Enjoying Spring!

I have been enjoying all of the sights, sounds, and smells of spring!  The thunder during a spring rain, the clean smell after a storm, listening to the birds during the early morning hours, and watching the signs of spring! 

Yes, I even enjoy seeing the dandelions! Our kids use to pick handfuls for me...nothing sweeter than a cup of dandelions!

Mama Robin built a nest on the ledge by our bedroom window, she has two babies. This little guy stuck his head up just long enough for me to get a picture. 

The sights of spring are so welcomed after a long cold winter. Each new season is a reminder to me of how God cares for each of us.  His wonders never cease to amaze me!

The flower and smell that I love most about spring is the lilac.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the

singing of birds is come, and the voice of the

turtle is heard in our land:

~Cheryl~

How Time Flies!

It seems like it was just a few days ago that I had posted school was starting and here it is only a little over a month to the end of the year.  It seems like this year has gotten away from me.  

So much has went on,  Good Friday we signed the papers for the sale of our house in northern Wisconsin.  It has been a long wait, but the Lord is faithful and the house is finally gone, what a blessing.  So with that this will be my last year of working at the school.  I am so excited to be able to be home again, I have missed staying home.  The Lord provided a job for me that I loved when we needed it.  They will keep me on their sub list and that will be fun to go back now and then to help out.

Easter Sunday we celebrated our 40th anniversary with family.  This is another where does the time go, it seems we just got married, yet it seems like we have always been together!

One of my favorite verses is...

Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies, The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31:10-12

My DH gave me this Anniversary ring.

We also had a chance to go and visit a young couple that were our Campus Kids when we worked at the college.  They have been home on furlough from South Africa, what fun to get to reconnect with them and their eight children.  They will be flying out on May 12th so it will be at least three years until we get to see them again

Getting to know the littlest one!

I was able to do make a dress for the two littlest girls, what fun!

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 I am counting the days until the end of the school year...also enjoying the wonderful spring weather.  It is so nice to be outside working in the yard and getting the garden ready. 

Hope you are enjoying your spring!

~Cheryl~

 

Winter Has Come

Winter has shown up in our area.  The first snows are always so pretty and peaceful looking.  I am enjoying the snow and not thinking about how long before I can be in the garden again.  This is the season for baking, cooking, and sewing.

Hope you are having a wonderful day...This is the day that the Lord has given us let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

~Cheryl~

School Days

Once again summer is almost done and school has started.
I am slowly getting back in to the routine of being back at school.  It is always good to see the children that you have worked with and meet the new ones you will be working with. 

I am looking forward to a great school year and seeing how the Lord can use me in the lives of the children that I will be working with this year.

~Cheryl~

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

With my first picking of tomatoes I am making Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce.  First batch is finished and the second one in the oven roasting.  The house smells very good right now.  Perfect almost fall day for canning.   Here is how I do the tomato sauce in the oven.

First cutting up the tomatoes and squeezing out the juice and seeds.

After they are all cut up I add a couple of green peppers to each pan along with a large onion, small handful of fresh basil, few parsley sprigs, 3 garlic cloves, and a couple of bay leaves.

 

Pour some olive oil in the bottom of a glass cake pan, add the tomatoes with some salt to the pan, then pour a little oil over the top again.   Put in the oven to roast at 425 for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes you may want to remove some of the liquid they have produced.

Roast for another 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and getting some nice charred spots, this adds flavor to the sauce.

 

After the tomatoes have cooled down put them into a food processor and process until smooth.

I put mine into pint jars and processed them for 20 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.  Ended up with 9 pints from the first batch.  

I will use the sauce for chili, spaghetti sauce, for any recipe that calls for tomato sauce.  This does need to have oregano added depending on what it is used for.  You can add what ever herbs and spices your family likes to make it work for you.  I am always adding things to the jar depending on what it is going to be used for.

This week has been exciting one grandson got his drivers license and the other one played his first football came for the freshman team.  Very happy times!

Time goes by so fast, what a blessing both of these boys are to our lives.

~Cheryl~

Summer, where have you gone?

Summer is coming to and end way to fast for me.  It seems that school just gets done for the year and it's time to start again.   Where has the summer went!   I have enjoyed my time home and finding it very hard to think about going back to work next week.

This summer was filled with gardening, veggies and flowers, lots of baking, freezing, canning... 

 

 

We went to the county fair this past weekend, always enjoy seeing the animals, loved this little green and yellow chicken.  

Counting down the days until next Tuesday morning...ready or not...school will be starting!

~Cheryl~

Garden Fresh

We are enjoying garden fresh veggies.  Have been eating a lettuce from the garden for a while now, the radishes are done, also have had a couple of small zucchini...the plants are loaded so will soon be over whelmed with them.

So far from the raspberries I have made two batches of freezer jam, freezing some of them today, eating fresh and still have about 4 quarts in the refrigerator. They need to be picked again!  Will be making another batch of jam to use as gifts this Christmas for coworkers.

Had my first picking of the cucumbers yesterday.  They are just getting started, was able to can 2 quarts of dill pickles.

The rest I am saving for eating.  Tonight I cut some up and put them in white vinegar with a little water added and some sugar.

They will be good with the couple of red potatoes that I dug carefully from under a potato plant.

I am sure the garden will be ripening faster now, our temperatures have been on the cool side, but this week we are to reach 90's.  To day we had 95.  The canning and freezing will be getting busy!  It is a blessing to have a garden that provides for us in the summer and plenty to put up for winter.

Enjoy your week.

~Cheryl~