Please pray...

I wanted to ask you if you could please pray for the speedy recovery of my sister. She has asthma and on Wednesday suffered a serious asthma attack. We rushed her to the hospital & she was immediately admitted into the ER. She was on (several) breathing treatments for 5 hours, then the ambulance came to take her to the Children's hospital. So she's stayed overnight in the ICU since then, and will stay overnight again although she's doing much better now. Needless to say, I'll be post-poning my birthday party until June; That way, she'd be fully recovered, and her and Mom would've had rest :)

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I have a favor to ask...we're going to try to change our diet, and if you have any suggestions for natural/herbal preventative medicine, supplements, diet plan etc. {or even advice!} that helps asthma, please comment! We're gleaning all the knowledge we can, because we really don't want this to happen again--the hospital is not a pleasant place to be!

Gratefully Yours,

Mia

On the road again...a family retreat and day trip!

We just came home from a wonderful retreat that was here in GA!
It was an absolute joy to be with so many visionary families that believe children are a blessing from the Lord!
This was my first Above Rubies conference, and it was wonderful! Ms. Nancy Campbell spoke to the women about the BLESSINGS of their roles as mothers, wives, and daughters. I also got to meet her daughter and grand-daughters, who were so sweet, and blessed us with lovely music! One of the young mothers there recognised me and asked if I had a blog; It was so encouraging to talk and meet with her--I'm amazed how the internet can connect those who are of like-mind!
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My Birthday (May 26)
Yesterday was my 18th Birthday, and my parents surprised me with a road-trip to the living history museum, Seabrook Village!

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Located near Savannah, we were blessed with lovely weather and we received a personal tour!

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It was wonderful to talk to the guide about the blessings of self-sufficiency,

staying at home, and living a Godly life

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The one-room schoolhouse... As we walked inside, I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined this room over 100 years ago--The echo of the hardwood floors, the sun beaming through the opened shutters, the handmade brooms..even the discipline switch! I felt like even the walls had a story to tell :)
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It was nice to cool off at the water pump..This was my first time experiencing "priming the pump". As you can see, I wore my 19th century dress...believe me, it's more comfortable, plus, you feel like you've gone "back in time".

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Inside the Home

This house was actually the tour guide's grandfathers home..

She remembered her Grandmother using this stove to cook the many meals over the years..this is the original, and its still in working condition!

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Original shed and wagon

It was a small area filled with reminders of humble beginnings :)

Savannah~

Of course, who can travel that far to the coast and not visit the city? :) So we drove through historic Savannah and visited a few shops! Ps) Don't forget, I was wearing my prairie dress! LOL

Luckily, there were so many eccentrics around, I could pass as "artistic" ;)

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Candy Shop

An employee prepares sweetened pecans...I enjoyed watching the process in action, I think more places should do this, because you're more encouraged to purchase fresh confections!

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Dad treated us to Icecream..I decided on NY Blueberry Cheesecake! I must say, it was delicious!

(deliciously overpriced!)
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It was a lovely day trip! Oh my, I can't believe I'm 18!! I'm currently preparing for my birthday party that I'm hosting this weekend...It's to be an Old fashioned Garden party!

For inspiration...

Ladies

Group shot...

Men, women and children

Ladies enjoying the grounds...

A Busy month...

I can't believe a fortnight has passed! The weather is lovely, and we have a few extra hours of daylight in the evening time, now! Recently I've become interested in civil war history, so between researching and homemaking, I don't know where the time goes...

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The day before Mothers Day, I recieved a lovely package from a kindred spirit, Ms. Christina! It was so thoughtful of her, and I enjoyed all the trinkets! Thank you Christina!

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I hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day week! Last Saturday we traveled to South Carolina to visit my grandmother. It's always a challenge, as she dislikes our way of doing things (being Christians, wearing skirts, staying at home etc.) So we try to use our time there to serve her in any way we can. The verse I thought of was 1 Peter 3:15--
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."
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Instead of going to church on Sunday, my Dad led our own church service right in my Grandmother's parlor! He wanted her to be a part of what we do as Christians, but unfortunately, she didn't come in to be with us at all. Despite all this, we sang, I played a few hymns on the guitar, and my Dad taught a lesson on Mothers of the Bible. I think she was encouraged that we came though. Later that day, we had a treat...

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We attended a polo game!

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It was so much fun to observe the horses agility and speed! We really enjoyed ourselves!
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Amish Potato Rolls

from the cookbook, "A Return to Sunday Dinner" by Russell Cronkhite

Peel & cook 4-5 medium potatoes in boiling water until tender. Mash and measure 2 cups of potatoes, and reserve 1 cup potato water in small bowl.
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To the warm potato water, add 4 TBsp sugar and 2 packets of yeast.

Let mixture stand for 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve.
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In a pan, melt 1 stick of butter...
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Add 1.5 cups milk, and 2 tsp salt..

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Remove from heat and add the mashed potatoes and 2 eggs.

Pour the yeast mixture into the pan, then pour the contents into a large mixing bowl

~ I added 4 cups wheat, and 4 cups self rising/white flour

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Carefully mix together...

There's the dough!

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Cover with a tea towel, and let rise for 1 hour

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This is what it looks like after rising..now, punch it down and let rise for 30 minutes...

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Now it's ready!

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I try not to manipulate the dough too much, but I cut out the rolls like biscuits, then cover & let them rise on the pan for 20 minutes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes...

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There you are! Delicious, fluffy rolls! *cough* you'll notice some are missing...lets just say my family had a "testing" when I left the kitchen! Ah, they are soo good with butter and honey...A delightful breakfast as well :)

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A pleasant chore...laundry!

Dad built us an extra long line so we can do multiple loads in one day!

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A surprise for you...

Faith had kittens!

Remember the little kitten that "found" us? Well she's grown over the past months,

and is now the "Mama Cat". She delivered 3 kittens last week..today they're 5 days old!

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Unusual Flowers

I don't know the name of this variety, but it's very interesting!

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This purple one is a "Passion Flower" which I just discovered today in the meadow, soaking up the sun!

(yikes, it looks """interesting""", that's for sure...)

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Squash

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Swiss Chard

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I've got quite a few projects I'm working on that'll keep me busy, but don't worry, I'll be blogging much more often!