summer sweet corn and the keepers

there is nothing like illinois sweet corn straight from the garden. oh, my! it is heaven. it is one of those things that you simply must have when the hot days of august roll around.

the keepers met on saturday to work on their food preservation badge. i really must take just a moment to tell you how truly thankful i am for this group. i have been so blessed by these moms and daughters (both past members and present). these women have been such an encouragement to me by their commitment to spending time with their girls, teaching and mentoring them in all areas of skill and service. at this meeting nancy taught the group how to preserve fresh corn by freezing it. she did a wonderful job of leading the girls through each step. and we enjoyed her stories of growing up on a farm where the whole family and a whole day was devoted to the process, freezing many times more than we attempted on this day. thank you, nancy, for sharing your expertise with us!

beforet the meeting, B and i stopped by the farmer's market to pick up some really fresh corn...

beacon woods market stand

this is my friend, chris at the farmer's market. her corn is incredible!

( you can check out her blog here. she writes about her adventures on the farm and her observations of God's grace and love. )

B choosing her corn for the keepers at home meeting this morning

first the corn is shucked and cleaned of silk.

then into the boiling pots go the cobs of corn

after 3 minutes at a rolling boil,

the piping hot, blanched corn is taken out the pot...

and plunged into ice water to stop the cooking process.

mrs. D is demonstrating the safe way to cut the kernels from the cob,

the girls give it a try.

filling the freezer bags with the corn kernels

nice team work!

the girls holding a bag of the finished product, ready for the freezer

they did a fantastic job!!!

everyday gift: sweet girls and sweet corn

another keeper adventure

here is the latest installment in the keeper adventures! the girls earned their rubber stamping badge with the help of janet. (thank you, janet! it was wonderful!) they had a great time and made some very nice cards. the keeper handbook has an entire section of badges which focus on Others, serving family, church, and community in special ways. although the rubber stamping badge does not officially fall into this category, i love the way the girls naturally thought of others as they made their cards. a little note to someone is a wonderful way of sharing love and encouragement.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,

just as in fact you are doing.

I Thess. 5:11

i would also like to mention that O brought some very yummy brownies and lemonade as our treat! thank you! and to those who could not be with us, you were missed!!

working on her stamping (notice her finished weaving project. some of the girls brought their projects from the last meeting to show. very nice!)

cute pigtails!

janet demonstrating an embossing technique, it seems like magic!

on a side note, i want to share a silly story about the evening. before B and i left mark and the boys, they were trying to decide what to do since the girls were having their own special plans that night. they threatened to go to our favorite ice cream shop, for shakes. of course we convinced them to wait until we could go along, too...well, it just so happens that the ice cream shop is directly across the street from the coffee shop where the keepers were meeting. during our craft time we sat at tables near a large window, and who should come parading by with giant shakes and ice cream cones? very funny, guys! it had the desired effect as the girls moaned and hollered and shook their little fists at them through the window! but don't feel too sorry for us! janet's husband, jim popped in to make all sorts of iced frappuccinos, italian sodas, and smoothies for us. thanks, jim! you are so good to us! :o)

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everyday gift: encouraging one another

weaving with the keepers

the saturday of our keeper meeting came with a flurry...and i do mean that in both senses of the word! my day was a whirlwind: getting ready for our weaving project, running to soccer games, baking a pie, and cleaning house...when i discovered S running a high fever. yikes. the keeper girls were supposed to meet at our house, but i couldn't expose them to a fever, not even knowing yet, what was the cause. but i didn't want to cancel! the solution brought such a blessing. patty, a friend of a keeper mom, so kindly agreed to open her church up for our meeting. it was the perfect place with a nice large table to set up our weaving and cute little cafe tables to work and visit. and not only that, she showed such hospitality as she made a pot of coffee and served us while we were busy with our project. thank you, patty! you really blessed us with your servant's heart and loving spirit!

our group has undergone a change since last year. several of our original members have become busy with other activities and others have joined! so we are excited to welcome our newest members. this was our first meeting with the new members and i have to say we are really blessed with such incredible girls! we could see the buds of new friendships springing up even as the blooms continue with the older friendships. not to mention the fellowship of the moms who are like-minded in their desire to raise up girls who love the Lord.

B and A (and a thank you to A who made cookies for our snack with her mom! yummy!)

we began a project for the weaving badge using a simple cardboard loom. the girls put the warp on and choose colorful yarns to weave a little bookmark. beautiful work, girls!

A working hard with a little help

attentive girls ready to learn

moms helping daughters

E shows the beginning of her weaving

O is for orange

the girls did such a nice job beginning their projects. they will finish them at home and bring them back to the next meeting to show off their handiwork.

everyday gift: new friends joining keepers

a special treat

this morning we had a special treat, B cooked breakfast for us! she has decided to earn the keepers at home cooking badge and this was the first of 15 meals that she will prepare. i couldn't believe how motivated she was this morning. you see, B is not typically a morning person, so to cook breakfast for her brothers before school she had to set her alarm and get up about an hour and a half earlier than usual. i was a little skeptical of the plan, but she bounced out of bed ready to go! the requirements for the badge include 1) planning the menu, 2) setting the table, 3) cooking the meal, 4) serving, and 5) cleaning up.

our breakfast menu this morning included french toast, sliced apples, and orange juice. and it was fabulous! i am looking forward to the rest of the meals she will be preparing!

i'll add a picture when i get a minute.

everyday gift: B's french toast

the thanksgiving box

our latest keeper meeting focused on the upcoming thanksgiving holiday so we made a craft that would help them and their families live with gratitude all year long. whenever you find a reason to praise and thank God during the year, you write it on a piece of paper, date it, sign it, and pop it in the box. when thanksgiving comes around, you draw out the slips of paper and remember a whole year full of blessings that might otherwise have been forgotten. i hope it will give them eyes which notice even the smallest things that God has put into their lives.

the girls suggested things they could write down and add to their boxes right away:

"i am thankful that i was adopted."

"i am thankful that i was kept safe when a deer hit our car today!"

"i am thankful that i still have nelly!"

"i am thankful that i have a birth mother."

such sweet offerings of praise! those girls touch my heart every time!

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

we had a a lot of fun doing our craft. we used colorful fall napkins and modge podge to decorate the outside of the boxes, added a Bible verse on thankfulness and ribbon. thank you to janet for sharing her craft expertise with us all!

the girls with their thanksgiving boxes

hearts filled with love and gratitude

[my inspiration for our boxes]

everyday gift: scraps of paper which testify to God's richest blessings.

applesauce

would ya look at those keeper girls?! they are the best! they sure worked hard making and canning applesauce on saturday. a big BIG 'thank you' goes to mr. and mrs. w and sarah who planned, organized, and executed this ambitious project. we learned a lot about the importance and history of safe food preservation and about the process of canning. we also got to take home some yummy applesauce, some to eat and some to share with a shut-in or neighbor.

mrs. w shared her favorite combination of apples for the best sauce: a large portion of jonathon with smaller portions of macintosh, banana, and golden delicious. it is indeed a yummy combination.

peeling the apples

mrs. w stirring the apples

oh, yum!

mr. w and daughter sarah helping the keepers with applesauce

putting our hot cooked apples through the food mill

ladling the applesauce into the hot jars

everyday gift: working together in the kitchen

bird houses

the keeper girls worked on their bird badge a few saturdays ago. out in the barn, mark and C helped them put together wren houses. i must say, those girls were mighty with those hammers! it took quite a bit of muscle and patience to get them nailed together and i was glad to see them persevere. then we learned about the best location to put the houses to attract wrens. if they put them up right away there is still a chance for a nest yet this summer since they commonly will have two broods and will build a new nest each time.

that morning we also learned about hummingbirds and filled a feeder with red sugar water. i was hoping we would see one visit the feeder right away, but they waited until everyone had gone home before showing themselves.

i put out a challenge to them to keep track of all the different birds they see in a week. the one who sees the most will win a prize. i can't wait to hear the results of their week of bird watching!

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young-

a place near your altar,

O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Psalm 84:3

everyday gift: girls determined to pound those nails straight!

a visit with a gardener

mrs. olson sharing her garden with the keepers

the keeper at home club has been working on the flower badge this may and june. and saturday the girls met with mrs. olson to tour her garden. it is very clear that the fruits of her life extend way beyond her vegetable garden and into her heart. the love, joy, and kindness she gave to us was so refreshing. it was a sweet afternoon. mrs. olson not only shared her garden, but told us stories of growing up on a farm in a family of swedish immigrants. she and her 3 sisters were expected to work very hard since they had no brothers! her home is filled with antiques and relics of that bygone era, each piece carrying memories and stories and lessons of God's faithfulness to each generation. what a blessing we received!

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5

Teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live...Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience , kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galations 5:22

everyday gift: God's faithfulness to each generation

keepers of the faith

keepers of the faith is a girl's club that B belongs to. we get together monthly, moms and daughters, to learn all sorts of skills, to memorize scripture, serve others in our families and communities, and to share lots of giggles and fun. they met today to paint pottery and earn their ceramics badge. one of the moms opened up her studio/coffee shop for the girls, complete with mocha lattes for the moms and hot cocoa for the girls! it was a delightful afternoon.


i can't tell you how much i love these girls. they are each so incredible with hearts ready to learn, give, love, and grow! it has been such a joy to watch these friendships blossom.

everyday gift: an afternoon with the girls!