So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye...

2009, it's been fun!

I found this sweet Irish blessing and thought it was so appropriate when looking forward to the new year. I hope your 2010 is filled with lots of love, laughter, and blessings.

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
~Irish Blessing




*picture from Country Living Magazine

Snowed In!

WHAM! We have been hit! Right now we are at 24inches and counting. My boys, for the 15min they were out, gave up on trying to walk through the snow. It is just way too deep for their little legs.


So in honor of the Blizzard of 2009 I raise my mug of hot chocolate...heres to the snow, Global Warming, a warm house filled with lots of love and chicken soup. Salute!

*photo countryliving.com

Who said you have to use wrapping paper??

Who wants to spend money on wrapping paper? Wouldn't you like to save that 6bucks and buy yourself a Venti Skinny Eggnog Latte to sooth your shopping woes?? Here's a few ideas I came across. Some which are very cool, but unfortunately I don't have a team of 100+ to jump at my every command. So Martha's Rice Paper Dipping might have to wait till next year(although I probably won't do it then either).

*photo from MarthaStewart.com

Do you have any old and unwanted maps laying around?? Slap a pretty ribbon on that baby and Viola'...

*photo from Vocalpoint.com

But if you truly want to aggravate your loved ones do as my husband once did for me. Wrap your gift first in newspaper and then proceed to wrap it completely with a whole roll of painters tape. It was a dead giveaway...I got a canning pot.
I searched and searched through our photos hoping we had a picture of it (it was a few yrs ago) but no luck. So you'll just have to take my word for it :)

Textophobia??? Nah just indecisive.

Among many things I am a collector of fabric. From linens, to burlaps, oh can't forget denim, love them polka dots, florals, cutesy, you get where this is going. This is not a bad thing but there's one problem. I hate using the fabric. Are you confused yet? Oh sure if I have a project in mind when purchasing fabrics then I'm totally okay with cutting it up. But if I purchased it on attraction alone, I get cold feet when contemplating the commitment. What if I change my mind mid snip?? What if I really don't want another apron? What if these curtains look tacky?? Here's the latest addition to the indecisive pile...


*Textophobia is the persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of certain fabrics.

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe Ever!

I love a good sugar cookie, and well personally I don't like buying store bought cookie dough. Now don't you get mad Pillsbury. Your sugar cookie dough is fabulous but I like doing things the old fashion way. From scratch.

Believe it or not I had a really hard time finding "the perfect recipe". Some turned too hard, and some ended up more like a biscuit (in size and texture! YUCK). But last year was the year! I happened to stumble upon it here.

Ortner's Cut Out Cookie
1cup Butter
1cup Sugar
1tsp vanilla
1egg
2.5cups flour

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in egg. Add flour and slowly mix. Chill for 2hrs and roll thin. Bake at 350degrees for 8min.

1. I never chill it. I'm spontaneous. And in my house it is completely unacceptable to have to wait 2+hours for a cookie. I just use lots of flour when rolling and cutting so it will not stick.
2. Use your judgment for baking time. My oven is wacky.
3. Decorate how you see fit. You could ice but we always use sprinkles.

Almost There...

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
- Norman Vincent Peale


The tree has been cut..

The Popcorn has been strung...

Garlands have been hung...

We're almost there...

I hope you are enjoying this season as much as my family is.

Thank you God

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thank you God - Author Unknown

Thank you God, for all I have to do today.
Thanks God, for this sink of dirty dishes,
It shows we have plenty to eat.

Thanks God, for this pile of dirty, stinky, laundry,
It shows we have plenty of clothes to wear.

Thanks God, for those unmade beds in there,
They were warm and so comfortable last night
And I know there are many who have no beds.

Thank God, for this bathroom complete with all the
Spattered mirror, soggy grimy towels and dirty commode,
They are so convenient.

Thanks God, for this finger-smudged refrigerator
That needs defrosting,
It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers
For two or three meals.

Thanks God, for this oven
That absolutely must cleaned today,
It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that grass that needs mowing,
The lawn that will need raking, we all enjoy the yard.

Thanks God, even for that slamming screen door,
My kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Lord the presence of all these chores awaiting me
Says you have richly blessed my family.
I shall do them all cheerfully
And I shall do them gratefully.

*photo Country Living Magazine

The Thankful Tree

A thankful heart. This is what I want for my children. I want them to know how truly blessed they are. So I came up with this little easy project to help aid in this. As for the supplies I actually had most on hand so it only cost a few dollars to make. I painted the pot with chalkboard paint (I'm addicted to that stuff!). The sticks came from a tree in our yard. I filled the pot with floral foam to keep them stable. So like I said pretty easy. I placed some tags and a pen in the little bowl so we can write what we're thankful for and hang it on our tree. The picture doesn't really do it justice but I actually think I might leave it out for awhile. After all we should be thankful always, not just around Thanksgiving!




Count Your Blessings - written by Johnson Oatman Jr.

---

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.


When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.


So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

My New Obsession..

(photo - Country Living)

My latest thing has been Jadeite. Oh I love my pieces so much I want to give them a hug! Do you ever feel that way about something? I mostly keep them in the kitchen but I recently painted our bedroom Jadeite green, so I have a few scattered around.

Happy Birthday!

Today the USMC celebrates its' 234th birthday. I am so proud to have a husband that not only served his country but served in this amazing branch of the United States Military. God bless America and God bless the USMC!

The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight!
MGen. Frank E. Lowe, USA; Korea, 26 January 1952

I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world!
General of the Armies Douglas MacArthur; Korea, 21 September 1950

The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!
Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

Lost in the Sauce...

Be back soon :)

What's your Type?

Okay so I just started reading this book. This guy researched blood types and what you should and shouldn't eat for your type. It is incredible how many items I eat (things that are healthy) that I should not be eating! Basically for my blood type I should be a vegetarian, YIKES! It's not the veg in vegetarian that scares me, it's learning to cook in a whole new way using things like tofu that gets me. But it would drastically lower the risk to many cancers. I'm going to try it, SLOWLY removing things and replacing with things he suggests I should be eating instead. We'll see how it goes. Thank God he says it's good for me to drink coffee!

My Kind of Sunday

Pushing everything that should get done to another day to enjoy a little...

Cloud Watching

Football Playing

Bug Catching

Hope you enjoy your Sunday as much as we did :)

Let Pumpkin Season Begin...

My sweet baby brother, who really isn't a baby anymore, constantly begs me for my pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Since it's unofficial pumpkin season, first day of fall is September 22nd, I can now fix that boy some bread. He's away at college now so Mr. Postman will be delivering his, but we'll be enjoying ours tonight :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

3cups sugar
1cup oil
4 eggs
1 (16oz) can pumpkin
3.5cups flour
2tsp baking soda
2tsp cinnamon
2tsp salt
2/3cup water
chocolate chips

Mix sugar, oil, eggs. and pumpkin. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon alternately with water. Mix well. Add chocolate chips, I usually use 1/2 a bag but it's up to you. Pour into greased 8x4in loaf pans. Bake at 350degrees for 1 hour. It should yield 3loaves.

My One Room Schoolhouse

School is just around the corner for us and I have been working hard on getting us all ready for our first official year of homeschool. It's really odd. Never in a million yrs. did I think I would homeschool my children but the Lord has laid it upon our hearts and we must be obedient to His call. I have prayed since before my guys were born that they would be strong men of God, and come to know and follow Him at a young age. As a Christian parent I play an extremely important role in this. There's a saying "God helps them that helps themselves". Laying a Godly foundation in their education is vital. Now I'm not knocking those that send their children to public schools, I know God can protect and shelter those little minds and hearts from unbiblical teachings. But God has blessed us with the resources and most of all has kept me in the home so it's a no-brainer. Homeschool it is.

Thank you Lord for giving us all that we need. May this school year bring you glory and that we would all be drawn closer to you!

Here's a glimpse into our little classroom.

Here's their cute little desks.

This easil was actually mine as a little girl. It has just sat so I'm so excited that if finally has a purpose again.

...a room full of rockin' chairs

Here's a little something you probably didn't know about me. I have a secret crush on southern phrases. These aren't just any phrases they are timely, witty and they really get the point across in such a cute way. I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous. Oh how I wish I could just naturally add them to my conversations. But sadly I only know one by heart..."as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs". I guess watching Fox and the Hound II over and over and over again has paid off. Thanks Cole and Payton.


Here are a few of my favorites:

My cow died last night so I don't need your bull...

If brains were leather, he wouldn’t have enough to saddle a junebug.

The engine’s runnin’ but nobody’s driving.

He’s busier than a one-legged man at a butt kickin contest!

Well that just dills my pickle!

Creating a Monster.

"Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world."
— Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

This is such a powerful and very truthful quote. I watched a clip today of The Octomom admitting that she regrets her decision to have so many children thus ruining her life. Every news stand has either photos of Jon Gosselin and his new pick of the week or Jon and Kate pointing fingers. Just like young stars of the past I believe children of reality television will face a whole new set of problems. These children will have documented memories of their families falling apart or in those 8 babies case a mom stating she regrets her decision to bring them into this word. I can't even imagine the effect that will have on these lives. I can tell you one thing only by the grace of God will these children overcome the choices their parents have made.

I'm reminded of the story of the Isrealites found in Deuteromoy Chapter 1. In verse 21 it says "Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged." But instead they rebelled and did their own thing. Then we read further down in verse 35 "Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers." These people then wondered for 40years before they entered the promise land. This chapter sets an example for us, showing what happens when we do not strive for holiness. It will effect generations. What blessings are we missing because of our rebellion?

To be perfectly honest I'm scared for my children, grandchildren, and so on. I see things today which are deamed acceptable for children and I'm dumbfounded. Like take "KidsBop" for instance. If you haven't seen the commercials you're not missing anything. This company takes popular hits by the likes of Brittney Spears, Rhianna, etc. and has children sing these songs. Promoting inappropriate lyrics among our children. I don't know about you but I do not want my 5 year old singing about "fine ladies" and "break-ups". As a generation and I mean my generation, the one which is now raising our future, needs to get our heads out the sand. When correcting our children we often remind them that when they do bad things bad things happen (our consequence) but when they do good things good things happen. I'm fearful that we will see more bad than good in future generations.

Please do not assume that I am judging in any way I am only sharing my feelings and observations. I too am not perfect and make parenting mistakes often, too often. But thank God I am promised new mercies each day.

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

To Can or Not to Can...

Canning. It really is a wonderful thing. My inner farmgirl (cause we all know that "farmgirl" is a condition of the heart) dreams of the day when I will have a massive garden and spend summer days filling my pantry till my little heart is content.

You probably would never know it now but I grew up a city girl. We didn't do much canning in the suburbs of Long Island, okay we didn't do any canning at all. But a lot has changed over these last 10 yrs in the south. Last year was my first attempt at canning. My mother in law brought me a huge box of Tomatoes, Granger County Tomatoes. This county is known for their maters, the best in Eastern TN. Remaining true to my roots I decided the first thing I would can would be Marinara Sauce. With little help from my Mother in Law I fumbled through my first go at it.

Let me back up here. Before I even started canning I researched oh boy did I research. I know you true blue southern girls out there are probably lettin' out a big ol' "OH LAWD". But I really didn't know what the heck I was doing. I felt pretty confident but there was one thing that freaked me out. HEADSPACE. I mean geeze don't tell someone who is OCD if you don't leave enough headspace bacteria can form. Maybe I shoud have titled this post OCD instead.

So back to canning. Last week my kitchen was flooded with 3 pecks of peaches. So I plugged away. Excuse me while I clean the peach butter out of my ears. I had so much peach butter I had to brake out the jars again. It went great. I was thrilled. That was until I took a picture to show you. That does not look like a 1/4inch headspace to me! Please Lord don't let bacteria grow in my peach butter.

Thank God for Good Friends

I had great plans for Thursday night. I was going to put the boys to bed on time and we were going to watch this. Then Todd went and messed up a good thing. He was weed eating at about 8:30 last night and a rock flew up and shattered (basically destroyed) the sliding glass doors. We've been wanting to replace the sliding doors with french doors for awhile but this wasn't the way we were thinking. So it was off to Lowe's to get a new door.
We found everything we needed and made it out of there just before closing. Well once outside with door literally in hand we found out it was not going to fit in our truck bed thanks to the camper shell. The store was closed and we forgot our cell phones. So I left Todd in the parking lot holding this 60"x 80" door and went home to get our phone. We're talking 11pm now people. He called some good friends and THANK GOD FOR THEM! Would you believe 4 PEOPLE showed up at Lowe's 11:30pm on a work night. 3 of the 4 were able to stay and help install the door. The job was completed at 12:45pm. Seriously I can't be more thankful for them because it was either that or Todd was going to have to "borrow" a Lowe's cart and push it home. LOL

Templates!

I love Martha Stewart. There I said it. No really, I've always loved the idea of home-making. I remember back in my early Middle School days I would stay home sick from school and watch her on TV. I was probably the only kid in 7th grade who read her Biography. I've always had a desire to create "home" and she had and still has great ideas/tips. Recently I went on her site and found these amazing templates and labels you can download and print off. Thanks Martha!

Weekend Finds

How cute are these? I am such a coffee junkie so I was thrilled when I found these. First off I don't know about you but I love these monogramed mugs, but they have been out of "C" forever! I found these at Homegoods (that place is dangerous). So now my freshly ground coffee grinds have a pretty home and my coffee tastes even better this morning in my "C" mug. Not too bad for a total of $7.


Okay, first off please don't judge me when if comes to the paint color in this room it was formally the playroom. When we officially decided to homeschool I wanted to make a classroom vs. teaching at the dinning room table. I know there are some who are against that, saying the whole point of homeschool is to get away from "formal teaching" but I knew this would be best for us. My boys are soooo active and I am going to need a place where there are no distractions and everything is school focused. Our church had a school back in the day so I inquired about getting desks for the boys from there. Thank the Lord they gave me 2 precious little desks for FREE. I do plan on redoing them though, they're in need of alittle TLC. I also needed a desk to where I can just spread my lesson stuff out on, so we went antiquing. I found this sweet little piano table. It is a flat surface and then just like opening a piano it has a great writing/storage space inside. The shop keeper said it's from the 1800's but I always take them very lightly. When my antiquing day's began I was told by the shop owner that I was buying a pretty little enamelware bowl to put fruit in but I was later informed by my husband it was a pee pot. My pee pot now holds flowers on the deck. Yeah so back to what I was saying, I'm not really too sure how old it is.




Come back for a visit and I'll show you how it looks all painted and decorated. Hope your Monday is filled with sweet blessings!

Cherries

I have never been one for "fake cherries" (that's what I call the ones that come on your ice cream, I know they have an official name but oh well). In fact the thought of eating one makes me want to gag. Now I know that probably sounds a little dramatic but again, oh well I'm just tellin' it like it is. A few months ago I thought I would give the "real deal" a try. I mean heck they're only $5.99 a pound (and there's at least 3 pounds pre-packaged for you, how sweet of those grocers).
Well let me tell you I have found a new love and that new love is cherries. I don't know about you but I love looking up veggies and fruits to find out what's so healthy about 'em. So here it goes...

A growing body of science reveals tart cherries, enjoyed as either dried, frozen cherries or cherry juice, have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries) vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.

Emerging evidence links cherries to many important health benefits – from helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Cherries also contain melatonin, which has been found to help regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process.

A recent study from the University of Michigan reveals new evidence linking cherries to heart health benefits. The study found that a cherry-enriched diet lowered total weight, body fat (especially the important “belly” fat), inflammation and cholesterol-all risk factors associated with heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, being overweight or obese, in particular when the weight is concentrated in the middle, is a major risk factor for heart disease. As nearly two out of three Americans are overweight, emerging studies like this are important in examining the role diet may play in disease management and prevention.

Wow, maybe it is worth spending $18 on a bag of cherries :)

Too Cute for Words

Hummel Hummel

Not too far from my old home on Long Island was a local Bakery, Hummel Hummel. We grew up on their famous pizza crumb. 16 inches round of thin cake covered in crumbs! Well it's been 10years since we left good ol'e NY so I had to find a replacement recipe. I found this one on Monica's blog. I love that I can make it at home and I love it even more that my boys request it.

New York Crumb Cake

Preheat oven 325degrees
1.5 cups flour
.5cup sugar
2.5t. baking powder
1 egg
.5cup milk
2T. oil
2t. vanilla
Mix wet & dry ingredients and pour in greased 9x13 baking dish.

2.5cups flour
1.5t. cinnamon
1cup brown sugar
2sticks marg.
mix and crumble on top of cake mixture

Bake in a 325degree oven for 20-30min.
Let cool then dust with powdered sugar.

Saturday Mornings

Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home, sweet home
For there the heart can rest.
-Henry Van Dyke

From This to That

On a whim (less than a yr ago) my hubby and I decided to paint our living room/dinning room orange. I really liked it at first, it was fall time so it gave us a very cozy atmosphere. I'm sure you've seen it in the background of some of my older photos.

Yeah, see there it is. You really couldn't miss it. In fact when we would have visitors and the curtains were back they could see it from the road. WHAT WAS I THINKING! We decided it was time for a change, a more mellow change.

Thank the Lord for painting pros! He came to save us from "orange gone wrong".













Needless to say I love our new color. We went with Valspar's Earthy Cane. White accents with splashes of color here and there. Now when entering the room I no longer let out a long distugusted "Uggghhh" but a happy "Ahhhhh".