When Push comes to Shove

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So. What's going on,with our housing situation?  I know a lot of you dear folks are wondering, interested and would like to know.

Push is coming to shove and changes are all around us.

Just a few days ago, the farm went under contract. Pretty much - it's been SOLD!   Let the cleanout - begin!!  We're not sure, but we think a small (larger home) housing development is going in. (Don't quote me!)

A short year ago... we had a farm sale here and that was a "sad day".  This is, in a way, almost sadder.  I had no idea there were so many treasures hidden, buried deep within the "guts" of this ole farm.   

Things that belong in an auction house - in my opinion.  :)

But even more - are the memories and stories that if only these walls could talk.

Honestly, this puts us (our family) in position for some immediate changes (at least, in the next couple of months) to begin afresh with our own "new adventures".

Lord Willing, we'll be buying a house... 

A home of our own... where out lives will continue on to tell our own stories.  

This place.  This farm was our home for the past eight years.  Our roots run deep...here.

Intertwined. And, this ripping and pulling away feels hard to bare.  Feels hard to face.   It feels like a birthing.  The pains are great.  
Taking our breath away...

We need lots and lots of prayer... as the days ahead continue. We ask for peace, patience, and God's continued providence... in our lives!!

**You know what else this will mean?  The nature of the photos/my photos, for this blog, are going to change.  And, see!!  Now, I made you sad too!  
I'm so sorry...

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admitting an area of growth - for me

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--Sharing, an excerpt, from The Life Giving Home - by, Sally Clarkson.

"In taking time to build close relationships, we learn that people are more important than things or material possessions.  We come to understand that close relationships, not status or accomplishment or virtual realities, are what bring happiness and meaning to life.   Our lives become what we live and model, and when we invest personally in the lives of others, we will reap personally in terms of friendship and affection.  Even the way we use our time will help others know that building a relationship requires a commitment to time and sacrifice.

There is always a cost to building intimacy with others.   Giving comfort to one who is ill requires time and practical labor (attending to physical needs).  Listening to the feelings of a teen or young adult usually involves lost sleep because the deepest conversations take place at night.  Buying groceries, cooking meals, making cups of tea, providing snacks requires the sacrifice of time and energy.  Keeping house -- picking up those messes one more time -- is a service of worship to God as we craft a place of beauty and comfort for all who enter our sanctuary of His very presence.

Love is indeed a choice, an obedience, a service and a sacrifice, an initiation.  But love is also the most powerful source of joy.  And it is the means through which God would have us extend His hands, His words, His redemption to our world, within the walls of our home."

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Wow!!  I admit.  This is certainly an area I'm continuing to grow in...

Oh, I'm so grateful to have been gifted this book!  Thank you, sweet friend.
You know who you are! :)

Gold Rush Brunch

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How does one rightly get a decent photo of a breakfast dish... when you can hardly tell what is - because the color palate is all the same wash.... you know what I mean?

But, boy!! Is this one ever delish!!!  Hand's down - it is one of my favorite breakfast casseroles...
Guess you'll have to take my word for it until you give it a try!!!   Lip-smacking amazing!!!!

:: Gold Rush Brunch ::

1 lb. ground, browned sausage (cubed ham, is also an option)

2 Tbsp. onion, minced

8 scrambled eggs, cooked

4 cups frozen, shredded hash browns (thawed*)

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. parsley

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

1 3/4 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

 1/4 tsp. salt

Layer meat, onion, eggs, hashbrown, cheese, parsley in a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.  

Melt butter, in saucepan, and add flour; mix well.  Add milk and cook until thickened.  Turn off heat and stir in sour cream.  Pour over layered mixture.   Bake at 400* for 30-40 minutes.   

Serves 15 people.

**HINT: I will put my frozen hash browns into my skillet where I just browned the sausage - to let them thaw, there... while making the next part.  

Then, I'll just mix it all - gently - together and put in pan, adding the cheese sauce part on top!!

I'm telling you - this dish is fabulous!!  

Great for a breakfast-at-dinner idea, as well!!!

"Blessed are those who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing."

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This quote (in the title) spoke to me... and I just had to share!!

** feeling today, a sense of calm in the midst of storm.   thank you for your considerate thoughts and prayers!  I will elaborate, in time, as time goes on...