Mom's Spring Flowers

As promised, here is the first of two photo-driven posts

showing you the lovely views in and around my mom's yard.

This mound is the storm cellar.

The storm cellar is cleverly disguised with iris,....

...peonies, and ground cover.

Here's the broad view of the backyard.

Getting closer to the tree you find an old wash tub brimming with green stuff.

(Guess I should have asked it's name. Some kind of succulent, I think.)

The iron kitty watches over the bluebird house.

One of my favorite spots....

...the swing.

The garden arch supports some pretty clematis.

Oh, look. We have visitors from the neighboring farm.

Hello there, ladies.

A scrap piece of picket fence makes the perfect backdrop for peonies.

This lovely peach iris thrives out back, too.

Mom uses this old treadle sewing machine base as a potting table. 

She simply rested the grate on top.

On passed the swing and into the side yard brings us to another flower bed.

Not much was blooming here yet, except these roses.

Another rusty garden surprise rests here.

In front of the house is this long bed with more iris and peony.

One of my favorites!

This entire slope was lifeless until Mom dug out and terraced the space, 

moving rocks, and installing boards for a gentle staircase.

Here's the slope from the other side, looking toward the house.

Do you see another rusty treasure? My son, Silas, and his friend, Cameron,

dragged the milk can from the creek near our old house and gave it to her.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace 

because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope 

through the power of the Holy Spirit. --Romans 15:13 NLT

Kitty and I will see you again real soon.

My Mom's Famous Pink Room

When I need to run away from home, I go to my mom's.

When I go to my mom's, I get to sleep in the pink room.

Every time I tell my girlfriends about the pink room, they are jealous.

So, this post is for my girlfriends.

(Manly men, beware. This is a very pink post.)

The walls are pink. The floor is pink. The ceiling is...well, pink, of course.

Many of the beautiful things in the room are pink.

The comfy bed is covered with a quilt and the pillowcases....

 ...were embroidered by my grandma and edged with crochet by my mom.

Is there anything better than sleeping near an open window with a cool breeze blowing?

I have very happy dreams when I sleep in the pink room.

There is a lovely little corner for reading.

Here's a closer look at the shelves and the pink stuff on the shelf.

See the picture on the lower right with the two babies?

That's me and my brother, Ed. (Aren't we so cute?)

Above is my other brother, Paul.

This little treasure is a silhouette of my grandma, Betty. 

Kitty cozies up at the doorway.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour of The Pink Room.

The Pink Room isn't the only lovely area at Mom's house.

Mom, who just so happens to be a Master Gardener, also has a beautiful yard.

Not only that, but because she lives in rural Missouri, there are many views that feed the soul.

I'm working on a couple more photo-driven posts to show you Mom's yard.

Much more beauty coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by A House and Yard.

Adventures in Bread Making - to knead or not to knead

Source

I love the smell and taste of homemade bread. It must be eaten immediately upon coming out of the oven with real butter and honey drizzled on top. However, I rarely make bread because of the time and attention it requires. Also to be considered is the fact that baking during the hot months of the year very rarely happens around here. A benefit to homemade bread is that it's preservative-free and I can control the ingredients.

So, I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and thought it would be fun to have a bread machine.
I queried friends on Facebook and received mostly encouragement to buy one. My friend, Karen, still holds to the old-fashioned way of bread-making and in response to my question about what kind of bread machine people had she quipped, "My bread maker is called Hands. Manufacturer: God." Thanks, Friend.

I went online to shop and read reviews. After finding one in my price range that had excellent reviews I ordered my bread machine and waited eagerly for it to be delivered right to my door. There were visions of tender, flaky, crusty goodness dancing in my head. Well, it has turned into one of those "it-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time" moments.

This isn't meant to be a product review, so the bread machine shall hereby remain anonymous.

The morning after it's arrival I gathered my ingredients, carefully followed the directions in the manual, and pushed start. I watched fascinated as the little paddles turned the dough this way and that. It was quiet and efficient. Peeking in again revealed a perfectly shaped loaf of rising bread dough! Soon the house filled with the scent promising deliciousness coming our way! In anticipation I laid out the butter dish and cute little honey bear. Finally, the machine beeped incessantly signalling completion of the baking process and I bolted for the kitchen to reveal the fruit of it's labor.

It didn't take long to see there was a problem.

Uhhh - this is NOT how a loaf of homemade bread  is supposed to look.

(Sorry for the yucky cell phone pictures.)

Turning to the troubleshooting section in the manual revealed a couple adjustments I could make in the recipe in the event of bread that sinks while baking. Making those adjustments, I started over.

Hmmmm....

Loaf number two.

Really now? I've been making bread since I was a little girl. My mom makes bread by hand. My grandma made bread by hand. Never in my entire life have I ever seen a sunken loaf of homemade bread!

Before embarking on loaf number three I turned to the internet for advice. Making more simple changes, I tried again. Same thing! (Sorry, no pictures of this one. But you get the idea. It looked exactly the same as the other two.)

Granted, all three loaves tasted delicious. The texture was perfect. The crust was nicely browned and not too crunchy. I cut off the peaks and we enjoyed slices of bread about two-thirds the size of a regular slice.

If any of you more experienced bread machine users have words of wisdom I would certainly be obliged. I'm not giving up. This is a thing to be mastered.

Good thing I have tons of yardwork to do. I'll need something to burn off the increased intake of carbs this quest is bound to entail.

Books as Companions

Not feeling well today, so back in bed at eleven in the morning. Sore throat. Sinus pressure. Yuck.

I will say, though, it's nice to be alone up here in my room in the middle of the day with some items I have come to count as dearest companions - my Bible, journal, daily devotion book, thankful journal, and a collection of gel pens.

Currently, I am reading Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. Filled with lovely little reminders of God's presence and His love for me, this daily devotional helps focus my thoughts either to start my day right or rest peacefully during the night.

Also by my side today is God's Wisdom for a Mother's Heart, by Bobbie Wolgemuth. This has provided hours and hours of conversation starters for the bi-monthly mentoring group I help lead at my church. Though only 128 pages in length, we have used this book for more than a year. The girls in Moms to Moms meet the first and second Wednesday nights of the month, a sort of round-table, open forum where no topic is off limits, but mostly parenting and reassuring that they're going to make it. We study the Word, pray, laugh, cry, teach each other, and we are all growing.

My co-leaders and I agree these young ladies with their children around them are our heroes. Represented are single and married moms, working outside and inside their homes, public/private/homeschooling moms...you name it, we've got it. This is one group we hate to miss. A gift from God. Truly.

My thankful journal is simply a little leather-bound book where I record the gifts God has given me. Eucharisto. Thanks. One Thousand Gifts. 10,000 reasons. Why write them down? Because I dare not forget the goodness of God. In the remembering and the acknowledging I am overwhelmed with reassurance that God is my provider, comforter, healer, friend, joy, strength, and so much more. I am much less likely to lose my focus and wander if I am remembering God's deeds and giving thanks.

Last, but certainly not least, is my personal journal. It may as well be my heart on paper. This is where it all comes pouring forth to be sorted, processed, saved or discarded. You know, keep the good and throw out the chaff. That's what the journal is for - it is fearsome, yet necessary. Necessary for me anyways.

There are a few more books I could talk about. Don't know about you, but I read several at once. These I mentioned were simply the lucky ones to be carried into the sick bed with me today.

Do you have reading materials you count as "dearest companions"? What are they and why are they special to you?

December In A Nutshell

I had such aspirations for December....

Oh well, let's not dwell on it, okay? Here's a few little updates.

Early in the month I visited my mom and we found ourselves in Warsaw, MO. Ohhhh - the shops, the food, the small town sights, the sunset! Lovely!

Isn't this a stunning painted lady?

I have a faint memory of driving over this swinging bridge while on a family trip to the Ozarks when I was a little girl.

This side table begged to come home with me. At only six bucks,  how could I say no? It just needs a bit of love!

This was the view Mom and I enjoyed at the end of our visit to Warsaw....

Sometimes -
no 
words 
are 
needed....

Here's my first try at chalkboard art on my newly installed magnetic chalkboard in the kitchen. I figured I better get a picture of it quick before I erase it for a New Year's message.












The sunroom has carpet!! Yea - it's like a real room now! 

Not only that, but the first snow of the season came the same day!

Christmas was family-full and happy.

 Best wishes to you and yours!