I'll Try to Blog Again

We had a fun week with both Holly and Josh, along with Lincoln and Crogan.  We started the week with the Guernsey Ice Cream, all you can eat, last Friday in Mercer, PA.  Josh posted pictures on Facebook.

The weather was decent allowing us to play outside most of the week.  We had rain for most of the month of June, so hopefully the remainder of summer will be more normal.  Holly brought some outside games with her and I bought some, like the bean bag toss that we play.  Lincoln favorite is the frogs in the little pond we have from the spring up on the hill.  Of course both Lincoln and Corgan helped pick blueberries and raspberries.  The raspberry crop is running over this year.  With all the rain we got last month we have a  bumper crop.  I am begging people to come and pick!  I already made 2 batches of jam.  I plan to make a batch for Holly to take home.

Holly and Chris took Lincoln and Corgan to Niagara Falls for several days.  I am jealous, it would have been so much fun to go along!  (Of course we have the dog, that takes some doing to have him taken care when we leave the farm.)  So I'll be anxious to see pictures of there trip to Canada.  Holly is a great planner, making sure they use their time wisely.

Love Living on the Farm!!

After living in the city for many years, I didn't know if the adjustment would be easy or hard. I miss having a library the most. But not having close neighbors is great. Our last place, we lived for many years!

We lived at Ed's brothers house the summer and fall working, painting, trying to get people to work. Just about impossible to get anyone to work on Fridays!  I think both of us enjoyed building. Having "the Amish" (my brother-in-law and his crew) build was great too. It's hard to believe we will have lived on the farm now for five years!

I had a nice garden this year. Gardening is hard work. I have the same plot of ground used for generations!  Maybe for ten years the space has been only weeds, this summer started out with keeping the weeds in control. When harvest starts, I didn't do much weeding.  The garden will be finished up next week. I want to plant garlic and pick the peppers and get them pulled. That will end all the vegetables for this year. My freezer is full and the jars filled!

Finding Stuff after Moving

Ed and I have been looking for this basket we had on top of our kitchen cupboard in Sheboygan.  We knew that it got moved, but couldn't place what we did with it after the move.  We talked about this basket every now and again, but just couldn't find where it was!  I knew I had seen it and Ed did too. 

So I was getting my clothes together last week to get dressed.  I took a basket off my closet shelf, when I looked at the basket;  here it was all along!  So I brought it out to where Ed was sitting to show him that I found the basket!  I bought several square baskets to put small stuff to have my shelves more organized, but needed more storage space, so gathered baskets that weren't being used for the closet!  So another mystery solved!

We had company several months ago and they wanted to see some pictures of my in-laws;  do you think I could find the pictures?  Nope!  We lived in one house for thirty some years and of course I knew where to find the pictures.  I needed to downsize and put the pictures together in this new house and use the book case in the living room for storage.  I need to take the time this winter and re-organize our pictures.  Now we store them on our laptops and have been doing so for maybe ten years? 

Salvation Coming to the Amish

Now that we live close to Amish neighborhoods.  I saw a newspaper article advertising "Steve and Jake Lapp", Amish brothers sharing how they were excommunicated by leaders of the Old Order Amish.  That's what happened to my parents, so of course I was interested.  They continue to dress like the Amish, live in RV's and travel across the United States, speaking and giving Seminars.

After the service closed they wanted to pray for the sick "by laying on hands".  Wonderful!  The leader said he broke his pelvis after falling out of a barn, he was miraculously healed by the power of God and became a born-again Christian. 

My family became born-again Christians after I was prayed for.  I fell at school and injured my leg,  it was black and blue, swollen and painful.  Mrs. Clark was visiting our home at the time and felt that God wanted her to pray for me.  The first time she prayed for me, nothing happened, the second time she visited, she felt led by God to lead me in the "sinner's prayer".  I repeated the prayer she ask me to pray.  The next morning I was pain free!  I didn't understand being born-again. 

God started working in my life and my parents.  After a year of prayer and God speaking to my parents they decided to be water baptized by immersion.  My mom experienced healing, my dad was smoker and Mrs. Clark asked him to seek God, God came to my dad in a dream and he quit smoking and became born again.  My family started attending a spirit filled church and were excommunicated and shunned!  I realize now that this must have been a hard time in my parents lives, but to experience God's peace and forgiveness of sin is wonderful.  Knowing that Jesus died on the cross to set us free from sin in the best Christmas message ever!

Looking back on this time of our lives I am so blessed that the Holy Spirit through the Word of God started speaking to us!  According to God's Word I have eternal life!  To have the peace of God is so wonderful!  During the Christmas season this is a time to reflection and blessed that God sent his son Jesus to be born of a virgin Mary.  This is only the beginning!  God is always speaking and working in our lives.  We need to take the time to listen to hear the voice of God!

We have New Order Amish living in our neighborhood.  They have electricity, farm with tractors.  When driving past their homes it looks like any home.  They dress plain and use horse and buggy to go to church.  They have a church building to use for their services.  They preach the salvation message! 

Thanksgiving

Now that I am living in Pennsylvania, much closer to my siblings I try to remember to look at Amish when I see them out shopping.  Just the other day when I was grocery shopping, I saw a lady that looked familiar so I got closer and said "hello", here it was one of my older sisters! 

Several years ago when visiting this area, when shopping in one of the "big box stores", I heard a laugh that sounded familiar so I went to the aisle I thought I heard the laugh, yes, it was another of my sisters!  It was so nice to meet up with her too!

Growing up Amish I didn't get to shop very often.  Our family was large and I think my mom wanted the time alone when ever she could get it.  Very few times in my growing up years did I get to shop or go out with my mom.  It was always specaial whenever I got to go to town!

Now that I drive a car its not a big deal to go to town.  Plus in the winter the car is nice and warm!  Compared to the buggy and horse, even though they close the buggy up, its still cold!!  They have a wool lap blanket they cover there legs while traveling.  We were always squashed into the back seat going to church, I don't remember the cold.

The neighborhood I live in now has "New Order Amish".  They use tractors for farming.  The houses and barns have electric so driving past the farm, you can't tell the Amish from the English.  They use horse and buggies to drive to church on Sundays.  They ladies dress plain and wear a little white cap.  Last summer a lady ask me why I didn't dress plain, even though she assured me she didn't believe her clothes took her to heaven. 

Thanksgiving Season 2013

We have been living in our new home for about 2 years.  I still love the life that comes with living here.  The house is off the main road, the lane keeps going on and on!  Several people trying to find us have commented on the long lane.  In fact it used to be a County Road.  They gave Grandpa Homer a grader to keep the lane up and he named the lane Homer Lane.

Our garden did well and our freezer is full and the cupboard is filled with jars.  I bought a bushel of peaches from neighbors and canned them.  I froze some for cobblers, etc.

Growing up all of our meals were cooked from "scratch".  So that's how I learned to cook.  When we retired I decided I could cook our meals instead of eating our meals in restaurants.  This saves us money and the food is better for us too.  It takes some doing to not overeat!

The orchard from the farm produces every other year and this was the year we had/have apples.  We started with Transparent Apples this summer.  I asked Josh to pick them when he visited and I made apple pandowdy from them and applesauce too.  This fall the Spy's ripened and I froze several pies and made several other apple dishes.  The canned applesauce is also very good!   I dried apples too!  The trees still have apples on them, I wish I could climb trees like I used to when growing up!  Well, not really but I loved climbing trees and that's where the apples are still hanging!

Every year my goal has been to blog more often.  Maybe this will be the year that it will happen.

Christmas 2012 Wish List

Here is my latest Wish List for family.  

2012 Christmas/Birthday/Holiday List - Margaret


Panasonic SD-RD250 Automatic Bread Maker with Fruit/Nut Dispenser
(I would think a regular bread machine would work too)

Amazon Gift Certificate  - Kindle Books
(Love my Kindle!!!)

Popcorn popper   (I keep thinking if I had an airless popper it would be healthier?)






Gardening shoes/gloves/gloves
Anything related to gardening

Lilac bush - spring??