KENTUCKY BOUND

Father's Day Blessings!

2010-06-19T08:13:00.004-04:00

A good man obtains favor from the Lord . . . .

Proverbs 12:2a

The memory of the righteous will be a blessing.Proverbs 10:7 NIV

2010-05-30T15:42:00.003-04:00

Our MEMORIES are Strong...

Our THANKFULLNESS is Deep...

Our BLESSINGS are Many...

Blessings from the creek!

I'm "Kept" by the love and grace of God!

2010-05-29T08:41:00.005-04:00

You see, there were a few times when I thought Iwould lose my mind, But GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go no longer,But the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom Ifelt had done me wrong, But the LORD kept my mouth shut.. (Psa. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough, But GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on,the car paid, the house paid, etc.., (Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up. When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt.11:28-30)

I could go on and on and on, but I'm sure you hear me! I'm blessed to be ' kept'

Author unknown

Blessings from the creek y'all!

2010-05-08T11:17:00.006-04:00

Twenty-two years ago tomorrow I stood at the back of the church after the service. It was Mother's Day - a hard day for me as I'd given up hope of ever being a mother. A little Jamaicain lady in the church came up to me and gave me a hug. She whispered in my ear "next year you will be spending Mother's Day with your son". I just nodded. She didn't understand. There was no way that was going to happen.

Twenty-one-years ago tomorrow at 8:31 AM I looked into the beautiful brown eyes of the most precious baby boy in the world. Twenty-one-years ago tomorrow, I spent Mother's Day with my son.

Happy twenty-first birthday Ryan Guy! You are the most wonderful gift a mother could ever hope for.

2010-04-03T15:35:00.001-04:00

Easter blessings to each and every one of you!

2010-02-13T08:54:00.002-05:00

Happiest of Valentine wishes to all my friends in Bloggerville!

Blessings and hugs from the Creek!

2009-11-27T20:29:00.003-05:00

I learned a very important Thanksgiving lesson this year. A wonderful meal and a memorable day have absolutely nothing to do with table decorations or a fully equipped kitchen. It's not as much about total organization as it is about total devotion. I had the rare opportunity to watch a perfect meal unfold in a setting that would have sent a seasoned, more mature couple into therapy. A perfectly choreographed dance couldn't have been more beautiful to watch. A meal to remember. An unforgettable day. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Davis for inviting us to share in your first Thanksgiving dinner in your first home. Love you both!

2009-11-14T14:14:00.002-05:00

Indian summer has come to the creek. A beautiful day to throw open the windows and soak in the sunshine. A day not so conducive to deer hunting, I'm told. The deer prefer the cooler weather and evidently the hunters prefer sitting in their stands shivering in layers of cammo waiting for that elusive trophy buck to show himself. I have a theory that as hunting has evolved and the need to hunt for food has made way for the need to hunt for sport, that the deer have done their own study of the hunter. In this age of technology, with automatic feeders and motion activated cameras to track the movement of the prey, the deer are becoming more intelligent. My reasoning behind this theory? I'm 99% sure that I saw the beautiful 12 point buck in the photograph winking and sticking his tongue out at the camera. While the hunters are sitting in their tree stands waiting for him to show up, I really think he's sitting behind them, just out of their line of sight, snickering a little bit. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see another picture of him at 2AM, looking at the camera winking and sticking his tongue out. "C'mon Mr. Hunter, roll on out of bed at 5AM, climb up into that contraption you have hanging in the tree. I'll be watching, waiting and occasionally napping until you're gone!" But, just in case that elusive buck slips up and walks into the path of my hunters, I've cleared out a spot in the freezer!

My man and my man child are sharing in this experience. I'm enjoying seeing them bond. I'm enjoying spending time with my soldier. I'm savoring this time, hoping to tuck enough memories away to keep me going while he's gone.

Blessings from the creek, y'all!

2009-10-03T08:29:00.003-04:00

Wow! It's fall! I've been a naughty blogger. I've neglected my blog. I've not neglected my blogger buddies, though. I've been sneaking in to check on you when time permits.

It was a busy summer here at the creek. Work, animals, renovations on the house, spending time with my soldier boy . . . . my plate has been full. There are just not enough hours in the day any more and I spend less and less time on the computer.

It's hard to believe we've been here at the creek for over a year now. Time has flown by so fast. So many changes. So many lessons learned. So many firsts. All the trials and joys that come with farm life. We've been tested. We've been blessed.

My son finished his basic training and AIT and just as he was getting ready to settle in to going to school and finding a job he found out that his Guard unit was being deployed in January. He'll be heading off for the mid East as a medic. I'm terrified. I'm anxious. I'm proud. I'm a mom. He'll always be my little boy.

There are so many things I could say. So many stories I could tell, but for now I'll leave you with this thought. . . . Two years ago when we began this journey, we were bound FOR Kentucky. Now, as a wise friend pointed out to me, we are bound TO Kentucky.

Blessings and hugs from the creek y'all!

Liz

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I tried, I failed. I'm technologically challenged!

2009-05-23T19:55:00.003-04:00

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Chasin' away the blue . . . . . . .

2009-05-23T11:54:00.003-04:00

I've got the blues! The ugly, dirty, full of nail holes, far from soothing color of blue paint on the wall blues!

My son will be coming home next weekend after being gone far too long. He graduates AIT in San Antonio next Friday then he'll be jetting in to Knoxville Airport Friday night to stay at the farm with us for a few days before heading back to Florida to set up his new apartment in the Tampa area with a buddy of his. Being a mom, I want things to be perfect for him when he gets here so I decided to fix up our small bedroom especially for him ~ a place he can call his own when he's here. Problem is . . . it's got the blues! The ugly, dirty, full of nail holes, far from soothing color of blue paint on the walls blues! My mission today is to fill in all the nail holes (evidently the former owners never heard of a stud finder or spackle because there are dozens and dozens and dozens . . . . ) and at least get a coat of primer on the walls.

Wish me luck because now I'm finding that not only do I have the ugly, dirty, full of nail holes, far from soothing color of blue paint on the walls blues, but I also have the middle of renovation, nothing is were it belongs, can't find what I need B~L~U~E~S!!!!!!

Blessings from the creek!

WHY????!!!!!!

2009-05-15T20:44:00.005-04:00

Is there anyone out there who can explain WHY a seemingly sane person who is in the midst of trying to simplify her life by taking bags full of clothing to share with friends or boxes of nick-knacks to sell at the flea market will trudge through the pasture and up the hill to drag an old rusty bed spring down to the yard to use as a trellis against an ugly old shed? Is there an explanation? Is it an illness? Is it a sign of being a true "junque-a-holic"?

2009-05-09T21:12:00.000-04:00

2009-04-27T18:53:00.004-04:00

SIMPLIFY....

then commit to what remains.

PIcTUre tHIs . . . .

2009-04-19T20:07:00.002-04:00

On Thursday, April 16 (my birthday no less) I became the proud. . . um. . . grand heifer?! of a beautiful bouncing baby calf born to one of our newest family members (she's only been here for about 3 months or so), "Wild Thing". Wild thing is black with a white face and got her name not from the fact that she is mean, but because she is very skittish around people. We think she may have been abused at one point or was possibly through one too many auctions where she was moved along by the dreaded cattle prod. At any rate, Thursday we noticed her all alone on the upper pasture when all the other four legged residents of the pasture had come down for supper. Upon close inspection, we noticed something moving beside her. Hubby and I hopped on the four-wheeler and rode up to meet our new addition. Of course we couldn't get too close, but we were close enough to see a mini "Wild Thing" (looking just like mama except wearing "sun glasses") staying very close to its mama. We were a little concerned about leaving them by themselves on the upper pasture because of the coyotes living up on the mountain, but there was no way we could get close enough to mama and baby to coax them down.

Friday evening, we looked up and noticed that Lily (our black Angus heifer) was on the upper pasture limping. "Wild Thing" was bellowing and from where we were we couldn't see "Mini". Once again, we hopped on the four wheeler and raced up to see what was going on. Lily was sure enough favoring her front left leg like she'd been hurt. "Wild Thing" was still bellowing and there was no sign of "Mini". Of course we imagined the worst - coyotes - and were devastated. "Wild Thing" was pacing back and forth in front of the fence and actually let us get within a few feet of her before she ran off. On the other side of the barbed wire fence was "Mini". We couldn't tell at first if she was dead or alive and you can't begin to imagine our joy and relief when she opened up her eyes and looked at us. She had evidently scooted underneath the fence sometime during the day. Hubby was able to climb the fence and get to her. If you've ever tried to pick up a calf, you might appreciate what my poor hubby went through. That sleepy little innocent thing, not much more than 24 hours old, turned into the Tasmanian Devil - all hooves and legs. She (we were able to determine by that time that she is a she) was hollering for mama. Mama was hollering for her. Hubby was trying his best to get her restrained (all we had with us on the four-wheeler were a couple of bungee cords) so he could get her over the fence and I was standing there not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

We finally got her back over the fence and decided this would be the best time to take mama and baby down to the lower pastures where it would be safer for them. :Picture this. Me on the back of the four-wheeler, "Mini" draped across my lap sandwiched between me and hubby, and "Wild Thing" running around like a . . . well, like a wild thing. We decided to put them in the smaller pasture we'd re-seeded after we sold the horses. It would be safer and they'd be separated from the rest of the family for a while. Great idea! Right? Weeeeeeeell . . . . Hubby dropped "Mini" and me off in the small pasture and then went back to coax "Wild Thing" in there with us. He had no sooner pulled away than "Mini" started to look for a way to escape. Not to worry, there was no way she could get away. Right? WRONG!

Picture this. "Mini" managed to make her way to the drainage ditch at the end of the pasture quicker than you'd imagine something that young could make it anywhere. Of course she found the one place that the fence was high enough at the bottom that she could wiggle under. I grabbed her hind legs and tried to pull her back, but she was faster, stronger and evidently much smarter than me because she managed to get away in 2 seconds flat. I hollered for hubby, but he couldn't hear me so I did what I had to do and went after her.

Picture this. OK, the calf got through the fence, so it couldn't be that hard. Right? Evidently fur is much more forgiving with barbed wire than fabric, because I managed to get stuck on the barbed wire in 2 places. I swear "Mini" turned around and laughed at me before she kicked up her heels and took off running down the road. Gracie didn't know what to do. I couldn't get her to go find hubby, so I told her to follow the calf, which she did! So . . . "Mini" is running down the road with Gracie following her, I'm trying to get unstuck from the fence and hubby is across the fields oblivious to anything but getting "Wild Thing" up to her baby. I finally managed to get unstuck and started running after Gracie and "Mini".

:Picture this. A black and white calf running down the road with a red hound dog following her and an out of shape middle aged woman in red scrub pants and flowered scrub top (I hadn't been home from work for very long when this whole thing started so I hadn't changed my clothes) several hundred feet behind them. Every time I closed in. "Mini" kicked it into high gear and ran a little faster. Gracie finally gave up and sat down on the side of the road and watched me chase "Mini". About ten miles down the road - OK, OK, it was only about 1/4 mile, but it seemed like ten miles to me - I managed to catch up to the Tasmanian devil calf. I got my arm around her neck and got her turned around just as a pick-up truck came down the road. I pulled her off to the side of the road and tried to get the guy in the truck to stop and help but he just waved and drove on by. The good Lord put a log on the side of the road just for such an occasion so I sat down on the log with my arm still around "Mini's" neck and tried to figure out what the heck to do next. Gracie showed up about then and I was able to get her collar off of her and on to "Mini" so I'd have something to hold on to while we headed back for the farm. About that time a car came down the road with a lady and her teenage daughter in it. They thought my big black dog had been hit by a car and I was sitting along side the road with it. They stopped to see if they could help. Picture the looks on their faces when they realized that my big black dog was actually a day old calf. I asked them if they could go back up to my house and see if they could find hubby and send him up to help me. The teenager stayed to help me hang on to "Mini" and the wonderful woman went off in search of hubby.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, hubby had come back to the small pasture and found us missing. He didn't now where in the world we had gotten to so he looked all over the pastures and then decided to look up the road. He went as far as the hill in front of our neighbor's house and turned around because he didn't think there was any way we could have gotten any further. He went back the other direction and when he didn't find us there, he headed back to the farm. That's where the nice lady found him and told him where we were. He got to where we were, thanked the nice lady and her daughter, and helped me figure out how to get "Mini" back to her mama.\

"Mini wanted nothing to do with getting back on to the four-wheeler, so since she had Gracie's collar on, I hooked one of the bungee cords to the collar like a leash and off we went. Picture this. A day old calf wearing a dog collar being led down the road by a middle aged lady in red pants and flowered top holding a bungee cord follwed by a guy on a four wheeler and a hound dog bringing up the rear. About half way home, "Mini" decided she was going to try to head back the other direction, got scared by the four-wheeler and the hound dog, had to be wrestled to the ground by the lady in the red pants and flowered top becuase the bungee cord was wrapped around her legs and ended up back on the four-wheeler draped across my legs, sandwiched between hubby and me. We finally made it back to the farm, reunited "Mini" with "Wild Thing" and this middle aged lady in the red pants and flowered top hobbled into the house to inspect her bumps and bruises and scratches and wonder for a brief instant why I ever agreed to become a farmer at this time in my life.

Picture this. A beautiful black calf with a white face and sunglasses nursing from her beautiful black and white mother with the rest of the cows and the donkeys grazing peacefully around them. That is why I agreed to become a farmer at this time in my life.

Blessings from The Creek!

P.S. For some reason I can't upload pictures to my blog. As soon as I can, I promise a real picture of "Mini" and "Wild Thing". . . but NOT the middle aged lady in the red pants and flowered top.

2009-04-11T19:45:00.000-04:00

2009-03-07T18:46:00.002-05:00

Yard sales and thrift stores and flea markets . . . . OH MY!!!!! I've been going through junquoholics withdrawl for months now. Thrift stores are few and far between here. It's been too cold and rainy and dreary all winter long for yard sales. However!!!!!! In Wednesday's edition of the Advocate. . . . well actually it's actually Thursday's edition of the Advocate but it hits the newstands on Wednesday afternoon, which can sometimes be interesting like the day they published a story about how wonderful the New Year's Eve celebration at the park had been and all about the beautiful fireworks, etc.. We were reading about it on Wednesday (New Years Eve) and wondering if this was a real life version of that TV show that used to be on about the guy that got tomorrow's newspaper today. Anyhow, back to this week! In this week's edition of the Advocate, waaaaay back in the classified ad section of the paper, there was an ad for a HUGE yardsale to be held on Saturday (that's today!) to raise money for the Union College Girl's Volleyball team!!!! So bright and early this morning, me and Pa loaded up in the truck and headed to town. We stopped and picked up two friends from my office and we went and found that yard sale!!! The weather was beautiful! The bargains were pleanty! We were having so much fun that we went off in search of more!!!! We didn't find any more yard sales, but we did stop by a new 2nd hand store called "Stranger In The Holler Trading Post", and then we went by a little outdoor flea market. We were four happy shoppers. Our thirst for junque was satisfied for the time being. But rest assured, we've already started planning our next excursion.

2009-02-23T19:09:00.006-05:00

There have been several times over the past couple of weeks when I thought "I should take the time to blog about that . . . ". I should have told y'all about the three ring circus when 4 grown men brought 11 calves, just days old and not yet weaned, home. 4 grown men + 4 bottles of formula + 11 calves . . . . well I think you can do the math and can probably imagine the mayhem.

I could have told y'all about the heartbreak of being a farmer as one by one our frolicking herd of frisky calves succumbed to "shipping fever" and we're down to four "hopefuls" and one good strong heifer (she'd already been weaned and has been getting her fill of hay).

I could have told y'all about the tornado-like storm that passed through our area just over a week ago that took down our huge apple tree and an even bigger cedar tree but literally skirted around our house. I should have told y'all how grateful I am that our Lord and Savior saw fit to place a hedge of protection around our home and our animals.

All of those things would have made good posts. There could have been some laughs and some tears. My days are so full with work and home, though, that by the time I could sit down at the computer, I honestly just didn't have the energy. I either had the energy to stop by and read some of your posts OR the energy to write a post. Selfishly on my part, I chose to read yours!

Today, however, something happened that has me stirred to the very center of my being. Something that makes me want to climb over boxes and dig through the furniture in our storage room in search of my beloved needle point stool. Some of you may not be familiar with my needle point stool. Some of you actually have one of your own. Being vertically challenged, I use my stool to help me reach for things like the loving awards I've received throughout my blogging journey. This time, however, my needlepoint stool would serve as my soapbox. Just high enough that I might be seen. Just padded enough to comfort my feet as I voice my concerns. Just low enough to keep me from sustaining permanent injury in case someone should decide to knock me off. This is something I can't talk to "just anyone" about because not everyone would understand. However, you my dear friends, have proven that I can trust you with my feelings and that whether or not you may agree with me, you'll still love me with the same unconditional love that you've shown me over the past 18 +- months of my blogging journey.

Today, when we should have all been celebrating the good fortune that has been given to a deserving young person allowing them the opportunity to break the familial cycle they've been born into, I witnessed some of the most blatant displays of prejudice, scorn, bigotry, envy, pride, disgust . . . . and although I hesitate to say the word . . . . hatred. All targeted at someone most had never set eyes on. All based on opinions. Opinions about why that person should be given this and why that person should be able to do that and why that person . . . . And when one extremely immature, but very opinionated voice asked "well, would you want your daughter/son to date or marry someone like THAT?" I bit back the response "I would be proud to have my son/daughter date or marry someone like that, it's people like YOU I would hope they have the sense to steer clear of!" Then I got to wondering - is it just here in this place in this culture that people react in this manner? Would someone from the slums of Philadelphia or the streets of Miami or the poorest section of any city in any state in the union who had been given the opportunity to brush the dust of a life filled with poverty and drugs and hopelessness from their clothes and with the generosity of many break the cycle that has been a part of their family for generations have received the same scorn? Then deeper thought brought me to the realization that YES some people would chose to find fault rather than embrace the wonderful gift that has been given to this person. Then, upon even deeper thought, I realized that the Person who has been scorned for centuries because of His lowly beginnings has been the center of many heated arguments and even wars over the years is the King of Kings. He couldn't be the Messiah. He couldn't be the Savior. After all His "parents" weren't even married and he was born in a barn. Families and nations have been divided over this issue for years. I guess there's not going to be an easy resolution to today's rift amongst co-workers, is there?

So, my friends, as I breath a sigh and carefully step down off of my needlepoint stool, I ask for nothing more than your prayers. Prayers for a peaceful work place. Prayers for a very deserving young person. Prayers for those whose hearts are so hardened.

Blessings from The Creek y'all!

An expectant mother . . . .

2009-02-07T12:04:00.004-05:00

Twenty years ago last weekend I was sitting in Plant City Florida eating strawberry shortcake with my mother and my Aunt Margie and Uncle Bill who were visiting mother from Pennsylvania. Among other things, we talked about the excitement of my pregnancy and that it would only be a few weeks before I'd get to see my bundle of joy for the first time.

Last weekend, I sat in the bleachers at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, with my husband by my side as we waited expectantly for my son - that unnamed bundle of joy I held so close to my heart twenty years earlier, and waited so expectantly for - to march across the parade field as he graduated from basic training.

The joy I felt last weekend was no more or no less intense than what I felt twenty years ago. Just different. Tears still clouded this expectant mother's eyes as I waited for my son to march past me - just as they did twenty years ago as I waited for him to arrive. This time, though, there was pride in my heart. Pride in knowing that my unnamed bundle of joy of twenty years ago has grown into a fine young man. A young man who has made his mother proud and whom I have no doubt will make his country proud.

The kind of story you WISH they'd show on the evening news . . .

2009-01-05T20:21:00.004-05:00

Last Friday morning, on our way to take our handsome soldier to the airport, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Lake City, KY for breakfast. I left the table for a few minutes to look around the gift shop while we were waiting for our food to arrive. While I was gone, a sweet little girl who had evidently been sitting at the table behind us came up to our table and presented Ryan with an envelope. Ryan said she had the sweetest smile on her face. He thanked her and she skipped away. When he opened the envelope this is what he found . . . .

Inside the card was a gift card for Cracker Barrel that we found out later the little girl had purchased with her own money. A selfless act. A child who has obviously been taught that our service men are not to be scorned - that they are making a sacrifice to keep us all safe. A family I wish I'd had the chance to meet and thank in person. Thank you Smith Family! The card is hanging proudly on the bulletin board in my son's barracks so his entire platoon could be blessed as much as he was by your kindness.

Into each life some rain must fall . . .

2009-01-04T16:46:00.004-05:00

A belated MERRY CHRISTMAS and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone. I'm beginning to think that someone hit the fast-forward button on my life over the past few weeks. December was over before I really had the idea that it had begun. We were incredibly busy at work. Then there was the church cantata, Sunday school Christmas party, office Christmas party . . .well y'all know how it goes. Add to that the fact that we didn't know until just a few days before Christmas whether or not we were going to have the money to pay the mortgage or the utility bills never mind do any kind of Christmas shopping due to a broken contract on the part of the people who bought our business and most of you can guess what my frame of mind was for most of the month. Although I tried my hardest not to let everything get my spirits down, there were a few occasions where I turned in to Ms. Scrooge McGrinch and I was not thinking kind thoughts about certain people. At other times, I had a difficult time stopping the hormone-stress-holiday induced water works. The only thing that kept me from sinking into that deep, dark pit of depression was knowing that my son would be joining us for Christmas.

Ryan got here on December 23 at about 9PM safe and sound. We sat and talked until about midnight, catching up on all the news he brought with him from Florida. At about 2:30AM on the 24th, something woke me up. I stepped out of bed into a puddle. I was just about ready to have me a little talk with a couple little puppies when I heard Gracie drinking water . . . in the hallway . . . and her water bowl is waaaay out in the kitchen. After stopping long enough to step into my fuzzy slippers (did you know that fuzzy slippers can hold up to 5 times their weight in water) I walked out into the hallway into about an inch of water. I followed the water trail down the hall, into the living room and out into the kitchen. It wasn't raining. We're not in a flood zone. There was NOOOOO way that the beaver dam had backed up THAT far and God had promised not to destroy the world again with a flood. By that time, hubby had gotten up to see why all the lights were on and after he waded down hallway-creek, he discovered that the housing from our water filter system under the kitchen sink had cracked off at the threads. Once the water was turned off, the clean-up began. We used towels and the shop vac - something that led me to wonder exactly how safe our borders are when a National Guardsman slept through an hour of sucking water up off the floor - part of it in his bedroom - before we woke him up to help move furniture out of the way so we could pull up the carpet and pad in the bedrooms! We discovered that the kitchen, half the living room, the hallway and all three bedrooms had sustained some sort of water damage. Of course we couldn't tell the full amount of damage until everything started drying out and the brand new hardwood floors started cracking and curling and the sub floor in the bedrooms started dipping and curling between the floor joists. The good news is that hubby and I are both card carrying procrastinators. We had set a goal of having all the new hardwood floor down by Christmas. The kitchen had been done for a couple of months and by Thanksgiving weekend we had taken up the rest of the ceramic tile in the living room and hallway. But with hunting season and other obligations getting in the way, as well as the emotional turmoil we'd been going through, only a strip about 2 feet wide of hardwood had been installed. I had to be at work by 8:00 and by the time I got home at around 2:00, hubby and wonderful son had fans going and boxes moved and just about everything under control. Sure, everything is a mess, but everyone is alright, the house is livable and the insurance company has already sent an adjuster out to assess the damage. It looks like they're going to pay for the labor to unistall and reinstall the kitchen cabinets, uninstall and re-install the floors, replace the damaged sub floor and replace the carpet and padding in the bedrooms. So, looking on the bright side, hubby won't have to do the labor, the floors will be done and we'll be able to move the rest of our furniture into the house and unpack some of these boxes a lot sooner than expected!

Despite the flood, we spent a wonderful 10 days with Ryan. He and Tony got to do some target shooting and some hiking and exploring along the upper part of our property,they fenced in part of the back yard for the canine crew (something hubby wasn't able to do by himself). We went to see a movie one night. I got to cook some of Ryan's favorite meals. All in all, it wasn't the holiday I had envisioned, but you know what? I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas!

Blessings from the creek, y'all!

2008-12-06T18:59:00.002-05:00

It flurried this morning. It was a perfect day to stay inside close to a crackling fire, doing nothing in particular. So that's just what I did. A dear friend called me this morning and we chatted for quite a while - catching up on our respective moves and our new lives and reminiscing a little about our lives as they were just a few months ago. I pulled out a few Christmas decorations and decorated the mantle and kitchen table and hung a nostalgic decoration on the kitchen wall - we're in the process of redoing the living room floor so I'm not ready to put up a tree yet. I played with the pups. Brigitte and I snuggled up in the bed for a nap. We baked an apple pie and put a pan of lasagna in the oven. We've watched a little college football and have just enjoyed a lazy day. Life just doesn't get much better than this!

Blessings from the creek y'all!

2008-11-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving Blessings From Goldens Creek!

2008-11-23T13:49:00.006-05:00

I've learned some new things this week. Things that are easily forgotten after living in Florida for 30 years. I've learned that one must allow at least 10 minutes in the morning for the car to defrost - unless one is ingenious enough to think of using a plastic putty knife to scrape the frost off of the windows (which by the way works extremely well). I've learned that horses that sleep standing up outside in the pasture (yes we have a barn, but they choose to stay outside) will have a layer of snow on their backs in the morning and it doesn't even phase them. I've learned that a puppy (or a grown dog) will not have to go outside to do their business until well after dark when the cold wind is blowing and the temperature has dropped to 25 degrees or less.

Speaking of the puppies . . . it's been a bittersweet week here at the creek. The puppies have weaned themselves! They no longer require or want bottle feeding every few hours. I was actually a little depressed at that idea until I realized that although they have become very independent in their own little way, they still enjoy snuggle time in the evenings - something both my hubby and I relish. Speaking of my hubby, I've learned to read him like a book! He got that "far away look" in his eyes the the other night during puppy snuggle time. I knew he was thinking of our old friend Buck and how much little Clyde's personality reminded him of Buck. So, being the sentimental old fool that I am, I asked him if he wanted a puppy for Christmas. He just grinned and proceeded to tell Clyde that he didn't think Clyde was a suitable name and has renamed him Buster. Now tell me, who has who wrapped around their little finger (or paw as the case may be)?

Our little lost beagle found a new home this week too. We think she may be in the family way, so we had decided to take her to the animal shelter. We didn't feel that we could handle the responsibility of litter of puppies in the dead of winter. Evidently the volunteer at the animal shelter has a soft spot for beagles, so she was going home with him. Whew! Now if we can just keep the neighborhood dogs from dropping off their stray friends on our doorstep . . . . .

Blessings from the creek ya'll!

2008-11-09T21:42:00.005-05:00

Seasons have changed and lessons have been learned here on the creek. Bumps in the road. Hellos and goodbyes. Things lost and things found. I feel as though I could fill a catalog with inspirational signs - bits of inspiration that have come to me when I needed them the most. A timely post from a wonderful Sister blogger who has been through some bumps along her own road. A stern "relax Mom, God is in control" from my son. And then there are quotes like . . . "Sometimes He calms the storm and sometimes He calms his child" "God doesn't give us more than we can handle - God helps us handle what we are given" "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain" EVERY DAY IS A BLESSING!. Add to that the song "God Will Make a Way" or in my case God will make a job . . . and you may get an idea of where I've been for the past couple of months.

I started a new job the first part of October. I'm working in a wonderful, Christian family practice office. It's been quite a transition going from working at home on my own schedule for the past 10 + years to working a regular 8 hour day. It's a great feeling, though. I work with some incredible people. I've made some new friends that are a wonderful addition to this new chapter in my life.

Our son was here for a few days before he took off for basic training. We had a wonderful time together - short as it was. It's hard for me to believe that he's so grown up. He'll be in South Carolina for the first nine weeks, then off to San Antonio for his medic training. Makes a mama proud!

There have been some temporary additions to our zoo crew here at the creek. A a few weeks ago the neighborhood dogs brought a new friend - a Beagle - by to play with Gracie. When play time was over, everyone went home . . . except the Beagle! She was in definite need of some TLC. Needless to say, she's still here. Then, a week or so later my son and my husband came across 2 newborn puppies that someone had dropped off along side the road. Ryan dubbed them Bonnie and Clyde. We've bottle fed them from the day they were found. They've grown from tiny, little squirmy bundles weighing only about half a pound each - not even old enough to have their eyes open - to squirmy, chubby bundles that have beautiful dark eyes, a mouth full of very sharp puppy teeth, and little round bellies. They give the best puppy kisses. We think they're at least part lab. Bonnie is chocolate colored and Clyde is coal black. We're hoping to find homes for them. Anybody out there want a couple cute puppies for Christmas?

So, that's basically what I've been up to for the past couple of months. I've missed you all, although I must confess that I've been lurking in the commentless shadows of most of my favorite blog spots checking up on you. Thank you all for your kind comments and your prayers. I can't promise daily or even weekly posts until I get used to this new schedule, but I will promise updates on the happenings here on Goldens Creek!

Blessings from the creek y'all!

PLEASE BE PATIENT

2008-10-26T18:47:00.002-04:00

I'm not gone forever. I'm just trying to regroup. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers . . . you are all in mine.

Blessings from the creek y'all!

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

2008-09-22T15:00:00.003-04:00

The nights are cooler. The grape vines are shedding their leaves. There's a smidgen of color here in the holler, if you look real close, but you have to go up on the mountain or further north on the Interstate to see much color. It won't be long, though, before the hills will ablaze with fall colors!

Hubby and I took a trip further north on the Interstate this weekend. We had the opportunity to adopt three hackney horses that needed a home. All we had to do is come and get 'em. So we loaded up the truck, the trailer and our buddy Ken and made the 2 hour journey to Lexington to Whistle Stop Farm. Waiting for us there was a mama, her young son and her . . . um . . . husband. They are absolutely beautiful. Daddy (nick-named Houdini until we come up with a name) was evidently stunted in his growth somewhere along the way so his legs aren't long enough to qualify him as a show horse. What he lacks in height, he makes up for in attitude. He has a little of that "Rastafarian" look about him. He evidently has a passion for rolling in the briar patch so he'll need some grooming when he's ready. He's just as loving and sweet as can be . . . UNTIL you try to get him to do something he doesn't want to do. It took us less time to drive to pick them up than it took two grown men (professionals no less) to catch him, put a halter on him and get him ready to load on to the trailer. They all seem to be adjusting to life here on the creek. Houdini managed somehow to slip himself out of his halter during his first night here, but other than that everyone seems to be getting along famously.

Never a dull moment here on the creek!

FarM LIviNg iS tHE LiFe FOr Me!!!!!!

2008-09-17T11:54:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I took some much needed time off from my job as a construction worker and played farm wife for a few hours. It was a beautiful fall-like day and I a bunch of zucchini and about a half bushel of tomatoes from our garden that I needed to do something with so I made spaghetti sauce from the tomatoes and, with the addition of a few apples from one of the trees in the front yard, I made some zucchini/apple muffins! The muffins were a huge hit with my hubby! I found out that I can freeze grated zucchini, so I'll be able to have some on hand for fresh muffins, etc. throughout the winter months. Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight! I'm really enjoying being able to walk out the back door and grab some apples, pears, zucchini or tomatoes. Next year, we'll be able to put in a larger garden with a bigger variety of veggies and I'll have a fully functioning kitchen so I'll be able to do some canning! Farm livin'!

Apple Zucchini Bread (Muffins)

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. Gound nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Salt
5 eggs
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp Vanilla extract
2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1 cup peeled, shredded fresh apples
1 ½ cups chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs. Add oil, sugars and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix well. Stir in zucchini, apples and nuts (batter will be stiff). Spoon into three greased 8"x4"x3" loaf pans (I made 18 jumbo muffins). Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes for bread (about 20 minutes for jumbo muffins) or until done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Freezes well.

Back to construction work!

Blessings from the creek y'all!

P.S. FYI, the apple shaped snack set that the muffins are sitting on as well as 7 more are going to be listed on E-Bay soon. If any of my blogger friends are interested in them before I list them, I'll make you a special deal. Just e-mail me and we can talk about the price.

Turkey and deer and coyotes . . . OH MY!

2008-09-12T22:45:00.008-04:00

My wonderful hubby and I took a walk down one of the many logging/mining roads in our area the other day. It was nice spending some quite time together, away from the painting and priming and sanding and . . . . well you get the picture. I thought I'd share some pictures of things we saw along the way.

I've learned that you never know what you're going to see when you go for a walk around "The Creek".

Blessings from "The Creek" y'all!

GOD BLESS THE USA!!!!!

2008-09-11T09:03:00.000-04:00

The Breakfast Club

2008-09-04T12:34:00.003-04:00

I was thinking this morning about how much not only my life, but my lifestyle has changed over the past few months. Simple things, but they've had such a huge impact on me.

For instance, having breakfast with "the girls" used to mean taking time to do my hair and makeup, picking out just the right outfit and shoes and driving to the restaurant where we'd have our meal and sit and talk about all the things going on in our lives. Having breakfast with "the girls" now consists of throwing on a pair of jeans and an old tee-shirt, pulling on my wellies, grabbing a pocket full of apples from the tree in the back yard and walking the short distance to the barn and pasture. Parsley and Lullabelle prefer to have their breakfast served inside the barn at their own private table - they don't much like to socialize while they eat. Lilly doesn't much care where she eats as long as she gets to eat, so she usually hangs out with Emma and Jenny. I usually share the apples with Emma and Jenny first while Lilly is munching down on her "cereal.” Jenny prefers whole apples. Emma's mouth just isn't quite big enough to eat a whole apple, so I share mine with her. OK, before you get all grossed out and say "eeeeeew!", we don't actually take bites from the same apple, I do the biting and give her little pieces. After we've finished our apples, Jenny and Emma head off to share the "cereal" with Lilly and I head back up to the house to finish breakfast with my hubby. Do I miss "breakfast with the girls" as it used to be? Sure I do! What I miss most is sitting around the table talking after we've finished eating. Neither the animals or my hubby are very talkative first thing in the morning. Would I give up "breakfast with the girls" as it is now? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!

Having fresh flowers in the house used to be a luxury - saved for special occasions or sometimes when they were on sale at the grocery store. I'd bring them home and carefully arrange them in my favorite vase and be a little sad when they died and I had to throw them away. Fresh flowers now are nearly an everyday occasion! I can walk to the creek or stroll along the fence line in the pasture and pick as many beautiful red, purple, yellow and white wildflowers as I can fit in my hand. When I bring them into the house, I don't place them in a beautiful vase. That would be an insult to the flowers. They would rather take center stage resting in an old Mason jar or a milk bottle I picked up at a flea market a while ago. You know what? I much prefer the hand-picked wildflowers to the florist shop or supermarket bouquets! I'm not sure when God created all of the beautiful varieties of flowers that he meant for them to be used for profit. I believe he created them to be enjoyed by anyone at any time - free of charge. Why else would he place them in out of the way places like along a pasture fence, bordering a creek or scattered among the trees on a mountain path?!

Blessings from The Creek y'all!

FAREWELL, PART II

2008-08-30T09:22:00.001-04:00

FAREWELL

2008-08-28T20:55:00.004-04:00

I mentioned on my last post that we said goodbye to an old friend yesterday. It wasn't a sad goodbye or a tragic goodbye. It was a fond farewell. A sendoff to a new home, to a better life. OK. So maybe I'm being just a tad melodramatic. The old friend I'm talking about is a bus.

When we purchased our property here on the creek, it came complete with several outbuildings, and The Bus. The Bus evidently started out life as a Whitley County school bus and upon retiring from academia, worked part time as a church bus. Somewhere along the line he was put out to pasture. Literally. Out in the pasture behind the house. Over the years he was stripped of his seats and his engine and his dignity and was evidently used as yet another storage shed. I can't imagine the embarrassment that this once proud servant of the academic world must have felt to be forced to live out his golden years in a cow pasture, filled with junk. The ridicule he must have endured as the shiny, new school buses passed by each day as well as the semi-retired church buses that travel our road on a regular basis. The on bright spot in his life in the pasture was the bush of wild honeysuckle that had grown up through what used to be his engine. It was beautiful to behold and had a beautiful, sweet fragrance. The honeysuckle actually acted as camouflage and after a while it hid the fact that The Bus had no engine.

Hubby and I had discussed on several occasions what we should do with The Bus. We toyed with the idea of turning it into a novel guest suite. Unfortunately, with everything else we have going on around here, The Bus just wasn't one of our top priorities.

Well Tuesday, when Hubby was off picking up our new menagerie and I was up on the ladder painting, a gentleman came to the door and introduced himself as "Centers, Junior Centers, C-e-n-t-e-r-s". He was just wonderin' if we might be interested in selling that old but out there. I thought about it for about a micro-second and said in my calmest voice, "yes sir, I believe we would!". We agreed on a price for the bus as well as an old lawn tractor and some scrap metal we had laying around waiting for a chance to take it to the scrap yard. Centers, Junior Centers told me he'd be back in a few days, after the rain stopped from "that thar hurrycane".

Yesterday, Mr. Centers, Junior Centers, and two friends came by armed with tools and a tow truck that was nearly as old as The Bus. It took help from Hubby and his trusty tractor and about two hours worth of pushing and pulling and banging and turning by the other three men before The Bus finally moved from his spot in the pasture and for the first time in who knows how many years rolled proudly down the road with his head held high (OK, so it was held up by the hook on the tow truck) on his own new adventure. So, farewell old friend. You have left a void in our pasture and your leaving has opened up a wonderful new view of the mountain.

Blessings from the creek y'all!

P.S. Blogger is not allowing me to post any pictures tonight. I'll try again tomorrow and will add pictures of The Bus and his journey if I can.

ANd oN THis fARm hE HAd SOmE . . . .

2008-08-27T17:42:00.009-04:00

Yesterday, while I was priming the kitchen (I think our kitchen grew because I swear it was at least twice as big as I remember)my wonderful husband and our friends Ken and Dewey climbed into the truck and headed for London. NOT London, England! London, Kentucky. Home of Patton's Livestock Market. They were just going to look, of course. Get set up with an auction account so when we're ready for a couple of cows for the pasture, we'll be all set to go. I should have been suspicious when they had the trailer hooked up to the back of the truck, but Hubby reassured me that since they were going to be close to Lowes, they'd stop on the way back and pick up the range we ordered. THAT'S why they needed the trailer. Well now, at about 5:00, they came rolling into the driveway and drove straight back to the barn. "Why?", asked they woman of the house as she was standing on the ladder priming the ceiling, "are they going to the barn? The range is coming into the house!" A few minutes later Hubby came to the kitchen door and asked if I'd come out to the barn for a minute. Oooooh Kaaaaay! So I put on my rain jacket (it was pouring at the time) and followed him to the barn, where I found Dewey and Ken, leaning on the stall gates just a smilin'! Seems that they decided to stay for some of the auction - just to get a feel of things, mind you - and one of the first things that came up for sale was . . . you'll have to see it to believe it . . .
Meet Ginny (the mom) and Emma (the baby). And then, while they were there . . . they might as well bring home baby Lilly and then of course came a deal NOBODY in their right mind would have passed up . . . LulaBelle and Parsley, the Hereford Sisters.

Needless to say, the range is still at Lowes, and we've been having a ball today watching everyone get used to their new surroundings. In the midst of everything else going on around The Creek today, we took time out to say goodbye to an old friend. But that's a whole post in itself, so you'll have to wait until next time.

Blessings from The Creek y'all!

Just a little bit more . . .

2008-08-25T17:14:00.004-04:00

We're down to finishing up a little tweaking and touching up! Accessorising will have to wait a while until I can find the right boxes.

It's raining here at the creek today - the first rain we've had in several weeks. Such a wonderful, relaxing sound! The birds are happy! The crickets are happy! The dogs are happily napping and I'm using the extra humidity as my excuse not to start priming and painting the kitchen today. So I'm doing laundry and catching up on some reading and listening to the rain. I've promised myself that tomorrow, bright and early, no excuses, I will paint!

Blessings from The Creek y'all!

There's Room At The Cross . . .

2008-08-24T10:12:00.003-04:00

This is a picture taken from our back yard a few days ago. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Blessings from The Creek!

ALMOST DONE!

2008-08-22T20:58:00.004-04:00

A few before and after pictures of our nearly completed bathroom!

We finished the painting today. The toilet is in place, the shower door is installed, the vanity is set and after a few technical difficulties due to a 12" height difference between the two inhabitants of the house, the medicine cabinet and light are in place. There are just a few more little details to finish up, but its functional and beautiful and 1000% better in its present state than it was when we bought the house. I'll post more "after" pictures as soon as the batteries in my camera charge. Hey! I can't remember everything.

Blessings from The Creek!

Something Worth Sharing

2008-08-20T09:31:00.002-04:00

I received this via e-mail from a dear friend of mine (one of my "ancients") I thought it was to special not to share.

To my sisters in the Lord...
There comes a time in every woman's life when she has to take a close look at herself. Not at her circumstance, not at what she did, not how unfair life is, or at who made you do it. She has to just look at herself in all her glory and imperfection. Have you ever admired a woman who has been through changes in her life? Or have you made up in your mind that she is just messed up. Before you make this mistake, take a closer look. A woman who has endured the most unusual life is someone of wisdom, someone who has been chosen by God to go through things that have made her stronger.

Think of all the great women in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, Ruth and Naomi , the woman with an issue of blood, and Esther , to name a few. Mary was a prostitute, a very uneasy woman. But by the time Jesus was done with her, she was His closest follower. Esther was unfortunate in marrying an abusive man, but by the time God was done with her, she had married one of the wealthiest men in the land.

Women are so quick to beat the next one down instead of trying to hold her up. Before you wonder, " What's up with her?" ask yourself, "What's up with me?" That woman could be my mother, sister, aunt, in-law, stepmother, niece, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, friend, or co-worker, etc. That woman could be ME .

Women are the carriers of life, not the channels of death. Let's build and encourage each other, as did Ruth and Naomi . Pass this to all the women in your life. Encourage and love, forgive and forget, and trust that the woman that receives this will be touched in some way.

Blessings from The Creek!

THE 7 SONG TAG!

2008-08-14T14:11:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot! Kim also tagged me for the "7 SONG TAG".

There have been many songs this summer that have taken on new meaning or have come to mean a lot to me. Just a few are:
1. In The Presence of Jehovah
2. I Can't Even Walk (without holding His hand)
3. Friends Are Friends Forever
4. Bound For the Promised Land
5. The theme from Green Acres
6. Dueling Banjos (it's a Kentucky thing)
7. I'll Fly Away (in tribute to the Barney Swallow Band)

The rules:
List 7 songs you are into right now. No matter what genre, whether they have words, or even if they are not any good, but they must be songs you are really into right now, shaping your summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs.Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.

I'm going to tag . . .
Kathy
Adrienne
Sharron
Elaine
Leigh
Grace
Sheri

Anyone else who wants to let me know what you've been listening to, please feel to leave your list in the comments.

Blessings from The Creek!

Share The Love

2008-08-14T13:16:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago Kim from Kim's Treasures honored me with this award. Due to technical difficulties and time constraints, I'm just now able to send a belated THANK YOU, KIM! her way. I was finally able to pull up the blog where this beautiful award originated and read the story that sparked its conception. A beautiful story and a beautiful tribute to a family that shared the love in a totally selfless way.

The rules of this award are simple: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **Please include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

So it is my honor to pass this award on to all of you who have stood by me through my adventure . . . who have laughed with me and prayed for me . . . who have worried about me when I was absent from blogland . . . who have encourage me . . . and have even taken time away from their vacation to visit with me in my new town. I love and appreciate you all.

Blessings from The Creek!

Testing 1-2-3 Testing

2008-08-13T21:07:00.003-04:00

The very nice gentleman from Wild Blue Satellite Internet was here today to free me from dial-up Internet service. So far, it's not the high speed I was used to, but it's MUCH speedier than dial-up! The true tests will be #1, whether I can upload pictures to my blog and #2, whether I'll be able to download some of my favorite blogs that have been unaccessable to me over the past few weeks. So here goes . . .

Welcome to The Creek!

"Baby Gracie" and her older sister Brigitte

Puppy paws (and she's still growing)

The Barnie Swallow Band . . Doo, Whah, Dittie, and Duhm

Our "open floor" plan kitchen

So far so good! I'm going to go visit some of my friends now. I'll post pictures of the new and improved kitchen and bathroom next time.

Blessings from The Creek!

Things they don't tell you on the DIY netork!

2008-08-06T10:37:00.003-04:00

Renovating has been an eye opening experience so far. We've done remodeling before and that's basically what we were expecting to do this time. HOWEVER . . .

Here are some lessons I've learned over the past couple of weeks.
1. A one piece fiberglass tub/shower unit does NOT come out in one piece. I recommend at least six pieces so that they can be carried out the door without the danger of falling through the gaping 12 foot long hole in the kitchen floor. (see #2)
2. When a square Mason jar rolls across the kitchen floor, that is a very big indication that there is probably a project of massive proportions lurking beneath the layers of old vinyl and plywood.
3. Don't judge a book by its cover . . . or a box by its label. For instance - if hubby remembers buying a toilet and the box containing the toilet was loaded on to the truck and brought with us andwe found the box and it doesn't looks like it has ever been opened, then there is no need to purchase a new toilet. Right? Weeeeell . . . somebody forgot that they bought the toilet to put in for a customer before we left Eden - not to bring with us for the remodel - and somebody else forgot that they used the box to pack picture frames in and must have neglected to label the box or the label fell off. Sooooo an hour before 5 extra people were to arrive at the house and the only other facility is the tiny little bathroom in the travel trailer when hubby opened the box to set the new toilet . . . . let's just say it's a good thing I hadn't had a chance to take the sledge hammer to the old toilet. Which leads me to #4. . .
4. When removing an old toilet from the house, it is best to either empty the water from the bowl/tank with a shop vac or make sure the height of the people carrying it is somewhat equal. For instance, if a 6'2" man and a 5' almost 2" woman attempt to carry a toilet with water in it, gravity will inevitably cause the water to flow out of the toilet towards the lowest point (the feet of the 5'almost 2"woman).

Well, dear friends, I'm off to learn some more lessons.

Blessings from the creek!

A Lesson I learned From My Little Dog

2008-07-18T20:58:00.003-04:00

From the time she was a tiny pup, my little doxie has chased shadows. For all the years she lived in Eden, she spent hours on end chasing shadows. Butterflies, dragon flies, bees, birds . . . . anything that flew and cast a shadow, she'd chase. Since moving here to the creek, she's made an awesome discovery. While chasing humming bird shadows, she happened to look up and discovered the source of the shadows. Since then, it's as if a whole new world has opened up for her. Instead of spending her days with her head down chasing shadows, she's now romping through the yard with her head held high. She's discovered birds in trees and butterflies on flower bushes. By the simple act of looking up towards the sun, she's found new joy. Is there a lesson to be learned here? Is it possible that we spend much of our life chasing the shadows of life on earth, never looking towards the Son the true source of our joy? Oh, the lessons you can learn from your dog!

Blessings from the Creek y'all!

Oh, what a day!

2008-07-16T16:57:00.002-04:00

Whew! I'm tarred (that's KY for tired)! It's been a long, hard day and this old gal's body is not used to all this physical exhertion. Hubby had an early doctor's appointment today so we were up and at 'em early. The roofers showed up at 7:30 (the roof is DONE!!!!!). I putzed around the house and trailer, rearranging and straightening up, washed a sink full of dishes, filled up all the bird feeders and the hummer feeders, did a load of laundry - all before 9:00.

Our friends Ken, Alex and Dewey came by to see if they could get our tractor out of the prediciment it was in (mud up to the axels) down in the lower pasture. They needed a shovel, so when Ken came up to the house to get one, I walked back down with him. Didn't find out till we got down there that he'd grabbed the broken shovel. So, it's back up to the house to get another shovel, some more chain and the "come along", then back down to the lower pasture. For those of you who are on the 10,000 step a day program - I think I completed my 10,000 before noon today - about a third of it up hill, a third of it through a waist high hay field and the rest through freshly mown pasture. Anyhow, after a lot of head scratching, a little digging and a little pulling with Dewey's truck, the tractor is free once again to roll through the fields!

We found out that our little crick (creek for those of you who weren't raised in Western PA or KY) is full of small mouth bass, brim and bluegill. Two grown men and a 16 year old boy were whoopin' and hollerin' and catching bugs they could toss in the crick and see how many fish came up to eat them. Cheap entertainment after all that manual labor. :)

Ken and Dewey went home and Alex and I hiked back up to the house to start on some demolition projects. First project on the list . . . unscrew the kitchen cabinets from the walls. Easy, right? WRONG! We're finding out little by little that this house is put together with 3 inch long nails. The kitchen cabinets are not screwed to the walls, they're nailed on with . . . . you guessed it! three inch nails. Of course the pry bars are nowhere to be found so it was on to project #2 on the list - digging an 8" x 8" trench around our patio/carport, laying in a perforrated pipe and filling it in the rest of the way with gravel so the patio/carport won't flood everytime it rains. Since we'd left one of the good shovels down in the pasture with the tractor, and we only had one good one left up here and since neither of us felt like hiking back down to the pasture again, I did the only thing a middle aged woman could do - I let the 16 year old wide receiver dig the ditch! I'm sure you know how much of a sacrifice it was on my part.

Hubby rolled in about noon-thirty. I fed the boys, fed myself, and being of sound mind, put my feet up for just 10 minutes while I was watching HGTV and woke up an hour and a half later, just in time to help Alex and hubby fill in the ditch with gravel. Somehow I think my timing was off just a bit.

In the middle of all the ditch digging and gravel getting, Alex got a call from his dad. There's evidently a Pop Warner football tournament going on in Miami. The wide receiver on one of the teams was injured and they called Alex to tell him to be on the plane to Miami tonight! So, after a a day of tractor rescuing, ditch digging and gravel loading and unloading, Alex is on his way home to shower, pack and probably sleep his way to Miami. He had a big ol' smile on his face when he left here. Whoooo hooooo! Way to go Alex! Ten years from now when he's receiving his MVP award as a pro, I wonder if he'll remember li'l ol' me and the day I made the ultimate sacrifice by handing my shovel over to him?

Blessings y'all!

Hummers and Habits.

2008-07-14T08:57:00.005-04:00

I know it's wrong to be prideful, but sometimes I just can't help myself. We now have not one but TWO hummers in our driveway. I know what you must be thinking. With gas prices the way they are . . . but these two are compact and run on fairly inexpensive fuel - one part sugar to four parts water. Fill up their tank and they're good to go for about a week. Have you figured out yet that there are not two Hummers in our driveway, but two hummers as in humming birds? We hung the feeder on the corner of the driveway and the carport turned patio on Friday and within 15 minutes it was humming with activity. They're much quieter than the Barney Swallow Band and they make much less of a mess. I loved those little guys, but MY WORD what a mess they left behind!

We have 2/3 of a red metal roof now! It looks awesome so far. Our house sits down off the road, so it's the first thing you see when you round the corner towards our driveway. No more ugly black/gray/missing shingles! I still can't download pictures to Blogger, so for now you'll just have to take my word for how great it looks. We've hired our friend's nephew (a 16 year old football player) to help us with some of the demolition inside the house and some of the heavier work outside. Hubby threw his back out last week and hasn't been able to do anything since so he's going to be the "supervisor" and let the young buck do all the heavy work (or so he says). Our friend,Scott, will be coming up from Florida in a few weeks to help us with the drywall and tile in the bathroom and the floor and cabinets in the kitchen as well as some other odds and ends of things. Hopefully by the end of August we'll have enough done so that we can move out of the travel trailer and into the house.

They say that three weeks makes a habit. I've been here for three weeks now and I can honestly say I don't regret the move one bit. I thought the novelty might wear off, but even with all of the rain and hubby's injury and living half in the trailer and half in the house . . . even with having to do some creative thinking to get the tractor unstuck when it bottomed out on a high spot in the bottom pasture and then find out an hour later that it's stuck again (another post) - I'm still content. Yes, I miss the people I left behind, but I don't miss the lifestyle at all. I didn't realize just how stressed both Tony and I actually were until the stress factor was cut by about 75%. I know I'll have to go out and look for a J.O.B. (still not ready to say the word out loud yet) soon, but even that isn't as scary of a proposition as it once was. I have so many options available to me and this time $$$ is not going to be the deciding factor.

Well, I have laundry to do and walls to demolish (if you've never experienced it, you don't know what you're missing!) and new things to experience and places to explore so for now . . . .

Blessings Y'all!

P. S. Grace, you really need to have a talk with your dogdaughter! She's taken a liking to chewing up my shoes and books. I'd kick her back out on the street except that she's such a good watchdog and she's so darned cute!

I'm suffering from the empty nest syndrome . . . again!

2008-07-11T19:03:00.004-04:00

I couldn't be prouder if I had hatched them myself! The Barney Swallow Band has flown off on their first engagement. My hubby and I watched yesterday as Ditty was the fist to audition. He spread his wings and sang his loudest and off he flew. Dew, Wah and Duhm were a little apprehensive and actually wouldn't leave their dressing room(nest). No amount of bribery or urging by their mom or dad would coax them out on to the stage (aka fan blade). They did some of their best singing standing on the edge of their nest, though. The three of them still had their feet planted firmly inside the nest when we left the house this morning. When we returned home this afternoon - the nest was empty. Either they decided Ditty was having altogether too much fun without them or mom got tired of their stubbornness and gave them a gentle push. It's so quiet out on the porch now. For nearly three weeks we've listened to the sounds of their mom and dad waiting expectantly for them to poke their little beaks out of their eggs, then the round the clock feedings, then when the fuzzy little quartet with the rocker hair doos found their voices, they practiced singing at least 12 hours a day. It's been so awesome watching them grow! We are so blessed to have been allowed to witness such a beautiful miracle from beginning to end.

I'm sad to say that the House Wren and the Dove families didn't fare as well. Their nests were within climbing reach of the dreaded night stalker (aka cat) and the twins in both families were evidently midnight snacks for that evil Puddy Tat. Such is the circle of life.

Well, I'm off to see if I can tell which of the dozens of barn swallows out for their evening meal is my little Barney Swallow Band. Dew, Whah, Ditty and Duhm . . . you'll always hold a special place in my heart!

Blessings Y'all!

P.S. My new "friend" Nancy from Olive Leaf Ministries is having a give-away. Stop by to pay her a visit. I promise you'll laugh a little, cry a little and learn to love her and her family within the first ten minutes.

If They Could See Me Now . . . .

2008-07-08T17:47:00.003-04:00

I have to be totally honest. When we first bought this property and decided to move to the hills of Kentucky, one of the things I was most excited about was being able to hang my laundry out on the line to dry in the breeze and sunshine. I've always loved the smell of clothes and sheets dried on the line. Even though I had pleanty of room in the yard in Eden, I had some pretty snooty, high falutin neighbors that made rude comments about people who live in "the projects" being the only ones who hung their laundry on the line and if they had wanted to live in "the projects" they would have stayed in New Jersey. One could only wish they had. But, being the peace keeper that I am, I folded up my little "umbrella" clothes line and gave up.

The first 10 days or so we were here, I was elated! A clothes line (strung between two old truck drive shafts if you missed my last post)! Fresh smelling clothes and sheets! Time in the sun! Exercise! Whoo Hoo! It was GREAT! it still would be great except that the weather is not cooperating. It's been raining. A LOT! Not just a shower once a day. That I could handle. There's a shower in the morning. Then a couple hours later another shower. Then at least one downpour a day. People in town tell me they haven't had rain in a couple of days. Great! Of course they haven't. The rain clouds are all stuck here in the holler.

Normally it wouldn't be a big deal. So it's raining. Instead of hanging the laundry on the line, just throw it in the dryer. You see, therein lies the problem. My dryer is still in the box. It's waiting for the gas man to come and hook up our meter. Then when he hooks up the meter the plumber (aka my hubby) needs to dig a trench from the road to the house . . . through clay and rocks . . . lay the pipe, connect to the meter and the house and THEN I can use my dryer.

So, to my snooty neighbors from Eden . . . I really wish you could see me now! I've got a clothesline zig-zagging its way through the car port - being extra careful not to disturb the "Barney Swallow Band" living up on the ceiling fan or the Dove family living in the grape arbor - and my laundry is waving proudly in the breeze. And guess what! We're not in the projects! We're in the promised land!

Blessings y'all!

fARm LiVIn' iS tHe LiFE fOR mE!

2008-07-07T11:03:00.003-04:00

Funny how normal things can go unnoticed day after day and then one morning, as you're standing in front of the kitchen sink (in the world's ugliest kitchen by the way)washing dishes by hand because the dishwasher is hooked up totally wrong and could possibly start a fire if it is used (along with the wiring in most of the house), before taking the first of several loads of laundry out to on the clothes line in the back yard (which by the way is made out of the drive shafts of 2 old trucks) because the gas man hasn't been here to hook up the gas line and the clothes dryer is still in the box . . . then you get a mental picture of hubby riding through the back pasture last night on his new to him tractor (which I have put into the same category as the kitchen - world's ugliest)with a big old smile on his face .... Well if you're me, you'll start humming the theme song to Green Acres. Then you'll start laughing hysterically because the hound dog puppy and the doxie are sitting there side by side on the kitchen floor staring at you like you've gone completely over the edge.

As I'm typing this, the neighbor's Jack Russel Terrier is frantically scratching at the back door, which means a storm is coming . . . oops! I mean a storm is here. I guess that means the laundry on the line will be going through a second rinse cycle mountain style. Oh well . . . .

GOODBYE CITY LIFE!

Blessings Y'all!

Wow! Two weeks already!

2008-07-05T07:24:00.004-04:00

I just realized we've been here for 2 weeks now! In some ways it doesn't seem possible. In other ways . . . it seems like we've always been here. We've all settled into the slower paced lifestyle of the area. It's refreshing not to be stressed about when things HAVE to be done. For now at least, things will get done when things get done.

The first of our major renovations begins sometime next week. Our poor little adopted house will be getting a new "hairdo" in the form of a barn red metal roof. She's been a brunette with patches of gray for a long time now and I think she'll be happy with her new look as a red head.

I did venture out into the "big city" of Lexington with our friend Karen this past week. It was a beautiful drive and I got to see a part of the state I've never seen before. We met Karen's sister, Tamara, for lunch at Chedars (mmm, mmm,mmm!)then spent the rest of the day shopping (actually mostly just window shopping and killing time until Karen's car was ready to be picked up). I really enjoyed myself, but found myself longing to be back in my quiet, little holler. Traffic and crowds were among the top 10 reasons we decided to leave Florida.

Tony started a small vegetable garden with tomatoes and squash this week and we reworked one of the flower beds in the front yard by planting some red, white and blue (actually purple) petunias. The weather has cooperated by watering the plants nearly every day. Tony also purchased an old (and in my opinion quite unattractive -actually ugly is the word I'd use) tractor he'll be able to use to take care of the pastures, etc. Of course he had to try it out the minute it was delivered and he mowed a piece of pasture between our house and Mr. Wilson's house. Brush hogs and sickle bars . . . all foreign to me, but T is happy as a clam. I couldn't help humming the theme song from Green Acres as I watched him bouncing along through the pasture. Haven't told him that yet - maybe it's best he doesn't know. :)

I'm still on dial-up Internet service and for some reason I still can't upload pictures to my blog. I have been able to share pictures through my photo program, so if anyone would like to see pictures of "our promised land", send me your e-mail address. My e-mail address is listed on my profile page so you can send your e-mail address without having to publish it in the comments. I promise I won't share it with anyone and I won't send you an endless line of forwards.

Well, dear friends, Brigitte and Grace are trying their best to convince me that it's time for me to stop what I'm doing and play with them. They can be rather convincing - especially Gracie when she grabs my hand and starts to drag me out the door. I have to keep reminding myself that she is just a puppy. A very LARGE puppy, but still just a puppy. If she continues to grow the way she has over the past 2 weeks, it won't be long before I have to either get a job to pay for her food or start hanging out at the entrance of the grocery store holding a sign that says "will work for dog food".

Until the next time . . .

Blessings Y'all!

It's A Lovely Day in the Neighborhood . . . .

2008-07-01T06:49:00.003-04:00

It's a balmy 53 degrees here on beautiful Goldens Creek - something quite foreign to someone who has spent the past 30 years in Florida. I'm loving it! Hubby is loving it in his own way - snuggled deep beneath the covers in bed with a doxie shaped foot warmer snuggled up against him. Gracie and I are the adventurous ones. She's out exploring the property. I'm sitting in front of the living room window listening to the morning sounds and watching our neighbors (the fine feathered ones) prepare for their day.

I'm settling into life in the country a lot better than I thought I would. I really thought I'd feel isolated. We've made several trips into town over the past week and I enjoyed that greatly, but I found myself turning down a trip to WalMart the other day in lieu of staying at home and waiting for the satellite guys to show up. I've got me a genuine "farmer's tan" from hanging clothes out to dry - a luxury I've not been able to enjoy for probably 15 or 20 years and spending time on the lawn tractor. We had satellite TV hooked up over the weekend, but so far I've watched very little. I haven't seen the evening news or Good Morning America in 2 weeks, so if the aliens have invaded New Jersey or if a cure for the common cold has been discovered on an obscure mountain top in a little known country by an 80 year old blind woman . . . I'm clueless.

Well, the sun has come up and burned most of the fog off of the holler, so I guess I'll throw a load of clothes into the washer and get ready to enjoy some time in the great outdoors as I hang the clothes on my solar powered clothes dryer. Today I think we will start the demo process in our bathroom - WHOO HOO! Tomorrow I will rather reluctantly leave the holler to make a trip to Lexington with a friend. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful state, but by the end of the day, I think I'll be looking forward to returning to Goldens Creek.

Blessings y'all!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

2008-06-28T07:29:00.003-04:00

We have arrived . . . well, actually we arrived a week ago today, but things have been hectic and I was without Internet access until Thursday. Our trip went off without a hitch. Our friend Duane and his son Christopher arrived about 8 hours behind us with the truck. After a wonderful breakfast at the Cumberland Inn in Williamsburg, we got the travel trailer set in place and the beds made and let the guys take a nap before unloading. My "niece" and her new husband drove up from Knoxville to help us unload. I don't know what we'd have done without them!

True to form for us, life is an adventure. We found "squatters" in the carport/patio in the form of a family of barn swallows that had nested on a blade of the ceiling fan. Good thing the guys noticed the nest BEFORE they turned the fan on! We've had a blast watching Barney and Mrs. Swallow prepare for their hatchlings and then when the little quadruplets arrived, a constant flurry of activity to keep the little guys fed. Much better than TV! Mrs. M. Dove has also nested in the carport - in the grape vine growing between the posts. So far no little doves, but there are two eggs in the nest. A family of house wrens has made their home in the trash can in the barn. We'd left some dead branches from an old rose bush in the can before we left in April and they must have decided we left it just for them and built their nest amongst the thorns. Guess we didn't need that trash can anyhow - at least not until the eggs hatch and the little wrens fly the nest!

The greatest treasure waiting for us comes in the form of a puppy - and I use the term puppy loosely! She is probably about 6 - 8 months old, a beautiful red color with long legs and paws the size of a small third world country. Our neighbor, Mr. Wilson, tells us she's been hanging around for about three weeks or more - just like she'd been waiting for us to arrive. Throughout the day, while we were unloading the truck, we tried to come up with a name for her. Trouble was one of the top choices of the day, but somehow just didn't seem right for a pretty little girl. I finally decided on Grace (or Gracie). No, I didn't name her after my wonderful Sunny friend, although she does have a sweet disposition and constantly makes us laugh. Her name came about after she followed Brigitte and I on our evening walk down our little country road. She was galloping along beside us when she suddenly disappeared - down into a ditch on the side of the road. She looked up at me with that "how did I get down here" look on her face as she picked herself up and made her way back up on to the road to join us. Once was funny, but when she rolled down into a ditch on the other side of the road just a few minutes later - well you can imagine me doubled over in laughter. I was still laughing when we got back to the carport/patio where the guys were relaxing. Before I had a chance to tell them what happened she, in all her clumsy puppiness, cleared a table with her tail. I told the guys that I thought we should name her Grace - something that she was definitely lacking, but a beautiful name for a beautiful "little" girl.

Unfortunately, pictures will have to wait until I figure out where I put the little cord thingy that transfers pictures from my camera to the laptop. I put it somewhere I'd be sure to find it easily - so if anyone out there can give me a clue as to where that might be, please let me in on the secret!

Blessings y'all!

Bound 4 Kentucky!

2008-06-18T13:09:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd post a few quick lines while the postin' is good. My internet access has been limited for the past week and time has been even more limited. The house is empty, save a few personal items and cleaning supplies. We had so much help loading the truck last night! People running every which way, grabbing everything in sight - including a few things that were supposed to stay behind! I managed to hold things together fairly well in the emotions department with a few minor exceptions - like when my Junque Syster got in her car to drive away, when my Sister at Heart got ready to walk out the door and when our good friends Jim and Janet left. I allowed myself only one major meltdown (last nite at least). Closing went off without a hitch. It's the first time I've ever been on the selling side of the table.

Well, I've got a little more sprucing up, and one more look through the cabinets to do, then we're off to spend the night with friends and by first light tomorrow morning we should officially be

KENTUCKY BOUND!
LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

2008-06-15T09:41:00.001-04:00

IT'S REAL!!!!!

2008-06-12T17:34:00.003-04:00

It's real! It's official! It's time to panic! We just got a call from our Realtor. Our closing has been moved up to Tuesday at 10:00. That means it's real. really real! I've been living in a cave of boxes for several weeks now and my cabinets are nearly empty, but somehow, it just hadn't sunk in! We're really moving! OK girl, BREATHE! In through the nose, out through the mouth! Or is it in through the mouth, out through the nose? And if I hyperventelate, is it paper or plastic?

Enough of this, I have things to do and people to see!

Did I mention IT'S OFFICIAL!? Did I mention IT'S REAL?

Blessings y'all!

Liz

A CELEBRATION OF LOVE

2008-06-09T16:26:00.003-04:00

I love vintage things. Vintage furniture! Vintage linens! Vintage quilts! Vintage kitchen gadgets! Vintage dishes! Vintage! Vintage! Vintage! Saturday I had the opportunity to help our Pastor's daughters decorate the church Fellowship Hall for Brother Billy and Sister Jean's 50th anniversary celebration! We used vintage pictures, jewelery, handbags, hankies, gloves, Brother Billy's highschool letterman's sweater and baseball cap, and Ms. Jean's absolutely beautiful wedding dress and headpiece as part of the decorations. It was beautiful! Simple! Elegant! Definitely befitting a beautiful, elegant, vintage couple.

On Sunday afternoon we celebrated not only their 50 years of marriage, but their 50 years in the ministry together as well. We celebrated when they told of their wedding day 50 years ago to the day on a Sunday afternoon and the fact that Brother Billy actually preached the Sunday morning service and then had an afternoon wedding! We celebrated their wonderful, Godly family. We celebrated Brother Billy's recovery and we celebrated the strength he is regaining every day. We celebrated old friendships. We celebrated young lives that have been touched by this wonderful couple.

At the service last night the celebration continued with special music. We celebrated with tears of joy that our Pastor, although still not able to climb up to the platform, was able to deliver his first message since his accident!

I'm certain that Brother Billy and Sister Jean enjoyed every moment of their day. I know they appreciated all the beautiful gifts they received. The greatest gift that day, however, was not a gift they received. It was a gift that those of us who know and love them received. The gift of being there to celebrate their lives and their love with them!

Blessings y'all!

Sunday Repose

2008-06-08T08:39:00.003-04:00

In and out of situations
That tug-of-war and me
All day long I struggle
For answers that I need
But then I come into His presence
All my questions become clear
And for that sacred moment
No doubs can interfere

In the presence of Jehovah
God Almighty, Prince of Peace
Troubles vanish, hearts are mended
In the presence of the King

Through His love the Lord provided
A place for us to rest
A place to find the answers
In hours of distress
Now there is never any reason
For you to give up in despair
Just slip away and breathe His name
You will surely find Him there

In the pesence of Jehovah
God almighty, Prince of Peace
Troubles vanish, hearts are mended
In the presence of the King . . . .
In the presence of the King

Geron Davis/Becky Davis

Treasures and Friendship

2008-06-04T12:10:00.004-04:00

I was given the most incredible gift on Saturday. We'd made a trip into town to deliver some things to my Junque Syster. She's beginning to go through the purging and packing and nail biting associated with an anticipated move in a few months - something I can relate to very well. During the course of our conversation, she asked me if I would like to have her treadle sewing machine cabinet and sewing machine. My heart stopped. A treadle sewing machine has been on my "wish" list for as long as I can remember. And for her to offer me something that has such a long history in her family and has held a place of honor in her beautiful home for many years. . . oh my! Our wonderful husbands loaded this beautiful treasure into our truck and we brought it home. "She" is currently residing beneath an old quilt, amongst boxes and other pieces of furniture awaiting the trip to Kentucky. "She" will eventually have a place of honor in our new home and will be a constant reminder of a treasured friendship. As my Junque Syster so beautifully put it . . . "a piece of her will be going to Kentucky with us".

P.S. I've decided my beautiful treasure needs a name. So, from this moment on, she will have the honor of being called "Ms. Annie Ruth Singer".

I'D LIKE TO THANK . . . .

2008-06-01T18:01:00.008-04:00

Whew! I'm certainly glad I hadn't packed away all of my dress-up shoes or my sparkly jewels or my needlepoint stool because my blogger friend Grace at Grace Today shared this beautiful award with me. This is much to special an occasion to be caught in flip-flops or sneakers or (collective gasp) in my bare feet! Grace has become so very special to me over the past several months. I'm looking forward to meeting her face to face one day - if not on this side of the River Jordan, then on Heaven's side!

It is my honor to pass this award along to five blogers who are all very special to me. Please stop by to visit them. I promise you won't be disappointed!

My Junque Syster, Sharron from Vintage Girl at Heart who shares my love of thrifting and alley pickin' and turning other people's trash into our treasures. I'm hoping one day some of her creative juices will overflow on to me! We may not be sisters by birth but we've defintely become sisters at heart!
My adopted Junque Niece, Hayley from Rambles by HayHay. She is the younger version of Vintage Girl at Heart and has inherrited her auntie's sweet disposition, creativity and love of junque.
Adrienne from With a Grateful Heart. Like Grace, I've never met Adrienne face to face, but I would love to have the opportunity one day. Her sweet spirit and loving heart make her blog such a wonderful place to visit.
Colleen from Mainstreet Memories. Colleen has such a wonderful outlook on life. I can always count on her to make me smile.
And last, but certainly not least, Elaine from Peace for the Journey. Elaine has become so very special to me. Her writing is definitely a gift from God. She has challenged me to look beyond the surface of seemingly simple, every day things and to dig deeper into the Word. If not this side of the River Jordan . . . !

I really hate to stop here! So for all of you who inspire me, challenge me, make me laugh . . . from my perch atop my antique needlepoint stool, please accept this award!

Blessings y'all!

How Many Baptists Does It Take . . . . Part II

2008-05-31T11:41:00.004-04:00

We're still checking things off of our "to do" list from the home inspector and the buyer. At the top of the buyer's list - something that the sale of the house depended on - was a closet in the master bedroom. We didn't have one. We have a big, beautiful bedroom, a big, beautiful bathroom complete with jacuzzi tub and no closet! You see, up until abouty six years ago, our master bedroom was a two car garage. My mother, who was 87 at the time, had suffered a massive heart attack. It was one of those situations that they don't prepare you for in the "what to expect when you grow up book". Our roles were reversed. I was no longer the little girl and she was no longer the strong, independent woman who could conquer the world. At any rate, we knew that she would no longer be able to drive and that it probably wouldn't be long before she wasn't able to live alone. The solution . . . we'd add on to our house so she could move in with us. We have friends from church in all areas of construction, I'm married to the plumber . . . So while I was making daily trips back and forth to the hospital and evntually the rehab center, keeping up with my work, making sure that my busy middle schooler was where he needed to be at the appointed time I pretty much left all of the major decisions up to the guys. I told them I trusted their judgement on all of the technical aspects and that when it came time to pick colors, etc, I'd give my input. Mother was eventually discharged from rehab and was able to go back to her little apartment. I was still making daily trips in to check on her and to help her decide what she was going to bring with her and what we would sell at the yard sale. I was still trying to keep up with my work and with my son. I stuck my head in the room to check on things once in a while, but as promised I left everything up to the guys. Every once in a while when I stuck my head in there, I got that nagging feeling that something was missing. In the mean time, mother was re-admitted to the hospital with another problem. So back and forth to the hospital, back and forth to Ryan's activities, back and forth to pick up and drop off work. I came home one afternoon just as a couple of the guys were loading up the truck. The drywall was done! I could start picking out paint and carpet colors! Great! I needed a distraction! I walked in and looked around. It was beautiful. I'm thinking, "OK, I'll paint the walls this color and we can use that color for the carpet and the bed will go over here, and my dresser will go over here and we can put the TV on the stand over by the clo . . . . Hey! Where's the closet? Uh, honey! Where is the closet? D, where's the closet?" I got blank stares. "Uh, I think we forgot to ask you where you wanted it." "Well, we could . . . or maybe we . . . uh, where do you want it?" The final decision was made by way of a quick trip through an antique warehouse sale one afternoon while mother was having some tests done. They had two matching armoirs. If I had cash and could pick them up that day, he'd let me have them for a steal because he had a shipment coming in the next day and needed the room. So, for the past six years we've used beautiful vintage Brittish armoirs as our "closet".

So, when it came time to list the house, the realtor questioned us about the closet (or lack thereof). He assumed that the armoirs were family heirlooms and that we had designed the room around them. "Uh, yeah! That's it!". So we came up with three alternatives for prospective buyers, including keeping the armoirs. When the alternatives were presented to this buyer (actually her mother, who will be living here too) she said a resounding "NO!!!" when offered the armoirs. The second alternative was a "custom" built-in from Ikea along the window wall complete with drawers and window seat. "NO! That's too much like the wardrobes I've had to use all of my life. I want a CLOSET!" Third alternative . . . . move the washer and dryer down to the other end of the utility room, cut a door through the wall between the bedroom and the utility room, add a wall to divide the new closet from the utility room and . . . . "YES! That's what I want!". So Super Plumber moved the washer and dryer hookup to the other end of the utility room and our friend Scott (Carpenter Extraordinaire and Drywall Guru)came to help with the rest.

Just another hour or so worth of finish work tomorrow, and Scott will be coming out of the closet so I can go in and paint! Sorry. I just couldn't resist that one.

One more short story made long by a rambling, nervous, sleep deprived middle ager!

Blessings y'all!

P.S. I let you know that "Super Tucker" is a preacher, so I have to let you know that Scott (and his wife Beth) sings like an angel! With any luck, Scott will sing the special the night that Tucker preaches then I can get a CD with both of them on it to pass around to anyone who wants to hear!

How many Baptists does it take . . .

2008-05-28T09:15:00.007-04:00

We're slowly working down our "punch list" of things that the home inspector made as well as a couple of requests from the lady who is purchasing our house. One request she made was to move an 8 x 10 shed from point A in the front of the house beside the carport to point B in the back yard next to the "big ugly green thing". How does one move an 8 x 10 shed from point A to point B? Well, around our church family, one calls "Super Tucker". Any time there is a big, seemingling impossible task or if someone has gotten themselves into the proverbial pickle that requires the strength of Herculese to correct - we call Tucker. The "no fear" signs you see everywhere . . . they originated with Tucker. He's the one who balances on a 2 x 4 and guides the roof trusses into place. He's the one who plays Cheeta/George of the Jungle and shimmies up a 40' sand pine tree to attach a rope near the top so the tree doesn't fall the wrong way. The thing about him climbing the tree is that it wasn't attached to the ground any more. When it was cut, instead of it falling the way it was supposed to, it kind of just got stuck between two other trees and was suspended there. A good stiff wind or a squirrel positioned on just right branch would have sent the tree crashing to the ground (or on to the roof, depending on the direction it fell). That didn't stop Tucker. He shimmied up that tree (twice because he didn't get the rope high enough the first time), tied the rope, shimmied down the tree and tied the other end of the rope off to the bumper of "big green" (not to be confused with the "big ugly green thing", which is a building) his 4WD Ford pickup that is as big as a building and requires a step ladder to get into it when you are vertically challenged like me. The tree was brought down safe and sound and we all had another chapter to add to our "stupid things that no one else has the guts to do" books that we're writing about Tucker.

At any rate, when Tucker found out that we needed to move the shed, he volunteered to help. He showed up bright and early yesterday morning in "big green" hauling "old yeller" on a trailer. "Old yeller" is a tractor with all the accessories that gets used for just about everything imaginable (and sometimes things that are unimaginable). The idea was to put the fork lift attachment on to "old yeller", slide the forks under the shed and then drive the shed from the front side of the house around to the back. I went outside at one point just in time to see them lifting the shed. My husband had his head stuck under the shed to make sure it was level. "Old yeller" and Tucker started to tip one way, the shed started to tip the other way, and somehow my husband managed to get from point A to point B without his feet ever touching the ground. Don't worry - nothing fell. I don't EVEN want to think about what could have happened if those two guys hadn't prayed before they started the job! I stayed around long enough to make sure everyone/everything was OK and then came into the house and shut the blinds so I didn't have to watch any more. I guess plan B must have worked because when curiosity got the best of me, I peeked out the window and saw the shed sitting in the back yard. Judging from the ruts in the yard, I gather they attached a chain to the platform and used "old yeller" to drag the shed around to its appointed position. It took them about another 20 minutes to get the shed positioned correctly on the slab(during which time it was discovered that "old yeller's" brakes are going bad and one of our small oak trees almost made the ultimate sacrifice as a result).

After a couple of hours of hoopin' and hollerin' and breath holding and head scratching and laughing, the shed was moved, "old yeller" was loaded back on to the trailer, Tucker was on his way home behind the wheel of "big green" and the neighborhood was once again safe and quiet. PLUS, we have another chapter to add to the book!

As a post script, I have to add that come Sunday night, "Super Tucker" will be ducking into the nearest phone booth, shedding his grubby Wranglers, t-shirt and ball cap and changing into his suit and tie and black dress cowboy boots as he becomes none other than "Reverend Tucker". You see, Tucker surrendered to preach several years ago and every couple of months he fills in on a Sunday night. He preaches one powerful message infused with some pretty funny illustrations taken from "stupid things no one else has the guts to do - volumes I through 10".

. . . . THAT THE SON OF GOD MIGHT BE GLORIFIED . . .

2008-05-25T16:04:00.003-04:00

The Lord Jesus Christ said of Lazarus in John 11:4. "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."

Approximately eight weeks ago our church claimed this verse for our pastor, who had sustained a hip fracture. There were complications after surgery and for a while things were touch and go. Still, we held firm to God's promise. Today, Brother Billy walked into the sanctuary for the first time since his accident. He still has a ways to to before he'll be strong enough to stand behind the pulpit to preach, but he's able to be back in God's house.

. . . that the son of God might be glorified. . . !

Blessings!

This is for the birds!

2008-05-21T15:21:00.004-04:00

In our back yard here in Eden, we have a structure that we lovingly refer to as "the big ugly green thing". It started out life about twelve years ago as a two-story fort for our son. Tall and rustic, it blended into the piney woods that surround it. Over the years it has evolved into the "big ugly green thing". First, the bottom of the fort was closed in to house the lawn equipment. Then a larger edition was added on to the side to act as a "temporary shed" when we turned our garage into the new master bedroom and bathroom when my mother was going to be moving in with us seven years ago. As my son outgrew playing in the fort, the door and windows were eventually boarded up. The woodsy green that at one time blended into to the piney woods and matched the trim on the house has faded into a ...I can't even think of a word to describe the color(s). Thus the name "big ugly green thing".

Evidently, birds are color blind - or they have a passion for big ugly green things that in no way resemble a birdhouse or trees. For the past four years or so, every Spring Mr. and Mrs. House Wren have decided to take up residence there. The first year, we found an abandoned nest with 3 little pink speckled eggs in it. I'm certain that Sylvester, our neighbor's cat, had something to do with the fact that the nest was abandoned. For the next couple of years, we'd find empty nests hidden in boxes of nails, or plastic bins on the top shelf. We never knew when the nests were built or how many children they housed. This year, however, it's almost as though Mr. & Mrs. H.W. had some inkling that we'd be selling the house and moving on. Even though the shed has been cleaned out and there are only a few places that a nest could be hidden, they have once again graced us with there presence. My husband stumbled upon the nest one day when he was down there in the dark, scary "big ugly green thing" puting the lawnmower away. He looked at the new nest nestled among some plumbing fixures in an old milk crate and thought it was empty (like I said it's kind of dark and scary in there). He leaned in for a closer look, startled Mrs. H.W who in turn startled hubby. She flew off in one direction, he jumped back in the other direction and . . . well you get the picture. Once he forced his heart back into his chest, hubby peeked in the nest again and saw 4 little pink speckled eggs! A couple of weeks later, he peeked in again just in time to see a little brown head beginning to poke his head out of one of the shells. I've poked my head in several times and have had the joy of watching 4 little H.W.s in various stages of growth. It's been a treat and an honor to have been invited to watch such a miracle.

Now, I'm getting a little sad. It won't be long before the H.W. children will be ready to leave the nest. It won't be long before hubby and I will be moving on. I wonder how I can convey to the new owners that the structure in the back yard is really not a "big ugly green thing". It's a very LARGE birdhouse. And, if they are very, very patient next Spring Mr. and Mrs. H.W. may honor them by building a nest somewhere inside the "big green birdhouse" so that they can witness the wonders of nature first hand. Maybe they'll take the boards off of the windows and door so that their little girl can turn the fort into her very own castle. Maybe they'll see fit to paint it a different color. Or, maybe they'll decide to tear it down - in which case Mr. and Mrs. H.W. will have to find a new place to nest next Spring. Hmmmm. Maybe I should invite them to join us in Kentucky!

Blessings Y'all!

WhAT iS OnE to dO?

2008-05-17T16:18:00.005-04:00

What does one do when one awakens early in the morning faced with the insurmountable task of getting ready to move in a month PLUS the knowledge that there is approximately four + - hours of transcription waiting for one's attention. One might sit with pad and pencil, making a detailed and prioritized list of the things that need to be done while sipping a cup of tea and eating a healthy breakfast. Yes, one might do that. But not THIS one. One might decide to take one's tea to one's desk and begin to pound out the day's work so that one might have the afternoon free to make out the detailed and prioritized list and begin to work on the task at hand, seeing how many items one can check off the list before nightfall. Yes, one could do that. But not THIS one. One could compose the list, type a while, work a while, type a while, work a while - managing to put a dent in the transcription AND check a number of things off the list. Yes, one could do that. But not THIS one. One could slurp down a cup of tea, throw on some clothes, jump in the car and head for the home of an old friend who is having a yard sale in anticipation of an upcoming move out of state (there is an epidemic of that around here)for just a short visit, a quick look around for old times sake and come home empty handed because one has enough of one's own belongings to pack and doesn't need a single thing more. Yes, one could do that. But not THIS one.

Now, when one returns home after a three hour visit with one's old friend, sporting a load of things that one's old friend kept stuffing into one's trunk, one could immediately jump into the tasks at hand. Yes, one could do that. But not THIS one. One could make a mental list of everything that needs to be done, stare at the number of dictations in the queue awaiting transcription, sigh in utter frustration, take a long, refreshing shower, watch a little HGTV and then take a nap. Yes, one could do that! And that is EXACTLY what THIS one did!

Blessings!

Liz

To everything . . . there is a season . . .

2008-05-16T14:21:00.004-04:00

As of Sunday, our future was uncertain. The housing market is at its bleakest. We had no idea when we'd be able to move, if we'd be forced to rent our house . . . We talked about lowering the price of the house again and I kind of stomped my size 7 1/2 and said "we've already lowered the price twice. I don't want to lower it any more than (insert amount)." By Monday afternoon, there was a possibility that our realtor would be showing our house on Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning at 10:00, the realtor showed the house to a single mother with a 4 year old daughter. The little girl's grandmother would also be living with them. Tuesday afternoon at 4:00, the grandmother came for her tour of the house. Wednesday morning at 11:00 we were sitting in the realtor's office with an offer in front of us for . . . you guessed it! . .. the exact amount I mentioned in my little foot stomping episode. Next time I think I'll give a little more thought to the amounts I blurt out! Who knows, we could have gotten a couple thousand extra! Thursday and today has been spent fluffing and patching and double checking outlets and roof shingles and all that stuff because today at 4:30 they come for the inspection. If all goes well, we'll be closing by (gasp) June 18. My husband is meeting tomorrow with a man who is interested in our business. I'm trying to decide whether I should don my red dress-up shoes and step up on my needlepoint stool and stomp my magic foot with the amount we really want/need for the business (plus a little extra for good measure) or if I should just randomy stomp and blurt out an amount before Tony goes to the meeting in the morning. Hey! It worked once, didn't it?!

Well then, It's always been assumed (yeah, I know what assume means) that because I work at home, on the computer, with a totally digital system that can be done from anywhere in the world that has high speed internet access that I'd have job security when we moved. So, I told the person I sub-contract through that we have a contract on the house and that we'd probably be moving within the next 30 days and asked if there was anything we needed to work out as far as logistics is concerned. WELL, she beat around the bush, she ran around Robinhood's barn, she passed the buck . . . . are you getting the picture here? . . . and the final word supposedly came from the administrator at the Dr's. office I transcribe for that due to (insert blah blah blah, BS)they are no longer able to allow anyone outside of our county area to transcribe for them. Translation - about 8 months ago the lady I subcontract through bought a new vehicle based on the amount of money she was making (and had been making for several years). About 6 months ago, one of her doctors left the practice and left her with a hole the size of 1/3 of her paycheck in her car payment fund. Do you see a little bit of a coincidence here? Uh huh, so do I.

So, for the first time in over 10 years, this golden girl is going to have to search for a job! In a new town/state/county! While living in a travel trailer and renovating our adopted house! (insert heavy sigh).

Bear with me. I'll probably be rambling more than usual over the next weeks. As of right now our future is uncertain . . .

Blessings y'all!

I love you ALL this much!

2008-05-13T13:51:00.007-04:00

I've been honored by Grace with this absolutely wonderful award. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I've received a "hug" all the way from Sunny California from a beautiful lady I've come to love and admire through her blogging. I felt such an honor deserved more than flip flops and unpainted toe nails as I climb up on my needlepoint stool to accept the award. I decided to don my favorite dressup shoes and some of my sparkliest sparkles for the occasion.

The reason for the stool? Certainly not to place myself above any of you! No! At 5 foot used to be almost 2 inches but not so much any more, the stool is meerly an aid so that I can return the hug without the average person having to bend down and risk injuring their back in the process!

At the risk of leaving someone out, I've decided to pass this award on to ALL OF YOU! Each of you who visit me here have become so special to me in so many ways. So close your eyes and place your left hand on your right shoulder! Now place your right hand on your left shoulder and squeeze real tight! Consider yourself hugged!

P.S. If my Forever Friend happens to be reading this, hang on to that hug for an extra long time! You've been on my mind all day. Love you lots!

Blessings Y'all!

Liz

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

2008-05-11T06:26:00.003-04:00

Blessings!
Liz

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN GUY!

2008-05-09T05:55:00.003-04:00

Twenty years ago this coming Sunday I was standing quietly at the back of our little church at the end of the service. It was a hard day for me - as were most Mother's Days. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to go home. A sweet, little Jamaican lady who was a member of the church at that time came up to give me a hug. She whispered in my ear "next year, you will be spending Mother's Day with your son". I just stared at her. She didn't understand. I'd been wishing, hoping, praying for a child for ten years and had given up hope. Besides that, my marriage was on the rocks. There was just no way I'd be spending Mother's Day or any other day with my son next year.

Nineteen years ago today at 8:31 AM an absolutely beautiful 7lb 10 1/2oz baby boy made his entrance into the world. Ninteen years ago this coming Sunday . . . . I spent Mother's Day with my son.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN GUY!

A few pics to go along with the following post . . .

2008-05-08T10:46:00.003-04:00

2008-05-07T19:49:00.002-04:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post! We got back home early Saturday morning, but since then it's been a mad dash to get the piles of laundry done (delayed due to a loss of pressure on our well - but never fear! I'm married to the well guy!), catch up on a back log of work and try to get back into the swing of "real life".

This last trip was definitely a learning experience! I learned that no matter how bad you think something looks on first inspection, it will probably be MUCH worse when you have time to take a closer look.

I learned that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence - but it was much shorter in this case because the grass on the other side of the fence is kept in check with the help of a few delightful goats and ours hadn't been touched by man or beast in months.

Hubby and I both learned the importance of waiting to actually meet a person before forming an opinion based soley on the descriptive opinion of others. Such is the case of our neighbor, Mr. Wilson. It turns out he in no way resembles the description we were given when we purchased our property. He is a delightful, frail little seventy-seven-year-old man. He is sweet, wise, and filled with decades of stories having been born and rasied right there in the "holler". He and my hubby formed an instant bond.

I learned that it's not always true that someone elses trash may be my treasure. That point was driven home by two days worth of hard labor cleaning out the sheds and the barn and filling a 20 yard roll-off dumpster to capacity.

I learned that danger lurks amidst the beauty of the mountains. The hills were alive with the sound of . . . . coyotes howling late one afternoon when we were working - an eerie sound that sent chills up the spine of my even my seasoned woodsman. The next morning, Mr. Wilson's baby goat was missing and three of the older goats were limping. Hubby and I went on a hike across the creek and up over the ridge to see if the little kid had possibly just wandered off. We found no sign of him. We did, however, find a small stream flowing out of the side of one of the rocky cliff, splashing into a little pool. A perfect place for a comfy little bench and a good book. Of course I've been forbidden to wander up there alone until I learn the finer points of carrying and learning to shoot a weapon. Danielle Boone I'm not! The only thing I can shoot is a rubber band or a water pistol - and I'm not very good at that. At any rate, gates were closed and the goats were moved from the back pasture up to the side pasture and back yard - much closer to Mr. W's house and much less tempting for the coyotes.

I learned that in all of Kentucky (at least what I've seen so far) there is one eleven acre piece of property that doesn't have one single dogwood tree on it! Everywhere you look, the dogwood trees are in bloom. Everywhere except, that is, OUR property. Not a sapling. Not a single branch full of blossoms sneaking across our property line. NOTHING! I've already given hubby my birthday, Christmas, anniversary lists for the next year. I want dogwood trees planted on our property!

I learned that even those on the tightest of tight budgets can have a Hummer in their yard! Our friends are fortunate enough to have four in their front yard. Of course their driveway is lined with dogwood trees too - but I will not be envious! We've already staked out several spots along our carport/back porch area where we plan to put parking spaces for our Hummer(s).

We learned that to be a friend to someone does not necessarily mean you have a friend. That's a long story, but what's important is that hubby and I learned that when all is said and done, we have each other. We make a great team. We have the ability to accomplish alone in a short time tasks that we thought would take several people a much longer time to accomplish. And at the end of the day we learn to compromise, i.e., "ok you can take your shower first while I fix dinner, but you get to put the BioFreeze put on my aching muscles first while we're watching the movie!"

And I learned that I can live without TV for a week or more, but I don't ever want to be without access to my blogger buddies and special friends for that long again. I missed my daily doses of inspiration, laughter, tears, tips. . . I missed the feeling that at 2AM when I couldn't sleep, or when I was having an emotional melt-down I could "pop in for a visit". I missed my early morning tea time with my Junque Syster when we take time before the bustle of the day begins to "talk" via IM about nothing in particular but everything in general. I missed my 6AM e-mails from my Sister at Heart filling me in on the "what's happening" (we REALLY need to teach her how to IM before I move or phone bills are going to be astronomical!). I missed the prayer requests from church, the e-mail updates from my Forever Friend. So, in reality, I'm willing to give up Grey's Anatomy, Lost and EVEN HGTV as long as I can have contact with all of you!

Blessings!

Liz

A Journey Through Eden

2008-04-23T05:06:00.004-04:00

Not too long ago I shared some pictures from our garden and of our neighbors "the Cranes". One particular comment I received from Elaine innocently asked me if I lived in Eden. We got quite a chuckle out of that comment. You see, we do live in Eden . . . more specifically a development called "New Eden on the Lakes". As Christians, we're supposed to teach others how to resist temptation. In my case, however, every time I give someone directions to my home, I'm leading them TO Temptation (Court that is). We've had a lot of fun with this over the years!

Yesterday Elaine from Peace for the Journey began a series called "The Promise of Eden: The posture of an expectant heart". I would ask that you visit Elaine and see what this wonderful woman of God has to say. I guarantee you it will not be a wasted trip.

I'm going to be AWOL for about a week. We're attempting once again to leave for Kentucky first thing tomorrow morning for the whole "great white hunter in search of elusive turkey and his spouse who plans to spend some time sitting by Goldens Creek reading a few good books and exploring our new territory trip" that has been postponed a few times over the past weeks. I'll be computerless while we're gone (gasp! the horror of it all). I'll miss you all greatly and plan on boring you to death with pictures of Kentucky scenery, our property and our dear little "adopted" house when we get back. I promise I'll spare you the turkey pictures - unless of course I can manage to "shoot" one with the camera!

Blessings!

aNd tHe wINnEr iS . . . .

2008-04-19T15:42:00.008-04:00

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

ELAINE @ Peace for the Journey!!

E-mail me your Snail Mail address and I'll put your package in the mail ASAP!

Be sure to stop by Elaine's Blog and congratulate her! Many thanks to all who stoped by to wish me a happy birthday!

Blessings!

TIME

2008-04-18T07:56:00.003-04:00

I have discovered over the past several days that the most precious gift is not something you can physically unwrap. I actually received the same gift from several different sources - albeit delivered in different packages and in several different sizes. Although I love and cherish the cards that were so thoughtfully chosen and the gifts that were shopped for and beautifully wrapped, the gift that I will forever hold close to my heart is the gift of time. Time spent at a little cafe with two dear friends, just talking and laughing and sharing our lives over a wonderful, yet simple lunch. Time spent with my "sister at heart" putting together a photo album as a gift for my "forever friend" . Time spent with my "junque syster" scouring some of our favorite thrift stores in search of nothing in particular but finding wonderful treasures - oohing and aahing and sharing ideas (3 different days!). Time spent with two of our special friends and their son from church over a spur of the moment lunch after church on Sunday - talking, laughing, praising God for his wonderful blessings. Time spent with my hubby, son and future d-i-l over a takeout dinner from our favorite Italian restaurant and watching Dancing With the Stars in the comfort of our livingroom. Time my "forever friend" took out of her day filled with radiation treatments, running a busy pharmacy, keeping up with her 2 busy teens and her husband to call and wish me a happy birthday. Time that countless people took out of their busy days to pray for my hubby and also to call to check up on him after his accident . . . .

The cards will eventually become tattered and faded. The presents will be used up, outgrown, tarnished and perhaps forgotten. The gift of time I received from so many different sources, however, has left an imprint on my heart that will remain for a lifetime.

Blessings!

Liz

P.S. Speaking of time . . . if you haven't already left a comment on my "Fifty-One" post, there is still time to be eligible for the give-away!

Fifty-One . . . . posts AND years!

2008-04-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

Fifty one posts ago, I began an incredible journey through the land of blog. I have met some incredible people along the way. Never in my wildest imagination did I dream that I would actually be making friends on this journey. Friends who can make me laugh. Friends who can touch the deepest recesses of my being. Incredibly creative and talented friends. Friends I can call on for prayer when there is a special need. And although we may never meet face to face, we have formed a bond that I can take with me wherever my journey through life may lead me.

Fifty one years ago today, I began an incredible journey through life. One of the first friends I made along this journey was my "forever friend" Elaine. Although much younger (her birthday isn't until tomorrow!) Elaine and I formed a bond in the nursery at Butler County Memorial Hospital that has held fast all these years, and I have no doubt that it will continue to hold fast for the years to come.

In celebration of these two memorable occasions that ironically fell on the same day, I'd like to share my joy with you in the form of a give away! All you need to do is leave a comment and on Friday (April 18) I'll draw a name from the hat and announce the winner. You'll have until noon Friday to enter.

Thank you all for sharing this journey with me!

Blessings!

Liz

oH hApPY DaY!!!!

2008-04-15T19:33:00.000-04:00

What a happy day! We got word early this afternoon that Brother Billy, our pastor, although still in CCU was sitting up in a chair, had his feeding tube removed, and was waiting for them to bring him his lunch! He also had dinner tonight! He is still very weak, as one would expect and is still in need of our prayers, however God is definitely working!

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail sent ot us today by our associate pastor . . . . . "Our church service this past Sunday was filled with the most beautiful music that I have ever heard...the music of an entire church family weeping and calling out to God for the healing of our Pastor. God is certainly working in his behalf and we give HIM the glory! What an wonderful God we serve!Keep praying, keep loving one another, keep looking up!" . . .but for the glory of God . . . !

Now, I'm still trying to remember if tomorrow is my 51st birthday or my 51st post. If anybody can figure it out, please let me know. I've been a little addle brained here lately. Regardless, I think it may be about time for a give-away! Come back for a visit tomorrow for more details!

Blessings!

so maybe it IS easy being green!

2008-04-14T18:04:00.000-04:00

It's been a quiet, and thankfully totally uneventful day today, so I thought I'd introduce you to another one of our neighbors who is a frequent guest in our garden. He loves to stop by and play tag with the little dog. So far (fortunately for him), Brigi hasn't been able to catch him.

Wednesday, I'll be celebrating my 51st . . . . post? . . . . birthday? . . . . .Hmmmm! Guess you'll just have to check back to find out! There may just be a give-away in the works!

Blessings!

P.S. Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and prayers over the past several days!

DOUBT NOT HIS GRACE

2008-04-13T19:23:00.000-04:00

Well, I was planning to let y'all know I'd be AWOL for about a week. We've been planning a trip to Kentucky for my birthday. OK. I'll be honest. We've been planning a trip to Kentucky for turkey hunting. My birthday just happens to fall in the middle of it. I really don't mind though. While the great white hunter (aka MWHITW) is off in search of the elusive fowl, great white thrifter (aka ME) goes out in search of new junque shops. I also planned to do some measuring and planning and exploring the endless remodeling possibilities in the "adopted" house. We had originally planned to leave yesterday morning, but postponed our departure until we were sure Bro. Billy was out of the woods. As of today, Bro. Billy has been taken off the respirator, is breathing well on his own, he's alert and oriented and talking! . . . . but for the glory of God . . . . ! So, we decided to pack up the truck and leave first thing tomorrow morning. But first, MWHITW decided he wanted to have the tires on the truck rotated and balanced, so after dinner he headed into town. He made it to within a half mile of the tire place and KAPOW! A row of cars in front of him stopped for a red light. He stopped for the redlight. The guy in the van towing a trailer full of sod and talking on his cell phone "didn't see" the line of traffic in front of him stopped at the red light and plowed into the back of our truck. Two hours in the emergency room, a new batch of pain meds, a nasty headache and neck ache and a truck with too much damage to take on a long trip later and needless to say, we're not heading for Kentucky in the morning! The whole scenario wouldn't be so bad except that 354 days ago we were rear ended by a drunk driver and Tony is still suffering from the injuries he sustained in that accident. Ironically, just before I got the phone call about the accident today, I was reading a post by Cathy where she quoted a devotional by Charles Spurgeon on I Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you". Part of Dr. Spurgeon's message says, "The is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you. His heart beats with pitty for your woe and His hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatt itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. If thou art one of His family, He will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness." Fortunately for me, things were put into perspective BEFORE I knew there was a need, so I was in the right mind set to handle the tribulations of today with the assurance that GOD IS IN CONTROL! As of right now, we MAY leave on Wednesday - in MY car.

. . . but for the glory of God . . .

2008-04-12T13:55:00.000-04:00

Ups and downs, highs and lows . . . that pretty much describes my week. Nine days ago our pastor and good friend fell at home and broke his hip resulting in the need for a total hip replacement. The surgery itself went well. Complications from the anesthesia, chest congestion from a cold he had before the surgery and a preexisting heart condition sent him into respiratory distress on Tuesday. By yesterday, the doctors had opted to put him on a ventilator - not as a means of life support but a as a way of helping him to breath and allowing his body to heal. Since the surgery, Bro. Billy has been unable to move his left side - which was already weakened from a prior stroke several years ago - but so far had not shown any signs of another stroke. Today when his oldest daughter went in to see him, he wiggled his left foot and gave her a little wave with his left hand! Through tears of joy, she gave him a little "lecture" that it was about time he started getting better, and then she started laying out exactly what their schedule was going to have to be over the next few days and weeks so that he could be well enough to attend his graduation ceremony on May 6. You see, he is scheduled to receive his honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree on May 6. A long time coming for a man who was called to preach at the ripe old age of 12 and who has been serving the Lord non-stop for over 60 years. Plus, he has his 50th wedding annniversary coming up in June. After Lisa finshed talking, he winked and gave her a one handed "thumbs up". That was no insignificant gesture! That was a monumental feat!

The following is a quote from an e-mail that our Associate Pastor, Bro. Jim sent us the other day.

"We are trusting God for complete healing for our Pastor. The Lord Jesus Christ said of Lazarus in John 11:4. "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."

"I am choosing to claim this verse from God concerning Pastor Rigsby. We do not always understand the trials of life, but God is always present in the midst of our trials. May God get glory through His Son in the sickness and healing of our Pastor." I think that about says it all.

Please keep Bro. Billy as well as Ms. Jean, Lisa, Kathy and AnaRae and their families in your prayers. It's been a long week for them all and their strength is waning. They've got another long week ahead of them. And remember Bro. Jim as he takes over for Bro. Billy.

. . . . .but for the glory of God . . . . .

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Crane. They've stopped by to admire our garden.

2008-04-08T16:51:00.001-04:00

I'd like to thank . . . .

2008-04-03T08:50:00.000-04:00

Adrienne from With a Grateful Heart has honored me with my very first blogger award! I started blogging several months ago basically to help keep my friends up to date on the progress with our plans to move, the changes we've made in the house, etc. Never in a million years did I imagine that I'd be meeting so many wonderful people from so many wonderful places. I can't even begin to explain how it feels to know that when we finally move from here - a house we've lived in for thirteen years and a town that I've called home for nearly thirty years - that I'll be able to take you all with me on my journey.

It is now my honor to pass this award on to:

Sharron - Vintage Girl at Heart

Sheri - The Leaking Window

Grace - Grace for Today
Kathy - Kathy's Klavier

Haylee - Rambles by Hay Hay

Elaine - Peace for the Journey

Jo-Jo - Tulla Belle (the youngest of my blogger buddies and she's got her mama's flair!)

Dawn - ~The Feathered Nest~

Colleen - Main Street Memories

Penny - Lavender Hill Studio

Now y'all can pass this on to ten of your favorite blogging buddies.

Blessings!

FIND YOUR WINGS

2008-04-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

There are so many special days in the lives of our children. Days we'll hold in our hearts forever.

Like their first haircut.
When they learn to tie their own shoes.
When they're all dressed up for a special occasion.

When you realize that the baby you were carrying so close to your heart just nineteen short years ago has grown into a handsome, talented, young man.

"I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams

And that faith gives you the courage

To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

So let my love give you roots

And help you find your wings"

Mark Harris

BLESSINGS!

2008-03-30T07:57:00.000-04:00

I had the most wonderful visit yesterday from my Junque Syster, Sharron and her girls. I had decided not too long ago that one of the battles I was chosing not to fight with all of my purging and packing was to have a yard sale. I just couldn't find the energy. So, before sending all the stuff off to one of the local thrift stores, I invited the girls out to pick through the boxes and take what they want. I don't know about them,but I had a great time. We were able to relax and talk. We had a little comedy side show when we introduced my little doxie Brigitte to the much smaller and much younger chihuahua Phoebe (aka Bebe). I found out that I was the lucky blogger to receive
a scrumpdilicious pound cake, fresh strawberries, whipped cream AND two of my favorite magazines!

You just don't get this kind of treatment at a yard sale!

I got to spend time with my "syster" and her girls. I had the honor of meeting Ms. Bebe and receiving some sweet puppy kisses. The girls had fun digging through the boxes and leaving with an armload of treasures. But, I think the best part of the whole day was the look on my sweet hubby's face when he walked into the kitchen and saw the sweet goodies sitting on the dining room table!

Instead of counting my yard sale dollars, I spent time last night counting my blessings. I certainly feel rich beyond measure!

Blessings y'all!

Tag! I'm It!

2008-03-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

I have been tagged by Grace to write a six word memoir about myself.

Hmmmmmm. This is hard. It involves thinking.

OK. Here goes!

CONTENT

It took me years to get here, and my life certainly isn't perfect, but I can't think of a single thing I'd want to change about my life right now.

SENSITIVE

I should own stock in the company thant manufactures Puffs!

LOYAL

Now I'm sounding like a golden retreiver.

SHY

I'm a behind the scenes type of person

CREATIVE

Not artistic by any means, but i like to repurpose things.

QUICK-WITTED

Not to be confused with nit witted.

Although I have been acused of being a nit wit on more than one occasion.

Now, the rules are to tag five people. If you've been tagged, here are your official guidelines:
Write your own six word memoir
Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like
Link to the person that tagged you in your post
Tag five more blogs with links
Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

I'm tagging:

Sharron at Vintage Girl at Heart

Adrienne at With a Grateful Heart

Dawn at ~The Feathered Nest~

Colleen at Mainstreet Memories

and Kathy at Kathy's Klavier

Whew! That was tough! This old, technologically illiterate lady actually had to figure out how to add links to a post!

I only hope they work.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Blessings y'all!

HAPPY SPRING!

2008-03-25T05:43:00.000-04:00

At Christmas time, so many of you in the land of blog shared pictures of beautiful little bottle brush trees in various shapes, sizes and colors displayed amongst your decorations. In honor of the beginning of Spring, I thought I'd share a picture or two of my bottle brush tree - decorated by its Creator.

For a large part of the day, this tree is literally alive with the sights and sounds of bees buzzing and birds singing and butterflies of all sizes, shapes and colors fluttering through the branches and blossoms. Even the occasional hummingbird comes to feast on its nectar. And when the sun is in just the right spot in the sky, you're likely to see a feisty little black doxie chasing butterfly shadows across the grass beneath the tree. She's too short to chase the butterflies, so she amuses herself for hours chasing their shadows.

A BLESSED EASTER TO ALL!

2008-03-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

When He Was On the Cross . . .

2008-03-21T15:07:00.000-04:00

I’m not on an ego trip, I’m nothing on my own
I’ve made mistakes, I often slip
I’m just flesh and bones.
But I’ll prove some day just why I say
I’m of a special kind
For when He was on the cross
I was on His mind.

The look of love was on His face
Thorns were on His head
The blood was on His precious robe
Stained a crimson red
Though His eyes were on the crowd that day
He looked ahead in time
When He was on the cross
I was on His mind.

He knew me, yet He loved me
He whose glory makes the heavens shine
So unworthy of such mercy
Yet when he was on the cross, I was on his mind.

Sunrise Sunset . . . .

2008-03-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

I'm still on the roller coaster! I tried desperately to jump off, but I just wasn't quick enough.

Today I dropped my son of to meet his recruiter for a ride to Tampa. He decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to join the National Guard. That definitely wasn't my first choice, but the handsome, talented and extremely stubborn one inherited my logical mind. His logical mind told him that in order for him to complete his education it would take X amount of time and cost X amount of dollars that would take X amount of years to pay back. By joining the Guard, his education will be paid for in full. He'll get more intense medical training than he would have been able to achieve on his own. Because of the EMT training that he's already completed, he was able to join at a higher rank than normal. Plus he's serving his country. I see the logic behind it. I see that he'll be able to go further in a shorter time. But hey, that's my baby we're talking about. He just graduated from preschool, didn't he? OK. Maybe that's a SLIGHT exaggeration. He'll be 19 in less than 2 months. So today I drove my baby to meet his recruiter and I watched as a grown man got into an official National Guard car on his way for his testing, physical and induction. He'll be back tomorrow. Basic training doesn't come until May. Somehow, though, I don't think he'll ever be my baby again!

SiMPliCiTY

2008-03-17T11:09:00.000-04:00

It seems like forever since my last post. I've actually tried, but AOL has been on the fritz, my Comcast connection has been interrupted too many times to count and the last time I tried, Blogger "ate" it.

I've been on an emotional roller coaster ride for the past couple of weeks. A good old fashioned E-ticket Disney ride. Fast and furious. Full of bumps and turns, ups and downs. And just when I thought the ride was over - when the lights come on and you're meandering through the tunnel with all the pretty music - whoosh! it starts all over again. I think I've possibly come to the end of the ride for real this time. I'm just waiting for the car to come to a full stop and for the seat belt and shoulder restraints to loosen their grips and for the nice young man with the pasted on smile to offer me his hand so that I don't fall on my face as I exit the car.

We went to my "niece's" wedding in Knoxville this past weekend. The wedding was simple, yet elegant . There wasn't a lot of "fluff". The music, although traditional, lacked the stuffiness of the big church organ and was played by a very handsome, talented young flutist. The flowers were simple bouquets of yellow and white tulips. Even the mother's and grandmother's corsages were single white tulips. Both the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom had chosen very understated, yet beautiful dresses for the occasion.

Kristen (the groom's mother) told me she had battled for months over what to wear to the wedding. She had bought several different dresses, then returned them all. She kept coming back to a very simple dress she'd had in her closet for years, but wasn't sure if it was "dressy" enough for the occasion. Her beautiful little mama came to her rescue one day when she told Kristen all the dress needed was new buttons to dress it up. They went through her mama's button box and found just enough beautiful rhinestone buttons that she'd saved from different dresses over the years to replace the buttons on Kristen's dress. She told me that the best part of the whole adventure was the time she spent with her mother sorting through the button box. Time she might have missed if Miranda and Chris hadn't insisted on keeping their wedding simple. Time she'll hold forever in her heart. Time she will surely pass on to her grandchildren in the form of a story one day as they're looking at the photographs from Miranda and Christopher's wedding.

Tag! I'm It!

2008-03-02T18:10:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Adrienne at With a Grateful Heart to share seven weird or random facts about myself.

First I have to post the rules. Then I tell you about me - what you may (or may not) want to know. The rules are:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

OK. Here goes!
1. I eat ketchup on my macaroni and cheese. Doesn't matter if it's homemade or from the blue box, I put ketchup on it. My son thinks this is hilarious - this coming from a child who was 16 before he'd eat green beans without a side of barbecue sauce!
2. My first "real" job (other than babysitting) was a combination lifeguard/dishwasher at a summer camp. There were two of us who would alternate every other week - one week at the pool, the next week in the kitchen. We made a whoppin' $15 per week plus room and board!
3. While I was working at the camp, I got to sing "on stage" with Kenny Marks. This was back in the dark ages when contemporary Christian music was in its infancy. He was making a name for himself by singing at camps and Christian coffee houses and for church youth groups. You can imagine the group of starry-eyed teenage girls ready to swoon when he asked us to join him on stage for a couple songs. He actually borrowed some sheet music from me that summer but forgot to return it. I went to see him later that year at a church in my home town. He actually remembered me and asked me to meet him at the stage after the concert so he could return my music to me!
4. I used to make costumes for Medieval Times Dinner Theater. Not the beautiful costumes that the king or queen wore. Once in a while I did get to make an occasional costume for the knights. I made costumes for the BIG stars of the show! The horses! I'm not sure exactly HOW I got stuck doing the horse trappings. I think it could be because I had the only sewing machine that would sew through the pleather they used at that time. Hey, I needed a second job. Beggars can't be choosers!
5. I dated John Hancock when I was in high school. Really! OK, I dated the guy who PLAYED the part of John Hancock in our high school presentation of the musical 1776.
6. I'm the youngest cousin on my dad's side of the family. I had first cousins who were up to 60 years older than me. Daddy was the youngest of 7 children - actually born on one of his half sisters' 30th birthday. I was a "surprise" when my parents were 43. You do the math. It was definitely a novelty at family reunions.
7. I met my husband on a blind date. We had a mutual friend who'd had a stroke. Terry couldn't remember his name half the time, but he did remember that he wanted to fix his fishing buddy up with that friend of his wife's who worked at the hospital (couldn't remember my name either). After several weeks of playing "dodge ball" figuring he'd eventually forget about it, we all decided that the best thing to do was to all go out to dinner together and get it over with. I was a year out of a bad 15 year marriage and had absolutely NO interest in dating. Tony had come to Florida to work for his parents after being laid off from his job of 7 years and was ready to pack up and go back to NY because he hated it down here and he wasn't really interested in meeting anyone either. But, we all went out to dinner - just to make Terry happy. That was on August 19, 1994. On November 19, 1994 Terry walked me down the aisle on Tony's and my wedding day!

Well, that's about as random as I can get. It's probably not as weird as I can get, but we won't venture down that path.

Since nearly all of my new friends from the land of blog have already been tagged in the not so distant past, I won't officially tag anyone except for
Sharron at Vintage Girl at Heart. For the rest of you, please feel free to leave a random, weird, or little known fact or two about yourself in my comments.

The Joy of Change

2008-02-24T15:53:00.000-05:00

Like it or not, constant change is part of modern life. What in the world doesn't change?

1. God'l love
2. Friendship with His Son
3. The power of the Holy Spirit

When you think you've had just about all the change you can stand, reach out and take one step further into God's wide arms. Though his love, friendship and power never change, He made you with a big elastic spiritual cord that stretches with every tug and pull. He knows exactly how much give it's got. If He's calling you to stretch, He knows you've got what it takes. Reach!

God knows change can make your life richer. Live for today but hold your hands open to tomorrow. Anticipate the future and its changes with joy. There is a seed of God's love in every event, every circumstance, every unpleasant situation in which you may find yourself. Don't get stuck in a rut or hung up on an outdated blessing. You serve a God of change!

Barbara Johnson

Thrift Store Scores!

2008-02-23T01:19:00.001-05:00

Look at all the beautiful old tattered quilts and chenille throws I found tucked away on a shelf at the Neighborhood Thrift Store today! They smelled of cedar. I can only imagine the stories they must hold in their fibers. You could tell they had been loved and used because of their tattered state. I wish I could let whomever they belonged to originally know that each piece has found a home where it will be loved and appreciated.

Blessings

Retail Therapy

2008-02-22T08:27:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like a little retail therapy and a time of fellowship with one of your best friends (we've hung around together for so long that people think we're sisters) to bring sunshine to an otherwise cloudy week. My friend Peggy's oldest daughter is getting married in less than a month. We had gone shopping for Peggy's dress a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait a while to get anything for myself because of my weight. I've been on a downward slide since I was diagnosed 8 months ago as being a diabetic. Well, with MWHITW out of town this week, we decided to plan a girls' night out. Of course I went with a specific style and a specific color in mind. First store . . . . NOTHING! Well, nothing as far as dresses go, but we both found Aigner sandals for 80% off! Hey, these are the gals who love hand-me-downs, rarely shop in "real stores" for clothes and absolutely refuse to pay full price for ANYTHING! So, when a pair of designer label shoes costs $8.49 . . .that's cause for excitement. Second store . . . . NOTHING! By this time it was almost 8:30. Everything closes at 9, so there's no use in stopping anywhere else, right? Well, maybe just one more. A quick run into Sears just to look wouldn't hurt. A parking place right in front of the door was waiting for us. Hmmm!? We walked into row after row after row of CLEARANCE dresses! We looked (here's one but it's way too small), and looked (ooooh look at this one, but it's way too big), and looked (this would be a great church dress but I'm not looking for a church dress) and looked (hey! this isn't even close to the color I wanted and the style isn't something I would normally chose, but what do you think?). A rich, dark green kind of a moire tone on tone with tiny black jet beads on the lapel and a little flounce detail on the skirt. Peggy loved it! I loved it. Right size? Well, maybe but my butt has been shrinking at a much slower pace than my top half so the skirt is iffy. "Attention Sears shoppers, the store will be closing in 5 minutes". Drat! No time to try it on. That's OK. I'll go ahead and get it and if it doesn't fit, I can always bring it back, right? Off to the cash register. There was one lady in front of us so I used the time to check the suit over to make sure there are no hidden flaws. NO PRICE TAG! 50 gazillion dresses to chose from and I found the one with no price tag! A quick run through the racks to check for another one like it. Nope! OK . Deep breath. I'm the last customer of the night. The clerk can't hate me for bringing a price-less item to her. When we stepped up to the register, I explained my dilema to her. Not a problem. "Manager to women's apparel". Nobody came. Then this sweet little cashier said, "hang on". She checked the label, ran off to the racks, grabbed a dress with the same label (not a bit like the one I had, but it had the same label) scanned it and said . . . are you ready for this . . .wait, can you repeat that? . . . . "will $14.90 be OK?". Peggy and I looked at each other and said "uh huh, that sounds fine". I paid the sweet little cashier and we calmly walked out of the store. Once we hit the parking lot. . . . well, all I can say is that there were two usually very calm, cool and collected middle aged women doing the happy bargain dance and high fives all the way to the car.

Dinner out $7.50. Shoes $8.49. Dress $14.90. Time spent having fun with your "sister" . . . PRICELESS!

P.S. Tried it on when I got home. The skirt fits like a dream! I'll need to make a couple quick alterations to the top, but basically IT FITS!!!

Blessings!

Farewell

2008-02-19T11:49:00.001-05:00

Many, many thanks to all of you who expressed your love and concern for our buddy Buck. It is with a heavy, yet thankful heart that I must tell you that Buck passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. He evidently never regained conciousness and he didn't suffer - for that I am thankful. As I'm certain everyone who has a pet (no matter how big or small) knows, these furry four legged family members leave their paw prints permanently imprinted in our hearts.

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers!

Moanday, Monday

2008-02-18T16:55:00.000-05:00

It's Moanday! Usually Monday is no big deal to me. Just another day in another week. Today, however . . . . well let it suffice today that if this is any indication of what the rest of my week is going to be like, I may have to seriously consider getting in my car and running far, far away from home! MWHITW and our friend Arthur (pronounced ahtha - he's a teensy weensy bit - OK he's a LOT British) left at 6AM bound for Kentucky with a load of stuff to put in storage and to finish up the plumbing on our friends' new house. I was a little worried because their trip up I75 was going to take them directly into the path of severe storms. All is well, though. They ran into a little bit of rain. Nothing severe, though, and shortly after they crossed the Georgia line the storms stopped. (Insert heavy sigh of relief and a big Praise the Lord). Alrighty then! They sent part of my work through early. Great! I can get a jump start on things. So, with both furry animals outside enjoying the beautiful weather, I sat down to type. 5 patients worth of dictation later I heard the most pathetic, heart wrenching howl/screech/yelp. I looked out the window and saw the big dog on the ground. Long story short . . . I'm home alone with a 65 pound dog who has possibly had a stroke and is having seizures, a 10 pound doxie who wanted nothing more than for her big buddy to get up and play and not a neighbor in site. I was finally able to get to the phone and call my handsome, talented son who hopped in his trusty steed (a.k.a. the Kia Sportage) and was here in less than 10 minutes. Now the fact that he was here in less than 1o minutes would usually give me grounds for a lecture because he lives 10 miles away with at least 5 stoplights and a long stretch of town where the speed limit is only 40 between us. However, under the circumstances, I was just so glad to see him I'll save that lecture for another day. We were able to roll Buck on to his blanket and lift him into the back of my car just before the downpour came. I rode in the back with him and wonderful son drove us to the vet's office. Fortunately the rain stopped just as we pulled into the parking lot and we were able to get the big, furry one inside. His temperature was over 104, which in doggy degrees is about 4 degrees high. He was totally unresponsive. They took him immediately to the bath tub and bathed him in cool water in an effort to lower his temperature as quickly and safely as possible. The vet said they were going to give him IV fluids, run a battery of tests and observe him at least over night. When we left him (which was really a hard thing to do) he was still unresponsive. A phone call from the vet a while ago wasn't all that encouraging either. His blood sugar was 40, his liver enzymes are extremely high and he's still having mini seizures. They've got him on IV glucose and fluids and Valium (can you pass some of that Valium to me, please?). She didn't sound very hopeful. He has been a part of our family for 12 years - the same length of time we have lived in this house. I have a feeling this is going to be a really, really, really long night.

But the Greatest of These . . .

2008-02-14T15:40:00.000-05:00

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

Love never ends.

So Faith, Hope,

Love abide;

But the greatest

of these is Love!

Purging and packing and painting and primping . . . . OH MY!

2008-02-13T15:04:00.001-05:00

Wow! What a busy week so far. We've been getting the house ready to show, which means more packing and painting and primping and purging. My "office/original master bedroom/guest room/place to put things you can't find anywhere else to put" finally looks like a bedroom again.

I'd like to give a special award to the person who invented the inflatible bed! One minute it looks like a sleeping bag . . . five minutes later it's a queen sized bed! Throw on a creamy colored chenille bedspread and matching shams that were a $10 Goodwill find, hang some springy looking curtains (another thrift store score) and the room looks better than it has in years! I've been delaying packing up some of my girly bling from my dresser, but I knew it had to be done. I had just gotten a package in the mail from Laurie at Charming Design. I had purchased one of her beautiful little pincushions from her E-Bay store. It matches my moss rose collection so beautifully! I hated to pack it all away . . . . but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Can you see the beautiful little bird perched in its tulle nest on top of the vase? Isn't she adorable? As much as I hate to pack all the pretties away, I guess it will be like Christmas when I get to unpack everything again and have fun finding homes for everything at Goldens Creek! We actually showed our house for the first time this morning. The woman who came to see the house is actually a friend of the secretary who works in the office of the man who did our appraisal. When she described to him what she was looking for he immediately though of us! I was a little apprehensive (oh c'mon let's be honest here girl!) OK! I was a LOT apprehensive! Hubby had his share of apprehension too! The lady seemed to be quite pleased with what she saw. She is specifically looking for a home with two "master suites", which we have. She wants something in a quiet neighborhood, away from town. Fortunately the birds and the breeze cooperated. As if on cue, when the lady walked out on to the back porch the birds started to sing and the breeze began to blow through the pine trees in the woods behind the house. A symphony of peace and tranquility accompanied by the wind chimes hanging from the corner of the porch - all under the direction of the Master! She stood there and listened for a while and then took a stroll through the house for the second time. Now we wait . . . and pack and primp and paint and purge some more!

"The Witnesses"

2008-02-10T09:24:00.001-05:00

With so much work to do and so much going on this past week I completely forgot that we had tickets to see a production called "The Witnesses" last night with a group from our church. A very big part of me wanted to give the tickets away, but that little part of me that had seen "The Rock and the Rabbi" several weeks ago (for the second time) REALLY wanted to see the sequel. Fortunately, that little part of me won out! Handsome, talented son was supposed to go with us, but had forgotten about a paper he has due on Monday. So, I called my friend Peggy at the last minute. She jumped at the chance! So, MWHITW got to accompany two of his favorite ladies to the production. It was AMAZING! AWESOME! Spellbinding! Touching! If you EVER have the opportunity to see either production (preferably both), GO! It's an amazing mix of storytelling, music and the Gospel. Needless to say, we were blessed beyond measure. We came away with our "tanks" filled up! Ready to start another week with our "blessing meter" on full!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-02-08T18:03:00.001-05:00

let there be light!

2008-02-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't THINK it's a freight train racing towards me this time. By the looks of my office, you wouldn't think I had accomplished anything at all for the past couple of days. However I have the spare bedroom (formerly the rats nest) finished except for painting the new closet doors and hanging the curtains. somewhere along the way I misplaced the curtain rod that goes in there. Oh well, the blinds are back up, the floor is clean, the bed is back together and made.

This is what the room looked like on Tuesday.

This is what it looked like on Wednesday.

And THIS is what it looks like today!

I have an old type setters tray I think I'll hang above the bed in lieu of climbing into the attic and bringing down the headboard and footboard.

I also got the guest bathroom done today. Scrubbed from top to bottom, new shower curtain hung (I actually forgot to buy shower curtain rings when I bought the curtain so my future DIL and I got creative with some satin ribbon I had laying around the house.I'm totally amazed I actually had some thing that matched the shower curtain! And of course I had to add a little bit of vintage bling while I was at it. Hey! It matched!

I rearranged the master bedroom yesterday too. Still have a little tweeking to do there, but for the most part it's done. Just a good cleaning and some sprucing up in the master bath then it will be off to the office/big guest bedroom/new rats nest (hey I had to put the stuff somewhere!). Fortunately for me and my tired old bones, The lady who was supposed to come this afternoon to look at the house cancelled until Monday! So, I think I'll take a nice long, hot shower and relax for a few minutes before I start on round 2 for the day.

Kind words are never wasted. Like scattered seeds, they spring up in unexpected places

a tICkLE fRom tHe Father

2008-02-06T14:51:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you're running ragged and everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong . . . . when all of a sudden something strikes you as incredibly funny? It's like the Good Lord has reached down and tickled you. That's me today! I have so much to do and so little time to do it. We have someone coming to look at the house on Friday. The "rats nest" and bathroom still need a coat of paint. There are no closet doors on the closet. I had an appointment in town this morning along with 3 or 4 stops I HAD to make. A carpenter friend of ours said he'd come out and put the doors up for us and help us with a few little things so I needed to be home. I've got people clamoring for STAT reports that I sent them yesterday. MWHITW locked his keys in his truck (back in town) . . .well you get the picture. I was sitting at my desk trying to decide whether to work work or to house work when I spun around and looked at one of the many piles of things I have sitting here waiting to be either packed to move or packed to take to the booth or packed to take to the thrift store. That's when the Good Lord reached down and tickled me. Sitting on the floor were some things I had taken out of our bathroom, my son's (aka "the rat") bathroom and a chamber pot that we had picked up on one of our treasure hunts. So what's so funny about that? It was the sign that had fallen out of one of the boxes that clinched it for me. What do you get when you put a bowl, a pitcher, an old gas heater and a chamber pot together? As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Now I have the energy to get some of this stuff done!

They're comin' to take me away aha!

2008-01-31T10:29:00.000-05:00

You know, there are some days when I really doubt my sanity. I have a semi-full time job. Granted I work from home, but all the same, it's a job. We have just purchased a house and property in Kentucky. We are trying to get this house ready to put on the market. (F.Y.I. All you procrastinators out there! If you have one of those "roundtuit" lists . . . DO NOT - I REPEAT - DO NOT wait until you are ready to put your house on the market to start that list). We have boxes stacked all over the place in an attempt to "declutter" the house but nowhere to put the boxes of declutter! We have projects started or ready to start in nearly every room of the house. MWHITW and I are having uh - artistic differences about color choices and I really hate to disagree with him on anything because he has been working so hard trying to keep his business running, trying to get this house ready and suffering all the while from injuries he susatined in an auto accident nearly 10 months ago. Now I have committed myself to setting up a booth in a new craft/antique mall-type store. Am I crazy? Well, yes, that is partially the reason. But the major reason I have gotten myself into this last prediciment is because I was born without the "NO" gene. Be honest now! How many of you were born "NO" deficient? Now I'm not talking about the "mommy NO" gene. Once our children are born that little sucker kicks in and ususally doesn't calm down for about eighteen years. I'm talking about the plain old "NO" gene. The "now you have time to teach a Sunday school class, don't you?" or "we need a chairman for the PTA" or "I really want to do one of these booths, but I don't want to do it all by my little old self so YOU'LL split it with me, won't you?". You are thinking "NO!". Your mouth is forming the word "NO!". But because you are "NO" deficient, what comes out of your mouth is "why sure!". Who said that? Is there someone standing behind me? Static in the phone lines? Those darned Gremlins again? Nope! That "NO" deficiency done got me into a pickle once again! So . . . I have enlisted help in chosing colors (which is no small feat in itself because along with being "NO" deficient I am also extremely deficient in the gene which allows us to ask for help). I will get the booth set up when I get the booth set up. I WILL clear a path to the washing machine. I WILL finish one project before the weekend is over. I WILL survive! After all . . . I am WOMAN! W-O-M-A-N! Oh, and by the way, I WILL gladly accept a very fashionable white jacket with extra-extra long sleeves provided by those nice young men who have promised to give me a ride in their cute little custom van with the pretty flashing lights on top! They have told me about this wonderful vacation spot that has lovely padded walls. Must be one of those wall treatments like Vern Yip does on the decorating shows!