Happiness or Joy?

We recently had company and I overheard the six-year-old asking her mother, “Why do the people in this house laugh all the time?” Well, that was her perspective. It made me laugh. 🙂 It also made me think. What is the reason people laugh? People are happy when things go their way. It comes naturally. […]

A Wonderful West Virginia Weekend

This past weekend was the 22nd Annual Apple Butter Festival here in Salem, West Virginia. But what really made it a fun and memorable time for me was the family and friends that came to visit over the weekend. Friday evening we enjoyed having Great Aunt Evelyn, Uncle Tom, and Cousin Michael over with Grandpa […]

Nutmeg Crisps

I thought that you would enjoy these cookies that Mom and I made during my Math class. I had to double the recipe. Instead of 6 dozen we made 118 cookies! ½ c. butter 2 tsp. baking powder 1 c. brown sugar ¼ tsp. salt 1 ½ tsp. vannilla extract nutmeg ½ tsp. almond extract […]

A Greased Pig Contest

The chilly morning air was filled with excitement as I rounded the corner of the old Salem Post Office. It was Saturday, October 7, and I was about to witness one of the enjoyable traditions of the annual Salem Apple Butter Festival. Up ahead I could hear the cheers of the many family and friends […]

Daniel goes to Indianapolis

Daniel headed off to Indiana this week with our friends the Elliots. They will be attending a week-long Counseling Seminar at the Indianapolis Training Center. With Michael and James also away at Life Focus, our house is going to seem really empty this week. But we’re excited for him as he receives practical counseling instruction […]

The toughest week

It is close to 5:00, Wednesday morning, the 20th of September. After a sudden awakening, the four students of Blue team are feverishly packing and loading their stuff in one of ITC’s vans. They are clueless of their departure time and destination. However, the four leaders have carefully planned an expedition that will stretch the […]

A Hairy Beekeeping Adventure

It was a normal day. I had just finished counting mites on the beehives with Robert. It was a quick job so we didn’t bother to put on any bee equipment for protection. Big mistake. Buzzzz. I saw this bee coming straight for me as fast as greased lightning! I screamed, tried to swat the […]

Creamed Tomatoes

The Lord has blessed our tomato plants abundantly this year! Thanks to Michael’s diligence, we have harvested over 200 pounds and they are still coming. David is the great biscuit maker around here and we love fixing our tomatoes this way and serving it warm over his biscuits. Enjoy! 4 cups blended tomatoes 1 1/2 […]