A Meek Perspective

Mother's Day 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

For all of our moms, Happy Mother's Day!

For some reason, I feel the same way about you

that I felt about my kids

when they were small--

that it wasn't their job to love me,

it was my job to love them.

--Eat, Pray, Love

Before & After: The Master Bathroom (The Details)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:51:00 +0000

This bathroom has been a long time in coming and a long time of planning and dreaming on my part.

The color scheme was the first thing set in my mind. I knew I wanted blue and white but had not decided on the particular blue until I saw this picture from Joan @ For The Love Of A House blog.

The blue was not quite white, but not quite a true blue. The color is Horizon by Benjamin Moore.

We decided to go with a walk-in shower at the prompting of our contractor. He recommended doing some type of a pattern in the shower. I first picked out a gray/white marble porcelain tile for the large tile and then decided on the mosaic. The mosaic includes tiles of blue, aqua, gray and gray striped. All of our tile was purchased at Lowes. Our contractor, Danny, laid out the design for the shower. He also included in the right wall of the shower a small alcove just large enough for our shampoo, conditioners, and soap.

Of course, the optimum master bath would have two sinks and two mirrors. Two sinks was definitely not going to happen in a bathroom just 7' 8" by 5'. We are rarely both using a sink at the same time, but we often do need a mirror at the same time...so I thought why not have the two mirrors. These mirrors were purchased at Lowe's for a fraction of the cost of similar bath mirrors shown in Pottery Barn catalogs. I just love the tilting feature. We not only added the extra mirror but also an extra light, and an extra plugin outlet to the wall. The extra outlet allows whoever is working at that mirror the electricity needed for a curling iron, blow dryer, or electric razor without having to cross over the one standing at the sink. I believe this is my favorite part of the bathroom.

I also fell in love with this shelf from The Fairfield House blog. We removed a cabinet above the toilet and a medicine cabinet above the sink. This shelf afforded us some well needed extra space for bathroom supplies and gave us a place to rest makeup, curling iron, etc. Danny did a great job creating this shelf for us.

As I showed before in my inspiration pictures, I love vessel sinks. The ideal vessel sink for me would have been a white porcelain sink shaped like a big antique kitchen bowl. Vessel sinks like that do actually exist they just cost 4 times more than the sink we actually purchased. The sink below was purchased from Amazon.com as well as the faucet at great prices. This bowl is white on the outside but the inside is more of an aqua color. The description was "frosted glass". I wasn't really sure about the aqua with my color scheme, but the aqua in the mosaic in the shower matched perfectly and really pulled out this bright accent. Besides loving the design of a vessel sink, a vessel sink also leaves so much more room on the counter area of the sink. Having that extra space below where the sink stands makes these types of sinks perfect for small bathrooms.

The counter is granite. I know...it looks marvelously like marble! Our contractor was able to purchase scraps of granite at a local supplier to use in our bathroom. We were really fortunate to find a color that exactly matched the shower tile.

I used vintage canning jars for bath supplies and decorative elements on the shelf. The aqua in the jars help tie in the aqua accents in the bathroom.

Our floor tile is ceramic - also purchased at Lowes. Our contractor warned us that ceramic tile is much more slick when wet than porcelain tile, but I couldn't find any porcelain tile that I liked. I decided our bathroom floor was so small (about 5' x 5') that we wouldn't be as likely to slip with two rugs on the floor. So far we haven't hit any slick spots. :)

This is our towel wall. When I saw the beadboard wall on The Lettered Cottage's dining room wall, I knew it would be perfect in a bathroom. I have ordered hooks from an iron forger on Etsy called Furnacebrook. Hooks will be installed on this board for towels and wash cloths. I don't know about your men, but mine don't know how to use a towel rack. Hopefully, they will use a hook. :)


thelettered cottage.net

Here are a couple of before/after shots that matched up pretty good so you can see the wonderful changes in this remodel/renovation.

If you missed either of the earlier posts on this bathroom, they are listed below:

Before & After: The Master Bathroom (Before, Progress, and Inspiration)

Before & After: The Master Bathroom

Thanks for stopping by,

Judy :)

Before & After: The Master Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Details to come.

Before & After: The Master Bathroom (Before, Progress, and Inspiration)

Before & After: The Master Bathroom (Details)

Judy :)

Before & After: The Master Bathroom (Before, Progress, and Inspiration)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

After eight years of living in our house, we have finally completed remodeled our master bathroom. Master bathroom is probably not the term used by most modern homes to describe this bathroom. It is the Master bathroom only because it is across the hall from the master bedroom and we are the only ones who use it. The designer of this house planned a huge master bedroom. Our master bedroom is larger than our living room and includes two nice sized walk in closets. For some unknown reason though, a bathroom is not connected to this large space. We had toyed with the idea of turning the office beside our bedroom into a bathroom but quickly discarded this idea because of the cost and we really did need an office.

Our master bathroom measures 7 feet 8 inches by 5 feet...a very small bathroom.

Here are the before pictures:

The tub and shower was our real eyesore (and sore spot) in our opinion. This tub was a jacuzzi tub. When it was originally installed, the installer was not careful to level the tub so whenever the shower was run, the water all ran onto the floor...even with the shower curtain tightly closed. We tried hooks to keep the shower curtain tightly closed. We even installed a guttter a long the edge of the tub to run the water back in. All a short term solution to a huge problem. In the end we decided to just use the tub and resigned to taking showers in the guest bathroom.

The Progress:

Demolition Day!

A small peak at the new work:

The Inspiration:

I love the beadboard and wider board on top.

theletteredcottage.net

The color scheme is so bright and clean.

fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.com

The shelf above the sinks...what a great idea!

fairfieldhousenj.com

A vessel sink!

You can see more of this sink and the Tucker House Bed and Breakfast in Louisville, KY here.

In the next couple of days, I will post the after pictures. Please check back soon.

Note: See the after pictures here.

And the details here.

Judy :)

It is so good to be back after a busy tax season. Thanks for coming back and sticking with me!

Around the Farm - Berries, Lambs, Kitten & Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Busy days around the farm lately from planting blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries to the beginning of the 2012 lambing season. Enjoy some pictures:

Judy :)

Royal Wade Kimes Cold Country

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:22:00 +0000

Had to share this country music video. This was filmed on my father-in-law's farm. The cabin in the video was built by him. We used to have our Christmas in this cabin yearly. Good memories! Hope you enjoy!

Judy :)

Liebster Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:02:00 +0000

My cousin, Diane, who blogs at Diane Turpin Designs presented me with this blog recognition. Diane is a wonderful photographer, scrapbooker, designer of digital scrapbooking layouts, seamstress, and artist -- she received a huge dose of the crafty gene in our family. Her work is excellent and you can purchase a piece of it from her Etsy Shop. The highlights of my childhood were the times we were able to spend together at Christmases, Thanksgivings, and weeks in the summer. There is 10 and 1/2 months between our ages and since I never had a sister, she is the closest person I have to fill that void. We even roomed together in college for a year before she married. Check out her blog when you have a chance and give her a shout.

This award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers, in the hopes that it will bring many new friends/followers.

Leibster is German and means 'dearest' or 'beloved' but it can also mean 'favorite'. The idea of the Leibster award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers. So, in the spirit of good fun I am passing this award on to five other bloggers. Please stop by and visit them.

The Rules are:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

2. Reveal your five picks for the award and let them know.

3. Post the award on your blog.

4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blog share-other bloggers.

5. Finally and the best rule of all..........have fun and spread the love!

I present the Liebster blog to the following blogs:

Charissa Explains It All - spiritual thoughts with a dash of humor

Quilting Grannie - my Mom! Anything to do with a needle, she can do it!

Upon A Dream - a recent find for me - great photography, cute kids, and crafts.

Spring Hill Farm - restoring a 180 year old farm house - exquisite redos.

Living On Live Oak - renovating, cooking, and baking.

Please give your support to all of these "small" bloggers.

Judy :)

My Favorite 25: The Blogs I Read

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Blogs are now popping up everywhere. Links are on Facebook, Twitter, websites, newspapers, and even magazines. Blogs for me have replaced magazines. The words written by you inspire me, change me, teach me and encourage me.

I love reading blogs! In fact, I love reading these blogs much more than I love writing one! Writing a blog is something that I constantly struggle with: How much of my personal life should I disclose, why am I doing this, does anyone read what I write, what is my purpose here? Sometimes I just wonder.... But reading blogs is pure pleasure.

I normally pack my lunch and eat at my desk in my office. My entertainment during this time is reading My Favorite 25 blogs. Well...actually 26. My favorite blog of all time...hands down...is The Pioneer Woman. The only problem with her blog is I can't program her link into my Google Reader. So, I have set up a folder in my Google Reader with these 25 blogs. When I log into Google Reader, My Favorite 25 are current - updated but with the blogs I have yet to read still waiting for me. After I read the current blogs, they disappear so I always know what I have read and what is left to catch up on. My Favorite 25 list does change from time to time. Sometimes I find a blog isn't fitting into my interests and when I find another blog I enjoy more, I will replace it. I try to keep this list to 25 because 25 seems to be a good amount of reading material for my lunch break. Not everyone posts daily which works well for the time allotted for my lunch.

I find I am drawn to several categories of blogs. My Favorite 25 fall under five different categories: Decorating, Housekeeping, Health, Organization, and Inspiration. Some blogs deal with just one of these while others cover several categories at once.

I will be introducing you to these 25 blogs through my eyes during the next several week. As some of you know, I am an accountant and tax season is just now beginning. I will be much busier than usual and to have my blog planned out for the next couple of months should help me get posts out more timely instead of taking up to four months off. I sent emails to each of the writers of My Favorite 25 and asked several questions to make these post more personal for you. Many replied and I will be sharing those answers with you.

I'll leave you with a picture from our Alabama Snow last winter in January 2011. This is a view from the back field of our farm looking toward the back of the house and barn. You can just see a little bit of the partially frozen pond between the house and field. The sheep were being "sissies" that day and staying warm and dry in the barn. How I would love to have some snow this year! Not likely...it was 63 degrees today!

Enjoy winter!

Judy :)

Road Trip: Lobelville, TN

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

...and Linden and Parsons, TN and Cypress Inn, AL.

My husband has been under the weather for the past couple of months, so I was thrilled when he announced he was ready for a little road trip. He had his taste buds set on molasses and the best molasses are made by the Amish. I had just purchased a new camera and was itching to try it out, so we headed for Lobelville, TN and the little Amish settlement there on the morning of New Years Eve. From Alabama, Lobelville is just past Linden so Linden was our first stop. We were searching for coffee and found a little cafe open in The Commodore Hotel on their main street.

About a month ago, we saw a Groupon ad for The Commodore Hotel so we did know a little about it. After the gentleman poured our coffee, we complimented him on how nice the hotel was looking. He asked us if we would like tour and we happily agreed. (Of course, I had left my camera in the truck!) He showed us the bedrooms upstairs and explained some of the history of the old hotel. It has about eight bedrooms that have all been recently restored. The Commodore would be a nice weekend retreat.

With coffee in hand, we set out for Lobelville and turned off on a side road with signs pointing toward molasses. We saw all of the usual sights when you enter an Amish community: horse drawn wagons, children in their blue shirts, dark trousers, suspenders, blue dresses and aprons. The men with their long beards, and the women with their hair bonnets. I would love to have taken some pictures of them, especially the horses and wagons, but did not have a chance without invading their privacy. Maybe another time. I did take the following pictures of their farms and homesteads. Notice the absence of electrical lines. I love seeing smoke coming from their chimneys.

We found our molasses and also purchased some blackberry and raspberry jam. (Just to let you know... homemade buttermilk biscuits were made to try out our new purchases after we got home and it was all delicious!)

On the way back, we drove through Parsons, TN so we could drive across the new bridge over the Tennessee River to Clifton, TN. When our son was a baby, we used to attend church in Clifton, TN. Right before we moved to Georgia this bridge was projected to be built. So, the bridge was actually "new" to us, but is now about 15 years old! The drive from Clifton to Parsons was made so much easier and the bridge affords a nice view.

We ended up on the Natchez Trace on our way home, so I asked my husband to drive past this old country store at Cypress Inn, AL. This store is about 5 miles from our house and I had always wanted to photograph it. The day was beautiful with blue skies and sunshine and I was pleased with the outcome.

When we arrived home, we needed to check a new lamb who was born right before we left on our road trip that morning.

As you can see, the new lamb and mom were doing just fine!

Judy :)

It's A New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Reflecting on 2011 and making plans for 2012.

Judy :)

Our 2011 Christmas Letter - Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Happy Holidays 2011 from the Meek Family

Greetings to our dear friends and family,

2011 was another busy year with new phases, BIG changes and transition.

Our family survived Joseph’s case of senioritis and we all enjoyed his achievement as he graduated from Mars Hill Bible School in May. We were glad to have several family members come be a part of his graduation. His senior year of high school was a busy one with the same cast of characters Soccer, Show Choir and Chorus. His class also made a spring break trip to New York, NY. He had a very busy social calendar this past summer. He spent many nights with friends; we think to prepare us for being empty nesters. He began his first year of studies at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. We wish him well as he starts his college experience and pursuing future dreams.

Judy has increased her work to full-time for Leigh, King & Associates. College expenses are now a reality so we hope to survive physically and financially the next 3/12 years. Hint…Joseph we want you to graduate on time! She continues to enjoy part-time searching for antiques. In addition to Facebook, Judy has entered her second year as a blogger. You now can catch up on our family, farm, and news at http://ameekperspective.blogspot.com. Judy finally convinced Charlie to spend a little time on our farm instead of traipsing over AL, NE MS and TN shearing critters so we planted a small garden this year. While the planting was later than desired our efforts yielded a pleasant harvest of radishes, corn, okra, tomatoes, field peas, and lima beans. The rabbits enjoyed the green beans so next year we will have to add a fence to curtail their appetite.

Well…the possible budget cuts that we always mentioned to our close friends each year, as concerns, became a reality this year. Congress cut the RC&D Program on April 15^th for which Charlie had served since Sept of 1996. So with only a 24 hour notice the run with RC&D was over and Charlie had to work other programs. The Agency offered early retirement due to the cuts and Charlie felt it was time to say goodbye to USDA and try something else. August 31 was his last day and he turned the page to new dreams. In July Charlie celebrated 30 years with SCS/NRCS so it was a good run. Post retirement Charlie is VERY thankful that he is able to work part-time for the Northwest AL RC&D Council. 2011 continued his 6th year of service as the minister of the Hawk Pride church of Christ in Colbert County; it is Charlie’s desire to assist this congregation and community in an expanded capacity. The work at Hawk Pride has been a JOY with new additions and restorations in 2011. Hawk Pride has a Facebook page so please visit them via social media to see how the work is doing. As Charlie has struggled with some nagging health issues (Epstein Barr Virus and two oral surgery events,) the brethren at Hawk Pride have gone the extra mile in helping us in our time of need including driving Charlie to doctor appointments, house cleaning, feeding the sheep, delivering loads of hay for the sheep not to mention encouragement and prayers. At the time of this letter Charlie is recovering from oral surgery and some side effects of the medications he was taking for the surgery. The shearing side-business continued in 2011 (5^th year) facing the similar dilemma of scheduling appointments for too many clients (sheep, llamas and alpacas) and driving lots of miles. Thanks to having the assistance of another shearer (Bret, that we mentioned last year) the miles were less than past years and production has been more efficient with two people shearing on most sites.

We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season! May God Bless each and everyone!

Merry Christmas,

Charlie, Judy and Joseph Meek

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Judy :)

Christmas Decorations 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Christmas decorations this year were much more simple. I pulled out very few decorations and filled in with greenery from our farm. The feel is more open and less cluttered.

I simply added a ribbon to the front door wreath this year. The ribbon is just woven in and around the branches...very simple yet effective.

Pine branches were added to the mantel with small antique ornaments in a crystal dish with the nutcrackers.

We added a "Noel" banner this year made of red ticking, burlap and ribbon. You can purchase one like this at my cousin, Diane's Etsy Shop.

We filled our dough bowl with pine cones from a tree that fell on the back of our farm. A simple branch of pine with a little tuft tucked in the pinecones was all that was needed for a great dining room centerpiece. The jar with greenery is filled with our trimmings left over after decorating. This makes the pine and cedar handy for including with gift wrap tied with twine.

I thought the tree needed more garland than just our cranberry beads. This year I added rope as a second garland. It suits our lifestyle and keeps our tree more casual.

This is a closeup of the rope and beads.

Enjoy your Christmas Eve to the fullest!

Judy :)

Christmas With Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Saturday afternoon, my husband and I had chance to walk to the back of our small farm to cut greenery for decorating our home for the holidays. I find myself more and more wanting to simplify not only Christmas, but also my entire life...maybe this comes with approaching a half century in age. Last year I wrote about Holding Off Christmas and after reading my post again, we have pretty much stuck to the same Christmas schedule this year.

Low Fog - Early December 2011 Morning

I wanted to bring more of nature into our decorations this year. We used to purchase a "real" Christmas tree every year and the smell was so wonderful. It soon became so much easier to have an artificial tree but I really missed that pine scent. We walked to the back of our property and clipped boughs of cedar, pine, and privet berries. The smell was wonderful and the greenery in our home looks very festive.

We had some sweet help on our walk from our Craiglist Kitties.

See our kitten, Percy, playing under the pine boughs?

I will post a few pictures of our decorations later in the week when I am home during the daylight to take pictures.

Have a good week as you finish your last minute Christmas details.

Judy :)

Coconut Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Tracey, who blogs at Notes From A Cottage Industry -- one of my favorite 25 blogs, had a recipe for My easy-peasy-tastes-like-scratch version of Coconut cake. I love coconut cake. Tracey's blog post was published around the time I was already considering the Real Food Pledge so I decided to make this recipe from scratch...so you can call this recipe the "Not So Easy-Peasy But Tastes Better Than Scratch Coconut Cake." :)

Actually, my mother-in-law made the absolutely most wonderful Coconut Cake from scratch even down to the grating of the real coconut and using the fresh coconut milk to moisten the cake after it was baked. My mouth begins watering just thinking about it. I have the recipe for it and plan to someday try to bake one just like hers. But until then, this recipe is really. really. good.

I decided to use the White Cake recipe my mother-in-law used in her "real" coconut cake.

First, toast about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of coconut in the oven. Tracey suggests 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then stir, and let toast for another 5 minutes. This worked perfectly.

White Cake:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup shortening (I have been substituting Coconut Oil {which is a solid} and it works great with no Trans Fatty Acids.)
1 cup milk
3 eggs whites (or 2 whole eggs - which is what I usually use)
1 tsp of vanilla
1 Tbsp coconut flavoring

Combine ingredients in the order listed. I divided the batter into three 9" pans (or you can do two 8" pans and cut into four layers as Tracey did). I prepare my pans with cooking spray and then cut out parchment circles to fit my pans...cakes never stick to pans when parchment paper is used. Bake at 350 degree for 25 - 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes and remove to wire racks for cooling.

While the cake is baking, prepare your coconut filling.

The coconut filling is from The New Pillsbury Family Cookbook I received as a wedding gift in 1987 -- not so "new" any more.

Coconut Filling:

1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut flavoring
3/4 cup of toasted coconut

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk, blending until smooth. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Blend a small amount of hot mixture with 1 beaten egg. Return the mixture to saucepan, mixing well. Cook just until the mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, coconut flavoring and toasted coconut. Allow to cool.

I used Tracey's Coconut Buttercream Frosting but made a smaller amount since I only made 3 layers:

3/4 bag of confectioners sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 Tbsp coconut flavoring
Milk to thin to desired consistency

Beat all ingredients together adding milk to desired consistency. For this recipe, I prefer the frosting a little thinner than most frostings on cakes.

Assemble the coconut cake:

Place one cake layer on a decorative plate. Pipe a fat bead of frosting all around the cake (great idea Tracey!) and fill the inside area with half of the coconut filling. Sprinkle toasted coconut over filling. Top with the next cake layer and do the same using the remaining coconut filling. Top with final cake layer and frost with the remaining buttercream. Sprinkle with remaining toasted coconut. Just as Tracey states, you do not need to frost the sides because the cake is already just gorgeous.

This cake is a wonderfully moist coconut cake. I love the creamy texture of the coconut filling with the cake and buttercream frosting. Add a cup of coffee or a tall glass of milk and you have the perfect dessert for any holiday or birthday.

Enjoy! I did.

Judy :)

Disclaimer: Although this recipe is made from scratch, it is not a "diet" recipe!

And The Winner Is....

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Ruffles and Relics who said,

"I usually put my tree up Thanksgiving evening when all the kiddos are home.. "

I will be sending the winner an email. You can visit the Ruffles and Relics blog here.

Thank you to everyone for participating in the giveaway. I truly appreciate each and everyone of you who stops by occasionally to read what our family has been up to.

Thank you also to White Flower Farmhouse for all of their help organizing and setting

up this giveaway. Lori and Lisa, you are the best!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Judy :)

Giveaway: White Flower Farmhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:26:00 +0000

**This Giveaway Is Now Closed.**

Because this blog has finally past its 10,000th page view and because I love everyone of you for stopping by here from time to time, I am having a giveaway! AND I am excited to be able to offer you a gift from White Flower Farmhouse, one of my favorite internet stores.

White Flower Farmhouse is owned by Lori who also blogs at Frugal Farmhouse Design. She certainly has a gift for turning everyday items into wonderful decorative pieces. She finds vintage and salvaged items and resells them at White Flower Farmhouse. It is like having your own personal shopper at estate sales and antique malls! I, personally, have purchased a dough bowl and antique Christmas ornaments from her shop and absolutely love them. The dough bowls sits on my dining room table all year round with a constantly changing assortment of items inside to be displayed. The Christmas ornaments remind me so much of the ornaments we had on our tree when I was a little girl...just beautiful!

Lori even makes her packaging beautiful! Her prices are fair and her inventory is gorgeous. Her store also sells farmhouse tables and other items created from salvaged barn wood. I just wish I lived closer to New York where I could pick up one of those farmhouse tables. Lori's sister, Lisa, ably assists her with the store and the White Flower Farmhouse Blog. Lisa has been a joy for me to work with while planning this giveaway for you! Be sure to visit both of these blogs. They are two of My Favorite 25 Blogs listed on the side. Enjoy the following photos from her store:

www.whiteflowerfarmhouse.com

Today I am giving away this vintage simple style pitcher. It is silver plated and made by Keystone Wear E.P.N.S.

www.whiteflowerfarmhouse.com

Lori was even kind enough to photograph the pitcher all ready for the festivities!

www.whiteflowerfarmhouse.com

You have two chances to enter the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment below telling me when you put up your Christmas Tree or when you plan to put up your Christmas Tree. I haven't put mine up yet!

2. For a second chance, if you want to be notified of updates, follow me here on this blog (see the side) or follow A Meek Perspective on Facebook and then come back here and leave me a comment letting me know you did. If you already follow, just leave me a comment stating that you do.

**Be sure (if you leave an anonymous comment) that I know how to get in touch with you! Thanks!**

Sorry, I can only ship this gift to addresses in the United States. The giveaway will stay open through 6:00 pm Thursday night. I will post the winner here on the blog sometime on Friday. Be sure and check back on Friday...especially if your comment does not open to an email address. I really want the winner to be able to "win"!

Good luck!

Judy :)

Craigslist Kitties

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 02:17:00 +0000

We have been without a barn cat since August when our barn cat, CC mysteriously died. She was a wonderful mouser...keeping our barn and basement clear of all types of "varmints". She was always on the lookout. In the three months we have been without her, my husband began noticing a huge increase in our mice population.

He began looking on Craigslist for free cats or kittens in our area. He found an ad posted by a family who lived on a farm but was selling out and moving to town. They had a cat and 5 kittens that needed a home. The ad stated that she was a great mouser but they couldn't vouch for the dad -- he was a "no count" wanderer.

Three or four weeks later we decided to contact this family. We went out on a Saturday to see how many "mousers" they might have left. We found a mama cat and two kittens waiting for us on their front porch. We definitely wanted the mama cat since she was an "experienced" mouser, but wasn't really interested in the kittens. We petted the mama cat and she was very friendly and sweet...then we made a mistake. We reached in the kennel and picked up the two kittens - one gray and the other yellow. They were both so soft and sweet and warm...there is nothing like sweet kittens. The family mentioned their daughter had become attached to the little gray kitten, so before we knew it, we were headed to the truck with both the mama cat and the orange kitten.

These cats have been so much fun. They are very attached to each other and are happiest curled up together. The mama cat was already named Lou Lou. I tend to all her "Mama Lou" (sounds like a dorm mother's name, doesn't it?). The yellow kitten did not have a name yet. Our son, Joseph, was in from college for Thanksgiving that week. He decided that since it had "red hair" then it needed to be named one of the Weasley boys' names from Harry Potter. He landed on Percy and so our yellow kitten is now Percy. Percy is extremely playful and plays with the rugs, string, empty boxes, his mama's tail...anything that catches his eye. Percy is a little more fearful of the world on the farm than his mother is. We have had to rescue him from climbing trees twice. Hopefully as his size increases his bravery will too.

Percy likes to keep me company outside the kitchen window while I'm washing dishes. How sweet is that?

Judy :)

How Blessed We Are

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day spent with family.

Our table had fewer chairs pulled up to it (only 7 of us Meeks this year), but it was a calm peaceful day

filled with family chat and nature.

We took a drive to what we refer to as "The Wall" - an Indian memorial

to a great-grandmother who walked back home from the Trail of Tears. Her great grandson built this wall in her honor to represent her walk.

The wall is amazing just with the sheer amount of man power it took this one man

to build this wall with no mortar. The wall measures 1.3 miles in length.

Many blessings of the day: camaraderie of cooking together in a small kitchen,

the sharing of food with loved ones,

a clean kitchen at the end of the day thanks to a new brother-in-law,

warm weather to take a walk, health to enjoy a walk,

beautiful fall scenery at a wall built by a dedicated man,

time spent with a college son during the entire day,

leftovers, pumpkin pie, laughter.

Hope your day was just as blessed.

Judy :)

Before & After: From Window to Coat Rack

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Tutorial to follow soon.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Judy :)

Quiche Lorraine

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:26:00 +0000

This recipe for quiche dates back to my childhood. I remember first having quiche probably when I was around 10 years old. My brother, Jon, brought this recipe home when he was in high school. His French class was cooking french dishes. He was assigned quiche and needed to prepare it and bring it to school. I don't remember if he actually made it (probably did...he is a wonderful cook today) or if mom did. I do remember mom fixed it a few times after the French class project. I love it!

When we were married, I went through Mom's recipes and copied my favorites. This is one of them. I am a great lover of breakfast dishes especially eggs, bacon and cheese so this is a perfect dish for my appetite. It is wonderful for breakfast, lunch or supper...a real crowd pleaser.

Quiche Lorraine

9 inch pie crust

6 slices bacon

1 onion, chopped

1 cup grated cheese

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

dash of pepper

dash of nutmeg

Bake pie crust for 5 minutes. Chop bacon and fry until crisp. Remove from skillet. In fat, saute onion. Spread onion, crumbled bacon, and grated cheese in pie shell. In bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add milk, cream, and seasonings. Pour in pie shell. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 35 minutes until firm.

Serves: 8

I will often fry my bacon and onion, shred my cheese, and place in uncooked pie shell in the refrigerator the night before. In the morning, remove the pie shell and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the eggs, milk, cream and seasonings. Bake per the directions above.

Be sure to use the heavy cream and don't skimp with milk or half and half. The cream adds to the silky texture of this quiche which is why it is so outstanding! I also use Vermont White Sharp Cheddar Cheese. You get a great cheddar flavor without any fake yellow coloring. I shred the cheese by hand so it is extra creamy, too.

Tip: There is a wonderful pie tutorial on The Pioneer Woman's website. Check it out if you have ever had trouble making pie crusts or wanted to learn. I plan to try this soon.

Blessings!

Judy :)

This is one of the most requested recipes I bring to work when we celebrate birthdays with breakfast. The last birthday we celebrated my boss, Tim, decided we should cut the quiche into four servings for the four of us employees. Filled us up perfectly...hence his comment below that we figured out it only serves 4. :)

Fall Lamb Season 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Our first fall lambs were born yesterday morning...twins!

I stood at my kitchen window

quickly eating my baked oatmeal

while I watched the first lamb being nuzzled by its mom,

standing up, and taking his first shaky steps.

A great way to start the morning!

He had quite the cocky attitude by the afternoon!

Blessings!

Judy :)

Baked Oatmeal

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:38:00 +0000

I found this recipe at Karen Ehman's blog probably about a year ago but had never tried it. In her article, she said it was her daughter's favorite breakfast growing up and it made a wonderful Sunday breakfast to eat on the go. The word "go" was what drew me to this recipe besides the fact that we really do eat a lot of oatmeal. Oatmeal is one of those "good for you" foods.

Last weekend, Joseph and a friend came home from college. I fixed this at the last minute on Saturday night to be ready for breakfast on Sunday morning. The finished recipe reminded me somewhat of Quaker Oatmeal To Go. You remember those square oatmeal bars that are softer and thicker than a cookie. Quaker advertised them as a bowl of oatmeal you can eat on the go. This is much better. They can be eaten on their own, or with milk or yogurt poured over them. I enjoy having them on hand during the week for a quick breakfast before leaving for work. I have made this recipe two more times this week just because it is healthy, fast, not too sweet, and just plain delicious.

The night before, combine the following in a large glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

3 cups old fashioned oats (not quick oats)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cups regular buttermilk (I have also used a Silk Milk product -- any of them would be fine.)

In the morning, let mixture stand at room temperature for five minutes. Add:

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 to 1 cup optional add-ins: chopped, peeled apples; raisins; nuts; chopped, peeled peaches; chopped bananas; chunky old-fashioned peanut butter...whatever your heart desires!

Spread in greased 9 by 9 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into squares. Eat as is or top with milk, cream, or yogurt. Serves 8.

The picture above shows the baked oatmeal I made for breakfast this morning. I added dark chocolate chips (remember dark chocolate is healthy in moderation), pecans, and a little bit of vanilla. Another great add-in I made this week was blueberries and walnuts. I have cut this recipe in half each time I have made it and it has come out just fine. As you can see above, a half recipe bakes well in a small cast iron skillet. You can also melt your butter for the top step in the skillet and then the skillet is already greased for your baking in the morning. When I made the recipe last night, I only had half of the amount of brown sugar so I finished it with a little bit of honey...equally delicious!

I will leave you with a picture of our dachshund, Gibson. He was on the back porch begging for a treat from my husband while I was taking pictures. Couldn't resist the picture opportunity!

Enjoy!

Judy :)

Linking with Simply...This. That & The Other's "Sweet Treat Saturday".

"/>

Before & After: Upper Kitchen Cabinet

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:05:00 +0000

Someday I need to do a post on the purchase of our house, but as a short story our house was a total wreck when we purchased it. We literally had to rip out all of the flooring down to the subfloor, remove the air conditioning/heating vents, apply Kilz to all surfaces and replace all of the flooring, ac/heat unit and vents, and paint everything. The house was an undeniable wreck, BUT we got a wonderful price on it and around 14 acres of land...our small dream farm. We made the house livable and was able to move in within two months of the closing.

We have now been here for seven year and with the announcement of my husband retiring, we have decided to stay. Wow! The word "stay" has really made my creative juices flow! Since we married, we have always moved after about 5 years in a location as my husband was promoted through the levels of USDA. It is an amazing feeling for me (a preacher's daughter who moved all throughout her childhood) to be able to say we are home "for good". Since we are "staying", I now feel free to make this house more of "our" house with "our" style and tastes...not just a house that will resale.

Once Charlie announced his retirement, the first project I decided on was our upper kitchen cabinet. Below is a picture from our house inspection of what the kitchen area once looked like:

The upper kitchen cabinet stretched out over the bar and really blocked a lot of light from the dining room area (where I am standing while taking the picture). I have looked at the wood backing over the years trying to decide on a way to fix the problem. I thought of adding glass cabinet doors. If glass cabinet doors were added to the front and the back the light would flow through from the dining room to the kitchen. The only problem was the cabinet doors would have to be constructed and a new framework for the glass doors would have to be installed on the back of the cabinet...expensive! I decided to just remove the doors and the back of the cabinet to have an open shelf. One that could be used from either the dining room side or the kitchen side.

About a month before I started on this project, I removed the cabinet doors from the kitchen side to live with that for a while and see how I liked it. I really did like it. This is how it looked then:

The backing of the cabinet was nailed to the frame and one vertical board in the center of the back. After talking to my dad and my brother, we determined that the support of the cabinet was from the ceiling, so taking the backing off of the cabinet wouldn't create a support issue. I talked my friend, Sharon, into tackling this project with me. Sharon owns rental houses and does all of her own carpentry, plumbing and electrical work herself. She is quite the jack of all trades!

We started early on a Saturday morning and removed the back of the cabinet. This is what it looked like at that point:

I didn't particularly like the extra vertical supports where the cabinet doors connected on the front of the cabinet. I knew I wanted to keep the single vertical piece on the back, so we decided to remove the cabinet door supports from the front and center one of them equal with the vertical piece on the back. Removing those pieces of wood was tough! They were not only nailed in, but also had wooden pegs connected into the framing. Sharon's father had a saw that resembled an electric bread knife to cut through the nails and pegs so we could remove those boards. Sharon went to get the saw and brought the saw and her father back with her. Her father is 85 years old and had been a carpenter his whole life. He sat on that stool in the kitchen and talked us through the rest of the project. A wealth of information!

After we had the center board on the front secured, we drove back to Sharon's father's house and took the original backing of the cabinet to cut trim pieces so the back would match the front. Once we had those trim pieces attached to the cabinet, the cabinet was finished to the point of painting. We finished around noon on the same day and had only spent a couple of dollars for some finishing nails. A fast and thrifty project!

Painting this cabinet opened up another whole project...painting all of the kitchen cabinets. This is something that I have wanted to do, but knew it would be time consuming. I chose to use Benjamin Moore Paint for a couple of reasons. First, I knew it was a high quality paint and I wanted this paint to last for a long time. Second, Benjamin Moore carries a low VOC line of paint. My husband is very sensitive to odors and I knew the low VOC paint would be easier on him. I chose Simply White as my paint color. I have liked this white so well, I will probably use it all over my house for my trim work when I do repaint the house...another project!

I painted the upper cabinet the next weekend. I sanded (by hand), used a primer and two coats of Simply White semi-gloss. Oops, sorry for the mess! This was taken this weekend (Labor Day weekend) when I decided to tackle painting the lower portion of the cabinets.

I purchased an electric sander to save some sanding time. I love, love, love the electric sander! I sped through sanding the drawers and cabinet doors in about 3 minutes and sanded the lower backing and framework in about 7 minutes. What a time saver! I used a 180 grit sandpaper. I didn't want to sand the cabinet down too much--just prepare the surface so the primer would adhere. It worked perfectly. I am changing my drawer pulls and cabinet handles to a brushed nickel color instead of brass. I used a pricier drawer pull and am looking at a more simple cabinet handle for the cabinet doors ( all 24 of them!). I only have seven drawers so I splurged a little more on them. Below is the finished product:

And yes, except for the top shelf of dishes, I use those dishes everyday. The dishes are not just for looks. I wanted this to be a practical addition. I will slowly work my way around the kitchen painting the rest of the cabinets as I have free weekends. What projects have you been working on?

Enjoy your week!

Judy :)

Retired at 50

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:24:00 +0000

My husband is retiring tomorrow and he is only 50 years old. Our current government has done away with his position in the Department of Agriculture. Sure, this is not quite what we had planned for our future, but some great things are coming out of this change: we have retirement, we have health insurance, and we have a whole new adventure to explore. Below is my husband's goodbye letter to his friends and coworkers. I'm very proud of his outlook and very thankful for the way God has blessed our family and cared for our needs.

Charlie Meek signing off from NRCS!

Effective August 31, I will be retiring from NRCS. When I started my career as a student trainee in Cookeville, TN in May of 1981, I never dreamed such a wide array of opportunities and blessings would come my way. I’m grateful to have worked in three different states (TN, GA, AL) and to have been a part of the conservation effort in numerous ways, especially serving the RC&D Program since 1996 for which I felt at home.

As much as I have loved the positive aspects of working for SCS/NRCS, for some time I have felt a strong pull in my heart to serve God in a greater capacity and spend more time on our small farm experiencing what I view as real life, such as smelling fresh mowed hay stored in the barn or walking out to the barn in the wee hours of the morning and hearing a lamb bleating to its mom and saying hello world. Thus the early retirement option sure seems to be a good fit so I’m going to jump and pursue some dreams. Short term plans include additional involvement in ministry and service to others, expanding our small farm enterprise especially marketing lamb, and last but not least, I hope to continue to support the Northwest Alabama RC&D Council which I have been given the privilege to serve since February 2004.

Stepping out the door I find myself with a lack of words to adequately thank family (especially my wife and son), co-workers within the NRCS family and NRCS partners (for which many became special friends) for your unwavering support. You have made an amazing difference in my life and I can never thank you enough! I’m confident those 30 years of support and friendship will be precious memories that will last till the Breathmaker calls me home.

If you wish to check in with our family and track some of our doings, you can follow my wife’s blog at http://ameekperspective.blogspot.com/. Also feel free to contact me via e-mail at meekcj2@gmail.com.

In His grip,

Charlie Meek Tuscumbia, AL

I think we will be seeing more of husband looking like this:

AND this:

Lamb, anyone?

Blessings!

Judy :)

Linking up with Grace Imparted at Imparting Grace.

Imparting Grace by Richella Parham

noreply@blogger.com (Judy @ A Meek Perspective) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:47:00 +0000

Visit Imparting Grace today to read about other writers' experiences with "grace". Imparting Grace is written by a friend from college. She is one of the top 25 blogs I enjoy reading. (See the side column for the other 24!). I have added my article entitled Grace Through A Kidney Transplant to her link party. If you haven't read it, click over and read it then visit Imparting Grace's link party. You will certainly enjoy some lovely reading.

Judy :)