40...and counting (re-post with date changes)

Married September 18, 1971

Nah...I"M not 40!
Just been married that long!

Pete and I were sorta high school sweethearts.
I met him when I was 16 and just going into my junior year.
He had just graduated that June and was off to the local community college.
We got married the September after I graduated, and our 1st born, Giselle, was born 18 months later.
Gina, our 2nd, was born 2 1/2 years later.

Quite honestly, we were a train wreck.
A divorce waiting to happen.
Stupid, selfish, immature, and ungodly.
Pretty much says it all.

Long story short...

I got saved, born again, in February of 1978.
The conviction of the Holy Spirit was SO real.

Pete followed shortly thereafter, in May that same year.

There was no turning back.
Forever changed.

I ALWAYS testify that the ONLY reason we are still married is His mercy and grace.
I can still hardly believe He saved a wretch like me.
The worst of all sinners.
For truly, I once was lost, but now I'm found.
I was blind, but now I see.

After we got saved we had 3 more children.
Krystal, now 29.
Sam, now 22.
Avery, now 19.

Around 2000

Ignore the silly dates in the corners of some of these....
I didn't know how to change the date thingy on my digital camera!

Homecoming, 1969

Sweetheart Swirl, 1970

Sweetheart Swirl, 1971

Torch Lake, 2000

Torch Lake 2003?

Caribbean Cruise, 2005

Black/White party, 2006

Anniversary, 2009

Oh, if only I knew way back then what I know now.
What I would do differently.
Love more.
Laugh more.
Worry less.
Fear not.
Discipline differently.
Repent more often.
Say "I'm sorry", and mean it.
Love more.
Oh, yeah...I already said that one.
Bears repeating.

But...you know what?

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!
His grace is sufficient and His mercy is everlasting.

I love you, Farmboy.
And I'd do it all over again.

In Christ alone,
Cindy

PS...And, lest you think everything is hunky dunky after 40 years, let me assure you, it is not!

However...

JESUS NEVER FAILS

And we put our trust in Him.

HERBAL GOODIES

 Garden Herbs

I have made my own bouquet garni in the past, but none looked as beautiful as those from my friend Ang, over at Parisienne Farmgirl.

Taking my cues from her, I gathered up what I could from my own herb garden and set to work.

 

 Provencal Bouquet Garni

The end product, tho not as visually appealing as Ang's, will be just as tasty!

I am drying these out in the sun for a couple of days, but I think to hasten the process I will pop them in my dehydrator for a few hours.

 Magic Sauce ingredients

olive oil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sweet paprika, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, sea salt, lemon juice

One of my favorite food blogs is 101 Cookbooks, written by Heidi Swanson.

She recently posted this recipe, and I knew I had to try it.

Easy-peasy for sure, and I had all of the ingredients on hand so....

 Heidi's Magic Sauce

I have already drizzled a bit on homemade hummus (mmmm...)

and also on a bit of leftover humdrum rice.(yummo)

I will also be trying it on a chicken/sun-dried tomato pasta dish later this week. 

The only thing I did differently was to just break my bay leaf in a couple of pieces, not grind it up.

Just my own personal feelings about eating bay leaves...

tho Heidi says it is perfectly fine.

Perhaps with fresh bay, which is very soft and tender...

which mine is definitely not.

I would definitely say this is a keeper...

I have been extra busy this canning season, using my OLD pressure canner to can pinto beans, ground beef, stew, salsa, tomatoes, and peaches.

The beauty of pressure canning is the lack of heat in the kitchen. 

No steamy hot water baths, just a medium flame on the burner, with no heat escaping the pot.

Now...if only I had a canner that wasn't from the Flintstones era, I think I would be happy!

NOT cheap...I have checked Craigs List and e-bay....

So I will continue with my "vintage" one until something better comes along.

In Christ alone,

Cindy

Scrubbing Bubbles Soap Sale

Cold Process Handmade Soap

(made by me, right here in my kitchen!)

Once again I am having my bargain basement priced soap sale!

Choose 5 bars of handmade/homemade soap for $15

plus

$5 shipping & handling

(local yokels save on shipping!!!)

Available fragrances include:

Organic Lavender

Cinnamon/Clove

Polenta Mint(org. cornmeal and mint)

Tea Tree (lightly scented)

PURE (plain ol' soap)

And a few remaining bars of Autumn Lodge

e-mail me @

farmgirlcyn@gmail.com

Get 'em while I got em!

Christmas is only how many days away???

In Christ alone,

Cindy

Under pressure

 Vintage (read: old) pressure canner

I dug out my pressure canner from the abyss and put it to good use this week.

We canned tomatoes, salsa, more tomatoes, and ground beef. 

Ping, ping, ping!

 heirloom tomatoes

Just look at these colors! 

Our CSA grows a plethora of delicious, organic tomatoes...

ground chuck

I am all for grass-fed beef, and use it most of the time.

And most everything we do eat is organic, healthy food.

However, angus chuck was on sale this week for less than $2 a pound (that's almost 1/2 off!) and I wanted to put some up for the winter months.

This will be perfect for soups, casseroles, sloppy joes, or tacos.

 dehydrated greens

 I've been throwing away the greens off of beets for years, not knowing they were a veritable goldmine of goodness.

Those, along with any kale, chard, or parsley I don't get to, goes into the dehydrator.

 crushed greens

After they are dry, I crush them with my hands to break them up, removing any tough stems.

 green powder

(smells like fresh mowed grass!)

They then go into the blender and get pulsed to a fine powder.

I have been using a heaping teaspoon in my morning kefir smoothie.

Really...you can't taste it!

Sheesh...I hope to get back to regular blogging updates as soon as the canning season slows down.

I have missed stopping by my favorite blogs and feel like I've been away on vacation!

See you soon....promise.

In Christ alone,

Cindy