Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare, And left the flushed print in a poppy there. ~Francis Thompson, "The Poppy," 1891

Poppy

I love the way the seed pod of the poppy looks like an eye lash as it blooms. Look at the bottom of the poppy above. These actually bloom in the spring in MD. I had some technical difficulties and had to change my browser to Google Chrome (thanks to my Dad) so that I could publish my blog posts. Now I can catch up on posts that I have wanted to publish!

Title quote is from www.quotegarden.com

I will be the gladdest thing Under the sun! I will touch a hundred flowers And not pick one. ~Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Afternoon on a Hill"

Please enjoy these flowers from my garden. Hope they bring you peace!

Hint: When planting Clematis, make sure that the roots are planted deep enough. Clematis like to have their roots shaded. I usually plant them near another plant that can shade the roots.

Clematis

Title quote is from www.quotegarden.com

Skippy is 8

Skippy is 8. His birthday is May 1, 2003. I love him .

Skippy

Skippy is such a loyal dog. He follows me everywhere that I go. What would I do without him? I know God gave him to me for a reason. We found each other at the pound. One look and Mike and I knew that he was the dog for us. Although he did not get along very well with our other male dog Roscoe..... he has become a great pet. We did have a few tough years of doggy conflicts. Since we lost two dogs last year (Millie and Roscoe), Skippy has been a great comfort. I think he enjoys being the only dog. He loves attention. He's full of energy and loves to play with his favorite toys. This little Easter duck in the picture did not last long before he was missing his beak! Poor ducky!

Check out this link about a Jack Russell named Kandu a two legged Jack Russell Terrier.

Darling Daffodiles

I'm amazed by the many varieties of daffodils that pop up in my yard each year. I take no credit for these, God created and my mother-in-law planted. I have the pleasure of enjoying them each year! Thank you!

Lemon Love

I so love having fresh lemons in the house. They are not only pretty but they also smell good. I made my first lemon meringue pie the other day. I used the standard Betty Crocker recipe and it turned out pretty good for a start. I tried lemon curd bars too for a cookie exchange at Christmas. They were delicious. I recommend making the curd the day before as it is a lot of work to make the curd and bars the same day. See recipes below

Check out this lemony link idea for a lemon party .

Lemon Curd (you can also used a good store bought curd such as Dickinson's Lemon Curd)

1cup sugar

2 tbs cornstarch

1 tbs finely shredded lemon peel

6 tbs lemon juice

6 tbs water

6 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter, cut up

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice, and the water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir half of the lemon mixture into the egg yolks. Return egg mixture to the saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook and sir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until it melts. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour. Makes 2 cups.

To store: Place the prepared curd in an airtight container: cover. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Lemon Curd Bars -Prep 30 mins Bake: 23 mins at 375

1 cup butter, softened

1cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 ts baking powder

1 10-12 ounce jar lemon curd

2/3 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined. Beat in flour and baking powder until combined (mixture will be crumbly). Remove 2/3 cup of the crumb mixture; set aside. Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

3. Bake crust in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until the top is golden. Remove from oven. Spread lemon curd over hot crust to within 1/2 inch of the edges. In a medium bowl, stir together the reserved crumb mixture,coconut and almonds. Sprinkle mixture over lemon curd.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes more or until edges are golden and topping is lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using the edges of the foil, lift uncut bars out of pan. Cut into bars Makes 32 bars.

To store: Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container; core. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

These recipes are borrowed from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies Magazine

December 2010

Gardener's Prayer

My Dad -Sarasota Jungle Gardens

A Birds Eye-View

It would be nice to have a bird's eye-view of life. In the sermon today, the visiting pastor described how different life would be if we were always tuned in with God. It would be as if we are up on his shoulders seeing the world as He sees it. I imagine it would feel sort of like an eagle soaring and then recall the verse that says (can't remember the reference right now, it is in Isaiah) Those who hope in the Lord....We will soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint. In order to see God's perspective, it takes time in the word, worship, prayer and communion with Him.

It can be overwhelming listening to the news filled with natural disasters, crime, death etc.... However, God calls us to see things from his perspective. He cares about all those things but he can help us see how we can use those circumstances in life for His Good and Purpose!

Welcome Spring!

Time to wake up little flowers. Here are some shots of my first spring flowers and buds! So exciting after this long winter. I'm thankful for this new life that appears each year! I don't have to water, fertilize or tend these little buds. They just keep coming back each year. A little like God's love for us. Sometimes we ignore it but it just keeps coming back to us! When we realize it, it's kind of like Spring all over again!.

Look Up!

Look teacher, "I can look up, I can look side to side but I can't look down." This is what one of my students told me in line as we were waiting for dismissal! As he told me, I watched his eyes look in all those different directions. I'm not sure why he said that he couldn't look down. Yet, isn't that so like a child? Young children don't often get depressed because they are always noticing the little things and appreciating them. Today the leak in the ceiling was much more interesting to my students than my lesson on measuring time!

I need to remember to keep looking up and around at all the things God is doing, can do or will do. However, why look down? "Just shoes down there", my student said.

Now unto Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all you ask or imagine according to His power which is at workin in us! Ephesians 3:20,21

Psalm 119:148- My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

Ephesians 1: 18- I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Matthew 6:22- The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.

Snow Day Crafts

Snow Days never mean bordom to me! There is always a closet to clean, book to read, photograph to take or new craft to make. I have included pictures of two new crafts made during my January snow days. These were hand stiched with love for friends and family. One is for my secret sister...shhh! don't tell!

Through a windshield.

Little snowflakes all over my windshield. That's what I saw as I sat in my freezing cold car this morning. The temperature, 16 degrees! Brrr! Yet, how pretty everything looked through the windshield. I wanted to capture the beauty...so I ran inside to get my camera as my car's heater/freezer attempted to increase the temperature a little. Each snowflake is different and unique. They are transparent with six points. Remarkable! God's creation never ceases to amaze me!

Happy

Valentine's

Day!

my amaryllis

A friend of Mike's gave me this amaryllis bulb in a red pot. I put it next to the kitchen window. It seemed to really like this spot and shot up very tall in a matter of two weeks. I took photo's of this plant as it bloomed. It has a beautiful bloom! It was fun to take a picture each day and watch it open. Do you think God watches us like this and records the ways that his children bloom?

Skippy in the Snow

Skippy and I took a walk in the snow today. He is usually very excited at the word "Walk"! Yet, at the sight of his blue snow sweater, he hid under the table. I dragged him over to put on his sweater and then pulled him out the door. He basically took a quick poddy break and headed back toward the door. So I pulled him over to the side of the house and started walking through the foot or so of snow. I was surprised that he passed me and ran up ahead as you can see in the first picture. He sniffed around for squirrels, foxes and rabbits which live in our yard. I tried to wack some of the snow off of the poor bent trees. Unfortunately, Skippy was in the wrong place and got covered in snow. He shook it off and pulled me back into the warm house.

I love it when everything is so white and covered with a layer of snow. It is so pretty right now because it is still coming down. I also love a sunny and warm day. God created such amazing contrasts in the seasons, day and night, opposite personalities. One helps us understand the other. If we didn't have winter, would we be able to truely appreciate summer?

This snow reminds me of the verse: Psalm 51:7b Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. I can't imagine anything whiter than snow. Possibilites, an egg, a lily, my dog skip (his left side), milk.... I can't seem to come up with anything! Anyway, I suppose that David was referring to God forgiving him for the mistake that he made. I'm thankful for God's forgiveness. Another contrast is God's forgiveness or spiritual darkness. If we don't want or accept His forgiveness, I guess we are in darkness in contrast to the beautiful freedom of grace. Grace, I guess that's whiter than white!