Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

Saturday on the Farm

June 30, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

My Mimosa Tree is blooming. It’s so pretty! The fluffy pink flowers fall to the ground while they are still pretty, and the ground gets covered in them. It’s like having my own flower girl every time I walk under the tree. 🙂 I feel like a princess walking on flowers. lol The fragrance from the flowers is beautiful, too. It’s hard to describe as it doesn’t smell like any flower I’ve smelled before. If you ever see a Mimosa Tree, walk under it, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. 🙂

The Peppermint in the herb garden behind the house is getting huge. Some of it is four feet tall. I planted ONE plant. lol Guess I better get busy drying it. We’ll have plenty of peppermint tea this winter. I do like fresh peppermint in my ice tea, and we do like mint ice cream. But I don’t think we can eat all of this! lol I think I’m going to have to start digging some up and giving it away to guests. lol

See the dead grass on the sidewalk in front of the peppermint? That’s my newest garden secret. When I make homemade ice cream, I dump the salt water (ice) on the grass, weeds, etc. Within a couple of days, it all dies! I need to go out and pull the dead stuff out before the roots start growing again. But the salt water does a great job of killing it off.

We had this old bike in our pile of broken down bikes and I had my son move it over to this spot in the backyard. He said, “What do you want to put it here for?” lol This is behind the house, by the creek. There is a Hosta, and an Iris in this garden. And a bunch of native plants. lol Eventually, there will be some more shade loving plants here. For now, the bike dresses it up a little. And gives my kids something to ask me about. lol

I conclude this Saturday on the Farm update with something fun.

As I went to work at the clothes closet yesterday, I started laughing so hard when I went by the neighbors house. I just have to share pictures of what I saw. Yes, I stopped in the road and took pictures! lol

Someone hung their “bloomers” in the tree! roflol I think they are actually some sort of coveralls they hung in the tree to scare critters away from their garden. A couple of other trees nearby had white squares of fabric tired to them. I think they look like long johns, though.

I do wish the wind hadn’t of blown the one leg over the other. But it’s still the funniest thing ever to drive by and see the “bloomers” blowing in the wind from a tree! By the way, doesn’t their garden look awesome?!

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Our Homeschool Week in Review – Graduation!

June 30, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

We had a double homeschool high school graduation! Our older two homeschool graduates had separate graduations. so having a double graduation was fun!

Our Homeschool Week in Review – Graduation!

My husband gave Calen, 18, his diploma first.

Next came Hannah, 17.

The two new graduates together. They are only 13 months apart in age, and are our two middle children.

My husband, myself, and our two graduates.

They didn’t want to wear gowns, but both wanted to wear the caps. I tried to get Calen to dress for the occasion. sigh….. He insisted he wanted to wear a tshirt.

Hannah made her dress herself. Including designing, making the pattern, and sewing. If you look closely, you can see the detail at the bottom of the dress. She also put in a side zipper. It came out great, like all her projects, and it’s a very pretty summer dress.

We had their graduation on Sunday after church, so we ate lunch first.

The graduates had a great day, and are so happy to be done with high school! I know, because they keep telling everyone that. lol They are still working on their plans for the future.

I hope and pray that they seek God’s will, and follow the plan that HE has for their lives.

To see more homeschooling posts, visit Weekly Wrap Up.

God’s 10 Best Dressed Women

June 27, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I came across this list of God’s 10 Best Dressed Women over a year ago. Unfortunately, when I wrote the list down, I didn’t write down the source. I love this list, and I love that all 10 can be backed up with scripture.

God’s 10 Best Dressed Women

1. The woman whose modesty adorns her.

2. The woman who cloths herself in good works.

3. The woman who does not garb herself with gossip

4. The woman who refuses to wear the garment of idleness.

5. The woman whose warmth is generated by an inner love of others.

6. The woman who dresses that she may not be a stumbling block to others.

7. The woman whose feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

8. The woman who sparkles, not of jewelry, but with her love for her family.

9. The woman who drapes herself with chasteness an fidelity.

10. The woman whose best suit is her love for Christ and His church.

There are many Bible verses that mention the traits in this list. Christian women are often encouraged to be like the Proverbs 31 woman. And Proverbs 31 mentions several of the traits on this list.

Proverbs 31: 10-31

10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her

husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and

not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with

her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She

also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for

her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a

vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She

perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night.

19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle.

20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with

scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders

of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the

merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of

idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he

praises her: 29 “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.”

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she

shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works

praise her in the gates.

*I did several online searches looking for this list. After going through pages and pages of results with different search engines, I was unable to find it. If you know of the original source, please let me know so I can give proper credit. Thanks.

Pennsylvania Patchwork Review

June 25, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I recently received a copy of the book Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd to review. Pennsylvania Patchwork is book Two in the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy.

About PennsylvaniaPatchwork:

Seattle native Holly Fisher is smitten by Lancaster County, its simplicity and her long lost relatives. In the sequel to bestselling Leaving Lancaster, Holly embraces the Amish culture, learning to slow down to see what — and who — really matters.

Meeting the family that her mother had kept hidden from her, Holly comes face to face with her real life and blood legacy. She also falls for the charming Zach, a handsome Mennonite veterinarian who is everything she’s ever wanted in a husband: confident, kind, successful, and authentic. And Zach proposes marriage. Is this too soon? Is this the right choice? Mother and Amish grandmother think she’s rushing into too much of a lifestyle change. Holly is in love with Zach and that precludes everything. Until she meets an attractive Amish man. And an old suitor shows up.

Pennyslvania Patchwork is the moving, richly told story of one woman’s heart, her faith and trust, and the choices she makes. Never easy, but one choice can change your destiny.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/lG7GU (Not my affiliate link)

My Pennsylvania Patchwork Review

Pennsylvania Patchwork is different from most Amish fiction books today. Holly didn’t even know she had Amish family, now she’s living with her grandmother and her mother in Lancaster County. The story line of Holly adjusting to living Amish held my attention. She has a hard time giving up her cell phone and her computer, like most of us would. The relationship of Holly to her mother Esther and her grandmother Anna grows and changes over the course of the book, and there are very heart warming moments between them all. I like that the author shows Holly and Esther learning to turn everything over to God, including their choice for a husband.

When I signed up for this review, I thought I had read book one in the series. Turns out I haven’t. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Pennsylvania Patchwork. You will be able to follow the story line and enjoy this book even if you haven’t read book one. Of course, now I want to read it, it’s now on my wishlist.

Meet Kate:

Author Kate Lloyd is a passionate observer of human relationships. A native of Baltimore, Kate spends time with family and friends in Lancaster County, PA, the inspiration for her novels. She is a member of the Lancaster County Mennonite Historical Society. Kate and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest. Kate studied painting and sculpture in college. She’s worked a variety of jobs, including car salesman and restaurateur.

Learn more about Kate at http://www.katelloyd.net

Kate Lloyd is celebrating the release of book two in her Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy, Pennsylvania Patchwork, by giving away an authentic Amish-made quilt!

One “grand” winner receive:

An authentic Amish-made Quilt
Pennsylvania Patchwork and Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 29th. Winner will be announced on July 1st at Kate’s blog.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Goodbye GFC, Now What Should I Use?

June 24, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Goodbye GFC, Now What Should I Use?

GFC was so convenient! Click follow on a blog, and new posts automatically showed up in your Google Reader. Shortly after I moved from Blogger to WordPress, Google announced that GFC would no longer be available to WordPress users So I posted Linky Followers in my sidebar. I still read the blogs I followed in Google Reader. Now Google is doing away with the Reader as of July 1st.

I’ve been trying out different readers. Linky Followers has a decent reader, as does Feedly. I’ve also been using bloglovin’ lately, and I really like it. You get one email every day with all the new posts. The readers that I have tried recently are making it easy to transfer the blogs your following to them. They ask you if you want to transfer, you click yes, and it imports your lists. It was very easy on the ones that I tried. Yes, I transferred my blog list to several different readers so I could see which one I liked best.

When you find your new favorite, don’t forget to add Linda’s Lunacy! I have a bloglovin’ button in the right sidebar along with Linky Followers and Networked Blogs.

Don’t forget to follow Linda’s Lunacy on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinerest, too!

In the Kitchen with Linda – Dinner Menu

June 24, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

My main project this week was getting ready for our double homeschool high school graduation. Details coming in Our Homeschool Week in Review on Friday. Here are a few pictures of the table at graduation

We served sub sandwiches, chips, dip, and cup cakes. That’s what the graduates picked, so that’s what they got. 🙂

I absolutely love my Tupperware Chip ‘N Dip Bowl. (Linked to my Tupperware website, if you click and order something, I will receive a commission) The lid to the bowl turns into a divided serving tray. The little dip bowls have lids, so you can make your dip ahead of time and put it in the fridge. The chip bowl is huge, 1 1/2 gallons, I put in two big bags of chips. You can also use it as a punch bowl. I really love it!

Chocolate cup cakes are yummy no matter how you serve them! lol

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

In the Kitchen with Linda – Dinner Menu:

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Hot dogs, salad with homemade Italian Salad Dressing

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Subs, chips, and cup cakes for graduation lunch

Monday – chicken – Oven Baked Chicken, oven fried potatoes, green beans, broccoli

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pizza, carrot sticks

Wednesday – beef – Tacos with all the fixings

Thursday – chicken – Chicken Pasta Salad

Friday – Sabbath Dinner – leftovers, I think…… lol

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

Saturday on the Farm – Bible Garden

June 22, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I found out about Bible Gardens a few years ago when I came across a book and just loved the idea of starting one. Even though I’ve had a Bible Garden for 7 or 8 years, it is still a work in progress. Plants grow, change, die, I add something new, the goat eats my new bush (true story!). It’s an ever changing garden.

A Bible Garden is a garden with plants that are mentioned in the Bible or plants that have Bible sounding names. Some examples of plants that are mentioned in the Bible are Roses, Hyssop, Burning Bush. Some examples of plants that aren’t necessarily named in the Bible but have Bible sounding names are Lily of the Valley (below), Rose of Sharon, Lambs Ear, or the Passion Flower in the picture above.

Bible Gardens can be a fun family project to plant and maintain. I used to have a bench next to my Bible Garden, and it was a beautiful, peaceful place to go to pray or to just sit and think. The Burning Bush below is just gorgeous in the fall.

Lambs Ear, below, is a fun plant to have if you have small children. It is so soft and a family favorite. The flower stalks are beautiful, too. All of the little green buds open to a purple flower so that the whole stalk is covered in purple. You can see how “furry” the bigger leaves are. Just like a real lambs ear.

I learned about Bible Gardens by reading. This is the book that I have.

(Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. If you click on them and buy a book, I will earn a small commission)

The author has done a great job of researching the subject and presenting it. She uses the Latin name for plants, so it can be hard to find some of these plants in your local nursery or in a catalog. She often calls them by a common name in her explanation, so that does make it easier to find some of the plants now.

Here are three more books available on Bible Gardens.