Pear tree lane Farmhouse

~Welcome home~

This blog is dedicated to my dear family who live many miles away, and to you dear ladies , who have a heart for keeping the home fires burning. You, who love and cherish your family, and have a desire to create a home that says "Welcome, you are loved and cared for."

My desire is that when you leave that you will be encouraged and know that you too are loved.

Sue~

Saturday business~
Written by Sue February 27, 2011
I looked my working apron squarely in the face and said "Missy we have got some work to do today! Are you up to it? she's the one on the right, her sister,Lily is waiting until we have company to do her duty.
She smiled and pointed toward the stereo system, I put our favorite worship music on and here we went, we danced and worked all day, making pumpkin puree, and doing laundry.....

I had been wanting to get these pie pumpkins, prepared and in the freezer since before Christmas. I am really surprised that they lasted this long. Talk about procrastination!
Missy and I got busy, cutting  them in half, and taking the seed out.
We placed them face down in 1/2 in. of water in a preheated 350 degree oven.
In about thirty minutes Missy and I took them out...
Scooped the pumpkin out and placed it in the food processor, ...
pureed until smooth...
Isn't it pretty? I can just see, and smell, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and all kinds of goodies baking !
In the freezer we go,.... now what happened to the seed?
All washed and ready to dry, we will plant some in hopes to have more this fall, and of course, some to eat, which I have been nibbling on all day.
And the rinds went to the chickens for a treat.

I know there is probably no one here in blogland that still has pumpkins, left from fall, LOL, but this is really a great and easy way to preserve your pumpkins. My Mother did hers at Christmas, and made some of the best miniature bunt cakes ever. She gave them  as gifts in her goodie bags!
Missy is all clean and back in her honored place and is now ready for another day of fun. I hope she got a lot of rest today, because I have a busy week planned for us. (smile)
Happy Monday,
Sue
Simple Pleasures~
Written by Sue, February 23, 2011
My simple pleasure today is being able to go out to my garden and gather these...
Come in the house slice them and add to this....
To put on and in this....
 go for a walk, come back in the house to the most wonderful aroma of this...

And the best simple pleasure was to hear dh say"mmmm this is so good." Such sweet music to my ears. I love to garden and I love to cook, especially if the veggies come from my garden. I found many simple pleasures today, but I chose this one because the end product brought a much welcomed Simple pleasure to DH.

I am linking up with Dayle for Simple Pleasures, please feel free to join and share or go and read more simple pleasures (HERE). or click on the icon.




Project Simple Pleasures2
Enjoy your day,
Sue

Recipe...
2 or 3 spring onions chopped
1 clove of garlic
thyme
marjoram,
sage
2 Tbs. worchester sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Saute all of the above in oil of choice
1 whole chicken
Place sauce under the breast skin, and then pour over the chicken
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven. 
Spring is coming....
Witten by Sue, February 21, 2011~
I started my spring cleaning today, and I must say that it was hard to stay inside, and I found every excuse to go out, play and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and warm temps. .......

I wandered into the herb garden and look what I found, fresh parsley coming through the soil after a long hard winter, I scolded my self because I had just bought some at the grocers a few day prior. lol I jumped two feet. I also tasted it, Oh! so good!!You have to understand a herb gardener and her love of herbs. I absolutely do not know how 5 parsley plants survived this winter.
I see someone else has been visiting the herb garden.... The rabbits come, enjoy, and show their thankfulness for their free food, by fertilizing my garden. I think that is a fair trade off, they get to eat, and I get my garden fertilized. lol
I went inside to try my new hand scrub..... and Me thinks I like it...

I have always wanted to make my own hand and body scrubs, I found some recipes on the internet, and modified them to my taste.... I decided to use sunflower oil instead of olive oil, I found the olive oil to be to strong.
Lemon sugar scrub...
2  1/2 cups of sugar~ 
1 cup Sunflower oil~
5-6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to how you like it~
Mix all ingredients well,

place in a 12 oz. jar that seals tightly.
Voilla!!

This makes a great gift, just tie on a pretty ribbon!!!  But for now I think I am going to be the tester. LOL I did try it and it exfoliates beautifully and made my hands feel so soft, something I need when coming in from working in the garden, and just everyday work. Did I mention how great it smelled?
Enjoy your evening.
Sue


Sunday thoughts~ God of all comfort~
Written by Sue, February 19, 2011
II Corinthians 1: 3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble,with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by the God.

 WOW !!!... "GOD", who is the Father of mercy and comfort, will comfort!! us in all (not some) of our troubles. Why??? He loves and cares for us!!!... Now here is what really spoke to my heart.... we (Sue) are to give the same mercy and comfort to others that we are given by God!!! I find this to be such an awesome challenge for me. Oh to be a comfort to someone in need !! Awesome!!!!

When we go through trials and tribulations He brings comfort to us in many different ways. Sometimes I go and quietly sit before Him and meditate on all of his goodness to me, other times I just pour my heart out to Him and just let the floodgates open wide, (after all, He gave us our tear ducts for a reason.) I am comforted by Him through His Word. There have been times when I would get an unexpected visit by someone who would just listen and comfort me. Maybe a card in the mail,  (e-mail) smile..... or a phone call!!!!

Do you  need comforting???  He will comfort you through all of your trials and tribulation. There are many ways He does this, He always chooses the way that is best for you. Trust Him!!!
A rose from me to you today.
Do you want to be a comforter? Ask God, and He will open up so many doors for you to minister to others. Little things can make such a big difference. We live in such a fast paced society, and because of this so many needs get swept away..... Selah 
May your day be filled with many blessings
Sue
"Lord may our hearts, minds, and hands, always be open to the needs of others."

Simplicity~
Written by Sue, Friday, February 18, 2011
The simplest things in life bring the most joy! Just this morning while Mr P and I were enjoying breakfast he said "you look great today, so rested." My reply, "that's because you take such good care of me." Isn't it amazing what soft sweet words can do for a soul,(I had already looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw). LOL Isn't there a saying "Love is blind? He has been such an angel during my illness.

Yesterday was spend tending to sheep, speck is doing super great, he is back with his mother and sister, and we are supplementing both lambs. She is young and just doesn't know what to do, so we are teaching her.After all didn't we have to have some help with our first babies. Just look at her face.
A penny for your thoughts, Hon!

We are preparing the soil for planting,

 and  did get around to planting lettuce in pots. We always do this first before going in the garden so as to get some early greens. Romaine, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, butter crunch, and spinach.

We are suppose to come as near to hitting 80 degrees today as possible, fingers crossed. Then we will have a mild, but short lived cold front move in. Spring is working her way to us, ever so gracefully.

Today I am  doing laundry, and my bedding is already on the line drying, and you know how much I love sleeping under sun kissed sheets.  I will be making my homemade laundry detergent, and puttering around the house. Do you like to putter?

While puttering this morning I found this... A Thanksgiving cactus, who has already graced us with beautiful blooms, I guess she wanted to strut her stuff once more.
You never know what treasures you will find when puttering. Now back to more puttering. who knows what I will find next?
Happy Friday, and enjoy puttering
Sue
Our Miracle Lamb...
Written by Sue, February16, 2011
Today while walking I decided to stop and let the sheep out to graze. I was in such a hurry to get back to my walking I didn't notice that a new lamb, had been left behind by his mother,  when I came back around I noticed he was out in the pasture all by himself, and looked very weak. I went and picked him up...  he just melted in my arms,and my heart melted too!! I warmed him with my down jacket and took him to Mr. P..... We both new what had happened...
here is the mother with his sister

 the mother who was a new ewe had twins, and was not up to looking after two newborns. So evidently he didn't sleep next to her last night, and because of low temps. at night, and her not giving him the nourishment he needed he was near death.

Husband jumped in the truck and off to the feed store he went. By the time he had gotten back home the little lamb was almost gone, I told dh that I thought he was almost  comatose, and that it was probably too late.   "Oh ye of little faith!! Yes, I am guilty!!

DH said "I am not giving up". He took the bottle of supplement and sat down to feed him. The poor little lamb was so weak, he could not even nurse the bottle, his body had stiffened. Mr. P. had to squeeze the milk in his mouth, and rub his throat to swallow, after a few minutes I took him to the truck wrapped him up and turned the heater on, all day he and I rode with Mr P. while he was mending fences.

By this afternoon, he was nursing the bottle, and was very alert. We let him out and he was running around like nothing had been wrong with him. DH had a hard time catching him,What a miracle!!!!

He is now as snug as a bug in a rug in our laundry room, and is fed every 4 hrs.. I wonder who will have the first watch of the night?LOL
He is being spoiled
His name is Speckle, and he will be called "Speck" Yes our animals must have names..... Susie, Katie, Olivia, and Sophia named him. I think the name just fits him to a tee!!
So!! How was your day? I hope it was filled with many blessing!
Sue
Oh! Happy Day!!
written by Sue, Tuesday, February 15, 2011
What a glorious sun shine day we awoke to, so we decided to not waste it. Dear One and I hit the road. We drove through the country side, yes! I know we live in the country, but we also like to ride over to the next county to see what our neighboring farmers have been doing. Did you know that.....
courtesy of Corbis images

Farmers like to spy on each other? You know, making sure that Farmer Smith is not getting ahead of him in farming! LOL We found that they were right along with us.lol Our weather has been so wonderful this week, and we are expected to hit the 80 degree mark by the end of the week. Woo Hoo! Garden here I come. I am so longing to get my hands in the soil, and dig.
The truth is we will be planting some early crops this week for my garden.... beets, lettuce, garden peas, and potatoes. I have decided to once agin try my hand at asparagus as I was not successful the last time. I found some sets today!
I will be starting my herbs from seed too! One of the things we bought today were some herb seed packets at Wal-Mart. I was really surprised at their quality and price.
courtesy of Corbis images
Beginning to feel like my old self again, thank you once again for your prayers.
Sue
Look familiar?......
Just my thoughts~
Written by Sue, February 2, 2011~
I am thinking about a lost art and that is the art of writing and receiving hand written letters or notes, to and from family and friends. I love to walk the path to our mailbox and open it and find a letter that has been so carefully hand written by someone I know and love. My hands can hardly wait to open it to see, Isn't it amazing that every one's hand writing is different. And if you are familiar with that person's writing (especially your children) that you can identify who wrote it, even before seeing the return address.

Some times being sick and having to slow down can have a positive affect, having the flu gave me time to catch up on my writing. Do you want to hear a funny thought? I was thinking while writing my notes, (these were notes of "Thank You" for deeds and presents for the holidays)... "all of these notes are written to family that know I have got the flu, and I wonder if they will be hesitant to open them." LOL Silly Girl!!

For this year I really want to take the time to tell and show others how much they mean to me, and how much I appreciate them.
How about you have you continued this valuable art of hand writing ? Just think about all of the wonderful hand written scripts we have in our national archives, documents written and signed by men who have given so much to our country.....

Those love letters from God written by men such as Paul, the apostle, to the early churches when they were enduring so much persecution, messages of hope,love,and faith and promises. Imagine the anticipation of having a written letter,to hold and read.....

How about those love letter written to you by your sweetheart many years ago. I still have many written by my sweetheart, and sometimes we get them out to reminisce, and laugh of just how much we were in love, and still are I might add. lol even more. Hmmmm! I think I will start back writing love notes other than on special occasions. "Thanks Sue for the thought."....

How about those hand written notes by your children, and grandchildren when they were young,... priceless art!! I have so many that are so old, and I have them tucked away in so many nooks and crannies, I always kept them and throwing them away has never been an option! Would you throw away a priceless letter or work of art?......Mine have become treasures, and always bring a smile.

I must share a story about my parents.... When my Dad was doing a tour of duty in Korea, he and my mother wrote each other every single day, they had no cell phones, or computers, just the good ole' U.S. mail service. Writing that often you would have thought they wouldn't have anything to talk about, I watched as my mother waited with anticipation for each letter to come, it really made an impact on my life, the love and devotion they had for each other, was one of the marks I used in finding my sweetie.....

Here is my note to you, I wish I could have written it by hand.... Open it up

{Thank you for all of your concerns, prayers and well wishes during my sickness, my spirit was lifted so much. I am truly a blessed person to have you in my life.}
Love,
Sue
Update.... I am feeling soooo much better, the antibiotic has a made a big difference, not to mention the TLC dear one has given me. I am so looking forward to getting back on track. Please take care of yourself.
Sue

Edited: 2-8-11
I wrote this post over a week ago, and a few days later  dh bought me one of my favorite magazines, as I was nearing the end, I found an article about the lost art of hand written letters, I had a great laugh, and was thrilled to know that someone besides me was hoping this lost art would soon return. Mrs Thompson's article is much better than mine. LOL If you get a chance please read it. Also, after mailing  my letters, my sister, Mary( who was one of the recipients) while calling to check on me, was thrilled to have received her  handwritten note in the mail. I really want to be more faithful, and thoughtful in my writing.