Oh dear...somehow, some way this month has just flown by! I sure stayed busy through it, and will share with you a bit of it in this post. Last weekend my son and I took his 2 children to King's Island in Cincinnati, Ohio (with the tickets he won from the Hot Dog Eating contest). My goodness, we all had a wonderful time! There were so many rides for the children (and us!), and the children took turns pushing me in a wheelchair, although my son did most of it (he thought it best that I use one since we would be there many, many hours and my legs don't last much longer than a trip to the grocer's these days). Let me share some of our pics with you....
They had fun "meeting" Patrick from Spongebob and Squarepants:
And they got quite wet on Congo Falls:
And I, of course, enjoyed the beautiful landscaping:
On the drive up we went through Amish land, and saw horses and buggies and roadside stands run by the Amish. There were beautiful farms (Amish and non-Amish), and many corn and soybean fields.
We had dinner in the park at Skyline Chili--I had heard so much about it, but none of us cared much for it, unfortunately. We prefer what I make here at home (it's nice to know your family prefers your cooking). All in all it was a lovely day, and one spent relaxing and enjoying our time together as a family.
I do hope you and your family have been enjoying times of joy together this summer!
As usual, there has been quite a bit of activity going on here in my home! Let me share with you last weekend's activities for a moment...
Friday night was the County Fair for us. My youngest son, his 2 children, his ex-wife, and I all loaded up and headed to Milton for the County Fair. We had a wonderful time (I'm sorry--I forgot to take my camera with me that evening!), and the children were completely enthralled with everything. We enjoyed browsing through the 4-H exhibits--everything from home-canned goods and baked goods, to fresh produce and handmade quilts. I was amazed at the skills these precious children had on display! I give a huge thumbs up to their parents and 4-H leaders for taking the time and energy to teach these skills and wonderful qualities to the next generation. I know the time and effort I put into my own grandchildren with these teachings and am always amazed when I see it done on a much broader scale. Hallelujah!
The FFA youth had some great livestock shown. Such beautiful animals and very, very well cared for! My co-worker was able to win a pig during the auction and will enjoy its bounty this winter. I think its great that we can buy meat like this and know who raised it, and know that there are no hormones or other additives given to the animals. Locally raised, free-range, and hormone free--yes, a true blessing! I didn't win anything at the auction this year, but hopefully will next year. She and I have talked about maybe going in together on a cow next year--unless they choose to raise their own instead (they live on a farm in the country). We'll just have to wait and see.
After making it home late that night, we were up early on Saturday for the West Virginia Hot Dog Festival, held downtown here in Huntington. My son entered the Hot Dog Eating Contest, and that was a lot of fun. I did remember my camera that day!!! Let me share some pics with you here....
This was taken before it began. It all looks so nice and neat! The gentleman with the camera behind the table is with a television production company. They are filming a reality series with Jamie Oliver about healthy eating and basing it here in Huntington (I think because we were named the unhealthiest city in America--hmmm). Anyhow, it's supposed to be out this fall on ABC channels, to my understanding. Next...
In the midst of devouring as many hot dogs as possible in the time period of 12 minutes! Slow and steady there, boy! Remember the tortoise and the hare!!!!
THE GRAND CHAMPION!!!!!
Yes, my Robert ate 14 hot dogs on their buns in 12 minutes and was named Champion for 2009! You see his children there--Allen is holding the big trophy that will be kept in Stewart Hot Dog's offices with his name engraved on it, Cayla is holding the trophy he keeps, he's wearing his Champion bib, and I now have the 4 tickets he won to King's Island! He'll also receive a $100 check soon (maybe for the antacid I know he needed afterward???). He was also interviewed by the film crew of the reality show I mentioned earlier and will appear on that this fall. Not bad for a few moments of eating!
Anyhow...on with the weekend. I also managed to make the time to can 14 quarts of pickles. Seven quarts were Kosher Dills and seven quarts were Bread-and-Butter pickles. Whew! Of course, some have already left my home for other refrigerators and pantries, to be enjoyed in a few weeks (if they'll wait that long!), but I did manage to hang onto 4 or 5 quarts here. Seems like every time I can, most of it goes elsewhere. Oh well, as long as its enjoyed and the jars and rings find their way back home I don't mind. It's a blessing to me to share like that. (No, I didn't grow the cukes I used--they were a gift from a customer at work! Hallelujah!).
So, as you can see, things tend to stay a little bit active around here. Tonight I plan to do a bit of writing, tomorrow is a trip to the Farmer's Market in the West End of Huntington, and perhaps a bit more canning tomorrow afternoon, depending on what I find. I'll be freezing some breaded green tomato slices and breaded squash slices tomorrow, for sure, too (gotta love Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Squash when the snow is flying). I also have a bit of ironing to do and some homemaking to be taken care of. Sunday School and Church services on Sunday and then back to work on Monday morning! Whew!
I'll be starting soon on some sewing that is begging to be done. I have some table linens to make (I haven't forgotten, dear Sis!), a quilt to make my granddaughter for Christmas, some aprons to get made that have been requested, and some other goodies for Christmas gifts. Have mercy, if I don't start them now, they'll never be done in time! It's hard to believe this is already the end of July! Yikes!
Well, anyhow, I hope you've enjoyed my sharing here with you and some of the pics from last weekend. Maybe I'll remember my camera tomorrow and take some at the Farmer's Market!
The Legacy of Home blog with Mrs. White is having Today's 20 Things and I thought I'd join in. Here are 20 things I've done today (and its not quite 1:00 p.m. here):
1. Spent time with God, finding out His Will and plans for me today.
2. Had my devotions.
3. Watched the morning news with my coffee.
4. Read emails.
5. Made a pitcher of iced tea.
6. Washed the bathroom walls and fixtures.
7. Cleaned the tub, sink, and necessary.
8. Washed the knick-knacks from the bathroom.
9. Visited with a friend who dropped by, and then another friend joined us, and all 3 of us gals enjoyed chit-chatting together for a little while.
10. Went downtown and picked up 2 cases of bottled water, giving one to a neighbor without a vehicle (free due to a water main break that shut down water to 90% of Huntington and parts of southern Ohio last night--we're now under a Boil Water Advisory until tomorrow morning--and yes, my tea was made with boiled water, my coffee with bottled water I already had).
11. Stopped at the produce stand and picked up some tomatoes, peppers, and cukes.
12. Tidied up in the sewing room a bit.
13. Made my bed.
14. Put away some laundry.
15. Called my son to tell him about the water advisory--no answer.
16. Balanced my checkbook.
17. Watched a home improvement show on the television.
18. Caught up my Day Planner.
19. Planned next week's menus.
20. Read the Legacy of Home blog.
What have you done today? I do hope that first and foremost, you are keeping God in control of everything that you do this day, and every day. Now I'm off to have a bit of lunch and then dust the living room and tackle the floors downstairs! After that, I'll sit down and return a call from a dear friend over in Ohio, have some supper, and then read a bit this evening. Have a blessed weekend!
Buy my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 4:19
This is absolutely one of my favorite verses in the Bible! Every single day of my life I have seen this promise come true--every day! And today was no exception...
My neighbor friend and I took off this morning to the Rummage Sales. We had planned this for a couple of days, as Thursday I saw a sign at the local Catholic church that they were having theirs from 7-1 today. Well, let me tell you, this church really does things up big! Their spaghetti dinners are awesome, their school is one of the best, and they're very active in the community in general. So I just knew their Rummage Sale was definitely not to be missed--and I was right!
For several years I've wanted a Cheval mirror. You know the one I mean...the freestanding head-to-toe mirrors on the beautiful stands. Well, I just couldn't bring myself to spend the $$ for a new one, but kept my desire to myself. Lo and behold, as I was ready to check out there today, I saw the one I've been wanting! Was it $100? No. Was it $50? Nope. It was only $15!!!! Yes, fifteen dollars!!!! Hallelujah! Oh, yeah, you know that right away I checked it out for scratches, nicks, or any other problem, but found nothing wrong with it. And yes, I bought that right then and there, and yes, it did fit in my big ole Cadillac after we took it apart! Woohoo!
However, the deals didn't stop there. Oh, no!!! I got a cast iron corn stick pan for $5 (in perfect condition and well-seasoned--ready to bake in), and 2 Corning Ware glass baking pans (9"x13" and the size smaller with the basket, too) for $2--in new condition, never used. More hallelujahs were going up!
We stopped at a yard sale as we left the church and my friend found a brand-new entertainment center, still unassembled and in the box, for $10 (which she's been wanting very much), and a lovely brass and glass vanity table for her teen granddaughter for $5. Yep, the Lord was truly giving us our needs and desires today!
We continued on to a couple more yard sales and found some more goodies (should I mention all the lamps my friend bought? LOL). For me, a bloomin' onion maker I've wanted for a long time, hair bows on the clips I like to use to keep my hair up (my hair is much longer than the picture in my last post showed--it's layered and that was just the front showing--I'll try to remember to post one showing all of it), lots of summer clothes for my granddaughter and a T-shirt for my grandson (seemed to be a shortage of boy's summer clothes for some reason), a pair of church sandals for me, and a lovely plain white diner cup to go with the one I have from Community Coffee! Some needs, and lots of wants were taken care of today!
We also stopped at a little produce stand and bought some lovely sweet onions for me to use with my new bloomin' onion maker as well as some other beautiful produce and fruit (including some cukes that Carol's going to fry up her special way and bring down to me--if I like them, I'll post the recipe over at Nanna's Kitchen).
We've finally unloaded the car and separated all of our goodies, and I've put most of mine away (the mirror will wait until someone stops by who can help me carry it upstairs), and now I plan to rest a little while and then tackle the laundry (oh yes, I got a new drying rack today for $1--never used!).
I pray you're having a blessing-filled weekend, too!
Oh, yes...here's a pic with 2 of my fav instructors--Mr. Mann in Accounting, and Mrs. Mann in Computers--
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Ahh...Cabin Fever! I have a full understanding of the term now, that's for sure. For those who don't know, my region went through quite a bit of rough weather last week. We had nearly a foot of snow, several inches of ice, and massive power outages which resulted in loss of water for many cities and towns. There are many still doing without, although we managed to get up into the upper 50's on Saturday and the low 50's yesterday. It hasn't been enough to melt all of the snow, though--there are still many areas covered with snow and ice. Trees are down nearly everywhere, and in some places, still across roads, rendering them impassable.
It has been devastating, to say the least, but there have been some silver linings to the dark clouds. Neighbors have been reaching out and helping each other, and this is wonderful! I've noticed many working together to cut up trees and move them out of the way, taking food and water to those doing without, and opening their homes for hot meals and showers to family and friends in need. What a blessing it is, too, to see the many power company trucks from other states who have come in to help! The National Guard is out in Kentucky helping many there, too, and that's a blessing, for sure!
I've also noticed that many children are learning that life does go on no matter what the conditions may be. So many children have become "couch potatoes" (for lack of a better phrase at the moment)--playing video games, watching television, listening to music, etc. However, during the last week I've seen them getting outside and getting some exercise. They've played football in the snow, built snow people, snow forts, etc., and gone sledding and snowboarding. They've learned once again to enjoy board games by candlelight, to listen to stories being told and/or read to them (or read them themselves), and gained a new appreciation of "family gatherings" as they used to be.
My son did manage to get out to work everyday and the children and I stayed here in my home. I was very blessed to have them with me, and the Lord blessed our time together very much. We never did lose power completely, although the lights tried to flicker a few times. We did lose cable service for a while, though, which meant my internet was also down, as well as my phone. However, they came through all of that like little troopers! I don't allow them to watch television very much anyhow, but they did miss seeing Curious George that day! In its place we watched a Veggie Tales movie, though, and they enjoyed that very much.
It was nice to have the opportunity to stay home and cook and clean for my family once again, I must say (although at times I wished I had a dishwasher)! Their school was closed all week, although mine was open on Thursday (I had to miss that day to stay home with the children), and that's okay. We all have excellent teachers and will catch up soon. We did do quite a bit of studying here at home--they worked on words, numbers, and reading and arithmetic, as well as some word search puzzles and other "fun" ways of learning. A dear friend in Tennessee had sent me some homeschooling books and such, and while we've gone through much of it last summer, we still had more to work on last week. I took advantage of many things I found online, as well, and many resources I had downloaded from www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com They have great resources and I check it every weekday to see if the "daily special" is something I can use, either now or in the future. It all came in handy last week!
According to the weather forecasters we have some more snow heading in tonight and on through Wednesday, maybe Thursday. Ouch! However, they are saying the "big storm" that was due to hit us is going to bypass us to the east. I pray it isn't as destructive as the one that hit us last week! It's supposed to go up through Virginia and on up into the New England states. I pray God's hand of protection upon each one who encounters it.
I haven't had a chance to finish this month's Nuggets of Wisdom newsletter just yet due to spending so much time on everything else, but I hope to get it finished and in everyone's inboxes this weekend or the first of next week. I pray everyone has been spending time in God's Word and learning more and more of the treasures to be found there! Have a most blessed week!
Thirteen Things about Cynthia Robin's upcoming week...
1. God is in control!
2. Lots of homework to get done.
3. The "official" growing season is over--we've had our first freeze.
4. The leaves are growing brighter and more lovely each day.
5. Is it really going to snow Sunday night like the forecasters are saying? Yikes!
6. Fall Festivals on the agenda for this weekend.
7. More writing to be done--still working on my Saving & Surviving During Troublesome Times book.
8. 50 cupcakes to bake for Saturday's Fall Festival.
9. Laundry, laundry, and some more laundry to be done.
10. The joy of my grandchildren having a sleepover here Saturday night!
11. Amish Friendship Bread to be baked.
12. Thanking the Lord for the blessing received in the mail yesterday--a dear friend sent lots of lovely clothes!
13. Standing on God's Word and believing for swift healing of my right kneecap that I've somehow injured (I'm able to walk today, praise God!).
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
about a great holiday apron giveaway! Penny Raine is giving away a great holiday apron over at her blog. Just click here: Another Great Holiday Apron Giveaway! This is the cutest apron, made by the lovely folks over at Jumpin' Bloomers (which is also featured in the blog entry--great site!). Today is the last day of the giveaway, though, so jump over there now and check it out!
Are my eyes deceiving me? Is the calendar really saying its August? Oh, my! This summer has just flown by so quickly--whatever happened to July??? Yes, I admit, things have been very, very busy here in my home. Back to school for me 2 weeks after I graduated, my grandchildren out of school for the summer, my son working every day (or so it seems). Not to mention tending to my small garden (its only 9 sq. ft.) and my flower bed, purging my home of unnecessary items, and trying to work on 2 ebooks. Whew! Did I mention email? Yes, tons of it, too!
I admit, my Accounting classes are hard. Very hard. However, I am a firm believer in knowing that if God calls you to something, He'll bring you through it. He will enable you, equip you, and give you the understanding and wisdom that you need in any given situation. And yes, I do have those moments when I have to audibly remind myself of this!
My precious granddaughter was very ill a couple of weeks ago. We nearly lost her due to an infection in her lymph nodes and glands. Thankfully, she did make it to the hospital in time, and after 48 hours of hospitalization with IV's being changed hourly with 3 different antibiotics on rotation throughout her system, she was discharged. However, I will never forget the moment I walked into her room in the ER and she was lying on her side, so weak that all she could do was reach out her little hand and say, "Pray." I did just that, and when I finished she said, "Jesus." She and I stood in agreement with each other that our Lord would bring total and complete healing and restoration to her body and overcome what the enemy meant for death and turn it to the glory of God. Our prayers were answered, and she was blessed to witness about Jesus to many doctors and nurses during her stay in the hospital. It's amazing how our Lord can use a 5-year old child to touch so many lives! Hallelujah!
She is once again her exuberant, energetic self, praise the Lord! She and her brother keep me hopping here, that's for sure! We've done a bit of "homework" this summer--working on letters, numbers, and some reading. My grandson is learning some Math and looking forward to entering 1st grade later this month. Little gal will be entering Kindergarten and is very excited! They are quite a pair and such a joy and a blessing to me every day. I thank my Lord for allowing me to know them and be such an active part of their lives. Hallelujah!
My tomatoes are growing well, finally. We had an outbreak of the 17-year cicadas this Spring, and they ate all of my tomato plants except 1 Big Boy! They also ate on my bell pepper plants, but they have bounced back and are blooming, too. I replaced the tomato plants that were destroyed with heirloom plants--Marglobes. They, too, are blooming, and I should have some lovely produce from all of it by the end of the month. I will be canning and freezing most of it, and also what I pick up at the Farmer's Market. The children and I have been enjoying this season's fresh corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, summer squash and zucchini, watermelon, peaches, blueberries, and much more from the Farmer's Market. What a blessing! I'm so glad my grandchildren love fresh fruits and veggies the way they do!
I am gradually working on this month's issue of the Nuggets of Wisdom newsletter. There is much I want to include, especially with it being back to school time once again. Public and private schools are starting up all over the region here, and many homeschoolers are preparing to open their books once again (although to be honest, homeschoolers never really *stop* their education!). My grandchildren have fun telling their public school teachers they're being homeschooled, too! I've only had 1 that had a negative reaction, and she soon changed her mind about it after spending a couple of days with the children. I'm so glad they are able to reap the benefits of learning in many different ways.
I pray you're having a most blessed summer season, too!
Once again I find myself with time slipping by very, very quickly. It seems as though it was just yesterday that I was posting here, and I look, and its been more than 2 weeks. Yikes!
Life has been busy. That's about all I can say. Between school, taking care of my grandchildren, and helping a friend take care of her grandmother, its hard just finding the time to tend to the work in my homemaking. However, our Lord is generous with His guiding hand, and He is leading me where I need to be with His priorities in mind.
I have closed my online fellowshipping group for the time being. Again, time is a big factor with that. I may reopen it at some point in the future with the Lord's leading, but for now it will remain closed for a while. This was a hard and painful decision for me to make, but since doing so, I'm feeling a tremendous sense of freedom. Perhaps its that the burden of the decision-making is past me now, or perhaps its just knowing that I've freed up a bit more time every day that is so desperately needed. Many of the sisters are keeping in touch with me via private email, and are quite understanding when it takes me a few days to answer them. I am going through the post archives (slowly), and gathering all of the recipes for a group cookbook. I will put it in a nice format, and that will be a treasure for each of them to have and enjoy for many years.
The Nuggets of Wisdom newsletter is way behind schedule, but it, too, will go out soon. The next couple of weeks are filled with Finals and my Graduation, but I am working on it as I can. It will be a double issue, seeing as how I missed putting out the April edition (oops). So the April/May edition should be in your inbox sometime by the middle of June (okay, maybe it will be a triple edition!). I'd rather have it be late and of excellent quality, than on time and mediocre. I'm of the opinion that anything worth doing is worth doing well. My dear Mama taught me that many, many years ago and it still holds true for me to this day.
I've been having some transportation issues lately. My beloved T-Bird is heading to the scrap yard, unfortunately. It seems that the parts needed for it are impossible to find as the car is now considered "obsolete"!!! I nearly cried when the Ford dealership told me that, as I dearly loved my little sports car. However, it was beyond me to keep it considering the cost of the repairs that needed to be done--even if the parts could be found at a junkyard somewhere in the world. So I will be on the lookout for a new car (hopefully small and fuel-efficient), and will be commuting by bus in the meantime. Considering the cost of gasoline here lately, the bus is much more economical (especially when you consider my little T-Bird was a V-8!!!).
All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose!
This *blog* is a compilation of *Nuggets of Wisdom* I have been blessed to have been taught by the Lord throughout my lifetime. There are child-raising thoughts, relationship thoughts, recipes, craft ideas, and some other goodies thrown in here and there. I pray it is a blessing to all who honor me by reading it.
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Jeffrey Ackley, US Army
William Lee, USMC
Matt Mancuso
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JB Hogan, US Army
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Let me share with you last weekend's activities for a moment...
