Pioneering Today: Faith and Home the Old Fashioned Way by Melissa K. Norris, ©2012

~*~ Sharing gifts with friends of food, fellowship and faith, Melissa has written a generation-to-generation keepsake. ~*~

Available in paperback or eBook, you will love this new book by Melissa K. Norris. I remember voting for the cover photo. Being a quilter, I LOVE STARS ~*~ big ones, little ones, and in-between ones.

Apple Pie Filling

Dusting off my canning jars and filling my baking pans with awesome tasting bread dough ~ without it being hard and yeasty smelling (a memory here, lol) will be a fun accompaniment to this book. Recipes with great hints for turning out successful end results and preparing your own food from start to finish homemade instead of buying store-bought, this book will shine for you! Here are some of my favorite quotes and notes I took while reading [My comments in brackets.]:

Page 7: “I don’t feel it’s coincidence we feel closer to God while gardening.”

[My love of the well-watered garden Scriptures that speak to me! Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.]

Page 10: Blueberry Buckle recipe

Page 16: “He’ll never leave us without a harvest, because whatever He touches grows, and I pray that He will continue to touch us daily.”

Page 23: “Tired of feeling constantly beaten, I surrendered to God. On bended knee, I asked Him to put me where He wanted me. I prayed He’d allow me to serve Him wherever and however He chose, regardless of what I wanted, I would trust Him.”

Page 26: “Even though they squeeze me and steal joy, I’m unaware of their presence—until I call on God to weed out the hidden places of my soul.”

[Psalm 139:ff ~*~ ff ~ end of chapter. You will want to read it all!!]

Page 36-37: “This is like our hearts. God has a hard time using someone to their full potential if they’re not mature in His ways. Those who have hardened their hearts against Him can’t be reached. I pray that you and I will always fall into the ready-to-harvest category.”

Page 56-57: Good Word! [Oops! Guess you'll have to read it to find out what I liked!]

Page 59: Cornbread recipe (page 58 seasoning cast iron pans)

Page 62: Buttermilk biscuit recipe

Page 63-64: Pizza recipe

Page 71: “The lint in your dryer is fibers being knocked off your clothes.”

Page 87: Dinner and cinnamon roll dough recipe!

Page 93: “A smudged and soiled recipe card, from a neighbor long moved away, but her smile still winds through my heart every time I drive by her little house tucked among the waving grass.”

Page 93: “Recipes are more than just food, they are memories, past and present.”

Page 125. [Oh, no, the close of this pioneering book!!]

I found my own little house in the big woods, where I live with my husband and two children in the Cascade Mountains. I write a monthly column, Pioneering Today, for the local newspaper that bridges my love of the past with its usefulness in modern life. My books and articles are inspired by my family’s small herd of beef cattle, my amateur barrel racing days, and my forays into quilting and canning—without always reading the directions first.

I grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder and my love of books has never stopped. [Visit Melissa's website.] Once a month, I’ll share a book I’m reading and offer up a copy for one lucky winner.

When I’m not reading, you can find me running, gardening, camping, wake-boarding, or sitting outside in the beautiful nature God created for us.

--Melissa K. Norris

Thank you to author Melissa K. Norris for this invaluable copy of Pioneering Today: Faith and Home the Old Fashioned Way to review in my own words.