Our June Garden

 

Our garden is coming along pretty well this year. We have crape myrtles blooming, the grapes are turning and we have been getting basketfuls of tomatoes (around 20 every other day).

the jalapeno is gone

This morning I happened to look out the window to our check on our garden and saw our jalapeno plant completely gone. I looked again and saw what was left of the wilted plant about 18 inches away. Now who, or what would do that!? I have never seen a whole plant completely uprooted like that and can't imagine what would do that...a squirrel?? an opposom? rat? Who knows. It doesn't bother me much though since it was a small plant and hadn't really grown much since we planted it.

Wednesday morning we finally got some rain. I really can't remember when we had last gotten rain and everything was beginning to show it. We've had water restrictions, 100 degree weather, bushes dying, trees turning yellow and bottomless gaping cracks in the ground. So we were all so thankful to wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of thunder and pouring rain. It continued to rain on into the morning and stopped around 8:00 leaving south Texas cool and fresh. It was wonderful and reminded me of what I had been reading earlier in the week from Isaiah 35."For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. ⁷ The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water;" The Lord has given again.

Our peppers keep coming, though not quite as many as last year.

Garlicky Cream Cheese Wontons

 This recipe  for wontons is so good! They might seem like a lot of work to assemble and fry but if you have another person to help they are a breeze. I usually try and make these whenever we have Teriyaki chicken, Szechuan chicken, or any other oriental meal. If I had wonton wrappers on hand I would be in the kitchen making them right now.

To Every Tribe Tuesday - Yemen

Yemen is a country steeped in antiquity and a place which I have always had an interest in. Locals have over history claimed the city of Aden as the location of the Garden of Eden though that is, for obvious reasons, difficult to prove. It is a fertile strip of land at the southern right corner of the Arabian peninsula. In Roman times it was called Arabia Felix (Happy Arabia) because of the lush oases, fruit and vegetables that were able to grow there in comparison with the rest of Arabia.

Yemen is almost entirely Arab in ethnicity. There is a small community of Jews that have lived in Yemen for hundreds of years, some claim since the days of Solomon.
The majority of Yemenis are Muslim with Sunnis slightly edging out Shi'ites. The Christian population is around 1%.

Yemeni Jewess -source: Joshua Project

Yemeni Jews at a wedding

Social life is patriarchal and patrilocal with the average household consisting of  about 8 individuals. Most of the labor force is employed in agriculture with the exception of those living in cities such as Aden and Sana'a.

Yemen is fairly closed to outsiders and disapproves of anything Christian. They have an Arabic Bible but not in any local dialect. Until God, in providence, causes the country to becomes more tolerant Christian witness and work there will be little to none. Yet praise the Lord, "We have a God who delights in impossibilities." -Andrew Murray.

Capturing the Day

It is wholly impossible to live according to Divine order, and to make a proper application of heavenly principles, as long as the necessary duties which each day brings seem only like a burden grievous to be borne. Not till we are ready to throw our very life’s love into the troublesome little things can we be really faithful in that which is least and faithful also in much. Every day that dawns brings something to do, which can never be done as well again. We should, therefore, try to do it ungrudgingly and cheerfully. It is the Lord’s own work, which He has given us as surely as He gives us daily bread. We should thank Him for it with all our hearts, as much as for any other gift. It was designed to be our life, our happiness. Instead of shirking it or hurrying over it, we should put our whole heart and soul into it.
- James Reed

I stumbled on this quote and had to share it. It is easy for me to forget that each day is a unique new day in which we have a choice of redeeming  His time for His glory or letting it fall useless.

photo credit: weheartit

Swedish Cookies

Love these...partly because they look so pretty and partly because of how good they are! I had fun with these cookies, especially since I just happened to have some Swedish family heirlooms to use for photo props.