Some Pictures For Your Enjoyment

No, nothing to eat yet from the garden.  It's still a bit early.  But here are some more recent photos of the garden for you to enjoy!

Okay, not the garden.  But my African violet just keeps blooming...it's so pretty!

The cucumbers are really taking off!

My corn.  I planted four, and a squirrel dug up one.  Now there are three and a sprout.

Two pumpkin plants.  I can almost smell the pie...

One of the pepper plants.

My parsley from the Farmer's Market.  I used some in my lasagna tonight.  Yum!

My patio plants--from top left, clockwise: mosquito plant, red maple from Greenfield Village, miniature rose from my co-worker on Secretary's Day, mosquito plant, and parsley.

 A side note--I took a stem from one of my mosquito plants to see if I could get it to grow.  I tried soaking it in water for a few weeks to see if it would sprout roots, like some other plants do.  It didn't, but the stem is still very much alive and healthy, so I'm going to plant it in a pot and see if I can get it to grow like that.  I'll let you know what happens!

There has been quite a lot going on in our lives here lately.  I don't feel like going into the details, but the past few weeks have been emotionally and physically trying.  Sometimes I wonder why life can't be all sunshine and daisies and chocolate, but really, life hasn't been that way for anyone since Eden.  We have to take the good with the bad, and find a way to cope with whatever comes.  For me, coping comes from the faith I have in God's control over our lives.  In John 16:33, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, telling them that He would not always be with them in the way that they have always known, and their lives were going to change dramatically: "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  Whoa.  That's quite a statement.  Not too many people can say that they have "overcome the world" and actually mean it.  But Jesus did, and wasn't lying--He did something that no one else could or will be able to ever do!  He conquered death.  He won the battle, and the enemy could not change that outcome, no matter how much he tried to (and oh yes, he tried hard over the centuries).   I have heard people say that there are only two constants in life: death and taxes.  And guess what?  No one can escape from either of those.  Many have tried, especially the taxes (Willie Nelson is the first that comes to mind), but ultimately, no one succeeded.  There is nothing to fear with death when you have faith in Christ.  Yes, your body still dies.  You have to say goodbye.  But you will live again with the One who created you, and among loved ones who also believed.  That's how I want to spend eternity.  And we will pay our taxes faithfully each year until then. 

Easter Fun

Not a whole lot going on right now.  I am sick with yet another cold.  Third one since Christmas.  It's getting old.  We had my husband's parents over last weekend for a visit, so I decided to be creative.  We were planning to grill shish kebabs, and I wanted to make some deviled eggs.  I saw this idea originally on Pinterest, so I decided that this would be a great time to make them.

I started out with six eggs.  I bring them to a boil, then cover the pan, turn off the heat, and leave them sit for twelve minutes.  Perfect boiled eggs every time.  (After they are done sitting in the hot water, I take them out and put them in the ice water to stop the cooking process.)  While waiting for the eggs to boil, I gathered my other items: Miracle Whip, McCormick food coloring, paprika, cider vinegar, and a bowl of ice water for the boiled eggs.

After the eggs are done, cut them in half and pop out the yolks.  I didn't match the bowl and the egg yolks.  That was just a neat coincidence.

I filled 12 oz tumblers with about 8 oz of water, added two teaspoons of vinegar to each glass, and dropped in the food coloring.  I think I started with three drops in each glass, then added three more.  I should mention that I don't think I've colored eggs since I was young...I know it's been since before I went to college.  So this was actually a learning experience.  Or, at least, relearning.  On a neat side note, if you put the egg whites in the water while the food coloring is swirled, you will get a sort of tye-dye effect.

So, I started out with the primary colors.  I dropped the eggs in and stirred to mix the water and food coloring.  I let the eggs soak for about five minutes each, then I placed them on a paper towel covering a plate to dry and absorb the extra coloring.

Then, I added food coloring to the existing colors to make secondary colors: orange, green and purple.

I let them sit and dry for another five minutes.  Don't let the different colored eggs touch--they will absorb the colors of the other eggs.

As the eggs dried, they darkened in color.  They continued to get brighter and more vibrant the longer they sat.  While they were drying, I mixed the Miracle Whip in with the egg whites (1/2 cup).  I spooned the mixture evenly into the egg whites, then sprinkled them with paprika.  Then I placed them on the serving plate, and voila!  A fun and tasty treat.  This would be something that you could make with kids--I'm sure they would like it.

On a side note, should you get any food coloring on your countertop like I did, there is a simple way of getting the dye off without permanently staining your surface: sprinkle baking soda over the stain, grab a small brush, wet it down, and start gently rubbing the stained area.  The color will immediately absorb into the baking soda, and come right off of your counter.  Pretty cool!

This weekend is Easter, or in some churches, Resurrection Sunday.  It is, of course, a celebration of Jesus' victory over death and the opportunity for us to be forgiven of our sins forever if we only accept Christ into our hearts and lives.  Once we do that, we are His forever.  As Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  If you haven't asked Christ into your life, now would be a great time!  You never know when tomorrow won't come.

I love how the jet streams in the pre-dawn sky created a perfect cross above the church.