Skirts

I have been reading the She Wears Skirts Series by Amy at www.raisingarrows.net   and have thoroughly enjoyed it.  It has truly been an encouragement.

Many readers have posted photos of their outfits, and I have decided to share some of mine, too......

My daughter gave me this outfit. I love the ruffle skirt.

I made this skirt for $2.00 with material from the discount shelf at WalMart.

I love these tiered skirts - very comfortable.

This is one of my everyday around-the-house outfits.

Another everyday outfit. This skirt is so comfortable and lightweight. Great for hot weather.

This is my gardening outfit. The skirt is light-weight denim, and is very full, so I often use it as an apron, too, wiping my hands on it as I work in the garden.  :)


Romans 12:2  "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."


Blessings,
Lisa



linked up at www.themodestmomblog.com

Daylilies for Lunch??

Imagine the looks on children's faces when you serve up a platter of these beauties for lunch!  They are quick and easy to prepare, and are delicious stuffed with egg salad, tuna salad, or chicken salad.

But first, some nutritional info about the daylily.  All parts of the daylily are edible. The buds provide more vitamin C than green beans or asparagus, and have more protein than these two vegetables. The flavor of daylilies is similar to lettuce - crunchy and slightly sweet.

In the Orient, daylilies have been considered medicinal. The roots are known to have pain-killing properties. And they have been used to treat various illnesses such as jaundice, fevers, and some tumors.

NOTE:  When you harvest daylilies, only harvest the ones in your garden - not roadside daylilies, as they are usually treated with chemicals and pesticides.  I am referring to daylilies only. Some other lilies contain alkaloids and should not be eaten. Daylilies can act as a laxative or diuretic; eat in moderation.

So all you need to do is gather daylily blossoms from your garden. Wash them in cold water to remove any insects or dirt. You can wash the pollen off, as well, unless your children don't mind the orange powder on their faces.  :)  Gently dry the blossoms with a paper towel.  Stuff each blossom with a heaping tablespoon of your favorite lunch salad.


As you can see, my children had no problem with eating flowers for lunch................

You can Google "Daylily Recipes" and find lots of other ways to prepare the beautiful flowers.  Happy flower - eating!

Luke 12 :27  "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

This post is linked up at  http://raisinghomemakers.com

Honeysuckle Jelly

                                                                                  

By now, it's pretty obvious that I have been on a jelly-making kick this spring. After making the rose petal jelly, I was wondering, "Hmmm...what next?"

 The answer to that question came one evening while my hubby and I were watching our children suck nectar out of the honeysuckle blossoms that grow along our fence row.  He asked, "Can you make honeysuckle jelly?"  I wasn't sure, so I researched it and found a recipe.

My family (and others that I've given samples to) tells me that this jelly faintly tastes like honey....and as you can see, it definitely has the beautiful golden color of honey.

1. You will need 3 qts. of blossoms.  Make sure they are open blossom, but not old ones.  (The yellow blossoms have more flavor than the white ones.)  Pick through the flowers and rinse them well to remove insects and dirt.  And please make sure they have not been treated with chemicals!

2.  Put the blossoms in a Dutch oven and add just enough water to cover them.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover,  and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and refrigerate at least overnite.  You can refrigerate the infusion for several days for a stronger flavor.

3. When you're ready to make the jelly, strain the flowers from the water.  Measure the liquid. You should have about 4 cups. Put liquid into a heavy pot; add 1 tsp. lemon juice and 1 1/2 boxes of powdered pectin.  Stir well.

4. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add 5 c. sugar - all at once. Continue stirring and return to a rolling boil.  Boil for 1 minute, continuing to stir.

5.  Remove from heat. Skim as needed to remove foam. Ladle hot jelly into clean 1/2 pint jars. Add lids and rings. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.  Leave in hot water 10 more minutes.  Remove jars from water; let sit overnite before moving.  Makes about 8 1/2 pint jars.

                                                                       

 Psalm 119:103  "How sweet are Your words to my taste, 
                             Sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Waiting on the Lord

We are creatures of time and ruled by the clock: time to wake up, time to eat, time to go here or there.
Maybe that's why it's can be so hard for us to wait on the Lord: we want it now!

Whether we've been waiting on Him to intervene in a situation, or waiting for an answer concerning a big decision, waiting is hard!

Sometimes it may seem as if God is silent.

But we know from His Word that He has a plan for our lives.  Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

He is still in control; even though we might not see Him working,  He is there.

Psalm 27:14 says that we are supposed to "be of good courage" while waiting on the Lord, and He "will strengthen" our hearts.

There's a Twila Paris song from years ago that has the words,
                                              "I will wait on the Lord,
                                              I will wait for His word.
                                              Before I move, before I speak,
                                              Perfect wisdom I will seek.
                                              And I will wait as long as it takes.
                                              I will wait on the Lord."

We are all familiar with Isaiah 40:31  "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."
                                                                
No matter what the details of our waiting might be, may we not grow weary while waiting on Him....knowing that if we commit our way to Him and trust Him, He shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:5)

Rose Petal Jelly

I finally collected enough rose petal to give this recipe a try.  I used bright pink petals, but other colors are fine, too.  Just remember though, that the red petals have the strongest flavor, and should be mixed with lighter colors. And please remember to only use petals that have not been treated with chemicals.


                                                                Rose Petal Jelly

                                                     3 c. rose petals, packed down
                                                     3 c. water
                                                     3 c. sugar
                                                     1 Tbsp. lemon juice
                                                     1 box powdered pectin
                                                    
                               Rinse petals thoroughly to remove dirt and insects.
                               Bring water to a boil - remove from heat. Add petals.
                               Cover and steep for 30 - 60 minutes. Pour through a
                               sieve, discarding petals and keeping juice.
                               Make sure you have 3 cups of juice.  If not, add enough
                               water to make 3 cups.
                               Place in a pot and add pectin, stirring til dissolved.
                               Bring to a hard boil, then add sugar and lemon juice.
                               Stir and bring to hard boil again; boil for 1 - 2 minutes.
                               Skim off foam, and pour into hot, sterilized jelly jars.
                               Adjust lids and rings. Process in hot water bath 5 minutes.
                               Yield: about 5 half-pints

                               
My children have already taste-tested this jelly and they tell me it's delicious.  Enjoy!

Isaiah 35:1  " The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,  and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose..."

This post is linked up www//http:titus2atthewell.com
                          

My Treasures

Matthew 6:19 - 21   "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."


 In our materialistic culture, it's obvious where people put their focus. They spend most of their time acquiring things. They treasure these things that take their time and their money to accumulate.

Maybe they don't realize that these earthly possessions are just that - earthly.  As Christians, we know that earthly treasures can be lost, destroyed, or stolen. But eternal treasures cannot. They last forever, and we should be diligent in storing them up.

Homeschooling my children takes up alot of my time. I have to forgo many opportunities in order to homeschool.  Learning to quilt, spending more time reading, etc. are things that I just don't have time for.

But these things aren't important to me anyway, because they aren't where my heart is. My treasures are my children and grandchildren. There is no earthly possession worth more than their souls. Their salvation is worth far more than I could ever put a price tag on.

Some people believe that you can't take anything with you when you leave this earth. I disagree.

I can take my children and grandchildren with me.

They are my treasures, and that is where I put my heart.

A Gentle Tone of Voice, part 2

It's not so much what you say
As the manner in which you say it;
It's not so much the language you use
As the tone in which you convey it;
"Come here!" I sharply said,
And the child cowered and wept.
"Come here," I said-
He looked and smiled
And straight to my lap he crept.
Words may be mild and fair
And the tone may pierce like a dart;
Words may be soft as the summer air
But the tone may break my heart;
For words come from the mind
Grow by study and art-
But tone leaps from the inner self
Revealing the state of heart.
Whether you know it or not,
Whether you're mean or care,
Gentleness, kindness, love and hate, 
Envy and anger are there.
Then, would you quarrels avoid
And peace and love rejoice?

Keep anger not only out of your words-

Keep it out of your voice.

                                                -  unknown


Provers 31:26  " And on her tongue is the law of kindness."