Homemade Ice Cream & S'Mores

Bedspread

Mama and L and I stopped at the greatest thrift store yesterday on our way home from the city, and I found this beautiful bedspread. It is exactly what I want for my room. It is a thing of beauty...the lovely worn-to-softness fabric and crocheted squares. Perfectly warm and vintage.

Kindred Fellowship

Mama and I got to spend a few hours of wonderfully encouraging fellowship with two dear friends yesterday. It was the first time that I had gotten to see E’s brand new baby girl. Such a precious, delicate little princess she is! We drove to the Good Earth for dinner. We sat in a corner booth in the back…perfect for hours of catching up. Three generations of women together…mothers and daughters talking about life as daughters, wives, mothers, and grandmothers. A time to be treasured…and hopefully repeated!

Sewing

Wodehouse Wednesday

'At this juncture, with the conversation showing every sign of being about to die in awful agonies, an idea came to me. Tea--the good old stand-by.
"Would you care for a cup of tea?" I said.
"Tea?"
She spoke as if she had never heard of the stuff.
"Nothing like a cup after a journey," I said. "Bucks you up! Puts a bit of zip into you. What I mean is, restores you, and so on, don't you know. I'll go and tell Jeeves."
I tottered down the passage to Jeeves's lair. The man was reading the evening paper as if he hadn't a care in the world.
"Jeeves," I said, "we want some tea."
"Very good, sir."
"I say, Jeeves, this is a bit thick, what?"
I wanted sympathy, don't you know--sympathy and kindness. The old nerve centres had had a shock.
"She's got the idea this place belongs to Mr. Todd. What on earth put that into her head?"
Jeeves filled the kettle with a restrained dignity.
"No doubt because of Mr. Todd's letters, sir," he said. "It was my suggestion, sir, if you remember, that they should be addressed from this apartment in order that Mr. Todd should appear to possess a good central residence in the city."
I remembered. We had thought it a brainy scheme at the time.
"Well, it's awkward, you know, Jeeves. She looks on me as an intruder. By Jove! I suppose she thinks I'm someone who hangs about here, touching Mr. Todd for free meals and borrowing his shirts."
"Yes, sir."
"It's pretty rotten, you know."
"Most disturbing, sir."
"And there's another thing: What are we to do about Mr. Todd? We've got to get him up here as soon as ever we can. When you have brought the tea you had better go out and send him a telegram, telling him to come up by the next train."
"I have already done so, sir. I took the liberty of writing the message and dispatching it by the lift attendant."
"By Jove, you think of everything, Jeeves!"
"Thank you, sir. A little buttered toast with the tea? Just so, sir. Thank you."
I went back to the sitting-room. She hadn't moved an inch. She was still bolt upright on the edge of her chair, gripping her umbrella like a hammer-thrower. She gave me another of those looks as I came in. There was no doubt about it; for some reason she had taken a dislike to me. I suppose because I wasn't George M. Cohan. It was a bit hard on a chap.
"This is a surprise, what?" I said, after about five minutes' restful silence, trying to crank the conversation up again.
"What is a surprise?"
"Your coming here, don't you know, and so on."
She raised her eyebrows and drank me in a bit more through her glasses.
"Why is it surprising that I should visit my only nephew?" she said.
Put like that, of course, it did seem reasonable.
"Oh, rather," I said. "Of course! Certainly. What I mean is----"
Jeeves projected himself into the room with the tea. I was jolly glad to see him. There's nothing like having a bit of business arranged for one when one isn't certain of one's lines. With the teapot to fool about with I felt happier.
"Tea, tea, tea--what? What?" I said.
It wasn't what I had meant to say. My idea had been to be a good deal more formal, and so on. Still, it covered the situation. I poured her out a cup. She sipped it and put the cup down with a shudder.
"Do you mean to say, young man," she said frostily, "that you expect me to drink this stuff?"
"Rather! Bucks you up, you know."
"What do you mean by the expression 'Bucks you up'?"
"Well, makes you full of beans, you know. Makes you fizz."
"I don't understand a word you say. You're English, aren't you?"
I admitted it. She didn't say a word. And somehow she did it in a way that made it worse than if she had spoken for hours. Somehow it was brought home to me that she didn't like Englishmen, and that if she had had to meet an Englishman, I was the one she'd have chosen last.
Conversation languished again after that.'

~P.G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves

Radishes

Give thanks to the LORD

'Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth...

Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among the peoples.

For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.

Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Give to the LORD glory and strength.
Give to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.'

1 Chronicles 16:8-12, 23-34

Buttons

I found these treasures at my local thrift shop. Aren't they delightful? I love old pearly buttons like these and was thrilled to find them for 35-50 cents apiece. Someone painstakingly sewed them to cards, probably to store them neatly. And I get to enjoy them. I am always amazed by the little things that I find at a thrift shop...things that were obviously owned by someone who took care of them and spent time making/preparing them...and I get to enjoy it. The Lord is so good to bring these simple treasures to me to enjoy. Simple providences and kindnesses from Him. I am grateful.

Sunday Picnic

Our afternoon was so lovely. My man and I and our two

families brought a picnic to the park by the lake after church. It was a warm and sunny afternoon, with just enough breeze to make it pleasant. We brought quilts to spread on the hill next to the lake so we could enjoy the sunshine and watch the boats on the lake. My man brought our boat, of course, and several of us were able to enjoy a ride and a couple rode in the tube. We celebrated Mama and Papa's anniversary and Leah's birthday (last week). I am so blessed to have two wonderful families that I love spending time with, and not only that, but that love spending time with each other! Such wonderful fellowship is to be had with family who love the Lord!

Apron Full of Berries

Supper at Mama's

Window Box and Daisies

My dearest man made me a window box to go under my kitchen window last weekend. Isn't it lovely? I am so happy with it and look forward to filling it with all sorts of pretty flowers. So far I have planted a daisy plant that grew up on its own in my yard and two 'crimson rambler' plants...like a 'morning glory' only red. Hopefully the crimson rambler will be able to vine up the sides of the window and peak in at me when I am working in the kitchen. The window box is at just the right height to see whatever is growing in there from my kitchen, so I can keep an eye on my little plant babies. I haven't finished painting the front yet (over the screw holes and such)...I love that color of green paint.

The other pictures here are some of my back door area...just to the right of this kitchen window.

Homespun

I have been busy the last couple of days with, among other things, sewing and embroidering this shirt that I cut out last winter. I love the textures and colors in it. I am working to get the pattern to behave the way I want it to...it has taken some adjusting, but is becoming manageable.
~*~

Kitchen Joys

I just made a delightful discovery this evening while musing on ways to beautify my kitchen sink area. A small glass vinegar jar ("Bragg's" brand at least) is just the right size to receive the squirty lid from a plastic Ivory dish soap bottle! The cap just screwed right onto the glass bottle. So now I can use my Ivory soap from this lovely bottle. A couple of shakes dispenses just the right amount of soap. No modernish plastic and wearing-off labels. The sunshine will shine through it so that I can see all of the little air bubbles in my soap. Beautiful. I am thrilled. I also found a way to store my dish washing cloths...clean and folded and neat in my nifty enamelware pie plate/hanging basket thing. I look forward to keeping my sink area clean so I can enjoy these new changes in all of their rustic homeyness.

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