Sowing Seeds

Is there anything more remarkable than growing plants? It's amazing to witness the astonishingly fast rate at which they will take hold and shoot up; sometimes, seemingly, overnight! This is the tale of "?". Take a look at the seedling on the far right in the greenhouse picture, it is labeled "?". (Truth being told here: I have "borrowed" that photo from our Pastor's FB page to illustrate this story.) Back at the end of March, or maybe early April, our Pastor used that "?" seedling as a visual prop in his Children's Message that week on the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:18-23). He went on to explain that while he and his wife were very careful when they planted their tomato seeds to keep the varieties identified, a few slipped their notice, took root and sprouted; those tomatoes bore the "?" marking. Generously, Pastor and his wife set up a table and gave away their seedlings to anyone who was willing to give them a home. After worship that day I asked one of our youngest members if he'd help me pick out a seedling to adopt. He immediately pointed to "?". I told him that I wasn't really sure, since it was a mystery seedling, I didn't know what type of tomatoes that plant would produce. He looked at me, grinned, and suggested that I "take a chance". I am so glad that I did! I told him when I saw him yesterday that as soon as the first tomato is ready, it will be his. His smile lit up the room. Today "?" is a hardy 40" tall and covered with blossoms, I still have no idea what type of tomatoes will burst forth but one thing that I do know for sure: there's a six year old boy of great faith in our midst who, being sown on good soil, hears the word and understands it, he will indeed bear fruit; he already is... for us all! 

Life is Good!

Late August Wrap-Up

I had a friend ask me the other day of I was ever going to post again; that's how long it's been since I've updated here! Sheesh. It's not that I haven't been doing anything, that would be the simplest explanation; actually, the exact opposite is the case. I'm going to bring the blog up to date, but it will take several posts to accomplish that. At last post, I was pulling blocks-of-the-month out of the stash closet (it just keeps giving... ) and setting them together. I'll pick back up there. This one was called The Chain Gang, it's been aging, like a fine wine, since 2010. Out of the bin and into the light: two blocks needed to bring it to a respectable size. I decided on a straight set and sashed it with a gray fabric that I had left over from another, different, (more recent) block-of-the-month. I found some bright grunge fabrics to use as the cornerstones so that the "chains" would remain unbroken. I had to order more Kona black to finish up the borders after the blocks were completed.

"The Chain Gang" ~ 56" X 72"

So, here we are, eleven years later~ finally at the flimsy stage. Another one to add to the ever-growing "to be quilted" queue! After all these years I've decided to not waste anymore time on this one, even to think of a clever name for it. It will simply be called The Chain Gang, as it was titled originally. 

One more late-August update, our baby turned 41 years old; he graciously hosted us at HIS house this year to celebrate! As the month wound down we've been treated to an absolute abundance of fresh tomatoes from the garden of friends. I needed to find a way to use them up quickly. I found this quick and easy recipe for homemade soup.

Fresh and colorful tomatoes before (l) and after (r) oven roasting. 

This tomato soup is smooth, flavorful and delicious. If you're looking for a use for extra tomatoes you might want to give this recipe a try!

I was able to get in some reading time in August; these two books held my attention for a few weeks. I'm already onto a new book for September which I'm loving, I'll report on that in a future post. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed Picoult's novel, it was a little over the top for me. Berg's "The Confession Club" was a fun and diversionary story which I liked very much; a friend had recommended it to me and I'm so glad that she did!

Elmer the elephant made his way down off the shelf and onto my cutting table while I was stitching up the  last blocks of The Chain Gang. He's good company, sewing is always more fun with friends! Stay tuned, I have lots more to show and tell. I can't believe that we're rocketing our way toward Labor Day already! 

Happy September!

Life is Good!