Mountain Musings

The End of an Era

Happy November, everyone! I just scrolled back to the beginning of the blog to see just when we started blogging.

Mountain Musings was a Christmas gift from my sister back in 2004...almost 20 years ago! Our first post was written on Christmas Day of that year. I fondly remember everyone brainstorming for the perfect blog name!

Wow! It's hard to believe we've been keeping up the blog for that long...and every member of the family has participated with writing at one time or another through the years.  Thank you, family!

Well, from the title...can you guess what's coming?  Yes, sadly, it's the end of our Mountain Musings blog, even though it will stay up online indefinitely.

I'd like to thank everyone who has stopped by to read, leave comments, and become friends. We would never have come to know some of you without the blog.

Plus, we have the blog to thank for a couple of sons-in-law being added to the family! Here's looking at you Eric and Christopher! Thanks for checking us out!

Thank you also to those who, even though you haven't left a comment, you pop in to get a peak into our lives here. I have no clue who you are...but I can see from the stat counter where you're from.

Over these past 20 years we've had visitors from probably every state in the union...and...unbelievably:

Just recently visitors have checked in from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Italy, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Brazil, Bahrain, and the United Kingdom! I wish I could come visit every one of you!

If you'd like to leave a final comment on this last post...or even your first comment to tell us anything and where you're reading from...please do. I would delight in hearing from you.

And thank you so much for making these last 20 years very fun for me. I will miss blogging and will miss you!

~Deb

Have You Been Missing Notifications of our Posts?

 

We've recently learned that many of you have not been receiving notifications when we post on our blog.

The problem has been with our notifications service, Feedburner, which is no longer providing email notifications of new posts.

We have switched to Follow.It, so if you'd like to continue knowing when we update the blog, please subscribe/resubscribe using the box at the top of the left sidebar.

We will be sending out a new post next week, so you can test out this new feature!

Thanks for following us!

~Deb

 

Empty Nester's DayBook

Well, several blog readers have contacted me--February, March, and April--wondering if we're okay, since the last time I posted was in January!

Yes, we are still kicking and doing as well as two old empty nesters can do! Not a lot of exciting activity around here to post about, to be honest. Things change and activities quiet down once the kids are gone.

So I thought I would start with current events and work my way back to get you up to date.

I've been slowly heading out to the garden since it won't be long before our last frost date of May 15th is here, and it's up to me to plant our garden this year.

Most of the garden veggies, in years past, Hannah and I either ate fresh, or she froze and canned. I will plant less variety and much less quantity, mostly for immediate consumption. The guys around here aren't big veggie eaters to help use it up.

Here's the picket fence garden in early spring....with cardboard covering the beds to prevent weeds. It's overwhelming all the cleanup that needs doing just to get going. But whenever Hannah comes to visit, I want it to look as good as when she was here taking care of it! Big task!

Also this month Jonathan recently hosted his first guests, other than immediate family, in his new home.

He is enjoying his home tremendously and hopes to have more guests come to visit in the coming weeks:

Tom is continuing to help furnish Jonathan's home by building a laundry room cabinet. It's now almost ready for staining and then installing. Then next on the list....a queen-sized bed:

I brought these award-winning cream cheese cupcakes to church last week. It's an old time recipe that my Aunt Bunny used to make and bring for Christmas every year. Let me know if you'd like the recipe:

 

 

Moving backward to the month of March...it was an exciting month!!  Our 8th grandchild (and 7th grandson!) was born. We haven't seen him in person yet but hope to in May! Congratulations to Sarah, Eric, and the excited brothers and sister!

Here they are, eagerly awaiting their new baby brother's appearance!

I stayed busy making a green quilt to send to Sarah as a special gift for her before she had the baby. Her favorite color is green, and she loves to decorate for all seasons. I focused on green clovers for this quilt.

Snowbird Quilts over in West Virginia quilted this for me...you can see more up-close photos of the process on her instagram here. Here it is shown thrown over my bed before mailing:

Being spring....as in past years...the Spring 100 Walking Challenge began for our family on the first day of spring. However, the main organizer of the annual online event is taking a year off for 2023 as it was becoming quite the task with organization and expense with over 3,000 walkers across the country and world participating.

So our daughter Sarah's mother-in-law organized a Spring 100 just for their family, our family, and the extended married in-laws. 

I hope others across the country will take it upon themselves to challenge their families and friends for their own Spring 100.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's Tom participating on the treadmill while he has his morning quiet time:

And below is Hannah, in faraway cold Michigan, walking around her property there:

National Quilting Day also took place in March, so I celebrated by making a small wall hanging for my friend, Chris. 

She had commissioned Tom to make her a small quilt hanger, so I thought she needed a small surprise quilt to go on it when we gave it to her.

 

 

Here's the wall hanging that I made ..a new pattern called Flower Shoppe by Sherri McConnell. Tom has it attached inside the just finished quilt hanger he made.

Snowbird Quilts did a fabulous Rush Job of quilting it so I could get it to Chris when we met up in Richmond as she was passing through on a trip. Scroll through all Snowbird's photos on Instagram of this quilt, and you can see the quilting pattern Nectar up close.

We were so excited about the chance to meet up unexpectedly that we totally forgot to get a picture of her opening the quilt!  But here's a photo she sent me after she returned home and the perfect spot on her sun room wall she had picked out for it. Nice!

And here I am in my sewing room resting from my sewing labors:

  So we've made our way back to February....I worked on a couple of quilting projects this month but I can't post until they're gifted.

Newlyweds Hannah and Christopher are well...a lot of you have asked me how they are doing. I think married life suits them both! Just a quick picture of them celebrating six months of marriage in February. We are looking forward to seeing them in person again:

The last subject on this very long post is to document a visit from our long-time friends from Massachusetts who stopped by on their way to Florida in February.

We took them to Lexington and toured Washington & Lee University and also VMI Museum. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and it was a perfectly beautiful warm day for our excursion:

The campus:

Leaving Virginia and on their way to Florida:

I think that should catch you up on all the happenings, or lack thereof, around Mountain Musings since January. Let us know if you're still out there, faithful ones!

We wanted to wish you all a very Happy Resurrection weekend! He Arose!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  ~ John 11:25-26

 

~Deb

 

Knowing God Conference ~ May 19 - 21, Ridgecrest, N.C.

Last month we attended the Church & Family Life's annual conference, Knowing God, held at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Asheville, NC. Asheville is about a 5+ hour drive for us here in Virginia, barely a skip and a jump compared to others who traveled many, many hours from across the country.

Here we are just having arrived and already meeting up with friends on the bridge-way between buildings:

It is always a highlight to see friends whom we've gotten to know over the years. These friends are regular attendees:

As are these friends who traveled from Canada to attend:

The speakers were very enjoyable and presented encouraging messages to listen to each day. Here's Kevin Swanson onstage at his keynote session:

Lots of spontaneous hymn singing around the piano with violins and flute accompanying during the evenings' free times:

The more the music traveled down the hallway, more folks showed up, and louder the singing became!

There was also a planned night of singing in the amphitheater. Isn't this a neat nighttime photo?

We caught up with more dear friends in the cafeteria from South Carolina. Sooo glad I could attend the conference this year and reconnect with folks!

And these friends, our daughter Sarah's in-laws, attended this year from GA. It was great to see them:

Speaking of cafeteria, there were lots of chances to meet up and have a meal together. Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana are represented here:

Here we are taking time to talk over Hannah and Christopher's wedding plans with future in-laws:

While together in person, it was a good time to compare fabrics and bridesmaids' dresses online:

The weekend came to a close so quickly (hey, we just got here!), and everyone parted ways to head back home to their own state.

Unfortunately, all four of us returned home sick, with one of us testing positive for Covid...that would be me! So I'm remembering this conference for more reasons than one!

 

...until next time!

~Deb

...And Life Goes On

Many of you have asked how we're doing in this new season of life...without Granny with us. It has been different for sure. Sometimes we forget and think we should go check on her. She is missed!

But the Lord has been gracious and has given us hope in sad times as we've adjusted to the new routine. Thank you for the many prayers that have gone up for us.

This past month has consisted of a bit of settling down and resting, along with being encouraged by hosting different friends who were passing through, and celebrating Thanksgiving with more friends.

Here are our dear friends from Georgia who were attending the Virginia Family Encouragement Weekend and stopped for an overnight. We absolutely loved having them in our home again:And these long-time friends from Tennessee, who were visiting Polyface Farm in the area, stopped by for an overnight and a good time of catching up on each other's lives:

When these friends stopped by, we took them down to the farmers' market and showed them the city of Staunton: And, of course, lots of food during the holidays. Here's a photo taken around the food bar on Thanksgiving Day...an abundance of blessings as always:

On our Thanksgiving table again this year were pumpkin dinner rolls. Delicious!

And speaking of food on the table....Jonathan shot a deer...not his first...but his first time butchering it himself, with Hannah's help! We've enjoyed some venison stew (recipe follows, which I've used with beef many times) and some venison barbecue this season.

Holiday Shopping Beef Stew (or Venison)

1 1/2 - 2 pounds beef for stew; 4 or 5 medium potatoes, 4 or 5 carrots, 1 medium onion, 1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes, mashed (I used a can crushed tomatoes with basil) mixed with 1 can cream of celery soup, salt and pepper.

Cube all veggies and combine ingredients in casserole dish. Pour tomatoes/soup mixture over top. Cover with foil and bake in a 275 degree oven for 4 1/2 - 5 hours.  Go holiday shopping (or to church) and come home to a delicious meal.

To be honest, I never thought the word "enjoyed" would be associated with "deer" in the same sentence! I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the stew was, much to Jonathan's delight!

Tom, in the meantime, has completed the large dining room table project he's been working on for some months...and we took advantage of some strong-armed help to lift the extra-heavy table over to Jonathan's house and install it.

Tom writes more about getting it hauled, delivered, and installed on his blog here:

Jonathan will enjoy the final product in the years to come...lovingly made by Dad! It looks beautiful!

So, it's December, and the house has gotten decorated for Christmas, slowly but surely. Stockings are up. Cards are ordered and hopefully will arrive soon! Plans are being made for family members coming in to visit, and a couple of get-togethers with friends are on the calendar.

It's a wonderful season of celebration of the birth of Jesus!
Here's a delightful hymn to listen to as you set the tone for Christmas in your home. See Amid the Winter's Snow (Cambridge Choir of King's College).

From the Mountain Musings family to yours...we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2022!

~Deb

Did You Hear the Story About the Lady on the Elevator?

 
Well, it starts like this...

Back in October when we attended the Hope for the Family conference in Asheville, there was another group also on campus using the conference center....a group of artists gathering for their workshops.

In fact, we ended up having lunch with a couple of those ladies...very interesting artistic projects they were working on in class and telling us about.

Well, our family happened to be walking across this bridge-way you see below that connected the hotel rooms over to the elevators that led to the conference rooms: We were in the middle of a discussion on the way to one of our workshops, and I was animatedly talking, probably louder than I needed to in a public place, not hearing someone else walking close along behind us.

In fact, the lady actually joined into our conversation and told us her name was Lynda, and she was one of the artists on campus.

As we all got into the elevator, I immediately noticed her earrings--artistic, forest-y mosaic, and beautiful!

Of course, I asked if she minded telling me where she got them, and she said, "Tamela Wells, polymer clay!" And I could find her jewelry at the Southern Highland Craft Guild right there in Asheville. (More about Tamela here.) Well, our schedule was too tight to go gallivanting off to a craft guild when I was supposed to be in a workshop learning something...although I sure wanted to go on a craft guild adventure!

Weekend was soon over, and it was time to return home to Virginia...

That evening I started what seemed like a wild goose chase online googling Tamela Wells, polymer clay jewelry, Southern Highland...and anything else I could remember from that brief elevator conversation.

But...success! I right away sent an email off to Tamela asking about her jewelry and if she could make a pair of earrings just like the lady's in the elevator! She was surprised at my diligence to locate her after a chance encounter! Anyway, this past weekend I received a package in the mail...the earrings! And I love them! They are exactly what I remembered! Thank you so much, Tamela!

That was a very delightful, unexpected elevator encounter!

I love things like that. Do you?

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ July

For Today, Saturday, July 13

 

Outside my window...

It's a hot and humid, sunshiny summer day here in Virginia...89 the high today and 92 tomorrow. These days are best for staying inside keeping cool. I think that's my plan today!

I am thankful for:

Family and friends .... those close by and those at a distance who let you know they're praying for you when you need it most.

 

From the Flower Garden...

I posted this photo on Instagram today...both the cleome plant and the garden name plaque I received for Mother's Day. I've enjoyed seeing them in the garden this year:

From the Garden to the Kitchen...

Tomatoes are beginning to arrive in the garden, great for fresh salsa! And jalapenos, peppers, and zucchini! Last year our zucchini plant died...and, unfortunately, no one tried to pawn their bounty off on us.

So we waited for this year's harvest...we've enjoyed such good zucchini meals! Zucchini Squares has been a favorite recipe for many years...great for a quick lunch meal:

Zucchini Squares

1 c. Bisquick (we use 1 c. ww flour, 1 ½ t. baking powder, ¼ t. salt instead)

½ t. each salt and pepper

1 t. oregano, dried

1 T. parsley, dried

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

½ c. onion, diced small

1 clove garlic, minced

3 c. zucchini, sliced thinly

½ c. olive oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine dry ingredients, add veggies, and toss to coat. Mix in oil and eggs and pour into a greased 9” sq or 7 x11” pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min.

And Hannah has been utilizing her spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, affectionately known as zoodles. I can't tell you the number of times I've said zoodles this past week!
 Zoodles are good served with cajun-seasoned tilapia. And to really spice it up...cover the zoodles with Bobby Flay's Diavolo Sauce:  Today's lunch was a winner! Hannah can whip anything up...it seems with hardly any effort. Spicy Coconut and Butternut squash soup topped with cilantro and leftover zucchini squares: I have to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed using my Magnolia chalkboard I received as another Mother's Day gift! Here's a recent family meal menu:

One of my favorite things...

I love day trips, quick overnight trips, spontaneous outings, and rare planned vacations. We knew we wanted to do a quick getaway sometime this summer, so two weeks ago we traveled to Alexandria, Virginia, for their pre-4th of July Fireworks over the Potomac at Mount Vernon.

First we enjoyed a D.C. Monuments boat ride on the Potomac in the afternoon:

On the lawn at Mount Vernon we listened to the marching band playing patriotic numbers before we toured the mansion: The night-time fireworks display was amazing! They did an excellent job! Here's historic Mount Vernon awaiting the fireworks over the Potomac:

I am creating...

I'm in between projects at the moment while I recuperate (more on that shortly)...but this Fig Tree bundle of goodness arrived in the mail recently. My friend Chris and I plan to do a long-distance sew-along together in September, making a Pumpkin quilt. Should be so fun!:

I am wearing...

Navy around-the-house paint skirt, navy tank, fuchsia blouse.

 

A shared verse:

"All these blessings shall overtake you because you obey the Lord your God." ~ Deuteronomy 28:2

 

You were praying...

For our grandson who was having surgery last month when I wrote the last Daybook. I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and let you know that Andrew's surgery was a success. He's doing well and continuing to improve.

Here he is with his little brother arriving to visit us last week for my birthday and the 4th of July holiday. Yep, red, white, and awesome says it all!:

The boys noticed the flag right away, and Aunt Hannah showed them all the animals:

We sure enjoyed the holiday visit with the whole family:

It was great having little ones running and playing in the yard and garden:

And riding the tractor with a doting Grampa:

Around the house:

Making special 4th of July desserts for our little guests:

Closing Thoughts:

I wanted to ask prayer again...this time for me. As it turns out, the reason I wasn't feeling well last month when I last wrote was a tick bite that I had gotten that produced fever, chills, severe headache, neck ache, extreme fatigue, and generally momma-ain't-happy feelings.

I've been on steroids, anti-viral meds, and antibiotics; and while we were in Alexandria, out of the blue I developed Bell's palsy, which can be associated with Lyme. A trip to the ER and an additional couple of weeks of antibiotics later, I'm still recovering and start physical therapy on my face next week.

Please pray that I will fully recuperate and get back to normal. There's still a lot of summer left to enjoy! Thank you so much!

Closing Photo of the Week:

(Mosaic tile along the stairway at National Harbor on our trip to Alexandria)

 

If you'd like to visit other Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman.

 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting us here at Mountain Musings!

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ June

For Today, Father's Day, Sunday, June 16

Outside my window...

It's a beautiful sunshiny day with an expected high of 82 here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The last few days have been wonderfully cooler days...windows open with the breeze blowing in, and actually I wore a turtleneck one day! In June! But...today the A/C is back on, and it seems summer has arrived.

I am thinking...

That I'm missing the fellowship of our church family. I'm home today and not feeling the best while the rest of the family is away at church. So I slept in, and while I'm resting quietly, I'm writing this overdue post.

Shared verse...

Hannah texted me this most appropriate verse this morning from her daily scripture calendar:

I am thankful for...

My husband....the most faithful husband and dad ever! Happy Father's Day!

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good." ~ Luke 6:45

This photo was taken on Memorial Day when we traveled to Massanutten Ski Resort and rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain:

Here's another picture of the Valley taken on our way back down:

From the Kitchen...

Grilled Pizza is always on the Father's Day menu! Here's a pan of individual veggie and smoked sausage pizzas all assembled and ready to go on the grill last evening.

Along with some Peanut Butter & Oreo and Chocolate Cupcakes... Let's just say Dad was a happy man!

From the Garden...

Don't you just love fresh oregano from the garden? Here's Hannah stripping a new batch of dried oregano and filling the canister. Looks like spaghetti sauce may be on the docket soon...another Dad favorite!

One of my favorite things...

I absolutely love using old containers...watering cans, tea kettles, dishpans...for flowers. Here's a tea kettle filled with a shamrock plant which Hannah spotted at Appalachian Piecework this week. I have a tea kettle just like that and use it for annuals. But this gave me the idea to not put it away for the winter but fill it with shamrock just like this one and enjoy it year-round!

I am hoping...

That Granny will like these cheery flowers...I took this photo down by the garden gate this past week and emailed it to Granny. She usually can see this bright orange lily blooming from her recliner, but since she's visiting my sister this summer, she's missing these bright blooms:

I am wearing...

Burgandy skirt, blue/green/burgandy blouse over a white tank top.

I am creating...

Two quilts! I participated in two quilt-alongs online this year, and when you're under a deadline to keep up with the group, it definitely helps to get the quilt finished! I absolutely love quilt alongs!

The Stars and Stripes flag quilt that I finished recently is being quilted this week, and I understand why quilters send their finished quilt to a long-arm quilter to get it quilted professionally! This is a hard job wrestling the quilt in my small machine.

This is my Room and Board quilt that I pinned yesterday to be ready for quilting after the flag quilt is done. Jonathan gave me this fabric for Christmas, so this one will be a keeper for ME:

I am praying...

For my sweet grandson, Andrew, who will have surgery this coming Thursday, June 20. Please pray with me for the doctors to have skill and for Andrew to be a brave little boy!

Around the house...

These rose petals arrived in the mail this week from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello gardens. Hannah's soap is in their catalog and gift shop, and they send rose petals for her to incorporate into her products:

Closing photo from the week:

Newborn fawn born a few days ago that we spotted in our front yard under the forsythia. Our neighbor sent us a picture of a newborn in their backyard, too. Sure enough, they were twins! We saw them both nursing with their mom near our driveway:

Thanks for stopping by Mountain Musings!

For more Simple Woman Daybook posts, visit The Simple Woman blog.

 

~Deb

Happy New Year and a Return to Blogging!

Hello all, and a Happy New Year to any blog readers we have left after such a long absence! Would you leave a comment and let us know if you're still there? I've missed being in this space and will try and catch up gradually with a few different posts.

Let's start 2019 with thinking about things that are true, honest, just, pure, and lovely as the verse above states.

We're supposed to have a very snowy weekend here in the Shenandoah Valley, so what better time to hop back on the blogging bandwagon since we'll be stranded at the top of our hill for a few days...which, sounds to me like a very desirable thing right now!

This scene is from a snowy December weekend when we were heading up our driveway after a visit to Gloucester to visit new friends (that post coming soon):

In the meantime, I wanted to ask prayer for Granny who had surgery this week for another compression fracture. Poor Granny....her bones are so fragile. This fracture resulted after an extended bout of hard coughing! This week has mostly been spent going back and forth to doctors' appointments or at the hospital getting blood work done, more labs drawn, and scheduling the surgery. Please pray that she will heal quickly and that the pain will subside so she can get back to being a happy Granny. Thank you!

 

We also celebrated Hannah's birthday this week. I hate to admit that she ended up making her own birthday cheesecake, but I did arrive home in time to prepare the meal with Tom's help and our faithful Instant Pot: As in the past, her choices were somewhat different from my normal recipes. But amazingly everything turned out quite tasty.

She picked Sticky Korean Chicken from the Half Baked Harvest blog along with Steamed Lemon Broccoli, a Taste of Home recipe.

The Brownie Caramel Cheesecake recipe was found over at Six Sisters Stuff blog, and it was birthday-quality delicious!

Here's Hannah on her birthday this week enjoying a piece. Happy Birthday, Hannah!:

As is our custom, the birthday person picks a game to play, and this year Pictionary was the choice:

It's good to be back!

What has your January looked like so far?

~Deb

Slow Blog Loading Fixed ~ Feedback?

I've heard from several folks recently about our blog loading v-e-r-y slowly or not loading at all--both on computer and on their phones, and they've just given up reading the blog altogether.

We recently heard back from our Typepad Help Desk what the problem was (a defunct widget on the sidebar making the blog not load!).

So we've corrected that problem. Can we have some feedback from your end? Had you experienced problems with our blog loading in the past?

Are you experiencing slow-loading now that we think the problem is fixed?

Thank you to those folks who have contacted us and asked what the problem was! We didn't know there was a problem!

Okay...on to faster blog loading!  And more frequent posting? Maybe! :)

~Deb

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