Wins!

 Elsa made her first white buns in over a decade! The old bakery-skills remain.

While most were a gift for friends in their surgery week, we each got a taste along with my Autumn Soup one evening. Amazing treat!

I also finished our last slices of gluten free sourdough from Simple Kneads. No need to order that anymore!

And a huge win after years of getting my hair trimmed at home was to go back to the salon for a trim! Thanks so brain rewiring* with Jesus, there were no issues from chemical sensitivities this time! 

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

*Learn more about brain rewiring on my webpage here: Brain Rewiring for LIFE

Garden Produce in November

Amid hard frosts, lettuce throve in the cold-frame...

...and kale in the open air!

It was time for more kale chips as well as some dehydrated kale powder.

Meanwhile, the last of our squash were baked, plus some pumpkins from a friend. Lots of squash seeds were roasted and frozen for snacks, as well as these cinnamon-honey pumpkin seeds.

Time for a coffee break with whole milk!

Asking for Help

 The Autumn work around home taught me a new lesson in humility this year.

When a wild wind just after soybean harvest caused a brown ground-blizzard, we ended up with up to 3-foot drifts of leaves packed in around the raspberries, flower garden, lilacs, and more. 

Dad was still very low on energy and losing muscle due to treatment at that point, and Elsa didn't need to be exposed to all these dusts and sprays as she shouldered more work during Mom's recovery from her second complete knee replacement of the year. So I raked, shoveled, and pitched the dusty leaves over a couple of days before having to admit that the job (on top of all our other autumn work on lawn, gardens, and house) was too much for us. 

Enter: the Body of Christ

Seven adults and three kids from Elsa's and my church arrived one Saturday morning and got us well over the hump in two hours! Two strong guys spent most of the time finishing off the soybean drifts while the rest of us tackled a lawn covered in little branches from one of our wild autumn winds, got the roses tucked in for winter, and more. One helped with his chainsaw, and another was comfortable helping us drive the backhoe with huge buckets full to the burn pit.

Front flower bed: Before & After  all the help covering the roses with dirt and leaves

It was not easy for us to ask for help. But even more than the work completed (which was of more value than can be calculated), we were so blessed by the fellowship and encouragement of our "family." Visiting over deep dish pizzas and homegrown apples was a great way to unwind.

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." • Galatians 6:10

Storing Memories in my Sketchbook

 My view which prompted a sketch and watercolor-play:

The results on the final page of this watercolor sketchbook:

Looking back to the first page, I shake my head over how it took 4+ years to fill a smaller book than the first one which I filled in about a year.

But then I am grateful for how many other things have come back into life which have limited my time for nature journaling. 

And no matter how many months come between pages, each one still brings back special memories. 

First Apple Pie

This was a "first."

• The first apple pie I have made in years

• The first einkorn flour crust we have tried

• And thus, the first gluten pie crust for our family in over a decade

Apple season around here includes:

• Applesauce

• Dehydrated apples with cinnamon

• Frozen apple slices for winter baking

• And more!

Harvest Time 2025

Saving Beauty from the Frost

Frost is becoming a frequent early-morning visitor once again. So it was time to make some final garden bouquets. 

And a few favorite pots are still being enjoyed by spending cold nights indoors.