Monday, December 3, 2007

A Housefull of Blessings

Thanksgiving day we had a housefull or should I say apartment full of blessings. My Dad, Mom, Jay, Sara, Josh , Alicia and their children came to share Thanksgiving with us. Josh cooked 2 delcious Turkeys. I think I liked the smoked one best. mmm good.
Well we watched the Santa Clause 2 and were almost done when Bro. JD came by. We turned off the TV and told the children that the movie was not as important as visiting. Travis had also rented Santa Clase 3.
Bro JD was just what we needed. We sat in heavenly places and visited for a long time. Sometimes its so easy to forget the blessings and works that God has wrought in our lives and others. The visiting was so much better than the movie.
Edgar stayed with his cousins and our girls had 2 of their girl cousins stay over Thanksgiving eve. The next morning I took the girls to JoAnns to pick out flannel for nightgowns and doll nightgowns. They helped cut them out and I sent the cousins home with theirs, their sisters, and 2 of the doll ones Saturday evening. My bottom was sooo sore from sitting at the sewing machine most of Saturday. Little Kathy's wide eyed enthusiasm made it all worth it. She wore it to bed that night and all day Sunday.(Some of her family was home sick on Sunday)
I'm nearly done with the nightgowns and now have flannel to make pajama bottoms for the boys. Now I couldn't leave them out could I?
Needless to say I will be very busy between now and Christmas. Thankfully most of my shopping is done, now all I have to do is the sewing. May God bless you with his Greatest blessings this holiday season and the years to come!!!

Friday, November 9, 2007

Blessings

Reading other peoples posts have helped me count my blessings.
I'm not very good at words, but here goes.................

  • I'm thankful for the trials Travis and I have faced. They've strengthened our marriage and commitment to God.
  • I'm thankful for my son, we've had our problems but I can see were he really tries to please his Dad & Mom. I'm thankful for his questions and imput on the bible.
  • I'm thankful for our oldest daughter. For the connection we have after wondering how to learn & know her.
  • I thank God for the sisters who were with me during her birth. That they came by in love & kindness to instruct me to start giving her formula. I'd just been on my knees in my secret place asking for guidance. Here they came totally prepared.
  • Also thanks for the times untold I'd call Sis Rosalee during a 1 hour feeding for her encouragement in making Syble eat.
  • I'm thankful for all the mother's I've had in the faith.
  • Thanks for my Mother-in-Law who taught me the importance of family.
  • For my little "Melody" who is constantly singing praises to God from her heart.
  • For Travis who somehow sees and knows all my weaknesses and shortcomings and still thinks I'm the greatest woman in the world.
  • For parents who taught me the Love of God, his people, and the Faith.
  • Thanks and praise to God that he saw me and chose me to be his child.
  • Thanks to my sisters who've caught me short a time or two and taught me lessons on love and family.
  • Thanks to God for taking me through the dark times and reminding me were I've been and were I could be.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Pumpkin the Cheaty Way

The last time I put up pumpkin I cooked it all day long and it did not get fully cooked even then. That was after cleaning the pumpkin out, gutting it, and cutting it up into many small pieces. Needless to say it has been many years since I put up pumpkin.
Today while I was on the phone with my mom I remembered a real easy way to cook squash that an older sister told me one time. So I cut the pumpkin in half, gutted it, washed it, turned the 2 halves upside down on a sprayed cookie sheet, put in a 350 degree oven and went on about school work and errands. When I had time to deal with it again, about an hour and half or so later, IT WAS DONE!!! I drained most of the juice off of the pan, peeled the skin right off, put it in a bowl with some of the juice, mashed it and it is ready to go!!! YEAH!!!
This was just a Med-small pumpkin and it made 4-5 quarts. I have 3 small, 1 med, and a green squash left to cook. Now all I have to do is figure out how to put it up and what to do with all of it. LOL! I know what people are getting for Christmas this year. (;

Monday, October 22, 2007

Scaring Travis

Ok, let me confess a shortcoming I have. Travis is always wanting a hug or a kiss when I'm in the middle of dishes, dinner, or cleaning. He seems to pick the times when I'm the busiest and paying him the least amount of attention. Well needless to say most of the time I'm not gracious about it at all!!!
Well sometime last night after I crawled into bed and was good and asleep I scared Travis. He said I gave him a great big hug and said, "Is that what you wanted?" So sometime around 3:30 in the morning I woke him from a sound sleep, scaring him half to death with one of the hugs he is always wanting. I don't remember it but I must have been feeling bad about sending him up to bed by himself while I finished the jelly.
I don't think he appreciated that hug very much. LOL

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Quince???

Ok, I thought I was done with canning. We live in an apartment so you would think that there wouldn't be anything to can. Wrong!!
Last week I made 3 batches of grape jam, Kettles and Kettles of grape juice, and some relish. I even had to make up 1 1/2 gallons of grape juice to put in the refrigerator because I was out of seals. So Friday night I finished up the grapes and made 3 apple pies for Saturday Market.
At the end of the day on Saturday someone gave me a box of Quince?!? I've never seen them before in my life. When he began to desribe the color of the jelly it made I realized I'd heard of Quince jelly before. So I traded my last pie for a box of Quince. On the way to the car a lady said she'd buy a jar of the jelly next Saturday.
So.........As soon as I'm done typing this blog I shall start on the Quince jelly. After last week, and with Travis' Mom coming this week, I think it's better to get it done and out of the way. hehehe

Thursday, October 18, 2007

End of the week Crazies

This week I've been putting up the grapes and some relish. So needless to say we are behind in our schoolwork and the house is a mess.
Technically just the downstairs is a mess. My wonderful husband went through and cleaned out our room on Monday. We finally have a bedroom instead of a catch-all room where we happen to sleep.
This is driving me crazy so needless to say at the end of the day, after schoolwork and while I'm putting up the last of the grapes, we will tackle the mountain. The mountain of laundry and who knows what else that was our downstairs.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Sunday Blessings

Yesterday morning I was awake about 20 minutes before 7. This is not normal for me, especially when I've went to bed after midnight. However I have learned that it is better to get up when I first wake. I'm more tired and have a better chance of a headache if I don't.
When I wake so early in the day I figure their is a reason. There's not many awake that early on a Sunday morning. We had got a call for prayers and then a call for prayers for my dad the night before. My husband couldn't remember the first name of the brother so we'd just prayed for Brother Gray. I thought that since it was to early to check about my dad or call anyone I'd check my email. Sure enough I had an email from a dear friend. It was her brother who'd had the heart attack. I was able to call and talk to her for a few minutes as it was about 9 o'clock where she lives.
I then went to the store to pick up a few things for breakfast and dinner.
In our home on Sunday morning Dad cooks breakfast. Well this Sunday morning I was up early so I thought I'd fix a rare treat of biscuits & gravy. After putting dinner in the crock pot I fixed breakfast. We left early enough to check on my Dad before church. He was doing better and resting. We prayed for him, got to church a few minutes early, and made it to our seats just on time.
At church we heard about some things that had been on my mind. We then went to check on my Dad again and pick up our crockpot. Bro Bill called while we were there and invited us for dinner. We took our food and had a nice dinner. After dinner and a good visit we went to see Sis. Joyce.
She'd been feeling some better but when we got there she had just ate and was hurting. Some of us prayed for her and was able to see her get some relief. We sat around and visited for a little bit. When we left she told me about the importance of prayer and the wonderous work it does. She said that whatever it took to make heaven her home she was willing to endure. Her faith seemed so strong. I'd just been wondering about how I would know that I'd won my crown when the time came.
We then went to Bro. Clifford & Sis Glenda's to pick some grapes. Travis, our older children, Bro Clifford, Brian, Michelle, and their children picked alot of grapes. I got to have a good visit with Sis Glenda.
We dropped a little more than 1/2 the grapes we'd taken off at my parent's. They were pleasantly surprised.
By the time we got home we were tired but uplifted and encouraged for the week ahead.