Summer Doings

It is definitely summer...hot, hot, hot!  (And did I mention that it was hot?)  :)  This is the time of year that I am so thankful for good ol' air condition!  It is, indeed, a blessing!

Well, on to our "summer doings"...

We have been canning away the weeks of July.  Here is the inventory of our canning shelf in the basement...

122 qts. of green beans
14 pts. of blackberry jam
7 qts. of tomato juice
7 pts. of salsa

The tomatoes are just starting to come in full-force, so we hope to have more for juicing and canning!

The tomatoes went from this...

...to this...

...to, finally, this!

I have sewn several things this month, including a "gathering" apron.  This apron is used for gathering veggies in the garden and can also be a normal apron.  I saw one at our local "open air market" and wanted to make one!  Only one draw-back...my Momma said I couldn't use this one (it was "too pretty").  I am going to have to make an ugly one, so that when it gets dirty, it won't matter!  :)

The "normal" apron

All tied up!

Lots of room for veggies!

My sister, Leah, also made an apron.  I am teaching her to sew...she made this all by herself!  (Makes her big sissy proud!)  :)

Speaking of Leah, we are preparing to celebrate her 13th birthday on Monday!  We have invited all the family and we are going to honor her as she becomes a young adult!  It is a special time as Daddy, the grandfathers, and uncles share about what the Lord has meant to them!  The grandmothers and aunts will give Leah a special "keepsake" item for her hopechest.  They, along with the cousins, will give her a "keepsake" letter.  Momma will share about being a godly lady and I will assists in the hymns!  This is not your usual birthday "party"!  It is a special, memorable time...celebrating Leah's Bat Mitzvah*!

*Even though we are not Jewish, we celebrate the transition from childhood to adulthood.  We believe at the age of thirteen a child becomes a young adult...based on the Bible!  More is expected of them and the bar is raised.  Speaking from personal experience, it is a blessing to have that "bar" set high and be expected to act like an adult!

So with that said, "Happy early birthday, Leah!"  I love you so much!  You're the best, ever!

Thanks for listening to (oops...reading :) ) my ramblings!

Many blessings!

Taylor

Beans and Blackberries

We have been busy canning!  We have strung, strung, strung, and broke, broke, broke for the past few days!  Thank you, Lord, for all the beans!!!  It is time-consuming, but well worth the effort.  We have successfully canned 42 quarts so far! 

Lots of beans to string and brake...it takes the whole family!



My sister, Leah, and I picked wild blackberries last night with hopes for getting enough to make a cobbler and can a batch of jam.  We got enough for both! 

Leah's yummy cobbler...

We are proud of our first batch of jam!

Looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow!  :)  Have a blessed Sunday!!!

Taylor





Mountains and Photos

It has been hot here (really hot), so when the weather turned unexpectedly cooler, we headed up the mountain!  Blowing Rock, NC, is a great place to go!  It is always beautiful, with it's flowers, cottages, and park.  We had a great afternoon strolling down the sidewalks, enjoying the coolness, and eating some 75¢ popcorn!

I am glad I took my camera along for some snapshots...

(Note: For all the professional photographers out there...these pics have not been edited and "Photoshopped."  :)  I am not a pro...I just love taking pictures!)

This one is my favorite!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of Blowing Rock!

Beach to Home

"Ah...the smell and scene of hay bales scattered over the rolling hills...a familiar sign of the country.  Just to gaze at the serene, gentle picture brings peace and tranquillity to my heart.  The scene I love so dearly, encompasses the road that beckons me home.  Home...there is no place like home."

TKC

We arrived home, Saturday, after a wonderful week of rest at the beach.  My family (Daddy, Momma, Me, and Leah), along with my momma's mother and father (lovingly called "PawPaw and MawMaw"), and my uncle and his family (Uncle Bubber (Kevin), Aunt Pam, Katy, Kandace, Andrew, and Clara), enjoyed sharing a house at Holden Beach.  This beach is a family beach...very quiet and family oriented!  (Which I love!)  Along with jumping the chilly waves and walking on the sandy beach, we enjoyed playing card games, singing, preparing meals together, and just enjoying the family time.  There were severals rounds of "I'll Fly Away" sung during these special moments.  (It just so happens that this family loves to sing and will break into harmonious notes at any moment of the day!)  :)  We, also, started each morning with a "word" from the Word, as our fathers led the familes in study.  It is always nice to go, but it is also nice to come home!  Again, "There is no place like home!"

My garden seemed to fair well while I was gone.  (Thank you, Lord, for the rain showers!)  The beans are really sprouting up, as well as the tomato plants.  I look forward to a good harvest!

The kittens are big, now!  They will soon leave the comforts of our basement and have the adventure of the outdoors.  We have grown to love them!

Well, you know I can't end without a picture or two!  :)

My sweet cousin, Clara!

Andrew, playing in the sand on a breezy day!

 

Talk soon and many blessings!

Taylor

Home Grown

Have you ever had "kilt" (or "killed"; both terms are correct) lettuce?  If you haven't, you are missing out!  Kilt lettuce is fresh lettuce, with finely sliced spring onions, drizzled lightly with hot bacon grease.  It is out of this world!!!!! 

Here is my freshly picked and washed lettuce...now it's time for the onions!



It is so satisfying to eat something that you have grown!  (Especially when it is this good!)  :)

Just wanted to share this sweet little picture of Theo!

The kittens are almost two months old!

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalms 118:24



Catching Up

It has been a while since I have blogged...where do I begin?

In a previous post, I told you I was making a dress.  It turned out so pretty...except, the back.  Something about the pattern made the back very, very blousy.  Have you ever tried on a dress and at the bottom where the zipper ends, there is this big poof?  (I have.)  Well, that's how mine looked.  I altered and altered it, but it still wouldn't look the way I wanted.  Needless to say, I was disappointed...but you never know until you try!


When it turns spring, my sister and I always want to go fishing!  We went about a week ago and had the best time!  It is "catch and release," but we just enjoyed being together as a family!  Here are some photos of us enjoying the day...

Can you say buggie glasses?  :) 

My sissy!!!

Every April/May and December, Leah and I and our cousins have a night where our grandparents come to our home and see the things we did during our school year.  We call it PTL...Praise the Lord!  Along with showing our bookwork, we also have a mini concert!  Here are some pictures of us playing our instruments...

I am playing my psaltery!

Leah playing her banjo!

I know you are probably tired of seeing our little kitties...but they are so sweet!  They are getting big!

They love to cuddle up to each other and sleep in a pile!

I have finally planted my garden!!!  I am wanting to plant some herbs (I am going to have to order some specific kinds I want), but for the most part, everything is in the ground!  

My lettuce in my raised bed!

I hope you had a blessed Easter!  We had a wonderful morning service!  My daddy preached the "Cross" and actually built a cross!  It was a very powerful message!  Thank you, Jesus, for dying so that we might be saved!

Getting ready for church!

We have been busy practicing our instruments!  4ever His has had several opportunities to sing this month...

We sang at a local church while Daddy was in revival.

We sang last night at Chick-Fil-A's Family Night!

Please pray for us as we sing at another local church tomorrow night!  May the Lord get all the glory!

 So, I think you are caught up with the happenings!!!  :) 

Many, many blessings!

Taylor

"Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."

Psalm 25:4-5 (KJV)



Birthday Supper



Tonight, I had my birthday supper!  My birthday isn't until the 13th, but for various reasons, we had my special supper tonight.  I had the honor of choosing my favorites!  We had parmesan-herb crusted baked chicken, peas, and stuffing.  (Not to mention some sweet tea with lemons!)  For dessert, we had Angel Food cake and homemade strawberry ice cream!!!  Can you say delicious???  Ah!  So, so good!  This is the first year I haven't had a "party"...I am just too old!  :)  Even though I didn't have a party...we had a great time just celebrating with a good meal!  (My mom is such a good cook!) 

Every year, since I was born, we took a picture of every birthday and made a bouquet of the pictures on the window.  After several years, we ran out of room to put the stems.  (Now, we just put them on the window without the stems.)  Here are all my pictures...(they are a little blurry because I took pictures of the photos)...  

Leah is in this one...though you can't see her...she's in Momma's tummy!

Taylor-16 years old

A beautiful bouquet of real flowers!

I thank the Lord for my sweet family and for making my birthday supper special!  I love you!

~Taylor~