A Southern Belle

Since moving to the city, I have greatly missed having my hands in dirt. You don't realize just how much you love something until you cannot do it. I shared this with a very dear friend of mine and she surprised me with a gift. An indoor herb garden for our little apartment.  To say I was touched is an understatement. I may have shed a tear or two for joy. Gardening is very therapeutic for me. It is also such a wonderful way to see how creation works and how wonderful and amazing our God is! I began to read the instructions and decided I would record the process to share with you all. Shouldn't we share in one another's joy? I think so! The set came with a plant light. I have killed many a plant already due to the fact that our apartment gets no sunlight. This has been very discouraging, since, I love to have flowers and plants in the house to brighten and cheer up a room.  The set came with three packs of seeds, a tea strainer (which is adorable), dirt, four burlap bags, n...

"All of us carry in our hearts and minds the image of our ideal home, realized or not. It is a place where we feel we belong, a rightness, at-homeness, a knitting together of self and world...as Dear Mother used to say, "Home is the place where you can restore your mind, body, and soul." We often take our home for granted. But when we steep ourselves in our home, a deep sense of place begins to emerge...Our homes will only be generous and nurturing as the effort we invest in them.  All family members will carry the atmosphere we create in our homes for the rest of their lives." A RECIPE FOR A HAPPY HOME Half a cup of friendship, and a cup of thoughtfulness, creamed together with a pinch of powered tenderness, very lightly beaten in a bowl of loyalty with a cup of faith, one of hope, and one of charity. Be sure to add a spoonful of gaiety that sings, also the ability to laugh at the little things. Moisten with sudden tears of heartfelt sympathy, bake in good-natured ...

 Dear Readers, I have a pot of coffee brewing and the windows open to have fresh air in the house for when my husband gets home from work. The birds are beginning to return from their winter trip and it has been such a blessing to hear them praise the Lord throughout the day! I thought I would sit down for a few minuets to post the coffee cake recipe that I promised on the last post. SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE Ingredients: 3 C. Flour 1 C. Softened Butter 1 Tsp. Baking Powder 1 Tsp. Salt 1 C. Sour Cream 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda 1 1/2 C. Sugar 3 Eggs 2 Tsp. Vanilla Sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle between layers. Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a tube pan. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and baking soda. In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. ( You can never have to much vanilla! ;)) Add flour in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream mixtures in 2 additions, beginning and end...

 Dear Readers, Since moving to the city, I have greatly missed being able to plan my Spring garden and take care of my chickens. But I am learning to enjoy cooking, cleaning, and homemaking. I have been able to do some reading and researching on how a home was run in the 1940's and 1950's, and I was encouraged to begin to incorporate a few of the tips I found. I have a book, "Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Home keeping", coming in the mail and I am looking forward to learning as much as I can from it.  I have also decided to try to grow some herbs indoors, even though our little apartment doesn't get much sun. I have made sure to have flowers in the house to brighten the rooms up and I enjoy diffusing essential oils and having the windows open to refresh the air.  I have begun a new tradition to serve hot coffee with a dessert or snack in the afternoons or evening, using my fine china. I strive to do this especially when my husband is home. I belie...

 Dear Readers, I do believe this post is long overdue. My life has been a crazy roller coaster! Since I last posted, I have had a few adventures. The best one being that the Lord has blessed me with a loving and kind husband. Not to mention handsome! Christopher and I met almost 6 years ago through a mutual friend. We quickly become good friends and kept in frequent communication. In the spring on 2019, he and his brother came down for a short visit before he left for basic training in the U.S. Army. We wrote each other weekly, although at this time we were still just friends. My father and I were able to attend his graduation later the same year and it was then we both realized there could be something more. Christopher was sent to South Korea for a year. Much happened within that year! We become dating just two weeks after he left and were married by Double Proxy in July of 2020! The Lord truly put everything together before our eyes and brought complete peace to both our parents...

Dear Readers, I apologize for not posting more regularly. I have been quite busy this year, and posting has been set aside for far to long. To update you in the most recent doings of my life, I have been able to graduate from High School, by the grace of God, and am hoping to graduate from piano in the next month or so.  For quite some time, I have been hoping to begin a new chapter in my life and start a bit of farming. I believed that to farm you must have a fair amount of land and be located deep in the country. Boy, was I wrong! After much reading and researching, I was convinced that I could begin my dream of having a farm on our small acre. Although I won't be able to have to many animals, I believe having chickens will suppress the urge to get a cow.... for now. :) A few month ago I was able to talk my parents into allowing me to get chickens. I honestly didn't have any clue of how to go about purchasing and finding the best breed. But a few wonderful friends help...

Dear Readers, I am so happy that spring is finally here!!!!! I have been able to take some pictures of the new flowers and the new plants that are finally coming alive at our house in Belton! I truly LOVE Spring the best out of all the seasons, it brings hope to me! What is your favorite season of the year?? Why? "For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land" Song Of Solomon 2:11-12 "Spring flowers are in blossom all over. The whole world's a choir- and singing! Spring warblers are filling the forest with sweet arpeggios. Lilacs are exuberantly purple and perfumed, and cherry trees fragrant with blossoms." Song of Solomon 2:12-13a  I am also starting my own herb garden this year! I have had so much fun watching my plants grow and I can't wait to use it in my food, and for medicine! Most...