Beautiful Sunrise and Foggy Morning

Awake, my glory!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn.  I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.--Psalm 58:8-9

With fall comes all sorts of dramatic weather changes.  The temperatures fluctuate frequently as cold fronts try to bring in the eventual winter chill.  Because of the changing seasons, we've had some wonderful morning sunrises--the kind that make you smile and thank the Lord for His creation.  Allow me to share with you just a few pictures from my back door of an absolutely beautiful sunrise and a very foggy morning!  Just for the record, I did not Photoshop any of these pictures (other than to add the copyright). 

This was a stunning sunrise...it just got brighter and more vibrant as the sun got higher.  I didn't want to stop watching!

 

I love foggy mornings...they just feel so tranquil and peaceful, like I'm the only person in the world.

I couldn't even see our neighbors' houses.  Very thick!

A Fun Ornament Project

Last weekend I was in a crafty mood.  I've actually been working on some of the projects in my craft room, and am happy to say that I'll be crossing three off of the list.  Three off of the list means that there's room for three new projects, right?

So, of course, I started something new.

I went to Michael's in search of wooden laser-cut ornaments and glitter.  I have lots of glitter, but I really love the Recollections brand of glitter that I can only find at Michael's, which is located about forty minutes away (they have some of the most vibrant colors in glitter that I have ever found).  But it was okay, because I was itching to go for a ride.

We had a fun time in the big city, going to Michael's, Bass Pro (for my hubby to regain his manliness after wandering around with me in a craft store), Chick-Fil-A, and Chili's (Chili's has a delicious new margherita flatbread dish, which I recommend, but I don't recommend the pesto ranch sauce that comes with it).  I came home with exactly what I had been looking for: eight laser-cut unfinished wood Christmas ornaments and MORE GLITTER! 

**Just an FYI--you should be able to get the die cut ornaments at most local chain craft stores: JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc. for around $2 each.**

It's a really simple project--just paint on the glue with a paintbrush and apply the colors one at a time.  The different colors of glitter won't stick to each other unless the glue is still wet.  Spray them with clear sealer once they're done, and you have a simple project with a huge WOW factor!  String jute rope or pretty ribbon through the top to create a hanging ornament.

Here's what I have so far:

I used two shades of blue on these trees.

These are going to look GREAT on the Christmas tree in a few months.  It might take me that long to get the rest of the die cuts glittered.  I hope I've inspired you!

Historic Barns of Northwest Ohio

Owning a farm is hard work.  There is always something to be done: animals to tend, crops to fertilize and harvest, buildings to repair, machinery to keep running, stalls to clean, et cetera, but at the end of the day, the farmer probably feels a sense of pride and accomplishment.  I don't speak from experience, sadly, but I hope that someday I will.  Here in Northwest Ohio, there are miles and miles of farmland when you drive in any direction out of town.  I love it.  It's my dream to move out to the rural areas and create a hobby farm.  But for now, we live in a little neighborhood in a small town.  It'll have to do.  However, when I found out that the Historical Museum was offering historic barn tours throughout the county, I was interested.

The Historical Museum had arranged to have six farms open to the public, with tour guides available at each stop to talk about the barns and answer questions.  We set out on the self-guided tour on a gorgeous early-fall day, with bright blue skies and crisp, fresh, cool air.  Just a great day to be out and enjoying the day.  The six barns on the tour ranged in date from 1850 to 1905, and each one had a unique in style and setting.  Here they are!

First barn on the tour--built in the 1880s.  They are still restoring this one.

I liked this composition.  I also liked that the box is for Fels-Naptha soap, a product still available today--I use it to make my laundry detergent.

Several seed bags were hanging on the walls.

This goat lived in a little barn next to the big barn.

The next barn, built in the 1850s.  This barn is also on the Quilt Block Tour that spans several states.

The interior.  All beams are hand-hewn, with the exception of the two by four rafter beams, which had been replaced due to a windstorm last summer.

Close-up of the hand-hewn support post.  See the chisel marks?

Two baby pigs--the farm is still a working pig producer.

This praying mantis was on a door frame.  It was huge--about the size of my hand!

The next barn, built in 1872.  The earthen ramp in this photo was moved a long time ago from the back of the barn.

Inside of the upper level of the barn, with the original siding and louvers showing.

Lower level--notice the chisel marks in the stone.

A neat old roller hinge.

The next barn, built in 1870.

The farmhouse, built in 1902.  What a great porch!

I loved the composition of this setting.  Someone has a great green thumb!

View from a door inside of the barn.  An antique plow is on the left.

This was my favorite farm to visit.  The barn was built in 1877.  Note the gingerbread scrolls along the top edge of the gable, and the decorative louver at the top--unusual for a barn to have so much decoration.

A unique feature of this barn: a forty-foot long continuous beam in the lower level.  Only one other barn on the tour had a longer beam.

Another unique feature--a self-filling watering trough for the animals from a natural spring on the property.  How nice is that?

The house was built almost twenty years before the current barn.  Now do you see why I love this farm so much?

Date of the house.  I love the gingerbread and details on this two-story porch.  The current owners spent 22 months restoring the house and barns, and they did a wonderful job.

The last barn on the tour, also the newest.  This one was built in 1905.

This barn has the longest one-piece beam at seventy feet long.

This sweet little kitten was curled up on a hay bale just inside the barn.  He didn't seem to mind all of the visitors.

Goliath the ram--he was huge, and he DID seem to mind all of the visitors.  We heard that he's not much of a people-ram.

A well-preserved two-person sleigh in the front yard.

A portable saw mill demonstration.  They had sheared off the first side, and were squaring up the rest of the sides.  It looked like the saw was cutting through butter, it was so smooth and quick.

We had a great time, not only because we were out exploring the countryside together, but also because we were learning new things about old barns.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday with the husband I love so much!

Sweet Corn for the Winter

The season for sweet corn is winding down in these parts.  Corn is a major crop across the Midwest, and is always plentiful here.  However, I've missed out on corn on the cob for the past several years.  I started craving it a few weeks ago, and bought a few ears.  I've been addicted to it ever since!  Not only is it just delicious, it seems to be helping with some of my gastrointestinal issues.  Win-win!  There is nothing that screams summer more than a fresh ear of corn with butter and salt. 

Well, maybe ice cream screams summer.  And watermelon.  And grilling...

Anyway, many of the produce stands around here have been offering end-of-season deals on bushels of corn.  I got a bushel for $10 (5 dozen ears--which comes out to between 16 and 17 cents an ear) and decided to ask my mom for her recipe for freezer corn.  I remember her making this when my uncle grew corn waaaaay back, when we were young'uns.  She gave me the instructions, and my husband offered to help with this big job.  Today was freezer corn day!

It was really an easy process, but a lot of work, kinda messy and somewhat time-consuming.  With me and the hubs working together, it still took around three hours, and that didn't include time for the corn to cool to room temp in the bags.  Still, it was very worth it to have delicious sweet corn in the freezer, waiting to cheer up our winter meals in the months to come.

We started shucking the corn at the same time.  Once a dozen had been cleaned, hubs continued with the shucking while I got out a large bowl, a small bowl, a long serrated knife, Dutch oven pots, freezer bags, my 8-cup measuring cup, a strainer, sugar, and salt.

I inverted the small bowl inside of the large bowl, with the flat bottom of the small bowl pointing up.  I set the cob on top of the small bowl, and sliced all of the corn from the cob, letting it fall into the large bowl.  It helped a lot having the ear elevated above the cut corn.  Thanks for the tip, mom!

Once I had 8 cups of corn, I put it into the Dutch oven pot, along with 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 2 tsp. salt.  I brought it to a boil and let it boil for ten minutes, then I strained the corn in the sink to remove the extra liquid.  Then, we set it aside to cool a bit before we put the corn in freezer bags in 2 cup measurements.  We squeezed as much air out of the bag as we could (hubs was really good at it!) and flattened the bags in preparation for freezing. 

And so the afternoon went: lather, rinse, repeat, and so on.  All told, a bushel of corn gave us 22 2-cup bags of corn.  Before I knew it, it was six o'clock and dinner hadn't been started yet.  I cleaned up and fixed some dinner (complete with a side of buttered corn) while hubs finished bagging the corn. 

There is nothing as sweet as the fruits of your labor!

Except sweet corn.

Thanks again to my beloved husband, who helped me with all of this!!

Zoo Fun--Wild Walkabout Australian Exhibit

We had a beautiful day to do something fun recently, so we decided to head up to the Toledo Zoo to explore their temporary Australian exhibit, Wild Walkabout.  It was really neat, despite the large crowds.  Here are some photos from our adventure:

Wallaby!  I love his paws.

Conservatory

Tri-colored rose

Butterfly on a butterfly bush

I loved these sunflowers

Many beautiful tropical birds

Wildflowers

 

And of course, my favorite: giraffes!

Have a great Labor Day weekend, everyone!