Visiting one of our local farmer's markets is always a special treat.  Recently, I did just that, with
my oldest daughter.  It was a cool, rainy day, but just walking inside the doors of the market,
brightened our day.  The place was bustling with activity, and convinced us immediately
that it was the place to be.

Tin buckets filled with vibrant colored flowers, immediately drew our attention.

We could not walk past the stand without stopping to soak in the beauty of it all.

Colorful containers of candy lined the next stand. 

 

What a clever way to display the many brands of candy.  One could buy the jar candy by the

pound, half pound, or quarter pound.  The display reminded me of an old country

store.

Fresh produce is what especially caught my eye.  We could almost taste the strawberries, as we
stood there looking at their bright red goodness.

I was overwhelmed with the abundance of fresh, flavorful food, that was displayed in such artistically skillful fashion.

As we walked, I could not help but have my mind wonder back to something that had transpired in
my life recently.  At my mother's passing, me and my siblings were cleaning out her many closets
and cupboards.  In one box of treasures, we found two old war rationing books, that she saved
from her childhood.

The books were dated and had her name printed on the front of it.  The year was 1943.

Numbered stamps filled each weathered page.

I did not know she had saved these books.  It was a sobering find for all of us, especially as we
read the back pages of the old books.  It brought to our minds, details of a time that was unfamiliar
to our way of life.  As I researched the time of "war rationing books", I discovered some more
interesting facts.

~"Sugar was the first consumer commodity rationed, with all sales ended on 27 April 1942 and
resumed on 5 May with a ration of .5 pounds per person per week, half of normal consumption.
Bakeries, ice cream makers, and other commercial users received rations of about 70% of normal
usage.  By the end of 1942, ration coupons were used for nine other items.  Typewriters, gasoline,
bicycles, footwear, silk, nylon, fuel oil, stoves, meat, lard, shortening and food oils, cheese,
butter, margarine, processed foods (canned, bottled, and frozen), dried fruits, canned milk,
firewood and coal, jams, jellies, and fruit butter were rationed by November 1943.  Many
retailers welcomed rationing because they were already experiencing shortages of many items
due to rumors and panic, such as flashlights and batteries after Pearl Harbor."
~Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  Article, "Rationing in United States.

As my daughter and I stopped to buy cups of coffee during our market visit, I remembered

back to what I read about the restrictions of coffee in those "war rationing" days.

 

I thought to myself, how abundant our coffee supply is now, in our country.  Coffee

shops fill our cities and towns, and visiting local coffee shops have become a way

of life for many today.

 

"Ask anyone who remembers life on the Home Front during WWII about the

strongest memories and chances are they will tell you about rationing.  You see,

the war caused shortages of all sorts of things, rubber metal, clothing and

etc.  But it was the shortages of various types of food that affected just about

everyone on a daily basis.

 

Food was in short supply for a variety of reasons;  much of the processed

and canned foods was reserved for shipping overseas to our military and our

Allies, transportation of fresh foods was limited due to gasoline and tire

rationing, and the priority of transporting soldiers and war supplies instead of

food. 

 

Because of these shortages, the U.S. government's Office of Price

Administration established a system of rationing that would more fairly

distribute foods that were in short supply.  Every American was issued a series

of ration books during the war.  The ration books contained removable stamps

good for certain rationed items, like sugar, meal, cooking oil, and canned

goods.  A person could not buy a rationed item without also giving the grocer

the right ration stamp.  Once a person's ration stamps were used up for a month,

she couldn't buy any more of that type of food.  This meant planning meals

carefully, being creative with menus, and not wasting food.  More than 8,000

ration boards across the country administered this program."

~The National WWII Museum/New Orleans: Learn: For Students:

Primary Sources: Ration Books

 

Reading all of this new information, truly helped me understand better, the

way my mother would at times, stock pile certain items in her pantry.

At a young and quite impressionable age, she had lived through these rationing

years, and it left an indelible impression on her.  Hence, that is why we

discovered many jars of peanut butter, crackers, and coffee in her pantry.

 

I guess the best way to sum up this newly acquired information would be stated on

the last sentence, on the back of her rationing book;

"If you don't need it, DON'T BUY IT!"

 

 

For me personally, I want to be reminded continually, to be thankful every day for

All that I have.  I want to live with an attitude of gratitude, because one never knows

how long that abundance will remain.

 

Thank you dear Mother, for yet another lesson I have learned from you, in my

life journey.

 

I was wondering if any of you who stopped by my blog today, have your own memories

of the days of rationing in America?  If so, would you care to share?

 

Thanks you for stopping by today.

Her diamond ring caught my eye.  In fact, I watched it sparkle with every move of her hand.
Gorgeous ring! I found myself distracted from what she was saying, by the constant brilliance
that shone from her finger.

I've thought about her ring since then, and for some reason, my mind recalled something about
I read recently, in an article on "How Diamonds are Made?"  It caught my attention, because
it was shared in the form of a recipe.  Recipes always get my attention, but this surprised me.
"Diamonds are made out of carbon-highly organized carbon, that is.  They (the
scientists) think the recipe follows something like this;

1.  Bury carbon dioxide 100 miles from Earth.

2. Heat to about 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Squeeze under pressure of 725,000 pounds per square inch.

4. Quickly rush towards Earth's surface to cool.

~from livescience.com

So that's what causes the sparkle... extreme heat and intense pressure were a part of the
process.

There are people we learn to know in life, whose lives reflect the same kind of
"sparkle" that can get your attention.

This past weekend, we celebrated the 70th birthday of one of those people.  He has been
in our lives for years, but for many of those years, he has suffered with the woes of
throat cancer.  In fact, I learned recently, that it has been 8 years since he has eaten a
meal.  He lives by injections of liquid food.  His ability to talk has been diminishing,
and often he finds writing out his words, is easier for him.  But, though the years, we
have rarely heard him complain, and his way of greeting us, is always with a smile.
He shows genuine interest in his friends, and he radiates God's love to all who meet
him.  In fact, we would agree that he and his wife would fall into the "diamond"
category.  She has walked through this journey with him, with grace and kindness,
often reaching out to others, through her own difficult situations.  Along with her
skills of administration in a local high school, she is a gifted artist.  She shared
her talents with us, in planning a birthday square dance celebration on Saturday
evening.

We were greeted with this attractive box of "bandana flowers", as we entered the door of
the big barn.

Each of the bright colored bandanas were folded so neatly, in flower fashion.

Individual bandana flowers.  One for each of us to take.

And then, of course, to wear in one form or another.  Here my granddaughter and me,
shared the same color choice of bandanas.

Our oldest daughter and their family, were honored to celebrate this special man's birthday too.

The table centerpieces dressed up each of the big round tables so beautifully.  The

bowls of peanuts were a big hit, and the opened shells added to the western flair of the party.

When you see big, brilliant diamonds, or when you meet exceptional people, that seem to
sparkle, on your journey through this life, I hope you are reminded, that often times, it is
the extreme heat and intense pressure of life's circumstances, that make them that way. 

Thank you Sarge, for what we learn from you and your wife, and the way you radiate God's
amazing love in your life, despite your adverse circumstances.  We are blessed by it, in so
many ways.

Thanks to each one of you, for stopping by today.

Come along with my husband and me on the drive through the countryside, on this absolutely beautiful Spring day.

The chickens were scurrying in the barnyard.

There were the "free range" chickens, at a location in the middle of a big field.

Tiny purple violets bloomed by the side of the road.

Plastic bags and pie pans, tied on sticks, blew in the wind, fulfilling their purpose of
keeping the birds away from the garden.  How clever!

Pretty white dogwood flowers, shared their delicate faces.

Young foals frolicked in the afternoon sun, almost appearing here, as if they were having a
lively conversation:).

They seemed so happy being together.

Quiet streams flowed through many of the farm fields.

Pretty colored flowers bloomed by an old mailbox.

As the cows and sheep grazed, a group of Amish families gathered to relax, by the creek in the
meadow.  What an enjoyable and peaceful way to spend a Sunday afternoon, after a week of
hard work.

Sweet little girls seemed delighted with their fun carriage ride.

Bright yellow buttercups, lined the side of the road.  They always remind me of my growing up
days.

Forget-me-not flowers, shared their soft blue colors too, as they bloomed in abundance, in
many of the country gardens.

The ducks swam in unison, down the rippling brook.

I hope you enjoyed the drive as much as we did, and I hope it offered you peaceful solace, as you
observed with us, the beauty God has created for us.  In a world of turmoil and unrest, we found
this change of scenery so therapeutic and exhilarating.  Spring...where nature wakes up, after
a long cold winter.  We can't get enough of it's beauty.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hi, I am still here!  Life can get quite busy!  At times, it demands a blogging break.  Time to
stop and step back from all that can fill our hours and days.

Which includes giving baking classes, in my very simple baking style.

Giving spelling and penmanship classes to my granddaughter, in the Dollar Tree fashion. 
Thankful for their colorful  spelling books.

 

Spending moments of sitting on the grass with those I love, and soaking in the warm
Spring sunshine.

And a special family evening, where we all got to visit with family from Colorado.
As you can see, my Mother-in-law was thrilled to see her grandson again!

There was time spent putting these pretty little lamps together, for an evening dinner
with dear friends.  Thanks again, to the Dollar Tree for this easy, inexpensive way
to dress up a dinner table.

You can find lamp shades in gold, black, gray, or red.  Favors for 2.00 each.

Admiring my Aunt's brilliant red tulips blooming by the white fence.

 

But, during all the busyness, and all the daily chores of every day life, here is what was
happening to me;

"If you are an average weight adult, here is what is accomplished in your last 24 hours;

Your heart beats 103,689 times.

Your blood travels 168,000,000 miles.

You breath 23,040 times.

You inhale 438 cubic feet of air.

You eat 3 1/2 pounds of food.

You drink 2.9 quarts of liquids.

You loose 7/8 pounds of waste.

You speak 25,000 words, including some unnecessary ones.

You move 750 muscles.

Your nails grow .0000646 inch.

Your hair grows .01714 inch.

You exercise 7,000,000 brain cells.

...do you feel tired?"

~written by Paul Lee Tan

So you see, between my physical daily life, and my human body at work, I needed a break:).

 

I close with this interesting bit of information that I read recently, on the human body;

"Each chromosome contains 20 billion bits of information.  That amount of information

would equal three billion letters.  If there are six letters in an average word, the information

in one human chromosome equals 500 million words.  If there are 300 words on a printed

page, this would equal two million pages.  If the typical books contain 500 pages, a single

chromosome contains 4,000 books.  Chromosomes carry every bit of information concerning

the development of a human being.  God programmed every minute detail into every

chromosome."

~Paul Lee Tan

Wow!  Our individual chromosomes are so amazing!  This humbled me when I read it. 
All that happens in my body every single day, without me ever giving it a thought. 
No wonder we feel tired and on information overload on certain days:).
 
We truly are "Fearfully and wonderfully made", like it states in Psalms 139:14.

Thank you for stopping by!

Quietly, he worked on the project.

 

Proudly he showed his mother what he had so painstakingly made.

 

A birthday cake for his dad, and he expressed his eagerness to give it to him.

 

That was last week.  Today is his dad's birthday, and finally he can share it with him.

Because after all, in his little mind, his dad is "the best"!

Happy Birthday to our dear Son-in-Law!

Gifts

"What gives a gift its value
is sentiment and thought.
Its not determined by the cost
for love cannot be bought.

Homemade gifts can warm the heart
and always bring a smile.
For love's the main ingredient
that makes a gift worthwhile.

Store-bought gifts can be exchanged
returned or thrown away.
But something made by loving hands
grows fonder day by day."

~Clay Harrison

"Sentiment and thought"...the most important aspect of any gift we give.