Pages of the past - Wildflower Cabin

Pages of the past...

2009-01-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hi my friends,

I have enjoyed working on my new blog: http://www.wildflowercabin.blogspot.com/. I am thankful some of you have stopped by to visit. I'm also thankful to have met some new friends!

I have thought about it and have decided not to delete this blog. It has too many memories. I will keep it as a past chapter of my life, something to look back on when and if needed.

I'm going to look at my new blog as a room added on to this old one...and extension, if you will.

Even though this one holds a lot of sadness, it also holds joy and growth. I can't delete it. It's part of me.

I just wanted to share these thoughts and feelings with you. See you in the living room!

Blessings,
Janice

Moving my blog

2008-12-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

I am going to start a new blog. It will have the same name "Wildflower Cabin", with a matching link: http://www.wildflowercabin.blogspot.com/. I feel I need to turn the page in my book of life and start a new chapter (never ever forgetting past chapters!). While I know we all are there for each other through thick and thin, this blog holds some real heart ache for me, which I find myself feeling every time I come here. I hope you will take note of my new address link and save it. I will leave this one up for a time so all of you can make the change. Meanwhile, I will get busy on my new cabin and make it feel as welcoming as possible for anyone who might stop by! Blessings for a wonderful new year ahead....

Janice

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

I hope you each had a God-blessed Christmas and will have an amazingly wonderful New Year!

My progress

2008-11-22T14:58:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

I want to thank you for your continued prayers. I can feel the love and prayer support from so many people...some we know...many we don't. It's amazing how the network of God's caring people works in such mighty ways.

Our hearts are slowly mending....and it's good to feel that. We will never get over missing our little angel, Poppy Jo....but God and His people are helping us get through this rough time.

Just knowing my little Doodlebug is waiting for us in heaven, is such a joyous thing to think about!

I wish I could express our thanks and appreciation to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray. I am here to tell you....prayers work. God is real. His people are real. Love never ends......

God bless you all....

Janice

November Blessings

2008-11-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

Yellow Cottonwood leaves reach for the sky
Sunset

Getting ready for winter

God's work of art

Close up

...of mushrooms

All our ducks in a row

Red-tailed Hawk

2008-11-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday, my dh and I took a drive down along the river. This is one beauty we saw. A red-tailed hawk was perched on an old snag very close to the road. We couldn't believe how long he sat and posed for us while we took a few pictures. The red on the inside of his tail really showed up when he flew off.

Thank you, Mary!

2008-11-09T08:34:00.001-08:00

Thank you Mary, from Isabella's Closet blog, for creating the blog header for me!

I sent her a photo of a flower I took in my yard the other day, and she surprised me by adding my robin in. How sweet.

Keep up the good work, Mary! You are very gifted.

Blessings,
Janice

Two more paintings

2008-11-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

Today I painted two more pictures. One is of a Japanese Maple leaf I picked and the other is from a photo of a robin that I took last winter. It's been so relaxing. I'm not sure what I'll do next, but it will be fun seeing what turns up.

Sweetgum leaves and a first painting

2008-11-08T07:54:00.001-08:00

The first three photos are all from the same sweetgum tree in our back field. I love the variety of colors and shapes that can come from one tree.

The last picture is of my very first watercolor painting. I've been wanting to try it for a long time and finally got brave enough yesterday. I found a maple leaf and attempted to paint it. I really had fun and feel I'm going to be trying more in the days ahead.

It's a beautiful sunny morning, bringing even more glory to the colored leaves left hanging on the trees.

Blessings to all....

Hope

2008-10-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

A continued thanks to you for your prayers and emails. I've considered not posting and even thought about closing down my blog, because to me, blogging should be fun and light-hearted, but then I reminded myself that what we are going through is part of life. There are mountain tops and valleys in each of our lives.

I do want you to know there are parts of each day which feel lighter and more hopeful for continuing on in some sort of normalcy (as much as possible considering...). There are times when we fall apart and the pain feels too much to hold in our hearts. I know this is a part of the grieving process, and it will take a long time. I know our lives will never be the same...a part of each of us died when Poppy died. A piece of us went with her. That's just the way it is. Someone told me our lives will never be the same, but we can live again. I know this is true.

Poppy's mommy (our middle daughter) and her two other precious girls (our granddaughters, ages 13 and 11) all live with us now. We are tightly woven together, helping one another survive this ordeal in our lives.

So while we continue this journey of loss and healing, please know I'm going to survive it....it's going to take a very long time. Thank you for being here with me during this time. It means a lot. I could not make it without the hope Jesus gives us for eternal life with Him. We have a little angel waiting there for us....

Thank you

2008-10-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your messages full of love, prayers, sympathy and hope. This has been the most painful time our family has ever gone through, and we will be going through it for a very long time yet.

It still seems like an impossible bad dream we wish to wake up from. How can our little angel of 1 year old no longer be here? How can we see her little hand prints on the glass, find her toy under the couch and find water still in her sippy cup....but she is no longer here? How can we still be here trying to go on without her and she is resting in the cemetery heavily laden with flowers and tokens of love, only a mile away? How could this even happen, and why?

Our hearts are broken, our laps are empty, and we did not know our bodies could continue producing steady streams of tears for over 40 days.

Once in a while on a sunny afternoon, we feel maybe we will be able to go on...forge ahead in our lives and feel like living again...then it hits us all over again.

I know God is with us. I know He loves us. I know He feels our pain and offers His comfort. I could not manage without Him...none of us could. We still hurt....we still deeply miss our Poppy Jo....we still feel overwhelmed with confusion on how this could happen. There is no explanation. No answers.

Somehow we must go on, even if we don't feel like it. We really have no choice.

One thing I know....heaven seems so much more wonderful now, and as for this grandma, I cannot wait until my time comes to go be with the Lord, live with Him and see our little angel again. Until then.......I wait.

In Memory of Poppy Josephine Hart

2008-09-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

It is with the heaviest of hearts, I bring the news to you that our most precious baby granddaughter, Poppy Josphine Hart, has gone to be with the Lord, at only 13 months old, after a fatal accident on Saturday September 13. I beg for your prayers...around the world...whoever reads this. My daughter, Poppy's mother, is suffering like nothing I've ever seen, and she and Poppy's dad and family need so much prayer. I ask that if you have ever lost a child, PLEASE email some encouraging words of hope that I can print off and give to my daughter. She feels she cannot ever live again.

I know there are others that have suffered in this way too, and in time have been able to move on in some sort of way. Thank you for sharing our burden.

God bless you,

Janice

Patio Sign I

2008-09-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

This summer we had fun purchasing some signs for our patio. Here is the first one I'm sharing, which is sure to bring a smile (or complaint) to those who read it! :o)

Today's harvest

2008-08-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

My dh has been gathering fruit along the back roads lately. You know how you often see old fruit trees, limbs heavy with fruit and the goods all over the ground just going to waste and no homes around? Well, he's been picking a few up here and there to feed the deer on the property. Today he brought home some juicy red apples and some plums of some kind that are a bit firm yet. Yes, the ones on top of the pile are fused together (lol). I may just all keep all of these for us. :o) The green ones (he has brought home other days) can go for the deer. Speaking of....tomorrow I will share a photo from our trail cam and you can see who's been enjoying those sour apples!

These are some tomatoes I picked from our garden this afternoon. Of course the yellow ones are pear tomatoes, but the red ones are a new kind of cherry tomato we tried this year, called Juliet. They are long and almost remind me of a roma in size, but they are kind of like an apple on the bottom with little points you can stand them up on. :o) Haven't tried one yet....we'll eat them with our dinner tonight.

Update on the blue glass wasp trap. After all this time, I'm finally catching some. I changed the sugar water (again) in it the other day, and I bet after two hours, I had at least 10 wasps in there. I guess they just weren't ready to be curious until now. I do wonder if the cooler weather has something to do with it. That's the only thing different.

Yes....ahhhhh....yes....cooler weather. I can't tell you how good it feels. We even had a little bit of rain yesterday. There is no fragrance in all the world like a good rain after a long long dry spell.

I have a part time job, which I am really enjoying. I'm an office assistant for our church. When the secretary takes leave, I cover for her also. It's nice to have a job I love and be able to help our family out with bringing in a little money too.

Painted sky

2008-08-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

The sunsets of late have been more than amazing...painted with every shade of coral, orange, pink, and purple on The Painter's palette. This photo is taken from our back field behind the house night before last. I find myself looking forward to sunset time each evening to see what treat God has in store for our eyes and minds.

Twisted Kitty

2008-08-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

If you have a cat, I'm sure yours has been caught in some interesting positions at times, too. This is our cat, Circle, relaxing on the garden bench during a recent hot day. She slept like this for a long time. If we humans were to ever get twisted up this way, well, I think it would mean something had snapped!

Sweet Surprise

2008-08-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Recently a delivery van pulled up in the driveway and brought this beautiful bouquet of flowers to our door. I was so surprised when reading the card, to find out it was from one of my online friends who lives in England! She had located a nursery in our area and ordered the flowers for me...to say she appreciated our friendship. Ahhhh, isn't that sweet?! I just had to share this surprise with you.

Today's Simple Pleasures

2008-07-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

~Simple Pleasures~

*Birds chirping outside my window
*A little cool mist brought in by coastal marine air

*A craft studio/office to call my own
*Small strides made in getting organized
*A cold glass of iced tea

Waiting

2008-07-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

Last summer I bought one of the yellow plastic yellowjacket traps, baited it and watched it fill up with victims (sorry...giggle). This year I rebaited, hung it out and even bought another one similar to hang nearby the first one. The second one was supposed to also trap wasps, which we have more of this year. No customers in either, yet I see the critters flying all around. So I decided with those not working, I finally had my excuse to buy one of the beautiful glass ones I've always wanted. They are so much more pretty hanging on the porch. I put sugar water in it (afterall, they love the sugar water in the hummingbird feeders), but STILL no customers! I think I am being outsmarted this year, by these flying, stinging critters! Hmmmmmmm......

Summer Sip & Supper

2008-07-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

I bought some bing cherries today at the grocery store.
After making a jar of lemonade (in an antique milk bottle), I dropped a few cherries in to make cherry lemonade. I made a little slice or two on each cherry to help the juices come out.

In the fridge to chill and blend.

Into a glass with a slight pink tint and cherry flavor. Yum!

On the grill: chicken breasts, sliced zucchini and yellow summer squash (smothered in garlic butter), and corn on the cob wrapped in foil.

Ready to eat! Complimenting food off the grill is garlic bread and baked beans. Yum again!

Little Bits of July

2008-07-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

A pair of Goldfinch in the driveway.
A female Rufous hummingbird at the feeder.

"Moose", our huge bullfrog in the pond. The photo simply does not justify his size. It would take about three hands to hold him!

My ducks. Wild mallards, raised by a local lady who runs a rescue for various fowl.
My dh named them 'Huey, Louie, Dewey and Donald'. I feed them at the pond every evening, but this day they got a bit anxious and came up to the yard!

Blue dragonfly at the pond.

A view of our little vegetable garden. We put things close together due to space. It's fun watering, weeding and checking on things each day. Tomatoes are green and growing and I've already picked one green bean! :o)

Singing in the shower!

2008-07-11T19:47:00.001-07:00

This evening I gave my palm plant a nice cool shower. It's so hot and dry lately and it looked like it needed a 'pick-me-up'. I set it in the bathtub, trimmed off dead leaves, watered it until it overflowed out of the pot tray, then gave it a fine mist shower for a couple of minutes. I'm just sure I could hear it singing. :o) Don't forget to give your houseplants some extra TLC during the summer months.

Red in my garden

2008-06-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

Red

Bold, Beautiful
Confident, Unchanging
Warm, Deep, Full
Respectful

The top photo is a red rhododendron growing in our rock garden (we purchased in 1998 from our youngest daughter when she was in high school and selling them through her vo-ag class), the middle photo is my red blaze rambling rose (a start from my mother's bush that is finally taking off and rather showy this year!), and the last photo is a day lily that was given to me by my 90 year old friend a year ago (whom I used to be a caregiver for). Beautiful red, beautiful thoughts of beautiful people.

Homemade Laundry Soap

2008-06-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

One of the things I got accomplished today was making homemade laundry soap. My friend Jeannie, from Pine Cottage blog, recently posted a recipe for making it. The only problem I had, is that I am now unable to find washing soda in the stores like I used to. After doing a little research on the internet, I found it the opinion of more than one author, that baking soda is actually more healthy and gentle than washing soda in use for laundry. That's good for me, since I can't find it. Here is the small batch recipe and below it are the adjustments I made to work for our water:

1 cup grated bar soap (I used Ivory)

1/2 cup borax

1/2 cup washing soda (I used baking soda)

Mix well and store. Use 2 TBSP per load (or as needed for dirtier laundry)

Adjustments I made:

I found with using cold water for some of my washing, the grated soap did not completely dissolve. I experimented today, putting the powdered detergent I had made, in a pan on the stove with just enough water to cook it down and melt down the grated soap. It made a nice thick product about the consistency of mashed potatoes. After it cooled, I stirred it well and put into jars, labeled and stored. It has such a fresh clean smell! Note: Cook it on low, as high heat produces massive suds which overflow quickly! (lol).

Thank you for getting me going on this, Jeannie! You are a real inspiration!

Vintage Potholders - Clothing Style

2008-05-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a some vintage crocheted potholders I have.

The top one belonged to my great aunt. I love all the detail on it..the white ruffles around the edges, green sash and flower. What a work of art!

The next one is a two-piece set, top and pants. I found this one at a thrift store a couple of years ago. Such tiny little stitches!

Last is showing both sides of a dress. One side is green, turn it over and pink is on the other side. Look at all those panels outlined in black! This belonged to my great aunt, also.

I really enjoy looking at these, but I sure can't imagine using them. Do you think the women who made these actually used them or just enjoyed the creativity of making and displaying them, or possibly giving them as gifts?

Do you have vinatage potholders to share?