Dilapidated House on Assateague Beach, MD

 

There were two houses like this at the state line on Assateague's 4x4 Beach, but we only walked to one. We only took pictures because of the signs, but I normally make it a point each trip to pick up trash off of the beach. I really wanted to get those cans and take them somewhere before they rusted through and leaked chemicals on the beach.

Ocean City Boardwalk

 

 mounted police

  

sand sculpture of Christ

 

kites

Clint and I rented Segways from Boardwalk Segways. Yes, we raced them!
The man we rented the Segways from was very polite, friendly, and shared his story with us.
We enjoyed meeting his grandson too. We highly recommend this rental place!



Tony's Pizza has been family owned on the boardwalk for over 100 years due to their "famous" recipe,
so we decided to make that our lunch one day.
The family was rude, the staff was polite, the place was dirty, the bathroom smelly, and the pizza was bland.
Our advice: skip it!

 
Fisher's has also been on the boardwalk forever and is family owned.
We loved their popcorn and wish we had brought some home for the children! 
Our advice: Hit it hard!

Assateague Ponies

 Assateague Ponies

  

 This little foal is one month old.

  

  

while airing down

  

foal taking a nap

  

at the bay access road on the OSV beach

   

another one month old foal

Beginning of the OSV road Assateague State Park, MD
Saturday was the busiest day. Thursday and Friday, there were only six other people on the 12 mile beach with us.

 This was a rainy day, but the coloring and the swirling sand made it so pretty!

 mist coming in across the bay on the bay access road

Our lunch spot had the best view!

No one except us for miles and miles!

Maryland had nice air stations that were lit at night.

A Mini Vacation Alone!

We had originally planned to take the family on a camping trip, but schedules conflicted. Our teens told Clint and I to go on a weekend by ourselves and volunteered to watch the younger children, run the household, and manage the farm. Clint and I thought for about five seconds and said "See ya!" We left on Thurdsay, the 19th and came back on Sunday, the 22nd. Clint reserved us a suite with a jacuzzi and a fireplace. We went to the Ocean City, MD Boardwalk and toured the area eating at the century old family run restaurants and seeing the famous sites. Then we went to Assateague State Park, MD and drove on the OSV (over sand vehicle) beach. After that, we went to Chincoteague and Assateague, VA and drove on the OSV beach there. The best part of the trip was coming home to see our children lined up to give us hugs and kisses! Then we walked into the house to find it sparkling clean!

A Quick and Easy Recipe for Red Potatoes

One of my families favorite side dishes is red potatoes. Measurements aren't necessary since it is so simple. I chop the red potatoes and put them into a large mixing bowl. (If I am in a hurry and want the potatoes to cook faster, I cut them thinner like I have in the picture.) Next, I melt a little butter and add celery salt to it. I then pour it into the mixing bowl with the red potatoes. I gently move the potatoes around to evenly and lightly coat them with the butter and celery salt. Then, I put them into a baking dish. If I did not get enough celery salt on them, I add more at this point. Next, I bake them until they are fork tender with some brown edges. My family gobbles them up! Rarely do we have leftovers.

Give us today our daily bread, Matthew 6:11

Article: Ashwagandha and Alzheimer’s

You can read the entire article here.

"The NBRC Neuroscientist, Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, tested the semi-purified sample of the root of the herb, extracted at Delhi University on genetically modified mice with Alzheimer’s disease. The study involved two set of mice –a set of middle aged mice and another set of old mice. They were given oral doses of Ashwagandha root extract for 30 days, and monitored.

After one month, the scientists noticed a reduction in the amount of amyloid plaques (Beta Amyloid is the main component of amyloid plaques), the deposits usually found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s. The animals also showed improvement in cognitive abilities.

Initially, the mice with Alzheimer’s were neither able to learn, nor retain the learning. However, following 20 days of Ashwagandha treatment, there was a difference, and after 30 days, they began to behave normally, Ravindranath said."

Thinking of Suicide?

I have two words for you:

Hold on. 

Cry out to the Lord for help. He is an ever present help in times of trouble. Hold on.

Life can change at the drop of the hat. You do not want the challenges of today to deny you the joys of tomorrow. Hold on.

 Don't cheat yourself out of something better down the road. Hold on.

Raise your eyes from your circumstances and look into another person's trials. We help ourselves the most when we reach down and lift someone else up. Hold on.

Don't rob yourself of the best moments of your future. Hold on!

When life kicks you down, take a brief moment to look around and learn. Then pick yourself up and start living again. Use what you learn to help someone else.

Please, hold on. Life gets better. One day you will look back on those lows and draw strength from having survived them.

All About Hair

 Amanda is doing very well in beauty college. The best part is that she is getting free hairstyling, manicures, pedicures, facials, and more from the students who are about to graduate. She is getting a lot of attention for her lovely long locks.

 She will graduate from beauty college at the same time as her peers will graduate from high school and will be able to pursue a business degree while working in her field. She hopes to open her own salon one day.

Hannah Bug is relieved Clint and I were right when we told her that her hair would grow out after Emily played hairdresser. She's starting to believe us now!

Crock Pot Oatmeal (Used Quick Cook Oats)

I tried the recipe from here, but I tripled it and used quick cook oats. That was all I had on hand. I also added six cups of sliced apples and extra cinnamon. I stirred it and then cooked it on low from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. Then I turned it up to high until breakfast at 6:30. It came out perfect! I have a 1 year old 6 quart Rival crock pot. We ate it for two mornings and then used the rest to make pancakes for the next morning.

Wendy, What Did You Say to Those Children?

Because of the looks on some of their faces, I've been asked that a few times.

Hannah was very tired from the walk and wasn't cooperating. So, to get her to at least look up, I said "All of the pretty princesses look at the camera!!" 

You can see the different reactions on their faces. 

Joshua said "You HAVE to be kidding me!!" Caleb froze. Brandon grimaced.
The older two girls loved the joke on their brothers. 

Emily knew I had to mean her because her shirt said "Princess."
Exhausted Hannah Bug looked up, so I won!

Goodness and Mercy not Luck and Coincidence

"We often mislabel Goodness and Mercy. We call them luck or coincidence. In God's economy, luck and coincidence don't exist." -An Untroubled Heart by Micca Campbell.

 Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose

James 1:25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Ephesians 1:11  In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 

Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

Luck and coincidence claim things randomly happen without reason or purpose. Faith says God orders the steps of men and works all things for our good and His glory. Genuine faith requires us to have the confidence that God is still God even when things don't go the way we'd like. It trusts His plan even when we can't see the outcome. Luck says "it happened for no reason at all." Faith requires us to look deeper into the good and bad in our life to discern what God may be teaching us.

Psalm 145: 8-9,17 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

The End: A Thankful, but Sad Day

As of 9 a.m. today, we are finally at the end of this long journey which started over the hidden property. There is one very small detail Clint is doing voluntarily, but it is not required of him. At any other time, if this dropped on us, it would be a happy, joyful occasion.

Naturally we can use what God has sent. Extra income is always welcome in a family our size, but there is no joy in this. When we thought he was coming back into our lives, we believed it was solely for a relationship and opened our hearts and home to him. We had no idea of the existence of the hidden inheritance. We have peace in our hearts that we did our best with what was thrown at us. Sober and humbled gratitude for His protection and provision comes the closest to what we feel in our hearts about the material gain.

When we learned of this, we promised ourselves if God brought it to fruition we would "run to obey" with our tithe. We gave over what Scripture requires because we have seen the blessings of obedience and God's faithfulness in keeping His promises. God put some very clear needs on our hearts, and we had those gifts on their way to the recipients in less than a couple of hours of receiving ours. That was the only joy we have found in all of this. We were able to bless others through something that cost our family very much.

Thank you for all of the prayers. With the reality as cutting as it was, we do not know how we would have survived if our friends had not prayed with us, encouraged us, counseled us, and kept us going. Many of you have been the face of Christ to us through this. Many of you have helped us find ways we could learn through it. Some of you reached out to Bethany in her heartbreak. Thank you! We love you!

To him: You and yours are still loved and very much wanted as a part of our family. The door is open. All you have to do is walk through it with an honest heart. God wants our families to be blessings to each other, and we believe He is far, far, far greater than the sum of our troubles with each other. You can either go away, or come join in the fun; it's all up to you.

Scenery

 Wash Woods, Corolla, NC
There may be more or less visible depending on the tide and shifting sand and can be in the middle of the beach. You need to watch for these as you drive on the 4x4 beach.

 beach

 cormorants

 roads behind the beach

 VA/NC line on the 4x4 beach road

 gull tracks

Spanish moss

Horses of Corolla 2012 Part 2

Some of our other trips to Corolla:

 http://contentmentacres.blogspot.com/2010/10/wild-horses-in-corolla.html

http://contentmentacres.blogspot.com/2011/04/wild-horse-of-corolla.html

http://contentmentacres.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-beach-scenery.html