Thankful for the Rain and Cooler Temps!

It has been amazing to me, the past couple of days we have actually been getting rain. A good amount of rain. This is so unusual for Texas. I am SO very thankful for the rain and cooler weather. If only we could get this kind of weather at least once a month through out summer and summers would be so much for bearable - for me at least. This rain and a little cooler weather has been so refreshing. Look at what our forecast looks like right now:

Today when I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes, I was looking out into the back yard and enjoying how wet it looked. Then as I watched the birds at the feeders, I noticed my painted bunting had come to eat again. I had not seen him/her in quite some time. He stayed for quite some time and I enjoyed watching the bird.

This last week end my husband brought home some watermelon that he had bought from an older made selling them from his truck. Today I finally got it cut up and we have really been enjoying it.

I don't know why but today I am awfully tired. I should not be because I have had a really good day. I meant a good friend at Cracker Barrel for lunch and it was so nice to visit and enjoy each others company. I made a stop at Goodwill on the way home. I just found a few books and a bunny and a small welcome sign for the garden. Then I have done a few jobs around the house - so I have not over done it at all. Oh - one of the books that I found was one I have been looking for. I have read how several fellow bloggers really like Jan Karon books - well I had found Book #3, #6, and #8 on another visit. Well today one of the books that I found was book #4. I am hoping that slowly I can gather the whole set - very low in price - I am only having to pay $1.00 or $2.00 for each of them. That is really cool.

Here is a photo of the bunny and the welcome rock for the garden. Aren't they cute!?!
Well I hope everyone is having a good week. :O)

One more addition: I also found this well mine is probably a small one. I paid $1.00 for it. Look how much the Large one would have been $87.00 - wow!! I love finding great deals like that! I bought it for a pen holder for my sewing room - or on my desk!

BOM and Moving Forward

Yesterday and this morning we got a good amount of rain. Not quite sure how much but I'd guess at least an inch. It was wonderful the temps dropped and that in and of itself is wonderful.


Well I noticed on my calender that this Friday is Block of the Month for me so today I took some time to cut out the fabric and put my block together. I am so glad to have it put together and done. This was block #9 I believe so we are getting close to the end of this years block of the month. I have several quilting projects that I need to get busy on. Several ladies have talked about working on Christmas presents and I have a couple of them but just need to take the time to get in the sewing room and work on them. I am thinking that I will have some extra free time tonight. So we will see what I can get done. It is always so relaxing to work on a project. And the feeling of accomplishment is great as well. Working in my sewing room does me a lot of good because some times it forces me to step out of the box and do things that I am not quite sure how to do - which when it comes to quilting - has been quite a bit. But that is really good for me.

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The last couple of months I have been working on my life story. I shared a while back that I go to some 12 step meetings that are at my church. And I also shared that I do not go because of any direct problem with alcohol in any of my family - that I know of - but that this program is great for everyone. It is a very spiritual program and it helps you get to the bottom of why you are the way you are and it gives a road map to help direct you to more healthy ways to live your life.

Well today I meant with my sponsor. God really did bless me with just the right sponsor - she so understands me and where I have been and all. So I read her my story. This was kind of draining but I was not surprised at all at what I learned. And I also could see where in my story - God used some people to help protect me. See there were many times in my life that I did not feel protected and I had a real lack of security. I have a lot of fear and insecurity. And these defects of character make me react to things in a different way than what a lot of people(that do not have these defects) would react. It was amazing to see that God was at work then and that I can trust Him to be at work now in my life. When I start feeling fear, I can "ask God to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be." I am so thankful for God's leading me in my life and being there for me and providing what I need. This does not mean there is no pain or sadness in my life but it does mean that I can have hope. Hope and Faith in the one who created Me!

Our God is Great

This has been a very busy day and I don't have time for a long post but as I was doing my devotions tonight I came across something that I just had to share. The section I was reading was talking about how we can face a future of hope(from Jeremiah 29) "because our Father is very great." And then the author was talking about when Job questioned God and God came back with about 50 questions for Job. And in these questions we realize how very awesome God is. Our finite minds don't know the answers of these questions - but our God is Great and we have believe in him. Here is the great quote I wanted to share.

"Hope and encouragement can spring from the realization that we know so little. Instinctively we try to find hope through trying to know everything, and we become discouraged when we cannot find the answers for which we are searching. But sometimes God highlights our ignorance and inability to know so that we may realize that hope does not originate in "finding answers" but in a being vastly greater than ourselves." page 75 of "The Refiner's Fire"

I hope that this quote blessed your heart like it did mine. :o)

The Antique Mall

Today my husband and I went to an Antique Mall that is not too far from where we live. Even though it is SO close - this was the very first time we have ever gone. It was fun. I think we spent over an hour, maybe even an hour and a half in there. We found some really cool things. I took photos of some of the cool things that we found. I was disappointed because there were several things that I found that I took photos of and they are blurry. Oh well. I will share some of the photos that I have that are pretty good.

This set was so pretty. And it was really sturdy feeling. Only $12.50 for the 3 pieces.

Oh these are called Gentleman's Shaving Mirrors and they are quite expensive - like $185- and up. I think they are really cool though. Of course the blue pitcher has nothing to do with the other part - as far as I know - I think they just put it there for display.

Look at these cool tin watering cans - they were like $20. and $25.00 for them. I thought they were cool! Not cool enough to buy right now though.

This bench/storage chest was like $45.oo - I would have bought it if I had have had the extra money. I just think it is neat.

And this one - I liked the style of it. I never did see a price on it but I am sure this is something that my husband could make. I thought it would be neat - put books in those compartments and then get a couple of plants to put on the other ledges. I don't know - just some ideas I had. We have a sun room that will been to be decorated once we get it done - so maybe this is something that would work out there.

My husband and I both loved a church pew - for $170. We would have gotten it if we had have had the money. It was actually comfortable. I will post photo but it is fuzzy. Isn't it cool! I was a small one and we loved it.

Here is another photo that is not very clear but I love these wooded cradles. This might be something that I keep an eye open for. I am guessing my cats would get the most use out of it but they might feel really special to have a special bed. I think this one below was like $45. not for sure on that price.
There were quite a bit of pieces of furniture that we loved - but of course, they had VERY expensive price tags on them as well. But you know a lot of things were just made SO much better back then.

Well I hope you all have had a good week end. Ours has been pretty good. It has been quite warm here in Texas but as one of my Facebook friends said - we have cold front coming in and she said that we might just have a high of 92 one day this week. That would be SO much better than 100.

From Self-Pity to Thankful

My Mother was the 4th of 5 children and the only girl. She was born and raised in Oklahoma. And from when she got married until her divorce 17 years later - we moved all over the USA. It was tough moving almost every year and if we did not move each year - some how I ended up having to go to a different school each year. I loved going back to OK to visit family for holidays. We could not afford to go back very often but we loved when we could. It was a lot of people in a small house but it was great. These were some of my favorite memories.

Often times I felt like I was left out though. The rest of that family lived all in a general area and those cousins got to know each other really well.

When my parents got a divorce we moved back for about 2 years - till my Mom remarried and we moved to Texas. That time period was rough in so many ways but I had family and it was great to be able to get to know some of my cousins. They were there for me during a rough time period.

This past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to visit with several of my cousins. And as I visited with them I found out that they really had rough life's. Lots of fighting and in situations that were not the most conducive to a safe, happy childhood - A child of 5 being sent to the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes for her Daddy, maybe a house full of kids left to raise themselves, a 13 year old being punched in the nose(by a parent) for bothering her sister, or a Mom who as an only child was not able to sacrifice for her children. It made me realize that I had really been sheltered. I have known this - up until my parents got a divorce I was. But the next couple of years were really rough. I have shared a few of those stories so far so I won't go into it now.

So today I was able to spend half of the day with one of my favorite cousins- she shared some stories of some things that happened when I was around. And it was amazing to realize just how much more she had understood about life back then. The stories shed new light to my understanding of my family.

So, as I have thought about my conversation with my cousin, I have realized that I have a lot to be thankful for. I am so thankful that my Mom loved us enough to show us that she cared. And I am so thankful that I had the chance to get to know my family those couple of rough years that I lived in the same town. So even though it was a rough time period for me- God did work it out for good. It helped shape me into the person that I am. And I was able to spend more time with my family - building ties with others. That is what it is all about.

You know it is said we can not always control what is done to us, but we can control how we respond. Looking for the good in things - letting go of resentments - those are things that make us better people and more open and willing to letting God mold us into the people that he wants us to be. Feeling sorry for ourselves does not get us anywhere- it just keeps us focused on us. And that is not a good place to be.

For Only 98 Cents!!!

Well after working today, I thought I would go to my favorite local Quilt Shop! I had a $25.00 gift certificate that I had gotten as a gift from my secret sister at the reveal. Anyway I thought since my store was celebrating its 10 year celebration and a few sales going on that I would go check it out. Look at all the goodies that I got!! I got the book - "Turning Twenty - Around the Block."
Check out all the options I have with this pattern.

Towards the beginning of our hobby with quilting. We bought this first book - "Turning Twenty."

And my husband made me some templates out of Plexiglas - I think is what it is called. We have all made at least one quilt using this method. It is so easy - you use 20 fat quarters and that will actually get the quilt that is shown on the front of this book! Even my sons have made a quilt using this method. My husband has taught 3 teenage boys how to quilt using this book. And 2 of them have finished their quilts. We are waiting for a good time to get together with the other young man.
This next book - my husband bought last year when we went on a shop hop. He really likes the one that looks like a stain glassed window. And that is what he wants to make when he gets time. Right now he has been so busy with work, the jobs around here plus fishing.
And then today I bought the "Around the Block" book. I loved the pattern that shows the Sunbonnet Sue in the blocks and also the blocks that have the red work (I think that is what it is called) I want to learn how to do this. And I am hoping to find out what patterns are actually used for this photo (on front of the book) and get that pattern and me make one like it. The Red and White quilt. So I really like those two quilts.

The fat quarters that are shown in the first photo - I got for $1.25 a piece. I just could not pass that deal up. I am thinking that if I wanted to use the civil war fabrics for the sunbonnet sue quilt above - that this way I have a few of the fat quarters needed for it.

I love these patterns because they are versatile- and you basically use 20 fat quarters - plus a little more fabric for some of these quilts. Anyway I was thrilled because I was able to get the 10 fat quarters plus the book for only 98 cents above my $25.00 gift card! Isn't that awesome?!

It's going to be a busy day - plus Advice needed

Well normally my Fridays consist of cleaning the house, getting groceries and running errands - along with all the normal things around the house. Well not this week - not exactly- this week is different. My husband and son left yesterday afternoon to go on a camping/fishing trip. So I ended up having to cover a small shift for my son last night and then today I have to cover his shift - helping my MIL with the grill. So That is added to my day - then I will run the errands and get the groceries that I need to get.

Last night I actually got to be earlier than I have for a long time - at it was like 10:30pm still. But it was great to get to bed at a decent time and not only that but to be able to sleep past the normal alarm going off at 4:41am. Yep -that is what time the alarm goes off for my husband to get ready and get to work on time. So this morning I was able to sleep in some and still woke up quite early. It was ONLY 77 degrees outside when I went out to let the chickens out. I also watered their creek bed, watered all my plants. I had to give my plants in our new raised beds a good soaking. As I stood outside and watered - I felt light sprinkles hit my skin. That was so refreshing - just a little bit of sprinkles but it was great!

Since my husband and son are gone for a couple of days I think this evening I will work on some posts that I have had on my mind for some time now. Sometimes I do so much better with getting the posts together in a nice quiet house.

Ok - before I close - I want to ask for some advice. As I have mentioned before we have 5 cats ~ 4 indoor cats and 1 that goes in and out. Anyway our oldest indoor cat is a large cat. Well one of our two newest cats that are now about 2 years old - are much smaller cats. This is Tiggy - the BIG boy!

And this is Stewie. I know it might be hard to tell but there is at least a 6 pound difference between these cats. Stew is about 12 pounds and Tiggy is about 18 pounds -I think.

Anyway these two cats do not get along. And what scares me is that with Tiggy being SO much bigger than Stewie - that Stewie could get hurt. So my question is - does anyone have any information or advice that would be helpful. I really like to have peace at my house and when these two are at it - it really disrupts my peace. We are thinking we may have to get rid of Tiggy. We are just hoping that we can find a good home for him - if we have to get rid of him. So also could you pray that we could solve this problem or find him a good home. Thanks so much.

I better get off of here and get on with my day - it will be a long one. I hope you all have a great day! :o)

Something to Think About

And why do you look at the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not see the beam that is in your own eye?
Luke 6:41

As I was reading Luke 6 this morning, I stopped and began to think about what this verse mean. I thought about how I understand that we need to take care of our own defects. And that it is easier to see someone else's character defects than it is to see our own. And I am sure that Satan gets a lot of pleasure out of this. You see when we are so focused on what other people are doing wrong - we are so distracted that we totally miss what is wrong with us. I know I have found my self doing this. It is really easy to do. And I think that Satan really does his best to keep us focused on what is wrong with everyone else because then we will not address our own problems. And let me tell you - I have enough problems and character defects to keep me busy for quite some time.

We also find the same basic message spoken of in Matthew 7. Actually I think it is the first 5 verses that are really good in speaking about judging others.

And why do you look on the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye?
Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull the splinter out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?

Matthew 7:3-4

Well I don't know about you but the next time that Satan tries to distract me from dealing with my own faults, by tempting me to focus on what is wrong with me, I will be asking God to help me keep focused on me.

Oh one more thing that just came to mind. I have heard it said many times - when something really bothers you about someone else - more than likely you have the same defects of character. At first when I heard that - I though no, I don't think so but as I have paid attention since then I have found it surprising that there are many times that this is very true. Something to think about.

Workin' on the Garden

It is a little after 9pm and it is like 90 degrees out there, but it has cooled down some since we first went out there to work. I have explained earlier about the Earth Boxes not doing well with out plants. So we had pulled up the zucchini plants, yellow squash and cucumber plants. I had been blessed with at least 6+ cucumbers before the plant died. Well my husband decided to make us 2 raised garden boxes. I think they are like 2 ft. X 6 ft. Well we got them built tonight and filled them up with lots of good dirt and we planted cantaloupe in one box and yellow squash in the other box. My husband really wanted some cantaloupes so we are hoping to have some luck. We have never really planted them - and if we did we did not have any luck. I am hoping that with changing things around and all that we can get some produce out of them. And the good thing is that we will have these boxes ready for the next planting season.
I borrowed a photo from Earth Box site so you would know what I was talking about. I also decided to dump the dirt out of the Earthboxes (by the way I linked it up so that you can go check out what I have been talking about.) And take out the rack that holds the dirt up about 3 inches. You put water in through a tube that sticks up on one corner of it and so the bottom section is suppose to be full of water. Anyway, we decided that we are going to drill a few holes into the bottom of the containers and then just fill them up with good dirt and I will be planting my herbs in there for now.

Speaking of Herbs: Today when we were at Home Depot picking up supplies - I found a sweet basil plant, sage plant, and rosemary plant. Oh the leaves of these plants smell so fragrant.

We got the boxes built and filled with dirt and we got all of our plants transferred into the planters. And I got everything watered. My son had mowed the front yard this evening so I went and raked up a lot of grass and I used it for mulch around my strawberry plants that are in the washing tubs. And I also placed the cut grass around the 8 newly planted plants. I also took some of the grass clippings and put them around my tomato plants and also around my rose bushes in the front yard. Boy we got a lot of stuff done this afternoon.

Tomorrow will be busy for me as well - I will have to take all the dirt that is in the Earth Boxes and mix it with some good stuff that we bought and then fill the boxes ALL the way with dirt. Then I will plant each of my herbs into a box just for them. I am excited to have the herbs, as I have wanted to grow herbs and start cooking with fresh herbs from my own herb garden. Yay!

Well as you can probably guess with everything we did this evening alone - I am hot and sweaty and in need of a good shower. I hope you all had a good day! See ya tomorrow! :O)

I Love Finding Treasures - How About You?!

Well today I needed to go run some errands so since I would be driving right past a local Goodwill on my way home - I took some time to stop. I had not been able to go for a couple of weeks so it was a welcome treat for me!! I just love how sometimes I find real treasures. At least to me they are treasures. I have learned that at this particular Goodwill to always check out their game area. I have found several really cool things to have at Grammie's and PaPa's house for our Granddaughter! Well today I found something to add to my collection of cool things. The top of the box just says "Miniature Room Setting" as you can see. So I decided to check it out.
And look at what I found inside! The photo does not do the furniture justice. It is cute as can be.

And something that I think is also cool - is the fact that the box - when set up a certain way is the back drop for the furniture!
Well that was not the only treasures that I found today. I also found some Stampin' Up stamps- Brand new and a black ink pad that was also brand new!

I know they were brand new because I had to put them together. When you get these stamps - you actually have to put the rubber stamp on one side of the wooden piece and then put the sticker on the top. I was so excited to find these! I had a friend that sold "Stampin' Up" stuff but it was WAY TOO expensive for me. I bought a multi-colored ink pad once - trying to help her out but even though I loved a lot of what they have - we just could not afford any more of it. So like I said when I found these awesome stamps I just could not resist.

Oh - I also went by Bath and Body Works today. They are having an awesome sale - so if you live near one you may want to check it out. There are some of their things for 75% off. One of the main reasons why I went there was they have their Wallflowers on sale and I wanted to get some refills for the two that we have. I got a coupon for a free item the next time I spend $10.00 so I am thinking I will have to get back up there and buy a couple more of the wallflower refills and that way I can get my free thing! I LIKE FREE!

See ya'll tomorrow! :o)

Newest, Favorite Cleaning Tool and a Question

The past 6+ years I have struggled with keeping my appliances in my kitchen clean. I would try to clean them and end up with them somewhat cleaner but not clean and sparkly. Well a friend suggested that I use the Mr Clean Magic Erasers to clean my flat top stove. She said it worked great. So I tried it and I was pretty impressed. I still use the white cleaner ever so often but on the day to day - I use the eraser. Well today I was fed up with how dirty my white appliances looked - so I got my Magic Eraser out and got to work. I sprayed some pine sol stuff on the appliances first and then wiped them down. I am amazed at how very nice they look! I wish I had have tried this years ago. Just think how nice my kitchen could have looked - all this time! So this will be a product that I keep on hand. I will have to actually read the directions on my next box and see what other magic I can make around my house!!
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Well I finished reading "Farmer Boy" last week. It was such a great book! I loved learning all sorts of lessons for real life and not only that but seeing how their lives were like back then. I really enjoyed it. Then I started the next book -" On the Banks of Plum Creek." As I have read these books, I have come to the conclusion that every child should have these books in the "To Read" books list. There are so many important lessons and also gives great examples of how to parent your children. There is so much wholesome information in these books - it would be well worth the time spent. If I could go back to the first year that I started homeschooling my boys - that were in 4th and 6th grades, I would have had us read through these books - with a few other activities added in and Math for sure. Anyway it is always so much easier to realize what you SHOULD have done - once it is done.

I have a question for you "Little House" fans. I notice on the back of the books that it looks like they suggest you read "These Happy Golden Years" before you read "The First Four Years" is that right? And if so, what is the reasoning there?

Also I found a fun website that has some quizzes on the different books. I took the quiz on "Farmer Boy" and got 10/10!! Yay! The link to this page is here.

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Well I think that I have posted enough for one day so I better get off of here. I have eggs to gather and a little creek to "make" for my chickens! Ya'll have a good evening! :o)

A New Passion for Gardening

Well I think that I have a new passion for gardening! I used to be very nervous about doing the wrong thing and messing up a garden, but I have about decided that gardening is all about trial and error. If something doesn't work - try something else. And if it means planting some plants and then figuring out that the set up that you have for them is not very good - dig them up and move them. They will be so much happier when they get to their new place! As I was typing that I realized that it is the same with me - Sometimes I think I am happy just the way I am and God knows better. He knows that I would be much happier if I reflected His character and he "transplants" me -and going through it is not always fun but the end result - is well worth it.

OK - back to gardening- Look what I found today:

I actually already had this and have had it for several years. I knew that I wanted to sometime sit down with this kit and see what I could come up with. Just had too many things in life going on and this was not a priority at the time. Anyway - this kit has all sorts of cool things in it.
It has this awesome book - that has photos of some of the greatest landscaping I have seen, like little bits of heaven here on earth!

Then it has all these photos of different flowers, trees, shrubs and all - these pop out so that you can set them up and design your own landscape. And the most awesome thing about these - is the fact that they have the names of what they are on the back. So you can really plan what you want and how it would look like in your space.

It also has a soil testing kit. I had totally forgotten about this. I thought this was really neat. A lot of times the reason why something is not growing very well is because it does not have the nutrients that it needs. And many books and the Internet(I am sure) will tell you what different plants need.

Well I am off to do some research on different herbs and what they need so I will be able to figure out the best place for an herb garden. This will be a new adventure for me - I have not really used very many fresh herbs before - but I have wanted to try.

Week-end Wrap Up

This week end has been busy for us. There was some time for rest and relaxation though and that is good. Yesterday evening my husband and I went out to the lake and fished for a while. Actually too long of a while. I fished for a while - I caught two fish. Below is a photo of one of the fish that I caught! Then I read some in one of my gardening books. It inspired me to want to start an herb garden. And gave me a lot of helpful information. It was a good thing that my sister called me because my husband ended up fishing till almost 10:30pm. And can you believe that it was 93 degrees at 10pm?! At least there was a breeze now and then. You know how in the Little House books - Laura talks of a creek running past her house. Well we have a creek bed in our back yard. Not actually, but the way that the land was cut- if it rains a good amount or if I set the hose out - there will be a creek. I love it! And my chickens love it. I try to make a little creek at least during the hot days. They enjoy picking things out of the water and then they really like the wet cool earth after the water has been absorbed. And it really does not take very much water to make them happy campers.

I transplanted my strawberry plants into the washing tubs that I found last week. I had been nervous about doing the transplant because the containers that we had the strawberries in were pretty big and I just did not know if I could handle the holding the plant gently and then turning it all over and all the jazz. Well thank goodness I had not watered it for a couple of days cause it came right out and it was not very much trouble at all. I had to go shovel up some dirt into a bucket and bring it to finish filling up the tubs. I had to do this several times each. Even though I had already shoveled up dirt to fill the tubs half way. When I was done - I watered the thirsty plants. They are already looking a little better than they were. One of the plants was looking pretty bad.

I also shoveled out about 6-7 buckets of stuff out of the chicken coop. I had worked on it a little earlier in the week and did not realize there was that much more to get. Boy was I hot! Sweating big time! It is nice to have the job done though. I do need to just plan on doing it ever so often and that way it is not such a big job.

I cooked a big roast and we invited our son and his wife and baby(of course) for supper. My husband helped Oldest with pulling the engine out of his VW Bug. They will be working on it off and on this next week. We are hoping to get it running since right now the only vehicle that they have is a Dodge truck and he has to drive and he has quite a drive to work. So we are hoping that the bug will help save him some money and wear and tear on the truck.

Oh- and if you did not think that my week-end has been fun enough so far - this evening after I write this; in fact, I will be putting the sealer down on the grout in between the tile on our bathroom floor. Then this next week I will spend some time sanding the tape and bedding that has been done in our sun room. I decided that I needed to just take over some jobs and that way it could move along faster - if I could get some of the things done while he was at work ~or fishing :O)

Well I hope that you all have had a great week-end! And that you made Father's Day a special day for those Father's out there!

What is your Anchor?

Today I heard a great sermon. And what is really cool is that a couple of other blogger's ended up writing similar posts today. They are both great writers. I think you will enjoy what Susan and Debra had to say.

There are so many things that we can have as our Anchors: career, money, a spouse, family, friends, you name it - it could be someone's Anchor. But it is very dangerous for us to put any of these things or any earthly things as our Anchors - We can not be truly happy if we do so.

It all comes down to this - IF God is my anchor then I can have nothing- or lose any of the above and still be ok(may take some time - of course.) But if I don't have God- I could have everything and still not be happy.

So if I have God, I could have everything or nothing and still be happy! But without God as my Anchor - NO true happiness.

I really think that this is a lesson that God has wanted me to learn. And I think I am finally getting it. I mean seriously - I hear a great sermon about it - then I read the two posts above.
How could I have possibly missed the message? lol

It is super late and I am hoping that this post makes sense. If not in the morning - I may just have to tweak it but for now. This is how I will leave it. May we all put God first!!

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalms 91:1

What great promises!! :O)

It's Friday!!

This morning ~ My squirrel was back! I was so happy to see him! It has been a while since I had seen one eating out of the feeder. We had a blue bird make a nest in one of our bird houses. Well this blue bird was VERY territorial. I mean she/he - don't know did not want any other birds any where near the birdhouse and certainly not a squirrel. Even though the squirrel feeder is on a totally different tree. Anyway I am so glad to have gotten to see my squirrel. I am hoping that the little family or Wrens come back this next time because I LOVE those birds and they are so sweet and kind, and best of all they mind their own business.

Today I had to go get groceries. The store sure was full of people. I went to Krogers first and as I walked outside(from being in the cool store) the heat from the sun just warmed me so quick - and at first if feels so good. Like a special warming from God. Of course, after a while all of you gets hot and it is not such a good feeling. But it was neat while it lasted. Then I went to Walmart - this store was full. I guess I forget that during the summer a lot of people go there for the coolness. On the way home, I felt so thankful for everything. This morning a blog friend said that she did not have AC in her vehicle. And I felt for her - it would be miserable to have to run all the errands that she runs without AC. This is just one of the things that I think that we take for granted. I know I am so thankful to have AC in my car and in my house. Those two things make life so much better.

This last week I found two wash tubs at the Goodwill. I bought them and am planning on transplanting my strawberry plants into them. I am wondering if any of you ladies out there have ever used them for planters and if so, should I make holes in the bottom for drainage or does it do OK without drainage? This is something new to me. But I knew that I wanted a bigger patch of strawberries so I was glad I found them.

I Love Baby Frogs and More

Today I was watering our flowerbeds in the front yard and I had a special surprise! I found several baby frogs. I LOVE baby frogs. I always have. They have a special place in my heart. I was about to get a photo of two of them!

Boy - it takes a lot of energy to get photos of this little guys that don't want their picture taken. Along with some tall grass in the way, it was quite a chore but I just had to get a photo of them.

I also spent some time today cleaning out the floor of our chicken pen. Ever so often we have to shovel stuff out of there - you know what I am talking about so I will just leave it at "stuff." LOL :O) I will probably spend a little bit of time out there finishing it up tomorrow. Today I had to go to work and I have several errands to run after work.

I decided today that I need to be more organized. One of my errands today was to run by the store to get cards - for Father's Day. Well I will need to start taking care of those type things the week before - not a couple of days before. Now the card I am sending to my Dad will more than likely not get there till after Father's Day. I will try to call him sometime this week end. It just really irritates me when I do things like this. It is like all of a sudden a holiday will sneak up on me. And when I wait till the last minute to take care of that type of thing it is not as fun. So I am going to do my best to be prepared for the next holiday.

Ok - I have a little pet peeve. Today I was getting gas and a guy came up to me wanting to sell me something, some cool thing for Father's Day. Well this really bothers me. When I am getting gas - I do not want someone to talk to me unless they know me. And what really irritates me is that they can not take a hint when you tell them - no I do not have time. And then they continue to press until I had to tell him - NO I am not interested. If I want something - I will come to you. If you come to me - I will more than likely tell you no. Is this a pet peeve to any of you ladies? Or would you like to share what your pet peeve is?

One of my Favorite Songs

May He Find me Faithful

Today during my devotions, I learned something new that was such a blessing to me and I wanted to share with you.
I was reading through all the things that Paul had went through(at least the list that the Bible shares with us)

"24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods , once was I stoned , thrice I suffered shipwreck , a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily , the care of all the churches." 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

As I read - I just could not imagine going through so much. Well a little later in my reading - this verse popped out at me:

"28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Did you realize that Paul, the very same one who had endured this list above, wrote this verse as well? Well for me it had never clicked before that it was the same person. After I realized this - it really put Romans 8:28 into perspective for me.

The last couple of years have been very rough on me. Somethings I have shared here and some things I have chosen not to share. When a lot of bad things happen , especially in a short time period, it is easy to start feeling sorry for yourself. Don't get me wrong - I totally believe that when you go through tough times you need to allow yourself to feel the feelings that you have, grieve if you need to, just don't continue to dwell on the negative side of things.

It was such a blessing for me to realize that the person that had written Romans 8:28 really did understand and know about hard times. And yet he stayed faithful to God. And he realized why God has allowed these things to happen to him. When he was in prison and expecting to be executed he wrote:

"7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Isn't that awesome! God is so good! There are so many treasures and gems in the Bible just waiting to be found!

A Little Something on Marriage

This was something sent in one of the groups that I am a member with. And as I read it - it really touched my heart. And I wanted to pass it along. I don't know for sure the source, as I looked it up I found several different versions. Anyway I hope it touches your heart as well.
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MARRIAGE

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand
and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate
quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her
know what I was thinking. I want a divorce.. I raised the topic
calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me
softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the
chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we
didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to
find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give
her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't
love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which
stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my
company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had
spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt
sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take
back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried
loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me
her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which
had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing
something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to
sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an
eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did
not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want
anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce.
She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as
normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his
exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our
broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me
to recall how I had carried her into our bridal room on our wedding
day.

She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out
of our bedroom to the front door every morning.. I thought she was
going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted
her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions.. . She laughed
loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies,
she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully..

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention
was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first
day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is
holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain.
From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked
over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said
softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling
somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait
for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on
my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that
I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time.. I realized
she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face,
her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a
minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy
returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to
me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy
was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier
to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout
made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few
dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my
dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so
thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in
her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom
out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an
essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come
closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was
afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her
in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to
the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I
held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I
held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to
school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life
lacked intimacy.

I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking
the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I
walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry,
Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you
have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I
said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because
she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we
didn't love each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried
her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until
death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then
slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove
away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my
wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and
wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my
face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with
Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted
to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case
we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son---
I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a
relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in
the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but
cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your
spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build
intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close
they were to success when they gave up.

A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A
LIFETIME.

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God
has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6

Can't come up with a Title for this one..lol :o)

Hello my friends~
This past week-end, in between a couple of trips to the lake to fish, we did actually get a few things done around the house.

When my oldest son moved out - he left part of his things here in the closet. Well with all our remodel projects going on we have a few extra boxes of things in my sewing room, like a couple of boxes from our bathroom and then when summer got here I packed up all my winter things. I have way to many winter things and have decided that when fall gets here I will go through those boxes and narrow it down to just what I really like. There is no need having a lot of things that I really don't like or use. Anyway so my sewing room has been quite cluttered. And I have really wanted to keep it nice and organized so I can work in there easily.

So this week end we went through the stuff in the closet and we packed up a few more things that were not in boxes already and we labeled the boxes with his name on them. And we hauled them up into the attic. Then we put my boxes of winter clothes into the closet. Along with a couple of shelves of toys and books for our granddaughter, Hailee! The room is not back to being really organized but I will be working on it some more this week to finish it up. I can not wait till it is done and looking nice.

Last week I did go through a few boxes of things of ours and I made a few piles - for my Mom, my sister, and a local thrift store. So I was able to get rid of 2 large trash bags plus a few smaller Walmart bags of things out of the house, along with a VCR and a small bag of books. It feels good to bless others. I will slowly go through more things and get rid of more things we are not using. And organize things better around here.

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Last week when we went to "The Little House on the Prairie: The Musical" inspired me that I/we really want to do more fun things. Life gets kind of dull when all you are doing is the same old thing all the time. There needs to be fun outings to look forward to. And what is so cool is that it does not have to cost a lot of money. Anyway I have made a list of a few things that I want to do through out this next year. I am having to say next year because some of the things do not come up for a while.

Here is the start of my list:

Check out some antique stores in the area

Zoo

Local Museum - has a Leonardo Di Vinci exhibit going on

Stock Show

the Fair(even though it is in a rough neighborhood in a BIG city)

At least one Quilt Show

Check out some of the State Parks that we don't usually go to

go to the Parades that a town nearby has - at Christmas Time and 4th of July 

Botanical Gardens

Japanese Gardens

at Christmas time a local town has a park that they really do up big time with Christmas lights and they have a walking trail - I want to do that

 
I will also be looking to see what all things are available to do. I have signed up with one of the towns in the area that does special things - that way I will have a heads up of activities that they have going on.

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Well I am also happy to report that I think the funk that I was in, for a few weeks - maybe a few months, seems to be gone. At least to a dull roar - were I feel joy, peace, and contentment many time now - not all the time but most of the time. I think there are times in your life that will be really hard and I think you have to give yourself the permission to grieve if you need to. There is no need to stick your head in the sand and pretend there are no problems at all. I think we do ourselves a disservice when we try to squish our problems down and pretend we don't have any. We will end up with health problems or we may end up just one day having had enough and totally lose it. Maybe I am exaggerating here - I don't know for sure. I just know for me - it has helped me come a long ways. Like the Bible says there is a season for everything - you will not always be happy but the good news is that you will not always be sad either. Praise the Lord!
*Photo above - a new rose in my rose garden in the back yard!! :O)

More Time out at the Lake

Well my husband had such a good time yesterday that he wanted to go fishing again today. This time I remembered my camera. I really do need to see if I can figure out how to use it to its fullest potential. I LOVE the first photo though - I think it turned out really nice.

Oh - I wanted to share a photo of one of the fish that my husband caught. Isn't it a pretty fish? Oh and I also saw several really pretty butterflies. A black and orange butterfly, one that looked like it would fit into autumn with its orange, brown and tan, and a really pretty,big black and yellow butterfly. Of course, they were on the move so I was not able to get a photo of them. I was hoping to get a picture of them to share, but it did not happen.

What An Awesome God We Have

There is something about being out in nature that makes me feel closer to God.

Yesterday on the way out to pick up my friend, God blessed me with 5 miles of really pretty country side. Which was great since the rest of the drive was in a big city. There were a couple of miles where the green trees seemed to envelope the road. I love roads like that. It seems to soothe my soul.

Today my husband and I went to a local state park for a picnic and to go fishing. I am so thankful for a nice shade tree that was right were we were fishing. We set up our nice red, white and blue camping chairs in the shade. I love these chairs and the drink holder that is on the arm rest. It was quite warm with temps in the mid 90's and I am sure that the heat index was higher.

I have discovered that fishing takes a lot of skill. I used to think you just put the hook in the water and then a fish would bite it and you would have the fish. If only it were that easy... As you have already guessed - I did not catch anything this time around. But once before at this same lake I caught my first fish(as an adult anyway) and it was so funny because when I went to hold it for a photo - I had my thumb on one side of it and my finger on the other side and the fish peed. Yes - fish pee! I thought that was the coolest thing. Of course, my family weren't quite as impressed. I absolutely love being in nature. Seeing and experiencing things that are not every day routine things.

I would fish for a while and then sit in the shade. We were blessed with a gentle breeze ever so often. And I enjoyed the sound of the water rushing up to the bank. I love the sound of water rippling. It is probably one of my favorite sounds. It is so relaxing.

Well and wouldn't you know it - I forgot my camera. I took a few photos with my cell phone but as you can tell I did not get very many good ones. I picked out the best ones to share. I will really have to remember to start taking my camera with me when I go places.

As I sat in the shade of the tree, I was reminded how awesome it is that I serve God! The one that created our world in 7 literal days!! I guess that is why I feel closer to God out in nature. However; Nature is not my God, although to some it seems to be. No -my God is the Creator God! The God that not only created this world but also sent His son to this sinful world(after sin came into the world) in order to die on the cross for our sins. What an awesome God I serve! And as I sat out in the beautiful scenery - I could only try to imagine what God intended this world to look like -without sin. One day we will know and I am so thankful for that.

I want to make it more of a priority to spend more time outside in the world that God gave us. And more time with God.

I hope you all are having a good week end so far! :o)

All photos were taken today at the state park - by cell phone - next time I will try to take camera and get photos.

Real...Or Just Acting

Lately, I have been thinking about actors. There have been some actors that I have really liked, but as I thought about it, I realized that they were just doing their jobs, acting - playing a part. That was not who they actually were. There are people who get paid big bucks to help these actors with their image.

About a year ago, I experienced some disappointment. I had really liked an actress. She had played a very wholesome role for quite some time. I looked her up to see what other shows she had acted in to see if I could find some other good quality shows. I was SO disappointed. She had acted in a really raunchy show -well what it was about - was that way. The illusion was gone - I realized that what I had really liked was the role she played.

What I think is SO very sad is that there are young girls (I am sure young guys as well but I will stick with talking about the girls in this) that are "in love" with an actor. And truthfully what they are "in love" with is the role that the actor is playing. A lot of thought is put into how to portray these actors - in order to get more attention. The more people that are "in love" with the image- the more money that is made on the movie(or whatever.) What is so sad about this fact is that it sets up these young girls (and even young ladies,women) for failure. For you see, they think that every relationship is so romantic and loving - or what ever the ideal characteristic is it that they are "in love" with. Many times these roles - have all the positive attributes and don't show any flaws. So these young people get the idea that there are "perfect" mates out there for them. When the truth is - that everyone has their faults. We bring our own faults into a relationship as does our mate.

But there is Good News: There is someone out there that is perfect and will never let you down. It is Jesus Christ! He is who He is and who He has always been.


"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

Heb 13:8

He is real and I like that!!

"Little House on the Prairie: The Musical"...Our Experience

Last night was the big night to go see "The Little House on the Prairie: The Musical." I got a few photos that I wanted to share. I am sorry that the quality is not all that great. I was using my camera on the phone. By the way, I am so very thankful to have a camera on my cell phone, because without it I would not have gotten the following photos.

Our seats were on the Upper Level - meaning on the 5th floor. I thought it was so cool because they had a nice little balcony that we could go out onto - to look around. I am sure many people used this for a smoking balcony, but I for one enjoyed the view.

Here is the view from our seats. I was so very thankful that we got seats where we did. Oh I know that a lot of people would have rather have been down on the floor level - and if we had have gotten those seats - I would have been totally thrilled but since we did not - I think we got the next best thing. See there was this section that was sitting directly below our section and they were much closer to the edge. And I did not want to sit close to the edge. It already seems like it would be SO very easy to fall over the edge. Now as far as I know, I have never seen or heard a news story talking about someone falling to their death from over the edge at this building. lol

Here is a halfway decent photo of the ceiling in the building. I thought it was so pretty.

Here is the view at the intermission. I just had to go out and see what it looked like at night. This time I was on the other end of the balcony. I was pleasantly surprised that there was somewhat of a cool breeze. It was so pretty to look around at the view at night.

And I could not have this post without one of the prettiest things about this building. There is actually an angel at the other end as well - to your right. But I could not from where I was get a photo of both angels in the same photo and get this good of a photo of the angel.

Ok - so what did I think of the show? Well first of all I would like to say that it really inspired me to want to keep reading my "Little House" books. You see - I have seen all of the "Little House..." tv shows - from beginning to end. And I enjoyed them and now I saw the Musical. And I know that both have gone off of the original story some what - I was going to say a reason but truthfully I don't know for sure why they would - maybe to make the story more interesting - or something but I know that these that I have seen are not really accurate to what the actually facts are. So I am looking forward to continuing reading through these books. I am about halfway through "Farmer Boy" - as you can tell I have been quite busy lately and have not had a chance to do a lot of reading of this book lately.

Oh and a cool fact that I don't know if I shared yet or not but Melissa Gilbert played "Ma." That was really cool because when she came out everyone clapped! (Note to self - I have another post planned - but don't have time to write it out right now. - just in case I forget)

I thought that going to this show was an awesome experience, but I am SO glad that it was free to us. Because I could not see us paying the $60.00 that it would have cost us - probably plus a bit more for other charges. I am too cheap/frugal to spend that much money on something like this. I think if for some reason I had spent that much money - I would have had HIGH expectations. So it was SO nice to get to go and just enjoy what it was.

Now since we got this little bit of culture - as my husband would say - I am really wanting to go to a local museum to see an exhibit they have there of an artist. I am hoping maybe in the next couple of weeks we can go.

Well I just wanted to share a little bit of the experience with you all. I am tired today - we did not get home till late and then got to bed even later. Then I had to work for about 4 - 5 hours today for my son. So I am needing to get off of here to work on getting a menu together and a grocery list and that way when I get off of work tomorrow I can go get us some groceries!

Ya'll have a great evening! :o)

My Lucky Day...

Well today is the BIG day!! Tonight is the performance of "The Little House on the Prairie: the Musical" - that I won tickets for! Yay! I was asking friends what I should wear to something like this and got a lot of responses, my favorite by far was - overalls, nice button down shirt and a straw hat! Although I will not be following this advice. haha I couldn't even if I wanted to - I don't have overalls. Oh well! :O)

It still amazes me that God blessed me with the tickets to the very show that I had seen some advertisement for about 6 months ago for and had really wanted to go. It is such a blessing. I just looked up the prices - it would have cost us $30.00 for one ticket, a total of $60.00. And THAT is for the upper level - the furthest away, the cheapest tickets. WOW!! God really does care about the little details.

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This is a photo of our two youngest cats. We got them when they were tiny babies - maybe not even 6 weeks old yet. This was taken when they were probably about 6 months old or so. The gray one is Dewie and the black one is Stewie. They a little over 2 years old now.

Well Stewie - the black cat has an eye infection, it is a pretty bad infection. His poor eye was swollen shut and that side of the face was pretty puffy as well. Well yesterday my husband and son took both of the boys to the vet. They needed their shots as well. So we have two different eye meds. to give to Stewie along with a pain med to give him by mouth. I think he is slowly getting better.

Here is a more recent photo - well in the last 6 months or so. they are small cats - well compared to our cat named - "Tiggy."

I will have to take a photo of Tiggy so you will know what I mean about him being a big boy.

Well this has been a very busy week for me. My son is helping out with the VBS program that our church is having this week. So I have been covering for my son at the store on the grill every day - and will continue to do it every day the rest of the week. Along with several different errands that I had to run today, then our program that we are going to go to tonight.

Oh I wanted to share something that I think it just neat. I like to use Paul Mitchell sculpting foam. Well it is expensive and I try to use it sparingly. Well this last week the top of mine broke. And it was very hard to use it. So I took it back to the lady that cuts my hair(also where I bought it from) and asked her if there was a chance that maybe I could get another top for it and she took the bottle and gave me a brand new one! Yay! That was cool. The one I had was about half way empty.

On my way to go take care of the P.M. Foam - I stopped by Taco Bell and got me lunch and decided to go to a local park and eat my lunch. Well I was going to park in a certain area but when I pulled in I felt like I was suppose to park right here to the left. So I did. And I look over to my left and at the corner of the parking area in a bunch of grass was a one dollar bill! Yay - it must be my lucky day! I have not found money in quite a while.

So all in all - it has been a pretty good day. Hope you all have had a good day as well. :o)