Josie's Niece

Pink Saturday

2011-07-22T16:34:00.004-04:00

I think my picture speaks for itself, which is good, because it's just too hot for words ...

happy pink Saturday! please visit Beverly for more pink!

We're in the Pool!

2011-07-08T06:43:00.004-04:00

i haven't posted much this week ... haven't had the time ... been busy with my sweet little mom

in the poool

when my mom calls and says she'd like to swim ... i drop EVERYTHING and say come on over! i don't get to spend much time with her right now, and time in the pool ... just the two of us ... is very precious!

we're still trying to get the pool area cleaned up, but we're getting there. it's been hard to catch up with it all after all the rain this spring. but it can wait ... i'm busy spending time with my MOM!

Let the Games Begin

2011-07-05T06:10:00.003-04:00

we had an exhausting but fun holiday weekend! we did some outside work, got to swim every day (the weather was so nice), and most important of all ... the tournament has begun ...

our annual Parcheesi tournament! one of our favorite games ... and we like to play it outside on the deck over the summer

my Mr. is looking pretty smug and sure of himself ... he should ... he won 5 out of 6 games so far!

lookout honey ... i'm not giving up yet ... 94 games to go!

America for Me

2011-07-04T09:14:00.003-04:00

America for Me

Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down
Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,
To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings,
But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.

So it's home again, and home again, America for me,
My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be,
In the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

Oh, London is a man's town, there's a power in the air;
And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.

I like the German fir-woods, in green battalions drilled;
I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing fountains filled;
But, oh, to take your hand, my dear, and ramble for a day
In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her way!

I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack:
The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free,
We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.

Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
To the blessed Land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

-Henry van Dyke

something fowl in my kitchen

2011-06-30T10:07:00.007-04:00

my kitchen is being taken over by chickens and roosters! i kind of thought that might happen! my mister does not like them, or maybe i should say he didn't like them ... but, just as i predicted ... they are growing on him! :)

this rooster bowl started it all, years ago, my mister was not happy that i hung this in the kitchen, but he knew it made me smile, so there it stayed for the past 8 yrs or so:

next chicks to appear were my chippy spice girls, and you can see pics of them and read about them here.

then one Sunday morning my sister hammered on my front door ... and when i say hammered on the door, i mean hammered on the door ... she's funny that way ... if my car is out front and i don't answer the door fast enough ... she'll hammer on the door and yell MARGE! ARE YOU IN THERE? ... she's always so excited to show me what she just found on one of her antique or thrift shop hunts ... it's annoying but i love her, so she can get away with it :)

now where was i? she was so exicted that particular Sunday morning because she found the little poultry seasoning tin and thought it would look P E R F E C T on my window sill above the sink (and it DOES!) i think she found it for $2

i LOVE it ... although i think my chippy spice girls are giving me funny looks ever since i put it there ...

then for my birthday my sister gave me this proud looking rooster to put on the other side of my window sill ... she was on a hunt for S O M E T H I N G to put on the other side because it bothered her that i only had one thing on my window sill (i kind of liked it that way, but hey, i got a new rooster out of the deal, so i'm not complaining)

i found these two beauties on one of my antique hunts

and one very fortunate day i found this Holt Howard rooster ... he's a candle holder ... and i could not pass him up ... i've loved HH rooster's for a long time, but could never afford one, maybe some day i'll be lucky enough to find another one that's priced just right, and i'll have a pair ... but for now, i'm enjoying him a whole lot

and on that same fortunate day i found this A D O R A B L E hen with her sweet little baby chick! just look at those irresistible faces and you'll know why i had to have them ... even tho they weren't the best bargain of the day! i think my mister likes them the best!

thanks for stopping by! i'm linking up with Coloradolady for Vintage Thingy Thursday ... please stop over there to see more gorgeous vintage goodies!

A Bit of Red Fabric

2011-06-29T10:20:00.005-04:00

I hate to share my messy butler's pantry, but here it is:

it's a kind of catch-all for my bigger pieces, and things i just don't have room for in my kitchen, and right now, it's a real mess! i need to clean it out and just get rid of the pieces i don't use, and the junky things that have somehow accumulated there ... how DOES that HAPPEN?

we're planning to someday replace this with closed cupboards .... or maybe some with glass insets ... i'm not sure yet, all i know is i want to get rid of the sliding glass doors and the glass shelves (that chip so easily) but for now ... i'm going to hang curtains to hide the mess and the dust ... i mean ... who has time to take all that stuff out and dust it each week?

so i found this beautiful red fabric ...

dontcha think curtains made from this fabric will just pretty things up a bit? now all i have to do is get my sewing machine out and teach myself how to do it ... it can't be that hard, can it? :)

i'm linking up to "It's a Very Cherry World" for Rednesday Wednesday! Be sure to stop by and see all the other beautiful red treasures!

Garden Goodie

2011-06-28T06:25:00.003-04:00

a perfect little garden tomato

that tasted so good ...

on my grilled cheese sandwich!

Busy Working

2011-06-27T06:57:00.005-04:00

I love blogging ... and everything about it. I love taking pictures, writing the blog, and best of all meeting and getting to know other bloggers AND reading other blogs!

So why do I disappear for long periods of time?

Because life gets too busy sometimes and when that happens I deprive myself of the things I love and immerse myself in the business of living and working and pushing through the busy and sometimes hard times, forgetting the serious need of feeding my soul with things that make me happy.

So I'm back ... hopefully for a longer period of time ... and perhaps I'll figure out a way to balance my life even in the busy, hard times ...

Pet Party

2011-01-24T07:00:00.004-05:00

McDuff heard about the Pet Party and said he wanted to be a part of it ... being the spoiled puppy that he is ... well, let's just say he's joining the party!

Our little McDuff is very special to us ... at the time we got him, we desperately needed joy back in our lives ... we had just gone through 7 months of cancer treatments for our other precious little Cairn named Yuki, who was 5 yrs old, (you can see a picture of him on the sidebar) but he didn't survive. (5 yrs later, and I still cry talking about it)

At the same time we were experiencing our trauma, McDuff was experiencing some trauma of his own ... he was 9 months old when we got him and he was living back at the breeders house ... the woman who had adopted him first had died ... and wasn't found for 3 days ... little McDuff was alone in the house with her for 3 days without anyone to care for him ... which probably means he ran out of food, water, and had no potty times ...

I believe God brought us together to heal all of our wounded hearts ... McDuff had some odd behaviors at first because of the trauma he went through, but as the years have passed most of those have disappeared ... one of those things was that it used to scare him when I fell asleep on the couch ... he'd let me sleep for so long ... then he would jump up and bark right in my face until I would get up.

He's a happy little boy now ... as long as he's getting what he wants ... yes, he's a bit spoiled ... but how can I not give him what he wants? He's brought us so much joy, and you never know just how long you will have these precious little animals to spoil ...

He loves to cuddle with his favorite toys

do touch down dances with his daddy while watching the Eagles games ... see him singing? "Fly Eagles, fly! On the road to victory ..." Victory? Hmmmmmm ... well, maybe next year ...

look pleadingly at us when we're eating ... please, just a crumb? (it ALWAYS works, you know!)
jump high in the air for presents

be out on the deck watching for birds, people, dogs, cats, squirrels ... and anything else that moves

go exploring

watch Daddy make Lasagna ... and help ... by keeping the floor clean of all cheese and hamburger crumbs that may fall ...

and sleep in the warm sunshine

He also LOVES people! He likes to drag me down the street to meet everyone ... I've been introduced to so many strange men over the years ... he doesn't understand that I don't really WANT to meet them, because HE wants to!

McDuff doesn't really enjoy getting his hair combed or cut ... getting his teeth brushed ... paws wiped ... or getting a bath ... but what doggie really does?

He's VERY vocal and literally TELLS you what he wants by howling, barking, or talking as he stands below whatever it is ... usually food. One of his very favorite foods is Quaker's White Cheddar Rice Cakes ... yum!

He lets us know he wants to go potty by ringing a bell ... which is something he was taught by his first mommy ... he also rings the bell at night when we don't eat our evening snack on time ... he lets us know it's time ...

McDuff would like you all to know, he doesn't believe in strangers ... and considers you all his friends. Thanks for visiting!

Please stop by and see our lovely hostess and meet the other Party goers at Debbiedoos

P.S. I think I forgot to mention that McDuff is a Cairn Terrier!

Tagaholic

2011-01-17T06:13:00.003-05:00

I may be turning into a Tagaholic

I find myself thinking about new ideas ALL the time

I'd rather be cutting and pasting than doing just about anything else

I made this one for my niece's 4th birthday

and then made another one for my other niece's 25th birthday!

My sister saw this over the weekend and gave me an order for something with birds on it!

I can't wait to dig into my book collection to look for something ... and I found out my other sister is collecting cows ... hmmm ... there has to be a picture of a cute cow in at least ONE of my books!

My Mr. is pretty caught up in it too. On Saturday he was sitting with a box of valentines picking some out for me to choose from for my February tag. At the birthday party he was keeping a close eye on the tag so I wouldn't rip it before giving it to my niece. Then later in the day, he drove me to a scrapbooking store to find some more supplies.

A lady came up to him as we were looking at rulers and such, patted him on the back and said "good husband ... good husband!" I take it they don't get too many husbands in the store!

I'm going to have to PUSH myself to get my work done today, so I can PLAY later!

This adorable little kitty was taken from the cover of a sweet little book called "Goody - A Mother Cat Story" by Inez Bertail and illustrated by Anne Sellers Leaf. I scan ALL my images ... I'm not an advocate of ripping apart books ... books are people too, you know! (sometimes we DO find books that are pretty much destroyed and I'll use THOSE pages for framing, in fact, we get pretty excited sometimes when we find a book that is in very bad condition!)

Vintage Thingy Thursday - Treasured Figurine

2011-01-13T06:52:00.004-05:00

My Mr. and I LOVE to go antiquing ... we live in an area that we are literally surrounded by antique stores and flea markets ... and if we get bored with them there are plenty more within an hour or two in any direction we go ... we find lots and lots of treasures ... but every once in a while we come across one that make us want to jump up and down and yell "woo hoo!" But we are both kind of reserved ... so we just look at each other with a sparkle in our eyes.

I can always tell when he finds something good ... he gets this little grin on his face ... his eyes sparkle and he tilts his head a certain way that says "get over here ... quick!" Nothing gives him more pleasure than finding something that he knows I will treasure.

This figurine is definitely a high ranking TREASURE!

My Mr. and I collect children's books from the 40's and 50's and I also have a collection of UNUSUAL dog figurines ... not just any dog figurine ... they have to be different ... special ....

this figurine definitely fits into both categories ... the little girls face is so story-book looking, don't you think?

and the dog is definitely unusual ... look at his eyes ... he's looking adoringly up at her, wanting to please her ... waiting for her next command so he can obey and be rewarded by a pat on the head ...

just look at the folds of her skirt!

and the playful stance of her beloved companion ...

It measures 9 in long x 6 in high x 5 in deep ... the bottom has been covered with felt, so I can't see any markings, some day I may have to remove that felt and see if there is anything under there. It's in nearly perfect condition, with only a few chips of paint missing on the base between the girl and the dog.

I honestly don't know how anyone could possibly have parted with this treasure ... but I'm sure glad they did! Now, how much do you think I paid for it? I'll tell you this, I would have paid a WHOLE lot more for it, if I would have had to ... but I got it for $8! My Mr. didn't even try to get a better deal on it ... we happily paid the price and walked away hand in hand ... with a smile on our lips ... and a sparkle in our eyes!

I'm linking up with Coloradolady for Vintage Thingy Thursday ... if you want to see more great treasures, please click here ... and have a GREAT Thursday!

Rednesday Wednesday - Duck Pond

2011-01-12T11:26:00.006-05:00

Are you like me? One of the first things I do when I get up in the morning is open as many curtains as I can (the one's that won't show my pajama-clad self to all the world, that is!) And after I'm dressed I open up the rest. It's a daily ritual. One of the first sets to be opened is in my Laundry room ...

ahhhhhh ... much better!

I crave the sunshine. I used to delight in rainy, dreary days. Or days that signaled snow was coming. Almost all the pictures we bought for our walls depict either rainy days or snowy ones ... I still enjoy them, but in real life, I'd rather have the sun shining in! I still love an occasional dreary day that keeps me snug and safe and warm inside reading a book or just relaxing, but as I get older, it seems like the sunshine is a lifeline ... keeping me going ... keeping my outlook cheery ... do you feel the same way?

Speaking of cheery-ness! I found the cutest thing yesterday while shopping for my niece's birthday present ... and it has a lot of red on it, so I thought I'd share it for Rednesday:

it's a little duck pond! Isn't it just ADORABLE?

You MUST check out this line of toys ... Calico Critters ... they are the cutest things ... there are houses and playsets and furniture and lots of different little critters to play with ... I LOVE the little beavers on bicycles ... and the bunny family ... oh so cute!

I bought this because it was on sale and it brings back so many memories ... Who doesn't LOVE a duck pond? Remember when you were oh so little ... so little that your Daddy had to lift you up a wee bit to be able to reach out and grab a little ducky as it swam by you? which one to pick ... which one to pick? Remember how proud you were to be able to pick your own prize? Because ...

that's right! There was a prize EVERY time!!! How exciting it was! Even though the prize was usually just one of these:

do you remember winning one of these plastic bears? I wonder just how many years I won one! Or perhaps you chose one of these instead:

a simply lovely poodle! Or maybe one of these:

although I don't remember a fish. He was in the bag when I bought the other prizes! I saw them at a flea market and a flood of memories hit me and I had to buy them! I mean, who could pass them up when they were only 50 cents for the whole bag?

Below is a picture of my niece, at our small town's carnival this past Summer ... she's getting the number off the duck to see what prize she can pick ... if I remember she picked some "pretty" beads to wear! (Don't you just LOVE her beautiful, naturally curly hair?)

The town I grew up in had a HUGE street fair every September, they still have it ... I think it's the biggest street fair in PA. We would go to it every year, and my Dad would try to win the three of us girls (my brother wasn't born until I was 12, so he doesn't share these memories) a teddy bear or SOMETHING to take home, and of course we picked up the ducks until we were too old to do so.

One year I was very sick and couldn't go to the fair ... and my Dad tried and tried to win something for me ... but was not having any luck that night ... a very kind-hearted carny allowed my Dad to buy one of the stuffed bears to take home to me ... but I wonder just how much that bear ended up costing him? Because you know there's just something different about a carnival toy and a kid knows the difference, so you just can't go to the store and buy a regular teddy bear!

I hope I may have brought back a good carnival or fair memory to you too today! I'd love for you to share it with me if you'd like!

Please be sure to visit here for more Rednesday goodies!

My First Tag

2011-01-10T21:38:00.003-05:00

I'm kind of tagging along with Elizabeth over at Bluebird Papercrafts ... she's my new hero! I LOVE visiting her blog ... I admire her work SO very MUCH! I admire her so much more after attempting my first tag ... it's not as easy as it looks! It's alot of fun though!

I'm not actually part of her swap, but she invited me to tag along and learn as I go ... so I'm linking up with her Happy Homemaker Tag Along

You WILL want to go on over there and check out all the GORGEOUS tags! If I can learn to craft even half as good as those ladies ... well ... I'll be happier than my McDuff with a new toy!

trust me, he's happy here ... he's just keeping an eye on me ... he's afraid I'm going to take his new "baby" ... anyway ... back to business ... here is my very first tag ... it's kind of primitive, I guess, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out:

I used an image from a children's book that I had called "My Prayer Book" by Margaret Clemens and illustrated by Esther Friend ... an adorable book ... 1947 ...

the tree line I got from another book ...

all the paper used was just plain old cardstock except for the scrap of light blue polka dots that I had floating around ... I need to buy some paper ... I didn't get that far yet ...

I will probably be breaking that rule because I really don't have much of anything to use and I'm not sure how much is needed so I might have to make a couple trips to the craft store ... but that's ok, I guess, since I'm not officially swapping!

My theme is "couples". I'm going to try to do tags that remind me of my hubby and me ... things that bring back memories ... and sledding together is a precious memory that I have of us ... except we would both be on the same sled ... and I'd make sure we fell off into the snow bank when we reached the bottom of the hill!

So go on over and check out the other tags ... you won't believe how beautiful they are!

Now ... I can't wait to start on February's!

Ugly Chickens

2011-01-05T06:47:00.003-05:00

Some people might think they are ugly

with their funny faces and their chippy paint ... this one has the best face ... it's the only one that has a really good eye anymore ...

some have hardly an eye left, some have wings mostly missing ... and one you can't read the spice on the front ... but I couldn't resist them ... I think they are the cutest spice holders I've ever seen! Pepper, Salt, Cloves, Ginger and one is a mystery spice ... I bought them all for $12 ... worth every penny ... they make me smile every time I look at them on my windowsill behind my sink while I'm doing dishes ... washing my hands ... getting a drink of water ... you can't put a price on what makes you happy, can you?

from one extreme to another ... here's a couple of REAL beauties ...

salt and pepper

I saw a set of these at 2 different booths in one Antique store ... the booths were practically back to back ... one set was $34 ...

the other set was $8 ... guess which set I bought?

I LOVE their eyes ...

My sweet Mr. is NOT a big fan of chickens ... but I have a secret weapon ... I know by now that if I like something and he doesn't, it's usually just a matter of it being something new to him and he doesn't KNOW that he likes it ... all I need to do is point something out to him a few times and he gets to liking it ... that's what I've been doing with chickens ... and it worked just in time for me to find these 2 sets ... when I pointed them out to him he told me to get both sets if I like them ... yippee! He didn't have to tell me twice!

I'm linking with:

Rednesday Wednesday

Vintage Thingy Thursday

Irresistible

2011-01-02T17:37:00.004-05:00

Dogs and babies ... irresistible!

My great-niece, Eden, was loving the pudding I made yesterday:

she's 16 months old and smart as a whip!

she was having a good time getting in and out of this little car

she's just chillin' behind the wheel!

cruisin' down the road ...

her Grammy and Pop-Pop are watching her for 2 weeks while her mommy and daddy are on a cruise ...

to say they are loving it would be an understatement ... we all enjoyed being with her yesterday!

and now, my other little irresistible one ...

my little McDuff wanted to wish everyone blessings in the new year!

New Year's Meal and Barbie

2011-01-01T19:53:00.004-05:00

I hope your New Year's Eve was fun! We had an enjoyable one, until I sat down to relax ... then the pain started in my arm. We baked chocolate chip cookies about a month ago, and I used a new whisk with little silver balls on the bottom, that I use to make brownies. I thought it would mix that cookie dough up pretty good ... well, it did ... but it also messed up my arm pretty good! Yesterday I made Graham Cracker Pudding for dessert for today, and that seemed to have stirred up my arm again ... I can tell I'm getting older ... heading for the big 5 0h! It wouldn't bother me so much if I wouldn't feel it so much in my body aches and pains! Do you know what I'm talking about?

But these things come and go, and I just thank the Lord that I'm as healthy as I am, as there are people with much worse problems than I have!

I have another Barbie Jumbo Trading Card to share. Her outfit on this card makes me think she's going out to a New Year's Eve party with Ken:

I think it must be the gold color of the dress, so festive ... and so New Year's Eve! How chivalrous of Ken to be helping her put on her wrap (sounds more elegant than coat, doesn't it?)

And here's the tip on the back:

Hmmmmm ... "Lust for Life" by Irving Stone ... have you ever read it? I haven't. I think I'll have to check into though ... just out of curiosity.

Did you have your traditional New Year's meal today? We did. Ours is pork, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Yummy! One of my VERY favorite meals. We cook the pork in the sauerkraut for 8 to 10 or more hours, it really gets the flavor of the sauerkraut into the pork, and the sauerkraut is so much better tasting when you let it cook that long! Then we put it on top of our mashed potatoes and dig in ... delish!

What is your traditional meal for the start of the new year? It's so interesting to me that different areas have different traditions and I love to hear about them!

P.S. If you want to see another post of the Barbie Trading Cards click here

2010-12-31T23:01:00.002-05:00

FUTURE

Before me is a future

All unknown,

A path untrod;

Beside me is a Friend,

Well-loved and known,

That friend is God.

Before me lies a new

And untried way,

Midst shadows dim.

Beside me is my Guide,

And day by day

I walk with Him.

-unknown

May God bless you in this coming new year!

VTT - Lady Head Vases

2010-12-30T09:59:00.002-05:00

Today I'm joining in on the fun at Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingy Thursday. To see all the lovely vintage thingy's, make sure you stop over and visit her!

I want to share my lovely Lady Head vases. They're not perfect, but I think they're beautiful!

I like to put a coordinating vintage hanky in them, it just seems to balance them out, and it's a great way to display my vintage hankies too!

My sister gave me this little girl head vase for Christmas this year! Isn't she adorable? I love that she's pink, AND ...

she actually has her umbrella attached! I've NEVER seen one of these with her umbrella. Usually you see them with just the base, which kind of looks like a piece of candy (if you use your imagination!)

My sister said the umbrella just kind of balances on the top, and is really wobbly, which is probably why you never see them anymore, they just fell off and got lost or broken. She solved the problem by gluing it on, I hope that doesn't make anyone cringe, but I'm glad she did, or I probably would have broken it by now!

She left the sticker on to show me the unbelievable price she paid for it ... she was so proud of the bargain she got ... and rightly so! In our family, it's not about how much you spend for the gift ...

... can you believe it? $0.97! WOW! I was IMPRESSED. Every Friday she goes Goodwill hopping, I think she visits 3 of them, and she's always finding good stuff. I think I'll be joining her one Friday real soon ...

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Sad but True

2010-12-28T10:49:00.003-05:00

We knew it couldn't last ... but it was sooo much fun we wished it could ... that's right ... Christmas Vacation is over ... time to get back to reality! Mr. PartsMan headed back to work this morning ... must keep those Chevy's (and other GM vehicles) on the road, you know! And I got back to work attacking those mounds of laundry that piled up over the last 4 days. I wonder sometimes how 2 people can create that much laundry!

Sometimes after a long vacation I'm ready to get back into my routine and dig into the work, I always miss my Mr, but having a routine is a good thing, things just seem to spin out of control when there's no routine around here.

We did have fun while it lasted though ... staying up late watching old Christmas movies ... stuffing ourselves with leftovers from my mom's Christmas dinner ... staying warm and cozy during the "blizzard" ... and of course, hitting the after Christmas sales yesterday! I MUST share our best BUY of the day!

For 29 yrs I've wanted a holiday set of dishes, but for various reasons, we never bought a set. As we were shopping at Boscov's yesterday, looking for a plain white set of every day dishes, this set caught Mr. PartsMan's eye:

It's Winterberry by Pfaltzgraff. I think this pattern has been around for about 20 yrs, but I don't remember seeing it before. We both fell in love with it . We bought 2 sets of the dishes

this wonderful serving tray
and the sugar and creamer set.

The nice thing about it, is since it's been around for so many years, there are so many pieces to add to my set! Yippee! Anyway, we saved SO MUCH money! The dishes sold for $140 and we got them for around $30 each. The tray was around $120 and we got it for around $30. We ended up getting all these pieces for the regular price of one of the dish sets. 75% off is a GOOD THING!

The Greatest Gift

2010-12-25T09:10:00.003-05:00

The Greatest Gift

You ask what I'm wanting for Christmas,

What gift I would like to acquire

A gift that would thrill my whole being

And satisfy every desire.

Well, just such a Gift has already

Been given - and it is my own;

For no greater gift could be given

And no greater love could be shown

Than when God the father gave Jesus,

His only, His well-Beloved Son,

To suffer in my place on Calvary,

To pay for the sins I had done.

O Gift over all gifts transcending!
O Gift dear and precious, divine!
Unspeakable Gift God has given
To all who believe - and He's mine!
And since this great Gift I've accepted,
To me God has given, beside,
A life never ending, eternal;
A promise with Him to abide.

He gives sweetest peace 'mid life's conflict,
In days filled with peril and fear;
Gives joy day by day in His service;
In sorrow gives comfort and cheer.
His presence is with me each moment,
He satisfies full my needs;
Gives grace for each test; bears my burdens,
And gently my footsteps He leads.
What gift could I ask, then, beside Him?
Could man such a gift e'er afford?
Oh no! God in mercy has given
The greatest gift - Jesus, my Lord!

-Georgia Knick Home, Christian Cilppings

Vintage Thingy Thursday

2010-12-23T15:44:00.003-05:00

I'm linking this post to the Coloradolady's Vintage Thingy Thursday. This looks like so much fun, and I've been wanting to join up for a while, so here goes!

My sister gave this treasure to me. She buys things, gets tired of them, then gives them to me. I was so happy when she decided she didn't want this music box anymore.

It is a bottle brush tree, that measures 15 inches high

on the bottom it says "Swiss Music Box" and at one time it played Adeste Fideles. It played a little bit when she first gave it to me, but unfortunately, I couldn't get it to work today.

It's white with glittery silver tips and a garland of little "shiny brites" winding the whole way down the tree.

Thanks for stopping by! Please do visit again, and have yourself a wonderful, blessed Christmas!

Who Doesn't Love Vintage Barbie?

2010-12-21T16:45:00.006-05:00

I thought I'd share this treasure of mine with you all. I LOVE vintage Barbie. The dolls AND the graphics.

A few years ago, I splurged on myself and bought these:

ever since I saw them the first time, I knew I had to have them at some point. So when I found a box of them in MINT condition, my hubby gave me the go ahead ... and when I say I splurged on them ... I mean SPLURGED! Not something I do that often, let me tell you!

They were made in 1962 by Dynamic Toy Inc. in New York, and they measure almost 5 1/2 x 3 1/2, so they are a really nice size.

I thought I'd share the 3 Christmas ones. They have these wonderful pictures on the front and then on the back are tips and hints on all kinds of things relating to the picture.

Here they are:

#1

Aren't they wonderful? I hope you enjoyed them! I'll be sharing the other ones throughout the year!

A Puzzling Good Time

2010-12-09T12:07:00.008-05:00

I have been trying to write this post for weeks now ... it's not a difficult post to write ... it's just that things keep pulling me away from it. So here goes ...

Waaaaaayyy back BEFORE Thanksgiving ... I got the idea to buy a puzzle or two ... simple ones ... 100 pieces ... no more

Then I took snack baggies (I wanted something clear so they wouldn't open an envelope and all the pieces fall on the floor and possibly lose some of them) and decorated them with beautiful foil leaf stickers (remember, it was waaaaaayyy back before Thanksgiving, that I did this)

I also wrote each name on one of the baggies

then I divided up the pieces and placed them in the baggies

and mailed them out in these envelopes

along with a card that read:

Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without YOU

and neither would our fun!

So bring your pieces on Thursday

So we can get the WHOLE puzzle done!

A bit corny, I know, but everybody LOVED it!

I made sure I had 2 puzzles, just in case someone forgot their pieces, so we would at least have a puzzle to put together. I also made sure I put OUR puzzle pieces in my bag ahead of time so it wouldn't be ME that forgot her pieces!

My hubby couldn't believe I was mailing the pieces out. I told him it brings a certain excitement, an anticipation that wouldn't be there if I just showed up with a puzzle in a box. And I was RIGHT! Everybody was anxious to put it together after the meal.

Now, in case you think our family is made up of puzzle enthusiasts, you're wrong! This was the first time we put a puzzle together ... together! and it was ALOT of fun. The people I thought wouldn't be interested were the most interested and actually the BEST at putting it together!

We DID have some complications ... which just made it even more fun, and helped create an even better memory:

My sister from North Carolina had told me the week before that she put her puzzle pieces in her suitcase RIGHT AWAY so she wouldn't forget them ... we had the puzzle ALMOST finished and she was still looking for her hubby's pieces ... and they were no where to be found!

NOW he is a big jokester, and he was not there, but he was having the meal with HIS family ... so we figured he was playing a good joke on us by taking his pieces and hiding them ...

She called him and he said he didn't take them ... but you could tell he thought it was a PRETTY GOOD IDEA! Anyway, he found them out in the car where they must have fallen out of her bag the night before when they stayed over at a Hotel!

We ended up putting the other EXTRA puzzle together!

This was the original puzzle:

And this was the one we were able to actually finish together:

Aren't they adorable? They came in a box with 10 puzzles inside! There are 100, 300, and 500 piece puzzles in the box. I bought it at Walmart.

I wanted to share this idea, because it would work for any holiday get together, or birthday party, or any occasion where people are getting together to have some fun!

I know it's going to be a new tradition in our family ... they were already asking me to do it again for Christmas!

McDuff ... My Kitchen Helper

2010-11-24T21:04:00.006-05:00

What a busy day! I'm tired, but I feel like I got alot accomplished!

I made 2 desserts to take to my mom's for the meal tomorrow. I made brownies and this delicious Graham Cracker Pudding ... so simple ... but so yummy ...

as you can see, I had a helper. He was licking up any and all graham cracker crumbs that fell on the floor ... which was quite a bit of them ... and he's looking up to see if there are any more coming his way ... I think you can actually see a bit of wet floor where he was helping mommy to clean up ... :)

after preparing the graham cracker crumbs and adding them to the pudding, comes McDuff's very favorite part! The whipped cream! I caught him trying to reach that last little bit of it off his nose ... he's such a good helper ... (although I DID have to clean my whole kitchen floor and rugs before the day was over ... don't you just love a freshly cleaned kitchen?)

My next project was getting my little goody boxes ready for tomorrow. I had some fancy Chinese food containers and loaded them up with little goodies for everybody, and added name tags. I found some cute little items, pencil sharpener, mini kaleidoscope, mini yo-yo, little puzzle, mini card games (Old Maid, Snap, Memory Game), stencils, candy bars ... I don't remember what all I put in there, but I know my sisters will LOVE it! We're just big kids at heart!

Since I have name tags on them, mom is using them on top of the plates so everybody knows where to sit. Won't they be surprised to see we're having Chinese take-out for Thanksgiving? hehehe!

After supper, and some more cleaning, hubby and I played 3 rounds of the mini Memory game! What fun we had! :) It's a good game to stimulate our tired minds! And he was happy because he won 2-1. That's okay, I'll beat him tomorrow ...

Now I'm tired and ready to relax, but first I have a little poem to share:

THANKSGIVING

Dear Lord - I'm thankful for the home

I knew in early youth,

Where I first heard from Mother's lips

The story of Your truth.

I'm thankful for the fellowship

With friends who ever hold

Within their hearts Your gift of love,

As world events unfold.

I'm thankful for Your peace that stills

My heart, and light that guides

My course, as chaos rushes by

On swiftly changing tides.

But thankful most - for faith that looks

Beyond a mortal sky

To truth - to Your unchanging truth

That cannot ever die!

- Sarah Mizelle Morgan

Signs of the Season

2010-11-23T16:10:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures I took over the last few weeks, but hadn't gotten a chance to post yet.

All the leaves came down off the Magnolia tree...

McDuff was enjoying them! He likes to walk through them, sniff them, root in them with his nose, and do other "doggie" things to them.

McDuff has to be on a leash when he's out on the sidewalk , we don't want to take any chances on him going out on the road ...

These leaves are all picked up by now and on their way to becoming compost in the garden.

I love the neighbor's tree, it is so golden, it simply glows! Notice that gorgeous blue sky!

The sky was SO blue that day, peeking above the tree line! NOT a cloud in the sky!

McDuff was enjoying one of the last really warm days on the screened-in deck. This is one of his favorite spots ... he can see the sidewalk and street from there!

Something exciting must have been happening out there, he's on alert!

The pool area and gazebo are all tucked in for the winter ...

and so is the garden beyond it ... all those leaves are down and picked up by now ...

AND, one of the biggest signs of the season ... the pellet stove is turned on, giving us a nice warm, cozy house ... well, at least a couple of rooms anyway ... it's hard to heat this big, OLD house!

P.S. It worked! I DID only shop in the grocery aisles at Walmart today ... except for the magazine ... I had to walk past them and see a magazine I wanted ... but that doesn't really count! :) does it?

Uncle Funky's and More

2010-11-21T14:30:00.010-05:00

Well, I didn't bag a turkey yesterday, but we DID visit Uncle Funky's Thrift Shop! wOw! I will be going back there again! Like the name says, it's pretty fUnKy! There's lots and lots of vintage clothing, and anything and everything else you could possibly think of, mainly of the 70s era!

What fun! My home is definitely not 70-ish, but it certainly was fUn to look around and we DID find something buy-worthy, my hubby fell in love with this little dog plaque:

isn't he cute?

While we were in the downtown area, we decided to stop at the Re-Uzit shop and looky what I found there!!!

6 Gooseberry Patch cook books! I got all 6 for $23!

As we were driving around on our other errands, I was reading some of the recipes to my dear hubby, and his eyes would get so big as I read all those tempting possibilities for breakfasts and suppers! Now ... all I have to do is ... get cOoKiNg!!!

I've been finding all kinds of inexpensive goodies lately. I have been searching for quite some time for a new set of dishes, actually I need to get 2 sets, because I want enough for 8 place settings. I'm not sure what exactly it is that I want, I just know I'll know it when I see it.

Have you seen the Better Homes and Gardens ads for the Harvest 2010 collection? Oh, those place settings are breath-taking!!!

I thought seriously about buying one of those lovely sets. But there were 2 problems. 1) I couldn't decide which color I wanted; and 2) I really couldn't afford to buy a set that I would really only want to use in the Fall.

SOOOOOooooooo, I compromised! While shopping at Walmart, I saw the set on display.

Ohhhhhh, it was even more pretty than I thought! Since all the pieces were solid colors, except for the smaller plates, I decided to just get 8 of those and use my white plates that I already have to use underneath them! Voila ~ The pErFeCt solution! I ended up getting 2 of each color, except for the purple, they only had one left, so I need to find one more of those.

I'm thinking of decorating my kitchen with these lovely plates, they will look beautiful above my sink and brighten up my kitchen!

On my way over to the grocery section at Walmart, another BH&G lovely item caught my eye! A new quilt for my bed, priced at ... are you ready for this? $20!

I always use a white matelasse coverlet on my bed, and just change pillowcases, and a blanket or quilt at the bottom of the bed to change things around for the different seasons. So I bought this quilt:

I LOVE it! It's one of those quilts that is so nice and light, but so snuggly wArM, you just fall asleep right away and sleep so snuggly all night long, and don't want to get out of bed in the morning! ahhhhhhhh, worth EVERY penny!

My mom bought one, a different one, and she said if it doesn't fit her bed, or if she just doesn't like it, she'll give it to me, but, she LoVeS hers too! I wouldn't mind having one for on my sofa, so we can snuggle up under it while we're watching tv!

Oh dear, I need to stop shopping! I've been saving money on my groceries by going to Walmart, but my personal budget is suffering!

I've been repeating this to myself all weekend, getting ready for grocery shopping on Tuesday ... "GO TO THE GROCERY AISLES ... GO DIRECTLY TO THE GROCERIES ... DO NOT PASS THE HOME DECOR AISLE ... DO NOT PASS THE MAGAZINE AND BOOK AISLE ... DO NOT PASS THE CRAFT SECTION ... GO DIRECTLY TO THE GROCERY SECTION ..."

yeah, right, I'll let you know how THAT works out!

P.S. I also found these wonderful glass jars, at the Reading China & Glass Outlet, to keep my baked goodies in, maybe not such a good idea to be able to see them, too tempting! But they look nice on my counter top!

Going Turkey Hunting

2010-11-18T20:35:00.010-05:00

Yep, you heard right! I'm going turkey hunting, and if it takes me a YEAR, I'm going to bag me a TURKEY!

I won't be taking a gun ... no, not bow and arrows, either ... all I'm taking is some cash or a credit card ... I won't be bagging my turkey in field or forest ... no, sir, not me ... my turkey will be found in a flea market or thrift shop!

You see, I've been seeing so many lovely, colorful turkeys ... glass turkeys, ceramic turkeys, painted turkeys, turkey platters, feathered turkeys, and even REAL turkeys ... and I must confess the only turkey I own is this one:

I LOVE this turkey, but he PALES in comparison to the ones I've been seeing in all the lovely FALL blog posts lately.

I DID make THIS one, but I don't think he really counts

So the HUNT is ON! Starting this weekend, I'm going TURKEY hunting! By this time next year, I hope to have a bright, beautiful TURKEY of some kind to help bring beauty and cheer to my home!

P.S. I think I've found the PeRfEcT place to start my hunt tomorrow! I saw a sign in the post office today about a new thrift shop! It's called "Uncle Funky's Thrift Shop"! I don't know about you, but I absolutely cannot resist checking it out! I just KNOW there's going to be some goodies waiting there for me tomorrow, even if it's not a turkey!

Time Keeps Moving on

2010-11-18T15:53:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how much time has gone by since I posted last. There have been so many things I've wanted to share, but time has just not allowed me to do so ...

Since the last time I posted, I made my decision to turn my customers over to another ... and it was definitely the right decision! I thought it would free up some time ... and it will ... once I get caught up with things. It has taken me all this time to turn things over to her, help her get to know my customers a little ... take stock of my inventory ... do returns ... turn my dining room back into a dining room ... YAY! ... and so on and so on it goes ...

And any free time I've had has been spent cooking good meals for my sweet hubby who deserves each and every one of them when he gets home from a hard days work.

So having said all that, I breathe a big sigh of relief ... as things will hopefully be getting more back to normal around here!

Here's a sweet little poem I came across and want to share with you:

Picture from the little book "We Thank Thee"

Harvest

Pumpkins in the field row

Become filling in the pie.
Apples in the orchard

Are gleaned from trees on high.

Roses in the garden

Offer fragrance and delight

Raising spirits in the sunlight,

Lending solace in the night.

If plants from fields and gardens

Give themselves without reserve

Never questioning or doubting

Whether we deserve

To receive their bounteous blessings

Bestowed without complaint

Surely, we, the Father's first fruits

Can be shared without restraint.

- Paul Avinger

A Difficult Decision

2010-10-16T20:30:00.005-04:00

I don't like to make decisions. At least not potentially life changing decisions. Small ones, like what to have for supper, no problem. But the ones that are irreversible ... well ... those I hate.

I have been praying over a decision that needs to be made ... getting some good counsel ... and discussing it with my poor hubby and mom, repeatedly.

I think I've made up my mind, and I'm ready to take action.

For the past year and a half I've been in sales ... I've gotten a good customer base ... was doing fairly well. But lately sales have been slowing down ... and I've been getting more and more dissatisfied with things ... not because sales are down ... more because I haven't been able to juggle everything like I want to.

I haven't been able to keep up with my house or yard like I want to ... I don't get to spend as much time with my hubby as I used to ... I have not been able to do work for my pastor like he needs me to ...

So ... I think it's time to let go ... turn my customers over to someone else ... and get back to being a housewife and church secretary ... and just possibly go in a different business direction ... one that will be more on MY schedule ... it's time for more creativity in my life ...

I'm starting to feel a peace about my decision ... so I will keep moving forward in this direction ... while continuing to pray ... because only when we go in His direction are we truly happy ... so I will continue to seek God's will about it while moving forward ...

(the adorable picture is from "My Book of Prayers" )

McDuff's Obsession

2010-10-08T09:34:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday McDuff got a new toy.

His toys are called "baby". To say he gets obssessed over his newest baby is an understatement. When we give him a new toy, we have to plan when the best time is to give it to him. When he will be the least annoying to us; when we are able to watch him carefully with it.

Some new babies get ripped apart within the first 5 minutes. Other babies are coddled and loved carefully like his newest one is:

See how he has it between his teeth? He kept it there all day Saturday, even when he laid his head down, that "baby" was between his teeth. Even when I gave him a treat, "baby" was in his mouth, and the treat bounced off of "baby".

You might be thinking, "how aDoRaBlE!" And it is, except for the fact that while "baby" is in his mouth, McDuff is crying ... constantly ... he never stops.

He's crying because he wants to bury "baby" and so he walks around the house with it between his teeth, crying constantly, and looking for places to "bury" it. He hides it behind cushions on the sofa, then puts the cushion back, sometimes he "buries" it behind chairs or under tables, and sometimes he just "buries" it right out in the open.

But "baby" never stays buried for long, after a few seconds, it's back in his mouth, he's crying again, and the whole process repeats ... for hours ... sometimes for days ... he'll go to bed at night and the next morning when his pen door is opened, he races down to find "baby" ... ALWAYS remembering where he left it the night before.

We've learned NOT to FIND the buried baby ... if we see it, we pretend we DON'T see it, because if he even THINKS you see it, he picks it up ... and starts the process all over again.

See why I said we have to time it perfectly? You don't want to give it to him when you're just about to sit down and relax for the evening! Last Saturday I was busy working inside so I could keep an eye on him and make sure that it wasn't a "baby" that would be ripped apart in the first few minutes, then my focus changed on making sure he didn't ruin any furniture or carpet while in the process of finding a spot to bury "baby".

Here he's laying on the couch with "baby", he's between Wen and myself. I made a move to get the camera and he thought I was going to take "baby".

I guess he trusted me enough to fall asleep ... either that or he's just plain exhausted! You know how a new baby tires you out!

I must have been getting too close, because he moved his paw on top of "baby" to protect it, and he also has one eye slightly open, keeping an eye on me!

Every once in a while he will get in a mood where he chews on it mercilessly, and I think, Oh no! He's going to get pieces off, and then I will have to take it from him (and believe me, that is another whole ordeal!) But this toy seems to be extremely tough ... but ... we're going to stop at the store this weekend and buy all they have, so we have back ups, just in case!

Autumn Leaves

2010-10-03T17:32:00.003-04:00

Autumn Leaves

Upon the breeze, the autumn leaves

Are carried thither, yon;

They rest at last, upon the grass

One moment ... then they're gone.

They're tossed about and in and out

They fly across the way;

And up and down, they sail around -

The wind they must obey.

Now, if you please, the autumn leaves

Are much like most of us;

We're tossed about by fear and doubt

And things we rare discuss.

This need not be, for you and me -

There is a surer way;

The Solid Rock, will bear the shock

No matter what the fray.

He who believes is not like leaves

That drift with every wind,

His faith is fixed, in God unmixed

With doubts that Satan sends.

He walks with God, while earth he trods

He's led by pow'r divine;

When life is through, beyond the blue

He'll dwell in lands sublime.

-Carl C. Williams, Sr.

Happiness is ...

2010-10-01T14:37:00.007-04:00

... a warm puppy

doesn't he look sooooo snuggly? (too bad he doesn't let me snuggle him, hopefully when he gets a little older)

one of my customers gave me this little pumpkin, isn't it a beauty? Notice the chippy paint on my porch ... that IS in style isn't it? Well, maybe not on a porch ...

here's the other pumpkin she gave me, they were the nicest I've seen in a long time. I love my impatiens this year too, after the squirrel incident (where they uprooted the one plant), they really went to town! I swept my porch today, but didn't get it washed yet ... that storm we had yesterday was a doozy ...

I got 2 of these painted crocks years ago, I just love them, and hate to think about putting them away for the winter. I wish I could remember where I got them, I would like to have a couple more ...

Last Saturday we went to our fAvOrItE flea market, it was EXTRAVAGANZA weekend! yippee! It was a BeAuTiFuL day and you can see the parking lot was full.

This is such a fun place to be, and chock FULL of goodies ... and so beautiful under all the trees, but you need to wear your helmet, because the acorns are coming down! We got pelted on the head a few times!

Let's peek through the trees to see what's for sale!

Ooooh! Lots and lots of stuff! I hardly knew where to begin! Looks like those ladies found something good!

but I found something better! Look at all the lovely green depression glass!

and all the candy pink ... sigh ... just makes you have to stop and soak in all that lovely eye candy ... hopefully no falling acorns will shatter any pieces!

We got some really good deals on the goodies we bought. Fall Extrav is soooo much better than the Spring and Summer, because everybody wants to sell before winter, they don't want to have to pack it all up! I'll have to post the goodies later.

And tomorrow we're going back there again, they're having "yard sale" day, but it's not your usual "yard sale" junk, no, no, no! It's more of these goodies, just marked down alot!

Aren't I the lucky one to live about 2 minutes from this wonderful place?

Apple Pickin'!

2010-09-26T19:52:00.009-04:00

Last Saturday, we went apple pickin'! It was the first time I ever went, and I'm wondering why I've never gone before!

It was alot of fun ...

and everyone enjoyed it ...

from the youngest (1 yr old Eden) ...

to the oldest (71 yrs young! my dad) ...

and those in between!

It was serious business for my 2 little nieces ...

the trees were loaded with lovely apples ...

just ripe for the pickin'!

Grammy and Grampy enjoyed the day with their precious granddaughters!

Gwen found the perfect apple ...

and so did big sister Ailish!

My hubby worked so hard, filling that basket by himself ... because of course, I was no help! I was taking all the pictures!

It was so good to be able to spend a day together surrounded by loved ones, having a good time, out in the fresh air, on a lovely Fall afternoon! It's just not something we do enough of, everyone is so busy all the time. What happened to the good old days when we all got together at least once a week?

As soon as we got there, little Eden found the sample basket that was filled with apples, just the right size for her little hands, and before anyone could stop her, she grabbed one and took a bite!

oh dear, looks like it was a little bit on the sour side!

she didn't give up easily and tried it again!

looks like the second bite was better than the first! yummy!

All the happy apple pickers! Minus one - me ... I'm taking the picture - but then again, I really only managed to pick 2 apples! Smile everyone ~ say "APPLE"!!!

Dear hubby managed to pick 40 apples all by himself. He was so proud to get 40 apples for only $7.50! WOW! That helps our grocery budget since we are BIG apple eaters! I'm tired of paying $1.49 to $1.99 a pound at the grocery store. These fresh apples taste SO much better too!

I think we started a new family tradition!

I also learned that Knouse Foods Cooperative, Inc is based in nearby Adams County, PA and they sell their apple products under brand names like Musselman's, Lucky Leaf, and Speas Farm. Mott's USA and Ziegler's Cider are also produced here in PA.

Yes, it was a good day ~ Family ~ Food ~ Fun ~ Facts = a very good day!

A Pink Fall Saturday

2010-09-25T00:21:00.007-04:00

What better way to spend a Fall weekend than apple picking? We didn't find any *pink* apples, but the sun was bright bright

BRIGHT and our eyes needed to be protected with sunglasses, and little Eden had the best *pink* sunglasses ever!

She's a little doll, such a good baby girl keeping those sunglasses on her face the whole time, and she's only a year old!

She's my great-niece ... am I really that old? Old enough to have a "great"-niece? Goodness ... how did THAT HAPPEN? Time just slips away while we're not paying any attention to it at all ...

Hope you have yourself a wonderful *pink* Fall Saturday!

Please visit the lovely Beverly for the list of lovely *pink* posts!

Naughty Squirrels, Corn, and a CSA

2010-08-23T09:38:00.009-04:00

We've had ourselves some VERY naughty squirrels this year. There are lots of them around, but there are two in particular that were very naughty, I've named them Chip and Dale.

It started with this flower pot on the front porch. It looked like they just picked up my plant and threw it down, they didn't even bury any nuts in the pot! I think they did it just for spite, then hid in the tree to watch my reaction!

THEN we found corn cobs around the pool ...

and a trail of them in the back yard ...

and stalks pulled down in the garden! One day I caught them red handed! They were having a corn party, I've never seen happier squirrels in my life, and squirrels normally look like they are having fun! They left a ring of empty cobs around the one tree in the back yard ...

then they came up to the pool to get a drink, carrying their empty cobs.

Here's a picture of my poor little hubby, SOOOOO happy to finally have grown some corn, after years of trying! This picture was taken before the squirrels realized we had it in the garden. Yeah, we only had ONE meal with our corn!

Luckily this year we joined a CSA (community supported agriculture)! For those who might not know what that is, we paid a fee to our farmer for the year (you can buy a share or a half share), and every week we go over to the farm and pick up our veggies and fruit, and whatever other goodies they might have! They also have fresh eggs each week.

They have a little stand where they have all the food displayed ...

Yum! Cantaloupes, peaches, peppers, eggplant, and some preserves!

Everything is organically grown, and I've learned ALOT about our food that is bought in the grocery store ... yuck!

We learned some tricks of the trade for growing our own garden ... they are so helpful in sharing ideas, and teaching us how to grow our corn ... :)

I LOVE to go over there each week, it's so beautiful, and we can wander all around ...

I envy their swing set ... they are so young they don't even have children of their own yet ... I wanted to take a picture of them, but they are very plain, and I'm not sure if they would allow me to, I didn't want to offend them. They were more than happy for me to take pictures around the farm though! I would love for you to meet them, they are so adorable! It's hard to catch them together because they're very busy. I think it was alot for them to take on the CSA, this was their first year, but they are doing a wonderful job with it, and we will definitely be buying a share again next year ...

such a beautiful sunflower...

more sunflowers ...

I'm going to take a swing on that swing set one of these nights!

look at all those tomato plants ... they are the BEST tomatoes I've had in ... oh, about 20 years! The grocery store tomatoes have NO taste, I've forgotten what a REAL tomato tastes like!

they really build up their rows, I'm not sure what the benefit of doing that is, I'll have to ask them ...

hmmmm ... what might that little building in the background be?it's their mobile chicken coop! I'm fascinated with this! They park this chicken coop wherever they want, put up a temporary fence around it, and then their chickens live there for a while, fertilizing the ground! How cool is that???

ah ha! There's a lounge chair! A sign that they actually DO get to relax a little bit! This is a side shot of their "Jane" (for decorative purposes only!) and their herb garden ...

it's a LOVELY herb garden!

and we're allowed to go in there and get whatever we want ...

just look at these beautiful little jewels!

It has been a wonderful experience so far this year! We've been eating lots and lots of squash and zucchini, yum yum! Next year I will be doing some freezing, I just wasn't prepared for it this year, didn't have the time or the room in my freezer, so I will be saving up for a freezer over the winter! We are going to miss all these fresh, delicious veggies during the cold months, and I dread going back to the store bought frozen and canned ones. Ugh. Live and learn! And we did! We learned that we NEED a freezer!

It was a very difficult, dry summer, and I'm surprised they had as much variety as they did. For their first year it was a hard one, and I know that some things did not do well for them, but we have been pleased over all, and we definitely ate better this summer than we have in a long time.

I highly recommend joining a CSA!

Butterflies

2010-08-22T11:44:00.002-04:00

I LOVE my butterfly bushes! My sister bought me 2 of them for my birthday about 10 years ago. They are short, chubby little bushes that have white flowers. I haven't seen bushes like them too often, and I just LOVE mine!

You can see how brown our grass is this year, from lack of rain. But my butterfly bushes are still thriving!

I love this black butterfly, he's so beautiful!

The center butterfly only has 1 and 1/2 wings, I wonder what happened to the other half? I almost cried when I saw him, but I watched and he didn't seem to be affected by it at all, but was able to fly around just like his buddies! Amazing!

These little bushes are always LOADED with butterflies and bumble bees, among other winged critters!

I remember when I was little, always trying to catch a butterfly! It seemed impossible! My grandmother had a couple of the tall bushes with the purple flowers, and my sisters and I would try to catch one, but every time we got close, they would fly away!

My butterflies let you get really close to them, and they don't fly away ...

My sister says it's like a Disney movie at my house ... when I'm out in the yard with McDuff, they just fly right up to us and all around us, like they are just flying by to say "hi"! Sometimes in the morning there is one hanging on the kitchen window screen, and when I sit on the deck they try to fly in, but bounce off the screen.

They are such lovely, graceful creatures, and I thank God that He blessed us with them!

Thank you my sweet sister for the wonderful birthday present you gave me!

3 Good Books!

2010-08-11T16:37:00.007-04:00

I just finished reading "The Telling" by Beverly Lewis, the last book in the Seasons of Grace Series. I'm always sad to finish up one of her series, but on the other hand, I can't put her books down, I gobble them up as fast as I can to get onto the next one, they are sooo good!

I live in the County that is the setting for all her books, and it is so cool for me to read about places that I'm familiar with ... towns that I've lived in, places I've been to ... and I must say I think I've learned more about the Amish from her books than I learned my entire life, even though I've never lived anywhere else.

I can't wait for her next book!

The other book that I just read is called "In the Shadow of a Secret" by Lance Wubbels:

This book was very, very good! I never read anything by this author before, but went to the library today and picked up another one! I hope it's as good!

I enjoyed this book so much because it really showed the difference between someone who just goes to church and claims to be a Christian, and someone who is truly a Christian, and living a Christ-like life. What an eye opener. I think I need to buy a few copies of this book and give it to a few people, maybe then they will be able to understand the difference.

I know so many people who have had a so-called Christian in their lives, that has done damage for the cause of Christ, and now they don't want to have anything to do with church, or with God because of it. No matter how I try to explain the difference between someone who is just a church-goer or one who says they are a Christian without having ANY idea of what it means to follow Christ, or live a Christ-like life, they just don't understand. I think this book would do a good job of helping them to see the difference. I love, LOVE, LOVED this book!

It's a shame, but I think most Christians are doing more harm than good most of the time, because we are living so much like the world, we are not different from "the world" like we are supposed to be. Others are supposed to see Christ in US. If we are not showing Him in us, but are doing things, saying things, and living just like everyone else, we are causing so much damage. We are to be different.

Believe me, I'm talking to myself on this issue, which is why I want to own a copy of this book for myself, so I can reread it every once in a while, wake myself up!

"Lord, may I live that all may see

The love of Christ revealed in me;

And help me flee all sin and shame,
Lest others scoff at Thy dear name."

-D.J.D. (Our Daily Bread, March 1974)

"The Gospel is written a chapter a day

By deeds that you do and words that you say.

Men read what you say whether faithless or true.

Say, what is the Gospel according to you?"

-Author Unknown

Another book I want to get several copies of, is this adorable little book that I found at a yard sale for 50 cents!!! Oh, it is worth soooo much more! It's called "Rock-A-Bye Bible" by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker!

Inside there are nursery rhymes that have been changed and made into godly rhymes! and on the opposite page there are corresponding Bible verses! Oh, have I mentioned how much I LOVE this little book?

Here's an example:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

Humpty Dumpty shouted, "Amen!

God can put me together again."

Then on the opposite page some of the verses that are listed:

"When I fall, I shall arise ... (Micah 7:8)

"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand." (Psalm 37:24)

"Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." (Luke 17:19)

"For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

Another thing I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE about this little book is that it uses the King James version of the Bible. The ONLY version I will use, and it's very rare to find anything that uses it anymore. But that is a whole other post!!!

Wow, I got so caught up in my books, that I wasn't watching the time, and now dear hungry hubby will be home soon, and I must be sure to have some supper on the table for him, so I better run down to the kitchen and whip something up!!!

Vacation in Rome ...

2010-08-10T14:57:00.008-04:00

New York, that is! At the beginning of Summer, we packed up the motor home and headed up to New York for a visit with my son. It had been 3 long years since we've seen him, so we were looking forward to the trip.

We always stay at a beautiful campground called The Villages at Turning Stone in Verona. It's definitely one of the nicest campgrounds we've ever stayed at.

I never realized there was so much marshland in New York.

You definitely don't want to have any skin exposed if you're outside after dark! We sat around a fire one night, and hubby and I both had pants on, but short socks, and we were both wearing lovely mosquito bite ankle bracelets for a few days after! Yep, we were pretty miserable with all the scratching we were doing, but it was worth it, because we had a fun time, and the marshmallows were delicious!

Do you see those blue paddle boats between the tree branches? Who can resist paddle boats?

We couldn't!

Yes, this is pond scum, but isn't it pretty? I never saw anything like it before! It looked like a solid green carpet. No breaks in it at all. I wonder if any kids think it's solid and step out onto it? Ewwwwww! That would feel pretty awful, I'm sure!

Can you find the critter that's hiding in the grass? I call them "banjo frogs" ... at night they sound just like someone is plucking a banjo ... mostly the same note ... but it's fascinating! There are so many of them! And every once in a while you'll hear a "plop!" when one hops into the water.

Awwww, I love this picture! McDuff just LOVES Mike! He had a good time, too! (He wanted to chase the frogs, but he couldn't figure out where they were, hehehe)

One of the days we were there, Mike took us to Star Hill. It was absolutely beautiful up there! You could see so far away, and the clouds kept moving and changing the scenery. Ahhhh, it was breathtaking!

And a very BRIGHT, sunny day! I look mad here, but I'm not, I just turned around and the sun was right in my eyes! Nice shot honey! hehehe!

We had a great time, but, as visits with a loved one go, it went by all too quickly! Hopefully we will get to go up there again in the near future, but for now, we have lots of pictures and memories!

Check the Calendar!

2010-01-25T15:46:00.004-05:00

Is it still January? It feels more like April today! With temperatures close to 60 degrees and lots of rain and wind this morning.

But then ... oh ... then the sun came shining through all those clouds this afternoon! Big and bright and warm. Yes, it will be getting cold again. And I'm sure it will go right back to feeling like January.

But God, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for giving me that wonderful taste of spring today, in the middle of a long, dark, dreary winter season.

It reminds me of how You give us little bits of "springtime" in our hearts in the midst of our "wintertime's" of troubles and trials.

A "be ... kissable" Pink Saturday

2010-01-22T23:43:00.005-05:00

For links to lots of pink goodness, please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound! Thank you Beverly!

My pink today is Avon's "be ... kissable" gift set. I especially LOVE the pink fragrance bottle!!! Isn't it cute?

The gift set consists of a little tub of "Sassy Souffle Body Creme", a tube of "Seductive Bubbles Shower Gel" and the Eau de Toilette Spray, all for $15!

You can shop for them here For free shipping (on any size order) use the code FSANY at checkout.

AND ... Have a lovely PINK Saturday!!!

P.S. Avon is committing $1 million for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The Avon Foundation for Women plans to distribute the donations equally to the American Red Cross International Response Fund and Doctors without Borders, and the funds will be used for immediate and basic human needs - water, food, and medical help.

A Special Treat Today

2009-11-06T20:22:00.003-05:00

I had such a lovely treat today! My beautiful niece, Christie, came over with her precious little baby girl! My niece is such a talented, creative, young woman, who has such a sweet spirit, and is a natural at being a mommy! Eden is a very lucky baby girl!

Just look at this adorable little face! Oh those chubby little cheeks!

Such an adorable, little sweet pea!

Christie is just starting out with her Etsy store, so please stop by and visit her there often at Poor Chick I know she will appreciate it!

Good Riddance ... Neighbor!!!

2009-11-04T06:38:00.003-05:00

They came in the spring.

Nobody knew they were coming.

Quietly, stealthily, they started to build their home.

Too close for comfort.

We didn't know until it was too late to do anything about it. If we had known, we surely would have thwarted their efforts.

My brother offered to annihilate them, but I was scared. I didn't want him to get hurt. I wanted my hubby dear to pay someone to make them go away, but money was too tight, and besides, I really didn't want them dead, I just wanted them to go away!!!!

They stayed through the summer. I kept an eye on them whenever I took the trash out.

I watched over my dear hubby when he mowed the lawn, afraid they would attack out of sheer nastiness. But fortunately, they held their tempers in check and we remained safe.

Now they are gone! And I say good riddance!

They left as quietly as they came, abandoning the home they worked so hard at creating. They blew a hole right through it in their haste to leave!

P.S. Truthfully, I'm glad we left them alone. I was afraid of them at first, but we left them alone, and they left us alone. I didn't want chemicals used on them. There's too many chemicals used in our yards already. And when it came down to it, I just couldn't kill them. (If they had shown any sign of aggression and our safety had been threatened, we would have had to do something about them, but they didn't)

God made them, and they have a purpose. But I do hope next year they choose another tree, one that is not so close to our house!

It's amazing the work that goes into the making of their home, and how beautiful and intricate it is. Only a Creator God could instill the knowledge into an insect to build something like this! Evolution? PHOOEY!!!

Pink Saturday

2009-10-31T01:26:00.006-04:00

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for more Pink! Can you ever get enough of pink? I don't think so!

This week I want to share this beautiful doll with you! She is made exclusively for Avon by Madame Alexander. Her name is Natalie, and she's 18 inches tall and posable. I think she would look cute sitting against my pillows at the top of my bed!

Isn't her outfit adorable? And guess what? A matching outfit is available for little girls. I love that little pink reversible vest! Isn't it cute? I wish the skirt came in "big girl" sizes!

There are 2 other dolls and they too, are wearing outfits that are available in little girl sizes.

Thank you Beverly, for hosting all this pink fun, please visit her at How Sweet the Sound to see more fun pinkness! There are around 150 pink places to visit this week!

Stubborn

2009-10-29T23:39:00.003-04:00

Stubborn? That sweet, little, innocent-looking, fuzzy-faced thing?

Oh yes, my little McDuff is one stubborn boy. He is very strong-willed. Knows exactly what he wants, and wants it now.

Most of the time he is obedient. He will sit, and stay. He will come when called.

But put his leash on him and take him outside and that's when the trouble starts. He wants to go his own way. He pulls and pulls, straining his little neck against the leash. Going as far as I will allow him to go, and then some.

For his own safety, he is only allowed to go as far as I let him. Sometimes he wants to go into the street. Other times he wants to go into the dirt, or a pile of leaves, or my flower bed. Or, yuck, right into a pile of another dog's poo. Ewwww.

When he is pulling hard, if I allow him to go just a little bit further, to where he wants to go, is he then satisfied? No. He wants to go just a bit further! It's never far enough!

Sometimes God allows little doggies to illustrate points to us. When I was outside with McDuff this morning, being pulled up and down the sidewalk, and all over the yard, I started to realize that I can be just like McDuff.

Stubborn. Self-willed. Pulling and straining against God. When I listen to Him and stay inside His will for my life, I will be safe, nothing will happen to me that He doesn't allow, it will always be what is best for me.

But when I keep pulling to go my own way, do my own thing, there's danger there. I might go into dirt that I don't really want to go into, or wander into a flower bed and do damage to some precious, beautiful flowers. Or perhaps I might wander into the street where I could seriously get hurt. Or, yes, I might even step into some other "dog's" poo.

Sometimes I start to pull a little further and God lets me go, doesn't He? He lets us make our own choices in life, and sometimes I keep pulling further and further away, not satisfied with just a little bit. Until I discover that I'm far from where I should be, and I have the difficult job of finding my way back to where I was. Having to undo the damage that I may have done, which sometimes is impossible to do. Other times it's just a matter of wiping my shoes clean, so to speak.

McDuff needs to learn to listen to me, the one who loves him enough to take care of him, the one who watches over him, and keeps him safe. The one who loves him enough to discipline him and bring him back to where he belongs.

And I need to learn to listen to God, the One who loves me enough to take care of me, the one who watches over me, and keeps me safe. The One who loves me enough to discipline me and bring me back to where I belong.

Worry - Don't Do It!

2009-10-29T09:30:00.004-04:00

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful [anxious, worried] in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

(Jeremiah 17:7-8)

"Worry presents us with the dual temptation to distrust God and to substitute fear for practical action. Worry means paying attention to what we cannot change instead of putting our energies to work in effective ways. Jesus made it clear that worry takes away from life rather than adding anything to it. We can counteract worry by doing what we can and trusting where we can't. When we work for God and wait on His timing, we won't have time to worry. When we seek first to honor God as King and conform our lives to His righteousness, worry will always find us otherwise occupied."
-Life Application Bible Commentary - Matthew
by Bruce B. Barton

Are you a worrier? Maybe you would benefit from the book I'm reading -
"Breaking the Worry Habit ... Forever (God's Plan for Lasting Peace of Mind)"
by Elizabeth George

Elizabeth George is one of my favorite authors. Do yourself a favor and check out her website: www.ElizabethGeorge.com

Autumn Thoughts

2009-10-26T07:05:00.002-04:00

"He would walk to the church under the maple trees whose leaves, yellow and scarlet, had formed a rustling carpet on the ground. He kicked the leaves as he walked, just as he used to when he was a boy. The wonderful once-a-year sound of the rustling leaves! The best pleasures were such as this, the ones so simple you couldn't really mention them to anyone but yourself."

-A Hungry Man Dreams
Margaret Lee Ruhbeck

Pink Saturday

2009-10-24T00:03:00.003-04:00

Welcome again to another Pink Saturday! My pink this week is found in my lovely flowers that hubby gave me for our Anniversary last Saturday. There are beautiful yellow flowers, too, but my favorites are the pink snapdragons!

Since I used this picture in another post earlier this week, I wasn't going to use these for my Pink Saturday post, but I'm afraid I'm coming down with something, and just didn't feel up to taking any pictures tonight. Hopefully a good night's sleep will take care of it!

For more lovely pinkness, please visit our hostess Beverly at How Sweet the Sound!

A Rare Quiet Moment ...

2009-10-23T06:15:00.002-04:00

... a break from barking

only watching ... and waiting

irresistibly ...

adorable

favorite barking spot

McDuff's favorite hobby is barking. It used to be eating, but lately he's been passing up the bribes, I mean treats, that I give him to distract him from barking! That's ok, he's so adorable, we love him anyway!

Back to Normal

2009-10-22T06:17:00.007-04:00

Well, it was back to normal yesterday. Vacation is over. Time to get back into the routine of life! We had a glorious 4 days off together to celebrate our anniversary. We didn't go anywhere special or really do anything special, we just were together, doing whatever we wanted to do at the moment. Shopping, sleeping, watching a movie, and eating lasagna! (which was delicious!)

Now I'm left to cleaning up the house after 4 days of doing minimal housework! It was quite a mess yesterday. I got caught up on all the dishes and laundry, now to just get rid of all that extra paper that seems to accumulate if you don't stay on top of it!

I wanted to share some pictures of the beautiful flowers that Wen got for me on Saturday:

aren't they lovely? I just adore snapdragons, I couldn't believe he was able to get an arrangement with them in. And something in there smells so sweet, when I open the bedroom door in the morning I can smell them right away! I wish I could spray something over the whole arrangement and freeze it just like this so that I could keep it forever! The colors are just so perfect for my mantle.

Did you notice the little cattails in there? And what about that big yellow flower? I'm not sure what it is, if you do, please let me know!

Now, back to sorting through all that mail ...... Have a lovely day!

A Good Quote from a Good Book

2009-10-18T19:43:00.002-04:00

I'm reading a very good book called "My Servant Caleb" by Kerstin Sheldrake. I love this paragraph:

"There are flowers which blossom high in the mountains. No human eye will ever see or find pleasure in them. But do you think their efforts are wasted just because you and I won't ever see them? God delights in them, and the world was created for His pleasure. It is man's arrogance, his self-centredness, his belief that everything revolves around him, that deprives his efforts of meaning and denies him a grateful heart. You are God's creation, and He delights in your little ways, however insignificant they may seem to you. And if He cares about them, what does it matter if no one else does?"

I love thinking about God delighting in His creation! After all, He's the one who made the silly squirrell, the lovely flowers, the unique songs of the different birds! The sunsets, the changing colors of the leaves, the waterfalls! A tiny baby, our precious pets, a beautiful butterfly! Aren't we blessed to be able to share in all of His wonderful creation?

And aren't we blessed that He delights in His children as well? "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake I am still with thee." (Psalm 139:17-18)

(the picture at the top is a note card by Lang called My Cup Overflows - artwork by Ellen Stouffer)

Pink Saturday & Anniversary

2009-10-16T20:23:00.009-04:00

I'm happy to be posting again on a Pink Saturday! It's been a while because of a busy summer and computer problems, but hopefully I'll be able to start posting more again! If you want to see more pink goodies please visit our host, Beverly!

My pink for today is this adorable Tote bag made by Marimekko exclusively for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade:

This bag is so cute! I had to have one! It's made of a soft 100% cotton canvas, and it has the enamel pink-ribbon-motif zipper pull! It's nice and roomy inside, and did I mention how cute it is?

These Tote Bags are only $10! And 100% of the net profits will be donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade! (Isn't Reese Witherspoon beautiful?) You can get one of these adorable bags by clicking here

Today is also my 28th Wedding Anniversary! I think my sweet hubby is going to be making me his specialty ~lasagna~ for supper tonight! He's a sweety, and I'm happy to be the lucky one he chose so many, many years ago!

Happy Pink Saturday everybody! Thank you for stopping by!

Garden Peas and a Sore Thumb

2009-06-26T20:32:00.006-04:00

Remember those little peas we planted back in April?

Well, they started to grow, and grow and grow. The drier weather we had when we planted was really good for them, and then it rained and it rained and it rained some more ... so I didn't get any more pictures until after we picked and hulled them:

We got a nice amount of peas and enough to freeze some for the first time ever! And they are yummy, too! It took us a good 2 to 3 hours to hull them, which is how I ended up with the sore thumb. It wasn't just sore, after almost a week of pain that kept getting worse, I went to the doctor and had x rays to find out that I had tendonitis in my left thumb. I'm right handed, and never realized just how much I use my left thumb! Oh well, after a shot, pain pills, and about 3 weeks of babying it, I think it's finally getting better!

Now I know why people take their peas to the Amish ladies and pay THEM to hull them!

I still say it was worth it, just look at these beautiful little peas:

Somebody else LOVES peas! He's sitting here waiting for some to drop while I bag them up to freeze

We just got our green beans planted over the weekend. We're a little bit late getting them in, with all the rain we've had it was impossible to till the garden, but it should be ok. Here are some of the other things we have growing this year:

STRAWBERRIES

LETTUCE
CORN

we also have cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. We picked and ate our first squash this weekend! Oh, it was soooooo gooooood!

Gardens are alot of work, but you just can't beat eating something that is fresh picked from your own garden!

Wordless Wednesday - Flag Day

2009-06-10T08:36:00.002-04:00

For more Wordless Wednesday, please visit Dixie at French Lique!

Pink Saturday

2009-06-06T00:23:00.003-04:00

Welcome to *PINK* Saturday! Please visit our wonderful hostess, Beverly, to see more lovely *pink* things!

My *pink* today isn't totally *pink*, but has quite a bit in it! I wish I could say that I made it, but I didn't. My wonderful hubby bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago. It's a lovely quilt wall hanging

I just LOVE it! It has my 2 favorite colors in it, *pink* and green! I think it looks so pretty hanging in our living room!
Thanks for stopping by, please come back and visit me again!

Movie Addiction

2009-06-04T11:41:00.007-04:00

My husband says that I get addicted to everything. And quickly, too. For that reason we no longer keep sodas in the house. Cookies, cupcakes and ice cream are carefully monitored (ha! let me correct that, they SHOULD be carefully monitored), you won't find potato chips in our cupboard too often, and I'm not even allowed to LOOK at Smarties candies while at the grocery store (although sometimes I secretly sneak a peek when he's not with me)!

Cigarettes no longer tempt me, although sometimes I have dreams that I still smoke and wake up abruptly and ask hubby in a frightened voice if I still smoke! Quitting smoking is one nightmare I don't wish to repeat!

But this new addiction is one that I never thought would happen to me. It's a movie addiction. To one movie in particular.

I have never understood how people could buy a video/DVD of a particular favorite movie and watch it repeatedly. You know, they watch it so much that they practically have it memorized and can repeat scenes word for word? I never understood that before. Now I do.

I am addicted to the movie "August Rush". It's such a beautiful movie. Have you seen it? If not, you should! It's a beautiful love story filled with beautiful music. It's not just a love story between a woman and a man, but also about a little boy and his mother.

I love it because of the music, but mainly I love it because it illustrates so beautifully how no matter what in life separates a mother from her child, her love for that child goes on. It doesn't fade, she never forgets him, she loves him even if she never got a chance to see his sweet little face.

I watch this movie all the time. And so does my hubby. Just the other week I watched it 3 times in one day. I was sick and lying on the couch and watched it twice, then hubby and I watched it together that night. It's my comfort movie. It's the thing I pop in the DVD player when I don't feel well. It lulls me to sleep when I need it to.

My sister hadn't seen it, so we shared it with her the other weekend, and I cried like a baby, like I did the first time I watched it.

I also have the soundtrack. And not only do I have words to scenes memorized, but I also can picture what is happening in the movie when I listen to my CD. Yep, I'm definitely hooked.

I just need to ask you one favor. Please do not tell my brother about this. I'll never hear the end of it if you do. Why? Because when he was a little boy, he was addicted to a movie, too, and I mercilessley teased him about it. For years. I couldn't help it, I just didn't understand! Now I do, so SHHHH! Let's just keep this between me and you, ok?

Is there a movie that you are "addicted" to? I'd love to hear what it is!

Wordless Wednesday - Water

2009-06-02T20:20:00.003-04:00

For more Wordless Wednesday, please visit Dixie at French Lique!

A Tribute

2009-06-02T08:12:00.003-04:00

After my devotions yesterday, I was just sitting on my swing thinking. I was thinking about my parents and how fortunate my sisters and brother and I are to still have parents in reasonably good health that are still married and love each other dearly.

Since we are in between Mother's Day and Father's Day I just wanted to post a little something about them.

They are both so sweet, loving, kind and caring. They never had much materially, but I've never seen two more content people with what they do have. They know what is important in their lives. They both love the Lord, for which I am grateful beyond words. They both worked hard and sacrificed all their lives to help others and to make sure we had everything we needed (and a lot of things we wanted).

Are they perfect? No. Nobody is. But they truly tried to do what they thought was best for us, in every decision that was made. Today we can look back on things and cry together over some decisions and laugh together over others.

They are ALWAYS there for me when I need them.

I know my parents love me. Unconditionally. And I love them. Unconditionally.

I love you Mom and Dad!

Pink Saturday

2009-05-30T00:11:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday *Pink* Saturday! To view lots more *pink* celebrations click here. Thank you Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound, for being such a wonderful hostess of *Pink* Saturday for this whole past year!

My *pink* for today are these adorable little babies I found at a yard sale. Aren't they cute? I couldn't pass them up. I was planning to use them in a craft project I was working on.

But I prefer this little live *pink* baby. My niece Gwen, in her little *pink* Dora swim top and shorts. She preferred playing in the fountain on Sunday instead of the pool. The water was still a wee bit cold for her! Notice the little bracelet with some *pink* beads on her arm? She's a sweety!

And here's a little something I made from a beat-up children's book!

Have fun visiting the other *pink* posts and have a lovely day!

I'm Maritorious - And Proud Of It!

2009-04-28T12:33:00.002-04:00

I learned a new word this week.

"maritorious"

It means "excessively fond of one's husband".

Oh, yeah, that's me. I'm definitely excessively fond of my sweet hubby.

I can't help it.

How about you, are you "maritorious" too?

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T07:37:00.005-04:00

"I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today;
I KNOW that He is living,

Whatever man may say ..."

[He Lives - Alfred H. Ackley]

"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." (Matthew 28:5-6)

"And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him." (Mark 16:5-6)

"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were much perplxed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

Saying, THE SON OF MAN MUST BE DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF SINFUL MEN, AND BE CRUCIFIED, AND THE THIRD DAY RISE AGAIN.
And they remembered his words." (Luke 24:1-8)

One Day!

One day when heaven was filled with His praises,

One day when sin was as black as could be,

Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin -
Dwelt among men, my example is He!
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He's coming - Oh, glorious day!

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;

Suffering anguish, despised and rejected:
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He's coming - Oh, glorious day!

One day they left Him alone in the garden,
One day He rested, from suffering free;

Angels came down o'er His tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Saviour is He!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He's coming - Oh, glorious day!

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,

One day the stone rolled away from the door;

Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He's coming - Oh, glorious day!

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glory will shine;

Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;
Glorious Saviour, this Jesus is mine!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justifed freely forever:
One day He's coming - Oh, glorious day!

- J. Wilbur Chapman

Good Friday

2009-04-10T20:37:00.004-04:00

I Know A Fount

I know a fount where sins are wash'd away,

I know a place where night is turned to day;

Burdens are lifted, blind eyes made to see;

There's a wonder working pow'r,

In the blood of Calvary.

I have a Saviour, He's a faithful friend,

One who is with me, will be to the end.

He now in glory intercedes for me,

'Twas His precious cleansing blood,

That once flowed on Calvary.

I have a peace, this world could never give,

Wonderful peace, for now in Christ I live.

From condemnation He hath made me free,

What a wonder working pow'r,

In the blood of Calvary.

I have a hope, My Lord will surely come,

All His redeemed ones shall be gathered home.

With Him in glory evermore to be,

Then we'll praise Him for the blood,

That was shed on Calvary.

-O. Cooke vs 1

-Cora Brockhuizen vs. 2,3,4

Good Reading

2009-04-09T16:41:00.002-04:00

Have you read this book yet? Vintage Vavoom by the editors of Romantic Homes magazine. I've seen the book advertised in the magazine, and was anxious to get my hands on it for some time now. I was at the library the other day and they had it! I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough, I was afraid the other lady browsing in the same section would grab it first!

I read it cover to cover, the pictures are beautiful and it is a good read, as well as very helpful. I think when I get some birthday money, I just might treat myself to owning this book!

Have you read any good fiction lately? I have! I just finished this series "Annie's People" by Beverly Lewis. If you are not familiar with her, you are missing out on a great author. Actually, I consider her to be the best author right now in Inspirational fiction.

Her books are about the Amish of Lancaster County, PA, and she really knows what she is talking about. I've learned things I never knew before about them. She pulls you into the story right from the start, and you just can't put the book down!

If I'd known an Amish boy that looked like the guy on the cover of this book when I was in high school, I would have been the first in line to go out with him! tee hee!

I haven't read one of her books yet that I haven't loved.

So do yourself a favor, and run, don't walk, (better yet, drive!) to your library or nearest book store, and get started reading one of her books, you won't regret it!

Happy reading!

Here is the link to her website: Beverly Lewis

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-08T06:46:00.009-04:00

Welcome to (my first) Wordless Wednesday!

EASTER

For more of Wordless Wednesday, please visit Dixie at French Lique, Texas

Pink Saturday

2009-04-04T00:10:00.004-04:00

Happy *Pink* Saturday to you! Thank you for stopping by to look at my *pink* treasure. And it is a treasure to me. My Mom gave me this sweet little box. It's made by Lefton. I've had it for quite some time, I'm not even sure how long, but she gave it to me on Easter one year.

It makes me smile every time I look at it, because it reminds me of me and my sweet hubby! That's me, just chattering away in his ear, trying to get the last thoughts in my head out of my mouth before I go to sleep, and he's already off in dreamland!

I just love how her blanket isn't completely covering her. And notice the little *pink* stripe on the blanket, and also the bedskirt! I think they are the sweetest little peeps I've ever seen!

I hope you enjoyed my little treasure today! For more wonderful *pink* treasures please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Two Surprises Today

2009-04-02T19:35:00.002-04:00

This morning when taking McDuff outside to explore and go potty, I almost stepped on something I didn't want to step on. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm always watching where I step because of unexpected neighbor dog packages in our yard I probably would have stepped right on it! In fact I thought it WAS a package from our neighbor's dog, but when I bent closer to see for sure what it was, I saw a pair of eyes!

Can you see what I saw?

Here's a closer picture!

It's a toad! Now, I don't know much about toads, but I've never seen one so nestled in a patch of grass like this one was. It looked almost like a nest. I was hoping he'd hop off into the sunset (or at least into the flower bed where he'd be safer), but when I checked on him tonight, he was still there. I'm afraid someone is going to step on him and squish him. I put a big stick on the area where he's at, so at least hubby knows where he is and doesn't hurt him. But I can't do anything about wayward walkers, bikers, and other critters, because he's not far away from the sidewalk.

*sigh* Always something to worry about. The other day I was worried about a baby dove who couldn't or wouldn't fly. I went under the deck, and there he was, and I scared him (I didn't mean to) and he ran out from under and into the yard. Shortly afterwards we got a really bad storm with hail. Of course, I was wondering (ok, worrying) if he found his way back to some shelter, and I hoped he hadn't gotten pinged on the head by a hail ball! He must be ok, because I haven't found any carcass yet.

Does nature seem to go crazy at your house in the spring? There is always some excitement or other around here! Yesterday it was ducks walking along the double yellow line in the middle of the road, just as slow as you please, out for a nice little morning stroll, not caring that a school bus was quickly heading towards them. Thankfully, they made it safely to the side of the road (with not much room to spare) just in time.

Hubby dear keeps reminding me, as he wipes away my tears, that there's just some things I can't do anything about, and I have to just leave it alone, I can't save everything from coming to harm.

In spite of all these things, I really do LOVE spring. The fresh clean air (and the not so fresh air sometimes, we live in Amish country, so that's to be expected), all the bird songs, the ducks quacking, and little surprises like this one:

Isn't it a beautiful little purple crocus? Open so wide to the sun!

I can't wait for more flowers to start blooming. I didn't get my bulbs planted last Fall, so I'll have to wait a little longer for my flowers, so for now I'll enjoy all my neighbor's tulips and daffodils when I go for a walk!

Pink Saturday

2009-03-27T22:00:00.004-04:00

Last Friday morning my niece and I went out yard saling and thrift store shopping! We had soooooo much fun! At the last thrift shop we went to I found her this adorable *pink* maternity top!

Doesn't she just look so cute in it?

She's 4 months, and she's just starting to show. (We were worried for a bit that she might be having twins, as they run in the family, but there's only one wee one in there!) I can't wait until we can find out if it's a boy or a girl!

The last store we were in has the most adorable baby clothes, so as soon as we find out if it's a boy or a girl, I'm heading back there!

At one of the yard sales I just couldn't resist buying her a baby gap jean dress for $1, then she found a little boy's flannel shirt jacket for $1, so I bought that too! Well, at least we have both sexes covered!

Have a wonderful *pink* Saturday! For more *pink* fun, please visit our wonderful hostess, Beverly!

It MUST be Spring ...

2009-03-16T12:30:00.006-04:00

soon! On Friday night I was pleasantly surprised by hubby dear. He said "Let's plant peas this year!" Huh? I'm usually the one that has to plead for a garden, but the last couple of years, he's been getting excited in the spring about planting again. We used to garden every year, but it just got to be too much work, so we stopped. Then we put a pool in, and somehow working outside in the heat is just not as bad as it used to be when you know that you can go cool off after your work is done! So now I get to have a garden again! Yipppee!

Last year we had a bumper crop of green beans! And we plan on putting them in again, but we decided to plant peas first. We don't usually get a very good crop of peas because the garden is usually too wet in the spring to till, and peas don't like to have their little feet wet constantly. Our garden slopes downward and tends to stay wet. The green beans seem to love our garden, and we rarely if ever have to even water them all summer. (I should also mention that we have springs that run under our property, so that helps too, or hinders, depending what you're trying to grow).

We haven't had a whole lot of rain this month, and the garden seemed just right for tilling on Saturday, it was a little wet, but it wasn't real muddy like normal. And when I say muddy like normal, I mean the kind of muddy that will suck your shoe right off your foot if you're not careful. That's what it's usually like in March.

So out came the tiller, and hubby dear got busy! (and miracle of miracles the tiller started! but, sad to say, he only got 3/4 of the garden tilled, before the belt broke! That's ok, though, he got enough of it done to plant the peas!)

He's so cute, always a smile on his face, even when he's working hard!

The soil was really nice when he was done:

Hmmmm, I seem to have the same picture twice, sorry! I guess I'm really happy with the rows that he made, so I had to show them twice!

Up went the hoodie! It was really starting to get cold towards 5:00.

Wow, he's got a looooong way to go, I need to put my camera down, and go help him plant those little peas!

Just one more picture before I go change my shoes! look at those little peas, all snuggled up in their little dirt bed! Grow peas, grow!

Uh-oh! No, we don't have a horse or a pony, or even a mule or a donkey!

No, it's just a few rototiller droppings or tiller patties as I call them! Dropped on it's way back to the "stall" (under the deck!)

I don't know why, but I always have such a sense of accomplishment after working in the garden. After we finished planting the peas, and gathering up our tools, we prayed for God to bless our little garden and thanked Him for it.

Now all we have to do is wait and watch! Happy Gardening everybody!

Count Them, One, Two, Three ...

2009-03-14T00:01:00.003-04:00

Do you tend to grumble and complain? Some days I do. About everything. But I'm making an effort to change that. Have you ever noticed how much influence we as women have over our households? I notice that if I'm in a grumbling, or complaining mode, it doesn't take long until Wen is also in a grumbling and complaining mode. On the other hand, if I'm laughing and smiling, he soon follows suit!

This week as I was changing the sheets on the bed, I reached up to turn on the tv, something I usually do, to help me "get through" this task. But I decided I really didn't want to listen to some meaningless garbage while I was working, instead I was going to focus on what I was doing, and praise the Lord while I was doing it. I was going to count my blessings. How many blessings can you give thanks for while you are changing the sheets on your bed?

1. for a nice soft bed
2. for a cozy, warm bedroom
3. for, oh so soft sheets!
4. for a pillow to lay my weary head on
5. for a hubby to snuggle up to at night
6. for enough blankets that I never have to be cold
7. for dark curtains that keep out the streetlight
8. for my health, that I'm healthy enough to be able to perform the task at hand
9. for my health, that I don't have to be in my bed with someone waiting on me
10. for my house, where my bedroom is located

I also spent time praying as I made up my hubby's side of the bed, that he would get good quality sleep at night, that he would be able to put aside all the stresses of the day, and not lie there at night worrying about the problems of the next day. I prayed that God would bless him and keep him safe and healthy.

And you know what? I think that was the easiest time I had making my bed. It went so fast, and I was done before I knew it! It really is all about attitude. If you work at something with a grateful heart instead of a grumbling heart, it makes a big difference.

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings." (Philippians 2:14)

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." (Colossians 3:23)

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Colossians 3:17)

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." (Proverbs 17:22a)

I am going to purpose in my heart to be thankful as I go throughout my day, cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning toilets (this one might be a challenge!), buying groceries ... yes, I am going to actively work on cultivating a grateful heart and getting rid of the grumblies!

Catching Up

2009-03-10T06:11:00.007-04:00

I'm finding it hard to believe that the whole month of February is gone. Not that I'm not happy about it, because I am! I'm so glad to be getting closer and closer to spring. I'm anxious to be sitting out on my beloved deck, listening to the birds sing and watching those crazy squirrels. That's where I go to spend time in prayer and Bible study, and I'm so ready to move out there away from my desk for a while. I'm anxious to be outside digging in the dirt, yes, even pulling weeds and sweeping the cinders off the sidewalk. Just to be outside with the sun on my back and the wind in my hair. It won't be long now ...

But I need to do some catching up on my blog, I'm afraid I totally neglected it in the month of February. There was just too much going on, it was a busy little month.

I spent alot of time on line looking for that perfect little baby quilt to make for my niece! She's expecting a baby at the end of September. So far I haven't found what I'm looking for and will probably ending up designing something myself. Although there was a gorgeous redwork quilt that I saw ... so I'm still trying to decide what I want to do. I better make up my mind soon, time is moving right along ... and September will be here before we know it. I'll just try to push off the baby shower until the last minute, and since it will probably be at my house, I think I can manage to do that!

My niece also asked me to write a story for her baby. I felt so honored that she asked me to do that! She wanted a special story written just for her baby, that she can read to him/her as he/she grows up. She will be illustrating the book herself. So I spent some time working on that and was able to give it to her so she can start illustrating it. I can hardly wait to see the pictures when she's finished!

And then there was Valentine's Day! It was my most favorite Valentine's Day ever! I don't think I will ever forget it. The day started out with Wen telling me that he wants to take me antiquing and buy me something for about $25. We decided we would not go that day but the next. I'm never one to pass up antiquing, so I was looking forward to going. I was also looking forward to just relaxing at home for Valentine's Day. And I did! Wen went grocery shopping for me! (That is such a gift in itself because that is a job that I truly detest. And it's such a sacrifice for Wen because he doesn't exactly enjoy it either!) He came home with the fixin's for lasagna! Mmmmmm! He makes the very BEST lasagna!

Yummy! Doesn't that look delicious? It was! And can you believe it? This was all the mess that he made:

I'm still having trouble believing it! I expected to spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen cleaning up, and all he used was one pan and one bowl (and of course the baking dish)! I kept asking him where the other pans were, you know, like he used before? (he used to make more of a mess than this! I don't even call this a mess!) After I looked in the trash to see if he threw them away, I was finally convinced that this was all he used, and I was done in the kitchen in no time!

As wonderful as the lasagna was, my very, very favorite part of the day was while the lasagna was baking. I decided to go upstairs and spend time soaking in a nice hot bath for a while. As I was relaxing I heard Wen coming up the stairs. He came into the bathroom with one of my favorite childhood books in his hand. I said, "What are you doing?" He said, "I've come to read this to you!" Well, he's just about the best children's story book reader in the world! He kept me laughing until my stomach hurt. I didn't know if I'd be able to eat my lasagna! (don't worry, I managed to eat it!)

We collect children's books, mainly from the 40s and 50s, but I like to add my favorite childhood books to my collection, too. And the Rabbit and Skunk books are among them! We have quite a collection and we spend alot of time reading them and enjoying them. I like it best when he reads them to me, but sometimes we take turns reading. McDuff saw the book in Wen's hand and settled himself on the love seat in the Library. Sorry McDuff! Story time was moved to the bathroom!

Yep, that was my most favorite Valentine's Day ever! I told him that night that he can skip buying me anything the next day, because after the day he gave me, I certainly didn't need anything else! But he took me out anyway, and guess what I picked out? More children's books! I need to go out and buy some more bubble bath for storytime!

But of course a little rain must always fall to dampen our happiness. And in February, I had to face saying goodbye to 3 of my favorite magazines. The economy has definitely taken it's toll on everyone. I was really sad to say goodbye to Cottage Living, Country Home and ME's Home Companion. I will definitely miss all 3 of them, but I must say it really broke my heart to lose Home Companion. It was such an inspiration and a joy, so unlike any other magazine! I loved how diverse it was, and seeing all the different artists and their work. The homes that were portrayed were so different from any that you will see anywhere else. You can spend hours looking at the pages and see something you missed before. I loved seeing the different things people collect and how they were displayed throughout their homes. Aaaahhhh, yes, a little bit of sunshine has gone out of my life. But! The good news is that I saved every single issue, so I can at least continue to enjoy what I have, and maybe, just maybe, some day, Mary will be able to bring her magazine back to life again .... just like they did with Victoria!

Don't you just hate it when they send you substitute magazines to finish out your subscription? I had just canceled my Martha Stewart Living magazine, and now I have it back again, replacing either Cottage Living or Home Companion. Not a good substitute for either one. I'm tired of MS Living. I find it a bore. The pictures are beautiful, but the text is too technical, it's just not something I can sink my teeth into and enjoy. To me it's like reading a text book. If I want to read a text book, I'll go find one and read it. When I read a magazine, I want flowery, delightful, descriptive text! The other magazine that is being sent to me is Real Simple, which is ok for what it is, I guess, but it's just not my style. I will not be renewing either of them.

And we had one more birthday party in February. Big A is 4 years old already! What a sweet little girl she is growing up to be! I had the hardest time getting a good picture of her, every time I clicked the button, she either turned, or lifted something in front of her face!

I adore this picture of my brother. He's laughing so hard at the Elefun toy! What an adorable toy it is, too! There are so many fun, cute toys for kids right now!

Well, that was my February! For such a small month, it sure was jam-packed full of good things (and a few not so good things!) If you read this far, thanks for reading this very long post! And now, I'm setting my sights towards spring ...

Starve a Fever ...

2009-03-08T20:12:00.005-04:00

Starve a fever is NOT a suggestion. As I found out. I haven't had a fever for probably 10-15 yrs (and neither has Wen), but my dear, sweet hubby brought me a germ home from work last week. He came down with a fever last Tuesday and passed it on to me, and by Thursday I was starting to feel sick (we both had 102 temps). I made him home made chicken noodle soup and ate it with him for a couple of days, and by the time I got sick, I couldn't look at another noodle to save my life. The thought of it made me sick. No toast, either. I couldn't eat anything I normally eat. Ugh.

The only thing I wanted was my mom's home made chicken rice soup. She was sweet enough to make it for me and brought me some on Saturday. She kept a little bit for herself, and when she went home and ate hers, she decided it wasn't good enough for her sick "little" (46-yr old) girl, and called me up and said she's bringing me some more on Sunday that will taste better. tee hee! That's my mom! She also said she's bringing me "a little bit of chicken."

Sunday afternoon she showed up with a HUGE pot of rice soup and a whole flock of boiled chicken breasts. Oh my! I couldn't even so much as look at those chicken breasts, let alone eat them! My mom's philosophy is: "if a little bit is good, a whole lot is BEST!" She's such a sweet, loving, kind, and giving mom. I wish everybody in the world had a mom just like her (but I'm not going to share my mom, after all, she's MINE!)

I did eat that delicious rice soup, and it gave me some much needed strength, but after 3 days of eating it, I couldn't look at it anymore either. And still couldn't eat any toast. So I moved on .... to cherry poptarts with icing!

Which brings me to today. It's going on a week and a half, I've gotten sick of the pop tarts and have moved on to noodles and baked potatoes, and a few other things, but not much. I keep hoping to wake up with an appetite in the morning, but so far, it just hasn't really happened.

I can't believe how bad you feel with a fever. Even my hair lost much of its bounce. My mind wants to go outside and take a walk, but I don't even feel strong enough to drive yet. I'm hoping to be back to normal this week or at least to get something done!

It sure has made me appreciate the health that I normally do have! And I'm hoping it's at least another 10-15 yrs before I get another fever!

(my picture is from a little book called "God is Good" by Mary Alice Jones, it's a Rand McNally Book, 1955)

Goodbye Katie and ABCs of the Word - Y

2009-01-29T11:32:00.003-05:00

My heart is so very heavy this morning. Last night we went to the viewing of our neighbor. She was only 18. All her life she suffered with cystic fibrosis, although if you didn't know she had it, you wouldn't know she had it.

Katie was strong and active. She was giving, helpful, and caring. She was like her dad. If someone was in need, she was there to help, like helping me shovel our driveway open, which is always the heaviest and deepest place because of the snow plow.

I admired her, because she never complained about her CF, and never let it stop her from doing the things she wanted to do. Many times she was on a feeding tube, but you'd never have known it because she was out and about doing the things she normally did and smiling at you like always.

We watched her grow up, from a little girl with lots of questions, to a young woman learning to drive, and praying that she would be safe on the road. Last spring I watched as she went to the Prom with her boyfriend. Her family had so much fun that day helping her get ready and watching her go. I was out cleaning the porch that day, and I remember smiling and laughing with them as they teased her, they were all just enjoying the day so much.

She graduated and got a job as a cashier at the grocery store. She was just learning to be a responsible adult. Driving herself to work and paying for a car, learning to handle expenses and still have a little left to get something special for herself.

We all expected Katy to die young because of the CF. I know the life expectancy has been getting longer, it used to be 20s, now more are living into their 30s, but that's still so young.

Katy didn't die from cystic fibrosis. She died from a kidney stone. They weren't looking for that as a reason why she was so sick. From what I understand she bled to death. I will miss her. Our whole neighborhood will miss her.

My ABCs of the Word today is not really a "Y" verse, but I'm making it my verse for today. Mark 16:15 -

"And he said unto them, Go YE (me, you, all born again believers!) into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature."

This isn't a suggestion. This is a command. Katy's death hit me like a ton of bricks. I've not been sharing the Gospel with those around me like I'm commanded to do. I've not been making it my number one priority. God places us in the neighborhoods we live in for a reason, we're not there by accident, or coincidence. We're there to share Him with them.

We can't control the decisions or choices that people make, but we do have control over how much we are sharing the Gospel with others. We never know how many opportunities we will have with people. Katy is the second young person in their teens to die in my neighborhood within the last 5 yrs and they lived within 4 houses of each other.

I get so wrapped up in my own life. My own problems, my own disappointments, my own joys, my own family ... I'm always busy. Sometimes I get it right. Sometimes my priorities are where they should be. But alot of the times they are not. This life is short, we only have so much time ...

God didn't put us here to see how many things we can collect, or how much money we can make, or how big of a house we can have ... these things aren't necessarily wrong, it's ok to enjoy things, make money, and have a big house, but we can't forget our main purpose, as Christians. And that is to share the Light with others. Give them the Gospel. Tell them that Christ loved them so much He died on the cross for their sins, that He provided a way for them to be saved and be reconciled to God.

I want to share the lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

People Need the Lord

Everyday they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes.
Empty people filled with care, headed who knows where.
On they go through private pain, living fear to fear,
Laughter hides their silent cries, only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize ... people need the Lord?

We are called to take His light, to a world where wrong seems right.
What would be too great a cost for sharing life with one who's lost.
Through His love our hearts can feel all the grief they bear.
They must hear the words of life only we can share.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize ... that we must give our lives for
People need the Lord.

c 1987, Shepherd's Ford Music
words and music by Phill McHung and Greg Nelson

I pray these words echo in our hearts and minds as we interact with people every day. And like it says in James 1:22 -

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only ..."

(for more ABCs of the Word please visit GreyLikeSnuffie)

This Might Make You Angry ...

2009-01-23T11:45:00.002-05:00

but I care enough to tell you anyway.

My devotional this morning was so good, I just have to share it with you. This is taken from the Feature for January-March 2009 for January 22nd:

The Exclusiveness of Christianity

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

A prolific trend all around us today is the unification of religions under the term of tolerance. In our current culture, tolerance is incorrectly understood to mean that no one is right or wrong; all religious beliefs, or lack thereof, are perfectly legitimate; a person cannot claim that his religion is better or more valid than another.

The historical cry that "all roads lead to Rome" now has become a religious cry that "all religions lead to God." However, since only the one true God exists, His Word to mankind is what counts. A person worshipping a god different than the one true God of the Bible is practicing idolatry and actually is living in defiance of God.

When God took upon Himself flesh and blood at the incarnation

"... God was manifest (revealed) in the flesh ..." (1 Timothy 3:16)

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

He revealed the one and only way to Himself, to salvation, to the forgiveness of sins. And when this one true God, Jesus Christ, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, walked among men, He said some exclusive things such as,

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6)

No other way to God exists but through Christ alone. You cannot come to God the Father through Mary, the saints, the church, good works or any other means. If you do not go God's way, you are still under His judgment

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:25)

Jesus also said,

"I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:9)

Jesus is the exclusive door to salvation; rejecting Him is rejecting salvation.

Building your own door of religion is just another way leading to hell! You may be angry at these truths, but it is these very truths that will set you free

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)
- PNF (Philip N. Flaming)

ABCs of the Word - X

2009-01-22T10:19:00.006-05:00

Our ABC's of the Word today is an "X" verse. Hmmmmmmm. Don't know of any offhand, maybe there is one, but I'll take the alternative choice. The alternative is to give a verse that has really meant something to you lately, or a verse you are memorizing, or any verse that is special to you. (Please visit GreyLikeSnuffie for more verses!)

My verse is Mark 10:27 -

"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."

God has really been proving this to me recently. "WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!" I have this verse written out on a 5 x 7 card and posted on my window where I sit to pray and study my Bible. My family members are always in my prayers.

Now, I must confess that sometimes in the past I have cried as I prayed for certain members of my family thinking, "oh they will never change", but God has been showing me how wrong I am. You see, I can't change them, and maybe they can't even change themselves, but GOD can change them.

The more we pray for people, the more the Holy Spirit works on them (if they are unsaved) or in them (if they are saved).

My mom, my husband, and I have been praying for my family for years, but in the past year some major changes have been happening, of which I give God all the glory and praise for!

1. Both of my sisters have rededicated their lives to God, and have been living for Him, studying His Word, and spending time in prayer.

2. My niece received Christ as her Savior just last week!

3. My dad has started to go to church regularly (something he's never done)

4. My one brother-in-law has been turning away from things that he knows are wrong, and has been going back to church.

5. My other brother-in-law's eyes are starting to open to Biblical truths.

Wow! I am amazed and overwhelmed by how God is working in the hearts and lives of my precious family!

"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together." (Psalm 34:3)

The Most Wonderful News!

2009-01-18T23:23:00.003-05:00

My family and I have been praying for my sweet little niece for some time to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord. (see here http://www.josiesniece.blogspot.com/2009/01/its-real.html for an explanation of what this means)

She came over to our house tonight and told us that she accepted Christ as her Savior the other night, on her birthday! I am so happy I can hardly keep my feet on the ground! She has been coming over to talk to us alot lately, and she has changed so much. I am so proud of her, and so happy! I just can't begin to express my joy!!!

I really don't know how I'm going to get to sleep tonight!

ABCs of the Word - W

2009-01-15T08:56:00.004-05:00

I finally have the time to post my ABCs of the Word again! My "W" verse for this week is Ephesians 5:17 -

"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

This verse really speaks to my heart, especially at the beginning of this new year. I want to seek His will for me this year, like I've never done before. I want to do the things that please Him on a daily basis, not just chase after those things that please me. I want my will to line up with His. Then and only then will I be truly happy, content, and my life will count for something. My goals for this year all center around Him.

I pray that He will open my eyes to see what He wants me to see, to hear what He is saying to me, to speak the words that He puts in my heart, to feel the love for others that He wants me to feel.

I want to be a prayer warrior and a diligent student of His Word. My prayer is that He will help me with all of my goals so that I can be His faithful servant this year.

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John 5:14-15)

It's REAL!

2009-01-12T14:46:00.004-05:00

What's REAL? Heaven, of course!

I'm still really busy with my church work, and trying to get it all done, so unfortunately have not been able to post much. But my devotional the other day was so good, I wanted to share it here. This is taken from the Feature - A Daily Bible Study Guide for January-March 2009, and it is the one for January 9th:

Heaven is Real - Part 1 - Revelation 21:10-27

Heaven is real. It is the promised destination of the true believer in Christ. Jesus promised in John 14:1-3:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions ... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

John was allowed to visit the heavenly city, and the record of what he saw is in today's text.

"And He ... showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel" (Revelation 21:10-12).

"And the ... wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones" (Revelation 21:18-19a).

"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass" (Revelation 21:21).

"And the city had no need of the sun ... for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Revelation 21:23).

"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 21:27).

The Lord offers to all men the opportunity to dwell in this place, but their names must be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Is your name there? - JMC

Isn't that wonderful? I KNOW that my name is written in the Lamb's book of life, and I will someday see the beauty of Heaven.

How can I be confident that my name is written in the book of life? Because I realized that I am a sinner in need of a Savior ("For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23)

And I believe Jesus Christ is that Savior ("And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21)

I believe He died on the cross for my sins ("... Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures." I Corinthians 15:3; "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree [the cross] ..." I Peter 2:24)

I believe He rose again the third day ("And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" I Corinthians 15:4)

I believe God's Word, and it says in Romans 10:9 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." and in Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

I also believe the promise found in John 3:36 - "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life ..." And I also believe the promise that is found in the latter part of this verse "... and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." And if the "wrath of God abideth" on you, your name is not written in the book of life. Revelation 20:15 says "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

My prayer for all who might read this post is that they believe the Word of God to be true, understand they are in need of a Savior and confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sin, and that He rose from the dead to save them from hell and to forgive them of their sins. I pray that they will place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ today, and be saved, and be assured that their name too is written in the Lamb's Book of Life and be able to share in the wonders and glories of Heaven throughout all eternity.

A Wish for You

2009-01-06T22:37:00.003-05:00

New Year's Wishes

What shall I wish thee? Treasures of earth?

Songs in the springtime, pleasure and mirth?

Flowers on thy pathway, skies ever clear?

Would this insure thee a happy new year?

What shall I wish thee? What can be found?

Bringing thee sunshine all the year round?

Where is the treasure, lasting and dear,

That shall insure thee a happy new year?

Faith that increaseth, walking in light,

Hope that aboundeth happy and bright.

Love that is perfect, casting out fear,

These will insure thee a happy new year!

Peace in the Saviour, rest at His feet,

Smile on His countenance, radiant and sweet,

Joy in His presence, Christ ever near,

These will insure thee a Happy New Year!

-Unknown

Birthday Party Time

2009-01-03T23:24:00.003-05:00

This afternoon we were at our niece's birthday party. Little G is 2 already! She certainly knew how to open her presents this year! Her Daddy (my little brother) didn't have to help her too much!

Big sister helps out (even though it wasn't really necessary! hee hee!) She's such a sweetie!
Little G heading for the cake, which is actually cupcakes. I love this idea, it's so much easier than a cake! No having to cut it, and they are just right for little hands!

Both girls know what to do with a cupcake!
Big A eats the icing a little bit neater than her little sister!

Little G looks like she has a goatee! An icing goatee!

We had a great time. The girls are so much fun, and we got to spend time with family again. By the time the birthday party was over, my tummy was sore, not from eating too much, but from laughing too much!

I thought I'd share some Christmas pictures of McDuff. I love this picture, it's an action shot of him jumping up to get his present from hubby dear!

McDuff's new favorite toy, or should I say obsession? He loves these toys so much, we just keep buying him the same one, after he destroys them. Any other toy he destroys in about 5 minutes. These last alot longer. This one he carried around for a week (it was almost constantly in his mouth or by his side for a full week) before it got to the point where we had to take it. Luckily, we had a back-up handy.

He's just too adorable!

After the party today, we went shopping for a few things. We needed a couple calendars, I got a Susan Branch calendar for my office, that will be fun for this year! And I finally found a pair of slippers to keep my toesies warm for the rest of the winter! YAY! I'm fussy, they MUST have rubber soles so I don't get shocked all the time, and these sweet little pink Dearfoams have the right kind. Yippee! I HATE getting shocked all the time.

McDuff gives his approval on my little pink slippers. They are soooo soft and they look like those vintage Chenille bedspreads (Wen hates those, so I'm surprised he liked these slippers. I guess the poor man was just so weary from looking for some that suited me, tee hee!)

Yes, indeed, I had warm toesies tonight. Ahhhh, what a perfect ending to a fun day!

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-03T00:11:00.004-05:00

Happy 70th Birthday to my Dad! (actually I'm a few minutes late in posting this, his birthday is on the 2nd) I can't believe he is 70 years old. I thought my parents would stay young forever. I think it's harder for me to accept the fact that he's 70, than it is for me to accept the fact that I'm heading towards 50. I seem to be asking this question alot lately, but where does the time go?

He's such a happy person, and pretty ornery, but in a good way. He's always laughing or whistling or singing. I got my sense of humor from him, and he taught me how to be naughty (but in a good way, tee hee!) He's always worked very hard and sacrificed for our needs. Both my parents are so content with what they have, even though they don't have much.

My only complaint is that he works too hard, 6 days a week, and I don't get to see him very often right now. Somehow I need to change that.

I love you Dad!