Saturday Afternoon

In friendship's fragrant garden,

There are flowers of every hue.

Each with its own fair beauty

And its gift of joy for you.-

~Friendship's Garden~

I hope all of you are experiencing friendship as well as flowers today!

This is my lone tulip that decided to bloom this year! It is a beautiful day and I have my windows open to let in the warm breeze and enjoy the spring air. My curtains are coming along better than I had hoped and I will try to get them finished and post a picture sometime next week.

Have a great Saturday.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Good Morning

Good morning everyone. Hope your day is going well. I've included some more pictures from the hike we took a week ago. It was so beautiful that day!

Do you ever start a project and then realize that maybe you should have just 'left well enough alone'? That is the way my curtains are going. At first, I had decided to make them out of some material that I had. I changed my mind because the cordwood walls are a type of 'pattern' in themselves and I felt that patterned material clashed with the walls. Sooooo. . .I went to Wal Mart and bought two sets of "Five Piece Complete Window Set" curtains. I bought them extra long since it was the same price no matter the length and I can use the extra material for another project. So, all I would have to do was cut off the bottom and hem them, right? It says on the package that it includes--two panels, two tie backs and one valance. Sounded simple enough to me. Of course, when I got home and opened the package, I discovered that the two panels and the valence were really one piece all sewn together!

So, now I am in the process of taking them apart as I don't really want the valance sewn on them. Hope any projects you are working on are going a little better!

Have a great day.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Tuesday Morning

Good morning everyone! It's nice to be back at my computer. We were out of town most of Sunday and Monday. Our drive through the Ozarks was so beautiful. The Redbuds and Forsythia are in full bloom and the Dogwoods are not far behind them. In another week the Dogwoods will be gorgeous up there. They are mostly open here in the Ouachitas--those in the shade lagging behind a little.

We are expecting mostly rain this week, so I guess my plans for working in my flower beds will have to wait. No matter, as I have plenty of inside projects to work on. I want to get my dining room curtains finished as well as the shade and valance for the kitchen.

Do any of you have any projects lined up for this week? I'd love to hear about them.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Early Sunday Post

"In everything give thanks." I Thess. 5:18

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything

Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm posting early since I'll be out of town tomorrow. Everybody have a blessed, thankful Sunday.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Friday

Our weather has been so warm these past few days that I'm finding myself more and more anxious to get started on some new flower beds. Our last frost date has passed, but I always give it an extra week or two before I actually plant anything, just in case Mr. Winter tries to make one last little contribution to us!

As you can see, my catnip is having no trouble adjusting to the weather. All my herb books say that it should be planted in light, sandy soil. My catnip is planted in heavy red clay and does just fine. Better than fine--I didn't plant it in this planter! Actually, I have so much space to cover around here, I don't mind invasive plants too much. I'm thinking catnip can be used for a filler in a lot of 'problem' spots that I have. I think that oregano might be used the same way. It has managed to completely eliminate my chives.

Do any of you growing catnip have trouble with your outside cats bothering it? Sabrina, above, doesn't seem to notice it at all.

I'd love to hear any of your herb growing tips!

Have a great day.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Happy Spring!!!

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfil.

~Robert Frost~

Happy first day of spring! It's been cloudy here all day, but I'm sure that springtime sunshine is on its way!

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it." Psalm 118:24

Sunday Afternoon Hike

Sunday afternoon, we met my husband's parents, aunts and his brother and family for a picnic and hike at Petit Jean State Park, located in the central part of the state. Since we were anxious to get on the trail, we opted for bringing our own sandwiches and sharing our cookies and chips, rather than grilling out. However, with the chilly wind that was blowing, we decided to build a fire in the grill for warmth. Somehow, gathering around a grill is just not the same as pulling your chairs up around a campfire!

It was a cool, but once we set off on the two mile Cedar Falls trail it warmed up quickly for us! The first of the trail is a 200 foot descent, then the trail levels out until you are close to the falls. The sun was shining and it was beautiful down in the canyon. Though only a two mile trek, it is recommended that you be in good to excellent condition to take the hike. We've decided we still need some 'conditioning' before we do it again! We are behind on rain, so the waterfall wasn't as spectacular as we have seen it before, but it was still beautiful down there.

The scenery was excellent and the company was a lot of fun. Seems we don't get together with family as often as we would like to, so this was a treat and we all decided that it was something worth doing again, soon.

My husband's aunt brought some kites with her, but the weather wasn't cooperating, so we'll have to try them the next time. We've decided to hike to Bear Cave next trip. It's much shorter, only 1/2 mile, and the rest of the family can come with us.

Hope you had a nice weekend and enjoyed some family time.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Sunday Morning

Trust And Obey

When we walk with the Lord

In the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will

He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey--

For there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey

John Sammis

The words above are the words of one of my favorite hymns. Simple tune, simple words, but not always so simple to do! I often let my sinful nature take over and forget to Trust And Obey, and instead, I do it my way. It never works out of course. I am just thankful that He is there, always watching over me and gently nudging me, reminding me to Trust And Obey.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Have a blessed Sunday.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle,

Twas St. Patrick himself sure that set it;

And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile,

And with dew from his eye often wet it.

It thrives through the bog, through the brake, and the mireland;

And he called it the dear little shamrock of Ireland--

The sweet little shamrock, the dear little shamrock,

The sweet little, green little, shamrock of Ireland! - Andrew Cherry, Green little Shamrock of Ireland

Hope you all have a very GREEN day!

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Laundry Day

This cute little RECEET FOR WASHIN CLOTHES is printed on the old-time printing press in The Ozark Mountain Folk Center at Mountain View, Arkansas. There is no name on the print to give credit to.

Nancy Jo noticed that I posted over at Country Pleasures that I make my own fabric softener and asked for the recipe. I first came across this substitute in a book called Cheaper & Better, by Nancy Birnes. I've since seen it in other publications.

Fabric Softener

2 cups of baking soda

2 cups of Herbal Vinegar or white vinegar

4 cups of water

Mix ingredients (slowly--or it will overflow!) and store in a plastic or glass container in your laundry area. Keep out of reach of children. I usually only mix up a half batch.

I've never made any Herbal Vinegar, but I've been thinking that mint or lemon thyme might be a good scent to try in this. Your fabric will not smell like Downy or any commercial product, especially, if like me, you use the plain vinegar. It does work, though, and is much "cheaper & better".

Hope you are having a nice day.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Beautiful ~Almost~ Spring Day

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout

This print hangs in my dining room. It is called Early Spring, by Robert Wood. Every time I look at it I get a little of that 'spring rush' I've been experiencing these past few weeks. It looks like such a quaint little farm, the red house so friendly and inviting and the barns down the hill make me wish I could take a walk to them, maybe stopping to pick some of those wildflowers covering the ground.

Every year I try to take each season as it comes and love it and appreciate it, but this year I've found myself more and more impatient for spring! I think because our winter was a little bit colder than it's been the past few years and keeping the curtains closed everyday to keep out the cold wind was really starting to give me cabin fever.

From several of your blogs, I take it that a lot of the snow up north is starting to melt, so spring is on its way for you, too!

Hope you are all having a great day.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Pets

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." ~ Ben Williams

I've noticed that a lot of us bloggers have pets, ranging from cats and dogs to sheep, goats and horses. Animals are a part of our lives in many ways. I've also heard a lot of criticism about people treating their pets as humans. And, it is sad to think that we spend more on pet food than we give to the poor in this country. Still, most people I know have a healthy attitude toward their pets. They see them as pets, not children. They are a part of our lives, and a part of our families. I don't think God would have given them the ability to bond to us if He hadn't meant for us to love them. Many times, a pet is the only comfort that someone has.

Going through a lot of old photographs, I began to notice how many of the people and families had their pets in the picture with them. Most pictures seemed to show off some of their most prized possessions and obviously, the pets qualified! Hope you enjoy these two I've posted. These are poor mountain people who probably rarely had their pictures made and when the photographer came through, they often invited neighbors to come and be in their pictures.

Have a great day,

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Good morning

Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I'm so glad that He is my guide, leading me and caring for me whatever the situation!

Everyone have a blessed Sunday.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118: 24

Saturday Afternoon

This old photograph is of my grandmother--the little girl with her elbow on the organ--and her sisters, Kate and Myra and brother Luther, in the original homestead house here on our farm. Probably taken about 1906. The old house was destroyed by a tornado back in the 1930's.

Not much going on in the cordwood cabin today. My brother and nephew are visiting, so it's a day of fun and conversation, along with a little fishing thrown in. Hope you are all having a great Saturday.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Rainy Friday

The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency. ~Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons

I think that Miss Toth about sums up one of my favorite ways to spend a rainy day. Of course, the following statement is true, too:

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. ~author unknown~

Running in the rain, trying to catch drops in my mouth was such a fun activity, always cut short by my mother as soon as she noticed it was raining!

Hope you are all having a great day, no matter what the weather.

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

SHORTY'S GOT COMPANY. . .AND COMPETITION!

Thought I would give everyone an update on Shorty and his solitary life. Yesterday dh brought home two hens and. . .another rooster. A little bit younger, smaller fellow, but still competition for Shorty. The friend that gave Shorty to us has a few extra chickens and brought these by for us. One of the hens has already hatched out two batches of chicks, so I'm hoping that she will do the same for us. I really prefer for the hens to hatch chicks themselves, rather than me order the little things and raise them myself. If they have a momma, she can keep an eye on them all day instead of the three or four times I go up to check on them.

Two hens and two roosters is not the best ratio, but with the coyote population and all the hunting dogs around here, we will take what we can get. I'm just happy that Shorty finally has some poultry company!

Everyone have a great day!

RMary

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Little Things

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

~James Buckham~

Flying a kite is not always a simple thing, yet we tend to think of it that way. It has been years since we have flown a kite. Here in these mountains, there is a curious sort of swirly wind caused by the mountain range--so the theory goes--and getting a kite in the air is not always that easy. But, I can remember the anticipation on two little girl's faces as their dad patiently tried over and over again to get the thing airborne. There was great applause when it was finally aloft, it's rag tail proudly flapping in the gusty waves of wind. But it is the delight and wonder on their faces that I remember the most.

It seemed such a little thing at the time, spending time up on the hill flying those kites, but now I look back on those days and see how special those moments really were. Maybe someday we will be up on that hill with our grandchildren, repeating the same ritual, watching the excitement and delight on their faces as that colorful kite finally makes it's way up into the sky.

I suppose these gusty March winds have me thinking about kite flying and digging back to those old memories. Maybe we shouldn't wait for grandchildren to have an excuse to fly another kite--maybe we should make some more memories right now!

Have a great day--and go fly a kite if the weather is right for it!

RMary

First Sunday In March

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

This is one of my favorite verses and one I try to keep in mind on those days when everything doesn't seem to be going just right. Every day is a gift from God and I hope that all of you enjoy this one.

RMary

Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.

St. Francis

Five Reasons Why I Blog

Morning everyone! Senkyoshi has challenged me to post five reasons why I blog. It is something that I've had to think about. A year ago, I didn't know the difference between a blog or a forum The first time I registered to join a forum, I panicked when it asked me start a thread. What's a thread??? Of course, eventually I figured it out! So, here goes.

#1. I was amazed to discover personal blogs--places people were talking about themselves and their lives. I thought having one might be a good way to share my life and faith as a Christian wife and mom.

#2. Blogland is full of interesting people and places. You can read about a lady gardening in Australia or someone taking a walk down a country road in Wales--the possibilities are endless once you start looking.

#3. I love to write and think that this is good practice. Some days are better than others on the writing skills, LOL.

#4. I hoped to make friends with a lot of these amazing people I was reading about. And I have!! I live in a very remote area and good friends who have things in common with me aren't easy to come by. Senkyoshi is in Japan, Carol is in Germany, Sue is in MO, Tammy is in OH and the list goes on and on. There is no other way I would have had the opportunity to meet any of you wonderful people these past few weeks.

#5. Last, blogging is just plain fun. I enjoy it everyday--even when what I say seems to be boring or mundane, someone comes along and leaves a sweet and uplifting comment for me. Thanks all of you for your friendship.

Now, if you girls are interested in telling us why you blog: I tag Tammy at Among Friends, Betty at Country Charm and anyone else who would like to tell us why you've taken up the 'challenge' of blogging.

Everyone have a great day.

RMary