awaking my spirit

I have been doing a lot of thinking today, thinking about my life and the way things are going for me and my family. for the last few years we have been feeling over whelmed with so many changes in our lives. Several years ago we moved into a home that Alan grew up in, his Dad built it many years ago before Alan was even born and it is in desperate need of repairs, every time we look around we find more things wrong with it, every time we do something that improves our home a little more, the more things we find wrong with it. We are not rich people, we have made many mistakes in our past that has lead to poor credit and a fear to apply for any type of loan, we struggle along making the changes we can afford little by little. Everyday it feels like we are just barely keeping our heads above water, there are so many responsibilities on us and so many tasks to accomplish and so many people who always seem to need our help. For several years now we have been putting the house and other peoples needs before our own, we rarely get to do the things we used to enjoy, we don't take road trips, we don't go to amusement parks or the beach in the summer. We stay home muddling through the daunting tasks that our new home has required of us and never really able to see where much progress has been made for all of our hard work and NEVER feeling like we have the time to rest. The most difficult thing that I used to worry about was what other people thought, how even our own Family sometimes do not understand why or how we don't just change the the way our house is, but I am not going to worry about that any longer,

Our house is not perfect but, it is our home!

Inside the walls of this dwelling is a home filled with love, a family within it's less than perfect frame work that cares about one another and that's what makes it home.

But, You know I am learning that the biggest reason we feel so stressed and over whelmed, the reason we don't see those changes that we are working so hard for and the reason we feel so unsettled and without rest is that we have put all these things before God...

its like being knocked in the head and waking up to say WOW what did I do?

So from now on, I am putting all of my needs into Gods hands and I know he will show us the way.

God wants us to have what we need and if God thinks we are where we should be at this time in our life, well then I am accepting of that and when he feels that we have proven ourselves to him, well I know in my heart that he will remove these burdens from us... I know, I have a lot of proving to show to God and it is about time I realize that and work hard to please him first, then I believe everything else will fall into place as it should.

Thank You God for opening my eyes to the root cause of all our struggles!

and I already know you have forgiven me because you are wonderful like that, from now on I want to put you first and ask for your guidance on all of the decisions we make because I know we can not go wrong when we do!

Thank You for awaking my Spirit!

Early Morning Thoughts

There is always something special about the quiet solitude that the early morning has to offer, I enjoy this little bit of time for thinking and preparing myself for the day ahead. I believe that God gives me this gift of quiet time in the morning because as the day unfolds we become so busy, so preoccupied with the days events and when evening approaches we are just too tired and our minds are so active with thoughts of the things we have done throughout the day and of what will need to be done tomorrow. There is no other moment in the day that offers this kind of peace and it is a gift from God that I cherish each morning!

Bandit

Unfortunately Sheba did not work out for us, she was an older dog who was set in her ways and at times not very nice, she would growl and occasionally snap at us when we would try to play with her or discipline her for something she did wrong and with a young child in the house that was not a chance we could afford to take so, We have had to take her to the animal shelter where she could be evaluated and we hope placed with a proper home where she will fit in.
Robin was so upset, she has wanted an animal to call her own for a very long time and had a hard time accepting that Sheba was not the one for her or Ryan.
We understood that heartache and talked to her about finding a puppy that would grow up with Ryan and be trained to be the dog that would be good for our family so, she combed the newspaper for a few days and found this adorable little sheltie puppy, he is 5 months old and just as sweet as can be!
We have taken him in and he is getting along great with Hunter our Golden Retriever and Bandit just's adores Ryan, They are playing together as I write this, So.... I think I had better go check to see if my living room is still intact!
A New puppy and a two and half year old can create alot of damage very quickly!

Goodbye Pogie

Today was a sad day, I found out that one of my good friends lost her little dog. Pogie was such a cutie and whenever I would go visit,(and I am really sorry, it has been too long now) pogie just thought I was there to see him...no one else just him! I remember Pogie in the winter, When he would get cold and he had his very own blanket that he would crawl under and just peek is cute little face out from under it and how he loved McDonald's Hamburgers!
Pogie had a wonderful home with Robin and Craig, He was not their dog... He was their child and was very loved by his family, Robin and Craig, Please know you are not alone in your grief. So many people will miss this sweet little guy and I am one of them.
Goodbye sweet pogie, may you rest in peace under your favorite Red bud tree!

Baby Bunnies

These are the babies that were born October 31, The little cinnamon colored one is my favorite! I still have to come up with a name for him though.

It is such a blessing to me to watch these animals be born and grow up, I think that is my favorite part of having animals and the babies are always so dear!

Enjoying Nature

These are some of the beautiful sights that I enjoyed tonight on my way to the barn for the evening chores!

Thanksgiving Day and Christmas with Mom

The Family all gathered for Thanksgiving and we ate a wonderful meal of Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and gravy, Stuffing, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Corn, Dinner Rolls, Apple sauce and Cranberry sauce. Everyone was so full from dinner that desert did not really get eaten but we had Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, cookies and Birthday cake for Robin, TJ and Paul.

Mom and Paul will be leaving for Florida and will not be here for Christmas so we exchanged our gifts with them last night.
Alan, Robin and I made gift baskets for everyone with Home made goodies, Lavender heat packs that I made, Goats milk soap, Home made Potpourri and bath salts, Home canned Apple sauce and Apple butter, Home made Hot Chocolate mix and Home made shake & bake seasoning. We included home made candies and ginger bread men and a prayer rock with a poem.

The gifts we received were very nice!

Amanda made Home made trail mix that is excellent and she had it packaged so pretty! She also made Robin and I a very pretty necklace with stars and moon beads for me and a pretty blue and silver one for Robin.

Mom and Paul gave me a dear daughter locket that is beautiful and some bath items. They gave Alan and I a new piece for our Christmas village set too!

Linda and Bernie gave me a Celtic Christmas CD set and a wonderful smelling candle with a very nice tin star candle holder!

Alan got an Eagle Blanket, a winter hat, Gloves, a couple pair of insulated socks and some axe cologne.

Robin got a necklace and some bath items and money.

Ryan got a few new outfits and alot of toys!

after we opened our gifts everyone put their coats on and we headed off to the barn to see the animals, that was alot of fun! Mom collected the eggs and the Turkeys were a big hit with everyone. they all took turns holding the rabbits and loved the baby rabbits especially.
We had such a wonderful day together with Family, Plenty of food and good times but most important... time spent together!
I wish times like this would last longer and be more frequent throughout the year!

The most unfortunate part of the whole day was that I got so busy I forgot to take pictures, so I don't have any to share.

After everyone left I was so exhausted though and sleep came very easy!

This weekend we plan to bring the Christmas decorations up from the top of the barn and start decorating for our favorite Holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you a day filled with good food, fun and the company of family and friends.

Thanksgiving Meal

I have been baking and getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, We will have 12 people here for dinner. We also have Christmas with my Mom and Sister because my Mom will be in Florida for Christmas, so I have also been busy making gift baskets for them too!

Our dinner menu for Thanksgiving is not gourmet but it is our traditional foods;

Turkey

Stuffing

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Sweet potato Casserole

Green bean Casserole

Corn

Home made cranberry sauce

Home Canned Peaches

dinner rolls

Pumpkin pie

Crumb topped Apple pie

and we celebrate three Birthday's, My Daughter's Birthday Nov. 20, My Nephew and Step Father's Birthday on November 23, so we always have a Birthday cake for all three of them at our Thanksgiving dinner.

I love having everyone together and I really enjoy doing all the cooking!

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone! Wishing you a great day with all your Loved ones!

Happy Birthday Robin

Happy Birthday, Robin...

I Wish I Could Give You Everything

Another year has passed.

I look at you and wonder where the time has gone.

You have grown and matured into a beautiful young woman;

you are a precious and essential part of my life.

My pride in you is unsurpassed,

and the happiness that you bring to me is unending.

You are like a precious gift that keeps on giving,

and you have fulfilled my life in unique and wonderful ways.
I know that I can count on you,

for you are helpful, dependable, and trustworthy.

Your smiles and laughter light up my life,

and there's no one else I'd rather spend time with.

May your birthday bring deep happiness to you,

like you have brought to me.

May you have peace, love, faith, a sense of humor,

and an optimistic attitude.
May you appreciate and notice all of your blessings

and find joy in all of the wonderful little things life offers.

I wish that I could give you everything you could ever want,

and guarantee you health, safety, and joy.

But all that I can promise you is my love

unconditional, complete, and forever.

- Barbara Cage

Happy Birthday, Daughter

Gingerbread Men

"Run, run, as fast as you can!You can't catch me!I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

Gingerbread Cookies

1 C. shortening melted
1 C. sugar
1 1/4 C. molasses
2 eggs slightly beaten
5-5 1/2 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 t. ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. cloves
Melt shortening, cool slightly. Add sugar, molasses and eggs and mix well.
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add to shortening mixture and mix well to form a firm dough. Knead dough just a little if necessary.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with cutters.
Bake 6-10 minutes at 375°F.
One recipe will yield about 40 average size cookies.

This was a great Family activity!

Thanksgiving Reflections

This is it, the week before Thanksgiving! So much to do, so much to prepare....Its enough to make you feel exhausted just thinking about it!

As I spend this week Cleaning the house and making food to lead up to that Big Dinner day I thought I would sit back, take a deep breath and think about what Thanksgiving day is all about anyway!

Thanksgiving is not just about Turkey and all the yummy food that will grace our tables on Thursday... although that is a very good part of it!

It's not about the big parades or the football game, or even running ourselves ragged to prepare a big feast, Thanksgiving is a day to spend time with our Families and a time to reflect on what true blessings we have been given in our life!

So I will list the 10 things I am most Thankful for;

1. My Family

2. Food on my table

3. A Roof over my head

4. Good Health

5. Good Friends

6. Work to keep me busy

7. Living in the United States

8. Freedom to make my own decisions

9. My Farm Animals

10.life in the country

These are just a few things that I am thankful for, there are so many blessing that we are given in this life, which are often just taken for granted...

Thanksgiving should be a day to gather with Family and Friends, sit down to a good meal that was prepared with the labor of love and reflect on the many Blessings that have often been overlooked on most ordinary days!

Robin and Ryan

My Daughter and Grandson!

Freeze your Buns Challenge!

Crunchy Chicken is sponsoring this challenge to reduce our energy needs by turning down the thermostat for winter. check out her blog for energy saving tips plus you can grab your sweaters and blankets and make a pledge to lower your thermostat to help our environment while saving some of the green stuff in your wallet!

What are you waiting for?

Make your pledge today... We did!

New Family Member!

We have acquired another addition to our family..... Meet Sheba!

She had wondered into a car lot and the employees were unable to find her owners after a little while they had managed to find her another home that did not work out, the lady who took her in had other dogs and they did not like Sheba, she was bitten in the neck which required sutures, she also has several bite wounds on her nose.After a trip to a vet she ended up back at the car lot. The employees of the car lot tried to keep her but she kept setting off the alarms at night so they decided she could not stay there. While Alan and Robin were at a football game today, it was announced over the loud speakers for any one interested in adopting a Siberian husky to report to the front entrance. Robin of course could not resist the temptation of getting a Siberian Husky and was the first in line to see her. Well that's it! That is how we came to add Sheba to our growing list of animals.
She seems like a very friendly dog, we gave her a good bath, brushed her and gave her some food. She is starting to fit around here already! Hunter our Golden Retriever is happy to have another four legged companion and they are getting along great!

I think she will find a happy home here with us!

Spending time with Mom

I had a wonderful day yesterday with my Mom! She came here to my home and we made our cinnamon ornaments, which have the house smelling wonderful as they always do! This was Moms first time making the ornaments so I sent the recipe with her when she left.
We also made pomanders and worked on some crocheting and I had some over ripe bananas so, I made three loaves of banana bread that tasted great for breakfast this morning with a cup of coffee.
Mom loves going to the barn and collecting the eggs, she made two trips down to the barn yesterday while she was here, my mom grew up on a farm and misses it terribly, so when she comes I usually wait to do my barn chores until she arrives and I always save the egg gathering especially for her!
I really enjoyed spending the day with her and I hope we can have more days together like we had yesterday!

For Our Veterans and Soldiers

To all the Soldiers past and present,

Thank you for the sacrifices you give to insure our freedom.

May God Bless each of you and keep you safe until you can return home to your families and to the country you love.

and

To those Soldiers that gave all....

May God cradle you in his arms and may you Never be forgotten.

Please remember all our soldiers this weekend as we celebrate Veterans Day on Monday November 12.

They give up everything...... their family, their comfort,their homes and sometimes their lives, so that we may have those comforts and most importantly our Freedom!

and for that I am very grateful!

Its Snowing!

I woke up this morning and made the bed, brought in firewood to stock the wood box because the weather man was calling for rain showers, I saw Alan and Robin off to work and then started a load of laundry. Ryan and I then got dressed and went to the barn for the morning chores.We have one hen who has a touch of pneumonia and is in the hospital area, she seems to be improving with the care I have been giving her but, she is not ready to go back in the coop with the rest of her family yet. The baby bunnies are doing good, we have four left and they now have fur! There are two brown, 1 grey and 1 black
As we were walking down to the barn it was snowing! a beautiful white shower! The snow is melting as it hits the ground but it is pretty to see it fall from the sky!
I am going to use up the rest of the apples to make apple butter today and work on some sewing for Christmas gifts!

NaNa's little man

Ryan is growing so fast and learning new things everyday, he seems to be gaining new Independence almost daily too and that makes me just a little sad. I like him being 2 years old! I know how fast my own daughters grew up and for now I just want Ryan to stay young a little longer!

I love this age, This is the time in a young child's life that is filled with wonder and excitement over everything no matter how big or how small!

He is growing to be quite the little helper, he wanted to carry the egg basket to the barn for NaNa today, he held onto it and said "I Help" That made me feel so proud, He took the basket and put his toy trucks into it and carried the basket to the barn for me. We have been spending many good quality moments together like this one and I treasure each and every one of them!

Power Down!

This morning we had lost our power, I never did find out why but, during those hours that we were with out electric, I learned something very nice.... quiet time, no humming of the refrigerator or the fish tank, no swishing from the washer or tumbling from the dryer just absolute peacefulness! It was a little distracting from my day, as my chores and some projects were forced to be put on hold but, I sat and enjoyed the silence while I did some sewing for Christmas gifts... What an unexpected but very welcome disruption to my life!

Work Boops

This is Ryan showing off his new boots,

I bought these yesterday at a thrift store for $2.00!

they were brand new still in the box!

Ryan calls these shoes his "Work Boops"

of course,

work boops get dirty fast,

especially when you are working around a barn and animals!

These pictures were taken down at the barn when we were cleaning up, so he is a little dirty from helping and playing!

( He was much dirtier by the end of the day!)

We winterized the barn a little more and cleaned out the animal pens. We also got some clean up work done around the outside of the barn and had a nice bon fire going, for lunch I went to the house, made sausage gravy and biscuit's by request and then my nephew TJ came by to visit! not bad for one day. It felt good to stand back and look at what we accomplished today!

Now its time to get our bath's and get dinner on the table, then its time to relax a little!

Chili on a chilly day!

We woke up this morning and went to the feed store, bought our feed for the barn and then it was off to the grocery store where they had a good sale on kidney beans, so since it is a rather chilly day, we have a fire going in the wood stove and home made chili simmering on top!

Now I just have to go make some corn bread to go with it!


And here it is on the table!

I like to add shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream to mine!

Talk about comfort food!

The Farmers Almanac

Do you read the Farmers Almanac?

I do and there are lots of great articles and tips to be learned from the almanac, it even includes some very good recipes!

I have found in the past that the Almanac is usually pretty accurate in its forecasts, here is the long range forecast for November in my area of the country, Lets see how accurate it turns out to be!

November 2007

1st-3rd Fair skies 4th-7th Stormy weather develops over Mid-Atlantic States, early-season snowfall possible, then clearing, cold. Gusty, wet for ING New York City Marathon 8th-11th Light snows rapidly sweep into New England 12th-15th Fair skies persist 16th-19th Squally conditions into Mid-Atlantic States, stormy New England, then clearing, much colder. 20th-23rd Weather deteriorates by Thanksgiving. Fair at first, then turning wet, with rain mixed with snow New England. Cold rain Virginia, Maryland 24th-27th Mostly fair, cold 28th-30th Generally fair weather

If you go to their website you can see the long range forecast for your area as well as read some interesting articles about weather, Gardening, Farming and lots more!

Farmers almanac.com

Happy November!

Well, Its November already, Time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and then Christmas! I started to make my cinnamon ornaments this morning but then realized that my Christmas cookie cutters are packed away with the decorations, So I will have to wait until I have the time to look through the box's in the barn.

My Daughters Birthday is the 20th of this month so, Ryan and I made a print of his hands out of salt dough this morning for him to give to his Mom on her Birthday! This is a picture of it right out of the oven, I just have to let it cool and decorate it with some paint and ribbon.

Ryan has been under the weather this week with a croup cough and has not had much energy, I don't like to see the little ones feeling bad, its so pitiful.

Today is cloudy and calling for rain so, I think it will be a good day to get some house cleaning done!