God is Able!

For the past 30 years, I've been bucking the status quo, choosing to rely on God rather than government for my provision, my health care, my children's education, whatever. And I have seen Him do some miraculous things! He turned my knee so I can walk straight. I believe He removed a 3 pound tumor from my belly in a dream one night many years ago. He's miraculously put food in a cupboard that wasn't there a few hours before. He's given me beautiful clothing and houses when there was no way in the natural. My kids didn't have a lot when they were growing up, but I honestly don't think we'd have the relationship we do now had I sent them to school. It was rough and there were days when I wondered why I was doing it, but I firmly believed it was God's will for my children. I've seen so much and yet ...

Recently, I've been seriously considering giving in. Our row crops failed, the markets have been down, our chickens haven't been laying well, old health issues as well as new ones have reared their ugly heads. Grampa Tom has been in a panic. I've been feeling so much pressure to just give up, get a real job, sign up for government healthcare and just be "normal". After all, this dream that I believe is from God looks incredibly foolish right now.

But, I've been here before and God has come through. I can't do what I believe God has called me to do and hold down a real job. Earlier today it occurred to me that if I don't have faith enough to keep going now, what will happen if they come to take me to prison or to torture me or kill me because of my faith in Christ? I had to admit it. I don't have that kind of faith. But it's not about me or what I can do anyway. It's about Him and what He can do through me. So I asked, "LORD, please help my unbelief!" And He has! God is able!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

New Roof Plans for Trailer

It's been a busy summer, but I finally added a new post to Grama Sue's Floor Plan Play Land .

For those of you who may not know, one of my hobbies is creating floor plans for working/country families. I love looking at floor plans, but they rarely have the features that Grampa Tom and I think ought to be in a home, like large mudrooms and master bedrooms that are away from the main living spaces.

The designs are, for the most part, dreams that we will never build, but I'd sure like to see some of them exist outside of my mind and my computer so I created a blog to show them to the world.

My most recent post though, is something Grampa Tom and I are actually planning to do :) Trailer roofs are notorious for leaking and ours is no exception. We often have to get up there to paint and fill the cracks that inevitably occur when a thin metal roof is blown around by the wind. We have often talked about putting a pole building roof over it, but not seriously, until one day a few weeks ago when Grampa Tom happened to mention our ideas to a couple of friends of ours who got all excited about it and told him they were going to help him.

This plan includes not only a roof, but a greenhouse designed for passive solar heating and cooling, a cold room for our veggies and lots of extra storage. Check it out at Grama Sue's Floor Plan Play Land


God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

Sweet Annie

My Sweet Annie is ready!

Grampa Tom used to kill this stuff all the time. Then, one day a lady who grows it came to my garage sale. She was oohing and awing over it. She said she grows it in her garden on purpose and sells it in bundles for people to use in flower arrangements, wreaths and potpourri. 

Sweet Annie grows in our fence lines naturally and this year we have an extra abundant harvest because we don't have any sheep. Sheep really love this stuff! Fortunately, we have a friend who does the Spoon River Drive the first weekend in October. He said he'd love to sell it for us there.

According to WebMD, Sweet Annie is used medicinally for malaria. It has a chemical in it that drug companies concentrate to make malaria drugs. It is also used for  "colds, dysentery, diarrhea, indigestion, flatulence, heat stroke, tuberculosis and as a poultice on abscesses. Often used to treat night sweats. Can be used both topically and internally for bacterial and fungal infections." It is a member of the wormwood family (caution is advised) and should not be over used or taken by people using anti seizure medicines.

That's good to know. If you are inclined to use it medicinally, do some research. I'm not a doctor :)

So now you've probably learned something. One of the homeschooling groups I have been involved with had a rule, "Learn something every day." It's a good rule. You can go back to bed now :)

God Bless You All! 

~Grama Sue

Young Living's Valor for Arthritis

I gotta show you something!

This is often difficult if not impossible for me to do at 4 in the afternoon. I bought some Valor because it has frankincense in it. Straight frankincense is really expensive. 

I have been having some dark spots growing into moles around where my bra was tight. I quit wearing a bra and have been using Young Living's Melaluca on those spots. It has been doing an awesome job! ALL of those spots are at least 50% smaller than they were before I started using it, but there is one that was particularity large to begin with. I read that frankincense was really potent for this use, but since I had other priorities for my money, I went with Valor instead just for some extra umph!

One of the suggestions for Valor is to put it on your wrists and your neck. I thought, since I had it, I might as well. I was hoping it would alleviate the problems I've had for years with my hands falling asleep while I was sleeping. Within a couple of nights, I noticed a real improvement in this area. Then this morning, I woke up and was able to make a tight fist! I wasn't even expecting that!

By the way, I am not a doctor. I'm just sharing what has worked for me. Check with yours before using this. There may be reasons why you shouldn't. And do your own research!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

Rain!

Ahhhhh ... rain!

Grampa Tom says we got a half inch! The last rain we got was on July 30th. Thank God it was 3 inches then, but even 3 inches of rain tends to dry out after a while. It has been hot for the last couple of weeks on top of that. 

Grampa Tom and I have been rather depressed lately. My knee has been out of wack, so Grampa Tom is having to do double duty. The chickens aren't laying and veggie production has really slowed down. We've been worried about our wheat/beans. Hopefully this rain isn't to late to save them. We haven't seen any bees in weeks, but there's a lot of them in the garden this morning :) It's hard to trust when nothing seems to be going right. But God is able even when we can't see His plan!

I've been working on setting up a blog, Facebook page and Pinterest site for the Art and Needlework shop in town. Mary Lou saw the post I did about it and hired me to enhance her internet presence. I'm hoping to get it up and generating more sales for her soon. It's a lot of fun. I will post links when I think they are presentable :) Hopefully it will make her a lot of money and she will be really thankful ;)

That's it for today folks! Gotta get to the market in Burlington. Come see me! It's at the Port from 5 - 7:30 tonight!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

Good Morning Cyber World!

Oh how I have missed you!  I have survived my lack of internet access! It was difficult, given the fact that my knee is sprained and I can't do much in the garden, but I did it.

I read a real book, printed on that old fashioned stuff they call paper. 

I spent a good deal of time creating a plan for roof, shed and greenhouse for my trailer that I think we just might do. 

I watched the Red Green show and more TV than I've watched in years.

I snapped a lot of green beans.

Took care of short people

and slept a lot.

The real world is a wonderful place, but it's nice to be able to look up how to make a fruit fly trap when you are being overrun, price things you need to plan for, post prayer requests and get the latest important news like your great-niece's first steps, and all those hilarious stories about my friend's and family's daily life.

Please let me know what I have missed!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

The Art and Needlework Shop in Nauvoo, IL

www.artneedlework.com

This is where I've been spending my Monday afternoons this summer. The owner of this unassuming looking little shop is my neighbor, Mary Lou. Her family and my husband's family have been neighbors for 5 generations.

You will find the kind of things here that you'd expect from the name, but there's so much more!

You'll find lots of Nauvoo souvenirs.

Hair hats

Ready made pioneer clothing

Lots of pretty dolls

 

more stuff you'd expect to see in an art and needlework shop

There's a selection of basic Avon items and you can order from the Avon book here.

Need a pillow tie for that traveling man of yours?

T-shirts or bonnets?

Kids toys? 

It's also the only place in town where you can buy sweats. She made a ton of money when it was cold in July for the Pagent.

I'm tired of loading pictures! No way I could give you an inventory of what all is here.Truth is, behind this tiny looking shop front there are 3 very full rooms in which you can get lost. I've been working here all summer and I'm still discovering things! Mary Lou and her husband Jock have spent DECADES going to auctions and garage sales buying and collecting. There's jewelery, ready made quilts, antiques ... You name it, it is probably here.  So, if you're in town, stop by, tell Mary Lou, "Hi", and have fun exploring this awesome little Nauvoo treasure.


God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue