New Christian Film Coming Out

Grace waiting for next scene

We spent last weekend in St. Louis.  Grace is filming a Christian film called The Swing Set  and they are trying to shoot the last few scences they need before releasing the film in December or January.  The last scene that she is in requires a beach and we are kind of land locked.  The producer wants to make the 14 hour drive to get the scene.  So that means another road trip soon.

Getting ready to shoot

It has been fun seeing how movies are made.  I can say this...it takes several hours and several "takes" of the same scene to get just a few minutes of a movie especially when you are using one camera.  The young producer we are working with is Sean Hunt who is trying to break into the film industry.  He is a very talented young man and I think he will go far.  The crew working on the film are all students at a fine arts college in St. Louis.  They are a very dedicated and hard working bunch of young people.

Grace was excited to do this film because it was about having faith that God is sovergien in all things.  You can have a peace that passes understanding even in the darkest of trials when your faith lies in God and His unending love.  She plays Allison who is a cancer patient who never blames God for what is happening to her and encourages others to trust in Him as well.

I will be posting again about the movie when I have a date of its release.  In the meantime you can check out the teaser trailer http://seanhuntfilms.com/swingset.php . We ask for prayers that this film glorify God.

Have a blessed day!!!

How Fun It Is to Be a Girl

Journal Entry by Grace
October 19, 2010

                                                      

Oh how fun it is to be a girl.  To work and labor in the home and not under the hot summer sun.  When you do somehting thourghly and sweetly for your mother the joyous look in her eye and the proud tone in her voice as she says, " that's my good girl", oh, what a thrill. And to be "daddy's little girl" doesn't that sound darling. I like the airy feel of a dress and the feel of the wind through my hair.  Such pretty rooms we girls have so bright and happy.  Our play is giddy and gay as we stick flowers in our hair and dream of how it will be when we are young ladies and women.  We girls are precious buds, then we grow into beautiful roses.

GOD BLESS YOUR PRECIOUS ROSE BUDS!!!

Orange

My daughter does journal writing as part of her homeschooling.  She had a couple of entries I just loved and asked her permission to share them.  I've posted one below, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Journal entry by Grace:
September 6, 2010

ORANGE

The color orange is used in so many things and in almost every season it's in summer, fall and sometimes spring.  It's warm, dark, light, happy, cozy, the color of fire, and flowers.  It's a beautiful mix between red a hot color, and yellow a fresh bright color.  Even though orange is its own color it is also like its "parents"too. It's like red because its hot, warm, firey and nice to see in cool weather.  It's like yellow because it's bright , happpy, and fresh, but at the same time it's its own.  I'm glad God made ORANGE!

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

Black/Copper French Marans

I like a lot of things that are french, french funiture, french cooking and french wine.  So when I found out about the French Marans I had to investigate.  This breed is very rare in the United States which is why I chose to raise them.  I liked their characteristics and I wanted to contribute to strengthening the breed in this country since they can no longer be imported from France.

They have large to extra-large dark brown eggs.  The eggs have been described as Godiva Chocolate eggs. As you can see by the photo above they are quiet-a-bit darker than the average brown egg which sits in the center.  These eggs can be and are several shades darker than the ones in this photo.   It has been said that top chefs like the eggs because of their rich buttery taste. I for one have to agree!  Their taste is fantastic.   Their egg color is unique however and are so dark because they have a special gland that kinda spray paints them as they are layed.  Apparantly this gland is not found in any other breed that I'm aware of.  Anyway it makes for beautiful eggs.  (I feel a craft project coming on!)    

 The breed is very docile and grow to a medium size as far as chickens go .  They are a great dual purpose bird.  There are two standards being breed  in the USA, if you have the kind that have feathers on their legs  they are the french standard and the Marans without feathers on their legs are american standard.  There are several different colorings in the Marans breed.  I chose the black/copper because they are known for laying the darkest eggs.  

I'm hoping I have a broody hen(which means a hen who will want to set on eggs long enough to hatch them).  I'm wanting to see if they can hatch their own chicks.  So many breeds don't have broody hens these days because most people want to hatch the eggs themselves to have a greater number of chicks to survive and sell.  I for one would like to see the hens take care of their young.  I think that characteristic will help the breed survive in the long run.

   

Holiday Time Saver

We are coming into the busy holiday season so here is a little time and money saver for you.  Make up cookie dough from scratch (chocolate chip, ginger snaps, peanutbutter, etc.) and roll into logs with freezer paper.  Label it and put the temperature and baking time on the package.   

                             Then store them in the freezer.  It will keep for up to 6 months.

If you buy your baking  supplies in bulk and take an afternoon with your kiddos to make up several batches you can have warm, fresh, out of the oven, cookies all winter long. You will have cookie dough ready to make a batch for holiday parties, gifts for the neighbors, or a quick desert when unexpected company comes by.  The best part is it's half the cost of the store bought dough and you know what's in it.

Happy Cookie Dough Making!!!

The Invisible Woman

Impress these words of Mine on your hearts and souls, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deut. 11:18-19

Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!  You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.  Because of Your adversaries, You have established a stronghold from the mouths of children and nursing infants to silence the enemy and the avenger.  Psalm 8:1-2

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Mat. 7:11

On those days when you wonder why I ever became a mom........the house is a wreck, you have nothing out for dinner and the kids are hungry, you've changed a dozen dirty diapers, your husband calls from some amazing restuarant that he found while on his business trip and you are talking with excitement in your voice but are sitting there with stained smelly clothes because the baby just threw up on you.....................GOD SEES..................and that makes all the difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RECYCLED Barn Wood Cabinets

This post is part of the "Show us your Life - Kitchen Tour" found on http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/.

Two years ago we down sized from 4,000 sq. ft. to 1.200 sq.ft.  Because I loved to cook I had a huge kitchen and LOTS of dishes and cabinets to keep them in and a walk in pantry.  So when we moved I had to weed through the dishes then figure out where to put the food in my new kitchen.  I like my new smaller kitchen better.  It's different and very me.  Here's the tour............ 

 

We used wood from an old barn.  I put a coat of clear laquer so that it would clean up easily.  Then added vegetable handles.

I used silver patterned tin for the wall above the cabinets as well as the back splash to bring more light into the room.  Here is something you might help me with....I am thinking about changing the light above the table to a crystal chandelier.  I like mixing rustic and formal.  What do you think?

Since I don't have a formal dinning room I combined my fromal table with some mixed chairs.  The floor is cedar that was cut and milled within 50 miles of here.

Instead of using glass in the upper cabinets I put in chicken wire with a blue and brown floral fabric behind.

For a pantry I already had some 12" deep white bookshelves from my old house that would fit perfectly along one of the empty walls of my new kitchen.  So I had a cabinet maker come out and measure for some doors.  I anchored the bookshelves to the wall painted the doors to match and I have a pantry I can find things in.

I like the 12" depth better than the deep pantries with drawers.  You never lose anything this way.  You just open a door and can easily see what you have.  Above shows the baking and breakfast area of the pantry.

 Above is a a copper tree that covers the vent above my stove.  It was made by a craftsman at Silver Dollar City and covers the ugly vent nicely.  It also helps bring in the red from the cedar floors and the copper accents of my stove.

I love love love cooking with gas.  When I found this stove on craigslist I snatched it right up knowing it was a perfect fit for my kitchen with stainless steel and copper accents.  (Finding this stove was a God thing because I live way out in the country and the people I bought it from were only 10 minutes away.  Nothing is to small for God in giving us the desires of our hearts!!)

My sink is another unique find.  It is cast iron with brown porcalian and is extra deep like the old farm sinks.  The window above it looks out to my front porch and the beautiful views beyond.  The counter tops were put in by my husband and daughter Heather.  They are ceramic tile with glass accents.

Well, thanks for coming by I hope you enjoyed the tour.  Have a blessed day.