Simply Home by Beth

Simply Home by Beth

Do not be dismayed, Do not be discouraged…

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“So do not fear, for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

” For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear: I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

God is near to the broken hearted…

Yesterday, Monday morning, I woke with the above verses going through my mind.. “Do not be dismayed, do not be discouraged.”

I wasn’t sure why those verses decided to pop up and visit, I hadn’t been “dismayed” for awhile, and if I would assess myself more often, I probably would be discouraged!

The reality of it is that Monday morning, at 9:30 A.M., a sweet family friend of ours, 37 years old, was having her funeral….just the way she had planned it, in a large, beautiful Cathedral in the suburbs of Chicago. She, was and still is, my daughter’s best friend. And I couldn’t be there, for my daughter…who was devastated, though you wouldn’t see it.

Last week, I went to see my daughter, Courtney, for a few days, to help her out. Watching/playing with the little ones, so Courtney could sit by her friend’s bedside., while she was still alert. I was there for a night and 2 days, there had been little change with her friend, so I felt like I could go home, and I knew I’d be back soon. But, not when.

Arriving home, I sat about preparing for guests at our cottage, Labor Day weekend was just a day away! We enjoyed their stay with us, and together we attended a large party on Labor Day, with my husband’s family.

Her friend “made it” through the weekend, though slipped away soon after.

After she passed, we went back to my daughters’ for another night and 2 days, helping out with the kids, attending a “first” flag football game, and attending the “wake” on Sunday afternoon.

Again, I felt the same way. If I could just stay one more day….attend the funeral…then I would know that I had done everything I could, with the time that I had to give. But again, I had to be home.

Frustrated, dismayed even, over the feeling that I can never do enough….or was it?

This “death” was so tragic, and too soon. At the wake, my words of comfort choked in my throat…I can only hope and pray that they felt , or understood, the message I was relaying. Not long ago, I stood at the podium at my Father’s funeral, and I began with, “We know that God is near to the broken hearted, so He is very close right now…” This is what I wanted them to know, to hang on to, to count on, to rely on. The God of all Creation, tells us to “not fear”, “I will be with you.” Can you imagine meaning that much to anyone that important???? Obviously, He has other things to do, needs to be met, prayers to be heard and answered. And yet? He stops everything to reassure us, comfort us, encourage us to keep going, and He’ll go with us!

God’s amazing Love…for Us…always present, never failing.

God will give us the strength, His strength, to carry out all that we are called to do, and the wisdom to know that our abilities are feeble, without the Lord himself beside us.

Friends, I feel like I’ve been all over on this post, but the emotions are a bit “all over” as well! In your prayers, please remember the family of Jessica, her parents, her husband, her “little” brother, and her daughter, only 4 years old….wondering where her Mother is.

Just pray. Thank you,

Blessings, Beth

German Pickles

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German Sweet and Sour Dill Pickles

Beth Wood
Carrie's Christmas Pickles
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
5 minutes to cool 14 days
Total Time 14 days 30 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine German
Servings 8

Equipment

  • quart size glass canning jar with self-sealing rim and jar ring
  • canner

Ingredients
  

  • 1.2 lb. pickling cucumbers cut in large pieces to fit jar
  • 1 onion diced, thinly
  • 1 tbs. coarsely chopped dill no stems
  • 10 mustard seeds
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • 1/3 C. white wine vinegar
  • 4 tbs. sugar
  • 2 tbs. salt

German Pickles, makes 1 Quart

Instructions
 

  • Use small fresh pickling cucumbers. Thoroughly wash, then cut into large pieces to fit into your jar.
  • Peel and thinly dice the onion.
  • Place the diced onion , dill, mustard seed, peppercorns and cucumbers into a sterilized glass quart size canning jar.
  • Combine the white wine vinegar, 1 3/4 C. water, sugar, and salt in a pot and heat until sugar is dissolved. Fill the canning jar with the hot liquid leaving 1/2" headspace. Cover the jar with a self-sealing lid and jar ring.
  • Fill a boiling water canner 1/2 full with water and heat until hot but not boiling.
  • Place the jar in the canner, add boiling water if needed to cover jar by 1". Bring water to a boil for 15 minutes, then let jar cool for 5 minutes before taking jar out of the canner.
  • Store the jar in a cool, dark place for 14 days before opening. After open, store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Tip: To make more jars, multiply the quantities needed. Cooking/water bath time does not change.
A “gentler” method of canning cucumbers is to place the jars in a canner half-filled with warm water. Add enough hot water so that the jars are submerged 1″ below the water line. Heat water to boiling, and boil for 30 minutes. Again, cool for 5 minutes. Store the same way as above.
 
Keyword pickles, cucumbers, onions, salt, sugar, white wine vinegar, dill

September’s News

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For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven……Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is a time to plant, and to reap what you sow, ….this is the sweetness of September…technically, not yet Autumn, but the Summer’s work is done and it is ready to harvest.

If we are wise, we will store up and put away the fruits of our efforts…..in other words, we will preserve the freshness of Summer, and there are several ways to do that.

My daughter makes German pickles…a recipe given to her by her German neighbors, while she was stationed in Germany a few years ago. They are so crisp, with a spice unlike the pickles you’ll find here at home. I’d like to can a few quarts of my own, with her recipe.

This will be the first time I’ve attempted to make these pickles, but I’m excited to learn how to make my own. My husband actually requests a quart or two every Christmas! (and I think that’s why she gave me the recipe..!!!!)

In the past few months, here on the blog, I’ve had a monthly “news” post, outlining all of the crafts, recipes, and activities for each month. Sadly, at the end of one or more of these months, not every item was checked off of my list,..leaving me frustrated, and more than a bit embarrassed! There are no “excuses,” but an awareness gained. Summer goes by so quickly, and I’ve been over-booked and over-extended, really stretching the limits of how much I can do, and do well, and still enjoy the outcome.

The month of August, has been harsh for our family. A childhood friend, extremely ill, fighting to hang on, and several unexpected tragic deaths, too soon, without any warnings or explanations. It’s been a lot to process, or atleast try to process.

What I’m saying is this, September wraps up Summer as it also heralds in Autumn.

I will post events , projects, new recipes, and “news” as it happens. My Instagram and Face Book posts will direct you to the blog, so you don’t miss a thing.

October is my all time favorite month of the year, and by then, Lord willing (as my Grandma would say), I’ll be back on track.

Find me on Instagram, and I’ll post here as well, you’ll find me, I’ll make sure of it.

Blessings, Beth

Pumpkin Season Begins…

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Pumpkin Season Begins
Fall is Fast Approaching…Pumpkin Season Begins

A couple of years ago, while still living in Illinois, I had my own Shop, selling vintage and antique items, with seasonal handmade crafts. The above Cinderella pumpkins, were a big hit, selling out almost immediately.

They weren’t difficult to make but took some time. I wanted them to look as real as possible, because the shop where I rented my space, specialized in American Primitives. One thing led to another, after all, you can’t offer ONE of anything, so my pumpkins, like real pumpkins, came in all colors, shapes, materials and styles. The funny thing about that is this…. I never got tired of making those pumpkins…. I loved it!

A Cinderella pumpkin made from a vintage grain sack, selling Grass Seed.

One mid-July, I went to an auction with my husband, we were both looking for items to sell at the shop, I couldn’t stay long, my car was full of pumpkins to deliver to the store and set up for the next day. Unloading a bushel basket from my car, filled with pumpkins to take to the shop, a man stopped me to talk. Soon, Jon, my husband, joined us, and told me he had “filled in” Michael with all the info about my pumpkins….

I had no idea what was going on!!!

Rag Strips Pumpkin

Did this Michael want to shop at my store? Did he need directions? Why was Jon spending so much time talking in earnest to him? WHO is he??

Turns out, Michael’s mother had started a yearly craft festival in the city of Sandwich, Illinois many years earlier, ( forty plus ), and it is still one of the most successful, still operating festivals in Northern Illinois.

Well……knowing THAT, I was honored and surprised that he had even noticed my “work”!

Information was passed along, how to apply, what is required, who participates, etc. etc.

I entered, was accepted, and my life, as I knew it, changed drastically.! Between my “shop” and the Craft Festival, I literally made hundreds to a thousand pumpkins per year ! Tylenol became my new best friend!

Now that I’m “home”, in Indiana, I’ve thought about participating in an Etsy shop. Can you have too many pumpkins? I doubt it, hope not, will keep you posted on how things work out!

White Muslin pumpkins with exposed seams

Friend, whatever your pumpkin-preference is, if you can’t find your “perfect” pumpkin, you may want to try making your own!

It’s easy.

I promise.

If you make your own, please let me know, I’d love to hear about it!

Yea for Pumpkins!

xx,

Little Cottage Renovation Part Two

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Part Two

With the key in our hand, on a Friday night, we stepped inside our “new” cottage.

Like the first time we had opened that door, we stepped forward, then immediately stepped back, pushed back by the smell that greeted us!

A horrid combination of mold, mildew, dust, dirt, urine, dog feces and heavy air after being locked up all winter……welcomed us home! Undeterred, we were giggly-happy to finally have this house to tackle, to recreate, and mold it into the cottage of our dreams….or as close as possible to our dreams! (we DID have a budget, after all).

The very first thing we did, as I mentioned in the previous story, was to tear out the carpeting…the carpet padding was so damp it literally stuck to the concrete floors and had to be scraped off. The roof hadn’t leaked, the “damp” was from dogs saturating the carpet and the padding,…..enough said, I’m sure you get the picture.

Still, there was much to do and we continued on through the night until all of the carpeting was outside of the house, nothing remained inside The floors were in good shape, clean except for a bit of old linoleum still stuck to the kitchen floor. Again, we kept scraping.

Now, our eyes went to the ceiling…..

Our Lake Cottage Living Room/Before

This dark paneled ceiling was less than 6 inches over Jon’s head!

Jon stands at 6’3″, so the height from floor to the dark paneling was less than 7′ tall. He said it made him feel “claustrophobic”! At first, I scrambled and thought, “if it was white, beadboard, it would look higher and the room would look bigger….”

No, Jon said, it’s sagging in the middle….

At that point, we called in some friends to help with demo…they were experienced in construction, and actually had the skills we lacked. Fortunately, their enthusiasm for the project matched ours!

And, Demo begins! We cut a small hole in the ceiling just to “see” what was under the paneling…..insulation rained down from above! Their sight-hole revealed a low ceiling about 1 foot above the paneling. One foot! Still too low for even a low ceiling….unreal. Why is it so low? Keep cutting….

Discovered a 2nd roof over the first……starting cutting out our original roof with 7 layers of shingles!

Two complete rooflines on this house! The original, first roof was a hip roof, it supported 7 layers of shingles, all different colors throughout the years . We were all amazed that the roof hadn’t collapsed with the first snow to hit it…so much weight on those old rafters!

I will say that we really have the best of friends, more like family than anything else.

Within three days, two friends, my brother and my husband, Jon, removed an entire roofline, ceilings, interior walls, cement structures in the laundry room, old electrical, plumbing, and miscellaneous cables were removed….and all of it cleared away, neatly dumped into 3 large dumpsters! The house was now an empty shell.

And what did they want in return? To do a little fishing, and go to the local fish-fry at the Bowling Alley……! They have hearts of gold, and we were beyond grateful. And yes, I did slip them some cash, though they said they didn’t want it…they worked so hard to help us make our dream come true. We are so blessed!

Outside…

Years before Covid hit, I was wearing a mask OUTSIDE, my task was to burn everything and anything that didn’t fit into the dumpsters! Every now and then, I’d see a really weathered piece of wood, or a super knotty knotty-pine trim piece, and I’d set it aside to keep. Roaring bonfires went all day, early and into the night, I’m sure the neighbors kept a close watch, but they never uttered a negative word….we were beyond grateful.

The trash is gone, the walls and ceiling are removed, time for framing and electrical…….

When the dumpsters were gone, all trash removed and the floors cleaned and sealed, it was time to call the contractor for the new roof, and all interior framing!

Inside, our Plumber was the first contractor to actually install something NEW in this old cottage! It’s amazing that within a half inch or less, I now had pipes, drains, cold and hot water lines….and it still all looked like little pipes sticking out of the cement. I I thought they stood straight and tall, as if proud to be the first to show up:)..I was so excited I could barely sleep at night….

This cottage is going to be AWESOME!

Light Summer Side Salad

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Romaine Side Salad…..Light and Fresh

Romaine Salad

Beth Wood
Romaine salad with Parmesan cheese, onion, tomatoes and avacado
Print Recipe
Servings 4 people

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 6 C. Romaine lettuce torn or cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 avacado sliced into bite size pieces (optional)
  • 1/2 C. cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/3 C. Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
  • 1/4 C. red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/4 C. pine nuts optional

Dressing

  • 3 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
  • 1 small clove garlic pressed or minced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl, and gently toss to mix
  • In a small bowl, stir dressing ingredients together to mix well.
  • Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Uncover, add dressing to salad and toss before serving.