Finally, A Video To Share

Hello friends. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who've taken the time to share your encouraging and uplifting words with Christopher being off to college. So many of you have sent e-mails of encouragement and I can't even begin to tell you how much it has meant to me. I count myself blessed to have you as friends. It is a harder adjustment than I thought it would be but I've been delighting in his daily phone calls and texts. Technology is truly wonderful! I found joy even in his calls home asking about simple laundry questions. I know he'll always need me, just in different ways.

We raise our children with the hope that they'll learn good values and lessons and be strong enough to live out those values when they're on their own. I know we've given him strong roots and a secure foundation. Now, and in the weeks and years to come, he'll spread his wings and I'll watch him fly with happiness.

Thanks also to those of you who offered up help about uploading this video. It finally worked today so I hope you'll take the time to watch it. Thanks for all your prayers for Christopher and thanks so much for being a friend when I need one.

Blessings~ Birgit

A Bittersweet Time

Well, we're home safe and sound from our trip out to Ohio to bring Christopher to college. I'm trying to adjust to his being gone, but so many things bring back vivid memories of his childhood and recent years. I heard this song for the first time while on our trip and I think I've listened to it at least two dozen times in the span of three days. I can finally listen to it without crying so I decided to put some pictures to it. I've been trying to post it to my blog, but for some reason it won't upload. Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong?? If I can get it loaded, I hope you'll take the time to watch the video and say a prayer for Christopher as he embarks on his new life at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Thanks so much for visiting. Blessings to you~ Birgit

UPDATE: Please know I'm still working on this post.

Garden Grace

Happy Saturday to all my friends. I don't normally post to my blog on a weekend, but the kids are both at work and my hubby is away at the races so I find myself with some quiet time and I thought I'd share some pictures of our garden with you.

It's been keeping me quite busy this year and I'm just loving the growing season we've had so far. So much better than last year's growing season which was mostly rain so it ruined many of our plants in the garden. God is good and has given us plenty of sunshine this summer and I'm so thankful for the harvest.


Baskets and baskets of pretty yellow crook neck squash, zucchini, coosa squash and sweet and crisp cucumbers. I've been giving them away left and right to our neighbor, friends and family.

The Lord has a great sense of humor and delighted us with this siamese twin squash.

I've frozen 24 cups of shredded zucchini for making zucchini breads, muffins and cakes throughout the winter months. I'm also making zucchini chips by placing thinly sliced and lightly salted zucchini in our dehydrator. Mmmmm.... I'll also be freezing some summer squash and zucchini for soups and stews throughout the winter as well. You will never starve if you plant even one zucchini and summer squash plant!


We've got lots of green peppers growing. Some, we've already eaten in garden salads that came completely from our garden. We planted some Kaleidoscope Peppers that I got from work and it's so fun seeing the different colors popping up.

Speaking of "up", that's how the White Diamond peppers grow; upside down!


The green beans have been super prolific this season! I've been able to put up 23 quarts and 4 pints so far as well as freezing 2 pounds. Not to mention what we've cooked and eaten fresh. They're ready for another picking too!

The peas haven't done great. For some reason about half of our seeds didn't come up. I'm thinking it was because it's been dry, even in the early spring when we planted them. We replaced the failed seeds with some snow peas that my friend Lynda had given us so needless to say, we've still been able to freeze some sugar peas as well as some snow peas for this winter.


This is the first year I've ever grown gourds and I'm so excited watching them grow. We planted the Gourd Mix and it's so much fun seeing all the different types that are growing in our garden.

There's even a type of gourd that grows these pretty white flowers which are much different than the typical yellow flower that grows on squash and zucchini and such.



We also planted some Goblin Egg Gourds. I'll have my own supply of gourds to decorate with this fall for minimal cost.

Another new gardening venture we've tried this year, is growing our own cantaloupe melons.

since our growing season here in Maine is very short, I was hesitant to try them. I started the seeds for Fastbreak Melons indoors and transplanted them when the ground and temperatures warmed up. We've got two that are just about ripe and ready to pick and between 10-12 more that are growing bigger and bigger every day!

Of course we've got tomatoes. We planted 18 plants, 6 Better Boy and 12 Roma.

I'm planning on canning our own spaghetti sauce. I used to put up over 24 jars when the kids were younger. I'm hoping for a good yield this year so I can do that again.

Then of course there's all the winter squash and pumpkins.

As you can see, they're escaping through our fence and taking over the lawn. We're growing Small Sugar Pumpkins as well as Batwing Pumpkins (for more fall decorating and freezing) and some Acorn squash and Delicata Squash.


Aside from all these veggies, we are also growing garlic, carrots, beets, rutabagas, radishes, lettuce, onions and potatoes. Hmmm... is there anything I'm missing? Well, I guess I can count all the different types of Marigolds I have planted around the perimeter of the garden.


I have just one question. How can one look at such beauty and not see the love and greatness of The Creator, God?

"For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him." ~ Colossians 1:16

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." ~Genesis 1:29

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." ~Revelation 4:11

Now that I've shared with you all the healthy vegetable choices in our garden, I have a confession to make. Today after some gardening and before my daughter had to go to work, we made these lucious, frosty mocha drinks after trying one of the McDonald's frappe's.

We put some extra strong brewed, cold coffee in a blender with some mocha, java ice cream and a little bit of vanilla and some ice. We blended it on the Ice Drink setting and poured it into our cups. Then we topped it with some whipped topping and drizzled chocolate syrup over that. Oh yeah! Don't count the calories in this recipe, I'm sure it's not worth knowing after you've tasted such a decadent drink. Besides, a girl's gotta treat herself once in a while.
Thanks so much for dropping in. I hope I didn't bore you too much. Have a great weekend! Blessings~ Birgit