Mountain Musings

Teas, Brunches, and Overnights!

I've enjoyed lots of getting together with friends this summer...celebrating a birthday, reconnecting after many years apart, and hosting missionary friends overnight.

My friend Jean celebrated a birthday last month, and I was invited to her surprise tea given by her daughter. The table looked very inviting and exquisite when I arrived:

All the ladies seemed to enjoy this special occasion. Here's a quick photo of me with Jean after the party:

My friend Adrienne and I decided it had been waaayy too long since we caught up with each other. I knew her back in 1988 and 1989 when we were in the same homeschool group together when we lived in Charlottesville.

We moved away to Williamsburg soon after....and we never kept in touch. Just recently we connected again and met up at Stella, Bella, and Lucy's for brunch.

Here I am with my friend after enjoying 3 hours of catching up! It was a good time!

Kim and Annie are friends that we knew before we got married 43 years ago!  They have been missionaries in Papua New Guinea for years, working on translating the Bible into the Tami language. They are back in the States for a few months before returning to Ukarumpa and recently stopped by for an overnight.

Kim and Annie serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and it's always a joy to see them again and hear an up-to-the minute update on their work there:

More adventures with friends are on the docket for later this week! Stay tuned.

~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

The Mountains are Calling...And I Must Go

Show of hands please if you're a mountain person?  My hand is definitely raised!

I have always loved the mountains...from our annual vacation trek to the Great Smoky Mountains when I was growing up...to currently living here in the Shenandoah Valley for the past 17 years:This is the Valley...and this photo was taken atop the Blue Ridge Parkway looking west towards the Allegheny Mountains:

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you."  ~ Isaiah 54:10

Whenever we have guests, we like to take them for either a picnic on the Parkway or just driving to see the scenery. Tom's sister Ellen and husband Ed were here recently so we went leaf peeping...along with lots of other folk it seemed! A kind fellow traveler took a photo of all of us at this overlook: It was a beautiful, but slightly chilly, afternoon at that elevation...perfect for some leisure time spent exploring:
The leaves were definitely past their peak color, but it was still a very fun outing: The guys: Hannah surveying the beauty:

A photo of the two oldsters: This picture below reminds me of our time on the Parkway with Tom's brother, Steve. He's a real camera guy and loved the photographic opportunities in this area. You can find that post of his visit exactly 5 years ago here:

It was getting too late in the day for a hike up Humpback Rock as we've done many times in the past, so we opted for a stroll through the Appalachian Farm area: Hannah, of course, found the herb garden behind the house and checked out the offerings:

Such a beautiful fall season: Once we were back home, it was time to start celebrating Jonathan's birthday...of course, he asked for a cookout, so we turned on the festive lights and the party commenced! Turtle cake....always on the menu for his birthday. It was great having guests here to help celebrate with him and play games afterwards: One final photo...the next day Jonathan invited us all to his work to take an airport tour. We went inside the first presidential Air Force One--Columbine, the plane that shuttled President Eisenhower. It was so very interesting to see first-hand the restoration of this plane: Special thanks to Ed and Ellen for making the big trip down from Connecticut to visit! It was great seeing you! 

~Deb

Spring Creek Barn Sale ~ 2019

This past weekend Hannah and I traveled to Spring Creek Mill for their annual Barn Sale. I absolutely loved this wonderful fall day of browsing 40+ craft and food vendors in a unique country location.

We parked in a pasture. Can't get more country than that!

Then we made our way toward a sea of white tents:

The barn sale was not only wonderfully decorated this year with lots of beautiful fall decorations, but there were two new foot bridges built crossing the stream...much needed and very scenic: Attention was paid to all the little details...Kudos to the organizers!

Several vignettes were constructed for picture taking...so I snapped one of Hannah as we arrived:

Then a nice man volunteered to take one of both of us:

The crafters increase in number each year, and we enjoyed visiting every one of them to see their wares.

I texted pictures back home to Tom and Granny of the Spring Creek barn and garden...and he texted back, "this is right up your alley!"  True!

There was music:

There were apple fritters. And the aroma of apple fritters frying and hot coffee to purchase filled the air:

And...hot apple cider made from pressed apples right there in front of you. Hannah said the cider was piping hot and delicious:

There was a flower vendor and a station for making your own bouquets. Very pretty!

Hannah enjoyed visiting this booth:

And there were antiques at the Embellish Design Sisters' booth:

And then it was lunchtime and time for some Fat & Sassy Barbecue:

This display was very encouraging...a time to slow down and write out some things to be thankful for...and then attach them to old bedsprings. Someone was very creative!

There were vendors inside the barn as well as out on the lawn:

And a different vignette for a photo shoot:

I knew I was in search of a certain booth, Hopeful Things, to find a new cookbook called Hope's Table, Everyday Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen.

We snagged the last copy which was the display copy, and Hope was there to sign it for us. I recently started following her Instagram page and also found a recipe on her site that I'll be trying soon, Sausage Potato Quiche.

I was very excited about this purchase...it's a gift for Hannah that I'll wrap up, and hopefully she'll forget we bought it until she opens it in a couple of months.

This booth's backdrop (Handcrafted in Eden) was very unique...a cloth with the following verse in calligraphy printed on it...

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." I Cor. 13:1-8a

And, of course there were friends! We were so glad we ran into long-time friends, DiAna and Alena, before we left. What fun! What a wonderful Saturday morning excursion! Wish you could have been with us! Hope you enjoyed following along!

~Deb

Dayton Days 2019

We had a beautiful fall-y day for the 40th annual Dayton Days craft show! So many people came out to this event and filled the streets of small-town Dayton:

Dad, Jonathan, and I (Hannah) drove our loaded-to-the-brim vehicles full of products, tents, and tables to begin set-up of our booth before sunrise:

This was Dad's debut appearance of his Pleasant View Woodworks furniture business, so we had vinyl banners printed and hung for the occasion, along with my various signs proclaiming SOAP was for sale, to catch a distant buyer's eye:

Here are Dad and I together, ready to start the long but enjoyable day of (hopefully) selling our handmade wares and gaining exposure with potential local customers:

Our completed 10' x 30' booth spread:

You can see quilt racks, cutting boards, and a poster advertising his other products available for ordering in this shot:

The beautiful arched wall mirror and Shaker-style end table had many admirers:

There were several styles of cutting boards on display, too:

My Pleasant View Soaps portion of our shared space was fun to arrange, and it all brought back memories of being a vendor at the farmers' market back in 2012-2015:

The many varied scents of soap wafted out to the passers-by and beckoned them to enter our stall!

Mom joined us part-way through the morning, and we all enjoyed chatting with folks who stopped by to visit:

Dad especially enjoyed explaining his wood-working processes to interested browsers:

And here is Granny's side of the equation! Her baskets made it to Dayton Days again after a few years' hiatus (read about past years here).

Mom brought Granny to the show during the morning so she could get in on the action. She has always been a saleswoman with her baskets and loves interacting with the customers:

No sooner had Granny arrived than we had surprise visitors. The pastor and his wife from Granny's hometown church found our booth since they were traveling in the area and had heard we would be at the show:

Granny had such a good time at her booth, she hated to leave when it was time! Mom wheeled her around the rest of the show before finding their parking spot.

Here is a bright garden scene they came upon as they strolled the residential streets of Dayton:

And another vendor was selling fresh-baked pumpkin rolls:

The field across from our booth was quite the popular location! The reason being it was a field full of sunflowers, and everyone was invited by the owner to pick for free....loads of people of all ages took him up on the offer, and sunflowers were the theme of the day! Almost everyone passing by throughout the day carried armfuls of the golden flowers.

Here is Granny, posing in the field with Mom's bouquet:

It was a full day of activity! We were thankful for the opportunity to participate again this year and share our talents with the public.

~Hannah

Birthday Outing and Adventure at Appalachian Piecework

A week ago my sister came to visit us on her spring break and to celebrate her birthday with us here in Virginia.

We started planning the birthday meal: (Sweet & Sour Chicken from Mel's Kitchen blog), the cake (Lemon Bundt from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs blog), and the outings (The Factory Antique Mall and Appalachian Piecework, which I've written about before when we've shopped there).

Come along with us to our favorite local shop, Appalachian Piecework: Right inside the door we spotted this shaving pony setup -- she was in the process of crafting wooden bracelets: Granny was feeling well enough to go with us this time and gravitated towards the baskets, of course! There were many different ones!

Here's the write-up describing this particular basket: Here's Laurie, the owner and folk artist, talking to us about her wares: Absolutely love this egg basket holding spindles! I gravitated to the antique quilts you see on the back wall. Laurie rescues them, mends and launders them, and displays them for sale. The striking red one had a price tag of $750: Quaint and primitive wool coasters displayed in a handmade basket: Another photo of the handiwork displayed throughout the shop...a special method of dying the wool was used on these: Laurie is at work on her loom, demonstrating her weaving. We all thought everything was so fascinating: The scarves were amazing. My sister actually took a weaving class years ago and learned how to do this...so she could understand the work involved and the prices attached! She gave me one of her woven masterpieces back when she made one, a beautiful purple scarf which I use as a long dresser scarf: Appalachian Piecework also carries Hannah's soaps, and here's the display for those: A spinning wheel was also in use in the shop: And here's the black wool waiting to be spun: I thought this custom order below was very special. A person had brought in a variety of old shirts which had belonged to her parents and which were then torn into strips as shown in this photo: Laurie was weaving them into a rug so the customer would always have this display item in their home as a memory of the parents' clothing. That's different!: Here's a picture of the four of us together before we left: What a very, very enjoyable excursion! We all loved it!

Time to head home to celebrate:

My sister, Betty, the birthday girl, is ready to blow out the candles: Let's light those candles! Granny is patiently waiting for her piece: Thanks for joining along on our outing. So glad that my sister spent part of her spring break with us!

~Deb

Eat, Shop, Linger...at Spring Creek Barn Sale

This feels a little backwards to be posting pictures of fall leaves, vibrant mums, and pumpkin displays...but I did want to document on the blog our excursion this past fall to Spring Creek for their annual Roller Mill Barn Sale.

We attended last year for the first time, and if you missed that post, you can read about it here.

The displays and unique craft and food vendors did make us want to eat, shop, and linger. But our lingering turned out to be a quick walk around the venue to see what vendors were there, and then we headed back to the car....where Granny was patiently waiting for us.

The parking area this year was changed from the convenient field right beside the barn and vendors to another large field...a short drive down the country road...which made it difficult if you needed handicapped access. This tractor was the designated shuttle bus to get us to the Barn Sale:

Hannah and I ended up walking instead of waiting for the tractor since it was such a pretty day, and we promised Granny we wouldn't be long. It turned out to be a very pleasant walk across a one-lane bridge and this gurgling stream: Below you can see a portion of the road we walked to get to the entrance and the eye-catching flower displays along the roadside: We took advantage of the antique truck display for a fall photo op with Hannah:

Here are a few of the vendor tents positioned around the home owners' garden in back of the barn, and I really enjoyed exploring the garden just as much as the vendors' wares: It's always fun to spot a friend among the crowd...Hannah and DiAna enjoyed catching up with each other, and we found out her baby was due at Christmas! Congratulations, DiAna! Another view of the vendor tents and the beautiful October sky: Since Hannah makes and sells soap, we like to check out other soap makers' products whenever we go to craft shows--size of bar, price, and any unique fragrances. This soap display was fun to see...the maker posted a hand-written sign that said, "Made from local goats milk...and I milk the goats myself!" Cute! We made the rounds and left with a couple of purchases...a very enjoyable morning!

While we were in the Spring Creek area, located not too far away was The Barn at Creekside Farm (you can read about that post here when we visited there this summer). We decided to swing by this barn filled with various vendors because Granny could get out with us here since the top floor was easily accessible from the handicap ramp:

Some vendor booths inside the barn, top floor: Here's Hannah checking out her purchase with Granny waiting for us. This is the smiling Granny we want to see again...for those wondering she's slowly recuperating from the latest surgery: I secretly made a purchase, too, for a Christmas gift for Hannah...thing is, Christmas arrived, and I never remembered where I hid it! The only thing I could think of was to keep looking after Christmas was over, find my hiding spot, and wrap it up for Hannah's birthday last week.

Well...I guess the only positive is...I've purchased my first Christmas present for 2019...if I ever do find it in my closet!

Thanks for coming along with us!

~Deb

Up next: Fall Guests

90th Birthday Celebration ~ 1st Party!

When you turn 90, you deserve two parties, right? Especially if you celebrate two different birth dates!

My sister in South Carolina and our family here in Virginia coordinated the first of Granny's 90th birthday celebrations which took place in Granny's hometown of South Boston, Virginia.

Two weekends ago we hit the road loaded down with punch bowls, two large frozen Costco birthday cakes, and various other paraphernalia. The celebration took place at the church Granny attended when she lived there.

Here's Hannah pinning on the birthday girl's corsage, while my sister looks on: We were thrilled with all the folks who turned out to honor my mom...church folks we've known for years, close family and friends, and relatives who drove long distances to attend.

Here's my mom, aka "Granny" here on the blog, greeting folks as they arrive...in this case the pastor and his wife: Tom, below left, welcomed everyone and told a bit of background of my mom's life growing up. She was one of 12 children and is the only one remaining--she's had lots of joys along the way: two daughters, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. But, of course, there have also been hardships along the way.

Here's where Tom told the story of my mom always celebrating her birthday on a certain date because that's what she'd been told! Her birth certificate told a different story when it was checked a few years ago. Nope, she was really born on another date, of all things! To this day, she still thinks of her birthday as the one she celebrated for 80 years before finding out that it was wrong!

Here are more folks gathered to visit and recall memories from long ago: My mom thoroughly enjoyed herself meeting and greeting everyone...here she is with my cousin Jimmy and his wife, whom I met for the first time! And the little lady sitting next to Mama will be 92 in September! Here are more relatives that I last saw years and years ago at a family reunion....my mom was so glad they all came. This actually was almost like a family reunion for everyone to meet again!

A photo of the welcoming table with photos of her great-grandchildren:

A dear cousin and her husband greet my mom. We enjoyed visiting Carolyn and Bud at their home a few years ago, which I wrote about here: Tom and I below with long-time friends Donna and Allen who traveled from Chesapeake to be here. They came to visit us in our home a few years ago, and I wrote about it here. They were in our wedding 38 years ago! As you can see, it was so good to see lots of folks again: My mom with a dear niece and nephew, whom I grew up with and went on vacations with through the years:

Punch server extraordinaire, Jonathan, helped out at the party: As you can see, I could go on and on posting pictures of our wonderful celebration back in our hometown! I'll close with a couple more.

Here I am with Carolyn, a dear friend whom you've seen here on the blog before when she's visited us. She volunteered to bring the beautiful flowers from her garden that you've seen in some of the pictures:

And another dear friend, Carolyn's sister Doris....they're both long-time blog readers!

My sister, Betty, and I have been blessed to have our mom with us for these 90 years! So very thankful for her!

"And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."  ~ Isaiah 46:4

I hope you've enjoyed reading about Birthday Party #1.  Stay tuned for Birthday Party #2 which took place this past weekend here at our home.

~Deb

Olive Oil and Vinegar 101

I was given a unique gift certificate for my birthday, by my brother, Jonathan - how thoughtful. It was for an Olive Oil and Vinegar 101 class being held at a local store. I had enjoyed using some of the store's premium oils and vinegar before (also given to me by said brother; he knows what I like), so this sounded like an intriguing event.

This past week was the night for the class, and the other attendees and I gathered in the custom-built kitchen in the back of the store after they had closed for the day.

We each had an embroidered apron at our seats which we could take home. To begin, we were treated to a new method of flavoring iced tea: the addition of a spoonful of sweet and fruity balsamic vinegar!

I didn't know everything to expect, but this chalkboard menu awaited us, a full course meal with appetizers sprinkled throughout the informative talks.

The store's owner, Michelle, a former nurse, gave us the background on how this business got started and proceeded to share her knowledge of how olive oil is produced, things to look for on the labeling, the health benefits of both extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegars, and more.

She was well-versed in not only her products' beneficial qualities, but she also shared a wealth of creative ideas for ways to use the different flavors of olive oil and vinegar in cooking. Below she is stirring up a batch of her grandmother's gazpacho recipe, which included spicy Harissa infused olive oil. We helped ourselves to this delicious salad served with chips.

Her helper prepared a platter of dipping oil, vinegar, and Mediterranean spices, which we enjoyed along with a fresh pesto.

Next, we all got to select and whisk up our own special combinations of oil and vinegar to dress our salad skewers. Examples: strawberry balsamic + basil olive oil, Sicilian lemon balsamic + Tuscan herb olive oil, etc:

Here is my plate of freshly sliced roast pork tenderloin, which had been simmering all day in, you guessed it, oil and vinegar. It was served with a sweet and tangy apple chutney. Wonderful! 

One lady said she has attended these classes before, and she comes just for the food! We told Michelle that she should really think about writing a cookbook with all her recipe ideas. Since the store sells dozens of varieties of oil and vinegar, there are so many savory combinations to experiment with.

I might have done a bit of sampling and shopping in their tasting room after class. ;)

The following day for lunch I threw together a taco salad, on which I drizzled some chipotle olive oil that Jonathan had picked out for me and I hadn't yet opened until now....it was very tasty!

What a fun birthday experience gift. Do you have a specialty olive oil shop in your town?

~Hannah

Saturday Adventure ~ Meeting Quilter Pat Sloan at VA Quilt Museum

Saturday morning was a cool, drizzly November day...just perfect for spending the morning visiting the Virginia Quilt Museum located in Harrisonburg:

Quilter Pat Sloan was scheduled to be there with a display of her quilts and greeting guests. Here I am with Pat in front of her colorful quilt Tomato Trays:

She had brought so many delightful quilts to hang, and it was fun to browse her creative and crafty works of art: Here's Pat signing one of her books for other quilters who traveled a distance to meet her:

Pat told us that she had made over 600 quilts! Here's another very striking quilt:

Lastly, here's a different part of the museum showing a famous quote and perfect for the crafts displayed here: 

It was a very fun morning at the Quilt Museum!

~Deb

Previous related post: Friday Adventure ~ Lucketts Store Christmas Open House

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