy new year to everyone!

we passed new year's eve and day with family and had a wonderful time cooking, playing games and visiting together. it is good to be able to offer hospitality and to give of one's self. i find that each time i'm able to do so i enjoy it more and more.

today is a rainy day and we are hopeful that the groundwater and rivers/lakes will be more replenished with this rain. i also hope that the rain will make a difference with the garden this year. last year it was difficult because of excess heat and not enough rain. we were on water restrictions and did our best to water the plants sparingly. evenso, we had a fairly good harvest, all things considered.

i leave with some of my favorite verses:

"...But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing."
1st Thessalonians 4:10b-12