Copy Cat Dinner

 Our temperatures have turned colder again after a few days of rain and I thought it was the perfect time to enjoy some soup and biscuits.

We have an abundance of butternut squash from the garden, as well as carrots, onions and garlic.  I started looking through my recipes and decided on this recipe for Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup because it included butternut squash, carrots, onions and garlic!  I started it in the crockpot around11:00 this morning and it cooked on low for five hours.  SO yummy!  It's low in carbs and has good flavor.

I knew exactly what recipe I would use for the biscuits because I have made the recipe several times before and they always turn out well.  I chose Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.  They always make Strongheart's eyes light up.

When we have soup that is a smooth texture, we prefer to drink it from a cup.  That's what we did this evening.

You can barely see the soup in the mug, but it was a beautiful autumn color with the butternut squash and carrots bringing out the golden orange.  

"Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; as with the green plant, I give all to you."

Genesis 9:3

Thankful

 Today I am thankful for...

 our youngest granddaughter as she celebrates turning 18.

She was five months old the first time we met her.

Her eyes and her smile definitely give you a look into her soul...

 

This one was taken on the Potomac Eagle in Hampshire County WV.

We did it as a day trip one summer when she and her sister were here.

The girls had fun watching a crystallus turn into a butterfly.

This was release day!

Where she lives there is plenty of snow in the winter to enjoy.

She loved helping Pop Pop when he was planting the garden.

When she was visiting us this particular summer

she would announce after lunch that she was going to go

down to the deck and lay in the hammock 

"to think".

It was her alone time.

This one was taken one summer when the girls were visiting

and we decided to have a tea party out under the tree.

She had a blast!

Her 16th birthday.

We are thankful to have her in our lives.

She lives her life quietly,

putting the needs of others before her own.

And she loves the Lord.

"Behold, children are a heritage from Yawheh,"

Psalm 127:3  (LSB)

The History of a Plate

 I mentioned in yesterday's post about some Blue Willow plates that my cousin gave me when we visited her in Ohio in July, and that I would share a bit of history about it.

My cousin had these dishes packed away in a tote because she was going to put them in a yard sale.  She said they had a lot of crazing and she wasn't a fan.  She asked if I would be interested in seeing them.  I told her I would.  She disappeared while the four us were sitting around the table talking after lunch.  When she reappeared, she was carrying the tote of dishes.

She had wrapped each plate in newspaper and the newsprint had faded on to the dishes, so she washed them up and I dried them and packed them up to bring home with me. 

I didn't think too much about it at the time, but after we got home and I was unpacking them to put them in the hutch I saw how uneven the edges of the plates were, but they were all the same so I was sure it was by design.  If you zoom in on the picture above, you will be able to see the indentations.  It made me curious since there was so much crazing and I decided to do some research.

 It was made by Old Hall Earthenware, as stampped with their identification on the back of the plate as seen above.  Notice the word England in the middle.  That was the key.  The Mckinley Tarrif Act of 1890 raised the duty on imports by 50% in order to protect domestic industries from foreign competition.  It was during this era that the word England was replaced by a picture of a castle.  The Old Hall Earthenware was changed to Old Hall Porcelain Works Ltd.

I checked with my cousin, sharing the history behind the treasure she'd given me, and asked her if she would like to have them back.  She answered me with a resounding NO!  What a treasure!  Believe me, they don't come out of the hutch except to have their picture taken.  😀  But they make me smile each time I walk in the kitchen and see them.

This is the Imperial Glass Biscuit Jar that she gave me that had been her mother's, my Great Aunt Alice.  It's known as the Hobstar Roanoke Star.  It is 8 inches tall and weighs around four pounds.  I didn't want to put it away in the pantry because it's too pretty to not be enjoyed on a daily basis, so I keep it on the kitchen counter where it holds my tea bags.  

As wonderful as these earthly treasures are, they are just that...earthly treasures.  We are reminded in Matthew 6:19-21 about true treasures.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store 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."

Matthew 6:19-21 LSB 

 

 

 

A Fun Trip

 Strongheart and I took a short trip the second week of July this year which we thoroughly enjoyed.  Our main goal was to visit with our grandson, whom you may remember I used to refer to as College Guy.  He graduated college a few years ago.  He spent some time working full time and doing an online college course to become a certified paralegal.  He has worked for a law firm as a paralegal for two years now and loves it.  He is living in the same town where he went to college.  Since he was working during the day, we did a few other fun things until he got off work and then we had supper together and spent the evening in fellowship.  He has a really cute apartment and we so enjoyed having the time with him.

We drove straight from home to Here to meet and visit with someone who some of you will remember when she was also a part of the blogging community.

Betsy and I have known each other from blogging days, the Etsy shop that she used to have, and then Instagram.  We've corresponded through emails and cards.  I've received packages from her Etsy shop that had some little treasure in it that I didn't order...just because.  She's that kinda girl.  I've wanted to meet her in person for a long time and I was so pleased when Strongheart said that we could stop there on our way to see our grandson.  Betsy has two booths at this establishment, so if you are ever in that area stop in and say hello to her...especially if you knew her from her blogging days.  We walked through the Antique Village and looked over things and she took us to lunch.  It was a wonderful break after riding a few hours.

Another morning we went to visit a cousin of mine and her husband.  When Strongheart was still in college we only lived a couple of streets away from this cousin and we spent a lot of evenings together.  I hadn't seen her for years, but she only lives about 20 minutes from our grandson.  So I got in touch with her beforehand and she was so happy that we were going to visit with them.  We had planned to just spend the morning with them, but shortly after arriving at their home she invited us to stay for lunch.  It ended up that we left their lovely home at 5:00...just in time to get back to go to supper with Josh when he got off work.  We failed to get any pictures this time, but I do have a picture of some treasures she gave me.  I was amazed at how much our tastes were alike...and her everyday dishes are Blue Willow (just like mine).  The treasures she gave me were some very old Blue Willow dishes.  

They are displayed in the hutch.  There's a bit of history that goes with the plates, which I will share in another post.  My cousin also collects Flow Blue...which I also have some displayed in our hutch.  She also gave me a piece of Imperial Glass...a canister that belonged to her mother, my Great Aunt Alice.  She and my grandmother who I mention off here were sisters.

It was only a two day trip, but it gave me great joy!  

"You will make known to me the path of life;

 in Your presence is fullness of joy;

 in Your right hand are pleasures forever."

Psalm 16:11

African Violets

 I had a great-aunt on my dad's side of the family who loved African Violets.  When you entered her house from the back you walked into a sun porch.  She had lined the windows in it with shelves and on those shelves she had African Violet upon African Violet lined up.  I can remember as a little girl loving to go there and thinking it the loveliest place of all because of the African Violets.

About twenty years ago or so one of my cousins who lives in the same county that we had moved to just a couple of years before had a huge collection of African Violets.  When I would comment on how pretty one was she would ask, "Would you like me to start you one of those?"  Of course I said yes.  I had a good sized collection after a year or two and enjoyed their beauty all year round...especially in the winter.

My mother passed away in October of 2017 and that was a hard autumn for me.   I found it hard to care for my violets.  When one of them died due to my neglect, I knew that I needed to find a home for them.  I asked a dear friend of mine if she would be interested in having them and she agreed, telling me that if I ever wanted to have them back that she would be happy to give them back to me.  I did come to the point where I was ready to take back on the responsibility of caring for them.  She had been propagating them because she really enjoyed them too.  She also started buying some from The Violet Barn.  

Time moved on, as it has a way of doing, and now I have thirteen African Violets.  Some are from the original plants that I had given my friend.  Others are ones that she graciously shared with me when she moved to another state late this summer.

Our kitchen window is rather large and this spring Strong Heart ordered some shelves for both the kitchen window and the bathroom window.  I have two other African Violets that aren't pictured because they weren't blooming at the time I took the picture.  I took these pictures one day when I was doing plant care so I could send them to my dear friend who moved so she could see how pretty they are looking.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah 40:8

Legacy Standard Bible

Food Preservation Finished for the Year!

Those of you who have followed my blogs in the past know that my husband puts out a large garden each summer.  You also know how I enjoy preserving that food for our use over the next year.  It's something we have always done since we were married.  We both grew up in homes where gardening and preserving were essential to provide food for the family.  I guess you could say that it just comes naturally for us.

This year has been no different than the past 51 years of our marriage.  Some have asked why we do it and we think to ourselves, "Why wouldn't we?"  :)

When I took inventory of what we still had on the shelves in the spring, before Strong Heart ordered his seeds, I discovered that we had plenty of the staples that we depend on such as several types of canned beans, applesauce, tomatoes in different forms and such.  I really enjoyed what canning I did this year because it was all what I call the "fun stuff".

I made a LOT of different types of jams...blueberry, currant, and gooseberry.  Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of any of them.

I also canned 30 quarts of pickled beets, which I did not photograph.

I only did 4 quarts of tomato juice because I still had a good bit left from previous years.  I guess I didn't make enough chili and soups last year. :)

Then I did just five pints of diced tomatoes, which apparently I didn't photograph either.

Strong Heart and I did 25 quarts of corn for the freezer...again, no picture. 

Then there was 15 pints of pizza sauce...only photographed five of them here.  The half of a pint you see also pictured was used that evening for making pizza!

I froze 7 pints of Lima beans...no picture.  Can you tell that I haven't been blogging for a while?  Otherwise,  I would have had pictures of everything! l0l

Also had 12 pintsof salsa that I made.

And 10 quarts of spaghetti sauce

And the last of the "tried and true" things that I have done before was 14 quarts of apple pie filling, which I neglected to photograph.

Then it got really fun!  I tried some things that I hadn't done before, such as....

6 pints of Corn Relish

7 pints of Pickled Carrots

9 pints of Spiced Apples

 6 pints of Spiced Pears

6 half pint jars of apple butter that I did in the crock pot

My last endeavor was freezing 9 pints of pumpkin puree.  

By the time that the first of September comes around I am usually wishing for the end.  This year was no exception to that, but I have to admit that once the preserving is finished, I actually miss having it to do.

Then God said, "Behold, I have given to you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth,

 and every tree which has the fruit of the tree yielding seed;

 it shall be food for you.

Genesis 1:29 

Legacy Standard Bible

Thankful

 October has been designated as Pastor Appreciation month.

We are so thankful for our pastor who preaches and teaches the truth of the Gospel faithfully. 

"If you have a pastor who preaches the Word, give thanks to God. "

Burk Parsons

"always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."

Ephesians 5:20

Legacy Standard Bible

 Sweet Memories

I grew up in a multi-generational household, with my paternal grandparents living in the downstairs of a 1886 brick farmhouse and my parents, siblings and myself living in the upstairs.  It was such a wonderful childhood.

My grandmother was such a positive influence in my life and so many people today tell me that I remind them of her.  It was through her that I was first exposed to baking and having my very own rolling pin.  She was also were I learned to love flowers and enjoy caring for them.

The farm was sold earlier this year and my youngest brother, who still lived there on the farm, called me to ask if there was anything I would like to have.  I asked for Grandma's old Christmas ornaments and he was happy to give them to me.

As I mentioned before, Grandma was a huge influence on me when it came to baking.  We used to go to a State Park close by every year and on one of those trips she bought me a child's baking set which included the small rolling pin.  When she made cookies or pie, she would always give me my own piece of dough and let me do whatever I wanted to with it.  When my brother asked me if there was anything else I would like to have I asked him if he still had the big stoneware bowl that Grandma used to mix up her doughs in and he said he did.  He also gladly gave it to me.

These are things that bring back such sweet memories every time I look at them.  I see the bowl every day and while I obviously see the Christmas ornaments only once a year, I am certainly looking forward to decorating the tree with them this year.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

James 1:17 NASB

 What a Huge Blessing Looks Like

A friend of ours came to Strong Heart at church one Sunday and told him that his father-in-law was having a large tree cut down on a rental property and that if Strong Heart would be interested in the firewood, he was welcome to it.

Since we heat primarily with wood heat, Strong Heart was happy to accept the generous offer.  He spent countless days and hours, along with the help of our friend, cutting, splitting, and hauling home 17 loads of firewood.

Curious as to what it looks like, all stacked up?

 The Lord's acts of mercy indeed do not end, 

for His compassions do not fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 

 God's Glory Displayed

Our autumn color has come in spurts this year due to the flucuating temperatures and the way God has chosen to give us rain.  However, it did not stop us from searching out a bit of color.  Unfortunately, both drives we have taken to peep at the leaves it has been rather rainy.  

One of my favorite places to visit is Cathedral State Park.  It's about an hour's drive from us but it is one of the few places that still has some virgin Hemlocks growing in it.  

We took a picnic lunch, which we ended up eating in our vehicle because it had rained the day prior and everything was still wet, and had a nice drive there.  Since the hiking trails were still too muddy to go exploring, we settled for walking the road that goes through the park back to a private farm.

Here's a picture of my Strong Heart as he is walking ahead of me towards the private farm.

And one that he took of me before I realized what he was doing. 😀

I love this water fountain...

...and the slide...

...and the swing set...

But my most favorite thing from this particular day was as we were leaving and going up the steps, I looked down and saw these leaves...

It was in these leaves in particular that I saw God's handiwork. These leaves from the Birch trees look as if someone actually took a paintbrush and painted each leaf.  His creation is so amazing.

A few days ago we took a second ride that took us to a higher elevation than the previous one.  As a matter of fact, it took us up so high that we were in the clouds because of the drizzling rain.  But there was a bit more color.

Even though I don't have a lot of pictures of mountainsides covered in color to share, this will give you an idea of what it looks like around the area where we live.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24

NASB