~~Front Porch Cup of Tea With Thee ~~

Our wonderful cool serene mornings & crisp summer eves, bring us to many breakfasts & special moments to this warm spot on our front porch. It is so peaceful to just enjoy the birds flitting about singing merrily or splashing around in the bird bath, & being surrounded by our array of flowers. Sometimes I just sit & chat with God ... Other days I can hear our neighbor boy, who has a serious medical condition, singing praises to God on his back deck ...

Our flowers are coming along but oh! how the massive amounts of rain fall & lack of sunshine hindered the usual growth ... they are snapping out of the 'funk' now. The yards were like walking on sponges for about 2 1/2 mns. which is very unusual for our region during that period of time.

Another gal blogger on facebook shared her 'test' ... I had to take it for giggles & grins ... found it so accurate ... here are my results.

"What Decade Fits Your Personality Best?" with the result 1950's.

You are a very wholesome person dedicated to your morals, values, and reputation. You have strong convictions and stand by them. More than likely, you have conservative political beliefs and ideologies. Building solid family and friend relationships is important to you. You like traditional roles of men and women and find it your natural tendency to fall into those roles. You enjoy the latest music, movies, and other recreational fun with your friends and family alike. Although conservative in nature, you also like to be up on the latest and greatest. You are a classic American, who is hard-working and a quality friend to have...

~~ WE ARE DONE (Civil War Office & History)~~

IF I EVER!!! see another spindle to hand paint ... 18 of those little stinkers. THEN the light bulb went off ... SPRAY PAINT! I couldn't get to the paint store fast enough. Well, okay, so the upper terrace has a light white mist all over it ... it'll wear off eventually. That is one rough job, those spindles!

By the time I started painting the office walls, as you can see, I looked terrible & was whipped. This basement project was grueling & huge. The feedsack area is all neat & reorganized, the children's play area they love ... now to sort out the genealogy paperwork area, maybe this winter .....

The bar area is painted a Civil War grey (the surrounding walls are all white & the carpeting is serpentine blue (I am a Yankee)) where we have with honor placed Harold's gr-g'pas cane that he carried during the Civil War; it is dead center. G'pa Green was the minister serving General Lee at the surrender at Appomatox. The cane to the left is my G'pa Bob's, the cane to the right is our Joshua's that he played with as a little fella.

Then we enter Harold's office. We had a great time rearranging all his furniture, Civil War art & collections; we still have more to place. He is happy with the new setting, it is fresh & updated & masculine. This is HIS comfortable room.

The last photo is of Harold's gr-g'pa Rev. John Ransom Green who fought in the Civil War, with his wife Ophelia Catherine Murdock Green. This is one of our pride & joys.

Rev. Green served in the Civil War at around age 22, so despite his photo looking old, he was much younger than appeared. He was wounded & captured at Gettysburg ... then exchanged in Aug. 1863 at Richmond, VA. After the Civil War he returned to Dirt Town, GA, before moving on to Ft. Smith, AK. & later to TX. Eventually he took his family to OK where they settled. He served in a pretty bloody part of the Civil War.

According to history, the apple tree that the troops stood under during the surrender to the north was literally picked down to mere tooth picks of wood. We are not sure, nor will ever know tho tales say it is, if this cane that gr-g'pa Green carried in the Civil War is truly a part of the tree or not, that he stood under ... but this cane is a beautifully hand worked piece of wood that we treasure. (May he rest in peace & know he fought valiantly for the cause).

~~ Barney, Doctor & Jesus ~~

A little girl goes to the Doctors. The Dr. tries to make her feel comfortable. He asks if he may look in her ear for Barney, as he looks she replies Barney isn't there.

So the Dr. asks if he may look for Barney in her throat, as he looks she states clearly that Barney isn't there.

The Dr. then tells her he is going to listen for Barney in her lungs, as he listens she firmly tells the Dr. he is not there.

The Dr. chuckles quietly. Then he asks her if he can listen to see if Barney is in her heart ... she replies, 'Dr. ... Barney is on my underpants, Jesus is in my heart'.

~~ He Was Patient ..... ~~

I questioned 'WHY?!', He continued to listen. I turned a deaf ear, He spoke softly. I struggled & floundered, He continued to hold me up. I closed my eyes, He touched my heart. I looked for answers, He was patient. I begged for strength to endure, He gave me love.

~~ Food For Thought ~~

Have a beautiful weekend ~ Marydon

Bumper sticker of the year:
'If you can read this, thank a teacher -and, since it's in English, thank a soldier'



Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed outside?


Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?


Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over? AMEN, AMEN !!

~ My Guiding Lights , Happy Father's Day ~

I honor my God, & Father, for His love. Father’s Day is truly His day for which I offer my everlasting gratitude daily. Without Him, we mere souls are nothing.

My precious DH I am so blessed to have in my life ~

He lies on the floor with me when I am too sick to climb the stairs to go to bed & soothes me when I am violently ill. I treasure those morning kisses before breakfast & his gentle loving caresses each night. How he holds my hand for no reason, I appreciate the gesture. When he drives me ump-teen hundreds of miles for a purchase or sits in the car patiently while I shop. His providing for me & our family & friends, without question ... his generosity for my family members. He supports me in my religion & beliefs. His allowing me to give & do for others, without question. The love he gives me, no matter what I say or do.

My strength holds up with his very selfless, caring love. He has afforded me all our lives together to have the freedom to be me, & I in return to him. He works beside me without question on any project to ease my load, & I with him. He has a kind heart & gentle sweet soul that is always there, in that I know I am safe. He holds me up through the most devastating times in life & shares my joys. He is a God loving deeply religious good hearted man. I love you so much, I thank you. You are the love of my human life. Our children are very lucky to have you as a parent.

For this I thank my good Lord daily to have been so blessed in our lives … together, with Him as our focus, spirit, counselor & friend to keep us on a strong path in His guiding light. For His patience & continued strength to constantly carry our loads, share His love, & bless us each & every moment of our lives.

(In memory also of DH's blessed father, Harvey, may he rest in peace ... the kindest sweet fil anyone could ask for)

May you each have a wonderful Father's Day filled with happiness & joy & love.

~God's Special Touch, Piece of Americana~

...Old Barns...


A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway.
I told him right off he was crazy.
He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car,
his hands, and the way he talked.
He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn
sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale.
I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.

Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's
been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind.
The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all
the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray.
Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired.
Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.

That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there,
gazing at that old barn.
The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls
of his den in a new country home he's building down the road.
He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful.

Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and
scorching sun, only that can produce beautiful barn wood.
It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I.
Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us.
Sure we turn silver gray too, and lean a bit more than
we did when we were young and full of sap.

But the Good Lord knows what He's doing.
And as the years pass He's busy using the hard weather of our lives,
the dry spells and the stormy seasons to do a job of beautifying
our souls that nothing else can produce.
And to think how often folks holler because they want life easy!

They took the old barn down today and hauled it away
to beautify a rich man's house.

And I reckon someday you and I will be hauled off
to Heaven to take on whatever chores the Good Lord
has for us on the Great Sky Ranch.
And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons
we've been through here,

And just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.
May there be peace within you today.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be..
And I do sincerely thank God for my wonderful friends and family,
who care about me even though I show signs of weathering!
(TY Micki for sharing this)

~~AWESOME POST, A MUST~~

Awesome Post, go visit
http://oldcentennialfarmhouse.blogspot.com

~~ Message of Powerful Words ~~

I ask you to follow thru to the end ... the words are powerful & the presentation is awesome.
~ TY ~ TTFN ~Marydon

Message contains attachments
http://192.220.122.46/harold/askthegeese.pps

~~ Strawberry Pizza Dessert ~~

Strawberry Pizza

1 roll dough of sugar cookies
1 c. powdered sugar
1 - 8oz cream cheese
1 8oz cool whip
2# fresh strawberries

Spread dough on pizza pan & cook 10 minutes, then cool. Mix cream cheese & powdered sugar
& spread over cooled baked cookie crust. Add sliced strawberries & top with dollops of cool whip. Drizzle w/melted sweet chocolate. YUMMM!

~~ Out of the Mouth of Babes ~~

My precious Ansel came over, at the dinner we were at a restaurant for DHs bday/Father's Day combined ... Ansel is soooo affectionate & told me he loved me. I said, "Ansel, you melt my heart, you are my very special boy'. Ansel looked me square in the eye & said 'but Mimi, you don't have a heart'. I was startled & asked, 'why doesn't Mimi have a heart, Ansel?' Ansel so seriously sweet replied 'because you have a pacemaker Mimi'. Ohhhh, be still my heart ... out of the mouth of babes!! Now you know why my heart melts ..... these little ones are so precious & so sweet. I know you've all had your moments, I had to share mine.
(Tatiana & James-Gabriel to my left)

~~ LINENS/FABRICS ~ CARS ~ POISON IVY ~~

These are helpful hints ~

STAINED LINENS ~ FORGET Biz & Oxy
IF you want to remove stains/dirties from your old/stained LINENS here is the BEST SOLUTION ~ we sell this in our shop & the customers rave about it. We use it on all our FEEDSACKS & QUILTS. It will take out 99% of your 'issues' & sometimes if you really soak them for days/several times, you will be amazed that even the most difficult stubborn problems remove.
***** Vintage Textile Soak by The Star Spangled Sampler & Co., 1-888-451-1414

CAR INSURANCE ~
Joshua wondered why his friends car INSURANCE was so much less (double) than his/ours. We have been with Allstate for 30 years. I contacted several insurance co. We immediately changed & now save $1,200.00/yr ***(Progressive & Erie offered the same) Double check & hopefully you can save a bundle.

POISON IVY ~
***Ivy-Dry is the best product on the market for immediate relief for itching & healing. Found at the local pharmacy over the counter.

~~ Good Morning Lord ~~

When I say Good Morning, I mean to say ~

G ~ od
O ~ ffers us His
O ~ outstanding
D ~ evotion to

M ~ ake us
O ~ bedient &
R ~ eady for a
N ~ ew day with Him.
I ~ nspire others please, &
N ~ ever forget
G ~ od loves us!

(TY Carola)

~~ "Warshing" Clothes Recipe ~~

A little stroll down 'memory lane' for some, for the rest of you ... look what you missed! Have a great day ... TY Dixie for sharing ................. (this is wonderful - I do not long for the olden days!)

Never thought of a "warsher" in this light before..what a blessing!
"Warshing Clothes Recipe" -- imagine having a recipe for this !
Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe: this is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook - with spelling errors and all.

WARSHING CLOTHES

Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.
Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.
Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
================================================
Paste this over your washer and dryer Next time when you think things are bleak, read it again, kiss that washing machine and dryer, and give thanks.. First thing each morning you should run and hug your washer and dryer.
For you non-southerners - wrench means, rinse ;)

~~ Intriguing Reading, Faith Endures All ~~

A few years ago while visiting OKC we popped into a little shop to browse. The MY FOLKS books were sitting on the counter. I forget which 2 I purchased, brought home & rapidly read ... they have been 'around the block' many times for others to enjoy. These are great books for children to read, as well.

The stories within these pages are actual real life experiences, humor, hardships, joy & daily life events ... some are a few lines, other may be a large paragraph or a couple pages, with the writers name.

Captivating these tales are ... exposing life of yore ... Depression Days, World War II, Civil War, and the One-Room Schoolhouse, Back to the Basics, Came in a Covered Wagon ... & many more.

They show how the faith of man never left them despite what they encountered or endured. Great step back into history & times. Easy & quick reading, they are very enjoyable ...

MY FOLKS can be purchased thru internet searches ... published by Capper Press, Topeka, KS.

I'd love to hear from anyone that reads these books.

~~ The Grace of God ~~

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

~~ I Thank God For My DH, Happy Birthday ~~

This is a milestone for hubby ... today, June 7th, is his birthday ... A ba-zillion years ago + some Harold was born to Naomi & Harvey. (They are in the first photo w/Harold & his maternal g'ma Hepsie at age 2 in OK). These Oklahoma folks moved to WA ST. during the Dust Bowl in 1937. Times were terrible & Pa said 'if he knew then what he knew now, he'd have never sold off the south fork of the ranch'. But west they ventured in their 1931 Model A, with their eldest son propped up amongst blankets in the rear seat. The second pic is of Harold at just under age 1. (Aren't those pictures just precious!)

I am so grateful his parents made that trip ...

I 'thank you' for all the patience, understanding, kindness & loving moments you've given to me throughout our years. You are my mainstay in life ... always there to help me with projects or antiquing ... spending countless hours driving hundreds of miles 'just to find a feedsack' ... without your support, I would be nothing. You are my calming comfort ... always my 'rod' ... very patient & giving.

Your strength holds me up ... every bump, curve & joy in our lives you were always there, without question.

Happy birthday, honey ... I love you more than you will ever know & I do appreciate you & all you give of yourself to me ... forever, my precious love.

~ Precious Memories, Daughter ~

My daughter, Caroline Leighanne ~~

Once upon a time in a far off romantic land (Hawaii) as the sun drenched morn rose, a wonderful blessed event occurred on June 5, 1964. It was an absolute surprise that this little teeny tiny precious life came to birth so early. I cried with deep joy & finality. This soft pink bundle was so delicate & all mine … I wanted to jump up & down & scream to the world … I finally have a daughter, my future best friend forever. A soft wisp of light blonde/brown hair, itsy bitsy fingers, willowy arms & legs, those delicate blue eyes … I couldn’t hold that darling close enough. Cloud 9 doesn’t even begin to describe my inner bursting emotions … it was wonderful, I finally have a daughter.

That first gentle touch, that warm precious first hug, your first tear, when you got that first tooth, how playing patty cake delighted you, peek-a-boo was filled with laughter, when you said 'MaMa', the little ouchie that crushed you, the wobbly first steps, when your shadow scared you ... what a heart filled first year.

I love the first picture of you & your brothers on your first birthday. You in your Buffy outfit on 5th birthday & hair style ... & the 7th birthday with so few teeth in front & your Cher pig tails.

And, then you grew up. Those in between years were filled with precious love, gentle moments together, a bond that was forever. You were a tom-girl with your 2 brothers as a big influence … sports were your fav ... remember when you were bat girl for that men's baseball team ... you were ecstatic. As you blossomed forth into life you became a very strong individual, full of spunk & verve, yet very soft inwardly. Remember when you did modeling? ... then when you were 14 you got the asst. mgr. job at A&W? My pride was front up with your meeting every step & challenge in life, head on. Embedded in each child ‘never say never, you can do anything you want in life, don’t let anything stop you from doing what you wish’, I said over & over.

We were inseparable 900% … such fun we had.

I remember how I would lie on the couch & you would snuggle close to my chest, the eldest son would lie on my upper side & the second son would lie in the space behind my folded legs … we four would cuddle & watch TV. The many days of long story hours, game playing, shopping, looking for bugs, the baking cookies, playing baseball … those little moments are chiseled forever close to my heart & in my soul. The cold snowy winters we sled down the hill, built snowmen & forts … the spring warm days of planting seeds in the garden & your glee with the growth … the hot summer days of swimming pool fun … the autumn raking of leaves as you tossed them with laughter echoing … That first date, the first job, the first love, the first motorcycle ride … oh, how I can still recall those embedded moments capturing your delight …

For the moments of love & friendship that we shared, I am forever grateful. The love that grew is still as strong as from that first moment you entered this earth with a soft sweet cry … I am here! I still linger in memory that first caress, that first burst of love … & hold it dearly to my heart … forever.

May your birthday be blessed, thank you for the loving memories I treasure each day … you are so loved, daughter. Forever in love, Your Mother (& Father)

~~ Oh, Lord, We Tried ~~

I have these pics in reverse of events ... so we rescued a bird in the bird feeder a couple days ago, which I shared with you.

Well, I heard ALL THIS COMMOTION on the second terrace & finally went out to see what on earth was going on ... here was this poor little fella who fell out of his nest. So I am hollaring for DH to come quickly ... my hero dh! He climbed up the ladder, across the boards, up the tree to put the little fella into the nest ... but he fell out. So back on a second attempt which was successful. BUT! a second little fella fell out ... so dh 'hero' again repeated the same rescue mission.

We no longer got done with the rescue mission when we noticed ANOTHER bird stuck in the bird feeder. Now we've had that bird feeder for several years & never a problem but now TWICE in 3 or 4 days ... this little fella was unable to be rescued, which was horrible. The bird feeder is now in the trash. Can't have any more accidents for our little feathered friends.

I can only say heartfelt TYs to dh for being so good about rescuing our precious little friends.

~~ Spreading The Word ~~ Beauty Lies Within

Pop over & visit this wonderful young man's 'mission' of spreading the word.
It is powerful & awesome. TY TTFN ~ Marydon
http://justachristianguy.blogspot.com/

~~ It's Me On That Page ~~ Quilt Magazine

America's #1 Quilting Magazine featured an nice article on me in the 30th Anniversary edition just released. Jim Coen is a wonderful man to work with. TY Harris Publications.