Barn Quilts of Grundy County

A story that will appear on Farmers Almanac TV this Friday at 6:30 pm on Iowa Public TV. The barn quilt tour route passes right by our farm. Maybe we should put a quilt block on our new woodshop... "DH, I have another project for youuuuuuu...."

Happy Sunday

Saturday morning, DH & DD and I helped at the Annual Dash & Splash 5k Run (organized by Nile & Glo). DH & DD drove the golf cart and I took photos. The winning time (and new course record) was 17:17! My goodness!

Took photos at a wedding reception last night (a paying gig!). Here's the happy couple and their beautiful niece:

Fellowship at church this morning, followed by a "youth only" service that DH helped organize (10 kids attended!). Nile & Glo and their kids & grandson (Adrian, 1.5 year old) came out to see the chicks, kittens, etc. Adrian was so cute to watch -- everything was a "duck".

We finally took the 26.8 pound turkey out of the freezer that we got from the neighbor. We had to hack off the wings in order to fit it into the biggest roasting pan we have. We cracked open a can of beer and stood it upright inside the turkey and put the lid on. So far, so good.

Dining al fresco this evening on the turkey wings (in a flavorful mesquite marinade), fresh new potatoes from the garden, radishes from the garden, and apple slices.

Despite sharing some of the turkey with all the cats, Leah was such a good kitty and got herself a little dessert:

Come sit a spell

This little spot on the front porch is my favorite place to relax, read, and watch the world go by. Vintage Chica might recognize the blue & green print fabric. I've had the red ship fabric for several years, but didn't want to cut into it. Finally decided to pull it out of the storage container and use it and enjoy it! The little side table was a freebie from the Goodwill truck (I painted it red). And the crochet blanket was a freebie that DH had and used as padding for moving furniture! Crazy patterns to mix together, but it sure brightens up the front porch.

Picture Post

Texture and blue
Leah is bored
Tucker and his new summer cut

Lacy and Goldie dine al fresco
Chicks in the brooderThe oddest chick of all (well make that second oddest to me). Any clue as to what kind of chicken this will be?

Check this out

Young Corn by Grant Wood

Last night, I was driving home from vacation bible school (VBS) and heard this great interview by none other than Paul & Sandy Coughlin, of Reluctant Entertaining. I've been really inspired by Sandy's gift of hospitality; it always seemed more of a luxury to me than a ministry. But Sandy uses hospitality to create relationships, mend hurts, and restore spirits with simple acts of kindness and thoughtfullness.

Ironically, the lesson for my VBS class last night was "Plunge Into Service" and I talked a lot about hospitality: what Jesus did for his servants before the last supper (John 13:1-17), what He did for each of us, what we can do for others. The kids made thank you notes for the VBS volunteers and had a great time.

So...that's where I've been lately. VBS started Sunday night and ends tonight with a pool party. I (admittedly reluctantly) taught 3rd & 4th graders. Whoa! What a crew! We started Sunday night with 22 kids! Thankfully, the VBS directors agreed to divide the class and one of my helpers took half of the kids. After that, it went much better and it was a good experience - - but I'm glad it's over.

The chicks are doing well and growing quickly (pics this weekend).

One more full week of work for me. *happy dance* and then this will be me & DD all summer: