The Greening

I had planned on the traditional tree. The one we get from lowes on Christmas eve for five dollars. But had to break the tradition this year. As all the kids are coming here for Christmas and none of them have put up trees, had to get one up before they got here.

Now everyone knows that this is the Christmas were we aren't spending any money, so Renee suggested we bring her tree to our house and put it up. A free tree, what could be better. She didn't tell me it was eight feet and really big. It was in two really really big containers. I should of known.

It had letters on the limbs that I was to put on the tree alphabetically. It didn't start with A, so I had a bit of a problem. As I am putting it up it looks well, kind of strange. I called Renee for instruction. Seems I was putting the bottom on the top.

The tree is up and ready for the little lambs to come and decorate it.

Christmas with His Presence

We are going to have the best Christmas this year. One that will be giving and seeking His Presence. We would love for you to join us in the Advent Conspiracy. Check this wise girls post
Join with us in the Advent Conspiracy.

The Border is Up

After several months of trying to decide the best location for the border, it's finally up. I wasn't able to decide where to put it so I just said here and away we went.




Thank you Terry for putting it up. I was some help. I watched and told him where the bubbles were. It makes the house seem more mine




The pictures are a little dark because its dark and rainy outside.

































My sheep have come home

I have become a conspiriter

I have always had a bit of rebellion in me. This Christmas I am going to try to stay out of the stores. I know the country is making the call for everyone to get out and spend but I have joined a conspiracy. Let's take back Christmas.

Please keep the workers of DHL in Wilmington and surrounding areas in your prayers. Around 8,000 will be with out jobs. Many of these workers live in our community and attend our church. This will make a huge impact on our town.

And the Winner Is

Karist voted and she won! Check out why

Fun with grands

Playing in the leaves that uncle Moo piled up
All the grandkids with great grandparents

Preparing for a bad day

Just got back from the grocery store. I saw the price tag on eggs, 2.29 a dozen. I got online to check out powdered eggs. I found this site it was interesting reading. The Bible says we should not worry about the future but that we should also be prepared.

Anyone know where I can get dried eggs. I know the government has some because they bought up eggs from the farmer so we could pay more for the eggs. I can't find anywhere where they will sell me any.

I really am thinking of getting two chickens. I got the space.

It's Official

I am here to tell you that it's official. Fall is here. I pulled out all my winter clothes. I found some lost boxes. I have put all my summer and spring clothes away. Well except for a few things, just in case. Fall doesn't really come until the fall and winter clothes are out. Now in a few days it will be 90 degrees outside. It always happens that way. Oh well I am ready I kept my swimsuit out and a pair of shorts.

Free Drugs

Dear SIL called and said that the Rite Aid had a great deal. You buy the stuff on special and they give you a rebate. All this is free. Yep free. If you have a Rite Aid near you check into the program. Amost 80 Dollars of stuff here.

I am ready for anything now.

Fast Easy Cookies

I was craving something sweet today but I didn't want to put the work into making it. I found a really easy recipe for cookies.

• 2 eggs
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil in a large bowl.
2. Make little balls with the dough and set on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 4 - 10 minutes

These turned out pretty well fast and easssssy. I added a teaspoon of vanilla and a bit of lemon juice and a pinch of cinnamon. I had some butterscotch chips on hand so I threw them in.
You can use any flavor cake mix and add whatever to it.

Whats This

In my never ending search for bathrooms I came upon this one. I can understand what the top one is for. But can anyone give me an explanation for this one? Both are in the same ladies bathroom at a state park.

New colors for me

Since the trees are changing colors and the weather is getting cooler I thought it would be wise to get out my fall and winter clothes. I only had one box that I was able to locate. I must have thought I would be rich when we moved here and I would get to buy a whole new wardrobe so I didn't pack my winter clothes from Illinois. They may still be in a box somewhere.

Ohio has great thrift stores, I just found out. No need for new clothes. I had a skirt that Becca made me buy last year. It was only 6 dollars and had been 60. The only problem was I couldn't find a top to match.The same was true for the brown skirt that still has the price tag on it. I like the tag on it cause it says 49.00. I would never pay that much for a skirt. One trip to the Ohio Thrift store and I was able to get a start on my fall wardrobe.

Both skirts now have a top.

I added three more tops. The cost for all this 16.00 Not bad for Newyork and co. Christopher Banks,Caroline Taylor, K which is the red sweater with vest 85% silk and Karen Scott.

Fall from the backyard

Click on picture and you can see the colors better

Doesn't take much to make me excited

Leaving from Columbus yesterday I noticed that gas had gone down. Way Way down.

More Meanderings

The views of the countryside were breathtaking. We went to an Amish store and than an Amish bakery for some Shoo-fly pie. I was able to get this picture of an Amish buggy, from the car. Amish don't wish to have their faces photographed. I got a back shot. I just had to get a shot of the parking lot of the Amish store.

Saturday Meanderings

We always said that we were going to see the sites of the next place we lived. Today was one of those days. We went out for breakfast and than took off down the road. Serpent Mound is about 19 miles from us and Terry has always wanted to see it.







For those of you that read your history textbooks this is a famous Indian mound in the form of a Serpent. I guess that's why it's called Serpents Mound.










It was all I could do not to move the seating into a good conversation area, and add a wreath on the door.

Just checking you out

Hello can you read me?

Apples Apples everywhere

There has been alot of talk about people having to live off the land soon. I have already been preparing myself. Someone at church had several apple trees and the apples needed a home. I bought four boxes home. Hundreds of them in their boxes looking at me as if to say what now.
What now indeed. I had no idea what to do with them. I had already eaten enough apples while picking them to take care of any apple fix for the next five years.

I got on the trusty net and found out how to take care of these little beauties. It was all so confusing. There are so many ways to put these apple away. I choose the easy way. I put them all in the garage. The next morning they were all crying out fix me fix me.

My mother in law had a great little gadget that peeled them really fast. I sat and watched as apple after apple peeled itself. After some of them were out of thier skins, I proceeded to make sure they were cut up and ready for the freezer.





The freezer got kind of full and I got to thinking if the electricity goes out again I will have to eat a lot of apple pie so maybe I had better can them. I made several mistakes but hey you learn from your mistakes. Hopefully no one dies from any of them.

One quart, seven pints ,and nine freezer bags later I quit. I will never touch another apple tree for another year. There are still two boxes left. I need some pigs.

Pray for the King Family

They are preparing to leave for Equador in March. Here is a link to their ministry and also a link to their blog. Pray for them as they follow God's voice and go where he tells them to go. If God leads you to support them you can do that by praying and by giving financially. The sidebar on Becca's blog will tell you how to send the support.

If you know of any churches or groups that would like to hear about their work please let them know.

Pray for the grandparents who will be sharing their lambs with others.

Pray that the financial need will be meet and that their house sells.

Can't talk now

Between the power outage the last two days and boxes and boxes of apples I can't talk. Any help with canning recipes for the apples would be welcome.

TrimTime

The walls are done. Now its trim time. I decided on white, so far it looks great. It gives the house a crisp look.

Painting fun NOT

I have had problems with colors ever since grade school. I just never could make the colors go together. I tend to go with what others tell me or let them pick them out. That's how I got the wonderful yellow in my kitchen. Devonae picked it out for our house in Galesburg. So I chose it for the kitchen here.




I had no one to help me out on the rest of the walls. I was on my own. Not good. Off to Lowes and I picked a camel color thinking it would go well with the yellow. Got the paint home and found it was way to dark. Went back to lowes and they told me to add a quart of white to it.
So I added a quart of white to it. It made what I thought was a pretty color so I used it on the side wall next to kitchen and dining wall.








It doesn't quit go with it, but hey I got a custom color. I should have bought several gallons of the stuff because I had planned on doing all the walls with the tan color.
I didn't want to buy a gallon of paint and than have to mix a quart of white in it. I thought I could take in to Lowes and have them match it.








It would of worked except I took them the paint stick that had the original color I bought first. I told them that's the color I wanted only a little lighter. Got home and opened it and put it on wall. Its was really dark, so off to Lowes again. The paint lady hates me. She was nice, but I could tell she wanted to put me in the mixing machine and shake me up a bit.

Got home and put the paint on the wall. As I was applying it the paint was the exact color of the other wall. Something happened in the drying process. It got darker. I was afraid the lady at lowes really would put me in the mixer, so I just painted with the color I had. Now I have three colors on my walls. I need some help here people. I had planned on doing the hall the same color but its way to dark. But I hate to add another color to the picture.

What would be a good solution to this problem. Paint the hall a lighter color making four colors or stick with the same color and add more lighting in the hall. Would it be bad to go with another color. Should I just let the little lambs do their artwork in the hall?

This is the side wall on the other side of living room that goes into the hallway. I plan on using white for the trim.

Its been a Busy Week

Pray for Devonae's mommy. One of the little lambs lost Renees drivers license and now she has to take the test here in Ohio. She took it last week and passed all but going thru cones backwards. I told her if she had just had all the kids in the car he would of passed her. But than again she had all the kids in the car a couple of weeks ago when she got her first ticket.

I think she was trying to create a memory for the lambs. All the kids got quiet when the police man came up to the car. Devonae said she had never seen a policeman up close and personal before.


So far I have three walls painted. My goal of one a day isn't working. Its more like one every two days. It seems the walls have never seen a coat of primer or maybe that's what is on them now. Any how each wall is drinking almost a half gallon of primer. The last wall I did without primer and it ate a whole gallon of paint and it was blotchy. Thank goodness for a husband who fixes my messes. Only 19 more walls to go.

It's been a busy week here. Nolan or Terry started his new job at the college. We are also going to a mission of our church on Sundays to help them out. The Pastors wife has colon cancer and the pastors son who is preaching for his dad has a wife with a 11 month old daughter and twins on the way. She has been ordered to stay on bed rest. Pray for this small mission. The Sunday before we went, they only had five in attendance. They were happy to see us the next Sunday. We made attendance go up to 12 the next week. This last week there were 20.

No the big Sheep didn't eat me

It's been one of those weeks that go by and you just let it. Terry has a job!!!! He starts next week at the community college. It is part time but he may be able to get some extra classes. I have been thinking about painting the kitchen. Yesterday I did it. Looks like Renee had the same idea.

I was able to get mine done without four children underfoot. Have no idea how she did it. I will be starting on the living room soon.


Yesterday





















Today's Look

Is anybody out there

Just wondering if my posts are that boring that no one is commenting. I miss the comments.

It's not about Me

A Doe a Deer

Terry yelled at me to look out the window today seems there was a fox running across the front yard. We went outside and couldn't see the fox. Looking across the way we spotted two deer that have been lunching on my mother in Laws flowers. We think they are two fawns.

Fall is coming Fall is coming

I hear the crickets it's that time again. I am learning to enjoy this time of year. Fall used to be the worst season for me. When it started I knew the long dark days of winter would start. Being the pessimist that I am, I would have six months that I dreaded before it even started. What a waste.

Now, I'm enjoying the sounds and sights of its coming. I have my own show looking out the window or as I go out for my daily walk, every day is different. I guess as we age we start to see things differently.

Such is life. You dread having that certain birthday for several years not enjoying what you have. You dread the changes that are coming in life and miss out on whats happening right now. The butterfly landing on the flowers, the kids having fun in the water, the bird perched outside your window.

May God give you eyes to see his beauty even in the mist of the rush of life.