Brunch of Stuff!

The FIRST garden bouquet! The irises are blooming! I have roses starting too, which means the heat is about to begin....
I so do not like to sweat...so you that are cold don't have even one pang of jealousy. When you are having your comfortable days in August, I will so be wishing to be in some beautiful beach resort with a fanning attendant and nice cool drinks on ice. As long as I am fantasizing here, made by the Noble Pig, guaranteed to be beautiful to look at and enjoy.











We had some friends over for brunch. The garden is getting luscious. I wanted to get some photos but the sky was really overcast. Our friends stayed for a leisurely time of eating and visiting, we gabbed for a long time. Just the way I like to visit best, over food and tea. They spent 37 years living in Colombia working as missionaries. They are wonderful people and fun! There was a lot of laughter amidst the story telling today, and we all ate like SNORTS!

Check out that loaf of bread right out of the oven! This time I followed Karey's recipe for Breakfast Bread. The only thing I changed was that I used 1/4 c. of real buttermilk instead of powder, omitted molasses, and used 1 Tbsp of cinnamon. She says to use raisins or dates, I used 1 c dates and 1 cup cran raisins with the whole ground up orange. I really cannot describe to you just how delicious this bread is! It rose out of the pans and started breaking on the side. the loaves were huge! If you want the recipe go over to her blog and ask her about it.
She's on my blog roll. Karey's Overflow. I'm still rereading her book. She talks in it about life, raising kids, and faith in God. I'm getting more out of it the second time.

You'd think that would be enough for one day, having a lovely party, lots of laughter and sharing. These friends helped get our hearts ready for our neighborhood Bible study. This Saturday we have invited everyone on our block to come to our home in the afternoon for a "getting to know you" open house. We will then invite them to come back for an informal Bible study discussion group. A lot of prayer goes into something like this. It's not our idea. God has been leading Jimmy in this and after about 6 months of wishing it to go away, ( and it didn't) here we are. We start on the 4th! I thought the perfect people to encourage my husband to jump out of his comfort zone would be a couple who has spent their whole life listening to God and saying yes. They were.

After that my husband surprises me with a plan for a really big vegetable garden, goodbye lawn (weed patch). I really wouldn't put it where he wants to put it, but it's his gig so I shut up. Yeah, I know you are shocked. Sometimes my mouth does close at that opportune moment. It is rare but it can happen.

Well, that should be a really full, really great day right? I came up here with the intentions of writing a short post about the bread. But over at The Righteous Buzz my friend Coffee Bean has something for me. She gave me a sisterhood award. It's cute the denim pocket and the flower, but what is very special about it is the write up she did on her post, about all those she shared this with. CB is hysterically funny, and sometimes she has hid behind her humor. This woman has developed more courage and VOICE in this past year than some people do in a life time.

Some people never share who they really are. I loved the way she talks about blogging friends and how this process we participate in actually makes a difference in other peoples lives. She talks about how one persons victory over a struggle makes it seem more possible for victory in her own life. Isn't that true? When we meet the kind of folks who are "the rubber meets the road" people, the "salt of the earth" people, the faithful when others are faithless people; we become inspired. We believe we too can aspire to achieve.

I believe that there are many people in this world connected by this www, who are actively seeking to make a difference, blooming where they are planted. Some of us encourage others. Some teach others. Some share their talents of art, humour, homemaking, friendship, and the list goes on; but the point is we share. We stop being a part of the mindless rat race to express ideas, to connect, to change, and to be heard. It's ironic really that computer technology is enabling people to make this earthy, rich, deep, grassroots connection, and ya'll wonder why we are so "addicted"? Reality contact! We were made to produce, not just consume. We are made in the image of God full of life and creativity. We are made to connect.

(I am going to take some time to share with my 10) enough for one day already! Besides everybody on Coffee Bean's list would have been on my list, except for Rick,. nominating a guy for a sisterhood award, now that is hilarious! Go read his comment over there you'll fall out.)

PS please pray for Stellan over at MckMama's, he's a 5 month old baby CRITICALLY ill with a major heart problem. She is on my blog roll too. you can click on my blog roll to hop to another blog. This baby was supposed to die at birth and didn't. The problem the doctors predicted has now surfaced now that he is 5 months old.