Bounty & Blessings

It’s been a full weekend of activity: Grand Opening of the National Civil War Chaplains Museum and picking the last of the bounty from our peach trees.

BOUNTY FROM THE LAND
What a bounty we have had with peaches this season. I am giddy over the beauty of such pickings! It is a lot of work to preserve them for enjoyment later on in the year. However, I am learning to go with the current of life and not against it. It does not do my spirit any good to get stressed over what is not being done while I am spending my time peeling, peeling, and peeling for hours. Sure, I wanted to get painting on some projects in my studio, but the peaches are calling! I am going with the flow…

Not only were we able to glean the riches of the land from our trees, we scooped up all the peaches left from a tree my husband planted at his mother’s home. So I had bins and baskets of fresh peaches to peel and freeze for later (How to freeze peaches).

After freezing several quarts of peaches, I could not go to bed without trying to make something tasty with peaches. A peach cobbler is what I am craving! I looked up several recipes and thought I would try the Fresh Southern Peach Cobbler from All Recipes. After all, an entree said it was the best ever. Although, I have never made a cobble before, I have had my share of trying them. THIS RECIPE DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I concur that this cobbler was the best I have ever tried. Not sure if it was the delicious homegrown fresh peaches or the topping, but it was divine!!!

It had more of a cake topping then a crust. I love cake so this recipe is the one I will stick with when making cobbler. I would probably double it though (or at least make extra of it) to get a thicker covering over the peaches. Plus, because I had to cut around some bad spots in the peaches, I did have to slice more peaches to cover the bottom of the dish. Have fun with it and tweak it to your liking. 🙂

My husband loves pie (the crust is his favorite!) so I’ll be searching for a recipe to try. Feel free to share any greats with us!

Here’s more information on the health benefits of peaches.

NATIONAL CILVIL WAR CHAPLAINS MUSEUM GRAND OPENING
Working with museum curation and assisting in the layout of the exhibits for the National Civil War Chaplains Museum has been a great educational experience. The Museum is located on the campus of Liberty University and is open daily for the public.

I love having the opportunity to work in an artistic way every day. Creating brings such joy to my life and is an outlet I am most happy at doing.

It has been a lot of fun with making decorations for the occasion. I love these pennant banners that I made with the Jerry Falwell Museum Curator, Paula Johnson.

Charlie Tremendous Jones said, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” She is one of those people that change your life for the better. She has a heart and passion for her work. I learned so much from her (and her family). Especially, about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not being stressed out regarding the small things in life. Great people!!!

Paula being interviewed by Mark Edwards from Victory FM 88.3.

Certainly, living in Virginia and not too far from the Appomattox Court House National Park has helped keep this part of history fresh in my mind. However, on a more personal level the NCWCM has given me a better understanding regarding the men and women that gave of their lives so that we can be called the United States of America.

In spite of the weather being rainy, we had a pretty good turn out. Many folks were dressed in period costumes which made the experience even greater for others that attended the event.

The opening began with prayer and a few key Members of the Board welcomed folks.

With Director of the Museum, Kenny Rowlette, Delegate Scott Garrett was present and spoke of on how education matters.

Director of the Museum, Kenny Rowlette welcomed folks present

Alan Farley, Chaplain and Curator of the Museum opened in prayer.

Rabbi Wucher dedicated a Jewish diorama built for the museum by Museum Board Member, Calvin Ashwell.

Period Music by Riddle on the Harp set the tone for the days festivities.

I was even able to meet Robert Hester and look over his awesome Christian Commission Banner he made for reenactments.

Overall, a wonderful morning with remembering the Chaplains who served during the Civil War.

More fun stuff yet to come! In the future I’ll be covering techniques on drawing, more DIY projects with an incredible paint by CeCe Caldwell that does miracles with just about anything you want to paint, Christmas ornaments, and many more ideas for the inspired heart to find joy in the little things in life. I’ll be sending these things out by email, so if you are not on my email list yet then you can sign up below my photograph in the right-hand column. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you in the next tutorial!

God bless,
Michelle