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Tiny Hummingbird

By Lorraine

Fascinating video of a tiny Ruby-throated hummingbird at a window feeder with its tongue out and looking as if panting or defending its territory. Did you know hummingbirds are the smallest of birds measuring  from just under three inches to a little over 5-inches? Yet these petite birds are most fascinating and so exciting to watch as they flit to and fro each summer. One recent rainy day, a tiny hummingbird perched right outside my kitchen window for most of the morning allowing me to get this amazing video.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Birds & Butterflies, Home and Garden Tagged With: Birds, Garden, Hummingbirds, video

Psalm 91

By Lorraine

Encouraging, Psalm 91 with each verse illustrated with a beautiful flower photo. Lovely to reflect on remembering we are not alone even through the hard things.Psalm 91 is one of the most encouraging passages of scripture to me.  After completing the book, Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney, our community group Bible study is finished the year studying Psalm 91. It is a beautiful Psalm and I am sharing each verse with a photo of a blossom from my garden this past spring.

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Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Bible, Encouragement, Faith, flowers, Garden, Think On These Things

Recipes using Garden Fresh Zucchini

By Lorraine

Enjoy summer zucchini as a healthy ingredient in meatballs, cupcakes, pie, bread, Ratatouille and zucchini boats. Great recipe collection with lots of ideas.Summer is a delightful time of the year for many reasons and one of them is the abundance of fresh produce. Whether from the market or your garden, this is when the best and freshest fruits and vegetables are available  making it easy to add nutritious ingredients to your meals. Zucchini will soon be ready to harvest from local farmers and backyard plots. In this collection of recipes using garden fresh zucchini, you will find an appetizer, entree, side dish and even a dessert that shines the spotlight on  this summer squash.
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Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetables & Sides Tagged With: Garden, side dish, zucchini

Propagate Rosemary

By Lorraine

Rosemary is a perennial herb and easy to propagate from stem cuttings to make more plants. Rosemary infuses lots of flavor in cooking but it also is a lovely ingredient in this light and clean-smelling, simmering potpourri. Learn to propagate rosemary and make a simmering potpourri from it.
Do you have an herb garden or grow herbs on your windowsill? Do you have a favorite herb for cooking? I have a smallish, 4-foot by 8-foot raised bed where I grow herbs and some annuals. Just the ones I use most often in the kitchen. The aromatic evergreen, rosemary, does really well needing little attention. This perennial herb is super easy to propagate from stem cuttings to make more plants. Rosemary infuses lots of flavor in cooking but it also is a lovely ingredient in this light and clean-smelling, simmering potpourri.

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Filed Under: Flowers Plants & Herbs, Home and Garden Tagged With: DIY, Garden, herbs, lemon, tutorial

Experimenting with Stevia

By Lorraine

After purchasing a plant and growing it in the herb garden, harvesting the leaves and then experimenting with Stevia as an alternative sweetener.
This spring I found a stevia plant at the garden center and thought it would be an interesting addition to my herb garden. I have been experimenting with the leaves from the stevia plant to see how it would work as a sweetener.

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Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes, Sweet Treats Tagged With: Garden, herbs, tutorial

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

By Lorraine

tropical Passiflora, known also as passion flowers or passion vines

Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.
Revelation 4:11

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Bible, Faith, flowers, Garden, Quote, Think On These Things

Very Berry Muffins

By Lorraine

An easy recipe for classic muffin using your favorite berry. These very berry muffins use raspberries with a lovely orange glaze frosting.
We love berries and we love muffins. We love them for breakfast, mid-morning or afternoon snack, with a cold glass of milk or with a hot cup of coffee. Very berry muffins can be made with any berry you like!Continue Reading

Filed Under: Muffins, Recipes, Sweet Treats Tagged With: flowers, Garden, muffins

Happy Mother’s Day!

By Lorraine

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: flowers, Garden, Quote, Think On These Things

How Does Your Garden Grow

By Lorraine

Crystal vase of snowball hydrangea, roses and spiderwort flowers
As summer draws to a close, it is helpful to stroll through the yard, looking closely and evaluating the plants and flowers, gathering info for next season. How does your garden grow? What did well? What problems did you encounter?

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Filed Under: Flowers Plants & Herbs, Home and Garden Tagged With: flowers, Garden

In the Garden

By Lorraine

In the Garden
Words: Charles Austin Miles (1912)
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Faith, flowers, Garden, Think On These Things

forget-me-not

By Lorraine

 
~ dainty, blue forget-me-nots blooming in the garden this week ~
 
 

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Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Bible, Faith, flowers, Garden, Lorrie, Mommy, Think On These Things

lilacs

By Lorraine

 The sweet fragrance of lilac fills the air and it reminds me of the joy and blessing of friendship!
 It’s been a perfect couple of days after some very heavy rain this week.
The grass is green, the trees are blooming and it is really spring!
 It is also Raider’s birthday
 I think he is feeling his 11 years
 a quick selfie before heading out for another full day of yard work
my boy
❤

Filed Under: Flowers Plants & Herbs, Home and Garden Tagged With: birthday, flowers, Garden, John, Lorrie, Raider

Rosemary Wreath and Rosemary Parmesan~Crusted Pork Chop Dinner

By Lorraine

I’ve got another wreath idea to share with you.
This one is not just decorative but also useful in the kitchen
A wreath made of Rosemary sprigs is both aromatic and handy to snip and add in meal preparation.
For the base of the wreath I looked for a small circle.  I found a package of four, five-inch metal circles in the leather supply section of the craft store.You could use a heavy wire and make the circle yourself.
After cutting the rosemary into 5-6-inch pieces, I wired several of them into a bundle. 
It took six bundles to go around and fill out this 5-inch wire circle.
That’s all there is to it.
It smells wonderful too!
My Rosemary was a windowsill-size gift from a friend.  I kept it indoors for a year and then planted it outside in a pot.  It grew and I transplanted it into a raised bed herb garden two years ago.
Rosemary is an aromatic, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves. The leaves are used as a flavoring in foods such as stuffing, pork, chicken and turkey. It is native to the Mediterranean region. The name “rosemary” derives from the Latin for “dew” (ros) and “sea” (marinus), or “dew of the sea”.  Rosemary is reasonably hardy in cool climates and it can withstand droughts.  I live in zone 6b and my rosemary has no problem wintering over. It is easy to grow and pest-resistant and can be grown in pots. Be sure it has good drainage and a sunny location.

Parmesan & Rosemary Crusted~Pork Chops
adapted from Giada recipe

PRINT RECIPE
Ingredients
1 large egg
1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2-1 tsp. snipped rosemary
3 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Whisk the egg in a pie plate to blend.  Combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and the rosemary in another plate. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper.  Dip the pork chops in the egg and then into the cheese/bread crumb mixture, coating completely, patting to adhere.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Add additional oil as needed when cooking second side.  (My chops browned quickly, so I covered pan with lid, leaving slightly ajar and cooked for less time until just cooked through keeping them nice and juicy).  I served with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.

sharing at
Cupcakes & Crinoline Project Inspired party

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pork, Recipes Tagged With: Crafts, Garden, herbs, Home and Garden, tutorial

psalm 5:3

By Lorraine

 

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Bible, Encouragement, Faith, flowers, Garden, Think On These Things

late springtime blooms

By Lorraine

Late springtime blooms and lots of heavy rain…

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Filed Under: Flowers Plants & Herbs, Home and Garden Tagged With: flowers, Garden

Hot July 4th

By Lorraine

After an intensely busy May and June, then a nasty stomach bug last Saturday and Sunday, John and I enjoyed a laid back, mid-week 4th of July.
 Early breakfast on the patio before the high 90’s temp with matching humidity, included Cream Biscuits with jam and strawberries from a recipe shared by Kitty @Kitty’s Kozy Kitchen.
We made plans to head to my favorite nursery for a break from chores and responsibilities and maybe pick up a few new plants to fill empty spots in the gardens.
After the thirty minute drive my head was beginning to clear and I got excited to see all of the selections offered at this beautiful nursery.
Owners James & Joan Pope are very friendly and helpful.
Rosie, the goat was at her usual place, perched on a bench shaded by a trumpet vine. 
 Rosie seems to be keeping an eye on the bunnies in the cages nearby.
She was cool and comfortable and looking dapper in her purple bandana.
 There are a lot of animals to see here but it was just so hot we visited only a few located up front.
This young emu hatched in February and a couple of cute ducks quacked for our attention.
 I came home with more than I wanted but who can resist… I wanted one of everything!
 Bees, butterflies and moths were as happy as us with so many beautiful blossoms.
A peek out the back door of the shop revealed a most beautiful space!
Since it is the Popes’ private backyard, I asked Joan if we could look around and take some photos and she graciously gave us permission.
 What an oasis of well designed and abundantly blooming plants
 I love walking the path with the various ground cover growing among the stepping stones.
Looking toward the back door of the shop.
 Keep cool, Rosie…
See you next visit!
POPES’ GARDENS
James & Joan Pope
www.popesgardens.com
1146 Old White Horse Pike
Waterford, New Jersey 08089
Phone (856) 767-3343
~*~
Remember my post on the birds nesting in the patio lantern?
Look what’s peeking out these days.

Linking to Seasonal Sundays @The Tablescaper

Filed Under: Flowers Plants & Herbs, Home and Garden, Recipes Tagged With: Birds, flowers, Garden, Patriotic

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Hi! I'm Lorraine. Welcome to Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart. A place to find food for your tummy, projects for your hands, and encouragement for your heart.

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