The Reason for Disappointment Summed up in One Word.

"You know why it bothered you, don't you?"
my friend asked.

Her voice on the phone promised an answer,
one I was curious to hear.

Had she come upon some secret that I had missed til now?

"Expectations," she said.

"You had expectations of what would happen;

you expected it to be different."

It was so simple,

too simple,
and definitely not what I wanted to hear.

Blame would be much more comforting;

pity would offer temporary condolence;

but disappointed expectations?

"If you don't expect anything,
you won't ever be disappointed."
I could feel the conflicting humor in her truth.
It was what I needed to hear and as a true friend, she knew that.
It woke me from my self and stirred my thoughts.


It is the way of expectations.

Violet put 30 eggs under the duck who was feeling broody and had decided to nest.

It hadn't started out that way.

There had been a dozen or so,

but she wanted more ducklings and chickens and saw the sitting duck as an opportunity for more.

Nothing hatched.

All of the eggs had to be thrown out because double-decker eggs in a nest cannot get the proper attention, heat, humidity that they need;

or so found out that momma duck, spread as wide as she could get herself to go

with no tiny chirping to reward her patience.

Violet expected that more would be better,

the apple didn't fall far from her mother's tree;

but contentment with enough is far better than the emptiness of unnecessary more.

I sent a book to a literary agent.
I had written and rewritten it 2 dozen times til I thought it was good.
I had spent months working on a few possible illustrations for it,
hoping they were good enough.



I have heard the stories, taken to heart the warnings of rejections,
but when my answer,
 "Not unique enough,"
 came for something I had put so much of my heart into,
the expectation crashed hard;
the hurt and tears were more than I expected...
because I had expected rejection,
but just not the intensity of the pain of it.

 

Two years ago I made the garden and planted a few of them.

Two years I have watched them, watered them, weeded them, spread their trailing vines to increase their numbers.

We had a few samplings last season, but the increase of flowers and drooping green fruit this year has not gone unnoticed.
Daily I visit that small patch of garden,
admiring the growing fruit that those plants have in their possibilities.

Not to have expectations would be to take the soul out of the work.

All of it has been done to cater to great expectations.

I don't expect a crop failure, but it very well could come.

The chipmunks may come back;

the squirrels may decide to tear out the bushes in search of whatever it is they recklessly decide to dig for;

the chickens may discover the taste of juicy redness;

my 4 year old (who seems to be going through a stage of terrorizing my expectations) may execute her sense of undercover mischief and gobble up the whole patch when it sits just nearing it's prime.

I know the answer I hear on the phone is right.

I know I have to give my expectations to God and take whatever comes,

good or bad.

I know that trials increase faith,
that rejections and disappointments can be the stepping stones to better attempts,
modified goals,
sweeter fruit.

I am just hoping that this patch will avoid calamity and bring fullness of joy:

 because sometimes expectations are fulfilled,
and those times are sweet happiness.

 Deep inside, when the issues are weighed, the truth is:
without occasional disappointed expectations,

the hatching of a dozen ducklings wouldn't seem enough,
the long-awaited title across the front of a book wouldn't be as graciously humbling,

the berries from an anticipated patch wouldn't taste as sweet,

gratitude wouldn't have a chance to blossom...

because isn't that the way we seem to work?

It certainly seems to be the way I do.

I'll tell you for sure when I eat some strawberry shortcake,

because like it or not,
I just can't seem to keep those juicy red fruits out of my dreams.

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12

The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
Proverbs 27:7

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Proverbs 22:4




Sharing at:
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Savvysouthernstyle.net
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Wearethatfamily.com
Wise-woman-linkup

"C"

"The three P's for the week."

Yes, I know this post is titled "C".

The three P's refer to my blog name:

I will post about something Pumpkin, meaning something from the farm, garden, you know, growing around here.

Next I will post something Pie, meaning kitchen related: food, kitchen, edible or decorative, etc.

Finally, I will post something Painted, or something I've created with my hands that will involve artistic materials of some type.

So there is the explaination of my subtitle,

clearly.

So today, because I wanted to join Jenny's blog fun of writing from a certain letter of the alphabet,

I will narrow this attempt even more by posting the three categories and they will start with the letter C.

Are you confused?

Confused.

 That starts with "C."

See?

1.

The letter "C" for the Pumpkin/Farming category:

Clematis.

My clematis are blooming, or at least these two are.

I love seeing these and forgot that I had decided to plant the 'Red Cardinal' clematis with the white one last summer.

I concede that it was a chipper choice to be made conscious of.

 2.

For the Pie Category today: I am talking edible in the kitchen.

Can you see it?

The kids and I have been checking them.

Others have been checking them, too.

Did you know that cows are curious.

Annoyingly.

Although they are pretty cute, too.

Yes, see.  He's checking out how far along the mulberries are, too.

We're all impatiently checking these countless candy-like clusters of suspended mulberries.

Ripen up, little creatures!

3. 

In the painting category,

I have just that to share: painting.

Ceiling panels from the barn roof that blew off in last fall's hurricane...

(okay, so they are roof panels, but I had to get the C in there somehow).

My super-duper-handy-recycling-penny-pinching-cents-smart farmer rehung the old panels on the back side of the shed that was rotting from too much water spray and lack of sunshine.

Corroding.

 I consciously chose to count this creativity-curtailed cause a commanding challenge.

To cut to the chase: 

I chunked the fun painting for chores.

Once that was done, I mixed some of the paint that was left with a bit of left-over black from another project,

added some floor texture,

and clomped on over to another chore that had been calling.

 These ummm....

uhh...

hmmm...

chippy children climbers that are cantankerous...

for their cutting creases containing chards of chips that cause crying when creeping into feet of children.

Corrected!

If your eyes happen to wander up to the crest of the porch, 

you will notice couch cushions helter-skelter.

Cushion chaos.

Cranky old cushions had seen too much weathering

and then the puppy last fall made certain I would have to recover them this season.

The fading strapping under the cushions became easy teethers for chumpy pup as well.

My clever creative man found this heavy lawn seat type strapping

and is carefully counting the measurements, cutting, creasing, and continuing his countless ways he's come up with cure-all ideas from his comprehensive collection in his many cabins 

(sheds: cabins was all I could come up with)

(maybe man-caves would have been better).

 >CLAP<>CLAP<>CLAP<>CLAP<>CLAP<

Cushion material has been purchased and curtain call will be coming soon!

(Confidentially, the cushion coverer is mentioning this to coerce herself into the sewing chair.)

And so I leave you,

with a certain sweet photo I cherish of my most current walk with child.

 Joining Jenny's blog party on the letter "C"

at: Jennymatlock.blogspot.com: Alphabe-Thursday
Firefliesandjellybeans.com

The Faithful Job of the Soldier.

  By faith they opened their eyes to the world around them and chose the hard road of change.

  By faith they pulled their feet out from under the bedcovers, laced up their boots, walked out through the familiar door of their homes and security, and bade farewell to the only family and friends they had ever known.

  By faith they put all that they owned into sacks of homespun, swung them over their shoulders and boarded unknown vessels for an unknown land.

  By faith they fell to their knees on the cold, wet sand and praised God who had carried them safely to a dangerous new land and asked for His help for whatever the future might hold.

 

  By faith they lived, grew crops, starved, fell ill, built, rebuilt, fought, survived, prayed, sang, cried, laughed, and died...

for freedom.

  By faith they created a government based on wisdom, Biblical guidance, the three offices from Isaiah 33:22, "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us," to balance and work together, unlike any other government that had ever existed. They elected strong, proven leaders with the stains of hard work on their hands, the strength of hope in their minds, the love of freedom in their very being, the sacrificial spirit of service for their fellow men, the ready use of knees for prayer, the fear of God in their hearts.

  By faith they took up their guns when that freedom demanded blood and honor to seal it's promise of a future.  They looked beyond themselves to their sons, grandsons, great grandsons, and they took their prosperity to heart making the greatest sacrifices of life, limb, and fortunes.

 

  By faith they penned documents to restrain the evil of the past, carefully chosing words to protect the hope of the future, commanding their unknown posterity to always treasure and defend the freedoms that they had so arduously won.

  By faith they protected the rights they held most dear: religion, to have and hold and speak freely of wherever the sole of their feet touched on the good ground of a free land, knowing full well that God wants to direct the lives of man everyday, not just on Sundays in the tall spired churches of the quickly increasing towns and cities; free speech; freedom to share the truth through penned words;  freedom to bare the arms needed to always keep freedom secure, tolerance only for protecting right; force for restraining evil.

  By faith they stood by a government of the people, by the people, for the people while "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions."

(taken from the Declaration of Independence.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  By faith every day they pull on their combat boots and stand up in the shadow of those who stood before.

  By faith they take up their guns and board unknown vessels for unknown places because they have seen the face of the past with the evils of tyranny.  They willingly pick up their guns and offer their life blood for the safety of a free today and the faith of a free tomorrow.

  By faith, they carry on with the brave steps of those who came before because the value of freedom burns in their hearts.

And on Memorial Day we remember all those who gave their lives for the faith they had for the worth of freedom.

 Thank you, to all who gave and to all who continue to serve.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Hebrews 11:1

(The rest of my garden tour can be viewed here: Pails of Paint.com)


Linking up to these blog parties:
 Lollyjane.com
Nominimalisthere.blogspot.com 
Firefliesandjellybeans.com
Theshabbycreekcottage.com
Gnowfglins.com 
Wearethatfamily.com 
Savvysouthernstyle.net 
Notjustahousewife.net 
Adiamondinthestuff.com 
Abowlfulloflemons.net 
Todayscreativeblog 
Astrollthrulife 
Time-warp-wife 
 Cozylittlehouse.com

End of Summer Garden Specials: How to dry Hydrangeas and How to Make Peppermint Extract.

This is the garden I pass on my way to the clothes line every day.

The fragrance of mint is strong

and it is welcome,

even though it has clearly gained dominance in the flower bed.

If it were spring, 

I would tear into this patch with a vengeance to remove it's greedy presence,

but as almost everything else has had it's moment of glory,

I allow it to run wild

with the promise that I will gain from it.

This weekend, I decided to act on my threats.

Fist fulls of chocolate mint and peppermint were collected.

I also made time to gather up the hydrangea blooms to dry while I was out

since they were at the perfect stage for picking and drying.

I tried two methods of preparing my mints for their purpose

of becoming mint extract:

Pulling the leaves off the stems,

starting by snipping off the top most tender leaves,

and then grabbing the top of the stem...

 pulling the leaves from the top down.

They slide off rather easily this way

preventing the tedium of picking off each leaf.

 Any imperfect leaves were set aside from the good ones in the colander.

I then washed the separated leaves

with just a good spray of water,

and then set them out loosely on towels to dry.

 I also tried washing and then drying whole stems of the mint.

 (I found I preferred the first method

as the leaves were easier to pull from the stems before washing.)

These should then sit overnight,

so that they can dry out a bit.

The less water in them,

the stronger will be the extract.

Also, the leaves should only be left out for not more than a day

as all would be lost if the leaves start growing mold.

Once the mints were set out to dry,

I could turn my attention to preserving the hydrangea blooms.

I have found I prefer the "Sip of Water" drying method.

The blooms are stripped of all leavers,

and then the stems are placed in water.

The blooms by the time they are picked,

are slightly papery.  They are not soft.

 To pick them in this state is perfect because if a strong rain storm blows up while they are still on the bush,

it could damage the blooms.

They will drink of the water

until it is all evaporated,

and then the flowers will dry to a stronger dried bloom than if they were

air-dried upside down.

 Also,

one has the distinct advantage...

of enjoying the blooms while they dry.

The next day,

the mint leaves can be scrunched up

to damage the leaves and allow more of the oils to be released.

The leaves are then put into clean pint jars.

Once filled to about 1/2...

the leaves are completely covered in a bath of vodka.

These jars are then capped,

put into a cool, dark place,

and allowed to sit for about a month

when the lid can be removed

and the extract can see if it has strong enough flavor.

If so, strain out the leaves,

and use as an extract in baking.

Did you enjoyed any treasures from your gardens this weekend?

Linking up to:

Betweennapsontheporch
funkyjunkinteriors.net
momstheword
Keepingitsimplecrafts.com
frontierdreams
Homesteadrevival
Cornerstoneconfessions.com

Around the House Link Party

Welcome to my first link up I am calling:

I'd love for you to join me by linking up what's going on at your house this week.

Here's a bit of what's happening around our house.

I'm not sure why,

but Lillie's nap time always seems to turn into a few moments of the day I look forward to.

She still has that baby smell

and lying next to her for a few minutes ...

turns into...

a happy thing.


Levi can't seem to let the child go to sleep without a few moments, too.

This is his sleeping pose.

A slight distraction sometimes develops.

Moving on:

Violet and I have decided to begin her room renovations.

The mess and furniture in there need to be managed and sifted through.

I swapped this dresser from Levi's room

and gave Levi her taller bureau.

I base-coated this while the fish sticks were cooking for supper: 

that's how easy and fast chalk paint is.

This is not the final color: just the base coat.
Can you guess what the top coat will be?


While chatting with another home-school mother at church,
she mentioned the curriculum she used to teach her kids to read:
Happy Phonics.

I thought it was funny as I had just looked through the very thing.

My Mom bought me the packet a few years back,
and I finally thought I might look into it for Levi.

It would be nice not to have to buy him a reading curriculum if I can use this one.

The extension on this flower bed is finished:
I planted the flowers that had been waiting since a month ago;
A bit of mulch finished it up.

Our vegetable garden in the background is making great progress.
My Farmer does such a great job with it.


We've been picking several quarts of berries every other night or so, too;
I freeze them on plates and then bag them up so they won't be stuck together.

It's a fun and tasty job to do.

I would love to see what you have been up to!


Feel free to link up anything you've been working on
or enjoying this week.

Share a project, a recipe, an accomplishment,
whatever is happening around your house!

I'd love for you to link back to my blog.
Here's a button you can take with you!











<center><a href="http://pumpkinpiepainter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Pumpkin,Pie,Painter" src="http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k573/FarmersWyfe/IMG_0356.jpg"/></a></center>
I will have this link party on Wednesday from now on.I have been having internet connection problems this past week,so it's a bit late getting it up.


The winner of the bird block giveaway is...

Marge!

Send me your address, Mrs. M, and I'll ship them out to you! :)

Joining the fun at:

Savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
Funkyjunkinteriors.net
Nominimalisthere.blogspot.com
Gnowfglins.com
Missmustardseed.com