Some of God's Handiwork

Seems to me we very often take His creation too much for granted.

How many times does a person riding in the car miss a beautiful red-tailed hawk as it sits upon a fence post. How many people forget to look at the present beauty in the sky because they're worried about where they have to be next.

Oh, we're all guilty.

My problem is I look too forward to Spring to realize the splendor of Winter. I forget that the cows in the pasture have grown fuzzy, I forget that the deer have turned a new shade of brown, I forget that the hawk is still her busy self. I realize that my beloved cottonfields have been picked, but forget to realize that they still hold a beauty all their own. The grass is brown, but I forget that the sky is still a brilliant shade of blue. It ain't warm outside, but I forget that the sun is still shining. I can't go down to the creek, but I forget to notice the level has finally risen. My gardening is currently limited, but I forget that my good friends, the earthworms, are hard at work. The lightnin' bugs ain't out yet; won't be for a while, but the stars are still out. The night critters ain't singin' as loud, the crickets ain't playin' their tiny fiddles as loud, but I forget that they'll return even louder than before.

The other day Mama and I were on our way to my physical therapy. The sky was just drop dead gorgeous. It was spectacular. Just so happens that I had my camera with me, so I snapped a few pictures. Now, I ain't no photographer, and I ain't gonna pretend to be, but my humble camera did try with all its might to capture the beauty that day.






Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Heirloom Seed Source

The other day I was browsing the internet looking for an heirloom seed source, because in the midst of all my garden planning, I decided on planting all heirlooms rather than all organic.

Well folks, I am so excited. In my browsing I found a wonderful company called Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

I ordered their free catalog.

I got it and, man! Shooooo-weeee! I threw my other catalogs away. All I needed was this one.

I placed my order yesterday and am excitedly awaiting the arrival of those precious seeds!

I only ordered my "direct sow" seeds from them, however, since I decided not to start anything indoors this year, due to the accident. That is very sad, but I have located a nursery not too far from us that starts and sells their own heirloom maters. So I'm good.

Anyway, let me give a link to Baker Creek's website...


All right ya'll, bye now, I'm going to go look through my catalog again....

Merry Christmas!

Allright! Merry Christmas Ya'll!!!

I have fallen short of posting anything about Christmas. Oh well, everyone else on the blogosphere has, so that should make up for the lack of mine. I will say, however, that we are so blessed this Christmas. We are blessed every year, but this year, on October 16, our eyes were opened a little wider. it was given a different meaning. God spared my brother and I, and we are so thankful. Praise the Savior!

Let me add, too, (before I go watch Pixar's "UP" with my bitties) that another blessing of today involved firearms. My wonderful Dedad let me shoot his Glock .40.
Certainly a highlight of today! Amazin' feelin'.

Well, ya'll have a wonderful rest of the year!!

Psalm 48:10
According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.

Almonds, Anyone?

Surely you all know how hard TRULY RAW almonds are to come by. If you know this then you also know that any good almonds you do find are outrageously expensive. You end up paying a large amount of hard-earned cash on a few ounces of almonds that probably aren't even truly raw.

Well, let me tell you how our family was blessed with almonds (and a few other items) this month.

Mama has connections with someone who has friends who own a very large farm in Californy. They were offering a HUGE (I'm talkin' huge) deal on TRULY RAW almonds. She took advantage of the situation.

There was one catch, however. You had to order a minimum of 200lbs at a time. Well, we love our almonds, but....however big the discount was, that was still a lot at one time.

So Mama began contacting folks we know and started asking if they would like to order some as well. Needless to say, we placed an order for a whole mess a' almonds and when they finally arrived, Mama and I got to have some fun!

Each person ordered a different amount, ranging from 30 lbs to 3 lbs, so we got to weigh each bag and sort them all out. It was a lot of fun, actiually.

Here are some already weighed and ready to go to their new homes. :)



But wait, that ain't all!! There was also a HUGE deal on RAW honey. (I mean, like, 100% better than Breadbeckers deal on honey.)
This is like striking gold! We we're so excited!



Just look at that... Like I said, pure gold.



That still ain't all.
Cashews!! Another HUGE deal!



Back to weighin' and sortin' again!



Sorry folks, but that still ain't all! Do any of ya'll know about chia? Well, Mama does, and she LOVES it! You can throw it in your green smoothies and Mama makes a raw "pudding" out of it. Anyway, she was outrageously happy to get this deal on her chia seeds. It was really a huge blessing!

Stars Once Again!

I am tellin' you, I have got three very talented siblings!
They were in another production this past week and boy! they were good!
Coley and Makayla had parts in the play, and Josh worked backstage. (I, of course, hopped to my seat in the theatre, planted myself comfortably, and watched their performances all weekend :) )
It was a wonderful Christmas play and had a great message. They really enjoyed being a part of it.
Anwyay, here are a few photos for your enjoyment...

Makayla and some of her friends in costume. It should be outlawed to be THAT cute!


Coley and some of his pals all spiffed up. Another breaking of the law by being SO cute. Well, excuse me, handsome....











My handsome Coley


My lovely Mak-Mak





Let me add too, that Joshua did an outstanding job helping backstage. But, alas, once again I have no picture of him. Rascal. It may have something to do with the fact he did not enjoy wearing all black... Anyway, he did a great job behind the scenes!

(One more thing. This is for a good friend Mr. Richard, and has nothing to do with this post. But Mr. Richard, I have been pickin' on that mando! :) Thank you again!

What I've Been Doin'...

Well now, I am so sorry I ain't posted anything for a while.

Anyway, here's an update on my health. I am actually doin' really well, and the physical therapy has been a tremendous help. I don't have to use that stinkin' old walker anymore, and have graduated to crutches! It has been amazing how the Lord has worked in this whole situation. I am a VERY blessed girl. I am getting around a lot more, and have been outside several more times. That, however, does not mean I am pain-free. Unfortunately, I still have to spend a good deal of time immobile. But that's all right. It's December and I am already lookin' forward to Spring with wide open eyes. By Spring I should be to 100% and have my range of motion back. Yay! I can't wait to get in the garden again!
So what have I been doin' lately? Well, here are a few things worthy of posting.

Actually, first I need to say that I have sold almost all of my critters. Yes, it was hard for me, but it was easier than still having them but not being able to care for them. Yes, Josh has been a huge help with their care, but I didn't know how long it would take for me to get completely better, and I decided I just wanted to start over once I recovered completely.

So, I plan on starting over come Spring. Needless to say, I am SOOOO excited about the coming months. So that's what I've been' doin'. Plannin' for Spring.

Can you tell I miss my chickens?


Soooo, I went ahead and made a list of the breeds I want for my next flock...all heritage breeds...


I have been blessed by not catching the swine flu, but I do have ovine/caprine fever. (for you city slickers that would mean I am really hankering for some sheep and/or goats) So I have been looking in the GA Market Bulletin for just that...


I have been doin' some garden plannin'...




I am hopin' Josh will build me a few of these... :)


And last but not least, I have been readin' some of these. (Special thanks to the Anderson family!!!)


Oh wait, one more thing! Josh and the bitties (what I affectionately call my youngest siblings) and I got to go over to Nana and DeDad's house to make our traditional gingerbread houses.


Well, that's all folks! You'll hear from me again sooner or later.

I Got to go Outside!

Oh my, oh my, oh my!!! What a beautiful day it was yesterday!

I have been inside recovering, and I can't really get around without my walker, (that's right folks--a walker--with tennis balls and everything) but yesterday I became adventurous. Well, my wonderful grandparents also encouraged me to, but I finally got to go outside and soak up some nice Autumn sun! I also got to play with the kittens and the few chickens I have left. I evaluated the garden plot, because as you all should know, I have garden fever to the extreme right now, and have only been able to plan on paper, which I love anyway, but yeah. Usually I do all the hoein' and tillin' and cultivatin' and rakin' leaves over the plot, and pourin' compost on the plot, and turnin' it in, and etc. Well, since I can't exactly tie myself and my walker to a tiller, Josh has been a huge help!! Praise God for big, strong brothers!

I had so much fun yesterday, although I really paid for it later, I was so spent and sore! Eh, it was well worth it!

God is Good

I really don't know how to begin this post. I am honestly at a complete loss as to where I should begin.

I reckon I'll start from where I can remember.

Oh wait. I don't remember anything. At least not until they transferred me from ICU.



Friday, October 16
All us kids were so very excited. It was the opening night for the play we were in. We were performing with Social Circle Theatre. We had been practicing for so long. Our dress rehearsals had been that week. We were thrilled about opening night! We couldn't wait!

Finally the time came for us younguns to take off toward the small town of Social Circle. Mama would meet us over there closer to show time. We loaded up into my red Dodge Durango. We found a good country song on the radio, and we were off!

The show went great and we truly enjoyed ourselves. That's about all I remember.

The following is according to family members>

Josh and I loaded into the Durango. Mama was going to ride with the bitties. There was a church function Joshua wanted to go to, so I agreed to take him. We headed toward Loganville. I approached the stop sign on Bay Creek Church Rd.

School buses are big. They are big and fast. Especially when they have no stop sign and aren't supposed to stop.

My little red Durango slammed into that Winder/Barrow county school bus. The marching band was on its way home from a football game.

It took two hours to pry my body from the wreck. Those EMS worked so hard. I am forever grateful for their determination. Miraculously, a nurse showed up on the scene. She was truly an angel in the whole situation.

Josh got out. No one knows how. He had sustained a concussion. He had several cuts and bruises, but overall he was all right. He was sent to a different hospital.

I was life-flighted to Atlanta Medical Center. I've always wanted to ride in a helicopter. Too bad it was under those circumstances.

I was immediately rushed to ICU. My femur(left) had broken in half. My fibula had been fractured and my left foot was just plumb "tore up". The tendons had to be repaired in surgery that next morning. Mama said my left leg was twice the size of the rest of my body. I had blood on my brain, and fluid in my lungs. They put me on a ventilator. I have positively no recollection of any of this.

Let's skip to last Saturday. They transferred me to the rehab floor. I was still on oxygen and my banged-up leg hurt like nothin' I've ever felt before. I ain't gonna lie. It HURT. I was not a very kind patient to some of the nurses. Considering they had me doped on drugs, I was in pain, I wanted my Mama, and they were poking me with needles, maybe it's justified. Well, after that mornin', I was much kinder, and made friends with every single nurse on the rehab floor. They'll remember that first mornin', though. :)

Today was the day I was looking most forward to. I got to come home!! Needless to say, I was very excited.

There's still a very long road ahead of me, but the Lord will help me.

I cannot begin to express my gratitude to all of the wonderful people who have been encouraging me during this time. I couldn't do it without all my wonderful family and friends. All of the fervent prayers, the lovely cards, the beautiful flowers, the yummy food....all the LOVE!!! I am so humbled by everyone.

Ohhh, everyone on the school bus was safe. There were several cuts and contusions, and a bloody nose, but the Lord was merciful to all those on board.

The Lord has taught me so much these past few weeks. I can't really just write it all out, but let me say.... I am so very thankful for the Providence of God. I am so thankful for His mercy. I am so thankful for His love, His grace, His goodness, His glory, His timing.

God is good!!!!!!

Andersonville

(Jest go ahead and prepare yourself for a whole mess of photos--I don't feel like doin' any typin'. :)




Trying very hard to look serious...


Coley



He is much too handsome...Don't you think?


Makayla


Purty little thang...










We were blessed to find our great-grandfather, Steve C. Pierce's grave. He served as a mess sergeant in World War I.

"Oh the Wind and Rain..."

Hot dawg!! We have had some kind of rain these past several days.

Historical. That about sums it up.

Personally for us, it's been no inconvenience. We ain't under water, and Jack's Creek didn't overflow. The town of Good Hope was blessed.

The only thing we have to show for all this rain is....well...

these things...






(: (: (: (:

Shout, Shout, the Battle Cry...

....of FREEDOM.

Our Dixie forever,
She's never at a loss,
Down with the eagle,
and up with the cross.

We will rally 'round our Bonnie flag,
We'll rally once again!
Shout! Shout!
The Battle Cry of Freedom!


I have never before posted about any reenactments, but that will change today.

I must begin with my personal 1860's attire.
A few years ago, my Nana and I made a lovely dress to wear when attending reenactments. While it was a very pretty dress, I soon learned it was quite "farby".(that means severely historically inaccurate--uh oh!) So I began attending events dressed as a regular ol' spectator. In the meantime, I was really pining for a dress that was accurate. I began looking at patterns that were historical and asked Nana if we could begin another project. So we did. Several months passed, and it still wasn't complete. I was just so plumb busy---and perplexed by the complexity of the pattern. I wanted the dress completed, so I called a wonderful lady and asked if she would finish making it for me. She happily agreed. She is an amazing seamstress and does outstanding work. Needless to say, the dress turned out to be amazing!



I think she did an outstanding job!!
(special thanks to Cooper White for taking the photos)


Daddy and I were blessed to attend the 145th Anniversary of the Atlanta Campaign yesterday, and had a grand ol' time!

The Yanks should've never tried to climb Cheatem's Hill!!

I failed to take many snapshots, but I did get some video, so this will have to suffice.

Kilpatrick's Raid and Battle of Cheatem's Hill

Cottage Industry

Well, I have been planning and creating and praying for a few months now, and I have finally launched my home-based "business" !!!

I will be selling my hand made herbal salves, as well as a few other things. It is somewhat small at the time being, but I hope to be adding more very soon. Expect to see more by Christmas. I am hoping to add some body spritzes, a line of propolis-based salves, soaps, and even a few baby products.

I am still working on the website, so bear with me. :) Please feel free to go check it out!


www.cherokeeroseherbal.weebly.com

Genesis 1:12 "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."


Psalm 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth."

That's When You Know...

6:30 AM: I head out to the shed to start my morning feeding duties. It's still somewhat dark. The night critters are still singing. The peepers are havin' a grand ol' time, and the crickets are playing their tiny fiddles. I make my way to the chicken coop and see a gray figure walking nearby. First, I think it is one of our cats. No, it's slinking. It ain't a cat. Oh My!! It's a postum (as we call them)! I put down my grain bucket and run like mad back to the house. I know the biddies (what I affectionately call my siblings) will wanna see this, so I know I need to get my camera. It is too early to wake them. By this time the postum is up in a tree next to the coop. Sweet little thing.



Now, postums were a regular occurrence last summer, but this is the first I've seen since then. Naturally I was amused.

Last year a big granddaddy postum came and decided to take residence IN my chicken coop. I was not amused by him. Well, I was, but in a different way. I was angry with him, and my hazel eyes showed it. :) I went after him like I would go after a Yank, hoe in hand. No one goes and steals eggs from my henhouse! He didn't know what happened. He ended up being picked up by the tail and thrown into a wire cage. Well, I had caught 'im, so I wasn't angry anymore. Just amused. We had a 4-H poultry judging meeting that afternoon, so I thought I'd bring 'im to show off.
Oh yeah. Everyone got a kick out of that.

We got home and traveled over to the edge of Mr. Thompson's woods. We let him go his way. I wonder iffen we should have let Mr. Thompson know? Anyway, he slinked on off into the piney woods and that was the end of Ernest T. Yeah, of course that's what we named him. A perfect fit. Yup, after my dear, beloved Ernest T. (If you don't watch Andy Griffith at our house, you just wouldn't understand.) I wonder if he knows a she-postum named Romeena?

Hey! Maybe that was Romeena I saw this mornin'? She may pronounce it Ramona, but he would prefer Romeena.

Well, I guess that's how you know you are a Georgian, a homeschooled kid that lives in Good Hope. When you get excited about a postum and name him after your favorite Andy Griffith Show character. Yup. It's official. I'm crazy. A crazy female that thinks postums and other critters are perfectly acceptable. In fact, she is amused by them! Good grief! She is crazy! At least we don't have any bears in our area. I'd die for sure.

I reckon I still should've eaten 'im.



Now I just need to find a coon and name 'im Malcolm Merriweather.

Or maybe a skunk and name 'im Gomer.

Oh, What You Can Find.....

.....in a COMPOST pile!!

That's right. I had a little baby mango tree and a little baby avocado tree growing very contentedly right in my compost bin. Take a look.

Very cute mango plant.

Just look at that.

One more look.

A contented avocado plant.

Look at that.


I just thought this was so neat! I tend to be amused and excited by such things. Isn't that wild they just decided to up and grow.

Now,
I certainly know what is supposed to go into a compost bin, and I certainly know that the books recommend leaving out large, hard seeds, pits, and such, but c'mon....
If I hadn't thrown these guys in, I wouldn't have been able to see this really neat occurrence.

And besides, when do I go strictly by the books?


Hmmmm, maybe I'll have a pineapple tree soon....

(: (: (: (: