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Farm Fresh Eggs: A Move Toward Buying Local FoodFor a long time, I have been buying white, homogenized, mass-produced eggs from the supermarket. I had forgotten the pleasure of seeing each unique, free-range, farm-fresh egg...This week, in an attempt to move toward buying more local food...I found a friend willing to sell me these beautiful farm-fresh eggs on a weekly basis! 
A Tale of Frugal Intentions Gone AwryA few weeks ago, I visited a store that had a lot of yarn marked for clearance...so of course I bought a skein of lovely, mint green for only a dollar! I looked around for another skein to match it, but it seemed to be the only one. So, I bought it anyway, and left the store with my selection in hand. I congratulated myself for my frugal purchase, and I envisioned the baby cap that I would make for my youngest daughter for only $1.00! 
What Money Is Good For: Teaching Your Children About Money’s Place In LifeMoney doesn't make you happy. Money doesn't make you a success. Money doesn't make you a better person. And, yet...why do people place such great importance on money? Because they don't understand its place in life. Money is simply the grease that allows the world to work the way it does.That's all. 
5 Inalienable Truths About ClutterThis week, my husband and I have attempted to reclaim our home from the clutter…In an effort to increase storage capacity and organization, we recently purchased pre-fabricated wardrobe cabinets for each daughter. The three cabinets came in boxes with paper instructions...and required assembly. 
Three Simple Strategies for Keeping Your New Year’s ResolutionsDon't allow yourself to become defeated by the bad rap that New Year's resolutions usually get. You will never change, if you never try. Sure you may have setbacks, but set your sights on the goal, and push forward in 2010! By using these three simple strategies, you can reach your goals! 
Save Money on Your Grocery Budget – Tip #2: Eat Whole and FreshDo you want to save money on your grocery budget? Purchase or grow foods that are whole and healthy for you. Most of the time, they cost less and are better for you. Avoid highly-processed and highly-packaged items that cost an arm and a leg and are not nearly as conducive to optimal health. 
Save Money on Your Food Budget – Tip #5: Waste NotOne of the simplest ways to save money on your grocery budget is to avoid wasting food. Making the most of every dollar is a great way to stretch your pocketbook, and it’s as simple as using what you have. 
Memorize Bible Verses With Ease!I have often heard that an effective way to memorize information is through repetition, repetition, repetition! Use this method of learning to memorize Scripture, facts, and verses of all kinds. It's easy and fun and can be adapted to master all sorts of information. 
A Thrifty Sewing Project: Placemat Purses and TotesI had been shopping one day in the Dollar Tree, and I had purchased some placemats to make purses out of...The placemat cost a dollar, and I lined the interior of the purse with remnants of an old shirt that my sister-in-law was going to send to Goodwill. A little bit of orange ribbon, some orange silk flower petals, and a bit of blue yarn from grandmother’s yarn stash (for the crocheted flower center)…and the purse was a thrifty masterpiece at less than three dollars! 
Arrows in the Hand of a Mighty Man...the influence that a man has extends far into the future through the lives of his children. He is not limited by time and space to the area that surrounds him…to the lives of the people he can physically touch. Rather, a man’s power to impact the world can travel far into the distance…farther than he has the power to see or perhaps even comprehend. 
Don’t Flush Those Dollar Bills!As, I pondered the three piles of roasted chicken bones…I remembered a life lesson that I learned as a teen from an older, wiser friend who had successfully raised seven children to adulthood. “What would you think if I were to flush a dollar bill down the toilet?” she asked. “You would think I was very foolish, wouldn’t you?” 
Save Money on Your Grocery Budget – Tip #3: Buy in BulkBuying in bulk is a great way to save money on your grocery bill! Purchase foods in large quantities and store the items until you need them. Often, the price per unit is cheaper in larger quantities, and you can take advantage of sale prices and specials. Also, you will have these items on hand when you need them, and aren’t tempted to make impulse buys. 
My Father’s GrapesMy father takes great care in cultivating his grape vines. They are his pride and joy, and when harvest time comes…well, the reward is worth the effort! His grapes are of the highest quality. We make juice and jelly, sometimes preserves, and of course…we eat them fresh from the stem. They are a beauty to behold, and a joyful wonder to eat! 
Aunt Mary’s LegacyAunt Mary made so many of my clothes and the clothes of many, many others...She taught me so many things about sewing. She took me to fabric stores on Saturdays when I was a little girl to buy fabric. She showed me how to lay a pattern on a fold. She showed me how to pick out the very best looking buttons. She showed me how to put in a zipper. And, she showed me how to use a seam ripper to take out my mistakes…oh, my many mistakes! 
Working With DaddyFriday evening, my two oldest daughters worked on a project with their Daddy... They each used their hammers and nails. They helped as he instructed. They spent the evening together...It was a poignant reminder of how important it is to invest time in our children, for there are many things that my children will remember long into their adulthood. 
Reflections of KindnessKindness is something that brings joy to the one who gives it as well as the one who receives it. Kindness is reflected back upon the giver. And, the reflections often reverberate to others like the ripples in a pool when the first object is dropped into the water. 
Depression Era Memories: The Autograph BookWhen I was about ten or twelve years old, one of my special gifts was an autograph book. I think it was one of my most precious treasures. I am sure people got tired of me going around saying, “Would you please sign my autograph book?” 
Chicken and Dumplings for Pa-PaThe girls and I made chicken and dumplings for “Pa-Pa” for his birthday. I like the more traditional Southern version of stewing a chicken and simply adding the dumplings to the broth after picking the bones clean. This is the way good Southern folks do it without all the fancy stuff. 
 Rhododendron A few years ago, for my father’s birthday in April, we gave him a rhododendron bush. Rhododendrons love shade and grow well in wooded areas. Since my parents’ home is in a forest, a rhododendron seemed like the perfect choice. This spring, the blooms have been absolutely glorious! The day I took this picture, a beautiful butterfly was fluttering from bloom to bloom enjoying a wonderful feast. But, I was just too slow to capture a good picture! My eldest daughter and I ventured out to our small kitchen herb garden one evening to snip herbs for dinner.
“Mama…I think this is the most wonderful life in the world to be able to walk outside an pick your own food for dinner!” she exclaimed.
Oh, my sweet baby girl. I think so, too!
Savory Herb and Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
1 Cup Fresh Herbs (We used parsley, dill, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and chives.) ½ Cup Chopped Fresh Green Onions 2 Cloves Fresh Garlic, minced 2 Cups Fresh Breadcrumbs 1 16 oz. Container Fresh Mushrooms (Button, Shitake, Baby Portobello, etc.) ½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese ½ Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Olive Oil Cooking Spray, divided Salt and Pepper to Taste
Spray caps with olive oil cooking spray or toss them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil and then salt and pepper them to taste. Place the caps on a baking sheet with the cup sides up.  Chopping Herbs Chop the fresh herbs and green onions and combine in a bowl with the chopped mushroom stems.
Elizabeth
 photo courtesy of Wikimendia Commons When I was a very young child, I remember that we had a peony bush in our yard. It was always filled with lovely blooms on Mother’s Day. My father or I often picked a full bloom for my mother, and she would proudly pin it to her dress to wear to church. Even after I grew up and left home, my father would arise early and take his walk out into the yard to snip a blossom for my mother on the second Sunday in May. My mother always told me that a white bloom on your lapel showed honor and remembrance for a mother who has passed, while a pink bloom celebrates the life of a mother who is still with you.
Two years ago, my husband and my children gave me a vivid pink peony for our own yard. Last year, it had no blooms and it died back to the ground in the harsh winter cold. I feared that it had not been strong enough to survive.
How joyful we all were when it sent out lovely stalks and leaves in early spring! And, then…we cried with delight when we realized that it was forming buds and would have full, lavish blooms just in time for Mother’s Day.
My little four year old who loves all flowers would ask every day if she could go look at the peony bush to see if it had bloomed. Oh, the excitement when finally those little buds unfurled their feathery petals!
 Mama's Little Peony Helper
Thank you my darlings for such a special Mother’s Day present that I hope to enjoy for many years to come! And Happy Mother’s Day to my own Mother who has taught me how to love and mother my own little peonies! May this be a day of blessings and joy to all beloved mothers everywhere…
Happy Mother’s Day!
Elizabeth Early in the spring, I begin to get spring fever. The itch to uncover my herb bed and see what has survived the harshness of winter begins to consume me. I tell myself to resist the urge to clear the leaves and see what tiny tendrils are emerging to embrace the beautiful spring sun. I impatiently watch the weather and check for signs of last frosts. And, then…when it seems that spring has really arrived, I begin the exciting job of uncovering my herbs!
 Winterized Herb Bed The next few photos are some that I took about a month ago. I believe that these were taken during the last week of March. As I began removing the brown oak leaves and debris, I grew more and more excited! Despite one of the longest, coldest winters that we have had in a while…tiny, tender shoots of pale green were thriving beneath their winter blanket…
 Catnip and Chives Catnip and pale green chives as well as a healthy stand of garlic chives are thrusting their heads sunward.
 A Closeup View of a Clump of Tender Green Chives These chives are still a pale, pale green…some are almost white from being covered with a blanket of oak leaves. They have been waiting patiently for the sunlight of spring.  Lemon Balm Tendrils Beginning shoots of lemon balm emerge from the dark, damp earth. Tiny leaves of green on slender, white stems. Oh, the thrill of seeing such a hopeful sign of renewal!
 Curly Leaf Parsley How joyful I was at seeing this little sprig of curly leaf parsley! This is the first time I have ever been successful at overwintering parsley! It usually acts as an annual in our climate. This year, I will have a jump start on parsley growth.  Thyme and Leggy Sage Look at how leggy my sage had gotten over the winter. It had stretched itself up through the leaves trying to get a peek at the winter sunlight. The thyme was all woody sprigs and bare. It had to be trimmed back to allow for healthy new spring growth.  Rooting Sage Cuttings You can see that I cut back all those leggy, woody stems of sage…back to the thickest part of the woody base. Those woody trimmings I then inserted into the ground to root in the early spring sun while the dirt was still dark and damp.
 Rich Homemade Compost Out of the compost tumbler, we took a wheelbarrow load of rich, dark, organic compost that we had tumbled over the winter. It had developed into a wonderful, fine dirt that was ready to apply on the herb bed. I spread a layer of this nutrient-rich soil over the entire bed. After a few weeks of being allowed to warm in the sun, the entire bed was mulched with a natural golden-red birch bark mulch. The warm tones of the mulch really make the color of the lush green herbs pop out! After about four weeks of growth, sunlight, and replenishing spring rain…you can see the results of my tender care.
 Chives, Garlic Chives and Catnip in Center The chives are blooming beautiful lavender blooms, and the catnip leaves are so large and luscious…maybe larger than I ever remember them being!
 Lemon Balm in Center Remember those tiny tendrils of lemon balm? Isn’t it amazing what a month of growth can bring!?  Parsley and Oregano in Center The curly leaf parsley has done so well, and the oregano wasn’t even visible a month ago! You can also see tiny sprigs of lemon thyme that are beginning to emerge! I thought they had succumbed to the harsh winter…but they are finally peeping their head out. I am so glad! I would have hated to have the lemon thyme die. It was one of the first herbs I planted in this bed seven years ago. I cook with this thyme all the time! You can also see my little clump of volunteer leaf lettuce.  Catnip and Sage See how happy my little sage is because it was trimmed back to the woody base? The rootings are coming along nicely, too. They haven’t died, but it will be some time before they are strong enough to transplant. Oh…and did you notice the four little concrete turtles crawling around among the herbs? One big one (a Mommy turtle) and three little baby ones! These represent me and my three little turtles. I like them quite a lot. They make me smile. Soon, I plan to give you a recipe for savory stuffed mushrooms using all of these gorgeous fresh herbs! Check back soon…it won’t be long. Elizabeth
Spring is here in Middle Tennessee, and it’s hard to believe that my husband and I have been posting here for an entire year! Our first post at Life Worth The Living was just a few days over one year ago, and it was a new endeavor for us as we began chronicling our day-to-day activities and projects for anyone interested to read about and comment upon.
And, I must say that I never expected to meet all of the people that I have become acquainted with from both near and far. I have been amazed, touched, and humbled by the outpouring of friendship from around the world! The world seems to be a much smaller, friendlier place that I thought before launching Life Worth The Living in the spring of 2009! And, so I say…thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the dear, sweet comments that you have made and for all the wonderful support we have received throughout this year of writing our online diary about our lives. Thank you…and again I say thank you!
You may have noticed that posts to Life Worth The Living have been few over the past month. We have been quite busy outdoors with the coming of spring. We are preparing our garden for planting, we are working in our yard, and we are pruning bushes and planting new trees. Flowers are blooming, trees are covered in blossoms, and new leaf buds are emerging every day…
Signs of growth and renewal are everywhere! And, we have been rejoicing in the return of spring!
1. White Grape Hyacinths, 2. Tulip Tree, 3. Hyacinths, 4. Hawthorne, 5. Forsythia, 6. Daffodils 3, 7. Daffodils 2, 8. Daffodils 1 These are a few photos that I have taken over the past few days and weeks. I have taken many, many more, and I am excited about returning to Life Worth The Living on a more regular basis to share some of our springtime projects with you. If you are interested in a particular topic that you would like to read about here at Life Worth The Living, leave us a comment! We look forward to hearing what topics you would like to read about. If you are too shy to leave a comment, then send us an email and tell us privately what you are interested in and what you enjoy. Any comments and emails would greatly encourage us and help us as we write future posts.
Thank you again for a wonderful year! Elizabeth
I think with much of the winter behind us, many of us are looking forward to the coming of spring. The earth is beginning to look like a beautiful green carpet, and the trees are bursting with the soft color of lovely green leaves. With that thought, my mind wanders back to the time when I was much younger…
 Alfred East (1849-1913) I could hardly wait to take my shoes off and feel the soft grass, the fresh plowed earth, or the smooth part of the road where the road grader had left one side of the road so smooth under my feet. I would skip with bare feet along the soft brown dirt road to take my Daddy a drink of water in the field where he would be plowing. I could walk behind his plow and search for arrow heads. Ah, the wonderful memories! I really knew spring was almost here when the preparation started of cleaning out of the brooder house before we ordered our baby chickens. We used the brooder house over the winter to store our canned fruit and our winter supply of sweet potatoes. We kept them under sawdust to keep them from freezing. Now it was spring time, and we had to clear all the old things out of the brooder house. It was time that I could ride in the wagon with my Daddy to the local sawmill and get a brand new load of sawdust. While there, I could climb barefoot all over the sawdust pile while he got the wagon loaded with the sawdust to take back and spread over the brooder house floor.
 Photo by Keith Weller After the new load of sawdust has been unloaded and spread on the floor, a small cast iron wood heater was set up and a fire built to warm it up for a few days before the arrival of the new baby chicks. Oh yes! Another preparation for their arrival always required new Raylite to be put over the windows. I never hear of Raylite anymore, but it was a form of plastic that was marked off in squares with small green threads made into it. We also had to wash the half gallon fruit jars to put their drinking water in. We had to have a supply of bluing and potassium permanganate to put into their drinking water for disinfection so they did not take the disease that young chickens get. The baby chicks had to be ordered, and would be shipped by parcel post. When they arrived, I could always hear their cheeping when our rural route mail carrier walked them up to our door. When the baby chicks got a few days old, Daddy would hold them up by their feet and could tell by the way they would tilt their head if they were pullets or roosters. If there were several roosters, we would have chicken for Sunday dinner when they got old enough to eat. If the preacher was not visiting for dinner, we children always wanted the opportunity to pull the “pulley bone” to make a wish.
 Hugo Mühlig (1854–1929) When the chickens were several months old, he would check his pullets by inspecting the bones that created the passage for the eggs to pass through. He did this by taking the pullets in his left arm. He would press with his right hand on their underside a few inches back from the breastbone. By pressing upward, he could feel the protruding bones. If the egg passage was the width of two fingers, he knew he had good laying hens. If the passage was only wide enough for one finger, he knew that she was not a good hen for laying eggs, so she was usually sold to the local peddler to help buy groceries.
My Daddy always enjoyed feeding the chickens and having fresh eggs. He would get up many times in the winter and light a lantern and take it to the chicken house around 4:00 o’clock in the morning to make their days longer so they would lay eggs. He also would plant wheat seed in a wooden box and let it grow about four or five inches tall and take it to his chickens so they would have green grass to eat through the winter. He was very particular about never wanting the hens to run out in the snow for he said that hindered them from laying eggs. In the summer time, he would take young ears of corn and chop them up with a hatchet for the chickens to eat. He had a plank shelf mounted between two trees where he would chop the corn. Being anxious to help, I would rake the corn off in a pan. I saw no danger in the hatchet being raised and coming down again even after being warned by my Daddy to be very careful. I still have a scar today on one of my ring fingers for not listening to the warning before the hatchet came down very hard.  H. P. Hansen after Otto Bache (1913) Daddy always called them by whistling for them at feeding time. The grand finale was when he would say, “Would you like to see me hypnotize a chicken?” Oh yes! I always liked to see that. He would then tuck her head under her wing and turn her around and around a few times. When he set her down, she would be too dizzy to walk. But, after a few wobbly steps…she would run merrily on her way. EBH
 Chicken and Chicks by Beniamino Parlagreco (1856-1902) Farm Fresh Eggs…
Some of my earliest memories are of going with my father to the chicken house in the evenings to gather the eggs. I would watch as my father gently felt beneath the hens to see if there were any eggs in the nest. I also remember walking to the corn crib with my Mother or my Grandmother to feed shelled corn to our flock of beautiful, white chickens. They would scamper from all over the barnyard…often before they heard the call…
“Here…chick, chick, chick…”
“Here…chick, chick, chick-eee!”  Albert Anker (1865) I love the taste of farm fresh eggs, with their bright orange yolks. I love the feel of a smooth, brown egg in the palm of my hand.
It’s been a long time since my family raised chickens. For a long time, I have been buying white, homogenized, mass-produced eggs from the supermarket. I had forgotten the pleasure of seeing each unique, free-range, farm-fresh egg…
Brown, and ivory, peach, and blue…some speckled with tiny flecks of variant color…
This week, in an attempt to move toward buying more local food…I found a friend willing to sell me these beautiful farm-fresh eggs on a weekly basis! They are so lovely, I am a bit reluctant to crack them…I just want to gaze at their simple beauty and take pleasure in the fact that I know where they came from!
 Aren't they beautiful? I especially love the blue ones! Elizabeth Fresh bread…a blessing from God…the life-sustaining substance that has comforted mankind since the beginning of time…
 photo by Peggy Greb I love the smell of warm bread baking in the oven…its aroma wafting into every corner of the house. I love the fragrance of freshly ground wheat flour as it mixes with yeast and honey and herbs…
 Photo by Scott Bauer I often make my own bread in my own kitchen. If we are not careful…our little family can eat a whole loaf with butter before it even cools from the pan! Often, there is very little bread left over to store for another meal. But, when there is, I don’t like to store it in a plastic bag. The moisture collects, and the bread spoils more quickly, because there are no additives or preservatives to extend its shelf life. I like that I know what ingredients are being consumed by my loved ones, and of course the taste is much better than store-bought bread! I recently found a fun tutorial on the Down To Earth Forum for making an embroidered fabric bread bag with a drawstring. The tutorial showed how to use a dishtowel to make the bag, but I didn’t have an extra dishtowel. However, I *always* have fabric in my fabric stash! So, I made this little bag with some of my leftover fabric, and I lined it with unbleached muslin. As I was trying to decide on an embroidery pattern, I located a wonderful video tutorial for a “wheat stitch”. I think it really does resemble a stalk of wheat. And, it’s pretty easy to do, even for a relatively new stitcher like myself.
 Muslin-Lined Bread Bag with Drawstring  Fully Lined Bread Bag This project brought to my mind several favorite verses about bread, and I thought that I would share them with you: Genesis 3:18-19, Exodus 12:17, Exodus 16:4, Psalm 37:25, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 6:11, John 6:30-51 The snowstorm that brought such a magical wonderland of snow also brought breathtaking ice displays. As we were driving to church services, a radiant sunset glistened through ice-clad trees…as if they had been adorned with a million translucent diamonds.  The Radiant Splendor of a Diamond Sunset If only my feeble camera could capture the glory that the eye can see…
1. Sunset and Diamonds, 2. Sunlight and Diamonds, 3. Ice Diamonds 3, 4. Ice Diamonds 2, 5. Ice Diamonds 1, 6. Diamond Tree Elizabeth The snow came quickly and covered the fields and forests with a blue-white glow. The things we look at every day were magically transformed as we saw them through new eyes under a snow white cloak.
 A Front Porch View Adventures were joyful in snowboots and “poofy” coats, and there was much to be seen….  Tramping Around on a Snowy Day And, all the while we were observing such magical transformations, we were being observed…  A Curious Observer The dinner bell was quiet. We did not wish to disturb the peaceful silence of a winter snowfall…  Dinner Bell in the Snow This refuge would soon be moved to carry a load of firewood to dry out gloves and hats and soggy coats and toast our fingers and toes…  Cat Under a Snowy Wheelbarrow And, then as evening came and dusk settled in…we made the first snow cream that the girls remembered…
 Making Snow Cream  Snow and Snow Cream …a perfect end to a perfect snowy day… How to make Snow Cream: Ingredients: A Bowl of Fresh, White Fluffy Snow Whole Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream (We used a bit of both…more milk than cream) Sugar Vanilla Instructions: Pour in enough milk or cream to make the bowl of snow slushy. (We used a generous portion of milk, with enough cream to make it creamy and yummy!) Add sugar to sweeten to taste. Add a dash of vanilla. Stir, and serve right away! Enjoy this simple goodness Elizabeth  |
 
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