Preparing For The Harvest

Preparing:

I finally broke down and ordered the canner I've been wanting for over a year now.

(Amazon Link)
This same one is almost $98.00 at Walmart. I caught it on sale at Amazon.com for $81.00 with free Super Saver Shipping (Thanks to Tricia for locating this deal for me). I even compared prices on eBay and there wasn't a better deal to be found there either. While I was ordering, I also ordered a new Water Bath Canner for the kitchen too. Aside from making life easier when canning my acidic foods, it'll also make sterilizing my jars a lot simpler than with the smaller pot I've been using.

Gift:

Also, we were gifted a freezer which we'd been searching for by my mother and her new husband, just 2 days ago. My other freezer is full of chicken and beef. The small freezer on the refrigerator is packed full of veggies. We mainly wanted this new freezer for pork. Come fall the hog will go to the slaughter house and this extra space is necessary for the predicted 180 to 200 pounds of meat we'll be bringing home.

Preserving The Harvest:

I've already frozen over 20 quarts of squash and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I get nearly that much over again before the summer's end.

I put up 4 quarts of Dill pickles on Monday, one quart didn't take the seal. I just put that jar in the refrigerator for us to munch on in a week or so. I put fabric toppers on the jars and tied little tags I had made around them. They're cute. I'll share pictures before the season's out ;) I'll also share the recipe later on if I'm satisfied with the taste.

We also got our first tiny tomatoes (2 on the Sweet Million plant) yesterday. I expect it won't be long until I can begin canning tomatoes.

I do want to find some cherries this weekend (before they're all gone) so I can make a few jars of preserves. I'll probably visit either the farmer's market in Pinnacle, NC or go to Ayers Orchard in Cana, Va for these.

The hens have been giving me 2 dozen eggs a day. Between giving them to neighbors who help us around here and the ones Mama sold to coworkers, we're not so overrun with them as I expected we'd be by now.

Today I'll be putting up a few more quarts of squash and I'm thinking about making some bread and butter pickles with the cucumbers I saw when I went to check the garden this morning.

Gratitude:

Before I leave the blog for the day, I just want to say thank you God so much for blessing us with such a loving family. They help us with the bigger things we couldn't otherwise afford with Mike being laid off right now. I don't even want to think about where my family might be today if we didn't have Jesus Christ in our lives. Every night before I go to sleep my prayers include (begin with) a long list of "thank you Lord for . . . " because I want Him to know that I am grateful for every single thing He does for us, by His own hand and through the hands of those around us.

Have a blessed day!

New Family Member

I don't really have a lot of time left in my day but I wanted to stop working long enough to share a picture of my new baby:

We're trying to settle on a name for her now. . .we're close but still not 100%. Once we know what we'll be calling her, I'll let y'all know.

If you've been following my blog, you may remember that last year in June my black pug was stolen while I was in the hospital. She was always a very good little dog that stuck with me everywhere I went. I think it's in the nature of a pug to be "needy".

This past week, my husband took me to Virginia and got this one for me.

I know she can't replace my previous pug (I wouldn't want her to) but she can be a good companion to me.

Even though she's not a boy, she'll make a great addition to "The Goodboys" around here too.

Have a blessed day!

Things are not always

what they seem. . .


Is that a fly??

This picture was included in my last post until I read a comment which said,

"Why do I find myself swatting?"

My feelings were hurt and I was embarrassed when I noticed what appeared to be a fly in my picture, so I removed the picture from my post and deleted the comment.

Then I walked over to the hearth to find that what appeared to be a fly was not a fly after all!This is an old spot of wood stain on the bricks, accidentally dropped there by my husband when he was building the mantle.

Not to imply that we don't get flies in the house, after all we do live in a farm house ;)

I just wanted to clarify this for my reader who felt the need to leave a comment such as that.

You know, Mama was right when she said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".

Have a blessed day dear readers :)
Love,
Sharon

Sitting Area of The Living Room

I've made a few subtle (very subtle changes) lately.


Joining my other little things on the hearth now


are the perfume bottle and bench with tiny hats.


A couple of antique McCoy bud vases we found at a yard sale down the road from us.


The secretary desk is now the new home to the old apothecary bowls my dad found. I've also put some tiny tiny kitties inside. They're vintage miniature cats made by Hagen-Renaker, Inc. I'd never heard of them until the day my dad called and said he had just purchased over 50 of them for his collection.


Not much has changed here, other than the ducks in the window and possibly the gift box with handkerchiefs draping over the corner.


Sometime in the next few days I'll share some of the other old McCoy and Hull items I found at the same yard sale where the bud vases were.

I hope you're all having a blessed day!
Love,
Sharon

The Optimist - The Faithful

The Optimist: "I think I'll make that new recipe I saw on TV the other day."

The Pessimist: "You cannot complete that recipe. An experienced chef was making the dish with his advanced kitchen equipment."
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The Optimist: "I'd like to go catch some fish today."

The Pessimist: "You shouldn't go fishing. There is a 20% chance of rain today. You're basically guaranteed to get rained out."
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The Optimist: "Next week I'll be going to the beach with my Aunt."

The Pessimist: "That's the busiest weekend of the year. The crowds will be overwhelming. You should wait a few weeks."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Optimist: "Did you hear about the sale they're having on my favorite line of handbags"?

The Pessimist: "There is no possible way you'll be able to beat the rush and get a decent handbag on sale. Just save your money and get one later."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Optimist: "I'm having a yard sale next month. Would you like to join me"?

The Pessimist: "No. I don't think a yard sale will do well this time of year. It isn't worth the effort."

---

So, this is what's been on my mind lately. It seems there are negative thinkers everywhere. There is always someone who immediately looks for the worst points to any idea or upcoming event.

I've always been one who loves trying out new things. I really enjoy learning new crafts, recipes and skills around the house.

I try to go into these new things with a positive attitude. If I'm fortunate enough to begin these projects and complete them without a conversation with the "naysayers", I find myself enjoying my project a whole lot more.

Yesterday my husband and I were discussing painting the house. Currently he and the boys are scraping the old paint off the house. A friend of ours came to visit and pointed out some things to my husband which were all negative thoughts and fears for the worst.

I told my husband I was becoming kinda tired of people saying negative things.

To be perfectly honest I see negative thinking as a lack of faith, a sin. God wants us to try new things and continue doing the things that work well for us. He doesn't want us to sit and "mull over" the idea of things only to throw the thought to the side because of one very slight possibility of failure.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (King James Version) "21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

We want to go to heaven and be with God when we die, right?

So, if we wish to die with God, we need to live with God. . .daily, consistently and constantly in our lives. We need to replace our doubtful minds with positive attitudes, confident that God will bring us success to the tasks that are good.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (King James Version) "11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."

I am so thankful that God is not a naysayer.

Why?

Imagine this.

God was going to create man in His own image.

But suddenly God saw the future of man, committing every vile act possible. He saw the child abuser, the rapist, the serial killer and more.

What if He shook His head and decided that there was no hope for mankind to live faithfully?

What if God had given in to negative thinking?

I'm pretty sure God is an optimist.

Genesis 1:27 (King James Version) "27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Because He always has faith in our ability to change.

Colossians 1 (King James Version) "14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

He leaves the door to His heart open to everyone at all times.

1 John 2:2 (King James Version) "2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

All we have to do is step inside.

Acts 10:43 (King James Version) "43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."

Have faith.

Love,
Sharon