The Little Campaigner

She is a clever one, she is! She begins her campaign before she arrives. She makes sure she has her favorite blanket and scopes out the desired laps to occupy during our home fellowship time. We are gathering in our home this month to worship, break bread , encourage and exhort one another in His word. Above is a picture of some of our fellowship around the table. While we are eating our meal together, the little granddaughter, the little campaigner, is eating her meal as she snuggles up to her Poppa or myself, and of course she has her favorite blanket with her. This is Audrey, she writes The Homesteaders' Daughter Blog. Audrey fellowships with us too. The little campaigner is quite fond of Audrey and Audrey's sister and brother-in-law who are here tonight also. Now let me tell you about THE CAMPAIGN....after the meal, as we begin to share with one another from God's Word, the little campaigner settles herself in my lap. Then slowly,she drifts off to sleep, with a purpose! She knows her Poppa and I love to spend time with our grandchildren and we just might suggest she stay here since she is already sleeping. And this works! We just tuck her into bed in the spare bedroom, the room with bunks for the children. She is happy, very happy. Sunday morning. My husband is an early riser, he usually brings me coffee to help me wake up, but he does not know I am awake quite awhile before he and the Little Campaigner bring my coffee up. I have been listening to the cheery voice of our granddaughter and her Poppa as they talk, giggle and laugh. She keeps running upstairs to jump on our bed and say " wake up Granny!" She is pretty happy. She also has another plan. As I sip my coffee and get into motion , from the open bedroom window I hear noise at the pond. Looking out the window I see my Hubby and our little granddaughter paddling the little boat around the pond.( I have to clean and paint that boat) She and I share a taste for similar breakfast foods....don't you think Ramen noodles and a glass of milk are the perfect way to start the day? I prefer left over Chinese food, but this works too. To make it seem more like a breakfast meal one could drop an egg into the boiling water and noodles. As she eats breakfast she mentions that we are going shopping later on today. "We are?" I ask."Yes, we are going to Walmart" she replies, "So you can buy me something." I reply " I had not planned on going shopping today". She smiles. She is a happy girl, and she does have a plan. The Little Campaigner helps me water the plants and fill water buckets for the animals. She happily chatters on about many things, and mentions again that after we are finished with chores we can go shopping. "Really?" I ask. She smiles. ( As an aside, if I had told her we were not going shopping, and not buying anything, she would have been just as pleasant, she is a happy girl) Our little Candy Cat laps water off the sidewalk while The Little Campaigner finishes up with watering the plants and I remember I do need cat food and more milk, so I mention that , by the way, we DO need to go shopping. Of course she knew this all along. I suggest she kiss her Poppa goodbye because I will drop her off at her home on the way back to my home. I also suggest she thank Poppa for what he will be buying her. He asks " What am I buying you?" and she tells him" A Barbie bathroom". See, I told you she had a plan. One happy granddaughter, one very successful campaigner. I told her I was going to call her The Little Campaigner and she seemed very pleased with the name after I told her what it meant. I think she has a very rosy future with her ability to smile and laugh her way to achieving her hearts' desire, and I am very thankful she has parents to guide her toward making wise and kind decisions. And you know, she was the most excited to get home and share her new prize with her big sister, which she promptly did , after giving me a big hug and kiss.

"Campaigner: A person engaged in a campaign"

Bird Bath Bliss

I was surprised to walk in on this little yellow bird as it bathed. The bird was rolling in the water spout at the top of the fountain and seemed to be using the water bubbling out of the top as a type of water massage. The bird was rolling upside down, around and sideways over the spout and did not notice me . This was definitely a bird experiencing bird bath bliss!I went inside grabbed my camera and fully expected the bird to be gone with all my commotion, but no...it was still enjoying the water.I believe this is an immature American Goldfinch. It was hard to get a good clear picture because this little birdie was really rolling and undulating in the burbling water of the spout and the feathers were fluffed up and wet from the bathing. Anyway, I watched the bird for about 5 minutes. Then it fluttered into the Rugosa bush next to the fountain to dry off. Click onto the photos to enlarge. "He sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between mountains; They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst..... ...."beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they lift up their voices among the branches. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works......the trees of the Lord drink their fill, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted, where the birds build their nests................O Lord how many are Thy works! In wisdom Thou hast made them all; the earth is full of Thy possessions." Psalm 104 : 10-13, 16,17

"Bless the Lord , O my soul, Praise the Lord!" Psalm 104 :35

For an unbelievably inspirational and encouraging blog ( but get out your hankies too) click on this blog , The Journey. I have no words for how this young woman and her love for the children of Uganda has manifested. Her father has written the blog post.

Remember, you are already blessed beyond all knowing, act on it, rejoice in it!

Spot of Completion

"Completion: The act, process, or result of completing," Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary

I finished it, finally. The long and joyous project, from lamb to purse! Did you ever hear it put that way? Remember, I start with a lamb, grow it up, have the wool sheared off, wash it, card it, spin it up into yarn which I might or might not dye......

...then weave the yarn into fabric. Then I have to decide how I will fashion the hand woven fabric into whatever I have dreamed up. The Chinese fabric with the butterflies helped me decide how I would use this hand woven fabric. After weaving many yards of fabric from my hand spun and hand dyed wool I finally cut it off the loom....

...and into these sections to enable me to fashion a purse.

Close-up of the purse. I had originally thought to use many beads and baubles to embellish it, but ended up with deciding the fabric lining and handwoven fabric needed only an old pin that had been in my jewelry box to finish it.

The end result,completion, modeled by my daughter, A.Joy, to show the proportions of the purse. I still marvel that this started with a lamb.....

Crispy Lavender Chicken

Crispy Lavender Chicken & Lavender Cookbook

Have I mentioned I very much like lavender and that we have quite a bit of it growing in our gardens? After attending the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington I was inspired to do more with our lavender. This recipe just appealed to me , and I am glad I tried it out. The chicken was delicious right out of the oven, and then again cold, right out of the fridge. The little bit of lavender in it gave it a zing, but was not perfumey tasting. I will definitely be making this again. Here is the recipe:

• 1 Tablespoon ( rounded or heaping ) mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lavender ( dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 skinned breasts of chicken ( I used 4 thighs WITH skin on, what can I say, I love hot greasy chicken skin)
• 1 oz. cornmeal
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Combine mayo and lemon juice. Combine bread crumbs with cornmeal, salt, lavender, and paprika. Spread chicken with mayo / lemon mixture. ( I spread the mayo / lemon mixture under the skin ) Dip in crumbled mixture, coating well on all sides. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until chicken is tender.

recipe from CELEBRATE LAVENDER FESTIVAL cookbook. recipe by Irma Colvin "And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit,with seed in them, after their kind: and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:12

Lavender Oil

I love lavender and have a lot of it growing around Cedar Pond. Not just in the herb garden either. We have it in many of the flower beds and some of my big pots of plant groupings. The bees around here love it too. I have always enjoyed cutting the long stemmed blooms and drying them for scenting my drawers, and using a bit for cooking, and used to add ground up lavender and oatmeal to my goat milk soap. Once I stopped making my own soap I forgot about using lavender for other things...until recently. I have very sensitive and dry skin and had been purchasing some special oils from a company in California. The oils were wonderful and did the job most lotions did not do so well, but they were very, very expensive. I noted that the base of most of the products was Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and it clicked, ANYONE can buy that at the supermarket, and I also realized I had baskets full of the many herbal ingredients these oils had. I could buy the best oils ( they're spendy) and use my herbs and make at least 10 times the oils for the same price as purchasing a 1 to 2 ounce bottle from the company in CA. The bottles above are Grape- seed Oil and Almond Oil that have had lavender from our garden crushed and steeped in them for at least 10 days. I filtered out the crushed lavender today and swiped the oil still clinging to the sides of the steeping jar and massaged it into my arms. I chose grape-seed and almond oils after reading about their benefits on-line, but Olive Oil would do quite well too. You need clean sterile canning jars or bottles with tight fitting lids. Oil of choice ( 32 ounces), and herb or herbs of choice, about 1 cup fresh or dried..put washed, dried, and crushed herbs of choice in the jar and then pour oil into jar. Put tight fitting lid on and place the jar in a sunny spot for about 10 days. You can add up to 20 drops of essential oil to this for fragrance, but when I strained the oil, I discovered it had a delicate lavender/ grassy smell and I like it fine. I can use this on my feet and legs too, just remember oil is, well..oily, and blot it after applying or wear cotton socks and gloves for special soothing and softening. It can be stored in a cool dark place for several months unrefrigerated, or indefinitely in the fridge. And you can cook with them too! I have filled the cleaned and sterilized old , antique cosmetic and medicine bottles with the oils for my facial needs, to be refilled with oil from the big jars when needed. There are so many fragrant herbs and herbal combinations you can use, and the supermarkets have such a wide variety of oils available. Do some research on-line and see which oils might appeal to you. Your cosmetic and skin needs are only as far away as your local supermarket and herb garden, at a very attractive price! "Almond oil, The most popular carrier oil, as it has little smell, is rich in protein and is emollient, nourishing, and slow to become rancid." "Grape- seed Oil,Very fine and clear; it gives a satin-smooth finish without a greasy touch."

The Complete Book Of Herbs by Leslie Bremness

What to Do With An Old Satellite Dish?

Works for me!

For David, Praise Him in the Storm!

David, praise Him in the storm!

If you feel led, please pray for David as he makes another journey to the high desert of California in yet another fight to save his daughters. Please pray for the truth to be revealed and for the little girls' safety: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This song is for you David, praise Him in the storm.