Chatting on the Sunny Farmhouse Porch!

Hello, hello, hello!!!  It's sunny, Wendell!!! What a day to join you and Patrice on the Farmhouse Porch.  The wind is blowing, the window is open in the lounge, and I am enjoying the warmth of spring.  FINALLY!!  Before we know it, it will be autumn again, so I will enjoy every moment.

So, my feet are up, and we can chat away merrily.


1. From Suzanne at p.s.Annie!:  Are you part of the back to nature/ecological group or are you more of the mindset of "I'll do what I want and everything will work out in the end"?

I am in neither, fully.  I think that nature, or what I would call "God's creation", has so much to teach us.  There are lessons to be learnt about so many aspects of life, if we learn about the way that creation operates, and how things function.  I think we have a responsibility to care for the world that God has given us - because, it is a gift.  A wonderful, beautiful and amazing gift.  I think we should appreciate its beauty, and have our eyes open to see the wonders that surround us.  Why?  Because the heavens declare His glory and the firmament showeth His handiwork.  If we want to appreciate GOD fully, we should appreciate all the wonders of creation that are around us.  We are a family who spot all the amazing things around us, as we travel along or when we go for a walk.  Unusual birds or animals, interesting things in the geography of the countryside, or the way the clouds look when a storm is coming.  Seeing, and appreciating.

I try and recycle things, because that facility is available in our Council. Some would say it uses up more energy to recycle than it does to make new things, but I am not convinced.  I DO think that mankind is generally  wasteful, and we should care more for the resources we use and not just throw away so readily.  However, I am no eco-warrior, and I do not lose sleep if I decide to throw a plastic container in the bin instead of having to rinse it and put it in the recycling.  It;s the personal choices I was talking about the other day - sometimes my time is simply better used elsewhere than sorting out the recycling!

I'm never a "do what i want person" - everything I do, I try and do to God's glory, and to please Him and not myself.  However, one thing IS for sure.  If you are a sinner, saved by grace, trusting in God alone for your salvation, then I know that everything WILL work out in the end. *smiles*

2. From Stacey at Happy Bride To Be:  What's a favourite dinner dish to make?

This is tricky.  I think my favourite dinners to make, are the ones I know I am going to enjoy EATING the most.  I don't particularly LOVE cooking dinners.  I'm more of a baking girl.  I love how cakes look if you make nice ones.  That's me getting distracted...

So, favourite dinners to make would be....

Any roast dinner.  I love a roast meat, with vegetables.  Better still is if you throw in a Yorkshire pudding....or two..... (with any meat that needs gravy).  Better yet, some stuffing.  I just LOVE the herby flavour in stuffing.  although, the best stuffing is a bread and onion one, made from scratch.  Make some breadcrumbs, chop up an onion as roughly or finely as you like (red is best...), mix in enough salt and pepper and butter to make it all stick together, press into an oven-proof dish and bake in the oven until it's all crispy on top.  Mmmmmmmmmm.  Thing is, since finding out that gluten makes my tummy unhappy, I have been avoiding bread.  Maybe a LEEEEETLE bit would be ok, 'cause I'm now hungry.  Anything with cooked onions = me drooling.

I also love Southern Fried Chicken.  The taste of that chicken, all gently golden, but so moist inside.  Mmmmm, mmmmmmmm.  With buttery mash, corn and broccoli.  Better still would be with broccoli cornbread, but my Mum used to make it with a Jiffy box mix she'd bring back from the USA, and we can't get it here.  I MUST be able to get a good recipe elsewhere and source the cornmeal?  Surely?!  Help, Americans!

I also love a good fried steak.   Bash it well with a meat hammer, rub with oil and a good dose of S & P.  Fried in a pan until medium/rare.  Add a generous side of baby veg, fried onions and mushrooms and buttery potatoes and a nice sauce.  LOVE.  IT.

So, where's the steak?  It's breakfast time, and I'm hungry......

3.  From Melanie at A Year of Jubilee Reviews: What animals have you seen give live birth?

Well, the short answer is "a sheep".

The long answer involves a bit more detail.  The first time was on a Church holiday on the Isle of Arran.  It's a stunning island, and I would love to go back one day.  One day when you can fly to the Island and not go on a boat, maybe?  (It's actually a not too bad a crossing, so long as you don't do it at Easter, when the waves are going over the top of the harbour walls because it's so choppy....).  It's called "mini Scotland", because it has mountains in the north, and more lowland in the south, like Scotland.

Anyway, we were going for a walk one morning all of us together.  A big long line of Church members, walking down a country lane.  One of the children of the party (or, maybe it was a "townie" adult...) said "that sheep's got a black plastic bag attached to its bottom".  We all stopped to look (as  you do....), and a minute or so later we realised it was actually a LAMB being born!  We were all so excited (being Townies....) and hung about, being generally enthralled with the "spring-ness" of the moment.  When, to our surprise, a second and third lambs were then delivered!  The first one was a black lamb (hence the "black bag", of the lamb in its sac), and I think the other 2 were white.  We all thought it was wonderful, and it made our trip!  Being general Townies, it was not something that most of us had ever seen.  You don't get many sheep on the streets of Glasgow.....

My second experience is not QUITE "live". I watched "lambing Live" on BBC.  Thing is, because we have no TV license, we can only watch things on iPlayer, after they have been aired live.  So, it wasn't QUITE "live".

However, I DID learn a lot about sheep and lambs.  I found the whole thing fascinating, and it now means that when I read Anne's blog, I know what she is talking about!


4.  From Anne at Homeschool on the Croft: If you had the opportunity to teach something, what would you teach?

Well, that's a bit of a funny question for a home-schooling mother.  I DO have the opportunity to teach, and I teach just about everything.  If we are talking specifically about what I ENJOY teaching, I love history.  It's partly why we chose to use Tapestry of Grace, because I find history an totally captivating subject.

I find it interesting reading Anne's answers on her blog, as they are often incredibly like my own! I am NOT copying her, honestly!

So, again, I love the period of the Tudor's.  There was a lot happening from a Christian persepctive at that time - a time of great turmoil and change. I also loved the period of the industrial revolution.  The Roman Empire is fascinating.  They were so advanced, and brought us so much order and improvement in this country, for which we should be extremely thankful!  (hot water in houses and toilets...thank you very much....)

I also love science - particularly biology.  The way the human body works so wonderfully, is truly designed by God in an amazing way. The way that everything works TOGETHER, and fits so perfectly to its function.


5.  From Madonna at Butterfly Acres: What did you love most about school?

I LOVED primary school.  I loved the learning part of secondary school. I still love to learn, which is why I so enjoy home educating - because *I* get to learn so much at the same time!

I LOVED music.  I so enjoyed those times in the week when I would get to go to a class and get to take part in something that I enjoyed so much.  Singing and making music!  To do exams in something that I could do standing on my head, and know I could pass without the struggle I had in other areas.  I loved to learn, but I HATED exams.  I do not do well under pressure, and struggle to recall facts and information.  ask me to tell you verbally, in context, and I could tell you all you wanted.  ask me in an exam, and I would crumple.

I did get teased and bullied at school, for being a Christian.  I just learnt to ignore it, and not care whether the "in crowd" liked me or not. I became the "patron saint of lost causes" and befriended all the people that got left out of life by the more popular crews.  I felt sorry for them, and tried to be kind.

I think Robert married me for the same reason....

It was lovely to chat, with the spring breeze blowing.  Let's hope it's even warmer come next week's chat.