Free Camper~ September 29th is the feast of the Archangels:) More to come on both of these subjects.

This camper was abandoned on the new land we just purchased. It is a mess! everything in it is broken or rotted but the shell is sound. We decided to give it away to anyone who wants to fix it up.
Yes, we did it....we purchased land. I am trusting the future to God, (and all the finances).
It is nice to think that we own this 98 acres in the middle of Maine's Amish Community.

It is my prayer that we,Tim and I, as a married couple, draw closer together with this land. I would LOVE to live "off the grid", (off  of public utilities, no electric companies) and use only solar. I have always wanted...no kidding, since I was 6 or 7 years old, "land", a "camp", A FRESH WATER FARM....but it has not happened. So  my hopes and dreams of being debt free and living on a farm have not come true. I am getting older, by the minute and was concerned that if we did not buy now....we would never do it!

So we did it....I will have pictures soon.

It is not pretty land, it has been selectively harvested and the harvesters left a mess of branches, small trees everywhere as you will see. 

I ask you to say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for this blessing...pray for me to let go of my dreams and hopes.... 

Feast of the Archangels:

The three Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only angels named in Sacred Scripture and all three have important roles in the history of salvation.

Saint Michael is the "Prince of the Heavenly Host," the leader of all the angels. His name is Hebrew for "Who is like God?" and was the battle cry of the good angels against Lucifer and his followers when they rebelled against God. He is mentioned four times in the Bible, in Daniel 10 and 12, in the letter of Jude, and in Revelation.

Michael, whose forces cast down Lucifer and the evil spirits into Hell, is invoked for protection against Satan and all evil. Pope Leo XIII, in 1899, having had a prophetic vision of the evil that would be inflicted upon the Church and the world in the 20th century, instituted a prayer asking for Saint Michael's protection to be said at the end of every Mass.

Christian tradition recognizes four offices of Saint Michael: (i) to fight against Satan (ii) to rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death. (iii) to be the champion of God's people, (iv) to call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment.

"I am Gabriel, who stand before God." (Luke 1, 19)

Saint Gabriel, whose name means "God's strength," is mentioned four times in the Bible. Most significant are Gabriel's two mentions in the New Testament: to announce the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zacharias, and the at Incarnation of the Word in the womb of Mary.

Christian tradition suggests that it is he who appeared to St. Joseph and to the shepherds, and also that it was he who "strengthened" Jesus during his agony in the garden of Gethsemane.

"I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tob 12:15)

Saint Raphael, whose name means "God has healed" because of his healing of Tobias' blindness in the Book of Tobit.  Tobit is the only book in which he is mentioned. His office is generally accepted by tradition to be that of healing and acts of mercy.

Raphael is also identified with the angel in John 5:1-4 who descended upon the pond and bestowed healing powers upon it so that the first to enter it after it moved would be healed of whatever infirmity he was suffering.

JMJ~ Tina

I am praying for you and I ask God to BLESS all who view this blog:) 

Tips On Running A Wood Stove In Mild Temperatures Wood Heat Wednesday ...

This is a day late....it has very tips and safty ideas. God Bless you now and always.

Nehemiah 13:31

and I arranged for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits Remember me, O my God, for good.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5b/f6/64/5bf664fedb819f20794fa2dc26f090e6--wood-burning-bible-proverbs.jpg

Adoration and The Prodigal Son

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr1rAv_XOWk

I love this statue. The picture was taken while I sat on the floor just under the feet.

I am feeling a little like the Prodigal son, before repentance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4eA1PfdFTs

Our Lady of Sorrows: September is dedicated to Our Lady Of Sorrows, the feast day isSept.15

This is from Catholic News Agency

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived in relation to Her Son, as they are recorded in the Gospels or through Tradition. Today we are invited to reflect on Mary's deep suffering:

1. At the prophecy of Simeon: "You yourself shall be pierced with a sword - so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare." (Luke 2:35).
2. At the flight into Egypt; "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt." (Mt 2:13).
3. Having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem; "You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow." (Luke 2:48).
4. Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary;
5. Standing at the foot of the Cross; "Near the cross of Jesus there stood His mother." (John 19:25).
6. Jesus being taken from the Cross;
7. At the burial of Christ.

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, there were two feasts devoted to the sorrows of Mary. The first feast was insitituted in Cologne in 1413 as an expiation for the sins of the iconoclast Hussites.  The second is attributed to the Servite order whose principal devotion are the Seven Sorrows.  It was institued in 1668, though the devotion had been in existence since 1239 - five years after the founding of the order.

From:http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=595

The Rosary

Sorrow of Our Lady

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeY0luVv0Hs

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary~Fri. Sept 8th ~ Happy Birthday to Our Lady.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-vPv6kmPdI

The Story of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap. This work has no historical value, but it does reflect the development of Christian piety. According to this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child who will advance God’s plan of salvation for the world. Such a story, like many biblical counterparts, stresses the special presence of God in Mary’s life from the beginning.

Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawn of our salvation, and asks for an increase of peace.

From CatholicCuisine:

http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2009/09/birthday-cake-for-our-lady.html

A Birthday Cake for Our Lady!

Each year, on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, our family makes a cake to celebrate. Last year we made a Blueberry Cheesecake and this year we opted for a Lemon Blueberry Cake.   Although the type of cake varies from year to year, I usually make sure the cake itself is white, symbolizing Mary's purity, and then we add blueberries to symbolize her blue mantle.

We top the cake with a small statue of Mary and surrounded it with a circle of 10 candles, representing one decade of the rosary.  The children then take turns lighting the candles as the whole family prays a "Hail Mary" for each candle.  Afterwards we sing Happy Birthday and let the children blow out the candles!!!  My children look forward to this tradition every year!

Lemon Blueberry Cake

adapted from the Food Network

Ingredients:

• 2 (8-inch) round white cakes (I made mine using a boxed white cake mix)
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract, divided
• 2 (12-ounce) cans cream cheese frosting
• Fresh blueberries (I used frozen since I had some in the freezer.)
• Fresh mint sprigs and Lemon slices, quartered (optional)

Directions:

Use a knife to slice cake layers in half horizontally. Use a pastry brush to brush each layer with lemonade concentrate; set aside.

Stir 1 teaspoon of lemon extract into each can of frosting; set aside.

To assemble cake: frost and stack the cake layers on top of each other.

Decorate the cake with blueberries.  You can then add the optional clusters of mint sprigs and quartered lemon slices for further decoration if you'd like.

Happy Birthday Dear Blessed Mother!

Holy Cross~ The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is September 14th~

The Feast of the Exaltation of the 

Holy Cross

by Scott P. Richert

Updated February 07, 2017

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated every year on September 14, recalls three historical events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine; the dedication of churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; and the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by the emperor Heraclius II. But in a deeper sense, the feast also celebrates the Holy Cross as the instrument of our salvation.

This instrument of torture, designed to degrade the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam's Original Sin when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.

This instrument of torture, designed to degrade the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam's Original Sin when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.

QUICK FACTS

Date: September 14

Type of Feast: Feast

Readings: Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-87, 38; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 (full text here)

Prayers: The Sign of the Cross

• Other Names for the Feast: Triumph of the Cross, Elevation of the Cross, Roodmas, Holy Cross

HISTORY OF THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulchre, Christ's tomb in the garden near the site of His crucifixion. The earth had been mounded up over the site, and pagan temples had been built on top of it. The Cross on which Christ had died had been hidden (tradition said) by the Jewish authorities somewhere in the vicinity.

An Easy Pesto Recipe...

...For the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross!

In addition to the wonderful list of suggestions that Mary shared earlier this week, I wanted to share a couple simple recipes using Basil.

In one of my favorite Catholic cookbooks, A Continual Feast, the author tells us that "This holy day is one of strict fasting among the Eastern Orthodox. In Greece, the priest distributes sprigs of sweet basil to his congregation, because tradition says that basil grew all over the hillside where Helena discovered the cross. " The author, Evelyn Vitz, goes on to suggest the following recipe for Pesto (a wonderful sauce for pasta made with fresh basil) since, "With this dish you can keep the spirit of the day as one of abstinence from meat and still serve something delicious and symbolic."

I just made the recipe in preparation for tomorrow, and not only is it quick and easy, it is DELICIOUS!!

Pesto

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tespoons finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1-1 1/2 cups olive oil (I found one cup to be plenty)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (I left the cheese out of a portion of ours, since a few of us have dairy intolerances. It still turned out very yummy!)

Directions:

Combine the basil, salt, pepper, garlic, pine nuts, and 1 cup of oil in the blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth; stop the blender every few seconds to stir the mixture slightly, and to press the leaves down. (If you happen to have a Vita-Mix, this won't be necessary and use the lowest speed.)

The mixture when pureed should be slightly runny; if it is still too thick, add more olive oil. Pour the sauce into a bowl, and stir in the grated cheese.

Serve hot on pasta.

9 

Thankful~More canning and preserving~video

http://howtopraythescriptures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/father-in-heaven-i-dedicate-everything-2-corinthians-9-10.jpg

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
2 Corinthians 9:10

I have done much more canning this year then I did last year. But I have also tried some new things
like fermenting and dehydrating. Most of these are jams, which
I use to sweeten my Kefir. I still have not been able
to harvest any tomatoes, they are ripening very slowly.

I have tried fermenting pickles this year and so far we love them!

This is ones days harvest. It is not pictures, but my Eggplant has been great this year.

I have dried, rose petals, dill, thyme, mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, calendula flowers, Basil, plus more.

For my birthday, our son Jacob purchased a "JUMBO" Whoopie-Pie. Normally the are as big as a soft ball or tennis ball. It is as big as 5 month old Isla Rose....Finnian, her big brother is next to her.