31 days :: Front Porch Friendships

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I realize that to Extend Hospitality is by nature not an easy thing to do for everyone.  I've admitted it myself. That is why we're encouraged to practice it. We're called to nurture this calling.  And one of those ways - perhaps the most obvious way - is to grow deep(er) in the relationship one has with their Lord.

I was reading this morning in Mark 12, where one of the teachers of the law heard some of the others debating ... and threw Jesus his own question regarding the commandments.  He wanted to know which commandment was the most important.
 Jesus answered the man by replying, "First, know that the Lord our God is one, and to love Him; the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all mind and with all your strength.  Secondly.  Love your neighbor as you love yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these." (paraphrased, vs.29- 31.)

I don't know about you, but when I read the word - greater - I read the word "harder".
This is hard to do.

 

Let's switch gears here for just a minute. Can we?

So, I have to ask.  Are you a gardener?  By nature, is it easy for you?  Or, does it come hard for you?  You like all the prettiness of a well-tended garden and you dream - like me - to have it be so beautiful.

I read somewhere that the only garden that is truly well-watered comes only by way of sweat and tears.

They take time and energy... very hard work.

How true!  At least, for me.

I know it's now past the end of summer - fall is in it's lovely prime - and the gardening season is pretty much over.  The flower beds are getting cleaned out and prepared for the winter months to come.

I love geraniums. I love keeping them over-winter.

Over the summer, I've had many an opportunity to host guests (both friends and neighbors) out on my front porch.  I love it!!!!!!!  It's the place I choose the most often to sit and visit.

Invest.

Show interest.

Serve.

Rest.

Shed sweat and tears.

Read.

Pray.

I purposely picked up couple of geranium plants - at the end of this summer - just to have something to nurture and tend to over winter so that I might, once again have something to make the front porch look as lovely and as homey as I can.

 

It takes time and energy.  Hard work.

So do relationships.

So does the practice of hospitality.

I encourage you to try.  At least, give it a try.

It gives a beautiful return.

***
Click on the button below to read the previous posts in this series.  Updated Daily.

Mugs & Muffins :: a Giveaway! :: A Pintrest of Mine (guest post by Tracy C.)

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 It's Morning!! 

(said in a sing-songy voice)

Time to wake up, you sleepy heads.  We've got a lot to do today.

And, how are you this fine and fabulous Monday morning?

Hopefully you're ready to hang out with your friends today, because that's what were talking about today Hanging out (the laundry)...with our friends.

Right here on Mugs & Muffins.

To start, lets put our coffee mugs aside and grab a tall glass of refreshing Garden Tea.

And if you don't mind... we've got a plate full of yummy Zucchini Oatmeal (Chocolate Chip) Muffins over there on the proverbial buffet.  Go grab yourself one and sit down to listen in on a plethora of Laundry Love and don't be afraid to share your own thoughts and stories later on, in the comments!

(The recipe for the muffins will be shared at the end of the post!)

****

So, if you're anything like me...you've had a mother who would wash more then several loads of laundry each week and hang it all out, on the line - all year round.  No matter the kind of weather.  I try to, too.

If read last Monday's post, you read my story of how a "new-ish" friend, Tracy, stopped by for a quick chat and brought with her, this gift, for me. 

A Clothes Pin Apron.

Well this friend is a kindred spirit for sure.  She does the same thing, as my mother does, and myself whenever possible!  Come rain or shine, snow and or bitter cold... it's a hanging, on the line!

I was thrilled beyond words that she took the time to lovingly hand sew this Clothes Pin Apron for me.  I know it wasn't her first nor will it be her last.  During our quick visit, the day she stopped by, we had so much to talk about in such a short time and with it, it hit home some common threads that knit our friendship even more.  The funny thing is she thought I lived far, far away and it's not true.  We're practically neighbors.  We have mutual friends.  Lots of them.  And she is just (I don't want to just say just... but, you know what I mean.) another stay-at-home mom who loves the Lord with all she is and it shows by how she lives out her day-to-day.  Even in her hanging out the laundry.

So I ask, is it just another chore for you?  Or is it a love of yours to hang laundry on the line... day in and day out?

***

I asked Tracy to share her heart with us today.  Here she is!  These are Tracy's words...                              

 

Hello, I'm Tracy.  I'm a momma and homemaker, fiercely in love with my husband, moderately agoraphobic, and a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. 

Bevy, thanks for giving me an opportunity to be "behind the scenes here, on your blog."

~ A Pinterest Of Mine ~

One of the many hats we wear as wives and mommas is that of 'Chief Laundress'. In our home, this duty sits at the top of the list, second only to that of meal preparation. It seems that at almost every turn, there is another basket filled with soiled clothing and cloth to be cleaned. Just two generations back, laundering required a full day's work. My mother-in-law recalls clearly the wash house her mother spent most Mondays in. It was a small building that sat behind their home, void of the luxuries found in modern laundry rooms, and in contrast, required significant physical labor to accomplish what we now do by simply dumping our Dirties in a hole and pressing a button.

Contemporary appliances are blessings that must not be passed over. I think of them as my personal servants, robots of sorts, doing my work while I move on to others things. Efficiency at its best! Last Fall my generous husband treated me to a shiny new washer/dryer set. They load in the front and are stacked neatly in the back of our home's mudroom. When the washing machine beeps the 'it's finished!' alarm, I can simply throw the wet things into the dryer sitting op top. Easy peasy. Though thoroughly grateful for the option of an electric dryer, with the exception of wild rain and the reality of illness, I rarely do this.

One step to the left of my laundry 'team' is a door leading to the start of my 'Amish washline'. For as long as I can remember, trips towards Lancaster county had me staring longingly at the beauty that is wash pinned neatly on lines stretched high over the land. I envied what seemed the ease of standing in one spot while pinning, sending the clean clothes up the line as the baskets emptied. Four Septembers back, after years of using a traditional wash line, I gained my own such drying system.

One wheel is attached directly to the house right outside the mudroom door, and the other is hooked to a telephone pole cemented into the ground 100 feet out the back. It is a glorious thing to stand in one spot while stringing up my clean laundry! Standing on patio pavers keeps my feet from the wet or muddy grass. And as a result, I've not been able to clearly define when laundry-line season starts and when it ends because of the 'protection from the elements' the new system has given me. As the temperatures drop in the Fall and Winter, I keep thinking, 'just one more day!', and before I know it, it's April once again. Wash swinging on the line over a snow-covered landscape is a treat for the eyes, for sure!

Hanging laundry out to dry on any type of wash line yields a satisfaction that I have yet to properly define in words. Maybe it's standing out on this beautiful green Earth under the morning skies? Maybe it's knowing you're saving your family an hour's worth of electricity passing by the drying machine? Maybe it's the divine smell of the sun and the breeze that gets infused in your clothing? Or is it the connection to a simpler way of life that pinning gives? Whatever would be your reason, give it a try.

It's good for the soul!

Ahh! Thank YOU Tracy!  Can't you smell it now?  Clean laundry...hanging out in the sun-drying breezes.  It is good for the soul, is it not?  This is not meant to compare one Laundress over another.  We as women- all of us - have our own niche in this.  Nor is it meant to make anyone feel bad if they can't enjoy this sort of opportunity. I know there are some places in this good ole U.S. of A. that you honestly can not hang out your laundry due to zoning issues or say, if you live in certain parts of town or in the city.  Can anyone attest?  I personally cannot imagine that that fact is even fathomable, but it is.  So - I count it as a true blessing that I can hang out our laundry.  Although some days (as much as I do enjoy it!) I find it to be a true challenge.

Maybe if I had me a wheel. from just off my porch to the highest pitch of the barn roof...?  One of these days.  Ha! Ha!
As part of today's comments/conversation... I would love to hear your stories.  Be as long-winded as you'd like.  Seriously.  We all love hanging out with our friends...and I think it would fun to hear any particular laundry tips you might have to share.  If you have a preference as to what kinds of detergents/softeners you like... and why?...maybe you make your own.  If you make your own laundry soap - I would love to see your recipe shared in the comments!  DEAL?
Maybe it is the way you hang it out... which load you always find yourself doing first. What are your quirks?
I recently read for every toy, coin or rock found her in sons pants pockets the mother kept for herself.  She collected those over the years and put them into a clear lamp base/ jar type thingy.  She presented that lamp to her son on his wedding day, as a gift of collected childhood memorabilia.

 I don't know...

Let's use this as an opportunity to encourage each other in our home keeping.  Wherever there is a source of encouragement we love hanging out.  At least I do.  If it's not with each other... it's knowing I'm among women who at least love to hang out their laundry.

Giveaway Time ::

Clothes Pin Apron  - made especially for you, our one winner, by the hands of Tracy herself.  Sporting four deep pockets across the front... perfect for all your pins.  A long tie belt and the apron is adjustable to fit any size.  It couldn't be more perfect.

This giveaway will end this Wednesday evening, at 10:00 pm EST.  Your comment will count as an single entry - share as many thoughts or comments as you would like. I'm trying to encourage chatter. ;)  If you have something you would like to say, but you don't want to be listed in the drawing... just indicate that in your comment.

Tracy does NOT have her own blog or etsy shop... this is something totally new for her.  If you are interested in purchasing one from her (should you not be the chosen winner) or if you have any particular questions, I can get those to her via email.  Just email me and I'll connect you with her.

It will come to you folded up like this.

If you notice, there are even extra clothes pins in there for you to add to your own collection.

Recipe ::

With everyone having a vast amount of Zucchini growing in their gardens... this recipe is sure to please your families.  They're absolutely delicious.  Trust me!  Especially warm, with a spread of butter melting all warm and deep into the muffin.   Total and complete YUMMNESS!!



Zucchini Oatmeal (Chocolate Chip) Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 - 1 cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

4 eggs

1 medium zucchini, finely shredded (about 2 cups)

3/4 cup. vegetable oil

1/2 cup chocolate chips (purely optional)

Grease 12 large muffin pan cups.  Or use cupcake papers.  Preheat oven to 400*.  Mix first 7 ingredients.  In another bowl beat eggs slightly with fork.  Stir in zucchini and oil.  Stir second mixture into first until flour is moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips. (Batter will be lumpy.)  Spoon batter into muffin cups.  Bake 20 minutes or until they test done and are golden.  Yields 12 large or 18 regular size muffins.

***
Thanks for reading today.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas - here in the comments.  If you pay attention you might even hear a few more of my own thoughts sprinkled throughout the comments.  Like I said - I want the proverbial chit-chatter over the picket fences as we're out hanging up our laundry together...neighbor to neighbor.  Friend to friend.

JUST one thing.

Please don't air your dirty laundry.  Keep it clean. :)
~~~***~~~

The winner for the Lilla Rose Giveaway is :  Deb S.

Congratulations! 
(Deb, please email me your correct mailing address.  Thank you.)

And, a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in the lilla rose giveaway.

Wanna take a wild guess, what else it is I've been doing??

...and, the first two guesses don't count.  ;)

 

There actually have been a few other "sewing project ideas" floating around in my head, believe it or not.  And this was one of them.


Yeah!!  I can finally say - it's done!

***

: : We're doing our huge (monthly) grocery shop on Saturday.  Here's hoping that we come across that 50 lb. bag of potatoes for $10. or less.  It's been done before. 

You see, there is this one farm...

TPN giveaway... you're gonna love this one!

~Lifefactory Glass Beverage Bottles~

You've got to check out this great giveaway!! Read all about it, here.   This giveaway is hosted by my friends, Nick and Denise, over at *Truly Pure and Natural*.   They also have the blog - one of my absolute favorites, to read - called *Life in Joyful Chaos*.  Formerally known as "Laughing Burns more calories then Crying". 

If you haven't checked out *Life in Joyful Chaos*, yet...then,  tsk, tsk.  You really DO need to read their heart-warming, downright hilarious, and overwhelmingly inspirational blog on a regular basis. 
(Denise, did not ask me to write all of that.  I'm telling you to do it.)

SO!!!!!!!!!!!  I've been waiting (somewhat patiently) for a giveaway like this one - for a while now.

And.


I'm just trying to spread the good news... you know, share the information...so that you could sign up, too. ;)

 You Know!?!?!?!


But.

Don't be sad if you didn't win... and I did.  ;)  You win some, You lose some.  Actually, I never win anything, but I sure do love to try.  Fingers crossed ... we'll ALL find out who the winner is, on the 14th of June.

 So, hurry up; go leave your comments, for this giveaway, over at TPN.  Tell them you came over from Bevy's blog. ;)

It's time...

...to pick-a-chicken, and I don't mean from out of the barn yard, although that day is coming.  (More on that another time) Stay tuned.  I am talking about my version of trying to be frugal (I wonder if this counts as being "green"?) in the kitchen.  For whatever reason, I decided that this has become my new favorite,  rather " not so", but yes! favorite way to keep cooked chicken on hand.   I say that because it's a gross, and somewhat time-consuming job. And, I shouldn't even say "new way", because I've been doing it this way for a really long time. It's just so good, and so worth it, that I just deal with it.

You know how it is, a recipe always calls for that cup or two of cooked chicken, and you realize you forgot to thaw the chicken out, to even start with, let alone follow through with all the steps to get to cooked chicken.  Well, I don't know how you go about supplying that ingredient, but here's how I do it.  First I start with a few really good sized meaty roasters... that I'll try to find "on sale".  Throw `em into the freezer until I'm ready to "pick-a-chicken".  Other times I'll plan to roast chicken for supper and then of course, what we don't eat, gets picked off and into the freezer it goes.

This bowl, as you can see, is what I use for my roaster pan. It is from Pampered Chef and if this bowl ever decides to "fly to coop" - meaning to break on me, I am a dead duck.  

I Absolutley LOVE this BAKER BOWL & LID.  I hope I didn't just jinx myself, because it is no longer available with Pampered Chef.  But this works great for me because the bird fits perfectly inside.  I just pour a little bit (glug, glug- ahh, maybe another glug) of lemon juice over the chicken and then rather generously sprinkle Lemon Pepper seasoning over it. 

I throw it into the oven at 350* for about 3 hours.  I do not add any other liquid and you can see what kind of broth comes out of it.  The meat will literally fall off the bone.  I do try to let it cool down some, but it's easiest to seperate the meat (what doesn't fall off) from the bones, etc., while the meat is hot (Be Careful, it's HOT!).  I then let it cool down enough to finish handling it, I bag it up (2 cups worth) in freezer bags or containers and I think -depending on the size of the bird- I average about 6-8 cups of meat.  At times, I will even save the broth, as well to save for Chicken Noodle Soup or whatever. This depends on how greasy the chicken was.

There is nothing like going to the freezer for a "quick fix" solution of cooked, chunked/shredded chicken, that is full of homemade flavor to "impress" the taste buds.  NOW.  I also have a couple of go-to recipes that I will use this chicken for.  One is Poppy Seed Chicken or this one, my new favorite, I thought I would share with you, called:

~Chicken Zucchini Casserole~

3 cups stuffing mix ( I used one box of Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing mix

1/4 cup melted butter

3 cups zucchini, diced

1 med. carrot, grated

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups cooked, chunked chicken

1 (10.5oz) can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream. ( I didn't have any sour cream on hand so I melted about 4 oz. of cream cheese - and it worked fabulous)

Mix stuffing together with butter.  Set 1/2 cup aside.  Mix remaining ingredients together and put into a greased 2 quart (I used a 11x7 baking pan) casserole, top with reserved stuffing.  Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.

WOW!!  This was such a hit with us.  And, with the abundance of zucchini this time of year, it's great to come up with a "new" recipe to enjoy. I have to say this.  It was funny.  My brother, Justin, was over for the evening.  He doesn't usually like zucchini and let's just say - he was converted. 

a fresh bouquet of white...

Do you like what you see? I'm starting to, myself. Here's why...

This is the basket that usually sits on our dining room table, and (used to be) filled with my favorite paper napkins (I have this thing for a certain brand/style - they have to be a certain texture and weight. I still love this product). But we ran out of them, and since we do our major grocery shop once a month, I got inspired to come up with something else.

Here was my inspiration. Steph, from over at "Confessions of a Stay at home Mom", presented the idea and challenge to consider ways of going green. I gave it some thought (really quick, because I had to do something, with the lack of paper napkins, for dinner that night) and decided; Why not use REAL, LINEN napkins? Life is too short... to save them for "a rainy day" and "fancy-schmancy meals", down the road, even with little kids, at the table. I'll be honest, I will probably plan to keep a package of my favorite paper napkins for the "emergency picnic" that gets planned - you know... but, I am really liking the linen.

The question could be asked - "What goes for you charming or practical?" For me, I have to ask myself if it is really an effort of "going green" and finding small ways to help save a few bucks here and there? or is it, simply, because it is quite charming and that I just like to see the looks on friends and family's faces when I tell them to "go ahead and help yourself to a cloth napkin from the basket". All around, It's priceless...!

The other plus is that I actually have several others of these type of napkins that if there is a pile waiting to get thrown into the laundry (and bleached) that I have plenty others to keep the basket filled at all times. The ones you see here (rolled up in the basket) are approximately 24"x 24". I just fold it in half once and roll up, then I sorta fold that in half and let it just sit randomly in the basket, then as all eight napkins are placed in there it almost looks like ...

a fresh bouquet of white flowers is in the center of the table.

: : Photo : : These napkins were the best housewarming gift from my real life friend, Amiee. Thanks sista!! We'll see how these do on our dinner (of BBQ ribs) Friday night - You are still planning to come over, right?