Garden Giveaway #8 Sponsored by Remembrance Press {+Special Article}

Dearest Readers~

I am ever so late! This weekend has been so busy for me that I have found little time to keep my posts in order especially since the Blogger shutdown that cost me a horrid amount of time. I have so many posts that need to be written and published, so please be patient with me. 

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To-day I am ever so excited to have a delightful sponsor here. 

{Click banner to visit site}

When I visited my dearest friend Johanna, she gave to me an old copy of a past issue of The Girlhood Home Companion, which with greatest delight read and I have been blessed since...

'Tis one of the most well-done, well-written, well-illustrated, magazines that I have ever read. 'Tis so encouraging with its well-written, uplifting articles for young ladies on their walk with Christ as well as giving an old-fashion theme. A PERFECT magazine, ladies!!!:) 

I e-mailed the Remembrance Press a few months ago, asking if they would be interested in contributing a past issue of their delightful magazine towards my May Garden Party. They generously agreed and even sent me the same prize which I excitedly anticipated in the mail for weeks. :)

The Girlhood Companion is a treasure that I know I will want to keep for years for my children and grandchildren, and safely tuck them away in my hopechest!:)

~The Giveaway~

The Remembrance Press has generously agreed to contribute this lovely, fresh new copy of

The Girlhood Companion Volume 6, Issue 2 as a giveaway prize.

Description: A young girl often wants a friend her own age – a real kindred spirit. The truth is it won’t be the girls her own age who make the most impact on her life, but the older Christian women who have been walking down life’s path before her. Learn how to recognize God-given companions and how to wisely choose friends who will draw you to the Lord.

They even inquired if I did not own the same issue already, they would promptly send me one as well. How generous they are! Special, Special thanks to Eric Novak for making this happen. What a blessing I know this issue will be!

This issue is filled with wonderful articles, recipes, tutorials, and so much more! The theme is as well quite lovely and will appeal to my fellow old-fashion ladies....

Reminisce what time would have been like in the Anne of Green Gables era...

Plan your own Anne of Green Gables Afternoon Tea with delightful recipes such as Marilla's famous Raspberry Cordial... 

And make your tea time very pretty with lovely tutorials...

You can find this much delight and more in this lovely issue!

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The one article that I was particularly fond of was the article Companion Planting: Choosing God-Given Friends since it involved friendships and gardening. How appropriate I thought it would be, since this is my May Garden Party, to share it with you!

  

I later asked permission of the author of this article Mrs. Jill Novak, if I could share this sweet, uplifting article with you to-day, to give you a little insight :

Companion Planting: Choosing God-Given Friends

by

Jill Novak

{Part of A Quiet Moment Column}

Dear Daughters, Mothers, and Grandmothers, 

   I'm so thankful for our garden this year. Once again it has become my gentle teacher and dearest summer friend. Besides being beautiful to behold, it has produced the largest variety of vegetables we've ever planted. Of course we planted the usual crops of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and squash, but we also tried some heirloom varieties as well. Eric ordered three different types of pumpkin seeds from Burpee and I purchased heirloom tomatoes at a local nursery. It's taken a lot of backbreaking work to sow, weed, and fend off the Japanese beetles, but we're co-laborers with the Lord who gives to all gardeners the fruit of their labor in due season. 

   Maybe the garden's beauty is heightened because of the rough growing season we've experienced. For the most part, it's been too cold and rainy for the hot weather crops to flourish. I had to sow beans again in early June because the first crop didn't germinate. Except for the heirloom tomatoes, which were planted three weeks after the rest, the hybrid tomatoes barely have any fruit. Out of fifty tomato plants, only five show any promise of producing more than a hand-full of tomatoes. Finally this week, the temperatures have climbed into the 90's, and for the first time this season, we've had to water. But just as we caught up with the watering, it began to rain. There are some things in life you just can't control; the weather is one of them. 

   Still, I wouldn't trade all the lessons I've learned this year for the perfect garden. Gardening is worth all the effort it takes to cultivate and nurture tender seedlings to maturity, and the truth is, I couldn't do it without my husband who was born with a green thumb - and the children after him. They have been my constant companions all summer long, helping me stake out the plots, plant, weed and reap a bountiful harvest - even if at the moment it is mostly cucumbers, beans and zucchini. 

   Just as it has been crucial for our family to work together to make this year's garden a success, there is a term that describes a similar relationship between garden plants as well. The term is "companion planting." Long before chemicals were so heavily used for pest control, gardeners discovered that certain plants give off scents which confuse and repel invasive garden pests. By planting companion plants in close proximity to one another, insects become confused and fly past the crops they especially like to feast on. That's why companion planting is the organic gardener's best friend. 

   In the same way, God gives special companions to encourage us in life - those who help us grow, mature and bear much fruit for Him. They keep us from harmful influences and help us blossom were we're planted. Do you recognize the companions God has blessed you with to accompany you along the garden path of life - those who are the sweet aroma of Christ? 

   The word "companion" is the Greek word for "sugkoinonos," meaning "participant with others in anything, a joint partnership." Another word which is closy related is "sunergos," meaning "a companion of labor, one who labors in furthering the cause of Christ." God desires to plant His companions in our life, and in choosing a friend - and yes, we do choose our friends - we should esteem highly and cherish those people who draw us to Christ.

~Lessons from the Garden~

   

   The most cheerful companion plant in our garden is the marigold. Due to its abundant pollen and nectar, marigolds attract bees and butterflies, which are needed to pollinate fruits and vegetables. They also attract hoverflies which feed on aphids, a common garden pest. Aphids suck the sap out of a plant weakening and deforming it. The sticky residue left behind causes a sooty mold to grow which covers the leaves and keeps the plant from photosynthesizing. In turn, viruses spread, giving disease a foothold. Although the marigold may not smell or look as lovely as other garden flowers, none-the-less it is one of the most valued plants for drawing pests away from their intended targets. 

   Now, girls, I want to speak specifically to you. What kinds of companions are you sowing in your garden? When you first meet a girl, you won't know much about her unless you have made her acquaintance through mutual friends. A friendship may develop over time, and over time it will be tested, but when you consider making some one a close friend and confidant, the following qualities are the ones you should look for. 

An Amiable Temper

   First of all, does she have an amiable temper? An amiable girl is agreeable and good-natured. She is a cheerful and willing servant to her family. She is especially kind to her younger brothers and sisters and respectful to her mother and father, caring for their every comfort. Others are lifted up in her presence. She is a light to those around her. What about you, girls? Do you have an amiable disposition? 

Everyone knows how much of the unhappiness of life results from the haughty, irritable, and unkind feelings of those with whom we are even remotely associated; of course, the evil becomes greater in proportion to the nearness of the relationship which we sustain to them. A person of an unaimable temper was never formed either to enjoy or impart the highest pleasure connected with friendship..." W. B. Sprague 

   No one is perfect. We all have criss-cross days, but more-than-not a girl with an amiable temper strives to minister to those around her. Remember girls, to have a friend, you must be a friend. If you want your family to be your best friends - and I hope you do - ask God to give you an amiable temper.  

A Discreet Spirit

   Another companion plant we grew this season was basil - lots of it. And thanks to the basil's humble presence, we haven't seen any tomato hornworms. Tomato hornworms are large, voracious leaf eaters that can practically destroy a plant overnight. Thank God, they don't like basil! Basil also repels aphids, flies and mosquitoes and slows the growth of milkweed bugs (believe me, they are prolific) as well as acting as a fungicide. It is suggested that gardeners plant three basil plants per one tomato plant. This pungent herb combats the insects and diseases that most plague tomatoes. 

   Likewise, another quality which you ought to regard in the choice of your friends is discretion. The definition of discretion is: "Prudence, or knowledge and prudence; that discernment which enables a person to judge critically of what is correct and proper, united with caution....primarily regarding one's own conduct." When discretion rules a girl's heart, myriads of sins are prevented from cropping up and diseased thinking from taking root. 

"Never be attracted, then, in selection of a friend, by any appearance of eccentricity. In almost every case, you will find it associated with some kind of indiscretion; and wherever this exists in any considerable degree, it will be enough to poison the most intimate friendship. Let your friends be those who have the reputation of being prudent and judicious. Better that they should possess these qualities than artificial accomplishment." W. B. Sprague

A Reverence of God

   A stately companion that towers far above the other garden plants is the sunflower. Ants and aphids cover it in droves, while bees and hummingbirds sip nectar from the large seed heads. Even though the sunflower and hummingbird are vastly different species, they have a cooperative and mutually dependent relationship. Hummingbirds eat whiteflies, a garden enemy which attacks leaves, buds and stems by sucking the juice out of them. Without control, infested plants turn yello, become stunted in growth and ultimately die. By planting sunflowers in strategic spots all over the garden, you can attract garden pests away from the plants you are trying to protect. 

   In the same way, you may not exactly be like the girl you want to befriend, but just as the sunflower follows the sun from East to West, she should be following after the Lord with all of her heart. Cultivating Christian friendships throughout your girlhood years will help you grow strong and tall in your faith. 

Heirlooms verses Hybrids

   If you could be a garden plant, what kind would you be? I would be an heirloom tomato. The heirloom tomatoes we planted in June are healthier than the hybrid tomatoes we planted in May. It could be that the three weeks of extra rain and colder temperatures were just too much for the hybrids to take, but even the heirloom pumpkins which were started from seed are four times the size of the hybrid pumpkins. Are heirloom plants healthier and happier in general? Well, I have no conclusive evidence to support my theory, but for this growing season, at least, it appears that way. 

   The definition of an heirloom is: "A cultivar of a vegetable or fruit that is open-pollinated and is not grown widely for commercial purposes. An heirloom often exhibits a distinctive characteristic such as superior flavor or unusual coloration." Another definition says: "Heirloom varieties don't just happen. They survive generation after generation due to the effort of private individuals." 

   There are heirloom friends in your life as well. The older women, specifically your mother and grandmothers, if they are Christians, have a special mission to play in passing down a godly heritage to you. Their efforts to be transparent examples of what it means to walk by faith are God's truest gift of friendship to you. Do you treasure and esteem the older women in your life? 

   Just as with our other lessons from the garden, there is an example of a companion plant that makes an effort to establish the right growing conditions for the crops that follow it. 

   Beans are companion plants which leave good nutrients in the soil long after the growing season has passed. A member of the legume family, they are a group of nitrogen-fixing plants that God has designed to pull nitrogen from the air and put it back into the soil. After the growing season is over, you cut the top part of the plant off to leave the roots in the ground to decompose over the winter. Nitrogen-loving plants like tomatoes will thrive in plots where beans were planted the year before. 

   Your greatest model for becoming a woman of God is to follow the example of the older women in your life, especially your mother. How often a young girl wants a friend her own age - a real kindred spirit - but the truth is, it won't be the girls your own age who make the most impact on your lives. It will be the older women who have walked with the Lord for years and are living their faith out before you. If you are really seeking God's companions for your life, you will learn to treasure and listen to the wise council the older women give. 

  God gives true friends who are an extension of His grace and mercy. Learn to recognize the companions He's planting in your life so that you'll grow into a godly young woman under His tender care. Companion planting isn't just for gardens, it's for people, too!

Jill Novak and her husband  Robert have been married for 30 years and are the parents of five precious children. Together their family has founded Remembrance Press, publishers of The Pebbly Brook Farm Stories, Becoming God's Naturalists, The Gift of Family Writing, and The Girlhood Home Companion. Jill is a frequent conference speaker and encouager to the younger women in her life, especially her own daughters. 

  

You can find this lovely article and more in this wonderful magazine. You will definitely want a copy of it for yourself. If you already own this copy, why not win it for a friend? 

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To win this lovely issue of The Girlhood Home Companion here's how to enter: 

~How to Enter~ 

Required: You must complete the mandatory entry or else all extra entries will not count.

Required: You must leave separate comments per entry you complete. 

~Mandatory Entry~

{counting as one entry}

Follow or be a follower of my blog and let me know what the most encouraging part of the above article was. 

Visit their website and let me know what your favorite product is. They sell a whole collection of delightful things!


Post about this giveaway on your blog, and include the link in your comment. 


Let me know what your favorite quote or Bible verse is.


Let me know what your favorite plant, flower, herb, or vegetable is.


Purchase something from the Remembrance Press {worth ten entries}

All of thee above is worth one entry unless otherwise stated. 

For those who do not own a blog but want to enter this, you may: 

Leave a comment on this post, letting me know you want to enter. 

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E-mail at least five people about this giveaway. {one entry per person you e-mail; for example, e-mail one person, one entry} 

Let me know what your favorite plant, flower, herb, or vegetable is. 

Purchase something from Remembrance Press. {worth ten entries}

All of thee above is worth one entry unless otherwise stated. 

Again, special thanks to the Novaks for contributing this prize!

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Giveaway open to US young ladies.

You must be a public follower. 

Giveaway ends later this month. {Check program for specific dates}

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All right, my dears. Ready to win??? You may begin typing...NOW!

Love in Christ,
Grace