Peaches, housing and humanity

Well, first batch of peach jam done.

7 jars per hour.

I am just loving Pomona's Pectin! All that jam has only 1 1/2 cups sugar in it, and it tastes great!  There are more peaches to be done, but personally I'm an even bigger fan of raspberry-peach jam. It look so pretty in the jars - like you've bottled up a taste of a glorious sunset! Maybe I'll just slice and freeze the rest of the first batch of peaches.Home searching continues. We went through one promising home this week - beautiful hardwood floors, lots of character (including some stained glass windows and a picket fence, a built-in studio or school room downstairs), gorgeous brand-new kitchen and bathrooms, a huge laundry/mud room - the owners had obviously taken care of it. However, after going through it twice, realizing there things like old and potentially leaking plumbing, OLD electrical, old roof (potential roof leak damages on the 2nd floor), and who knows what else (90+ year-old home), I literally watched it sink out of our budget and into oblivion. I was a trifle frustrated at myself for getting so excited about this home. The initial look was so great!I realize humans can be the same way. They can look beautiful, polished and tidy. Welcoming and warm at the initial glance. But once you really start to see what they are made of, you may discover their hearts are in need of being made new - from the inside out, not the outside in. It's a sad thing, really. You realize their potential and can even get frustrated - "Lord, don't they know how precious and beautiful they are?!". Tom and I couldn't afford maintenance and upkeep on that house. Thankfully, that house isn't a human. However disappointed I could be over this experience, it also serves to remind that every interaction we have with others is an opportunity to encourage, love, and speak the truth of Christ - whether we use words or not. :)I discovered I really DO love wood floors... and picket fences... and stained glass windows. Thoughts for the future, perhaps. Wherever we live, we want the atmosphere to "feel" similar to how it felt inside that house - pretty colors, warm floors, beauty and the "extra touch" that makes a welcoming atmosphere in every corner. We may end up renting an apartment to start off life together, which is fine with me... but wherever we live, it's great to remember that those touches are the externals. No matter how pretty those details are, it still doesn't make up for the foundation and building blocks of a true home. Personally, I believe having both are possible, by the grace of God, and I look forward to seeing how He will move us and WHERE He will move us. For now, back to freezing peaches.... and who knows what today will bring?