Such a sad day!

My dad has loved cats all of his life.He grew up on a farm and I have photos of him as a little boy of four, holding a kitten in his arms. 

My dad is a tough guy with a soft heart. Every time I hear Toby Keith's song, "Made in America", I think of my Dad.
He can fix anything and really does! He can be found daily in his garage fixing something for someone or creating a new gizmo for some gadget. He restores antique trucks and tractors, many times fabricating the parts himself. I have realized that I get much of my creativity from him.
Years ago, he adopted two stray cats that have become his buddies. They sleep in his garage and he made them a bed next to his woodstove, so they can be warm in the winter. They greet him when he has been gone and bring him little "gifts" that we won't talk about here.... ewww!

They were feral cats and for the most part my dad is the only one that can handle them. He named one Baby and one Rusty.
Rusty has been sick for awhile and has been losing weight. The vet said he had cancer. Today he took a severe turn for the worse and was suffering incredibly.
My mom and dad wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the emergency vet. My mother told me that my dad held Rusty until he was gone and suffering no longer. It broke my heart to picture this. When I talked to my dad, he said he was worried about how Baby would do without Rusty. Such a sad day!
Most days I really hate living so far away from my family, but especially on days like this. (They live in NY and I live in Iowa.)
Rusty lived for 14 years and for many of those years, had a good life being loved by my dad. I'm glad that memories can live in our hearts forever!

My Short Summer

I can't believe that my busy summer is over and that my last blog post was in June. I spent a lot of time taking care of my family, my church family, house-guests, helping my daughter with her wedding plans and taking a two-week trip to upstate NY to visit our extended families.
I finally feel like my life is settling back down into some semblance of normalcy (whatever that might be). My kids are back to school (middle school and college) and my days are a little bit more of my own. I am still unpacking purchases from my trip. I went to some awesome estate sales, a mega church sale (so many treasures, my hands were shaking~ trying to see it all before everyone else and running back to my car to unload and run back for more.) and did some fun shopping with my sisters. I found a beautiful shabby chic style set of Ralph Lauren sheets that I needed for a really awesome price at a Marshalls. So luxurious!
I came home to 10 foot tall sunflowers blooming in my yard. They were tipping over and my husband did not find that tipping over look attractive. He was doing some yard work and informed me he was going to cut them down. I ran out with my scissors to cut as many blooms as I could. ( I know, "don't run with scissors!") They stayed gorgeous in my antique ironstone pitcher for more than a week, dropping thick yellow pollen on anything that anyone set near them...including my husband's I PHONE (serves him right for chopping down my sunflowers LOL)
As they were getting past their prime, I wanted to photograph them because I think they are so beautiful this way. They look very "Monet" to me! 

I had a quiet morning today. I made my famous banana bread and some Adzuki bean chili for my crock pot. I decided that I would just stay home today and not even run to the grocery store. But when my new friend called to invite me to an auction I happily ran out with her. There were some treasures to be had amidst the raindrops but so many people were bidding wildly high on everything. I came home with nothing but my girlfriend found an adorable old radio that she wants to use in a vignette in her new home. Better luck next time to me! Still, it was fun except my leather Fossil purse was getting wet and so was I.
I hope your summer was wonderful and if it wasn't, I pray that you can find some peace and harmony in your heart and home this fall.

Hugs and Tweets!

The Language of Flowers

The other day I stopped at my local farmer's market. It was almost closing time and I nearly didn't stop. I figured everything good was already gone. I bought some snow peas and a bundle of fresh dill and fresh thyme. Chicken salad was sounding delicious to me. My last stop was at an older lady's table. I have bought a few items from her over the years and she always likes to talk to me. She loves to grow flowers. Over the years she has sold little bouquets to many different people. For several years, there was an older gentleman who would stop and buy her fresh bouquets to take his bed-ridden wife in the nursing home. The day I stopped she had only one bouquet left. I didn't really "need" the flowers and I was in a hurry. My husband was waiting for me to bring home the car so he could leave for an appointment. She chatted on about her failing health and an upcoming surgery. I lamented the demise of the lavender in my yard. She complained about how the rain got her peonies. She looked frailer than the last time I saw her. I decided to buy her bouquet for $3. Her hands shook as she wrapped the stems in a grocery bag and nearly gave me too much change. She instructed me about their care and we smiled and said goodbye. I came home and trimmed the stems and found an antique blue mason jar to put the bouquet in. I wrapped some jute twine about the neck and stuck an antique clothes pin in the twine....just because. I was amazed at how beautiful they looked in the proper setting. Before that, they were pretty but I did not see how stunning they were until I took the time and arranged them to my liking. My heart was warmed when I thought of this sweet older widow who made a few dollars each week at the farm market. The gardening gives her a purpose and keeps her arthritic joints from getting stiffer. I was so glad I took the time to listen to her and purchase her little bouquet. She is so sweet. Even as I am writing this, I realized why she touched my heart so much. She reminded me a bit of my beloved grandmother who has been gone six years. My gram loved flowers and vegetables and she was the best pie baker ever! She never used a recipe!

Take the time when you can to stop an encourage someone who needs you. Smiles and time are free. You will find yourself blessed in ways you don't expect. 

Make us worthy Lord to serve our fellow men throughout the world,

who live and die in poverty and hunger.

Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread

and by our understanding love give peace and joy.

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace.

That where there is hatred I may bring love,

That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness,

That where there is discord, I may bring harmony,

That where there is error I may bring truth,

That where there is doubt I may bring faith,

That where there is despair I may bring hope,

That where there are shadows I may bring light,

That where there is sadness I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted,

To understand than to be understood,

To love than to be loved.

For it is by forgetting self that one finds.

It is by forgiving that one is forgiven,

it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

Amen. ~retold by Mother Theresa

Banana Bread

Sitting on my counter were six overly ripe bananas. Banana Bread sounded so yummy and I knew of some boys in my house that would appreciate it! The problem is, I have never found a recipe that I loved! Over the years, I have tried many recipes....some were too dry, some didn't rise, some were heavy etc. Recently, I had found a vintage church cookbook at a thrift store. There were several different recipes for banana bread. I scanned the recipes and ingredients and thought I would give this one a try.  Jamaican Hilton Banana Bread.

This is the result!

The absolute best banana bread I have ever made. So moist, just the right amount of sweetness, dense yet light and fluffy at the same time. I didn't know about the extract flavorings but I used all of them and it just flavored the bread just perfectly. This is the perfect bread with a cup of hot black tea or coffee. My son has been eating this for breakfast!

Don't you love vintage loaf pans? I found this beautiful photo on Pinterest. They don't make them like this anymore. They remind me of vintage feed grain sacks.

If you try this banana bread recipe let me know if you love it! I hope you do! It will now be the only banana bread recipe that I use!

Maple Granola Recipe

I have always loved homemade granola. When I found this recipe in my Country Living magazine, I thought I would give it a try. I used chopped pecans in place of the other nuts and seeds because it was more readily available to me. I also did not use the corn syrup. The maple syrup alone is sweet enough. I bought my maple syrup in a large bottle from Sam's Club as well as my pecans. I bought the rolled oats from Wal Mart. You can add whatever fruit or nuts you like and serve with milk or yogurt. I like golden raisins. The maple syrup gives this such a buttery rich flavor.

 

U.S.

Metric

• 4 cup(s) rolled oats
• 2 1/2 ounce(s) (about 1/2 cup) dried apricots, chopped
• 2 1/2 ounce(s) (1/2 cup) dried cranberries
• 3 ounce(s) (3/4 cup) almonds, chopped
• 3 ounce(s) (3/4 cup) walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/2 ounce(s) (6 tablespoons) raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 ounce(s) (3 tablespoons) raw unhulled sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup(s) vegetable oil, plus more for pans
• 3/4 cup(s) pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup(s) light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• Yogurt, for serving

---

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, add first 7 ingredients and toss until combined.
2. In a small bowl, whisk remaining ingredients, except yogurt. Pour over dry ingredients and mix. Spread granola in 2 oiled baking pans. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes, turning granola every 10 minutes. Cool in pans. Break up granola. (Granola can be stored, in an airtight container, for up to 3 weeks.) Serve with yogurt and syrup.

Read more: Maple Granola with Fruit and Nuts Recipe - Country Living

Celebrate!

Tomorrow is a very special day! It is when we celebrate our Savior rising from the grave! There is so much to celebrate. I love that we observe this holy day when spring is just bursting with newness and beauty! It's so easy to praise Him when our hearts are so full of thankfulness to see spring return again in all of it's splendor.

I love this statement by author Max Lucado!

"Why do we do it?  Endure the airports, cram the trunks of our cars and SUV’s?  You know the answer.  We love to be with the ones we love!
It’s the four-year-old running up the sidewalk into the arms of grandpa.  The cup of coffee with mom before the rest of the house awakes.  That moment when, for a moment, everyone is quiet as we hold hands around the table and thank God for family and friends and pumpkin pie!
We love to be with the ones we love.
May I remind you?  So does God.  He loves to be with the ones He loves.  How else do you explain what He did?  Between him and us there was a distance—a great span.  And he couldn’t bear it.  So he did something about it.

He gave up his place—and made himself—nothing!  He did it for you and me."

Speaking of children. Here is a book from 1939 that I love and that I loved sharing with my children.

 It is the sweet story of a mother bunny who has 21 well-behaved children. They each have a special job to do in their family. Mother bunny gets chosen to be an official Easter Bunny who has to deliver baskets to children everywhere. Not only is she fast, she is also wise. 

This charming and sweet story is beautifully illustrated and tells a tale of hard work and determination and self-sacrifice. 

Mother Bunny has a very special job and a difficult job to do. She has to deliver a very beautiful egg to a sick baby. If you have never read this story, please do.

I hope you have a lovely day with your family. My family will be a bit scattered this year but in our hearts we will be together. Whenever I see sweet little baby animals, I think of my dear Grandmother, who always loved me to send her Easter cards with adorable baby bunnies on them. 

I hope you have a sweet day and that your heart reaches up to thank Jesus for what He did JUST FOR YOU!

Sweet Little Nest

Every spring I have little birds who race to see who can build a nest in my silk flowers that hang on the outside doors of my home. Little sparrows were last year's tenants. The other day, I was alerted to the fact that birds were acting like kamikaze fighters at my front door. People were being dived at while ringing the door bell. I went out to see what all the commotion was. I didn't think that the birds would be busy already...it was so early. I peered in among the flowers and this is what I found!