Granddaughter's Fairy Tea Party

Our oldest granddaughter wanted to host a Fairy Tea Party this summer for her sisters and her girl cousins. What a great idea ! Granddaughter planned the menu, made the fairy costumes for her sisters and herself, then invited her 2 cousins.

Granddaughter used this book as inspiration.

Look at the costumes she made using scraps of fabric and tulle I had stored away, and her own creativity. Her sisters were very happy to wear the Woodland Fairy costumes their big sister made for them. On the menu, mini-pizzas. These were made by Granddaughter using a pop-up biscuit , spreading a little tomato paste mixed with olive oil and basil on top, adding pineapple, pepperoni, and grated cheese. Bake according to the directions on the pop-up biscuit package.

The granddaughters, um, excuse me, the FAIRIES, loved these mini-pizzas granddaughter made, there were no left-overs.

Granddaughter also made a snack mix consisting of popcorn, pretzels, popcorn flavored jelly-beans, raisins, and chocolate chips.Another success, no left-overs.

She chose my butterfly teacups by Yedi for the tea. This set of butterfly teacups is a favorite with my grandchildren.

Granddaughter set the table herself, making sure the goblets for the orange juice punch are clean and clear.

The table is set, the food prepared. The cousins are here. I took a few pictures, but this party was prepared and hosted by our oldest granddaughter. After I took some pictures I went upstairs to get some work done and left the 6 granddaughters to tea-party on. ( I forgot to mention, she cut and arranged the flowers on the table too.)

It was a joy to my heart to hear the laughter of little girls echoing throughout the house. When I came downstairs to re-fill my tea cup I also spied the girls dancing sweet fairy dances as they laughed and talked amongst themselves.I think they had a very good time together and this was a good way to end the summer before the 4 granddaughters from the other side of the mountains returned home to begin school.

Yedi butterfly teacups.You might have noticed I have used these tea cups a lot in my Tea Time Tuesday posts, but they are my grandchildren's favorite choice for their tea parties. They are so colorful, and the set has 6 different colors, perfect for boys and girls. They are especially nice in garden tea parties. These are easy to find on-line by googling the brand name. These ladies are having an on-line party for all things tea, check them out!

• Terri at Artful Affirmations *
• Martha at Martha's Favorites *
• Lady Katherine at Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor *
• Wanda Lee at the Silken Purse *
• Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *

Justice ?

One thing I have learned in my life - not to expect justice, or fairness. ~ Life has shown me quite the opposite. Innocent people are often convicted & imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. Unborn babies are murdered because they are inconvenient. Harmless animals and children are abused and killed because they are harmless and vulnerable. The evil commit crimes for which they do not seem to pay, and brag about their gains. Where is the justice? I know people who have gone through terrible injustices at the hands of the very police and legal system they trusted to do right. Shame on you guardians, enforcers, and custodians of the law , disregarding and abusing the very people and children needing you to do what you have taken a vow to uphold ~ justice! "This is a court of law young man, not a court of justice." Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. ~ "The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world." Jimmy Carter ~ In many countries now-a-days, as in old times, people are being imprisoned , tortured, and executed because they are Christians and have proclaimed their faith.At the same time I see the unjust, the unkind, the evil-doers, be lauded with fame and fortune. I see those who profit from the pain and misfortune of the innocent have wonderful and happy lives. The unjust seem to sleep very well with no hint of remorse. ( Don't expect any either ) Where is the justice? Justice, true justice , comes from God alone." Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all things.Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is crooked though he be rich....he who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayers are an abomination....the blameless will inherit good." Proverbs 28 : 5-10 ~ "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne O God, loving-kindness and truth go before Thee." Psalm 89:14 Maybe this is not a comforting post, but I have finally learned life in this world is more often than not, unfair. Good people get sick and die young. Rotten people live long and prosper. Each of us is given a life , our years here are numbered. We will all die, the good, the bad, the indifferent ( did you think I was going to say "the ugly"?). How we live our numbered days here on earth do matter. If we have been unjustly treated and abused, we still have the chance to rise above our hurts and the injustice by choosing to live each day God has granted us for Him, forgiving those who hurt us, and seeking ways to encourage and uplift those in our lives each day. " Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who has done wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality." Colossians 3:23-25

Puyallup Fair 2011 ~ Fun & Done

The Puyallup Fair is over, and I can say the last 5 days of the fair were fun. Hard work for me and mine, but fun! My husband Jim helped me so much and he also kept things at home in check. Someone has to be home to feed all the animals left behind.Thank-you Jim. Our oldest grandchild C.T. helps me every year at the fair. He looks forward to his time here and he works hard for the privilege. C.T. cleans out the pens in the mornings before the fair opens and sits at the table answering the public's questions about Jacob sheep.He also sweeps around our exhibit during the fair and helps me keep it clean all through the day.You can see my ram, Goth, looking through the bars of his pen.

A view of my little nook of the 'Animals of the World' barn.What is that I see in the back of the picture ?

My grandson, eating a delicious vanilla ice cream cone from the dairy and milking barn on the fairgrounds.Oh so very tasty, and already I am missing a truly good vanilla ice cream cone.( Next year at the fair, for sure!)

Another view of my exhibit at the Puyallup Fair.

Our daughter came for a visit and brought C.T.'s sister.One nice thing about the fair is I get to visit with people in my little area. I also get to see so many people I know , but rarely see,passing through this barn .Of course I have to invite them to sit a spell and visit, that is one of the best perks of being here. The girls, my Jacob Sheep ewes are posing for me. Well, actually, they are lined up and hoping to receive the soda crackers I am dangling overhead. Here from left to right are Buttercup, Mahlon,Thora, and Valkyrie. Then there is Goth. He seemed to strut and pose the whole week,surprising me by being so mellow. He did not ram the bars of his pen. He did entertain us often by kicking or butting his ball, accepting soda crackers, leaning his head into the spaces between the bars for my husband to scratch behind his ears or under his chin.He did not seem to mind in the least the hundreds and hundreds of people taking his picture. Good boy Goth. May you produce many more lambs and be with us many more years. Hopefully we can "do the Puyallup" together again too !

Baking Bread Together To Break Bread Together!

My grandchildren love to cook and bake with me. Since we were hosting church in our home our granddaughter delightedly agreed to help me make the communion bread. ~ "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts." Acts 2:46 ~

I have used this recipe successfully well over a hundred times and am always happy with the results. ~"Bread-baking is one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells...there is no chiropractic treatment, no yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music throbbing chapel that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of baking bread." M.F.K. Fisher 'The Art Of Eating' ~ This recipe is also very easy for children to make, and with supervision rarely fails to turn out delicious, making everyone happy, especially the child who bakes bread the first time! ~ "I am going to learn how to make bread tomorrow. So you may imagine me with my sleeves rolled up, mixing flour, milk, soleratus, etc., with a deal of grace. I advise you if you don't know how to make the staff of life to learn with dispatch." Emily Dickinson ~ The bread dough rising in the warm sun-room. ~"Love just doesn't sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread ; re-made all the time, made new." Ursula K. LeGuin ~ Voila! Every bit as delicious as it is beautiful and just look at my granddaughter's happy smile. What is the recipe you ask? I would write it out here but instead am going to allow you to click onto the blog of author and farm woman Suzanne McMinn, where I discovered this amazing bread recipe. She gives the history, many pictures , how-to's, and variations of this bread on her delightful blog,* "Chickens In The Road". ~"All sorrows are less with bread." Miguel De Cervantes ~

I Know God Protected Me

~Old style ( best) buckskin Morgan horse, belonging to my neighbor. Isn't she pretty?~

Yesterday afternoon I came inside from my back porch and entered my hall-way to come face to face with an intruder intent upon burglarizing our home. We scared each other, then he ushered me into another room of our home and told me "we have a gun, put your head down and count to 100", whereupon he yelled to his partner and they fled my home. THEY fled my home. I am thanking and praising my God who protected me. My family could be making funeral plans today as the intruders left with a loaded gun. "Do not be afraid of sudden fear, nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes ; for the Lord will be your confidence, and keep your foot from being caught." Proverbs 3:25, 26

Demolition Duo

Need any demolition done ? Want any fences taken out, trees knocked down, or walls busted?

These are your guys then.Brothers Barbarian & Viking work for hay! ~

I have spent the last few days getting ready for the Puyallup Fair. I am taking Goth, the father / grandfather of these handsome rams, along with a few of my ewes. My husband and I actually gave Goth a bath, so he is a very clean ram, though not a happy ram. If only he was able to understand that when I return home with him from my week at the fair he will be released to spend the fall with the ewes.That would perk him up, especially since he has been trying to remove the fence separating him from them. Meanwhile, my husband gets to stay home and care for the gardens and animals left behind, including the Demolition Duo, also trying to ram down fences to get to the ewes. Anyone out there need a good ram?( Or a one ram demolition crew?) Come on out to the Puyallup Fair if you're in the area and see us in the 'Animals Of The World' barn, be sure to say "hi".

Delilah's Rugs ~ Wool Transformation !

I started with her, Delilah, my Jacob / Romney sheep.

Delilah was sheared, her wool was skirted, picked, washed & carded into rovings, meaning the wool was turned into strips ,( shown above) then woven into rugs on my loom.

Here you can see the roving becoming a rug on my loom.

Done!

Turning the wool from my sheep into rugs seems like magic.The wool was simply washed and "brushed" to make it ready for weaving. Nothing was added, the wool is still all it was before it was sheared off the sheep ( minus the dirt & debris) , yet it bears little resemblance to the sheep now. I never tire of working with the wool from the sheep I love.Each fleece is as unique as the sheep the wool comes from.I think Delilah's wool makes a pretty nice rug.

"Transform:to change in outward shape or semblance ." Webster's "..be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2