Bundles of Blessings

Scribbling Spiritual Sand

2012-01-25T09:01:00.000-06:00

“So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!'” Matthew 14: 29-30

I wonder how these corn stalks keep standing. They're the last four plants in our winterized garden, and they've survived more than one ice storm. Their stature amazes me, and even more - that they keep standing in one of the windiest place in our yard.

Let us stand tall on the Rock of our salvation, just like the corn stalks that keep whispering in the winter wind... and when we lose sight of the goal, let us not forget to call out "Lord, save me!"

Meet me at Scribbling Spiritual Sand, with Mrs. Wolf.

Make a difference: pray

2012-01-21T16:49:00.002-06:00

Take a moment to visit Gospel for Asia - and maybe even consider commiting to pray.
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23

Da capo al fine

2011-12-13T21:06:00.001-06:00

"He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." Ephesians1:4-5

Adoption. That simple word changes lives. It changed one specific life in my family today. The seven month long drag for full guardianship of Gabrielle Grace is finally over. [deep breath] She's ours.

A date at children's court, a big family celebration, and then we're done - right? Not really. Gabrielle has a life ahead of her, and so does my family. It's almost exactly parallel to the Christian's adoption into Christ's kingdom. A big conversion, a heavenly celebration, and then what's next? Life with Christ Jesus for eternity. Call that amazing.

Well, the adoption is finished, but life with our precious little girl isn't done yet. It's just beginning.

Da capo al fine

Just Peachy

2011-10-15T19:34:00.001-05:00

I can't stop loving this little darling!

Happenings

2011-09-04T11:11:00.001-05:00

We're training these kids up to weed, water and work. Gabrielle hasn't exactly got the hang of it yet... but little Jay sure does. We've indoctrinated her so much that when we walk on our road we find her picking the grass and weeds out of the cracks. Yes, my family is weed-crazy.

Besides the weed pulling 101 that we've been drilling Jay in, my family and I have been keeping plenty busy. Canning, chicken butchering with our friends, starting some schoolwork, getting our chaotic speech and debate club going, writing letters, attempting to get some piano playing and teaching in, creating brand-new time lines, finally finishing hunter's safety, and weeding (some more) all make it on to the list of the wonderful things my family and I have been wrapped up in. Every day brings more opportunities to serve my Savior. He has blessed me with an amazingly full life!

My Little Girls

2011-08-16T20:06:00.000-05:00

Aren't shadows lovely? Summer mornings are the perfect time to catch them, and these little girls know it. Each new day brings the shining sun, and two highly energetic little ones who are very ready to go play outside.

Gabrielle just loves to pick the tops off of Mama's black-eyed daisies. Once the flower is sufficiently off its stalk, she then proceeds to pawn it off on the nearest bystander - only to go back for more.
I've been blessed with a fun and full Summer. My days have been overflowing with wonderful things to do - weeds to pull, herbs to pick, books to read, vegetables to can, meals to share, children to teach, clothes to wash, and ultimate frisbee to play. Jesus has blessed me so much!

Something to make you smile...

A typical homeschooler, living a typical homeschooled life, made a typical homeschooler mistake... who cares about the "r" in Happy Bithday - especially when it's only someones 50th!

Water from the Well of Life

2011-07-25T14:46:00.000-05:00

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set you mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

Learning from the Word this week...

Saving Your Thyme ~ A Tutorial

2011-07-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

Fragrant, delicious, and a powerful combatant of toxic bacteria and fungi, thyme is an herb that will grace any garden path with its sweet charm. Fresh or dried, it is a wonderful addition to any summer meal. Drying thyme (or any other herb, for that matter) is a great way to save it for future use during the cold winter months, when nothing will grow in the snow covered garden.

Step #1, to drying your thyme is to gather it out of your garden, or purchase it fresh from the farmer's market. You will need to cut it off near the roots(but not containing the roots), giving yourself enough room to tie a knot around the base without squashing too many leaves.

Step #2, is to rinse your thyme off. Or, in my case have your extra special helper rinse it off. I don't recommend scrubbing or rigorous washing, simply because you will end up bruising the leaves, and not get the result you want once it is dried. The point is to get any dirt off, which should happen with just a short little rinse - a full fledged bath is unnecessary. While you are rinsing, start organizing your thyme into orderly little bundles ready for tying up, and align the ends of the stalks in a somewhat even manner.

Step #3, tie up your little bundle(s) with sturdy twine or string. Make sure to wrap it tightly, because when the thyme dries the moisture in the stalks and leaves evaporates, making it shrink. Leave a few feet of string on the ends, so that you will be able to hang the bundle wherever it suits your needs.

Step #4, put your bundle(s) of thyme in a warm, dry, dark place for two or three weeks, or until they are dry enough that you would use them to cook. Make sure the leaves are a little crunchy, and feel like all of the moisture in them has left. Check on the thyme a few times during the two weeks, just to make sure it is not turning moldy. If it is, the space you have the thyme drying in, may not be dry enough. I recommend storing the dried thyme in a glass jar, and using it as you need. You can keep it in the jar for up to two years, but I usually only keep mine for about a year. The longer you keep it, the less pungent and fresh it is.

I would be delighted to hear about any herbal pursuits of yours, and your adventures in attempting to dry herbs.

Oh, the Joy of a Summer Garden

2011-07-01T20:36:00.001-05:00

My apologies to all. I believe... no, I am quite sure that I have been neglecting my blog a little too much. My minutes spent on blogger have been few and far between. My life is just so full, so wonderful, and so hectic, that sitting down at the computer for another half hour simply isn't on the top of my priority list. That's definitely not to say that I do not enjoy it, I just enjoy my family and my garden and my daily work a little bit more.

The corn (as you can see from the picture above), is growing rapidly along with the rest of the garden. The weeds have not conquered it yet, as I hope they never will. My dad has implemented a new hoeing technique, or schedule, or system (or whatever you want to call it), and it has been working very well. It boils down to one simple statement: hoe one 50 ft. row a day, and you earn your breakfast.

As you can see, the weeds in the green beans are a little more prominent than in the corn. But, enough with the weeds, I shall move on to a more interesting subject. How about squash bugs! Just kidding...

The above photo is of a potato blossom. We planted close to seven rows of them this year, and I am firm in my belief that we will not run out of potatoes until at least February of next winter. This past year we made it until December, but that was only with four rows. The seed catalogue had sweet potatoes in stock this spring so we naturally had to tack on a few rows of those delicious things too. They account for about two of our seven rows of potato hills, and the rest consists of the all-to-delectable Yukon Gold.

This either a bell pepper or a jalapeno pepper. I have lost my knowledge of which it is because of our lack of proper labeling of plants at the start of the year. That is definitely something I hope to improve on next year. It is not a fun thing to have to tell your Spanish tutor that you have no idea what the variety of pepper you just handed him is, simply because you were too lazy to label it when you planted it. We have the same issue with our vine plants. It is usually helpful to note whether you are planting a melon, a squash, or a pumpkin, especially when you are strategically trying to place the melon under a trellis and the squash in the back by the corn.

Last but not least, this is a blurry picture of the top of my garlic. I just love the little circle it created of itself.

One of my favorite things about the outdoors and our garden is the sweet goodness I witness in the plants and vegetables growing there. It is a testament to the perfection and glory and wonder of God. I marvel at it whenever I breathe the fresh air He has blown into my midst, whenever I contemplate the intricate design in a humble stalk of corn, whenever I look into the face of one of my mama's black eyed Susan's, and whenever I hear the lilting whistle of a chickadee in the wind. No wonder I like to hoe.

The blessings Jesus gives me

2011-06-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

A very happy little girl, had a very happy little party, with a very happy - not so little - family.

I can't get over my precious family. I love them so much. What would life be like with out my strong daddy coming home from work every evening ready to go and weed the garden? Could I survive a week without mom's amazing cooking and steady guidance? Where would I be without a hilarious joke-ster like Jack? I'm not sure life would be livable without thoughtful, gentle, loving Abigail. Is it possible to spend two hours without a wide, shining smile from little Jay? And, without little miss hyper diaper, Gabrielle, what in the world would I have to do all the time?
God has given me more than I deserve. He has provided me with blessings so plentiful, so precious, so meaningful, so amazing, I can barely take them in. He gave me His Son. He gave me His Word. He gave me my family. He gave me the work I do every day. He gave me my everything.

Little Miss "Beet Face"

2011-06-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

The Lord has blessed me so much with this little package of joy. What's another poopy diaper, another load of wash or another mouth to feed, when you can spend a whole meal giggling your head off at a little girl who just can't get enough beets?! She's just another one of the treasures in my little bundle of blessings.

P. S. How do you like the new blog-do? I'm not sure I like the background enough to keep it, but the header is definitely a keeper.

A New Addition: Gabrielle Grace

2011-05-21T21:54:00.005-05:00

"A child, more than all other gifts that earth can offer to declining man, brings hope with it, and forward looking thoughts." ~ Wordsworth

About a week ago, this new little blessing entered our home. My family took a 14 hour trip out to South Dakota, and came back with sweet, feisty and sorely constipated, Gabrielle Grace.

We were blessed to stop by Mount Rushmore on our way, and all of us enjoyed hiking around the place. The Lord gifted us with a quiet, peaceful drive out and back, and we even worked through a few audio books in the car.

May God bless you in your wanderings this weekend, my friends,

God's Goodness

2011-04-13T21:17:00.004-05:00

Sweet smiles, sweet faces, sweet growth, sweet blessings, sweet Spring, all sweet things from God above.

We've been busy with plenty of new things at my house, garden planting, guitar playing, debate tournaments, all full of God's grace and goodness. My mother's surgery went well, and she is recuperating quickly and surely. Thank you so much for all of the prayers and sweet comments. God bless you all!

New Adventures

2011-03-17T15:59:00.004-05:00

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and keep you..." Isaiah 41:10

This past week has brought new adventures and new mountains to climb for my family. I am amazed to see God's steady hand guiding my family through what He has for us. His goodness is great and mighty, and His will for us is so perfect.

Early last week my mother found out that she has a growth on her ovary that needs to be removed. Consequently, tomorrow morning she will be going in to the hospital to have it removed. We are blessed to be surrounded by loving and encouraging brothers and sisters in Christ through this. But I would still ask you to be in prayer for my mother's quick healing and recovery as well as the stability of my family through what is going on.

On a more joyful note, we have just started planting our peppers and tomatoes in little peat pots by the windowsill. My family has officially caught the "Spring Fever," and we are acting accordingly! Most of the snow around us has melted, and birds have been tweeting away. God's creation is beautiful to behold, and we are fully enjoying it!

God bless you in your travels this weekend,

Goodbye Little Mark

2011-02-19T08:03:00.011-06:00

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

When my family decided to enroll in our state's foster-adoption program we knew that someday we might have to say goodbye to one of the little ones whom we would care for. Nevertheless, when the day came to say goodbye to little Mark, it was like losing a loved one. We had him for almost a year to the day, and I think we'd all say that we didn't realize how much we loved him until we had to say goodbye.

It is now, in these hours of pain that I feel the true joy and contentment of Christ. That joy and contentment that come only from dwelling in the place where the will of God is first and utmost in my life. It is a comfort to know that everything that happens is within His holy plan, and that He will work everything out for the good of those who love Him.

So with that my friends I ask you to pray for our dear little Mark, that he would acclimate to his new family and new surroundings quickly and with little pain. Thank you for your loving thoughts and prayers for my family as well. I pray that through it all our God would get all of the glory, honor and praise.

7 of my favorite Christmas traditions

2010-12-13T20:25:00.006-06:00

1. Writing in my journal by the toasty-warm wood stove. Last year it was a toasty-warm fireplace. But thanks to my talented daddy, this year we have soapstone wood stove that fully heats our home.

2. Reading and writing those precious Christmas cards. The handy green and red card holder is a perfect carrier for the growing stack.

3. Daily, mealtime praying for the blessed people who sent the cards. Sent us a Christmas card? You've been prayed for.

4. Reading books about the Baby that saved the world. For every day in December a Jesus-book is unwrapped and read aloud to the children.

5. The celebration of Advent. At my house, the last five minutes of most family meals are spent reading a devotional, reading the Word, singing a carol, and talking about our Lord. What a joy!

6. Decorating the tree. Memories of Christmas past are captured in the array of aged ornaments dangling on the outermost twigs of our fragrant balsam fir. This year we added some beautiful maroon sumac and a sparkling angel to top it off.

7. And last but not least the finishing touch of an electric "choo-choo train" around the foot of the Christmas tree. Delight is the perfect word to express little Mark's dazzling eyes while logging his third hour staring at that thing.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Seeds

2010-11-23T20:52:00.005-06:00

One of my family's favorite Thanksgiving foods is pumpkin pie - especially made out of pumpkins we process ourselves. Baked savory pumpkin seeds is just another favorite food that adds to the pumpkin fun.
In honor of the sugar free challenge I am participating in, I will share with you some of my favorite gluten free and sugar free recipes - Fluffy Pumpkin Pie (sweetened with honey and molasses) and Savory Pumpkin Seeds.

Fluffy Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon molasses

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon all spice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

4 large eggs

3 cups pumpkin puree

1 and 1/2 cans (12oz. each) evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

A pre-made pie crust, not baked yet (I used a gluten free pie crust mixture)

Mix all ingredients well using a hand blender or mixer. Arrange pie crust in pie pan, lightly fork bottom. Bake at 425 F for the first 15 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 350 F and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes clean.

~note: you might want to put strips of aluminum foil around the exposed edges of the crust about midway through the baking period so the crust doesn't burn.~

Savory Baked Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

seeds from two small sized pumpkins (or squash), rinsed and dried thoroughly

salt

worcestershire sauce (optional)

On a greased cookie sheet spread seeds evenly and sprinkle with salt and worcestershire sauce to taste. Bake at 350 F for ten to twenty minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy the delicious, sugar free and gluten free Thanksgiving recipes! For a some more wonderful sugar free recipes click here.

A Tribute to God's Grace

2010-11-19T20:18:00.013-06:00

Little Jay came to us without love, without hope and without the ability to bond. It's been almost a year since she was dropped off and all of this began. There's been plenty of therapy, plenty of struggling and plenty of endless disciplining.

Challenges big as mountains have been overcome, but neither my mother, nor my father, nor myself ever stepped foot on those sharp peaks. Our trembling hands were grasped and our souls captured by God Almighty. In the times of trouble, trial and persecution the open arms of Jesus held our hearts near and carried us all the way through.

The Love that flows from Him through us is breaking the ropes of bondage knotted around the souls of these children. The pure joy of seeing and feeling the Love of Christ being poured through our lives is indescribable.
God has provided in every way imaginable. Spiritually and physically He has given us all we could ever need. --The encouragement and prayers of friends and family, wonderful late night conversations, gifted grocery store gift cards, and even free turkey dinners.-- The blessings He has given are abundant and amazing.

God is so good, and by His powerful grace he has brought us through much with little Jay and Mark, our foster children. We are now looking into the bleak future of parting with amiable little Mark. But on a more positive note little Jay's adoption is slowly coming through, and some of her emotional issues are being dissolved. It is incredible to see the deep Love of the Lord soothing her scarred heart.

God's grace has been made known in so many areas of my life and the lives of my family through the adventures of investing in these children. The evidence of His gentle hand on the lives of Jay and Mark is astounding. So, with that I end this post: A tribute to God's Grace.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them." Psalm 127: 3-5a

Tutorial: Calming Herbal Tea

2010-10-20T20:23:00.010-05:00

{Pictured above: mint, lavender and chamomile}

I like tea. I like herbs. But, what about tea and herbs? Well, let me introduce you to one of my favorite pastimes: making herbal tea.

~Calming Herbal Tea~

You'll need: A couple tablespoons of dried lavender flowers, dried chocolate mint, dried chamomile flowers, dried rosemary leaves and only one tablespoon of cloves.

Other herbs that would work well (but I didn't use) are: dried raspberry leaves that have been crumbled up, lemongrass, orange blossoms and possibly lemon balm. Using other varieties of mint would be fine too.

Combine all of the herbs that you are using in a small bowl, and...

Ta-da! You have made just made a beautiful, tasty and calming batch of lovely herbal tea. Put the mixture in a pint jar, or small plastic bag. Steep two teaspoons in a cup of hot water, and you will have a steaming and relaxing cup of tea in no time.

If you are looking for gift ideas, jars of the tea mixture or even miniature baggies full will fit the bill. I keep some extra jars of tea ready for last minute hostess gifts, and they work very well... much better than candles!

I would love to hear of your adventures in the herbal tea making world, and if you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy your herbal tea!

Top 5 Adventures of Summer 2010

2010-10-12T21:38:00.004-05:00

My summer was eventful, delightful, and highly educational. In the next few paragraphs I would like to take you on a short walk down memory lane with me.

Adventure #1: A fun filled family reunion. Who knew relatives could be so fun! The highlights? Great music and wonderful conversations. I wrote a post about some of the implications of the conversations here.

Adventure #2: Going gluten free. My mother has known that she is gluten intolerant for about a year now, giving me a 50% chance of being so as well. About a month ago I came to the conclusion that, considering some minor heartburn and severe allergies that I was suffering from, I was most likely gluten intolerant. That ushered in some pretty drastic changes in diet for me, the main being: no gluten! My favorite food has now changed from homemade, gluten-saturated pretzels to home baked, tasty french fries.

Adventure #3: Doubling the size of the garden. It wasn't just an adventure, it was a whole lot of work. Right about this time of the year we are all pretty happy that we did it. Athough, if you would have asked us in mid June you might have gotten a different answer.

Adventure #4: Making sauerkraut: Who knew shredding cabbage was such a big deal? Well, shredding 2 laundry baskets full is. There is a huge crock sitting with a pillow case over it in the corner of our living room right now, and it smells pretty bad. My conclusion? Salt + cabbage + lots of time = big, organic, pot of sauerkraut, and a family who isn't exactly sure they want to eat all of it by now.

Adventure #5: Chicken chopping: Just those words bring back recollections of good friends laughing their heads off over chickens without their heads on that are flopping around and doing back flips on the grass. Warning: don't try this at home, and letting your decapitated chicken do it's muscle spasm tricks on your front lawn might scare your neighbors (just teasing!). I recommend duct taping your chicken's wings onto it's body so that you don't end up eating Greek chicken with a shattered wing bone in mid December. Interested in some more detail? Look at the post below this one.

Chicken Chopping

2010-09-20T20:47:00.003-05:00

No, I do not belong to a loosy goosy family that really, truly, and entirely likes to kill, chop, gut and process chickens - we're just smiling for the camera. Actually there's another family that is partially tucked into the above picture as well, and to tell the truth, they hosted the whole entire deal.

This is probably the first year I have been able to get through the entire day of chicken chopping without having the gag reflex kick in more than three times. Another highlight of the day would have to be NOT popping the green bile bag on the livers - even once (note, that's on my part). Jack, on the other hand was not so fortunate. I care not to go into details, but I will say that he had his share of green grossness to deal with.

That is all, my friends. With my last adieu, I give you this simple advice: If an experience in chicken chopping ever falls in your path, [1] let the men do the dirty work (i.e. chopping... do I need to be more explanatory?), [2] do not do any "popping" of chicken innards (especially of green-ish looking items), [3] do not eat chicken -especially the ones you just worked with- until at least 10 days after the experience. And believe me, I say this with just enough experience under my belt.

Biscuits with raisins and Jesus

2010-08-20T20:49:00.004-05:00

When the day has been going roughly. When the dirty clothes basket seems to be a never ending pit. When the dog has just drank out of the toilet for the second time today, and when all hope seems to be lost: Just cling to Jesus, praise Him because you can breathe, and make a batch of biscuits with raisins.

Not to mention picking a vase of black eyed susans,

OR eating up all of the biscuits at once.

"Thank you Lord for the breathe that you put in me, and the struggles you give me so that I can learn to trust in You."

Life is full of so many wonderful things

2010-08-18T20:53:00.002-05:00

Morning glory's,

pickles

and fresh produce!

Yes, it has been a week since my last post... time sure flies when you're having fun! Life has been simply busy around here. With a family of 7, a 50 ft. x 200 ft. garden, and people in and out like crazy, summer gets a little hectic. Now, just to add to the craziness, school work is starting to flood into our daily schedules, and canning is trying to find a foothold in our every day work.

So, first of all, I would like to make an apology to all of you sweet blogging friends out there for not being the "regular Rachel" you are used to. As you have probably noticed, I have been significantly lowering the amounts of commenting and posting I do - just so the transition into the new school year comes a little easier this time around.

Second, I would like to announce my new blogging schedule. It is significantly different than what I have currently been doing, but it seems to be best for now.

I will be spending a limit of 2 hours every week on the internet, and so I want to apologize in advance for my lack of attention given to all of you, my peer's blogs. Don't worry, I read everything you write, I will just not be commenting as often. That also means only 1-2 posts per week from me, also not the usual. So sorry, but thank you for understanding!

Many blessings to all of you my sweet sisters in Christ, may the Lord bless you and keep you!

Your sister,

Books of Inspiration

2010-08-03T10:37:00.013-05:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling with my family to a once-in-every-four-years family reunion. I had a wonderful time fellowshipping with relatives young and old, singing beautiful gospel songs, swimming, and somehow along the way picking up a virus, double ear infection and an extremely sore throat.

In the midst of all the fun times, hugs and kisses we had some very stimulating conversations. We talked about many things agricultural, including chopping chickens, diseases in bees and the amounts of small scale farmers in the US.

The agricultural conversation happened to come about after a group discussion about what material things we wanted (no, not a very amazing topic of conversation-to say the least!). When it came to be my turn in that particular discussion, I mentioned that I would like a pressure canner so that I would be able to can beans without pickling them. Apparently not many fourteen year olds have their hearts set on pressure canners, because the adults in the circle found that rather amusing.

Another short conversation I had was with my second cousin Sara and great aunt Sis. Sara asked about what books I read for inspiration, and although at that point in time I doubt I gave a very articulate answer, the question gave me an idea. I could write a blog post about some of the books that inspire me! So, in the paragraphs that follow, I would like to outline some of my favorite, inspiring books.

First and foremost I would like to say that the Holy Word of God, the Bible, is by far, the most life changing book that I have ever read. I have a feeling that most of you reading this feel exactly the same way, and have most likely read it through and through, thus making it unnecessary to "outline" it. On a side note-does anyone know very much or have any comments on the recently released ESV study Bible? I'm considering using it.

So here we go.......

Fiction
Yes, fiction books can be very inspirational. If they are well written and have a good message, you generally come away wanting to acquire the same traits of the characters in the book, and then feel inspired to go write something similarly beautiful.

Freckles, Keeper of the Bees and Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter

Gene Stratton Porter is a wonderful author. She has written many books but the three I mentioned are just my favorites. Many of her books are written from her own past experiences, such as Laddie. It's the story of her childhood and amazing family. My family has read it twice out loud together, and all of us come away from reading it inspired to be like Laddie....kind, loving, knowledgeable and others-centered, not to mention craving home cooked fried chicken and wanting to learn Greek.

Keeper of the Bees is another of Gene's excellent creations. I've read this one once on my own and once with the family. A couple times in the book you will be wringing your hands and bawling your eyes out. At other times you will be laughing out loud and smiling for joy. Whoever you are, reading this book will most likely come very close to changing your life. Although, I do recommend this book only to older children (i.e. ten and up) and adults.

Freckles is a beautiful story of an orphan without his right arm, who through his honorable character befriends many men, women and children, comes right with God and nature, finds out who he really is, and falls in love. Read this book and you will come away humbled by Freckles' simple, beautiful, amazing life, and feel ready to start studying butterflies.

At The Back Of the North Wind and The Lost Princess by George MacDonald

At the Back of the North Wind has inspired and changed many children-young and old alike. George MacDonald himself said "I do not write for children, but for the childlike, whether of five or fifty of seventy five". Timeless lessons are captured wonderfully in this beautifully written classic. I like the editions illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith. And if you can't seem to swallow the whole book, I recommend listening to the Focus on the Family radio theater edition. It has wonderful sound affects and accurately re-tells the story. Dad read this book aloud to my siblings and I years ago and the memories of Little Diamond in the hay loft and the adventures he had on the back of the North Wind stuck like glue.

I received a beautiful edition of the Lost Princess for the Christmas of my tenth year and it has been one of my favorite books ever since. I have read it countless times and each time I learn some new thing I had missed before, or am reminded of some important lesson I had forgot. The unforgettable tale of two spoiled children and the mysterious old Wise Woman has inspired and changed me, and has done so for many other children around the world.

Other books that George MacDonald has written but I have not read yet are: The Gifts of the Christ Child and Other Stories and Tales, The Princess and the Goblin, and The Princess and Curdie.

Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration by David and Karen Mains

These books are packed full of stunning analogies that usually directly relate to the Christian life. Dad has read these books out loud to my siblings and I about three times so far, and each time we enjoy them more than the last. Somehow reading each book evokes in me thoughts of singing In Christ Alone (odd, but true).

Tales of the Kingdom opens with the story of the newly orphaned Scarboy living in Enchanted City with his little brother, Little Child. While trying to find a way to evade going to a life of slave labor in the Dagoda, he recalls his mother's stories about a real King who lives beyond the city garbage dump in the great forest. With help from one of the City taxi drivers-who turns out to be a servant of the real King- Scarboy and his little brother make it to the great forest and meet Caretaker, a King's man. Scarboy learns of the King and His forest, gains redemption, and eventually becomes a King's man himself in the next two books. You'll find yourself touched and changed after reading these books.

The Hawk and the Dove Trilogy by Penelope Wilcock

I just read this book recently, and I would read it again tomorrow. This is by far one of the most inspirational fiction books I have read. In fact, it's much more than just inspirational. Frequently throughout the book I found myself shedding tears while experiencing the struggles and pains of monastery life with the brothers of St. Alcuin's from centuries ago. Watching the raw hearts of the brothers being shaped and made whole by Christ was amazing. Seeing the pain of Father Peregrine while his bare humanity was being stripped away, then his wonderful hope and faith in Christ through his darkest hour was, to say the least, largely strengthening to my faith. The amazing examples of Christian character, faith and love in this book are wonderful and inspiring. It's a thick book, and a little dry at times, but very worth the perseverance you have to muster to get to the end of it.

Non Fiction (oops, and one fiction... The Screwtape Letters)

I have not read as many non fiction books that were extremely inspiring to me, but the ones that were I hope to highlight here for you.

Tortured for Christ by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand

This book changed my life. It opened to my eyes to what my brothers and sisters over seas regularly go through for Christ, and how easy we have it here in America. After I had read it I felt extremely dissatisfied with the way I had been living. I wanted to go out and tell every person I met about the beautiful Love of Christ that I have in my heart, because, where I live, the only thing that could possibly happen to me is getting labeled a freak by some atheist. What is that compared to extreme torturing?

Reading Tortured for Christ challenged me to truly live for Christ. By seeing what other brothers and sisters went through for the Lord Jesus Christ made me want to do the same: to live for Him, to die for Him and to serve Him with everything that He has given me, to reach everyone I meet for Him, to surrender myself and my humanity to Him in order to make room for His Holy Spirit to live and breathe through me. If you consider reading only one book from this short list I have compiled, I would tell you that this one would be number one.

The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

I read The Screwtape Letters about a year ago, and I definitely gained a lot of spiritual inspiration from between its pages. It's a collection of letters from a demon of an advanced position who calls himself Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, a demon of lower class that is apparently not very familiar with the practice of being a demon. The letters contain guidelines for Wormwood to follow while "watching" his person.

This book opened my eyes to the world of spiritual warfare. It also gave some rather drastic examples of regular pitfalls that much of humanity fall into, including myself, thus exposing some ways in which I could improve in my life and Christian walk... very beneficial. C.S. Lewis has written The Screwtape letters well. The Lord truly worked through him to write this book.

Mere Christianity is another book that C.S. Lewis has written (among many others). I started reading it soon after I finished the Screwtape Letters, got through half of it, and to tell the truth I still haven't finished it. But I have high regards for it even if I've only read half of it. An excellent book on basic Christian apologetics, C.S. Lewis covers many relevant topics that have significant ground in the Christian life.

Some other non-fiction books that I look forward to reading soon.

Living in the Light of Eternity by K.P. Yohannan

Revolution in World Missions by K. P. Yohannan

In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham

and The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

I have a feeling that this is probably one of the longest posts that I have ever written... so I hope you have been able to hang on through the end, and that you enjoyed reading it! What are some of your favorite inspirational books?

Goodbye for Now!

2010-07-28T14:14:00.002-05:00

{Marigolds... one of my favorite flowers}

Announcing: A week in South Dakota and Iowa without internet.

Talk to you next week!

Beautiful Days

2010-07-25T18:44:00.003-05:00

Thank the Lord for a beautiful Sunday afternoon spent salvaging 10 flattened corn rows and then processing the corn!

Thank you Lord for food in the freezer, in the garden, and on pantry shelves. Thank you Lord for jobs to accomplish. Thank you Lord for the beautiful days you give to each and every one of us!

New Look(s)

2010-07-16T11:55:00.004-05:00

~Yes, as you have probably noticed I have "remodeled" my blog. From pretty pink to flowery turquoise. Do you like it?

The next "new look" is on myself. Just three days ago I went to a hair parlor (first time in almost nine years!), cut about eleven inches of my hair off and donated it to locks of love. I am so happy that my hair can go to someone in need, but I also feel a little "parting sadness". Anyway, any good short hair-do ideas?
Many blessings my sweet sisters in Christ!

Weekends are for...

2010-07-11T15:36:00.002-05:00

Fun, fellowship, and family bike rides!
{Pictures from last weekend's adventures.}

Goodbye for now!

2010-06-21T10:42:00.006-05:00

{Good friends posing for a picture up against the barn}

{The old red barn up north}

I'm back from a lovely weekend "up north", and I'm preparing to leave again for another two weeks... one week at my dear grandparent's and one week camping at a nearby campground with a lake. I just wanted all of you -my dear blogging friends- to know that I will be "vacating the internet" for the next two weeks. I am sure that I will miss all of you very much, but I'm glad to repurpose my now extra blogging time to spend with my family.

Goodbye for now my sweet sisters in Christ!

Shining Bright

2010-06-17T12:03:00.003-05:00

When I was young, I wanted to become a missionary. I thought China would be the place I would go, or maybe Mexico. I wanted to go be like the missionaries I had read those beautiful biography's about. I wanted to go serve other people in a foreign land, I wanted to serve the Lord in another country. For some reason that shining dream in my heart has become tarnished as it aged. Becoming laden with the fears of pain, of loss, of difference. But although that ring of gold has been smeared with dirt and trampled on over the years, underneath the grime is still gold. Pure gold.

Over the past few months I have started to look at that ring more often. Taking spare moments to glance at it, then to gaze at it. Picking it up and rubbing some dirt off. Starting to clean it, and to polish it. Finally asking myself... "Will it still fit my finger?". Then I hear the still small voice of the Lord saying "You've grown a lot since I first gave you that ring, Rachel. I think it's starting to fit you better now."

I am going to start wearing that ring more often now. I've realized that, even though now I have not the experience or the resources to go to Mexico or China. That I can still do the same work here, right where the Lord has put me at this point in my life. Whether I go to a foreign land, or just through my neighbor's front door, I can show everyone I meet that beautiful, shining golden ring that the Lord has put on my finger. I will let the shining light of Christ reflect of every part of my life and give my all to my Savior and my King.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19

Mmmm, delicious!

2010-06-15T11:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon was deemed our "Jam making day of the year"... Jack, Abigail, Mom and I started with a couple crates of Georgia peaches; five boxes of sure jell and 7 cups of raspberries. When the day was done we had successfully made about 30 pint jars of delicious, peach and raspberry-peach jam.

Here are some of the pictures we took while cooking:

If you are looking for a good canning book, the Ball Blue Book of Preserving fits the bill.

My sweet mama stirring the jam.

Smiling Abigail peeling the skins off the peaches.

Siblings peeling and cutting peaches together.

Have you ever canned anything? Jam maybe? I would love to hear about any of your canning experiences!

Blessings,

And the Winner is...

2010-06-09T20:49:00.002-05:00

Miss Jenna!

First of all I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway, and shared with me all of their favorite herbs & teas. I truly enjoyed reading all of your encouraging comments, they put a big smile on my face!
Second, I have to say sorry for posting this so late. Our computer was down yesterday, and thus, I was not able to post the giveaway results. And just in general, life seems like it has been picking up speed for summer (does anyone else have that problem?).
Jenna, if you could please comment with your address, I would appreciate it... don't worry, I will not publish it. I will send you a package full of chamomile in a couple of days!
May the Lord bless all of you my sweet sisters!

Giveaway{s}

2010-06-03T15:14:00.005-05:00

Miss Hannah, at the courtesy of the Long Ladies, is giving away a pattern and material of your choice from Marie-Madeline studio. Please go over to her blog and check it out!

Now, I'll cut to the chase... As you probably well know, I am a home town country girl, I like big gardens, a nice cup of tea, lots of flowers, and a small circle of real-good friends and sisters. Keeping that in mind I would like to announce a home-town country girl giveaway. Hosted by me. This year I have harvested (and am in the process of harvesting) a serious bumper crop of chamomile. Chamomile (pictured above) is a sweet smelling herb that works well as tea; also in sachets. And that is what I will be giving away.

You can enter by commenting on this post and telling me about your favorite herb to grow... or your favorite tea.

The giveaway will end on Tuesday the 8th of June.

Have a blessed day, delighting in the Amazing Grace and Love of our Savior!

Lots and lots and lots...

2010-05-25T08:21:00.003-05:00

to write about!

{Little Jay and I swimming in Lake Michigan, photo courtesy of my mother}

This past weekend my family and the H. family (some of our good friends) went on a spur of the moment camping trip up to a wonderful campground on Lake Michigan. We had a total of 2 1/2 hours to pack up our rickety old moterhome (Thank the Lord for old things that still work!), and consequently we had a couple meager breakfasts... but we survived!

{from left to right: Rachel (me), Rachel H, Hannah H, Abigail, and Jack.}

The campground we camped at had some beautiful hiking trails. We are pictured hear on the one that led through some amazing sand dunes near the lake.

{Picture taken by my dad}
Running down the steep sand dunes... I wish we would have brought sleds!

Walking up the steep sand dunes... Hard work!

On one of our hikes we found some morel mushrooms. They were not completely mature yet, but we still picked them and ate them with onions for dinner. Mmmmmm, mmmm, mmmm!

Blessings!

The art of swinging around a tree...

2010-05-20T17:30:00.005-05:00

The proper way to do it, and

the improper way to do it.

Mid-air shots are my favorite!

Collision in the air... is a lot less painful then collision into the tree while swinging full speed with another person (Sorry, no picture).

Darling sisters!

We have finally started to plant the tomatoes. Some of our seedlings are not ready to be planted so we only planted 14 out of our 50-60 plants.

Well, that's what is going on around here:).

Have a wonderful day delighting in the Love of our dear Savior my sweet sisters!

The Old Town and Country

2010-03-24T20:39:00.005-05:00

The old town and country wagon has it's own story to tell.

It's been through more than a couple years of jostlin', bumpin' and carrying every single thing that managed to land in it's red interior. Children, plants, leaves, squash, weeds, beans. The variety is endless.

But the story I want to tell is the one it lived but a mere 5 hours ago...

It was used and abused by little Jay and Mark. It was fought over, jumped in, screamed in, sang in, and rode in.

It quietly observed father with his bright orange Simplicity, loudly tilling more garden space.

It rumbled through the newly turned soil, and squashed a couple of leaves.

It was rammed into the wheel barrow that was bearing the old refuse.

It was slept in my little Mark, but it only lasted ten minutes.

It was dampened by the hose that had been tampered with by a two year old.

And last but not least it was shoved into the garage to spend the cold night next to it's friend the shovel who was...

I am ready for spring...are you?

2010-03-16T20:39:00.003-05:00

I feel completely ready for spring!

The clothesline was put back into use today. The weather is starting to turn warm. The woodpile has diminished to just one little pile. The daffodils are starting to come out of the ground and the beautiful eastern bluebirds returned!
The sun is shining and the clouds are rolling.

The hammock has been resurrected!

Some spinach started growing from some seeds that were planted too late last fall.

The wooden swing has been put back into use... the two year olds stick like honey to it.

We climbed into the tree fort for the first time this year.

Abigail and I enjoying the Lord's beautiful creation.

Cooking, baking and making.

2010-03-10T19:05:00.007-06:00

This past week or so I have been "Cooking, baking and making" a number of things. I really enjoy being in the kitchen and cooking, not to mention eating the whatever I create!
The above picture is of some bread that I made. As I mentioned before in a previous post, my mother and I had been having a hard time baking our spelt/rye sourdough bread, and were looking for a different bread recipe. And thank the Lord we found one!
The loaves shown above did not rise very well, because I did not add enough yeast... who knew that three teaspoons go into one tablespoon...?!

A couple days ago I tried my hand at making pretzels, and I succeeded. This is the wire cooling rack that the pretzels were sitting on... after my siblings went through the kitchen. Every single one of the pretzels had disappeared within the next half hour.

Rolling out the pretzel dough...

Ready to go in the oven.

This is the recipe for these pretzels:

Ingredients:
2 packages or 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup cold water
Coarse salt

Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add flour and salt; stir to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 4-5 times. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into 20 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 15-in. long strip; twist into a pretzel shape. Combine baking soda and cold water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 450° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 20 (small) pretzels

One of the things I made this morning was blackberry/raspberry juice. Last summer we froze a large amount of berries from our patch and so now we get to have wonderful berry smoothies and juice.

And last but not least is the delicious and healthy fruit leather. I went downstairs and dug the dehydrator out of the "storage room" (ok, maybe the seriously-messy-can't-walk-in-here-room or the junk-sitting-in-here-for-later-room), blended up some thick berry and apple-sauce smoothie and got workin'. The circle pictured above is the finished product. After that I just cut it up into snack size pieces and put it in some tupperware for later. Mmmmm, mmmmm, good!

Now, these are some things that I want to make soon:

Spaghetti Pie

Pressed Raspberry Delight (Yes that's right!)

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

What are some of your favorite recipes?

Family Love

2010-03-08T19:46:00.007-06:00

{I love my sibings}

from left to right... Abigail, Jack and I.

And the Winner is...

2010-03-03T16:02:00.004-06:00

Miss Grace Elizabeth!

{Chosen randomly}

I was very delighted to have so many young ladies sign up for my giveaway, I was only saddened that I could not give each and every one that entered something special.

One things that I did not tell you when you entered was the reason I asked for your "favorite thing in my etsy shop"... I intended to put the thing you chose in the hand bag if you won.

So Grace will have the "plain and simple stationary-country heart and home set" (or actually something similar) in the hand bag.

Congratulations Grace, I hope you enjoy your little gift! (do I have your address already?)

Blessings to you, my sisters in Christ! And thank you so much for entering this giveaway, all of your sweet comments warmed my heart!

A Giveaway for you!

2010-02-23T14:53:00.004-06:00

In honor of starting my new etsy shop , I am having a giveaway! I will be giving away a small hand bag, it is made out of 100% cotton denim and is about 5x5 inches square.

{How to enter}

1. Comment and tell me one of your favorite things on my etsy shop. There is a link on my sidebar to go look. First entree.

For extra entries:

2. Post about this giveaway on your blog or tell 3 friends if you don't have a blog. Two extra entries.

3. Follow this blog, Bundles of Blessings. If you don't have a blog tell me one random thing about yourself. One extra entree.

4. Put a link to my blog on your sidebar. If you don't have a blog, tell one more person. One extra entree.

Please comment once for each entree, that just makes it easier for me :).

The deadline for this is Wednesday March third. I will post about the winner the following day or soon after.
Blessings in Christ to you and your family!

Ahhhhhh the Life...

2010-02-12T12:14:00.003-06:00

Do I need to explain?

More posts coming soon... when the toys get picked up!

Sewing at Nana's House

2010-02-07T14:18:00.003-06:00

A month or so ago I won a skirt pattern {Street Fair Skirt... to be exact} from fashionably modest patterns, and about two weeks ago I went to my grandparents house and just sewed away. I used some nice denim from Jo Anne's and a invisible zipper (you don't want to know...).

I wish you could see my Grandma's little sewing room. There is some lovely quilt patterned wall paper, and every little thing in it is just as quaint as can be. Even the light switch is decorated like a ballerina!

Nana can sew wonderfully, and helped me a lot. I was so happy to get some guidance from her and to learn some "new sewing techniques". What a treasure to be able to say to my children that I learned to sew from my Grandma.

Memorizing Scripture

2010-01-26T15:14:00.002-06:00

Recently I have been inspired to start memorizing more scripture on a regular basis. I really feel the benefits of doing so while working in the house or just doing regular everyday things and pondering the memorized verses. Having the Lords word right in the front of my mind constantly keeps my focus on Him.

"Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"
~Psalms 119:105

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, not sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." ~ Psalms 1:1-2

I also like to copy Bible verses on to nice paper in my best handwriting and put them in places that I will see them frequently; like on my mirror (Look at the above picture), or on my desk. I will read through them whenever I pass by them and once I do that enough I will have the verse memorized.
Some chapters and books I would like to work on memorizing this year are:

Psalms 1, 23, 24

Second Corinthians (with the help of the 2010 KBR scripture memory calendar... look a couple posts down on some notes about it.)

and (hopefully) Titus

Setting goals for myself really helps me to work diligently at memorizing, I hope to have most of the chapters and books that I listed above put to memory by 2011

Kings Blooming Rose Ministries and A Special Surprise!

2010-01-17T16:11:00.005-06:00

This past week I was overjoyed to receive two things from KBR, their winter 2010 issue, and the new scripture memorization calendar 2010. I have been subscribed to KBR magazine for sometime now, and have been blessed abundantly by reading it.

Their scripture memorization calendar has verses from Second Corinthians scheduled for you to memorize each week, so that eventually at the end of the year you will have memorized the whole book of Second Corinthians in the Bible. I have started memorizing already, but I am a little bit behind, because I did not order it in time for the new year. I am so glad to be able to have a consistent schedule to keep me on track for memorizing the Word, I find time to go over what I have put to memory while rockering Little Jay or putting her to bed.

The KBR winter 2010 issue just came in the mailbox, the theme this time is Honoring our Brothers. I was overjoyed to hear that that was what the theme was. Because honoring my brother was something I was going to make a distinct point to work on in the new year.

Also this is my newly organized shelf, I am sorry I do not have a "before" picture to show you. But trust me... it needed it! I have my two treasured yarn dolls, some of my favorite books, a china dish with some trinkets on it, a doily or so, a candle, some stationary and a clock on it.

And now for the special surprise... My family has been blessed with another sweet foster child. His name is Mark, and he is about the same age as Little Jay. He came with some small behavioral issues, so please pray that they can be resolved. Please pray for my mother's renewed energy, because having two, 2-year olds in the house, or, just getting used to having two two-year olds in the house is pretty wearing! I am sorry that I can not share very many details with you due to foster care regulations. Thank you so much for all of your prayers for my family!

The Matthew 5:44 Challenge

2010-01-08T15:42:00.003-06:00

Miss Jenna from Feminine Farm Girl is hosting a Matthew 5:44 challenge, I am so glad to be able to participate, and I hope that you will participate also.

Matthew 5:44
" But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

This month I am going to Love,
Bless,
Do Good,
and Pray for my siblings.

One more thing, if you have any more book ideas for my 2010 booklist that you think I might like to read, comment on this post telling me, because next post I will share my booklist.
Thank you!

Family History ~ Leaving a Legacy

2010-01-04T18:47:00.004-06:00

Recently I have been interested in learning about my family history, and my family lineage, not to mention my family stories and traditions.

My Grandfather (who is pictured above, with me.) is, and has been, greatly interested in learning about his family's past for years now. He has written several comb bound, homemade books about our family history and lineage, made especially for all of his many grandchildren (I being one of them) and children. Spending time learning from my grandfather has been a sincere highlight and a colorful memory in my life. A memory that someday I will tell in a story to my children, and them to their children. The books that he has printed will be passed on to future generations, so that they may know and treasure the past history that the Lord has painted, and that the Lord has seen. My grandfather has passed on a legacy, a legacy of love.

I will be honored to tell my children that their great grandfather loved them so much that even before they were born he was working to educate and teach them of their history, and of their ancestry. So that they might know exactly where the Lord has chosen to place them in His Story. And to give them a sort of example of how the Lord loved them before they were born, how He cared for them, and how He planed and ordained their whole life.

I want to leave a legacy like that for my children... Do you?

The chorus to Legacy by Nichole Nordeman~This is part of a song that I sang to my grandparents on their 50th anniversary.

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I chose to love?
Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Please pray for my grandfather, for his physical heart and... well, for his non-physical heart.
Thank you!

A Homemade Christmas #4

2009-12-30T15:26:00.005-06:00

Miss Emily Rose from Simply Vintage Girl is hosting the meme, a Homemade Christmas, I am so grateful to be able to participate in it!
The above picture is of a tiny little bunny rabbit I made for little Miss Jay, I got the idea from Miss Breezy Tulip at A Bowl Of Moss And Pebbles.

My friend and pen pal Miss Hannah, sweetly gifted me with some home-spun yarn to make the bunny rabbit out of. I am so excited to see how little Miss Jay will like it! Thank you Hannah!

The rabbit has cute little brown floss eyes, floppy ears, and a fluffy white tail. A perfect present
for the toddler in the home! Have you ever made little stuffed animals for your younger siblings before? Blessings,

Celebrating Christ's Birth... The First Noel

2009-12-25T09:45:00.004-06:00

Have a wonderful Christmas day, rejoicing in our Saviors birth!

The First Noel

The First Noel, the Angels did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the East beyond them far

And to the earth it gave great light

And so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

And by the light of that same star

Three Wise men came from country far

To seek for a King was their intent

And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

This star drew nigh to the northwest

O'er Bethlehem it took its rest

And there it did both Pause and stay

Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

Then entered in those Wise men three

Full reverently upon their knee

And offered there in His presence

Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heavenly Lord

That hath made Heaven and earth of nought

And with his blood mankind has bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel

What is your favorite Christmas melody? I pray that you have a blessed day celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior!

A Homemade Christmas #3~Yarn Dolls

2009-12-21T15:53:00.004-06:00

These dolls are some of my favorite things to make, they are so simple, easy and charming!
Any little girl on your list would love to receive a special yarn doll, made especially for her.

I had thought about making one of these for little Jay, (Look a couple posts down for a post about her.) but I used my better judgement and decided not to. For, little Jay is much to young and would destroy a dainty little yarn doll in a matter of seconds.
The above doll has a little lace bonnet and is made out of a pinkish orange color yarn, I am going to put it in my hope chest for my future daughters to play with. I learned to make these from a similar doll that my grandmother made before she died, I take heart in thinking that I am making the same sweet things she had.

At the moment I do not have time to give detailed instructions on how to make these little pretties, that will have to be done another time. If you really are considering making a doll than you can comment or email me and I will see what I can do to give directions.

Go look at some other homemade Christmas posts here!

Blessings,

A Little Surprise

2009-12-13T20:02:00.003-06:00

On Friday, December 11th 2009 little Miss Jay came into my family's home. She is a young little bundle of joy. Her vocabulary is in need of some "slight" modification, and her bedtime needs to be set. Over all, she is a sweet little soul in need of a nurturing, caring, and loving home. That of which she has just gained.

Little Miss Jay is our (my family's) darling little girl placed in our hands through foster care.
Please, please pray for our little girl, and my family as we adjust to having another child in our home. Also for ease in taking care of her.

Do you have any good ideas for some small, easy Christmas presents for Jay? I would really like to make her a present, but I have a limited amount of time before the 25th. I am thinking about making this, but I need to find some yarn that would work. Please comment and give me some ideas!
Love in our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ!

A Homemade Christmas #2... Ribbon Bookmarks

2009-12-03T07:58:00.004-06:00

Miss Emily Rose from Simply Vintage Girl is hosting another Homemade Christmas Meme! This time I have made ribbon bookmarks. As you might already know I really like vintage ribbons, and crafting with vintage ribbons. So making these simple bookmarks was really a joy to me. Hopefully they will bring just as much joy to the friends and relatives I gift them to.
I used just a plain silky ribbon for the base of the bookmark, and lace or decorated ribbon for the top. A white or black button at the top finishes it all up.

I used a hot glue gun to glue the pieces together and the button on. I am sure that it would be easy to sew also.

These bookmarks are very durable and will be perfect for small gifts and hostess gifts.

If you have made some of these bookmarks before or are going to try to soon, comment and tell me how you liked making them!

Blessings,

Rachel Grace

A Little Bit About Christmas...

2009-12-01T14:05:00.005-06:00

Well, today is the first day of December.
Time really does fly! It seems that just yesterday I was starting to decorate for Autumn and getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Now all of that has passed and my family and I have started to get ready for Christmas. Decorating, baking, making presents and the like... It is so hard not to get wrapped up in all of that, and not really focus on what Christmas is really all about. The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Beautiful glass ornaments that my grandma gave me for my hope chest.

We three kings of orient are...

Decorating the house for Christmas is a special event in my household, putting up the nativity set, decorating the tree, putting garland on the railings... Celebrating the birth of our Savior!

Looking at what our culture and society has made it to look like really saddens me. Now a days you only see "Happy Holidays" on the billboards, not the cherished greeting "Merry Christmas". Or rows of plastic santa clauses in department stores, instead of homemade wooden mangers filled with hay. Christmas is about the birth of the "First Noel" not jolly plastic santa clauses or brightly wrapped gifts. So this Christmas season remember the real reason, don't get wrapped up in the things of the world but get wrapped up in the love of your Savior.

Check out these two lovely Christmas giveaways :

1. Remembrance press is giving away some more issues of the beautiful Girlhood Home Companion... look at the second post down for a little more information.

2. Marie Madeline studio is giving away a lovely quilt!

Blessings,

Rachel Grace

A Homemade Christmas

2009-11-17T14:58:00.006-06:00

Emily Rose from Simply Vintage Girl is having a meme called a Homemade Christmas, I am delighted to be able to participate this year, and I hope that you will join in too.

The above picture is of a mitten that I just finished crocheting. I am working on the other one, and I hope to give the pair to my younger brother for Christmas.

Here is the finished mitten! I did not use a specific pattern, but used another mitten for a guide.

I made it (soon to be them...) out of 100% cotton, navy blue yarn. That is one of my brothers favorite colors, and I hope he likes them.

I have made a couple other Christmas crafts to tell you about:

The above picture is of two jars of home grown peppermint tea, I had a nice time decorating the lids with some of my favorite vintage ribbon and some dainty buttons.

Here is a close up of the ring on the jar...

I hope to give these as some small gifts for relatives or friends, they could also work for some hostess gifts.

I hope that you have been blessed by what I have shared, I would love to hear what you are making for your family right now.

In Christ Jesus,

Rachel Grace

Popcorn!

2009-11-12T08:19:00.002-06:00

Popcorn making is so very much fun, and the whole family enjoys it!

Canning jars are great for storing dry goods in, we keep most of our dry goods out on the counter in sealed glass jars ready to use whenever needed. Here is a photo of our popcorn jar.

Blessings,

Rachel Grace

And the Winner Is....

2009-11-10T16:33:00.004-06:00

Thank you all for entering the giveaway, I really enjoyed reading all of your comments!
And the Winner is
Miss Hannah!

Miss Hannah, please comment with your address ( don't worry it won't be published) and I will take a trip to the post office and mail the set of cards to you.

Also, remember I said something about another thing for somebody? Well, the other Hannah from Hannah's Journal

has won a christmas collection of vintage ribbon to make her own cards out of (Or whatever else you want to use them with). Please leave your address on a comment and I will mail the ribbon collection off to you!

Thank you again for entering all of you who did not win!

Also if you want to enter another great giveaway just head over to Growing in Grace Magazine and enter for a beautiful set of the Daughters of History paper dolls!

Blessings in Christ,

Rachel Grace

A Little Giveaway for You!

2009-10-29T16:12:00.007-05:00

I have decided to have a giveaway! I have never done this before, and I really do not have a specific reason why, other than just wanting to bless one of you reading this. I have made a set of 4 vintage ribbon/button note cards to give.

Card #1: This one is made with both vintage buttons and ribbon. I really like the color red on it and I think it would work well as a Christmas card.

Card #2: Stamped with roses and matching material, this one looks rather Victorian.

Card #3: Stamped with the same rose as on the card above and with red ribbon, I think that this one would work very nicely for an anniversary or Christmas.

Card #4: I think this one would have to be my favorite. Made with the cardboard from a vintage ribbon spool/holder (what are they called?) and the ribbon that originally was on it, I think it would be perfect for a sister in Christ that enjoys working with ribbon and sewing.

Ok, to enter you can :

1. Comment about which card is your favorite, (One entry)

2. Post about it on your blog, make sure to comment another time to tell me so. (Another entry)

If you are new to my blog I would still love to hear from you! Please comment or email me (check on my profile for my email) if you have any questions.

Also I will pick the winner randomly, and I MIGHT have a little surprise for somebody else too.

Check back on Friday the 6th of November to see if you are the winner. Edit: I am bumping up the date to Tuesday the 10th of November, just so that a couple more people can enter. Thanks!

Enjoy!

Many Blessings,

Rachel Grace

A Psalm of Life

2009-10-22T11:26:00.004-05:00

Recently we (my family and I) have started to go and minister at a nursing home once a month. We sing and play music... I play the guitar. We recite poetry and stories, the piece that I had memorized and done was A Psalm of Life. I have a hard time calling it a poem, because it is more like a life changing address or mini sermon.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has written many, many great pieces of literature. Including The Highway Man, The Childrens Hour, Exelsior, Paul Revere's ride, The Song of Hiawatha and many more.

A Psalm of Life
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou are,to dust thou returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'er head!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sand of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

My Hope Chest

2009-10-18T09:16:00.005-05:00

Thank you so much to Elizabeth for asking me to write this post, what a great idea!

The above photo is of my "hope chest", I do not have a real chest but am blessed to have a medium sized basket that fits the bill perfectly.

This is a shot of the inside of the basket... Now don't think that is all that I have for my hope chest. I have collected many other things for it that are just in use around the house, this is just what is not being utilised.

I enjoy decorating with lace and tatting, unfortunately I do not have the skills to make it myself.

These pieces above are heirlooms from my dear friend Mrs. S.

This is a dish towel that I crocheted some time ago... It is made out of 100% cotton~peaches and cream. I am working on making a couple more for my family right now. I got the idea from Marie Madeline Studio (look for their button on my sidebar).

Sorry for the blurriness! This is one of my favorite things that I have made, a multi purpose sash/belt/doll scarf/wall hanging. It made it out of some left over cloth from a skirt I made.

An heirloom gift from my cousins~a sachet from Boston.

The first thing that I made for my collection~ a miniature doll quilt.

A beautifully made bonnet that I bought years ago.

These dolls are also some of my favorites, the one in the plastic case is a vintage heirloom from my mothers childhood. And the blurry doll on the side is an Anne of Green Gables Doll that my grandmother gifted me with. These will be for my future children to play with.

This is a book or Bible case that I have knitted out of some brown speckled yarn.

And last but not least, I would have to say the most important thing that I have collected for my hope chest would have to be books. I feel that when I grow up some of the books I have been collecting will not be in print or available. So I have made special effort to look for Lord honoring classics, for my future children to read. I do not have enough time or space to list all of the books that I have. But I am working on writing about my favorite author right now in school, and I might post my essay about that soon.

I will have to say that my 2 favorite children's authors would have to be Beatrix Potter and Marguerite De Angeli.

I would like to hear about what you have in your hope chest, write a blog post on it and comment!

Blessings in Christ,

The Blue Jay

2009-10-17T06:22:00.002-05:00

A blue jay sitting on a sunflower... How nice to be able to wake up to this sweet site!
Thank you Lord for the beauties You give us!

I am working on a post about my hope chest and I will publish it in a couple of days (Thanks for the idea Elizabeth!).

Love,

Baking Sweet Rolls

2009-10-04T20:33:00.006-05:00

These sweet rolls that my mother makes are very...very good tasting.

They are very easy to make as they can be made with pre-frozen rolls, brown sugar and dried pudding mix.

Oh the wonders that can happen in the kitchen!

If you would like the recipe to these sweet rolls, just comment!

Blessings in Christ,

Edit: Here is the recipe for the Sweet Rolls, (Thank you for requesting it Elizabeth!)

Easy and delicious sweet rolls:

~note~ You will want to make these in the evening, in order to let them rise over night for breakfast in the morning.

Ingredients 24 frozen rolls ~ These are easy to make, otherwise we buy the pre-made ones from the grocery store
1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup pecans or any other nuts
Grease a 10 inch bundt pan with cooking spray, add rolls and spread them evenly around the bottom of the pan. Mix the dry ingredients and nuts together in a separate bowl, and sprinkle evenly over the rolls in the bundt pan. Pour melted butter over the whole thing and drape a damp cloth over the pan. Leave to rise at room temperature over night. In the morning bake at 350 for 25 -35 minutes. Cool for 5-8 minutes and then flip the pan over bringing the rolls out.

My family likes eating these on Saturday morning with eggs and bacon. Also a little side note... To eat the rolls you will need to pull or fork apart separate pieces of the rolls, and you usually will not need to cut them with a knife.
And also thank to my very nice Aunt Stacy for passing this recipe on to us a couple years ago.

Have fun baking!

Salsa Making!

2009-09-28T21:44:00.003-05:00

My mother and I making salsa... Lots of salsa!

We made about 40 pint jars of wonderfully fresh salsa!

The salsa was not cooked before we put it in jars, but during the boiling water bath it cooked inside the jars... very interesting.

The huge pot of salsa! In the salsa we put lots of peppers, onions, cilantro and lime juice for an extra special treat.

In our garden we had over 30 tomato and pepper plants, and so all of the produce used in the salsa was all home grown. In the above picture we have yellow, orange, red and pink tomatoes.

I greatly enjoy helping my mother can and cook for my family. What a blessing it is to my family and to me, in practicing for my future home.

Your sis' in Christ,

Oh happy days, Autumn is here!

2009-09-22T21:31:00.004-05:00

Autumn is here!

The tomatoes are ripe, the corn has given its last ear, and the winter squash has come ready.

Oh thank the Lord of the harvest!

This fall and winter I hope to start cooking and baking a little bit more, and I have created a short list of what I hope to accomplish:

To bake - Pie crusts (with whole wheat and white flour), pizza crusts, whole wheat rolls and white rolls, pancakes-whole wheat, pumpkin breads and sweet breads, oatmeal and zucchini muffins, yellow cake from scratch, whole wheat bagels, scones and oatmeal granola.

And to work on baking a little better- Artisan bread, whole wheat sandwich bread, sourdough bread and last but not least my favorite oatmeal bake.

Baked Oatmeal

2009-09-08T21:21:00.005-05:00

This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes, and is also one of my favorite to cook.

Ok, here is the recipe, this is a perfect "chilly morning" dish. Nice and piping hot, fresh from the oven with cold milk is the ideal combination.

Baked Oatmeal

Serves about 6 people.

Ingredients: 1/2 c. oil

3/4 c. honey

2 eggs

3 c. oatmeal (or 2 c. oatmeal and 1 c. wheat germ)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix the above, and add 3/4 - 1 cup raisins, 1-2 chopped and some nuts if desired.

Pour into sprayed 9x13 baking dish for 30 min at 350 degrees.

Have fun baking!

A Little Project

2009-09-05T08:27:00.008-05:00

This past week I have been working on making washcloths! I used some 100% cotton peaches and cream yarn, with a middle sized crochet needle.

I used a half double stich, and just sized it to another washcloth at home. It was very simple and easy, taking about 2 1/2 hours to finish. I am puting the one in the photo in my hope chest, and will continue to make some more for my mother's use.

Flea Market Finds!

2009-08-29T16:01:00.002-05:00

Earlier today my family and I went to the flea market. Browsing around we found some wonderfully old books. What a nice surprise! The antique tea cups and saucers where oh so tempting, but nothing can compare to some good old Gene Stratton Porter.

The books we bought are:

Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Christy - Catherine Marshall

Mrs. Leicesters School - Charles and Mary Lamb

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

A Girl of the Limberlost - Gene Stratton Porter

Laddie a true blue story - Gene Stratton Porter

A Daughter of the land- Gene Stratton Porter

and last but not least

Marguerite De Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose rhymes.

Many of these books will end up in my hope chest or in the hands of my my future children.

What a treasure to be able to collect such beautiful copy's of these books!

Please comment and tell me if you like any of these books, and which ones you like best!

Processing mint!

2009-08-25T08:51:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago I processed my mint. I cut the stalk with the leaves still on, tied four together, and hung them up to dry in our basement. The bundles of mint will dry, and in about a month I will be able to take the leaves off and make them into tea.

The type of mint that I like best is chocolate. Other varieties that I like and grow are: Apple mint... a tasty, mild mint used for teas and sauces; Spearmint... the type commonly used in gum; Peppermint... also used as gum flavoring but very nice in sachets and for tea.

I hope you are inspired to start growing your own mint garden!

This is a beautiful picture that my younger brother took of a morning glory bud in our front flower garden. Isn't it nice?

Also the new and beautiful header is compliments of Elizabeth from Joyful Jewels 4 Jesus.
Please go check out her lovely blog here. Thank you Elizabeth!

Have a wonderful day filled with bundles of blessings!

On God's Faithfulness

2009-08-17T13:11:00.004-05:00

Your love O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5

O LORD You are my God, I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1

How faithful you are to us oh Lord!

Canning and Crafting

2009-08-14T18:56:00.004-05:00

In the past few days I have been working on the garden and processing veggies...
The wonderful dilly-beans my dearest Mama made...

It is so great to FINALLY see the fruit of our labor coming out in all of the fresh vegetables we have grown this year. Also, being able to bless other people with the bounty, and preserve even more for ourselves to eat this winter.

My friend Hannah and I making a little Chamomile sachet to put in her hope chest.
Blessings in The Lord Jesus Christ to all of you!

Back with a recipe... Zucchini Bread!

2009-08-12T09:01:00.009-05:00

After a wonderful and refreshing fishing trip to Canada I am caught...
Hanging the clothes out to dry on the line!
Now here is the recipe I promised: Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1 c. whole wheat flour

2 eggs

2/3 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. honey

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 c. shredded zucchini

1/2 c. chopped nuts

1/4 c. raisins

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Stir in whole wheat flour. Beat eggs, oil, honey and lemon juice with a beater until smooth and frothy. Stir in zucchini. Add flour mixture and stir well, but do not beat. Stir in nuts and raisins.

Turn into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

If you try the zucchini bread out and like it, please tell me in a comment.

Going away... With books to read!

2009-08-05T11:46:00.011-05:00

This evening my family and I are going to start driving to Canada in our well seasoned, old motor-home. We will be spending LOTS of family time! I am bringing 2 books to read: Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott and The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock Smith. I am almost 75% of the way through Little Women, so I should be able to read both of the books in the whole 30 hours I have.

Here are some of my favorite spring photos for you:

Our grapevine growing up an antique chair, we will have plenty of grapes to eat in a month or so!

Who here likes chives?... Who here grows chives? Please tell me in a comment.

I wil not be posting for the next week or so, because of Canada fishing. But, next time I hope to be sharing a couple recipies!

Welcome!

2009-07-30T11:28:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Bundles of Blessings!
Thanks for stopping by. On Bundles of Blessings I hope to be writing about many topics for you: crafting, homemaking, cooking, bible verses and more about my everyday life. Please hold on with me as I work on constructing this blog, thanks!

Oh, by the way Marie-Madeline studio is having a great quilt giveaway!
Check it out by clicking on their button on my sidebar or go to this link: http://mariemadelinestudio.typepad.com/
I can't seem to get their pictures on here (sorry!). But, the quilt is a variety of beautiful feminine colors and designs. Feel free to go check it out!