Wedding Cards in Four styles!

February 20, 2015

Wedding Cards in Four styles!

Are you looking for a card to share with a bride and groom?

Maybe you are the bride or groom and are considering what you might use for a wedding invitation or announcement.

You will need thank you cards to send to your generous friends and family.

We have 4 designs for you to consider. Cards are printed on white card stock. They measure 4.25 ” X 5.5 “. White envelopes are included.

children holding hands, boy and girl in vintage clothing, boy, girl, boy and girl holding hands, pencil sketch, Wedding card, wedding invitation,

“Hand in Hand” . . . HC631-13

This endearing design displays the trust placed in one special person.

conestoga wagon, conestoga wagon card, conestoga,

“Conestoga” . . . HC424-12

The Conestoga wagon reflects the new journey ahead.

Just Married sign, Conestoga Wagon, pioneer wagon,

“Just Married Conestoga” . . . HC422-12

This card more specifically carries your delightful message.

Just Married, Just married sign, Crysanthemum.

“Floral Just-Married” . . . HC423-12

Embellished with a simple flower, announce your special news.

These cards come with a blank inside.

Cards can be printed on the inside for an extra fee. For more information, contact us at grabauheritagecards@live.com. Please refer to the design by the name and item numbers listed.

For other designs, please see our catalog.

photo credit: Vintage Bride and Groom via photopin (license)
sketches by Wenda Grabau

February 16, 2015

Shamrock stems become tender and lanky after their long wintry residence indoors.

February can be a hard month in terms of cold and snow in my neck of the woods. Green is rare except in my bay window where many of my plants are clustered for sunlight and warmth. Among them are plants I put outdoors when the temperatures become more moderate. This little space in my house preserves my plants, but also lets my eyes feast on verdant beauty.

Also. about this time of year, the shamrocks start to look spindly and less healthy looking. Even though I have watered and fed them over the winter, they wear a paler green than I would like. Some have stems that have dried and turned an unwanted amber color. The long stems tangle with each other and become near-to-a-nuisance.

shamrock new growth, shamrock, shamrock renovated, shamrock in pot, potted plant,

Roots put forth new, stable, short stems after being clipped off. The plant will soon green out and begin making delicate pink flowers to cheer up my home while I wait for spring.

The shamrock root is a small bulb. When I want to produce more plants, I separate and re-pot the bulbs. This year I will refrain from the dividing of roots. I have enough plants for this summer and will not start any new roots now.

I will, however, give them some TLC. They will get a trim. When I take the leaves and stems off of the plants, the root which is still full of life, will put forth new, young, fiddle-head-looking stems. Healthy leaves and blossoms will come again. Their look-of-new-life will declare the happy thought that, “Spring is coming.”

If trimming your shamrock interests you, check out this website. http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/trimmings-of-a-shamrock-plant-t10021.html

For your convenience, we have a shamrock design in our catalog.

photo credits:Wenda Grabau

February 12, 2015

Did you ever want to hear the voice of the Lord? If so, Psalm 29 tells about the voice you are wanting to hear.

“The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;

The God of glory thunders,

The Lord is over many waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful,

The voice of the Lord is majestic.”

Psalm 29:3, 4 (NASB)

Further this Psalm reveals in verse 10:

“The Lord sat as King at the flood;

Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.”

One thought one might ponder today is:

Why does the Scripture say He sat as King at “the” flood.

Could it be referring to the Great Flood, the world-wide flood of Noah’s day?

It may be that many people who wish to hear God’s voice, have rejected the truth of the Great Flood. If one rejects the Great Flood, he or she might be deaf to the majestic and powerful voice of God.

In rejecting or ignoring the truth in the Holy Bible, there is much in life that cannot be revealed to us.

Spend time in His Word, listen to His voice. “Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.” Psalm 29:10b

If the ancient flood is of interest to you, try this website to see the research and evidence that you will not want to miss. https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/

You may like to view a card in our products list. It is called “Standing on the Rock”. It pictures a lone tree growing from a rock on a wide and rugged lake shore.

photo credit: Winging It via photopin (license)
photo credit: Waves in ocean via photopin (license)

February 9, 2015

Are you dreaming of the days when you can get back on the road again with the wind blowing through your hair?

Better days are coming. Warmer temperatures are just around the corner.

I have made this little sketch in honor of my brother’s pass time. He is a motorcycle enthusiast. If this little card will encourage your motorcycle buddies, you might just like to purchase this card. We have an additional motorcycle card you might like, too. It is a motorcycle motor. Check it out in our catalog.

If you need a larger copy of this image, contact us at grabauheritagecards@live.com. Refer to image HC521-12 (the motor) and image HC522-12 (the front wheel).

To browse for other motorcycle art try this website. http://www.stampin.com/online/sets/set101.html

February 2, 2015

It is interesting how things worked out. The vet could not get to our place that day. Baby was not miserable, just disabled. Her eyes were still bright and she was eating well. So we waited.

Farm life, for us, includes many animals. It is not uncommon for us to ask God for things that they need. I prayed for Baby. I asked our grandchildren to pray for her, too. The children had befriended Baby over the years and were so sad to hear of her injury. We asked for her healing, not knowing that God was working on her.

Several days later, I picked Baby up and tried to find that large gaping wound on her underside. It was gone! Her flesh had knit together. The leg wound was decreasing in size. Skin was forming over the exposed muscle.

The bone still protruded and had to be removed. Our vet helped us with that. Baby had surgery and has recovered.

She can get around up and down stairs and is looking very fit. She has put on the weight she lost and is wanting more social activity. She is returning to her old self again.

We never did decide how she got hurt. Maybe she got run over by some vehicle. It remains a mystery.

We are sure, however, that God had a hand in her healing. He gave her instincts to use in caring for herself. Our vet along with the auxiliary care we could provide all worked together for her good. Her accident was not pleasant nor was it good, but it does illustrate a principle we find written in the Holy Bible. In Romans 8:28 we find, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according His purpose.”(NKJV)

I hope you enjoyed this little story about how God healed Baby, our farm cat.

If you would like to ponder Romans 8:28 further you might like this blog. http://phyliciadelta.com/felista-all-things-are-working-together/

To view Baby’s favorite perch by the farmhouse door, check out this card in our store.

photo credit:Wenda Grabau

January 28, 2015

The warm bath and the subsequent rub down with an old towel helped her look more cat-like instead of a rumpled mass of flesh. Her eyes were bright and healthy-looking. She did not like the bath, but it helped.

I made a soft bed for her to lie on and set it beside the warm wood-burning furnace. I found her old litter box and a nice cushion that she had used in the old days when she was a house cat. I washed and filled her old dish with food to eat and milk to drink. She gladly filled her tummy.

It was still not apparent to us how she had gotten hurt. Nor did we realize the extent of her injuries. I went to the basement to check on her quite often.

I caught her grooming herself. She was actively trying to fix her open sore. We medicated her her with antibiotics to help her with the healing process. Taking her medicine was not her favorite part of the day, for sure. But all of these things must have helped her.

In the early days of her recovery, she kept quiet and quite still most of the time. She took time to work briskly at cleaning her wounded leg. The smelly, black-looking flesh transformed into clean, red muscle tissue. I did not understand why she would not leave the wound alone to heal, but later we decided that her active cleaning action removed the infected tissue.

I bathed her a few times. Following one bath I noticed that her underside was split open. How that broke my heart! I could not see how she could heal from that large rip in her hide. We noted a protruding bone in her leg. It was broken. Her situation made my heart sick. I almost despaired. Our veterinarian was due to come to the farm on another errand so, we considered putting her to sleep.

To see one of Baby’s haunts check out this card. http://angelatsansone.com/store/products/calf-shed/

For a lighter view on cats, visit http://www.jhphotograph.com/blog1/puppy-love-farm-cats-and-dogs

photo credit: liakapelke via photopin cc

January 22, 2015

I have a story to tell you today. This story involves our farm cat, Baby. I have told a few stories about her in the past, but this is a little drama that may be of interest to you.

My daughter rescued Baby as a kitten from a bulldozer. She soon became my daughter’s beloved pet. But when my daughter married, she left without Baby. So Baby had to adjust to farm life outdoors.

Not all cats thrive at such an assignment, but Baby did. She weathered the elements well, but she did not figure out how to handle mice. To survive she ambled to the house for a handout often.

One of Baby’s favorite perches was on an old plow beside the farmhouse’s front door. In November, I noticed that she was not hanging around any more. Since cats keep their own schedules, I was not alarmed. But after four days of not seeing her at her regular place, we began to question what had happened to her. The days were cold and snowy and Baby was unseen.

Then one afternoon, my husband came in the basement and called to me. He carried in his arms a clump of something he had found. It was Baby! He found her lying in the straw in one of the farm buildings. Her leg was mangled and she had lost a lot of weight. She had an open would on her hind leg. I cleansed a bucket and filled it with a soapy bath water. Baby went into the water with no fight or fidgeting at all. Perhaps she knew I was trying to help her. As I lowered her into the bath water, I could smell the wound. “Infection,” I feared.

Find out about another cat at this website, http://wernercreekfarm.com/tag/farm-cats/

If farm animals are your passion, visit our product list and find our card, Faithful Cow Dog.

photo credit:Bretta Grabau

January 19, 2015

I had the delight of hosting my daughter and her young son at the farm last week. Having not had his first birthday, makes the little one quite dependent on others. As Grandma, I got to play with him a time or two.

At meal time, he sat in an heirloom, caned high chair. Finger foods were plentiful for my little offspring. They rested scattered on the food tray of the old high chair. The height of the chair is functional, but as you will see, it makes for trouble . . . sometimes.

During this particular visit, the good thing was that his eye/hand coordination had developed quite well. Picking up a piece of cereal and looking it over before putting it in his mouth worked just fine. Along with the eye/hand abilities, he practiced making verbal sounds like, “D”. I encouraged him to say, “Daddy.” However, that word was still a bit too complex for his young mind and body to perform.

Innocently, I started playing a game to help him use his D-sounds. When he dropped a piece of cereal or a utensil, I said a noticeable, “Oh-oh.” My grandson’s eyes dropped to find what had fallen to the floor. Studiously he exclaimed, “D.” I chimed in with him to say, “Down.” This scenario happened repeatedly. As a grandma, I thought it was fun to play with him this way. After all, he was learning a lesson on “Down.”

And now we get to the bad thing. The review went very well. He enjoyed dropping what Grandma picked up for him and I enjoyed the, “Oh-oh!”, and the “D…D” exchanges with my grandson. But now Mommy and Daddy have to put up with this funny little game, too. They find it tiring.

I guess Grandmas can get away with a few things when the kids do not always live with her. But I will have to remember to control the games I teach him in the future. From now on I will consider whether or not the game is Parent-Friendly.

Babies are precious. You might enjoy a card that shows such beauty. Find it in our product line.

If you are looking for a mothering-site try this one. http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2014/03/motherhood-mondays-baby-foodan-epiphany.html

photo credit: brendan-c via photopin cc

January 8, 2015

Has the long winter gotten to you? If you have very young children in your home, try the excitement of a winter picnic. We had fun with it when our children were small.

You need to work on the menu, the serving place, and the “setting.”

My home is not terribly big. I decided to use my biggest room for the serving place. I chose a blanket we use for sitting on the grass as my “picnic tablecloth.” I served the food on paper plates as we generally do for picnics.

The menu is yours to decide. Whatever your family typically enjoys on picnics will add to the aura of your experience. We had “Fun Buns” and gelatin. Fun Buns are a yeast bread baked in a 8-9 inch round cake pan. After baking, slice the bread sideways to make a top and bottom of the bun. Barbecue, pizza burger or cheese burger fillings go great for the sandwich filling. Before serving, cut the bun/sandwich in wedges.

Typically for a picnic, the setting has trees, flowers, rivers or ponds and even some small creatures. So, for our picnic, I looked for ways to emulate such a view. I placed our indoor plants in conspicuous places where the family would see them on our picnic. Because some plants did not have blooms, I stuck stems of artificial flowers in with the green plants to spruce up the scenery. I gathered small mirrors into one place to fashion a ”pool.” Bath toys served as fish or ducks for the “pond.” I gathered various armfuls of stuffed animals hid them behind furniture and lamps. After eating, we went on a safari hunting for the animals. We all had a fun time with our pretend “winter picnic.”

Home does not have to be boring. Try making a memory with your very own Winter Picnic. I think you will be glad you did.

For other fun ideas for picnicking in your home try this link. http://carriethishome.com/2014/02/indoor-picnic-activity/

Check out our fun, kid-oriented card designs in our website.

photo credit: foilman via photopin cc

photo credit: NicoleAbalde via photopin cc

December 17, 2014

This winter began in early November. Fields and ditches covered in white made up most of the landscape. Roads covered with ice and snow punctuated the countryside. Cloudy skies, frigid temperatures and snowy days continued most of the month.

Now it is December and we have experienced warming temperatures. The white blanket of snow has turned into a combination of green and brown. Often the skies continued with clouds, dropping drizzly rain and sleet. Other times, thick fog hung over the land.

These weather conditions do not make good conditions for making my family’s traditional anise cookies for Christmas. At this late date I almost despaired of making any. With my children returning home for Christmas, it has been my wish to have some available for our holiday.

So, today, imagine my delight when I saw the sun shine. Granted a few wispy clouds passed by the farm, but the sun has been a constant. I whipped up a batch of Anise Cookies quickly and set them out to rest on my cookie sheets. Tomorrow morning they will be popped into the oven.

I think that this high pressure system rolling through our area is a Christmas present that came early. How kind of the Lord of heaven and earth to send it my way. He looks after big things and even the little things in our lives.

If you want to try anise cookies for yourself, look for the right weather conditions and follow this link to the recipe you want to try. Or check out this link for another recipe that could bring you delight.

photo credit: MIKI Yoshihito (´･ω･) via photopin cc