Murder On The Moor Book Review

We have had the great pleasure of receiving Murder on the Moor by Julianna Deering, this is the first book by this author that we have read but it was a great introduction. I love the classic mystery feel to this book, it reminded me of the long nights I would stay up reading Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes and many other wonderful mysteries.

Murder on the Moor by Julianna Deering
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is absolutely charming! It has a great plot with interesting characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Received this book from the publisher.

View all my reviews

This book is full of adventure, the character witty and charming and the plot will suck you in spinning you round and round until it finally deposits you on the very last page to catch your breath. It is truly a wonderful book!

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How To Naturally Repel Mosquitos From Your Yard

Mosquito and the south go together like sweet tea and summer. There is just no way around it, these pesky insects (bless their little hearts) love it as much as we do.

Alas over the summer months I am a walking blood donation center (especially with 2 ponds in the yard) while I am working in the garden or enjoying dinner on the patio. But did you know you can naturally repel them with certain plants? It's like bug spray for your garden!

• Rosemary
• Marigold
• Horse mint 
• Floss flower
• Garlic
• Lemon Balm
• Ageratum 
• Citronella
• Lemon Grass
• Penny Royal 
• Catnip 

Related Article: Insect Repelling Herbs To Plant In Your Garden

• Basil 
• Lemon Tyme
• Mexican Marigold 
• Fever Few 
• Lavender
• Bee Balm 
• Cat Mint 
• Eucalyptus 
• Pyrethrum 
• Nodding Onion
• Pineapple Weed
• Pitchers Plant 
• Snow brush
• Peppermint

Klosterruine Limburg - Monastery in Bad Durkheim Germany

Thank you for coming back to the next part of a great day we had when we first visited Weisenheim am Berg. As we finished that part of the day we decided to go to a store that one of my colleagues wanted to go to and since it was closer than the Klopp Castle we headed that way first. The store was in Bad Duerkheim, what an unusual name. Bad means bath and the city is a spa town because of the 7 mineral springs. It is called a "Brine Spa" due to the springs.

We stopped before we got to the store we were looking for to look at an interesting restaurant, It is in the shape of a wine Barrel. The largest Barrel I have ever seen. We walked into a souvenir shop where I found a couple of postcards for Cheyenne. After paying for them I asked the gentleman about one of them, his answer was oh it is just down the street. It is called the Limburg Abby.

The 3 of us looked at each other and our plans changed again. It took a little while to find the proper roads to navigate up to it but we did. After parking and walking up a well-worn dirt path, and passing several elderly people... side note- they do a lot of walking in this country young and old. They have walking paths that go along the roads and even separate bike paths. I see a lot of elderly with walkers on wheels walking down the side of the road going places.

This area was settled between 1200 and 500 BC by the Celts. The town was first mentioned in history in June of 778 asTurnesheim. In 1025 the construction of the Abby started. In 1689 the French almost destroyed the city during the Nine Years' War. We spent over an hour looking at the outside walls the inside of the Abbey which is called a monastery now. They don't build, buildings like these anymore that is for sure. This impressive ruin is the Klosterruine Limburg.  Long before these stones stood one atop the other Celtic princes back circa 500 BC made these majestic forests their homes and built a fortress here.

Later in the 9th Century AD the Salian Dukes (Dukes of the Frankish dynasty that all became Emperor's of the Holy Roman Empire) from Worms, Germany built a castle here on the Linthberg as their family seat to protect them from the Slavs, Normans, and the Hungarians.  When Conrad II (Konrad, son of Otto I) and his wife Gisella (from the line of Charles the Great) took the to the throne on September 8, 1024, he decreed that their family castle be made into a Benedictine Monastery and remained a monastery until the middle of the 16th century. 

This is what is left of this beautiful place in Bad Durkheim, Germany.  This was also known as the Abbey to the Holy Cross or the Monastery Limburg.  

This ruin sits like a crown high above the river Isenach and the eastern edge of the magical Palatinate Forest.  

Princess Guinheld of Denmark was sent here to Germany as a young 5 yr old child sent by her father King Cnut (Canute) of Denmark as a promise and oath of peace on the Danish border to live with the Emperor Conrad II and his consort Gisela of Swabia. She was formally engaged to their son Henry the III during Pentecost in Bamburg, Germany in 1035. They married in Nijmegen, Netherlands in 1036 where she changed her name to her German name Kunigunde.  

Later, Guinheld was accused of adultery and was sent to trial by combat. When her champion won and she was cleared she disdained the victory and became a nun. Not long after that she and her husband reconciled their relationship. 

In December of 1038, Emperor Conrad was sent to Italy on a campaign.  His wife, Henry and Gunhilda stayed behind but he later sent word that things were not going well and he needed Henry's assistance.  Gunhilda was pregnant at the time and went with her husband on the campaign.  While in Italy, Gunhilda gave birth to their only child, a daughter named Beatrice ( Beatrice later became the abbess of Quedlinburg and Gandersheim.) Upon their journey home, an epidemic that some say may have been malaria broke out among the soldiers and many died.  Gunhilda and Duke Herman IV of Swabia also contracted the illness and died on the journey.  They carried her body home and buried her here. The photo above is her grave marker.  Her husband Edward was not made King of Germany in her lifetime but after his father, Emperor Conrad died so Gunhilda was never crowned the Queen of Germany.

Gunhilda's father was very well known. I remember teaching the girls about the story of Canute and the waves when they were little. Do you know the story?

As I recall King Canute was being fawned over by his courtiers about how powerful he was. So, he had his throne taken to the seaside and sat there the crown on his head, the shore filled with courtiers and in royal robes.  He commanded the waves not to wet his royal feet or robes but the tide (as the tide tends to do) rolled in.  The king then rebuked the courtiers and told them (this is not a direct quote mind you) that the power of kings is empty and worthless compared to the power of God and that none deserved even the name of King except for the one that the heaven, earth, and sea obey. It is told then that he removed his crown and hung it on a cross and never wore it again. 

And here I am standing at the place his child rests on the other side of the world and I shared his story with my own children. Isn't it strange how things work and where God brings us on our life journey?

The sheer size of the ruin is truly impressive and makes you imagine what this place looked like when it was newly built.

In 1030 Emperor Conrad laid the cornerstone for the building. Can you imagine? It is said that it is the same day he laid the cornerstone for the Speyer Cathedral.  

It was here at this monastery on December 3, 1038, that the decision was made regarding the dates of Advent. It was made in the presence of the Emperor Conrad II (Konrad) and Gisella (his wife) that the dates of the Advent season would be from November 27th to December the 3rd and are to this day.

When we started looking out past the back of the Monastery we found our next destination. That destination is..... you will have come back to read about it. Thank you for touring this beautiful country with me and until next time.... Have a blessed day

Please click below to see the video of the rest of this amazing place. 

North West Burger

Need something to delight your taste buds? Try this delicious burger with bacon, maple syrup, tender beef, and lettuce.

Ground Beef
Organic Apples Sliced and Cored
Maple Syrup
Lettuce
Bacon
Hamburger Buns
Himalayan Salt
Nutritional Yeast
Garlic Powder
Mayonaise
Grass-fed Butter

Related Article: Huntington Beach Burger

Form ground beef into burger patties sprinkle with salt, nutritional yeast, garlic and a small amount of maple syrup. Drizzle maple on bacon and fry until crispy in a separate pan. In another pan place, apple slices in a saute pan with butter and drizzle maple syrup cook until soft. Spread mayonnaise on bun, place lettuce on one bun, add meat on top. Top with bacon and apple.

This article contains affiliate links. Affiliate links cost you nothing extra but help to support the Rosevine Cottage Girls so we can continue bringing you recipes, travel posts, garden and farm posts and so much more. 

Keep Your Feet In The Water

We all know (even the person that kills everything they try to grow- at least I hope they do...) that you have to water a plant for it to survive.

It's the same thing for Christians only our water is the bible. Many of us barely crack a bible in a week- and many times not even on Sunday now that they conveniently place the verses up on the screen during church services.

A while ago my friend was overdoing homework and asked to borrow my bible for her bible homework. I hadn't read my bible that day so we ended up doing it together. Somewhere along the line, I happened to mention that I had read through the entire bible several times. I don't know who was more surprised- she that I had read it or I that she hadn't. 

Why is it not a given that we need to crack open the bible and read it instead of allowing it to collect dust on a shelf? That we must dig into it if we ever want it to change our lives? Why is it not like a neon glow that our feet need to be planted in His stream if we ever want to change the lives of those around us?

Related Article: Let Your Roots Grow

I love summer! One of my favorite parts is grilling out, over the years I learned that you have to marinate certain kinds of meat before cooking it. Otherwise, it's dry, tough and gross. That is a great picture for us. We need that time in God's word to keep us from being dry and tough and letting the world overcome us with trials and hardships. We need Him to soften our hearts so we can love others with His love. We need to "marinate" in his presence so that our greatest desire will be to point others to Him.

The same thing is true with tea- I live in the south always have (alright finicky people who are going,"you're from California"- I was born in southern California. See... from the south.) The south loves its tea. But to make a good batch it has to be steeped, the tea bag has to sit and allowed to flavor the water. We are like that. We have to be steeped in the word and not the world. Just like a cup of tea the longer we are allowed to steep the stronger we are.

Weisenheim am Berg - Germany

Welcome back to journey Germany for yet another trip down history lane... When I got here there were two places I that wanted to go to, the villages of Istha and Weisenheim am Berg. 

Last week we traveled to the town of Istha, as you recall a very small town northwest of Kassel. That is where my 9X thru 12X great-grandfathers were born and raised. It was an awesome feeling walk the ground that they once did. 

Related Post: Saint Elizabeth's Church | Visiting Marburg Germany Part 1 

Today we get to go the other city....... Weisenheim am Berg. This is where my 8X great grandfather moved to and met my 8X great grandmother, married her and lived until they made the journey to catch a ship to the United States. 

  This town when I googled it was just over an hours drive from our hotel.So I planned on hitting this town then drive another hour south and go to Berg (Castle) Klopp. I want to get there even if it doesn't have anything to do with my family. 

It is around 9 AM here and we are waiting at the hotel to get the keys to the car and then we will be heading out. This trip will take us down south of the hotel. We entered the address into the GPS for the car but it routed us a completely different way. The GPS way took us two hours instead of just one.

Related Post: Marburg Germany and the Marburg Castle 

Click the photo above to play a video of the journey.

We took the wrong way a couple of times and got turned around a little but it was a beautiful drive. It is still winter here in Germany but it is gorgeous. We continued south towards Frankfurt and then headed west towards Bad Durkheim.

We passed the village of Worms which is where the Protestant reformer Martin Luther was called to an assembly with the Holy Roman Empire called a diet. This meeting was called Diet of Worms and it didn't have anything to do with the wriggling creatures but with the future of the Protestant church. This took place here, April 16-18, 1521. Pope Leo X had just put out a final ban on Luther and told Charles I to arrest him and be done with the Lutheran movement. Charles I, was a strong Catholic (he ended up giving up the crown and becoming a monk) and wanted the support of the Pope, but also knew to make such a bold move would hurt him politically. The majority of the people of Germany strongly supported Luther. Martin Luther was promised safe passage and that he would not be put to death but would only face excommunication if he didn't recant his ideas. He came to this meeting gladly, ready to defend his doctrine. It took Martin 10 days to travel the 300 miles from Wittenberg, a town close to Berlin to the village of Worms.

At the diet, they placed the 25 books that Luther had written before him and asked him if a) he had written them and b) if he recanted them. The story is an interesting one and I suggest you delve into it further. In the end, Luther said that unless they could refute his doctrines by the Word of God he could not and would not recant.

The diet ended and Luther was given 21 days of safe passage to get back to Wittenberg and then he would be considered an obstinate heretic and that would most likely mean a death sentence. He accepted and made his way back home but along the way, his friend Frederick the Wise of Saxony, arranged for his soldiers to kidnap Luther and bring him to Wartburg castle to keep him safe. He stayed here under the name Junker Jorg (Knight George)

Related Post: Saint Marien's Church - Marburg Germany  

and it was in that castle that Martin translated the entire New Testament from ancient Greek into German in only ten weeks. It was not the only German translation at the time but it was the most used.

Weisenheim am Berg is vineyard country and as far one could see are vines upon vines upon vines on both sides of the road.

Then there it was the town where they got married. The streets where they once walked and their young children played.

The streets are narrow like most small towns here in Germany.

We drove till we found a place to park, right next to a church and a farmers market (there weren't many set up yet). Could this be the church I am looking for?

We walked to the church and started looking at it and taking pictures when I came upon a plate on the side of the church..... it read 1933.

So no, this wasn't the gem I was looking for... so when we were getting close to the town we saw an older church on the outskirts of town. We started walking in the direction of that church. So now here I am walking the streets that 8X great grandfather and mother walked upon. Looking for the church that they were members of and got married in.

We took a left turn down a street and we run into our first winery..... 

We walked up to the door and a lady came out..... We asked her very politely..... Are you open? (In English) ..... her reply a very stern NEIN! .... so we looked at each other and then asked if we could buy some wine..... again her reply .......Nein..... I don't think she wanted us there. So after this reception, we went down the street and followed it to the end.

Related Post: Wilhelmshöhe Palace Museum Kassel Germany  

It came to the end of town and we realized we needed to turn right at the last street.We turned around and walked back up to that street and this time we took it.

We followed it around a curve and an old church was in our view.... Could this be it? It looked old enough. In the awe and wonder, I started taking pictures of it, spent at least 5 minutes walking around the church looking and taking pictures of the church, the land and anything else I saw.

On the side of the church had a date in Roman Numerals  MDCCXXVI.... Yes, this could be the church I was looking for. We didn't see any other churches old enough to be it....

As I walked around the church I wanted to talk to them and see this town thru their eyes.

Feel life through them...

and I prayed for my family back home and wished so much they were on this adventure with me.

I spent several minutes alone then we started walking back towards the car headed for our next destination.

Before we got to the car we asked a gentleman if he spoke English, and of course, he didn't but a young lady asked us what we needed in English. I told her about what I was looking for and the time period and she pointed at the church we just left saying that would have to be it...

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was! I had found what I was looking for at last. Here was the church my family worshiped in. The church that my grandparents Jorg Valentine Clapp and Anna Barbara Steiss on August 24, 1723, exchanged their vows and the doors they walked through, newly married and full of hope for the future- surrounded by their family and friends. I cannot believe it! I am here at last!

Now I asked her about the last name seeing if there were any left in this little town.... sadly she said she doesn't recognize it. So the first part of my adventure for the day was complete.

Before I set out for this trip to Germany there were 2 places I wanted to make and now I have done it..... Istha and Weisenheim am Berg have been visited. And for now, the rest of this trip will have to wait until next time we meet again. Thank you and God Bless.

End Of Log.

Mr. Cottage

Don't miss the next stop on our trip! Hardenburg Castle Ruins - Bad Dürkheim, Germany 

Flowers To Plant In Your Garden That Repel Bugs

Our family loves spending time in the yard, there is no better place than sitting on the back porch watching with a cool glass of sun tea and watching the sky fade into the night. But we always end up eaten alive if we aren't slathered in bug spray, ever have this problem? Well here are some plants that will help make your time outside a little more pleasant!

• Chrysanthemums - Japenese Beetles, nematodes, roaches, ticks, silverfish, fleas, bedbugs, spider mites, 
• Clover - Grasshoppers, potato bugs
• Dahlia - Nematodes
• Geranium - Cabbage worms, gnats, mosquitos
• Lavender - Ants, gnats, ticks

Related Article: Insect Repelling Herbs To Plant In Your Garden

• Marigolds - Nematodes, white flies, mosquitos, ants, asparagus beetle, bean beetle, potato bug,
• Mexican Marigolds - Gnats
• Nasturtium - Aphids, whiteflies, cucumber beetles, bean beetle, squash bugs, cabbage loopers,
• Pot Marigold - Tomato horn worm
• Petunia - Asparagus beetle, tomato hornworm, leafhoppers, squash bugs, 
• Pennyroyal - Mosquitos
• Yarrow - Ants

I'm Possible

Ever feel like it's just impossible? Is it too high a goal? Too hard to accomplish? Too lofty a height? Too scary? Too big a thing for little old you to do. So you tell yourself it's impossible, that you'll never touch those stars...

Me too. All the time! I am my own worst critic. I can tear myself down better than anyone else, I know just the right words to make me stop before I begin. You can't do it, you're not good enough. Not qualified, a failure. It's impossible

Nothing is impossible the word its self says I'm possible - Audrey Hepburn

First of all, I love Audrey Hepburn, not only was she a great actress but a very wise woman. She has some great quotes out there that you should really check out, but this one has to be one of my favorites. I'm also a huge fan of inventors and creators (I know- sounds crazy but there is some much we can learn from them). Many of them started with nothing. Some immigrants with just the clothing on their backs. But that didn't stop them. They took to the skies in an attempt to touch those stars, despite the failed attempts, mockers, and hard times.

Related Article: Kissing Fear Goodbye and Making A Splash

The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:27 KJV

Yes, sometimes we will fail. Sometimes we will slip and come tumbling back down that mountain that we tried so hard to climb. Sometimes we get hurt, we will want to give up. But if it is where He wants you I can promise you it will be well worth all of the pain, all of the fear. All of the exhaustion.

With God all things are possible. Trust Him. He will always have your back. If He is pulling you toward the proverbial cliff perhaps it's to teach you that no matter where you are you haven't left the palm of his hand.

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:16 NIV

 Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™