Goodness and Mercy

We have been aware of the presence of Goodness and Mercy,
but we have finally come face to face...

They appear tattered and worn on the outside,
but on the inside..their spirits are refreshed by the thought
that they have been sufficiently acknowledged.

Isn't that how it is?
We 'feel' a presence,  just like we 'feel' the wind...
but when we finally see it face to face....
like leaves swirling in mid-air...
we can truly believe!

Goodness..who is nicknamed 'ohma'
because of Grammy's favored saying,...repeated often by Xavier .."ohmagoodness"..
is now known ..
as something God shares with those who seek Him.
Her dearest friend is Mercy...
formerly known as a very southern term ..followed by very many exclamation marks...
is now known for being one of God's greatest gifts!

These two have been around for quite a long time...

working steadily... all these days... in the home of Grammy and Big Daddy.

They scurried silently through the rooms...


...Welcoming children who would call out "Grammy and Big Daddy"...

Xavier, lover of all God's tiniest creatures...
including Chicky Chick...who would go to Heaven, not long after Easter...

and Baby Bun...
wounded beyond repair, who we would lose the following week...

loving them with his tender heart, whilst they were on this earth...


Princess Kyleigh...who would enjoy her very first Tea Party......

..... ever smiling...Colin...

..and "Miracle at Christmastide"... newborn, Sophia...

Around the kitchen, they'd sneak ... smelling eggs that were 'scrandled'...

spying their Dormice friends, John Jacob and Eliza....

 ...passing Scout's favored 'circle of sunshine' she found each morning, in the foyer...

And up the stairs...


into the play room....
watching Xavier as he played with a set of 'lincoln logs'...
enjoyed and cherished so many years ago, by my Matthew, Cale, and Olivia....

and the wooden train set...each piece, a Christmas gift for my mother , who began requesting the set when she became a 'memaw,' and her grandchildren became toddlers...

out the windows, they hopped....

...landing with a bounce, into the blooms of the climbing hydrangea..

...and into the blushing petals of the 'Bride'...

'neath the towering stalks of Xavier and Grammy's Hollyhocks...

...stopping to gaze at the first bloom of Xavier's 'Rainbow' summer cutting garden....

down the drive...
to the pond and the great marshmallow tree...

a little boy claimed as his own....

......Sprinkling their blessings every where they stopped to rest.

How evident are their gifts all around...do you see? Goodness and Mercy are everywhere at once..for that is the nature of these two ..

They are now joined by a new friend, Shirley...

Who shares with Goodness and Mercy, the resource she has found...in Grammy's growing library...

(Thankful to a very talented craftsman, Seth Tudor...
son of our beloved Tasha Tudor....who crafted the wooden art stand)

..and Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy shall follow Grammy and Big Daddy for all the days of their lives...

into their new home,
and into the lives of their children and grandchildren.
Such a gift!
How blessed we are!
And one day, we will all dwell in the house of the Lord!

These are the children...along with the ones who love our children...and the grandchildren ...of Grammy Christie and Husband...worshipping on Easter Sunday...
All of us together, at once. I believe it was a first. God is so Good.

Thank you, in advance, all my dear friends...new and dear...tried and true...
for all of your prayers in these next several...
very hectic...
days ahead.
May God add His richest blessings upon you!

Giddy-Up Little Garden

It is a sunshine-filled, windy beginning to our day....and it feels like Christmas Morning, every morning...wanting to run to the garden to see what package has been opened.
After a large bowlful of my favorite cereal, (known far and wide, as "Grammy's Cereal") and fresh goat's milk from dear friends, I am ready to face the day.

Dew still fresh on the grass, I pull up my wellies, place my hat over my loosely braided hair, and take along the camera...

These days will pass quickly as we proceed to the approaching move.
Thank you for joining me as I document these rich, fragrant days of Spring, at Grammy's House.

I suppose at some point last year, I planted a few petunias...I had forgotten...but they had remembered. They were the softest peachy pink hue...and I can see their little petals yawning, waiting to open soon...

The girls in the hydrangea bed must have had quite a pep talk last night from the Annabelle and the Blushing Bride...for they have picked up their pace and more pretty petals have burst forth..

Xavier declares these to be "the pink ones that my mommy likes!" They will be a vibrant shade!


Make haste little Annabelles...

...they seem to be squinting, in the bright morning sun.
These are some of the sweetest in the garden...it could very well be, that I favor them because of their beautiful name...or because the dearest little children's book, 'A is for Annabelle' by Tasha Tudor, is one of my favorites.

(I recently found this lovely little copy published in 1954...it is perfectly perfect for little hands, as the cover bends easily, and no bothersome dust jacket to negotiate)

(Sweet grandaughter, Baby Sophia, keeps one of her softest of soft pink blankies at Grammy's ...it provides such a feminine little backdrop for this dolly book)

Annabelle's dress, and its soft shade of green, reminds me of the Annabelle Hydrangea's pale green petals.

They are such fragile little girls, requiring daily watering as the heat of the summer wears on them. When I asked my masterful gardener brother what was the best fertilizer for my gardens, he replied, "The water from your sweat, and the shade from your shadow." In other words, be present amongst your growing things...they love to feel your fingers pass over their leaves and hearing your voice praising them for the beauty they produce. Such sage advice...of course, no pun intended...


The Brides continue to Blush, as they open and reveal the palest shade of pink..

Oh!My!Goodness! (or 'ohmagooness' as Xavier translates Grammy's most frequent exclaim) Can you believe this??

I have not one single frock in my closet this shade...but as I step into my garden, I find my wellies  coordinate beautifully with the lovely Spring 'bonnet' of this little miss!

The grapes are swaying in their arbor, begging for their 'keeper' to come and direct a chorus of praise amongst their growing clusters...

The protective prickles are long gone...they are managing quite well, thus far.

Breezes blow...pea-sized fruit is a tiny blur.

This morning in the garden...my heart swells, knowing that God, who created us to tend to His Garden...must be so very pleased. It is His praise and love I feel as His hand brushes over me...causing a desire to please Him as I continue to grow in the shade of His shadow...

Xavier's in the Kitchen at Grammy's

Grammy sees a post on "Our Scented Cottage"...Recipe for Upside Down Blueberry Cake...for blueberry lovers....a box of fresh blueberries in the fridge...an afternoon with Xavier....Mother's Day on its way...Mommy likes blueberries...to the kitchen we go...

Blueberries swimming in butter and brown sugar, so we move to the mixing bowls.

Three pretty eggs (farm fresh from friends Glenn and Debbie)....selected and cracked (this was quite an interesting lesson)...little hands learning how to tap, tap, tap... takes practice, practice, practice.

With a whisk, the real fun begins! "Grammy, I just wuv heppin' you in the kitchen!"

Then we reach for the milk...

Flour comes next...little arms begin to tire..."This is hard Work, Grammy!" Yes, it is, but we have much discussion about Mother's Day, and he decides this will be her present...Now, he is reconciled to the task at hand...

Xavier sees Grammy taking pictures and says, "Didju take a picture of dat?" Pointing to the iPad with Laura's "Our Scented Cottage" recipe, I had to include this photo, along with a very big Thank You to our dear friend for her post....

After pouring the batter into the skillet (this job went to Grammy), into the oven it goes....

My Grandma Effie's iron skillet is used ....her home always kept the scent of blueberry muffins... the very fragrance now fills our keeping room...and piques one little boy's appetite. A bowl of Grammy's Cereal (Special K with Vanilla and Almonds) satisfies...

Precious...this boy loves his cars!

Mommy arrives before the cake has finished cooking. Oh, he does NOT want to leave ....He needs that cake!! for his Mommy!!!
Grammy promises the cake will be delivered and they can enjoy his cake tomorrow; tired little boy heads home with tired mommy..

The timer is buzzing and the oven is opened. The skillet is hot and the blueberries are bubbling at the edges of the cake. It cools for just a bit....

The flip is tricky, but managed...

A tiny "taste test" sliver is sliced...if there had been a scoop of vanilla ice cream on hand...Oh, my!
What a perfect day it is when Xavier's in the kitchen with Grammy!

Eliza and Grammy prepare Victorian Cookies for Royal Wedding Day

A Royal Wedding! What a lovely time to bake ...Eliza is ever so excited to learn! She and her mistress are anxious to try a recipe from their dear friend Laura at "Our Scented Cottage." Victorian lavender cookies with Rosewater Icing will be most special for celebration tomorrow as William and Kate exchange their vows.  (Mistress Grammy watched a royal wedding many, many years ago...a bittersweet recollection.)

Grammy and Eliza place their "receipts" (Tasha Tudor used this old fashioned term, meaning recipe) and folders on their new art stands, skillfully crafted by Seth Tudor, and collect the needed ingredients. Culinary Rosewater and Lavender have been special ordered.

Eliza is excited to begin a folder of her own! She is grateful that her Mistress Grammy has taken care to save a dormouse-sized chair, carved by her great grandpa, Fred Aly, Sr. for mistress' mother when she was a toddling little girl ... Now she can read how much lavender to scoop into the mixing bowl.

Sniff, sniff, sniff. Oh, so very ....intoxicating! No other word describes the fragrance wafting through
the kitchen.

Now, the cookie dough must be dropped by teaspoonfuls, for it is very, very gooey!

The waiting begins....John Jacob is very anxious to taste Eliza's first batch of cookies...

Finally, hot from the oven, the tiny cookies must cool completely before the rosewater icing may be drizzled....What delicious smells they smell!

Mistress Grammy has decided the scrumptious cookies will be more scrumptious if they take the shape of miniature teapots. What a splendid idea! (Eliza wishes there was a teeny tiny teapot cutter for her teeny tiny cookies)
Teapot cookies....3 in a row!

This is the little secret: Before the cookies have cooled completely, and while they are still on the cookie sheet...carefully cut them out with your favorite teapot cookie cutter..

When the cookies have cooled completely, and using a fork, drizzle the rosewater icing.. back and forth.. over the cookies...

Patty Patty and Tara Squirrel smell the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. When they peek and see Grammy in her prettiest pink apron, they are now certain it is cookie baking time! They run with their tiny little feet, and climb up to the top of the little black cookstove, to find the tiniest little iced cookies. 

With delightful congratulations to their new friend Eliza Dormouse, mannerly manners are remembered, and they decide to send the tiny cookie-filled cookie sheet to their City Mouse cousin and ask if Grammy will include some teapots for her mistress. (and because they are thoughtful little country cousins, they will dine together with Mistress Grammy, savoring her portion of the delectable treats with a teeny tiny cup of tea, as the Royal Wedding plays on the television) 

How exciting to prepare a package for family...it brings a warm feeling in their teeny tiny hearts. (Eliza insisted that being a City Mouse, her cousin needed a receipt and folder of her own, so one more is created.)

What an exciting time it is...Spring...lovely cookies....wonderful, lingering aromas....and a Royal Wedding!!

Wishing God's best for Prince William and his Princess Kate!

Those who visit Mistress Grammy's House always feel like a prince and princess!