Green Twig

Whataday... so far

2012-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

This day actually started yesterday. Mr. D had changed the oil in my car but found he had the wrong size filter. He put the old one back on and came to pick me up at work, then he got the right filter. So after we got home last night he went out in the dark and storm and changed the filter and noticed that one of the tires was low in air. He went to fill the tire with air and acutally let more air out, 'cause the air compressor was frozen. The bead broke and the tire went flat, so he fiddled with it a little and got it to take air and thought it was probably OK.

This morning I got up a bit early because I wanted allow a little more time to get to work because of the storm. We got about 4-5" of wet snow last night and then on top of that is was sleeting/raining this morning. Went out to the car... now 6:30am... and the tire was flat. Mr. D got up and changed it (thankfully we have extra studded snow tires around), and I got going. Part way into my commute the oil light came on. I think it's the first time that oil light has ever come on. I pulled over in the sleet/rain and checked the oil and it was empty. So I got out the oil and put some in (keep a good supply in the car). I started out again. and the oil light came back on. I pulled off the road again and started walking toward the house I had just come by. Cell phones don't work in our neck of the woods, so no sense in having one. I had just started out when some very nice folks stopped and picked me up. They took me back home (to the end of the driveway) and I walked up to let Mr. D know what had happened. On my way up the driveway I noticed a line of oil between my tire tracks in the new snow. Guess something didn't get put on right. Mr. D gathered up his tools and off we went to rescue the Neon. We used the Blazer to pull the car up onto ramps. What had happened was in the dark last night he had taken the old filter off, but the gasket was left behind and caused the new filter not to seat well, so the oil was leaking around the seal.

Took just a couple minutes and I was on my way to work again. I was glad that I had started early this morning, 'cause after all that I was only an hour and a half late.

Thankful it was an easy fix and the roads were not so bad. Thankful for good neighbors who took me home. Thankful for God who took good care of me and for giving me a husband who knows what to do when the car needs fixin'. And right now I'm thankful for a warm office and a little extra heat.

Joanna starts work tonight in the kitchen at her new job.

It's not and uneventful day... and I'm hoping for no more challenges, but if there are I know God will help me through.

Hope you have a great day!

Photos old and new

2012-01-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

As promised, here's a few photos. Heather is was sorting through family photos and came across a few "dinosaurs" I'd though you'd enjoy seeing too.

My handsome young man, Brandon.

Joanna, Me, Heather,and Brandon on Joanna's birthday hike near Mt. Cardigan

I received some photos on FB from Heather and thought I'd share.

It looks from the way everyone is bundled up that it was a really cold day, but was in the mid to upper 30s... a real heat wave after two very cold days.

Part of the trail followed along a river. Very pretty. Here's Pedro... Joanna's boxer. He loves hiking with his "mom"

Flash back. They we soooo cute when they were little. What happened? Joanna looks like she's afraid I might let go.

Add caption

Flash back even further. This was while we still lived in Colorado. L-R.. me, Joanna, in front of Joanna is her great grandmother Ruth, my dad, and he's holding Heather.

It was my delight to have the whole family stay with us in our little apartment in Littleton, CO. My dad and Gramma are now gone, but Praise God we'll not be separated forever, this group will meet again in Glory.

Flash back even further to the late 60's/early 70's. I can't remember exactly. This is our family. Myself, Dad, Mom and Brother Paul. Mom has gone to glory now too. She and Dad are enjoying the glory of Heaven together.

Thank you Heather for scanning these pictures for me to share. Love ya.

Time to Catch Up...

2012-01-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

12/09/11

Joanna is in and the water is running. It all has been quite miraculous. More indication that God loves us and wants the best for us. We had not a few set backs in getting Joanna's "mobile home" set up for her. First the ground was freezing and we weren't sure we could finish the dirt work in time. Then the evening of our second significant snowfall Mr. D and I tucked her camper into it's little wooded home. There was still insulating to do and hooking up all the stuff... electric, septic, and water. There had to be special insulation installed underneath to protect the tanks... grey water and septic so they wouldn't freeze. That was a real challenge and a week of rolling around in the mud underneath. Then we got all that done and the water wouldn't run. We were all bewildered as to why. There seemed to be enough pressure, but no flow into the camper itself. At the last minute, just before our new snowfall... the water decided to come on... NO actually the water had nothing to do with it... God allowed the water to flow. Praise God! That is all we can say. Now it can snow and freeze and do whatever it likes. This has been the most unusual October/November I think I've ever seen. I really DO think God had a part in it.

Now my "little" girl is here and all comfy cozy in her own home.

The rest of the family will all be here for Christmas. We will be taking pictures and more pictures and enjoying the season together.

I've heard a lot of chatter about being "ready" for Christmas. Well, if you're talking about gifts to give and decorations to put up... probably not, but I'm so ready to see everyone and spend time together it really doesn't matter. All the rest will fall into place.

God is so good!
I'm exhausted!

12/12/11

Recap of the last few days...
Friday: Had blood drawn at the lab at 6am in preparation for Dr's. appointment on Thursday.

Doug was borrowing the neighbors loader and the tarp cover ripped when he was covering it up. Had to get some ripstop nylon to mend the tarp. Took 2 hours at the store to get that and a couple little items cut... yikes.

Saturday... went to sew the tarp and realized I had taken the extension cord from there to use for Christmas lights. Went to store to get dog food which we needed and an extension cord.

Got home and went to mend tarp. Found out I didn't really need the ripstop I had spent 2 hours getting the night before. Mended tarp then made a "Bee Green Bag" for the ladies gift exchange (a tradition). No heat in the sewing room so got really cold so went to the house and whipped up some supper... spaghetti sauce with lots of mushrooms, peppers, onions and left over sauce from Friday night pizza.

Got the wrong kind of dog food, so had to go back to Tractor Supply to get right kind, then went to the church and Mr. D helped me move my SS classroom stuff to new room downstairs.

Found out the freezer in the living room of the mobile home was not running, had to figure out what was going on with that. Plugged that into my new extension cord to keep stuff from thawing out. Thankfully the weather's been cold enough so that although the freezer must have been off for quite some time (Mr. D and his Dad had worked on the electricity a week ago), nearly all the food was not thawed at all, only a few packages of squash that were from last year anyway and I used them right away.

Sunday... Water frozen. Had a little water set aside for drinking water and so used some of that to get cleaned up and wash hair. Mr. D went out and turned up the heat tape and set the thermostat a little higher in the well house. Water came back on just before leaving for church. Had church dinner so brought stuffed peppers, spinach, brownies and potatoes.

The fellowship at church was wonderful and renewed my spirit. After dinner the Patch club had their Christmas presentation (songs and skit), and that was great. The children did well and remembered all their lines.

After church Mr. D and I went to Ocean State Job Lots to do a little looking around for Christmas gifts and Mr. D needed some warm winter socks. We found all we were looking for and I also picked up some spices and a nice cotton bath mat. Got home around 4:30 pm.

I went to do a little laundry and the washer quit. Joanna came home around 5 pm and told us that she smelled propane in her little house. We went over and it didn't smell like propane to me, but did smell like exhaust. Took over the CO monitor and turned the heat up and the monitor jumped to 88 ppm ... yikes. Shut the heat off and the CO level fell right off. Mr. D's going to see about taking the little furnace out and getting it cleaned today. Joanna used the electric heater through the night and I went over this am to check on her and it felt cozy in there.

It's Monday... had to come to work to get a break :)

12/14/11
Mr. D took the furnace out and over to the RV place... though we'd had recommendation from another RV place that we should replace the furnace for $500-600 he decided to see if he could get it cleaned. Those guys at Riverbrook RV are super. They cleaned the little furnace for $80 and now Joanna has heat again. Yea! God is sooooo good!
We got to share that at prayer meeting too and encourage others.

01/06/12
Quite a leap, I know. I took 2 days off while Heather and Brandon were here and we had a wonderful time together. No pictures yet, 'cause I need to down load them and place them here. They arrived earlier than expected on Friday night. We went out to eat at Friendly's and then home by about 8:30 or 9:00. Saturday we slept in a bit and since Joanna had to work, the rest of us did a little last minute shopping. It wasn't as busy as I thought it might be and we had a beautiful sunny day, though it was cold. Sunday we all went to church in the morning and then home to a great meal of duck and ham and all the fixin's, gifts and lots of family fun. Then we settled in to game time and snacks of all shapes and sizes. I've been going through withdrawal ever since. Monday we really didn't do anything at all. In the morning we had blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup (thanks Joanna) and just hung out watched some movies and played some games. It was really too cold outside to do much there and very little snow. Tuesday was Joanna's birthday so we went in the late morning and took a 2 mile hike. The weather was much warmer and with little snow it was a perfect day for a hike. Got some nice pictures that I'll share after I download them. Then we took Joanna for lunch at her favorite Mexican restaurant. We ate sooooo much! After that we took Heather down to her friend's house in Whilmington, VT and visited with old friends. Then we stopped at Friendly's again for birthday ice cream and Joanna and I headed home. Heather and Brandon went back home on the train Friday 12/30

On New Year's eve we spent time with friends. More games and SNACKS... seems there's a theme here. I went over to the church afterwards and cleaned up my Sunday School room and went through boxes that had been moved to my new classroom, but never sorted out. Now I can find stuff again. By the time I got done it was about 11:30 and got home just in time to see the ball drop. I was just drifting off the sleep and the phone rang. It was Brandon calling me at 1:00 am just to wish me a Happy New Year. Needless to say... I was tired on Sunday, but we had a blessed day of fellowship and more food!

We still haven't had any large snowstorms. It's been a mighty strange winter. I heard though that there's a storm coming next week. I'm sure the ski areas are happy to hear that. Hope we get some accumulation to help with insulation.

So here it is the last day of the first week of the New Year. I haven't any resolutions except I want to get our bookkeeping up to date and get paperwork done (have to find stuff first). Then my next resolution might be to declutter and get rid of as much as I can so that when we do get ready to move into the mobile home I will have room to move.

Sound like that will keep me busy for a while :)

I promise there will be pictures on the next post and hopefully it won't be 2 months from now.

Thank you for sharing this little picture with us Linda

I haven't had much time to visit all your blogs, but I pray that you will all have a wonderful 2012!

DIGGING HOLES.

2011-11-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

This past week we rented a small excavator and dug a lot of holes... well to be exact they are ditches. We now have a yard full of mud again. That makes keeping my floor clean a full-time job, but I'm still glad it's happening. This means that Joanna will be able to move in soon. We had hoped this would happen a while ago, but didn't realize all that was involved. We now have water line, a culvert to drain off water behind the mobile home, and septic is nearly laid then the next project is electric. All this will be laid in the same ditches...

view up the hill into the woods behind us you can see all the rocks that we pulled out of those holes. it's really not too bad. other places on the property have had more and larger rocks.

view across and up to mobile home... lots of water collects in back in the spring and in big rain storms, so it'll be good to have this all drain off.

view down the hill towards our camper and the driveway.

one of the larger rocks we've encountered. this one was too big to move so either we'll leave it, or we'll drill it and break it up with water in the holes.

looking into the drain hole from above... this will be lined with rocks...
Mr. D has done most of that now to keep soil from getting into the culvert.

this is Joanna's new home before the digging began and just after our October snowstorm...
a 36' camper... nice and roomy.

So there's lots more work to do. The ditches need to be filled in before we get more rain. It has been spectacular weather thus far... we have much to be thankful for.

Our memory verse in SS class this week was Ephesians 5:20... it sure is easy for me to be thankful when things are going well and we have good weather/sun is shining etc, but when the tough times come it is harder to be thankful for those times. I pray that this year I will continue to learn to thank the Lord for ALL things.

Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

New Collage

2011-10-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

I've put on a new collection of pictures in the header and since I don't care for pictures without captions I thought I'd walk you through this collection of pictures from our family...

from L to R... top to bottom

Heather last Christmas... peering through the palms
Mr. D with our tiny Christmas tree
Joanna when we went sledding 12/27/2009
Mom and Dad on their wedding day, Asbury Park Baptist
My brother and I in the sandbox
Our wedding day, my Mom and Mr. D's Mom and Dad
Brandon with a Luna Moth this past summer
The little "camper" our family lived in in Maine for 6 years - don't know how my Mom did it.
J and H last summer
Mr. D on his tractor
Our little "camper in the woods" covered with snow last winter
Washington DC in the cherry blossoms this past April.

Thank you for visiting.

Have a wonderful day.

Hello Again...

2011-10-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

I am participating in

To join in the fun go to... "From This Side of the Pond"

How do you typically react in a sudden, extreme, pressure-filled crisis? Would we want you nearby an emergency?

Honestly, I don't panic but I do shake. Guess that means something is going on inside. Once got into a heated discussion with a parent of one of my students who would not listen to reason. To this day I can feel the trembling in my gut. It was time to leave and breathe. It's the only time I gotten like that so guess I wouldn't be too good at debate. On the whole in emergency situations I am very calm and am able to think clearly. It is something I got from my Dad who was so wonderfully calm... at least on the outside... when things got crazy. My mother would react more easily, but she also was a calming factor. My brother also, so being surrounded with such calm people... how can you help being calm.

Caramel apple, Caramel sundae, Caramel corn, Caramel macchiato... of these four, which caramel treat would you choose?

I love caramel apples but my dentures do not... however, that doesn't stop me from eating them... I just get out a knife and fork. I do love warm caramel corn, but not so much caramel sundaes or macchiato. Of the two, guess my favorite would be warm caramel corn... like you get on the boardwalk.

Is there such a think as destiny? Explain.

Of course there is destiny.

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Ephesians 1:4-6

Also Romans 8:28-31

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Probably not what the world thinks of as destiny... like in matter of love and wealth and possession. I can't think of any "higher" destiny that becoming a child of God and living for Him.

What's your favorite piece of furniture? I'm referring to something currently in your possession as opposed to something on your wish list.

About the second year of our marriage my Sweetie got me a mission rocker for Christmas. I love that rocker and can't wait to get into our home again so I can enjoy it once more. I also have a tall sewing chest that was in my Mom's family. My Nanna always had it stuffed with old velvet purses. When I inherited it the drawers were still stuffed with ancient sewing stuff... needles, thimbles, threads on old wooden spools and a knob for mending socks. I kept all that stuff where it was and only use the top drawer for my current hand sewing/mending needs. This also is in storage till we get moved in.

Wednesday night marks the start of the 2011 Baseball World Series. Did you know? Do you care? Will you be watching? Ever been to a professional baseball game? If you're not an American do you find the title 'World Series' annoying or amusing?

Oh my... we don't watch sports in our house. I loved watching my kids play sports... basketball and soccer, but now I really don't have a lot of interest. I hear a lot about it at work... mostly in the pools that are going on and who won for the week.

A sound that takes me back to my childhood is....

We had some old records... George Beverly Shea recordings that my Mom loved to listen to while she was working around the house. Not too long ago on our Christian Radio Station I heard one of those songs from that recording... wow was that a wave of nostalgia. Sometimes there are smells that I catch that take me back to childhood like "Bell Seasoning" my mom always used in her turkey stuffing. Those reminders are getting less and less these days.

On average, once you've linked your hodgepodge post to mine how many other participant blogs do you visit? Do you ever come back to the Hodgepodge later in the day or even the day after to read posts?

This is the first time I've participated in Hodgepodge, but I like doing these Q&A posts. It's fun to read others too, so I'll probably look at them throughout the day today. It depends on what happens today whether I'll get to read all of them.

Insert your own random thought here.

God has been giving me lots to do lately. I'm just plugging along and getting something done each day. I try to prioritize, but the rules keep changing ;)

We've been trying to get the camper ready for my daughter to move into. We hoped to rent the little excavator this weekend, but it's looking a little iffy... we still don't have all the supplies together (ie drainage pipe, underground wire etc.). I finished laying the plywood in the kitchen, but haven't screwed it down and filled the holes, then it needs to be sealed. I would like to get that done this weekend if we can't get the ditches done (see what I mean?). We also have a muskovy drake to butcher and chickens to tag. I also have carrots and beets to harvest and squash to cook up and freeze. The chores just never end. I'm not complaining really, just stating facts. I think I need a helper for a few weeks to get everything done. Any volunteers?

Well, it's been an incredibly busy year all way 'round. As you can tell by my blog posts, I just don't have time to sit down and do anything on the computer even though I would like to. Maybe this winter... there isn't a lot of gardening to be done in the winter, or butchering, or ditch digging, but I have lots of sewing I want to do... we're expecting another grandchild and I WANT TO SEW (little temper tantrum there). Hope it's a girl.

That's my "random thoughts" and there's lots more where that came from.. really too many to type out here.

another little "blast from the past" my Auntie had a book with this picture in it.

What's up with us....

2011-10-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't been sitting around reading, or sleeping, or twiddling my thumbs ya know....

Here's our new "egg box". Quite an improvement over a cooler on a folding chair at the end of the road...

The cooler is in the middle section. On both sides are some veggies. Some are free and some we're selling.

Mr. D made the boxes and I painted the door.

Then on the 21st and 22nd we went and had some fun at camp :)

That girl out there grinning at me is my daughter. Yup, she went with us and we had lots of fun. What a great weekend. It was sooooo cold that night... first frost... and though we were prepared we slept little.

Our speaker was Mardi Collier who came from SC to be our speaker was wonderful. God was really working through her to say just what I needed to hear. She spoke about the promises in God's Word and "100% words" such as "...my God shall supply all your need..." Philippians 4:19 or "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Ephesians 1:3 or another one of my favorites "...hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness..." II Peter 1:3 How cool is that? Not just some things that we need, but all things that we need. What a great God we serve!

I needed to hear this message. We've been through some unsteady times lately and it can be frightening, but God is my stability... He is my rock and fortress.

This is Mardi's book and if you have a chance you should find a copy and read it... well worth your time.

So glad that my daughter could go with me too. It was fun to share a little mother/daughter time.

We've got more stuff to get in from the garden. I pick lots of green beans and all the corn. We do not have all the squash in yet, but probably will stack it under tarps for a little while... it's going to get cold tomorrow night and probably will frost. Don't want the little squashes to get rashes :)

I made some stuffed squash blossoms on 9/30 for my Sweetie's birthday. He had gone to pick up my daughter's camper that day and it was driving rain facing one challenge after the other. First he had trouble meeting up with his dad. He got questioned by the police while he was waiting to meet up with him. He was stopped by the police after he and his dad got separated on their way back. He had to replace all the tires before coming home with the camper 'cause they had dry rot. I'm telling you, my Sweetie has huge amounts of patience... after all, he puts up with me.

So a special dinner was in order.

first I sauteed some onion, mushrooms and fresh herbs in a little olive oil

I picked about 12 squash blossoms... not going to produce fruit now anyway

I removed the insides, they give the flower their sweet smell and I just don't care for them in my casserole. Watch out for bees if you pick them when the weather is a little cold... I found about 5 or 6 tucked down inside. I washed the flower to get any sand/dirt off.

I took a small container of ricotta cheese and mixed in the sauteed vegetables, which I had cooled off a little then added some Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Then I stuffed the blossoms with the cheese and veggie mixture and laid them in a small baking pan. I did not fry them first to avoid all that step and all that oil which neither of us need.

I then laid a little sauce over the top, not too much and this is organic spaghetti sauce I buy at Price Chopper grocery store. I could have used some of my own, but had this open already. I put on some mozzarella cheese and popped them into the oven. and this is what we got....

This was really yummy. I noticed we have lots more squash blossoms out there... maybe there's still some time to make more before the end of gardening season.

Hope you have a great week.

God Bless!

Fall Ducklings.

2011-09-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Because the summer was so hot our poor Momma ducks did not have an easy time incubating their eggs. Although the coop is in the shade and we keep it ventilated, it still is quite warm in there during the summer months. We have one Momma duck who has tried several times unsuccessfully to raise a family. She seems a little spooky too and we thought this year she'd be headed for the roaster. Well, good thing we kept her around a little longer....

make way for ducklings.... 15 of them to be exact.

She was not going to be unsuccessful this time. She hatched 15 little yellow ducklings. We are keeping them inside until they get feathers since it is getting cold at night.

Doesn't this just make you smile?

Busy Days

2011-09-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long time and probably most of my followers have given up on me. I also don't like it much when someone doesn't write for a long time and after a while just don't visit anymore, but hope you can empathize with me when I say it has been very busy.

Brandon stayed with us until the first week of August. We had a good time, but he was really ready to go home and missed his mom terribly. There were many changes for him at home and I think he was getting nervous about what was waiting for him there. I've talked to him several times since he went back and he seems to be settling into the routine and is now back in school.

We've had a good harvest from the garden. Picked 2 bushel of Jacob Cattle beans and then while I had pneumonia it gave me something to do with my hands. I have recovered for the most part, but still feel a little wimpy. I have found that my stamina took a nose-dive and we're working on that.

shelled Jacob Cattle beans

We put up 15 quarts of dill pickles. The tomatoes have been pouring in and I've been enjoying them so much... nothing like a sun ripened tomato! This weekend I'll be picking the remaining shell beans and also the Romano beans and getting those put away. Also want to can the tomatoes for soups, stews and sauces (those that I don't eat fresh).

We didn't have a huge crop of beets this year, but it's OK since I got a bunch from another source and Mr. D put them up for us already (sweet man!).

Our corn is almost ripe and ready to pick. We'll enjoy that fresh since we do not freeze or can corn. Mr. D won't eat frozen or canned corn, but he will eat it roasted fresh. Because of that we don't plant much and we invite folks over during corn season for a corn roast and fellowship... great times.

Well, now that I seem to be recovering and the harvest may be winding down a little, maybe I can get back to blogging. I have been collecting pictures to share with you of the flooding that we had around here from Irene

I go over this bridge twice/day. The water came up and over flooding on either side. See all the debris caught in the underside of the structure.

This is the shopping plaza in West Lebanon, NH it was under 6 feet of water. Where I am parked to take this picture was in front of a grocery store in the same plaza... it wasn't touched, but all the other stores were flooded.

The next morning after Irene, the sky is blue, sun is shining so innocently and this is the mud that used to be a beautiful green soccer field and dog park. After 2 weeks it still is like this... so many lost houses this is not a priority for cleanup.

God is so good! We didn't have a lot of damage here on our property from the hurricane. The eye went right over us, but a few miles to either side of us they received a lot of rain and there was much damage from flooding. Some of the folks from work were stranded and couldn't get out. One girl had her mobile home flooded and is still living in a camper till it dries out and she can replace the carpet and wall board. She lost a lot of other stuff even though it was only a few inches of water and the insulation underneath had to all be torn out. So sad to see all the destruction.

Here's a few links so you can see the damage around VT and NH...
http://www.mansfieldheliflight.com/flood/

http://www.cvps.com/Jobs2.aspx

I've been calling customers this week that are in the damaged areas. It is amazing how nice everyone is. So many volunteers out there helping to clean up. The mud is so thick as you can imagine. This is not an area that floods very often. In fact some of these places have not flooded in recorded history.

Well, I am very grateful and humbled too that God would spare us as He did. I am ever mindful that these things happen to the godly as well as the ungodly. It's all for His purpose and plan.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Keep looking up!

CAMP IMAGES 2011

2011-07-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Brandon had a really fun time at camp. Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures here....

reading and meditating on God's Word

tube tug... he said this was one of his favorite games

don't know if he's in this picture, but this was his team.

The Wilds of New England (view from the road)

this is the chapel - dining hall and kitchen to the left, snack shoppe and nurses office to the right

another place he spent many fun times.

Great camp and hope he can come again next year!

Welcome to the Jungle

2011-07-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a dry summer here, but the Lord has allowed the garden to do relatively well anyway as you can see from the following pictures.

a sea of squash

The most wonderful thing is we had 2 rainy days in a row and the soil needed moisture so badly. Our cucumbers are coming along now and the vines are covered with tiny fruit and I was so concerned that they wouldn't develop 'cause it had been so dry.

Judging from the way nature is hurrying this growing season, I expect there will be an early frost this year. We'll see how that prediction comes out :) OK I'm not a prophet, but you can tell sometimes by the way things happen in the garden. The plants got a late start, but they are really rushing to produce seed.

funny, I didn't see this leek flower when I was taking the pictures
this morning. I was thinking that the leeks must have gotten buried
in the wild flowers, but they must be holding their own. The parsnips are
coming along well and we'll be having some of those either next year or
the following year.... yum.

The corn is growing quickly now. Looking forward to having a corn roast in the late summer. We are about 2-3 weeks behind in the growing season from the Upper Valley where I work. Our summer squash hasn't done much, but folks at work are bringing in extra summer squash. Funny how a few hundred feet of elevation can make such a difference. Even on our hill we might get a frost at the house, but the garden get nothing.

You must disregard the weeds please. Amazing since I just weeded
last weekend. The rain really makes the weeds perk up as well
I guess.

I love wild flowers as you can tell. When we get the house together I will have a wildflower bed, but now they reside in my herb garden... they have lots in common, so it's a good match. The only thing that didn't grow for me this year in the herb garden was the lavender *sniff, sniff*. I'm not sure why except we had a dog come and dig up a part of the garden and that may have been where they were planted, but I thought it was above there. I don't mark my sections very well as you can tell.

Our poor Muscovy mommas have had a really rough time hatching eggs. In the old dog house we had two setting hens. Between the two they managed to hatch 4 eggs. One died right away, another was lost... probably to a cat or dog, and the other two are so small. The hens are really curious about these little yellow balls of fluff...

not even sure if you can see them... they are under tha ladder.
Their two mommas are behind the board, but are right there keeping a close eye

then Poppa steps in and chased away the curious hens.

see how tiny... we hope these two make it.

Poor mommas they tried so hard to hatch little ones. It was just too hot the past few weeks and they were not able to keep the eggs cool enough. We opened up the coop, but there just wasn't any relief. They finally abandoned their nests. We usually have two settings per summer and it has been much cooler, so they may be successful next time.

Hope you are enjoying the summer.

Busy Summer Days

2011-07-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

I'd have been writing up a storm if I was "bored", but there seem to be no days like these summer days to keep a person busy. This weekend Brandon (grandson) and I painted the green house to my specifications... red with white trim. If you do it yourself, you get to choose the colors. There's always the garden to weed and for some reason, though the plants are sluggish this year, the weeds are flourishing. We have new fencing to put up for the chicks who needed to get out of the brooding area and meet the great big world outside.

On top of all the normal business there has been a little "trama". Several who are very close to me are going through some deep water. I don't feel at liberty to share too much. It makes one stop to think... does God forget us and let us flounder? NEVER! Don't ever for even a nanosecond believe that lie. When trouble comes, that's opportunity to lean on the Lord and He is always there. I used to think that
the reason God sent trouble was because we had not been faithful in some area, but I no longer think that lie either. Of course God allows trouble for a reason, but think of Job. When did trouble hit him?

Job 1:8
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

OK, I certainly am not as perfect and upright as Job, but if I were, would I even suspect bad times were on their way? Well if my thinking were messed up I might think that trouble would never overshadow my doorstep.  That's what Job's friends/wife thought. "Well Job, what did you do to bring this on yourself? "

Yes, I deserve all the trouble I get, but even if I were a perfect person, trouble would come as it does to all people. All people face trouble and if we have trust in God it will cause us to draw even closer to him.

OK enough about trouble, here's some fun pictures from around the farm. I don't get to blog much, so there aren't so many pictures this year.

A friend gave us a goose that was "naughty" terrorizing his wife, kids, and dogs. So he ended up here...

Brandon's first butchering. Not sure he was too impressed.
Don't think I'll raise geese for meat... not that great.

The garden had a slow start, but through the past week has recovered quite nicely. In an earlier blog I posted pictures of the garden, so you can compare if you like.

This is the shady area. We have peas, kale, Jacob Cattle beans,
pakchoy (which has bolted due to heat) and a few winter squash in
the front.

This is the top of the garden. Things grow the best here. More
Jacob Cattle, tomatoes, and pole beans, and of course more
squash.

This is the herb garden from the back, plus lettace, carrots, corn..
I took a picture from the front, but for some reason the camera
didn't save the picture. It's pretty from the front because
the wild flowers are in bloom right now.

And the chickens are growing like little weeds. Don't know if you remember the last picture...

Beginning of June. This was the day after they arrived. They
have long since graduated from this tiny tub/heat lamp.

These bad boys will be ready for butchering in a month, maybe even
sooner. They would lay in their feed and eat all day if we let them,
but have been supplementing with fruit and veggies. Hopefully
the meat will be leaner and they will stay healthier this year.
So far they are doing well and we've lost only one... he got left
out in the cold accidentily when they were just little chicks.

The little Rhode Island Red hens depend on the big boys for warmth
at night. Even when the temperature dips to 40, this room stays
about 50-60 because of body heat. It is all opened up during
the day to keep them from cooking in here. This coop was a camper
trailer that we got for free. Works very well as a coop for us and
it's moveable.

So that's the news from our neck of the woods. Glad to be able to let you know we're still alive.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Update garden and new little chicks

2011-06-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we got the new hens... well iddy biddy hens they are....

not even sure you can see them too well but the bigger white birds where the iddy biddy ones from the last post. The Rhode Island Red hens are about the same size here as the meat birds were when we got them. It is easy to see how fast they grow.

We have had soo much rain the past week that the garden hasn't done a lot of growing. We need more sun. Today is nice and the next couple. The next update will probably show more progress.

from front to back - pak choy, radishes, jacob cattle bean, kale, peas, rhubarb,and behind that are some winter squash

front to back - winter squash, to left jacob cattle to right cherry tomato (had a little space to stick in a few more items)
behind that more pak choy and the strawberry patch behind that is the slope where cucumbers, summer squash, beets and more radishes live, then along the fence at the bottom of the hill are some sunflowers.

in the foreground is the herb garden - camomile, basil, oregano, caraway, wormwood, rue, more basil, lavendar and various sorts of wildflowers - not blooming yet
behind the herb garden to the left are carrots, chard, parsnips, our blueberry bushes, then corn
and behind them the pole beans.

My grandson will be here next week, so maybe we'll work on a little weeding expecially in the perennial bed and then I'll post some pictures of flowers. The peonies are blooming and iris and columbine too. I'm just too ashamed on the condition of the beds to post pictures just yet. I went down on Tuesday and did a little work, but they're in bad shape because of neglect. The flowers bloom reqardless of my lack of attention, but they look a lot prettier if I spend some time there weeding and fussing over them.

I'll write more later.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lil chicks

2011-06-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

This was last week... they've tripled in size since then. Time for a new picture. These are the meat birds. It's have to believe that in September they will dress out at 11-12 lbs. They just grow incredibly fast.

The Garden continued

2011-06-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

We has a little excitement in the chicken coop today. Mr. D went into the coop to collect eggs. I was in the garden not far away and soon I heard him yelling for me to come. I came as quick as I could and he had a board across a metal trash barrel. He told me to go get a lid big enough to cover the can. We have lots of barrels, so I ran and grabbed one quickly. Inside the can was a fox. Apparently Mr. D had caught him in the act of terrorizing our hens. He had killed 3 and was looking for more. Well in my opinion once they get the taste for chicken there's no coop safe from that fox so we did the only thing we could and that was his demise. It's a sad thing for the fox, but happy for the hens who will not worry about him again. I don't think he was very healthy anyway. It looked to me like he was suffering from mange and had quite a few ticks. I took pictures of him, but didn't want to post any here. There are many out there who are not happy that you have to kill any animal, but farmers know there are some limits.

The garden is doing much better after the recent rain. Strawberries got a little too much water just when the berries were developing, but we picked all the red ones we could find and hope the rain will ease up now and the rest will be good too. They sure are yummy. We don't grow enough to save them up, but we enjoy them right away. I had mine with some yogurt. Yum, Yum. When Brandon come next week maybe we'll have enough to make some shortcake or have some over ice cream.

Here what the garden looked like this morning:

Amazing what a little rain will do. Notice the cover over the strawberries. If we didn't do this the Cedar Waxwings would be all over them. Sorry the pics are so blurry.

This is only about 1/4 of the garden. The corn is also up and the squash, cucumbers, tomatoes etc are all doing well. I'll take some better pictures next time.

Hope your gardens are all doing well this year.

The garden is in and started - From last week....

2011-06-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

I wrote this last week, but of course did not get it edited and posted. So here we go...

Progress on the garden...

On May 28 we tilled the garden. For two days before that we hauled in a couple loads of manure and put in all the compost and chicken manure from last year. This makes the soil rich and dark and great for growing veggies. We also get plenty of weeds, but the soil is soft, so pulling weeds isn't a huge issue.

We planned out all the spots for the veggie seeds we had... here's our list from earlier...

Miragreen - peas
Gotta Have - It corn
Ozark Beauty - strawberries
Gentry Hybrid - summer squash
French Breakfast - radishes
Macintosh apple tree
Herbs ...
Sage
Dill
Basil
Thyme
Marjoram
Jacob Cattle - beans
Romano - pole beans
Straight Eight - cucumbers
Burgess Buttercup - winter squash
lots of winter squash seeds, lettuce, carrot, pak choy seeds left
Ruth Bible beans

Some were ordered, some were saved from last year....

We planted some other things too...
Lavender
Several different types of Basil to see which we like the best.
Pak Choy (free seed)
Kale (green -eating and also flowering)
Beets
Carrots (from some free seed that were given to us)
Lettace (free seed)
Since we pull the last of the Parsnips we planted some of those, but we won't be harvesting them for a couple years.
We planted three variety of winter squash that we especially liked from last year all from saved seeds. The planted we started early are doing well.

I also planted some flowers in pots for sunny areas. I can't see paying such high prices for flowers. Some of these that I planted are prennial, so they will be back next year too, some are annuals which will only be around this year because we have not space to keep them indoors.

Nothing purking yet... was very dry for a couple weeks....

to be continued.

Getting ready to plant

2011-05-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

We've been busy getting all ready for planting day on Monday. Hoping for at least a bit of dry weather on that day and the day before. The weatherman has been saying thunderstorms, but we are hoping they will miss us. The dump truck had to be registered to the tune of $180... then there is some repair before it is inspected but we have till June 10 to do that. We'll haul in 2-3 loads of manure because it is the best stuff to grow in... weeds galore, but we just feed those to the birds. The chickens have been let loose in the garden this spring so not only have they had lots of green stuff to eat, we have gotten rid of quite a few of those pesky weeds and added a little fertilizer too.

I planted the window boxes this week and a couple of potted plants for the end of the driveway. The grass needs to be mowed and I probably can get to that tonight if it's not raining.

Monday is planting day. We have a map worked up and ready and the tiller is ready to roar. I hope we will be able to post some pictures here on Tuesday.

We are planting Romano Beans, Ruth Bible Beans and Jacob Cattle Beans, cucumbers
Lutz Winter Keeper Beets. I bought 6 Roma Tomatoes and 6 Jet Star
We have Peas of a couple varieties, Zucchini, and as usual lots of winter squash from saved seeds, We bought corn seeds and I always plant sunflowers. This year we dug up the last of the parsnips, so I purchased some more seed though that won't be harvested for another couple years. If our growing season we just a little longer we could have a new crop each spring, but I let the last ones grow two years and they were just right.

Some of the herbs came back, but I started some others in the little greenhouse.

Here's some of my spring blooms in the garden this year.

pink barrenwort

lupines - no flower spikes yet

double daffodils - nearly all gone by today

not sure of the name, Mr. D bought these for me the first year here
I really like the little (cornflower) blue blossoms.

more little daffodils... light colored ones have multiple blossoms
on each stem

doesn't look very big, but was quite a job to get sod and rocks
out of this bed... day lilies and iris planted here... very wet!

That's what's happening at our place so far. Lots more to do though, so more pictures later.

Rain, Rain, go away....

2011-05-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

don't know what it says on this clip art, but liked this little rainy-day picture

I wanted to get down to the end of the driveway to take some pictures of the flower beds, but twice now I get 1/2 way down the driveway with my camera and it begins to pour. The poor daffodils are all bowed down in the wet. I did notice the bleeding hearts have come back from last year and they are blooming. Also I noticed some slugs on different things... gotta get those egg shells down PRONTO.

I will get some pictures on here as soon as I can. Mr. D was out weeding the veggie garden and I cut some rhubarb to sell along with our eggs. We have two rows of rhubarb and it's usually the first crop to come up. We got a little asparagus last night too. Yum.

I want to send you to one of my favorite blogs... Across My Kitchen Table my friend Mrs. T has some great comments about springtime there. She is also a wonderful "cooker" and baker and likes to share her recipes. We have enjoyed her cooking at church dinners and special occasions. We have twice been to their home for Thanksgiving which have been wonderful times of fellowship, fun and of course delicious food.

We have known each other for quite some time, but have only become true friends in the past few years. I have great respect for Mr. and Mrs. T and am glad to call them friends and of course we are family... in the Lord which makes it even more special.

Hope you enjoy her blog as much as I do!

Finally a little spring

2011-05-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

We've had some beautiful spring weather the last few days. Yesterday and today is wet and will probably be wet the rest of this week, but last week was so nice and warm with many sunny days. It makes the wet days tolerable. I noticed that the new little apple trees are beginning to leaf out finally. I was afraid for them after such a hard winter, but they are coming along.

The day before Mother's Day, our local fire dept auxillary had its annual plant sale. We bought some wet-loving plants to put in down at then end of the driveway. It is always wet there, but the water seems to flow right through and in the dryer season will be dry, so we picked up some more day lilies...

These are "Kwanzaa Double Day lilies. They will probably not bloom this year... or maybe they will. The other day lilies that we had there already have bloomed very well for the past few years. We also got some iris...

The Siberian Iris

larger Purple Iris...

and we also transplanted our German Bearded Iris which had multiplied well, but did not do well where we had it planted because of slug attacks.

These should look pretty all together there. It will be nice if they all fill in that wet spot. Mr. D also went back on that Monday and asked if they had any left-over plants. He wanted to get me another Peony. So the lady who helps run the plant sale went to her own garden and gave him a little Rose Peony...

Of course none of these pictures are my flowers... mine look more like orphan green stems and leaves right now, but we are hopeful that they will fill in and look nice next year.

Mr. D was able to use the Blazer to pull out all the small trees that were growing on the road-side of the rock wall over to the neighbors driveway, so now our driveway entrance looks more manicured. I'll take some pictures when the sun comes back out so you can see the progress.

I just love to get my hands into the dirt. Thank the Lord we have summer... makes all the long winter tolerable.

Hope you are all having a good week.

Mud Season Continues

2011-04-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

While I was away, Mr. D strained his shoulder so is not able to lift much on one side. This week we needed to purchase chicken feed and we get 550lbs at a time in 50lb bags. Our driveway is impassable due to mud season. Here's how it goes. The station wagon is parked at the end of the driveway. I take that to work, go at lunch to pick up the grain 'cause the feed store closes at 5pm. Load grain into the back of the wagon. After work I park the wagon at the end of the driveway and haul all sacks past the mud hole and into the back of the truck. Then drive the truck as close to the coop as I can get... which isn't too close. Haul each sack through the mud to the coop and empty it into the grain bin. It probably wouldn't be so bad, but I'm just not used to all that hauling. Then we had produce too. My boots almost came off in the muck a few times too. Once I almost fell into it. Yuck!

It seemed quite a bit dryer this morning, so maybe soon we'll be able to drive up again.

I noticed the flowers are starting to work their way up through the soil. It is exciting to see the green. Down in town here the Forsythia are blooming... first flowers of spring and I've noticed a few Daffodils here and there. Where I work is about a week ahead of where we live on the seasonal calendar. We are just beginning to see signs of spring, but there is still snow on the ground especially in the shady spots and out in the woods. Our little pond just opened up last week so the ducks can go swimming again... happy little ducks they are too. The first day one of the Muscovy mommas was out there washing and preening most of the day. We have one momma who is setting on her eggs so we'll probably have some little ones in about 3 weeks.... yippee.

I don't know if it's the same momma who gave us a bunch of ducklings last year or not. She was sure persistant and would have raised several clutches if we'd allowed her to set more than once. It was so hot last year we had trouble keeping it cool enough in the coop.

We will be ordering chicks in the next couple of days for delivery in June. We need to replenish our supply of egg layers. When we hatch out our own we get too many roosters.

APRIL 24, 2011
RESURRECTION DAY

I Corinthians 15: 12-22

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain.
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.
For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

II Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

We had a wonderful Resurrection Day. Very busy. When I sat down for the morning service it was such a release just to sit and not be moving about doing something. We had a nice sunrise service, then yummy breakfast. I so love the fellowship and of course the good food. Then we had Sunday school and morning worship. After the service we came home and enjoyed a beautifully warm day. We'd had snow on Saturday. Though is was a little discouraging to see snow falling the day before Easter it is not unheard of around these parts and Sunday was so nice a warm that it all melted the next day.

Here's what we found...

Little babbling brook... only runs in spring and early summer
and when we get a big rain in the summer.
Sawdust is from a tree Mr. D had to remove this winter.

The pussy willows are going by getting ready for leave and green.

First harvest of spring... sweet parsnips that have over
wintered in the garden. We had these and roast chicken
for dinner. Very yummy.

little yellow wild flowers

The ladies are getting all clean... not all the snow is gone yet.

The boys are keeping an eye on their hens. Notice how dirty
Mr. Muscovy is... he never takes a bath. Must be a guy thing :)

I hope you all had a wonderful day with family and remembering what a wonderful gift God gave us through His Son.

Today is the last day

2011-04-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

I have been visiting with my daughter and family in DC this past week. I arrived on Thursday and today is the last full day. I will be flying home tomorrow. It doesn't seem possible that the time has gone this fast. We have had a good time together. On Friday evening we went to a great Italian restaurant together with a group of Heather's friends. It was fun to get to know some of her friends. Then on Saturday it rained all day so we stayed home and made some food and played some UNO. Today Brandon and I went to Capital Hill Baptist church for Sunday School and church and then afterwards we took a little tour of some sites. I had never been to the Pentagon memorial before so we went there first. It was a sobering experience set just in front of the site where the plane struck the Pentagon on 9/11. The youngest was a three year old little girl, the oldest a 71 year old veteran. Each one of the 184 benches represent on person whose life was lost. There is a small reflecting pool under each of them. The trees which are small now will provide shade for the memorial in the days to come. I didn't know this, but the repairs were done on the Pentagon in one year.

We also went to the Capitol building and it was such a glorious day we took some pictures...

There were even a few Cherry blossoms left and I think we must have been under one of the last ones to still be in bloom. It took a while to get this shot, 'cause there was a group of school kids under... and in this tree taking pictures.

Everyone was out enjoying the beautiful day. It was warm and the breeze was blowing and the sun was shining.

There's that happy face. Even though the sun was right in our eyes.

OK. Now it's back to mud season in New Hampshire, but this was sure a lot of fun.

Thank you to my wonderful family for getting me out of the cold and mud for a few days.

See ya soon.

Sometimes God Says, "No".

2011-04-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

We do not know the reasons, but we trust in a great and mighty God. We don't see the future but He does. We don't see dangers ahead, but He is able to take us through those times and keep us safe.

Our loan was not approved. Because of the uneasiness of these financial times, it may be totally for the best. We were hoping to get a lower interest rate, but what we have now it not outrageous and will be reviewed in another year anyway. We have some decisions to make now, but I think it includes a little more elbow grease and a little more grit than we had anticipated. I'm OK with that. I haven't been sleeping well the past couple weeks anyway and it probably has something to do with this whole loan process. Of course the same thing happened to me when I took my first car loan. It's scary being in financial debt to someone else. I know there are some who do not think we should take loans out at all. We didn't have many choices when faced with moving in a fairly short period of time and having to find room for all of Mom and Dad's stuff.

It's just another adventure for us. Doug and I are just trusting that the Lord knows what He's doing to and for us. We are His children.

Keep praying please. We really need to get stuff out of storage and it would be nice to have a home with 2-way traffic. :)

Trying to make progress

2011-04-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

I am indeed sorry to not post in so long. We are trying to make some progress on the land and getting set up in the house. This is the phase I dislike the most... paperwork... but it is going well and with good help from our financial institution we seem to be going forward.

Keep us in your prayers this spring as all things must fall into place for this to work out. We cannot afford to not get it right this time!

Borrowed from another blog... can't remember now who, but really liked it and saved it...
one of my dad's favorite verses.

Love ya all!

Nicest Day in 5 Months

2011-03-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!!! I think spring has actually arrived in New Hampshire. I went out at noon for a little sunshine and it must be 50 degrees and the sun is shining and it's definately NOT snowing!!!

This was the symbol on my computer weather forcast this morning... along with "high 54".

Other things to celebrate today... the bank loan forms are sent... yeah! One step closer to getting into our house and out of the tiny camper. I was able also to get all the documentation off to the insurance company today. Sooo happy to have those things off my desk.

I got an invite from my daughter Heather to come and visit and she'll fly me down in April. I'm just a little excited about that. We thought it would be on the bus, but she was able to get a great price on plane tickets, so that's very nice.

We had snow yesterday at our house, the kind they call "sugar snow". Would have been great for making a snow man, but it made our driveway really slick and I wasn't thinking much about snowmen. Hope that's the last of it. For the last two days on my way home I've seen a herd of deer eating from the grassy patches in the fields above Mascoma Lake. They're getting excited for spring too. It was a very hard winter for all the little critters.

Hope spring comes soon for all of you too.

http://ulocal.wmur.com/_Mud-Season-is-Beginning/photo/8056372/63455.html?enlarge=true
mud season in New Hampshire has officially begun.

The ABC's of me

2011-03-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

looks like a nervous little guy :)

After that last post it's time for a little light-heartedness. I think these are kinda fun, so thought I'd participate along with some of the others around the "bloggosphere"

A. Age: 56 I have no cause to be ashamed. God had preserved me this long and I thank Him for that. My husband keeps me young
B. Bed size: I think it's a queen, but an odd size since it's a camper. Queen sheets fit, though a little loosely and full size are too tight.
C. Chore you dislike: I've become accustomed to all of them. I think I dislike paperwork the most. Working on the budget is the worst unless there's enough money to pay all of the bills without question which rarely happens in our house.
D. Dogs: Our doggie Spot is a wonderful little terrier. She keeps us entertained... who needs TV or movies when you got this character around. She is always happy, happy, happy to see me and makes me feel really special.
E. Essential start to your day: shower, vitamins, and some sort of breakfast with a glass of milk, Bible reading, news and off to work (not necessarily in that order).
F. Favorite color: Green if you couldn't tell already.
G. Gold or silver: any and all. I have two rings I wear, my wedding band is gold and the ring my daughter gave me is silver. I never take them off.
H. Height: 5' 11" but I think I'm shrinking :)
I. Instruments you play(ed): I play guitar for my Sunday School class. I have in the past played trumpet and accordian, but no longer own either and am totally out of practice. Our little Sunday School class just got a set of Melody Bells and the students are learning how to play some simple songs with those. They really love working with them and it's exciting to see their love for music.
J. Job title: I work in customer service for a paper company (no it's nothing like "Office" - I hate that show and it's on all the time). I taught school for 15 years until I had to get a "real job" so we could get some financing for our land. I would love to be able to go back to teaching some day. That's all in God's hands.
K. Kids: I have two grown-up girls, one son-in-law, another daughter with Jesus and one grandson I love to pieces.
L. Live: New Hampshire
M. Mom’s name: Audrey - she's with my dad in Heaven.
N. Nicknames: Ruthie, Rufus, Hey You.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only with my 3 cesarean sections and then I have stayed with my Mom when she was in and my daughters when they were in and a good friend Elsie when she was in. Thankfully for nothing else.
P. Pet peeves: People who think themselves to be so important that it doesn't matter who else they step on to get where they want to go; who are inconsiderate, impatient, and demanding. Also those who like to hear themselves talk, complain, go on and on about nothing important, or who think they know it all.
Q. Quote from a movie: I really don't watch enough movies to know or at least remember any quotes.
R. Righty or lefty: lefties rule!
S. Siblings: I have one brother who is 4 years older. I was such a brat when I was little I feel sorry for him. I have 4 great sisters-in-law. Three are my husband's sisters and one is my brother's wife. I didn't have any sisters growing up, but I sure have plenty now.
T. Time you wake up: about 5 am, unless I have more to do before I leave at 7. This may change this summer to 4:30 am so that I can catch the bus to work ... yikes! It gets more likely as the price of gas goes up.
U. Underwear: who makes up these questions anyway? yes
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Okra, collard, any other slimy or bitter veggie.
W.What makes you run late: not getting up in time :) Sometimes my husband has things in his mind for me to do, but doesn't tell me until it's too late to plan ahead for them... ya know what I mean? I run a tight schedule and it leaves little extra for something I wasn't planning on having to do.
X. X-rays you’ve had: Many. I'm accident prone, or at least used to be accident prone. Arms, legs, teeth, hands, back, ankle, etc, etc.
Y. Yummy food you make: bread is something I do well, and my "famous" no-bake chocolate/peanut butter/oatmeal cookies. I also make a great biscuit/gravy and egg breakfast. No claim to fame, but my kids used to like it even if my biscuits were called "bowling balls".
Z. Zoo animal favorites: monkeys - resemble some people I know ;)

Spring Contemplation

2011-03-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

The Merriam-Webster says this about "contemplation":
1 a : concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion
   b : a state of mystical awareness of God's being
2    : an act of considering with attention : STUDY
3    : the act of regarding steadily
4    : INTENTION, EXPECTATION

I would say that what's been happening in my brain is a combination of most all of these. I've been thinking about my life in general, but also as a Christian. I've been mulling over in my brain why I believe, what I believe and how it has changed me through the years as a person.

Many years ago... I'm 56 now so I can say that... when I was a high school student in the midst of the "Jesus Movement" it was "cool" to be a follower of Jesus, or any other religious leader of the time. I toyed with Eastern Mysticism and looked into many different religions. My family had a strong faith and it didn't take me too long to realize that they were right after all. I had joined a Penticostal church and made many new Christian friends in Colorado. Then my marriage came unglued. By this time we had two small children and I really had no where to go. It became increasingly evident that for the safety of my daughters I had to go away. We ended up packing a few boxes and moving back East. My folks put us up for a while. I was totally wiped out and humiliated. My faith had been shaken to the core. I wasn't sure what was true or even if I had faith in anything. God picked up the shattered pieces of my life and gave me hope. I started school again, but this time with purpose since I now had a family to care for. It was really tough sometimes and we pinched pennies. My family helped out some, but the strength to face each day came from God. After a couple years of praying, my husband came East too and settled in the same area. I had great hopes that finally we might be able to work out our marriage. It was a really stressful time, but he really had no intention of getting back together with me. He had his own agenda and it became evident that he was not a changed person. We finally divorced. Even after being separated for 2 years it still felt as though someone was tearing my heart out when the judge granted the divorce. It was a very dark day that I don't think I've ever fully recuperated from.
He went on to marry another two times. He had another little girl. My children still had contact with their father and he meant a great deal to them, and to me as we continued to talk and be friendly with one another even though he at times could be very verbally abusive. My greatest fear was that he would try to take the children away from me. I worked even harder. I went to school and finished by degree in education. He had the means to buy nice things for the children and I was not able to do that.   I taught school and had the children in the classes I taught. We were very close, but there is a special bond between a daughter and her father.

Then he died very suddenly. Oh what a sad day it was. We cried and cried. I couldn't pick myself up and I couldn't encourage my girls. Once again, God reached down and did a miracle in my heart. So many times I had no one else to turn to He was there. He never left me alone. He never let me wallow in despair for very long.

I often think of others who do not have a Heavenly Father to walk through life with. What a sad thought. It is hard to put into words. The death of my first baby, the death of my husband's grandparents and my grandparents, the death of my dad and then the long sickness and death of my mom, the death of my husband... the many times I wandered away, the falling away of friends and family and ridicule of many... He has been there through it all.

The verse that has encouraged my heart like no other...

Isaiah 43
...Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.   When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:...

I am redeemed and lead of God. All the hard times were to bring me to this place where my confidence is not in my own strength, but in my strong and mighty God.

If you are facing hard times in your life, please remember this truth. God will never leave you. He will never forsake you. When the glue wears out on any other relationship... He will never fail.

Sorry this is so long and tedious to read. I am not saying my trials have been any harder that anyone elses trials. I know we all face them. I pray that you are facing them with God by your side and in your heart. I'm sure there will be many more trials for me to face. I know God will be there every step of the way and NOTHING happens unless He allows it and has a purpose for it.

I am praying that today you will be bless beyond what you expect.

Weasel in the Hen House

2011-03-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

For the past few day we've had trouble with some animal attacking our birds. We thought it was a weasel 'cause it only took what it could drag through the fence. Fisher Cats are good climbers, so they wouldn't stop with just what they could pull through a fence. Weasels are small enough so they can squeeze through a 1"x1" hole almost, so that didn't make lots of sense to me either. Why would they just stop with the head when they could have feasted on the whole beast.

Well this morning at 4:30 am we had the answer to our question....

the mink who was killing our poultry

It was neither of those, but a mink. When Mr. D brought it up for me to see I was suprised that it wasn't white. Weasels turn white in the winter. This guy was chocolate brown. Wouldn't mind having a few to make a nice fur coat. But only if they were attacking our livestock. I don't think I'd just go out and hunt them down.

These little guys are ferocious. When the dog got anywhere close it about went through the side of the trap, hissing and screeching. I'm not sure how we are going to release it. I don't really want to kill it, but then again it may work it's way back if we don't drop it off far enough away. There are quite a few people in the area who raise poultry too and I'm sure they don't want a preditor around their farms either.

One good thing. I think it got rid of all the rats before it attacked any of the birds.

Mr. D had to go to Boston today to get some work done on his teeth and he took it in MY car so he can stop by the game warden on the way home. Perhaps they have a trick to get them out of these live traps.

We're just happy he's not eating our poor chickens and ducks anymore.

this little guy was hissing all the time I was taking his picture

More snow yesterday and more predicted for the weekend. Will it ever melt?

I don't think it will be an early spring and it probably will be an incredibly muddy "mud season".

snowy rides to work

the back yard with big snow piles

the same view... what it will look like in about 3 months

Yeah! Summer will come... lupines and daffodils and green leaves and WEEDS.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

2011-02-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

We are having some nice weather today, but I think it's a mini mid-February thaw which is a yearly event around here. Only two warm days, but we'll take it. This weekend again they are predicting cold and more snow. We've turned the winter corner though and everyone who lives in these here parts knows that mud season will be "wicked" and that spring will arrive just like it always does.

I've been doing some cross stitching and getting done with some UFO's. Some of these things were meant to be done two Christmases ago, but got buried under a mound of "must-do-right-away's". Seems odd to be working on Christmas stuff in February. I'm just getting a head start on next Christmas. My friend Mrs. T and I visited a cool little needlearts store in Grafton last Saturday and I got all "reinspired" about getting my UFO's done so I can start something new.

I recently purchase some quilted fabric to whip up a vest for myself. I tried one on at K-Mart the other day but didn't want to spend $30 for it. With my coupons from Joann's I got all the stuff for $10 and now just need to find a little time to work on it. I don't really NEED it this winter, but certainly would like to get it done for next fall/winter. I'm going to try to make my own pattern. In the past I haven't been too successful doing this, but I do have a couple of vests to look at for help. I would take one apart and use it for a pattern, but they are all still in use no matter how bad they look. If you have any tips on making your own pattern, let me know... I can use all the help possible.
Yesterday on the way to work there was a horrible accident. A logging truck with trailer was coming around a corner and the trailer came loose and struck a van in the oncoming lane of traffic. The driver of the van was killed. That morning I was ready to leave for work and came back in after a paper Mr. D wanted me to type up for him. Just those few minutes. It could have been me in that lane instead of the van. We arrived on the scene just moments after it happened. Folks who witnessed the accident were just getting out of their cars and calling for help. No emergency vehicles had arrived yet. I was behind 4 other cars waiting to get by. It made me stop and think again how gracious God was with me today. We just do not know when it might be our turn to leave this earth, but I thank the Lord it wasn't yesterday morning. What am I going to do with my life? What does He have for me to do? Those are the questions that come to mind.

James 4:13-17

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.   For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

More pictures next time.

Love ya all.   Have a wonderful weekend.

snow pictures....

2011-02-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Anyone living here in the northeast will know what I'm talking about when I say, "enough is enough already".

Actually lots of folks across the country could say that this winter....

Little camper on the hill... home sweet home

plowing the "front yard"

I'd hang clothes on the clothesline if there were room

my little greenhouse frame is buried in the snow too awaiting spring

Just waiting for spring.

Just a little new look

2011-02-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Clover Lane's tutorial on how to make a collage and put it into your blog header, I was able to change the header and add a little "pizzaz" to this dull blog.

Thank you Sarah, and Carrie also who showed me where to go.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend all!

2011-02-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

No pictures, just a little thought from my devotions this morning...

Jeremiah 31:3b-4a
...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built...

This brought me to tears today. Maybe the Lord will use it to speak to you in some way.

Planning for Spring

2011-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

Sounds like a crazy thing to do on a day when we are expecting 18" of snow, but sure enough we must plan for the garden. It has been a cold winter with a little snow almost every day, but thankfully that insulated our little camper and even when the furnace was nonfunctional for about a month, we were not too cold with just a little electric space heater. We picked up our furnace on Friday last week and Mr. D was able to get it in again on Saturday. It is working great.

On Monday we came home to frozen water. I was just wrapping my mind around the idea of not having running water for the rest of the winter, when we discovered the problem was in the well house where a heat lamp bulb was broken when Mr. D was leveling the washing machine on Saturday. After a night of the heat lamp being back on we have water again. Yea!

I had a miserable cold all week end starting Wednesday afternoon. It has cleared up good now. I'm feeling almost 100%. A cold that only lasts one week is a good thing.

So now on to more important stuff... planning the garden.   We have our seed order ready to go. Mr. D and I went through all the seeds we would like to order this year. I'm not getting huge amounts because our garden is quite small and we do save seeds. We did purchase some Lutz Winter Keeper beets from Pine Tree Seeds. Mr. D thinks these are the best.

From Gurneys we ordered:
Miragreen - peas
Gotta Have - It corn
Ozark Beauty - strawberries
Gentry Hybrid - summer squash
French Breakfast - radishes
and a Macintosh apple tree, we are planting one fruit tree each year.
I wanted to order some more raspberries, but decided against it since they will be in here with an excavator this summer to get the work done, Lord willing, and I have not planting spot yet.

From R.H. Shumway's catalog we are ordering:
Herbs ...
   Sage
   Dill
   Basil
   Thyme
   Marjoram
Jacob Cattle - beans
Romano - pole beans
Straight Eight - cucumbers
Burgess Buttercup - winter squash

My mouth is watering already! We have lots of winter squash seeds, lettuce, carrot, pak choy seeds left

Last year we had Ruth Bible beans which I really liked, so I saved some of those for replanting too.

I started working on a reorganized gardening journal. We've been keeping information in a wire bound journal and the only organization was by year. We've been keeping poultry and garden (veggie and ornamental), all in one book. It's getting hard to find information so time to overhaul the system. I looked up some free pages online and printed a sample of each type of page. Now I need to go down and get some copies made of each one and save the master copies for future entries. I have a good size 3-ring binder for this, so it should be good for quite a few years. Information we like to keep are:
Seed type
germination
yield
# of days till fruit develop (first picking).
recipes (how to prepare and how to can)
how long seeds can be saved (always date seed packets when they come in)
if the plants were started early then information about when to sow inside, how many days till ready to plant, success rate of transplants, etc.
if they are saved seeds then keep a record of which came from what season and picture or description of the fruit they came from - squash especially tend to cross pollinate and change over time.

There is also a garden map. #'s corresponding to the # on the seed page keeps the map from getting cluttered.

We also keep track of how many quarts we put up so we can easily see if we need to plant more or less in the next year taking into account the growing conditions.

I also have pages of information on ideas to try someday. Greenhouse plans, cold frames, fencing and trellis ideas, raised beds, controlling garden pests. I want to add those into this book too with an index so that I can find them when I am interested in trying one.

We add compost and manure to the garden every year. We also plant the garden in one or two days. Memorial Day is the chosen day for us so we are 99% sure there will be no more frost. Last year we hadn't tilled the soil completely before memorial day so we spent most of the day removing rocks and tilling. Our garden in on a hillside with a small flat area on top. Rocks have mostly been removed, but somehow there is always one more here and there to pick out. The frost must drive them to the surface.

This year we want to get the tilling done earlier if possible. That will depend on how wet the soil is. We have a lot of snow on the ground and it has been a very cold winter. I imagine there will be a longer time for thawing and drying out than usual. If we can't till early I will probably hand turn the soil around the peas and other cold tolerant crops to give them a little head start.

This year we get to dig up the parsnips. Yum! They have been growing for two years now and they say to dig them up in the spring... if the mice haven't gotten to them yet. I'm also excited to see how many of my herbs overwinter well. I left some to reseed too, so we'll see what happens. I'm also interested to see how our first apple tree does this spring. It is small but produce one good sized apple last year. The girls gave me this for Mother's Day last year. We are adding a Macintosh to the mix this year.

We may have a few blueberries this summer too. It's been a couple of years now and the bushes are strong even though they are small. I hope they will start to produce well within the next couple of year.

So that is the plan. What actually takes place is entirely in God's hands. We plant and tend the garden, but God is the one who 'causes growth. It's the same in our spiritual lives. We can read God's Word and pay close attention to our testimony and our response to life events and people around us, but it is God who causes the growth. He promises growth and maturity as we deal Biblically to the temptations in the way.

It is so hard sometimes to think the right thing during times of trial. I am asking God for His grace dealing with all the changes that will be taking place in the next year in our lives. We will be taking on more debt with the refinancing of the house and land. We will be hiring a contractor to finish the work, then there is the moving in process and all the repair that needs to be done in the house. I don't expect it will be all done before we move in either. It is exciting but just thinking about all the work that needs to be done is exhausting. This year I have 2 weeks of vacation. That will help much. I may take a good chunk of that when we actually move into the home, so it doesn't get too overwhelming.

If you think of it, please pray that the move takes place this summer. I am so ready to have my home back in one piece.

view of the woodpile from the top of the hill
all the wood is covered with roofing and blue tarp

this is the mobile home as it is now. the porches are in the foreground
the roof will be higher on this side, so it is not on completely
the back has a complete roof.

So this is our home in many pieces so you get a visual of what's happening. I will try to update now and then so you can see the progress.

We have much more snow than this now. Maybe I can snap some picture tonight so you can see how much.

2011-01-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

13 DAYS! It can't possibly be that long since I posted here! I've done nothing but sleep, commute, work, commute, eat, sleep, repeat. I haven't even talked to any of my family since Christmas. We've had LOTS of snow and the last storm gave us a little extra treat... ice. On Wednesday I was driving Mr. D's car to work 'cause he was getting mine inspected. After getting nearly all the way I stopped for gas. When I did the car made this horrible clunking sound. I thought for sure it was the CV joint and so I called triple A to tow it home. 2 hours later I was at work, but poor Mr. D had to pull the car all apart and work on that all day in the cold after I got him up at 5 to plow the driveway. Thank you sweetie... I love you!

This morning we got up to another 5 inches of new snow. We had run out of propane during the night, so there was no hot water. The snow around the camper is up to my thighs now. At 5 am trudging through the snow to light the water heater so I can have a warm shower worked better than the alarm clock. I've been wide awake ever since :)

I have 4 gas cans and one 30lb propane tank to fill today and they are all in the back seat of my Neon. On the way to work I discovered I hadn't taken the matches out of my pocket from lighting the water heater... so if I get stopped tonight on the way home... they're going to think I some sort of terrorist or pyromaniac. YIKES.

I've been thinking about things I could do this year to get a little more organized. *chuckle* I first of all got a small notebook and titled it "Household Management". It includes such things as daily/weekly/monthly goals, Bible reading schedule, memory verses, notes from church and prayer requests, general information/phone numbers/phone card number and various other emergency information. I am hoping this will make my life a little easier, but already the thing is BULGING. I may need to get a bigger binder, but then I'd need a bigger thing to carry it in. At my age, you'd think I could keep this stuff stored in my brain, but it seems the older I get the harder it is to remember.

The next step... get a good supply of string. Problem is, I only have 10 fingers... or should I say 8 fingers, 2 thumbs.

Now for some pictures. I haven't taken too many, but thought you'd like a few of snow and a couple of Christmas and maybe a few random shots.

Here's Mr. D with his "Christmas Tree". Of course we have no room in our camper for a tree, so he grabbed the flyswatter and stuck an ornament on it and proclaimed it to be our tree.

Thankfully Esther, a friend from church, came to our rescue and loaned us a very small tree... so here he is with the real tree.

On December 27th was Joanna's birthday and we decided to go do something together. That day we got the first big snow and so we were delayed getting together, but we did get to a thrift store and KMart and a latte. Here is her little camper in the woods when she got home...

Driving on all the back roads made for a fun night. We have lots more snow now. I'm sure her little camper is now well insulated.

This was the cross stitch I made for Mr. D. I found this pattern of his favorite hymn and knew it needed to be done. I will hang this in his office when we get into our home.

On Christmas Day we called Heather and Dexter. We also talked for a little while to Brandon. In some small way we are all together... Joanna, Doug and I talking on the phone to Heather.

Here's little Esther one of our neices, wrapped up in a blanket from Aunt Jean and Uncle Peter. Perfect! We had a wonderful weekend in Maine January 1&2.

Well, this post has officially come to an end. I must return to my duties and have been having issues adding each picture today for some reason.

Hope you are all staying warm. Keep thinking about spring... it's just around the corner. Break out the seed catalogs and a hot cup of tea and sit before a roaring fire dreaming about summer gardens. Except the "roaring fire", I'll be doing the same.

Love y'all.

Cool Party and Giveaway....

2011-01-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

Make sure you visit Prairie Flower Farm for a wonderful party. If you have not signed up to get her email updates you're missing many encouraging words. Make sure you visit today 'cause there's not much time left.

First Week

2011-01-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful trip to Maine last weekend. I was a little shaky about going 'cause our little furnace still isn't working, but don't you know... God took care of everything. We had weather so warm it felt a little like spring. On Saturday Dad looked at the thermometer and it was reading 60 degrees. The little girls wanted to go sledding, but came back in soaked 'cause the snow was melting furiously fast. No need to worry about anything freezing here at home. All my anxiety was for nothing. One of these days I'll throw out all those anxious moments and realize that God is able. How many, many times I have doubted. I'm far worse than Thomas!

I've been keeping up with my 90 day challenge so far... barely... hope I can keep up. I've been giving our neighbor a ride to work in the morning which gets me up about an hour earlier than usual. This is not a bad thing. I just sit in the local coffee shop with a hot cup of morning coffee (the only shop that gives you a bottomless cup for .80 still), and pull out my Bible and read. It's a little noisy, but after teaching school all those years I have learned to read or study with noise around me. It's not ideal, but it works.

It's been busy at work with a new logistics system in place and we're all trying to get used to it. I am doing the daily upgrades on data entry such as new customers and gps locations making sure the orders are all entered correctly. We generally take about 250-300 orders per day. On any given day there may be 25+/- that have some errors. Doesn't sound like much, but this new system must meld with the old, so all the data needs to be exactly the same. Soon everyone will know how to enter data accurately and there will be fewer errors.

We've not had any significant snow since last weekend's thaw, so all around the chicken coop is icy. We lost one poor hen who froze in the ice. We didn't see her at first because she had tucked herself in as close to the coop as possible, but apparently didn't have the strength to find the entrance. Inside the coop is quite warm due to a deep litter. That will all be cleaned out in the spring and we'll start building it up again in preparation for next winter.

Seed catalogs have come and we've been shopping a little for the garden. We do save seeds, so thankfully there isn't need for much this year. With all the mechanical repairs that need to be done, we have a much depleted budget. I did order some new items and also some strawberries and raspberries.

I promise to have picture on the next post. I mistakenly left my laptop in Maine. Mom and Dad are bringing it back when they come back in a couple weeks.

A friend of mine emailed me this funny about a week ago. Thought it would make you smile today and no, I am not eating donuts with my coffee... we have plenty of that at work.

A New Year and New Goals.

2010-12-30T06:36:00.000-08:00

Although I didn't do too bad with my Bible reading last year, I am sad to say I am far behind and doubt that I will complete my chronological reading. I have since signed up for a "read the Bible in 90 days" and hope that another challenge will get me off on the right foot. It's not that I don't read some each day, it's just that I don't often read all each day and so end up in the dust and I don't know about you, but it does sorta feel like a competition when you have to check off boxes on a form. I'd probably do much better if I just read what I wanted or went along with a daily devotional book, but I'm not giving up on this new challenge. How's that for crazy?

I do love reading God's Word and no matter how many times I read it there is always something new. For instance, this morning I gave our neighbor a ride to work. This meant I was in town an hour earlier than needed. I stopped for a bit of breakfast at a little diner in town and brought in my Bible to read while I was waiting for the time to pass before work and started my "90 Day Challenge". I started at the beginning with Genesis 1. Now, you can't imagine how many times I have read that chapter. So I get to verse 10
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. I don't think I remember that the gathering together of the waters called he Seas. Well I know I've read it before, but I just don't remember the wording. This could be significant when thinking of the flood of Noah when the bottoms of the bodies of water raised up. It seems that lakes were not formed till after the flood. I did remember that before the flood it had not rained because there was a mist that watered the earth. After the flood it was the rain water that gathered in the hollows to form fresh water lakes, desalinization occurring during the water cycle. I really find this all interesting.
*****************************
We had a wonderful Christmas. Joanna came over to spend the afternoon with us. Even though our little furnace died on Christmas Eve and I spent the evening feeling sorry for myself and in tears... it was all uphill from there. Christmas morning I spent cleaning up the debris and putting up a clothes rack and shelf in the bedroom for a little extra storage space... that did my heart good... and then cooking some good food and changing the covers on the bench seats in our dining area. After that I felt so much better. It is utterly amazing how a night's rest and a good cleaning session will lift my spirits right out of the gutter. I do like a clean house and a good night's sleep. We are warming our little camper with small electric heaters and God has graciously given us a lot of snow for insulation and a warm weekend. We are waiting for parts to come in for the furnace. Last night is was so warm that we even had to turn off the one little heater we had running because we both woke up sweating.

We had 20" of snow on Monday. I had taken the day off... another blessing... because it was Joanna's birthday. Doug finally got the driveway plowed out around 11 am. He first couldn't start the plow truck because the battery was dead, then he had to put gas in it, then the poultry had to be tended to. It seemed there was an unending list of things that needed to be done before I left to see Joanna. I finally got together with her at around 1:00 pm. She had gotten a ride out (she lives way out in the woods) with her landlord who does plowing and since it was taking me so long, he took her out to lunch for her birthday. When we finally met up we went to K Mart and I got her a couple things for her birthday and then we went to a thrift store. I found a pair of dress shoes and a nice bathmat. Then we went to a new library in town. Then we each had a latte at a coffee shop and shared a cookie and then it was time to go home. We went home the back way though and the trees were just so pretty with all the new snow. Even though it may not have been the day I had hoped it would be, it still was nice to spend some time with my now 31 year old daughter. She talked about her plans to hike the Appalacian Trail... full length... and what she would do with her doggie for 16 months. I wish I could just take off 16 months and go with her, but I'm just not in that good of shape and we really couldn't financially take the hit right now. Not only would I need money for the trip, I'd need to somehow make up 16 months worth of income. We're talking somewhere around $35K just for basic survival. Well, even though it might be fun... it is really not possible.

Hey, how was your Christmas?
Do you have any goals for the New Year?

Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed 2011 and that growing in the Lord is a priority for us all this year.

AND THE WINNERS ARE.....

2010-12-16T07:11:00.001-08:00

I had a coworker draw two names for me out of "the hat" actually a box.

She drew....

drum roll please....

Michelle G. from Undeserving and Yet Overblessed to win the market bag.

and....

Mary Ann from Pharm Girl has won the little tea set.

I'm so happy for both of you and hope these items will be useful to you. Please send your "snail-mail" addresses to me at rem1752nh@gmail.com and I'll get these off to you "lickety split" it helps that I work at a warehouse that has FedEx pick up 2x/day.

Sorry I didn't have something for all of you. What a great response! I was sooo pleased that so many of you entered.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to what the Lord has in store for the New Year.

I'll probably slow down on the blogging for the next couple of weeks, 'cause there's just so much to do and never enough time as you all know.

I'll see Mrs. T and Carrie tonight I hope at our Christmas get-together.

Love ya all!!!

Today is My Blog Anniversary

2010-12-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Happy, Happy anniversary... and today will be the last day to enter for the giveaway.
If you've been putting it off... put it off no longer. This afternoon at 2pm I will do a drawing and then have one of my kind coworkers draw two names from the "hat". First will be for the bag and the second will be for the tea set.

I love giveaways... so many new faces to my blog. Hope you come again sometime soon.

I hope to be doing some more stuff on here in the next year. I'd like to do some "tutorials" if I can figure that out. And also more short Bible studies. I love reading all your news as well. It's like we have a little community growing here and we have lots of things in common. I've met good friends like Conny and Gina and Lori (no longer blogging). What an encouragement you all are to me. I have "real life" friends I blog with to like Mrs. T and Carrie. We see each other quite often, but it's still fun to read their blogs and see what they've been "up to".

I love each one of you and you are all very special people. The best thing is that what binds us together is not so much this blogging business, but our love for the Lord. Of course there are lots of blogs I've read that have nothing to do with God. There is good information there, but not the unity that I find with those I read all the time. Thank you all dear women of God who have encouraged, admonished and helped establish my faith.

I am looking forward to next year and what interesting things will happen.

I'll be back in the morning with the giveaway results. I'll try to get this out right away so you will get it before Christmas.

Thanks to Mrs. T for the cool pics.

Giveaway in celebration of my 1st anniversary on Green Twig

2010-12-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

The time has come and it's sooo exciting. I am happy to say my first giveaway is officially started. I will be selecting names from a hat... if I have that many to draw from. If you would like to enter my giveaway just leave a comment here.

For several years now I have been building "bee green bags" a market bag made from materials that others are discarding. The market bag I crafted for this giveaway was made completely from materials purchased at a yard sale this summer. The woman who was running the yard sale was selling fabric for 10 pcs for $1. How could I possibly go wrong, so I started going through this stack of fabric and there were some really cute Christmas pieces. This bag was made from two of them. I made 2 bags. One is in this giveaway and the other is going with me to our annual Ladies Christmas party and Yankee swap at church. My tradition is to bring a bag for the swap.

Without further comment:

This bag is fully lined with pockets on the front and back. It's approximately 14" tall and you could fit a good amount of shopping items in here. I keep lots of fabric bags in my car for when I go shopping. It just seems like the right thing to do. God made Adam the caretaker of the garden and I think we still are caretakers. If we don't take care of what we are given, then it won't be there to enjoy. I hate seeing plastic bags hanging from tree branches along the roadside. I just seems so wasteful and sloppy.

If you would like to win this bag, just leave a comment here and post about the giveaway on your own blog.

I also have another giveaway. These little cups were listed on and Etsy shop for a while, but no one was interested, so I'm giving some nice person a chance to win these.

I love the design on them

These were discarded and we salvaged them. They have a very delicate pine branch design... a little bit "Christmassy" but could be used any time of the years. There are 3 cups, 3saucers, 3 fruit plates and a sugar and creamer. Would be really nice for a little "Christmas Tea" with your friends. Again, if you would like to win these, just leave a comment here and post about the giveaway on your own blog.

I will be selecting a 1st prize and a 2nd prize.

Hope we get lots of comments.

Blog-anniversary

2010-12-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Wow! It hardly seems that it has been a full week since I wrote a new post. As mentioned earlier my blog-anniversary is coming up next week. Keep looking here, there may be a giveaway and "bloggy party". I love to attend parties, but planning them is not my forte as my girls will tell you. I'm a great idea person, but carrying this through is not my strong point.

I promise, however, that there will be something special here on the 15th... one week from today. We'll just call it a pre-birthday party... my 56th this year. Am I really THAT old? Where did the years go? I don't feel old. I remember when I was 20 thinking that 56 was old, but maybe it isn't so bad.

Keep looking... there will be some fun on the 15th.

30 Days of thanks... day 30

2010-11-30T08:06:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's day 30 already. How did that happen to fast? The older I get the faster time goes. It should be the other way around. It's kinda like after you have been to a place once... any repeat trips to that same place go much faster... at least it seems that way. I travel an hour each way to work. I could do it in my sleep anymore, and sometimes it seems I have. I know that's not good. Thankfully I have not dozed off while behind the wheel... if I felt that way, I'd pull over and take a "power nap" even if it meant I'd be late. "Better late than never."

Wow... tomorrow is December 1st. Nearly all my Christmas shopping is done and I am getting the box ready for Heather and family. I didn't spend much this year, because a lots of my shopping was either sales items or thrift store finds. I started much earlier this year and hope to do that again in the future. I made many of the gifts too, especially for those who will appreciate homemade items more. It is true that some people just don't like homemade gifts, but others do, so to be fair I want to make sure everyone recieves something they are happy with.

I'm thinking we will be home for Christmas. I'm looking forward to that too. Joanna probably will come over and share at least part of the day with us.

By the way... she sold her Butterfly sculpture... yeah!

I guess this 30 days of thanks has given you a little glimpse into our lives and I've enjoyed reading the others who participated. It's interesting to see what others are thankful for. I guess the top items on my list would be The Lord Jesus, my family, my sweet husband, my wonderful church family, my job, my home, my beasts and the land we live on and it is all given to me by the mighty hand of God to whom I am ultimately thankful all the time. I know that in this life all could be taken away, but I will always have the Lord Jesus in my heart and that can never be taken away. My home in Heaven is secure so I have a blessed hope that never fades.

I hope as you went through these past 30 days with us, you have seen the faithfulness of God. It is my true prayer that folks will see the Love of the Lord in my life. As I get older this becomes more important to me. I know some of my family reads these posts as well as many I have never met. Just so you know, I am aware that my ways are not always perfect and never would I claim that, but God is perfect and He will keep me from stumbling as long as I lean on Him. Some say that God is a crutch, but that's OK if you.re a cripple. Because of that old sin nature, I know I am weak, but He is strong. He remembers that I was formed from dust. It is only by His grace that I can greet each day.

Thank you God for your faithfulness to me even though I am so unworthy.

30 Days of Thanks... day 29

2010-11-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Back to normal... though is sounds like not so much fun it really is a good thing (as Martha would say). I'm actually looking forward to having a normal weekend so I get the laundry done and housecleaning up to par and get some baking and meal prep done and RELAX... How can I possibly say that after such a cool week last week you ask? Well, though it is lots of fun having a holiday and all... it's exhausting! I'm ready for a normal schedule.

I was able to get caught up a little last night since Mr. D had men's prayer meeting. What is it with having someone underfoot that makes cleaning the house so difficult? In the summer I have lots of time to clean because he usually is working outside till it gets dark, but in the winter, he comes in from working outside before I even get home from work. He usually gets out of the way and watches the news, but in a camper you can only go so far. Needless to say, I don't get much done after work, but last night was great. I made a big pot of beef stew with carrots, turnips, squash, onion, and mushrooms (notice no poultry)... and a pumpkin pie (never can have too much of that...:) The pumpkin pie is because I didn't make any and I had to leave it all to those who made it over the past week and I love pumpkin pie/squash pie actually... (sorry Conny- just can't help myself).
When you think of it, pumpkin pie makes an excellent breakfast food. I'm sure it's better for you that a danish and coffee, or even fried eggs and toast. You got your veggies (squash), your dairy (milk), your protein (egg) and your carb (crust and a little sugar). The only thing missing is the orange juice, but you could wash it down with that :) even has a little spice to start off the day.

I've said enough about pumpkin pie.

Where was I anyway... OH yes. I had a good day at work too, though I had a horrible headache! As soon as I got home, I took a couple Excedrin and it went right away. I could create an ad for those guys. I can't tell you the number of times Excedrin has rescued me from a headache. I try to always keep them around, but didn't have any at work today, so suffered all day with that stupid headache. It's much better now.

I'm thankful today for pumpkin pie and Excedrin :)
And for God's goodness to me in sooo many ways.

30 Days of Thanks... day 28

2010-11-30T07:13:00.000-08:00

Sunday... my favorite day of the week. We got up early after a rough night on a 3/4 bed. Mr. D had a hard time with asthma last night, but he has been having trouble off and on for about a month now. We are not sure what is triggering it, but being weak now it gets set off by any small thing. I thought at first it might be molds, but seems it might be something else. I hope with the dryer winter weather he will not have soo much trouble now. Makes me thankful I can breathe. It isn't fun watching him struggle to take each breath.

We had a good day at church this morning. We went to Bryant Pond Baptist, a little church we've been to several times before. The pastor is planning on leaving in January, so that is not so good. I hope they are able to find another pastor soon. They are good people and the message was very good.

Then we left right away after church and headed toward home. Mr. D was concerned that the chickens would run out of water since it is frozen up and not flowing anymore. We had good traveling weather, stopped for a little lunch in Conway, NH and got home around 3pm. Mr. D checked on the chickens and then laid down to take a little nap. While he napped, I made supper and finished up one of my homemade Christmas gifts.

We cleaned up and then headed to church. It was great to be home with our church family. We had a good service and time of fellowship and then after getting some milk at the farm... went off to bed early. So concludes our Thanksgiving celebrations.

The truth is, there is not one day that I am not thankful for something. Even when we don't have such a good day, there is always something to be thankful for.

I pray you had a wonderful Sunday too.

I had a long talk with my brother this weekend too. He is a good man and Cindy is such a sweet sister-in-law. They have 2 sons who are serving the Lord with their wives and families. I haven't even met two of his grandchildren yet. One of these days I'm going to pick up Brandon and head down to South Carolina for a visit. It would be nice for Brandon to meet his great aunt and uncle and meet the cousins. Suppose now I'll have to wait till everyone is home again. One of my nephews is in the Dominican Republic and the other is on deputations to go to Australia. Yikes... we'll be even more spread around!

I thank the Lord for Paul and Cindy and their family. I know my dad and mom would be very pleased as well to see that their children are missionaries. My dad and mom had a heart for missions and served the Lord all their married lives.

Love you all.

30 Days of Thanks.... day 27

2010-11-30T06:41:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Maine about 11:00 am. We left at 8:15 am, and stopped once for gas and oil check and a small cup of coffee in Plymouth so the trip took us 2 1/2 hours approximately.

On the way I finished a little sewing kit for Hannah's birthday. She has been doing some little crafts and cooking with her mom... domestic training :) so I figured it would be a nice thing for her to have her own little sewing kit. I included sharp needles and thread/thread cutter and needle threader and a small selection of bright colored felt pieces so she could make a few small projects. She also got a baby doll that cries and eats and messes her diapers :)

We had a huge feast. The little girls had made pies... apple, cherry, and pumpkin. Everything was sooo yummy and we watched old "Andy of Mayberry" videos, looked at family pictures, and played a little "Sequence". Some of the girls went sliding. We had a mini blizzard that lasted for about 10 minutes producing white-out conditions.

Finally we went to be about 11:00 pm. Such and nice family day.

Thank you Lord for safety in travel and a wonderful day with family.

30 Days of Thanks.... day 26

2010-11-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

I had to work today, but it was quite slow. Many coworkers were off, so that made it a little more interesting. Still a little "stuffed" from yesterday. Perhaps I will get out of work a little early today. We are headed to Maine either tonight or tomorrow morning to be with Mr. D's family. I love going there to be with them... it's lots of fun and we usually play games around the big dining room table. There's usually lots of good food and children playing. Mr. D's sister has 4 girls... all younger... though each time I see them they are older (of course they can't stay little forever). One of them has a birthday tomorrow. She will be 9.

Mr. D has a wonderful family. I'm so glad to be a part of it. He has 3 sisters and I never had any growing up, so it is fun to spend time with other women my age and be a part of their extended family.

If the chicken's water is not frozen up, we will leave tonight. If it is too cold we will leave in the morning. I opt for the morning. It's nice to travel in the light of day and tomorrow is supposed to be nice weather too.

It's hard to believe this is already day 26! Where did this month go? We have snow on the ground and winter has officially taken over. The road was a little slippery this morning, but by tomorrow maybe all this will be melted off :) *hope, hope*

Today I am thankful for a nice warm home and warm clothes and satisfied tummy. I think of many who don't have these things. In this coming year, I would like to volunteer some time to help with a food pantry or a shelter somewhere to try and help others... especially in our own area... who are hurting. Many folks are out of work right now. We have some neighbors who have been especially hurt because of the lack of mill work. The lumber business is suffering because of the slump in new construction. I've noticed a lot more hunters out this year than in the past. Folks are trying to get meat on the table. If the Lord allows us to, I would like to grow more veggies in the garden next year so that some could be donated to the local food bank. I do visit the area dumps and thrift stores, so perhaps get together a collection of nice coats/children's clothing that could be given to those who are in need. One of the ladies in our church, her mother is working with the local food bank, so that may be a place to start volunteering time. I have cooked for large groups before too and they have a community kitchen in Plymouth. I may be able to help there on the weekends. I have a good friend who is working the the Red Cross now and she really is enjoying it. I think I'll ask her how I might become more involved. Any other ideas you might have?

It seems a small thing, but what if everyone were thinking that way? No one would get involved thinking they could not contribute any significant amount. Nothing would get done. I'm also thinking of the possibilities of sharing the gospel too. If I am involved in the lives of others... then the Lord will open opportunities to witness for Him.

OK... enough brainstorming. The next move is ACTION!

Hope you are looking ahead to a wonderful weekend.

30 Day of Thanks... Day 25

2010-11-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends. We had a wonderful time of food and fellowship with our friends and daughter Joanna. We all brought food and Mrs. T cooked the turkey, stuffing, potatoes and pie and other good stuff... we filled in with more good food. It was fun to just visit and we played some games afterwards. Mrs. T had a New England trivia game. Very interesting to see how much we did not know about our region. I think the questions that stumped us the most were in the area of sports.

After getting home we spent some time reminiscing about the day and then went to bed a little earlier than usual. It was a good day.

Thank you Lord for good friends and fun days to balance out the days of labor.

30 Days of Thanks ... day 24

2010-11-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

After a very windy night and waking up to ice and snow it actually is turning out to be a beautiful sunny day.

This morning I heard a helicopter overhead... not a good sign for our "neck of the woods" 'cause it is usually a flight for life helicopter. Sure enough on my way to work there was a horrible accident. An SUV caught the edge of the road it looks like and flipped into the woods. I'm sure the icy conditions did not help, but it is a bad corner anyway and if your tire slips off the side there is not much to stop you from going off. Last winter a Fire and Rescue vehicle went off there. Looks like the driver's side front was in bad shape. By the time I arrived on the scene they were just pulling the car out. I think if you have time... take a minute to ask the Lord to intervene on the behalf of the driver. I didn't recognize the vehicle, but it was probably a local resident/commuter.

I thank the Lord for safety in traveling. I put lots of miles on my little Neon. I bought the car in 2001 new and it now has 230,000 miles on it. My commute takes me 1 hour each way though often that is due to traffic. I go past 2 schools and for some reason our rural area has at least 3 school buses on one stretch of road. They probably take off onto little side roads somewhere along the way. Depending on the time I get started I have an alternate route that takes a little less time even though it is longer distance.

I haven't yet missed a day of work due to weather, thank the Lord. I know there's always a first time. I've been late a few times because the traffic goes slow on the worst days, but if I start out early enough I can usually get there at a decent time.

On really bad weather days the worst is the driveway, but it's all downhill and there's usually enough snowbank at the bottom to stop me :)

Winter has officially started I guess.

The wind was ferocious last night... blowing things all around the yard. A ladder was laying across the driveway this morning... right where I usually park. I didn't park there last night instead leaving my car in the dark away from the house... no particular reason... there was actually a few things to bring in from the car too. God in His infinate mercy directed my feeble brain to park where I did. Thank you Lord for your protection.

Tomorrow I will not be on the internet, I will be having wonderful fellowship and eating lots of good food... check out the menu here... sounds like way too much food, but as Mrs. T says... leftovers ARE good. I'm looking forward to the pumpkin pie :) and of course the fellowship with good friends.

My daughter will be there too and that will be extra special!

I hope and pray you have a wonderful day with your family this Thanksgiving.

(thanks Mrs. T for this beautiful picture)

God Bless!

30 Day of Thanks... day 23

2010-11-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for energy. Last night I was able to complete a couple tasks that I had not been able to accomplish this weekend. I also was able to put 10 qts of brocolli into the freezer plus 2 large bags of red pepper halves to use for stuffed peppers. Everytime we get some I toss them into the freezer and they are yummy filled with squash/onion/sausage... ok I've already posted that recipe.

I was also able to finish the cross-stitch for Mr. D. I didn't take a picture yet, 'cause it is not dry yet so not framed. It'll look lots nicer in a frame.

Had a great night's sleep and busy day at work. Talked to Joanna today too. She's feeling a little under the weather (usual cold and flu season stuff), but she is warm in her little camper and her new little kitty "Cinder" is doing well and becoming more friendly - he was a stray abandoned kitty, very tiny.

So today I am very thankful for the energy to get things done and the time to do it.

Head over to Conny's blog for more 30 Days of Thanks. Lots of cute pictures too :)

30 Days of Thanks.... day 22

2010-11-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today is a typical Monday. I was sleepy this morning, but once I got up and going it was better. Woke up cold and there was a layer of ice all over my car. I had gone outside to put away the laundry basket into the laundry room and noticed the ice, so I stopped to get the car started and warmed up. Then I went back in and ate my bowl of chocolate flavored cheerios ;) (had a coupon), and by the time I was ready to leave the car was all toasty and all the ice was melted... thank the Lord. I hate chipping ice off the windsheild.

It has been a busy day at work and so I am thankful for that. Makes the time go by quickly.

I have supper all ready too... made a chicken in the grill yesterday and have veggies all ready to pop on the stove.

I finished my cross stitch today and will try to post a picture soon... it needs to be washed and I have a frame all ready for it.

Since Mr. D doesn't read the blog so I guess it's safe to post it prior to Christmas since it is meant to be a gift for him. It will hang in his new office when we move back into the mobile home.

Well, enough rambling... I guess I am thankful today that I didn't have to chip ice off the windsheild this morning and that I was able to finish the cross stitch gift for Mr. D.

Thank you Lord for taking such good care of us!

30 Days of Thanks.... day 21

2010-11-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

Yea! It's Sunday and we had a wonderful church service. Good fellowship.... good message of encouragement from God's word.... a reminder to Thank the Lord for His goodness. We will be having a Thanksgiving Prayer and Praise on Wednesday.

I have lots to thank the Lord for today. I finished the beets! It was a chore I was not looking forward to. I dug them up a few weeks ago, but those three 5 gallon buckets had been sitting near the door... right in the way... since then... staring at me... well... I finally got going and of course once your going it's hard to stop. Objects in motion and all ya know.

We got 32 quarts of frozen beets and I really packed those bags full too 'cause I didn't want to stop and have to run to the store to buy more freezer bags. The larger ones were chunked up. The medium size ones were sliced and the little ones (took me 4 hours to peel the pot full) were left whole. Now my hands look like I have been working on the car all weekend. I don't use gloves because they slip off the skins and I want to grip on so they pop out of their skins and I don't have to use a knife for persuation.

Thank the Lord the beets are DONE!

Not my beets or my picture. Picture compliments of Google. Glad mine are not in this form anymore... at least till next year. By next year I will forget all the trouble they were and will actually WANT to grow some more!

30 Days of Thanks.. day 20

2010-11-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

Today I went for a quick drive to see my friend Betty. We don't get to spend much time together anymore. She works on my days off and I work on her days off and we see each other at church or when I happen to stop by her work after I get out at 5pm. She is sweet and full of life and makes me laugh.

I haven't known Betty for a long time. I was working at a fabric store when she would come in and visit with us. Often she would work along with us even though she wasn't paid for it... then we convinced her she should apply and work for pay. She started working there and then I went on to a new job. It just wasn't working out for me at the store. There was no chance of advancement 'cause I would not work on Sunday and because of that I worked every Friday and Saturday. I also was a closer, so often would not get home until 10-11pm. We had so much fun working together, but now we don't get to hang out and laugh! Betty has been really good to me and sometimes it makes me feel bad that I forget things and don't do more for her. Life just seems to take over my time and strength some days. I want to have more time to just do nice things for others. I want to be more like Betty!

Well, today I am thankful for my good friend Betty. She's sweet as a button and I don't know what I'd do without her.

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to share with you, but if she sends me one... I'll post it here later. Keep checking.

Thank the Lord for good friends.

OK I think I might be caught up now....

2010-11-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

Now I must tell you what happened Monday.

I came into work and opened my email and this message came up....

The Winner is Mrs. D!!!

What a surprise! I had entered the giveaway Conny was doing... I never win anything... but Yea! I won.

This is what I got with my CSN store gift certificate. I could have done a little Christmas shopping, but I have looked at these for quite a while now and it will benefit our family... so not completely selfish.

and still had enough left for one of these

We make all our own bread and the flour we use is quite expensive stone ground whole wheat. I'm going to try growing some next year. Don't know what I'm in for but it's worth a try. Also found a source for wheat berries, so may get 50# and give it a go. I tried it out the day it came and it was quite simple to use. I think with just a few minutes of grinding I would have enough for a loaf of bread. Maybe not as finely ground as what we're used to, but I like a little crunch anyway.

How exciting.

Thank you Connie!!!

Today I am thankful for my new grain mill and steamer.

30 DAYS OF THANKS

2010-11-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

The days are a little mixed up on these 30 days. I have been writing posts, but not able to publish them. This was actually written last Friday 11/12, but I'm publishing it this Friday 11/19. Lots has happened in between, but I'll get to that.
11/12

Of course this picture wasn't just taken :)
Friday I was very busy and also exhausted. I went home and made dinner and then collapsed into bed. I am so thankful for a husband who puts up with me doing this very thing occasionally. He was tired too after working all week digging a ditch all week. We have a leak into our electric conduit and water was pouring out. We are trying to find the break so it can be fixed, but so far no sign of it. Mr. D drilled a hole in the pipe to release the water and it just gushed out, so that is an indication that the break is somewhere above. Our land is very wet and we often have issues of this sort. I am, none-the-less thankful that we have a little patch of ground to tend to. It has been a joy to be able to garden and raise our animals. It is a miracle that we have this and we thank the Lord everytime we come to the end of the driveway and look up and see all that God has given.

Our view from on top is beautiful at all times of the year. I actually like looking out across the valley in the winter when there is a storm brewing. I can see it approaching and as it comes the air turns white. After the storm everything sparkles and shines and the chickadees are chattering away. My other most favorite time of year is spring when the leaves are just starting to pop and are that yellow/green color. The air is fresh and full of new smells and the birds are busy finding suitable spots to raise their families.

a couple of pictures of Mr. D plowing the driveway, not this year

In general, I like the warm weather best, but I thank the Lord for winter since it fills me with anticipation of spring.

Thank you Lord for seasons. And thank you for a good night's rest.

30 DAYS OF THANKS

2010-11-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday the sun was shining. My "Sweetie" went to the church for a work day and I went off to shop at thrift stores and at my favorite grocery store.

In my travels I visited several thrift stores and picked up some nice stuff. I'm pretty excited about Christmas. Guess I'd better get some wrapping paper soon, or make some gift bags.

My daughter is moved into a camper this weekend.

Joanna's new home. It is way out in the middle of nowhere. She's turned it around, added a porch and a wood stove now.
We'll went over on Sunday afternoon to pick up some of her things and bring her some wood to burn in her little wood stove. I pray the Lord keeps her safe in that little tiny home. I thank the Lord for providing her with a home and that it is warm. I remember when the girls were little we'd come in from the cold winter weather into our warm and cozy home and I would thank the Lord for the warmth of our home.

It will be a cold winter and it is coming. We've had some cold already with a little snow, but not enough to really freeze the ground yet. I hope you are all staying warm where you are.

I thank the Lord for days off to recoop and regroup and get errands done. I also thank Him for a good job so we can pay the bills.

30 DAYS OF THANKS

2010-11-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday must be my favorite day of the week. We had dinner at church this Sunday and it was sooooo yummy. The fellowship was sweet, the teaching was from God's Word and spoke to me as it always does.

We were celebrating our 30th anniversary today and so the afternoon service was all testimonies and songs with a short Bible message. It is so wonderful to have a church family who loves the Lord and seeks to encourage one another. Some of the folks at church I have known since I was a youngster... my father pastored in this town when I was very young. Some are not as familiar to me, but just as precious. Pastor Michaud is a wonderful Bible preacher and I have grown a lot since we moved here... we've been attending since 2005, but moved here in 2007 and my husband was a member here before that but attended the church my mother and I went to in Ascutney until her death in June 2005.

I hope you are attending a church where your soul is fed and where you can be an encouragement to others. If not, why not?

I am thankful today for my wonderful church family and the pastor and his wife that the Lord has given us!

30 DAYS OF THANKS

2010-11-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Monday, but not your normal Monday. Today I started out tired. Last night we moved a bunch of stuff out of Joanna's old apartment and put it into the back room of our mobile home. The best part was her old mattress which was many times better than the one we had. We switched them out and I slept so well last night. It's like sleeping on a cloud.

I'm thankful today for a new mattress... what a blessing!

30 Days of Thanks....

2010-11-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

My younger daughter's name is Heather. Heather is also very courageous. She is lovely in every way and also a very determined person. She has accomplished lots in her 29 years. She is very competitive. When she played basketball in high school she achieved 1000 points during the 3 years she played. She moved to DC to stay with my brother right after high school, then met and married Dexter and they have a son, Brandon. She decided to be a police officer and went to the police academy to complete her training. She has been an officer for a few years now. Her primary job is to work with community relations. Still very organized and gets things done.

I love her very much and pray for her safety all the time as you can imagine. Even though she works in the community with the families, that doesn't mean she is out of harm's way. She also works as security in a local pharmacy. They live right in the heart of DC and that is where she works.

Here she it... that pretty little girl of mine with a huge responsibility.

Dexter, Heather and Brandon, taken in last year's blizzard in DC

Christmas Day 2009

I thought I had a picture of Heather in uniform. If I find it, I'll add that later. Sorry Heather. Maybe you could email me one. I have a huge file of pictures and they aren't well organized yet.

Isn't she lovely... and beautiful?

I'm thankful for my "little Heather".

30 Days of Thanks....

2010-11-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, another beautiful day in the north country. The frost was thick this morning, but that's a good sign... it was a clear cold night and the sun will be out today. Yippee!!!

We had a wonderful prayer meeting last night. It just encourages my heart each time I am able to get together with my Christian family.

I want to take the time during this 30 days to talk about my daughters. I am starting with Joanna because she is the oldest. Joanna is a wonderfully warm and fun loving girl. She is a talented artist and has been drawing for most of her life. She has sold a lot of her artwork and is now embarking on a new medium... metal. If she can see art and beauty in a pile of old rusty steel... I am truly amazed. Her first piece... a butterfly... was fashioned from 2 old hay racks like this one .

This is what she ended up with...

She is adventurous and is making plans to hike the Appalachian trail and is gathering equipment for that. She loves her doggie "Pedro". She is a loyal friend, God's gift to me to love a care for and I am so thankful for her.

We have many miles to go in this life and I pray the Lord will use her is a great way for His glory.

My lovely daughter Joanna. Joanna, if you ever read this, I love you and thank the Lord for you.

Isn't she pretty? This was taken last year. We were going to the outlet mall to shop for Christmas.

Joanna and Pedro. I think this was a couple of years ago. She had it on facebook for a while... so I guess it's

OK for me to share it here. What a cute puppy.

Get in on the Giveaway

2010-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Conny is having a giveaway and there's not much time left...

Check it out!

30 Days of Praise

2010-11-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Day 11

Guess you can imagine what I am going to write about today.

Yes, I am a grateful American. I am thankful for our country and those who have given their lives to keep her free.

On this Veteran's Day I can't help think of those around the world who are under religious oppression. I think of missionaries who work in countries where their lives are in danger because they seek to lead those around them to the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes me ever more thankful to live in America and causes me to pray for all those in leadership and those who are in the military.

Thank you to all our veterans past and present who have fought or are currently fighting to keep our country free.

Blog Anniversary:

2010-11-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that on 12/15 I will have had this blog for one year. I have noticed others having celebrations and "giveaways" for their anniversary. We'll just have to see about that :)

I'll be makin' some plans.

Have a nice day y'all

30 Days of Thanks

2010-11-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

Day 10.........

It's an easy day to be thankful here in the Northeast United States. We have sunshine and warm temperatures. I am certainly thankful for that. We have prayer meeting tonight and I will get to fellowship with my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord and I am really thankful for that. Another thing I am thankful for... I found a REALLY cute jacket at the thrift store this afternoon for "someone" on my Christmas list... can't say who. I'm thankful for great thrift stores... we have 4 of them in our area to shop at and two really great ones that takes a while to get to (good for Saturdays).

More tomorrow... go ahead and get started... you could call yours 20 Days of Thanks if you start today. Just sign up at "The Hutch Haus" we are all looking forward to hearing from you.

30 Days of Thanks

2010-11-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Day 9

I can tell that by the time I get to the end of the 30 days I may end up repeating myself. That's only 'cause I'm getting old, not because I can't think of 30 unique, individual things to thank the Lord for :)

I am thankful today for God's Word. Conny was mentioning the gift of words and it made me stop and think a little more about words.

Have you noticed some of the 3:16's in the Bible?

Well, you could start with Genesis 3:16 and work your way through... but I'd rather not think about Genesis 3:16 too much.
Let's skip over to Matthew 3:16:
"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:"

Luke 3:16

"John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:"

and of course John 3:16
^"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

and Colossians 3:16
^"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

II Timothy 3:16
^"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

There are probably others, but I'm going to stop there. I like to find patterns in the Bible like this. I know that chapters and verses were added later to scripture, but isn't it kinda neat how this happened... all these 3:16's that are such important sections of the Bible.

It is a joy to have God's Word. To be able to read it any time and anywhere. I also thank the Lord that we still have that freedom and pray that it will continue for us in the United States. There are many who are forbidden by law to read God's Word, or humiliated for reading it. I have actually been ridiculed many times for referring to the Bible or quoting scripture, but keep in mind this scripture... not a 3:16, but so important to remember

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Days 5,6,7,8 of Thanks

2010-11-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that this weekend was "out of control busy". Mr D who is bothered by asthma has had trouble breathing well in the house. I know that the walls sweat and sometimes molds form on the surface and if I don't keep up with it, this can have a huge affect on him. We are really squeezed into our camper and moving furniture around can sometimes be an issue, so this weekend I did an all out cleaning and took everything that was washable to the laundrymat. It was a lot of curtains, blankets, mattress pads, the window quilts that need to go up, towels out of the cupboard. I had a big washing. It took only about 2 hours at the laundrymat though. That is a huge praise that I didn't have to wash and hang out all this stuff, especially since one of my clotheslines fell down a week ago and it rained today. I would be fighting with that laundry for a week.

Then I washed down walls with bleach solution and the floor and the ceiling. Well, if nothing else the house smells good now. Mr. D is breathing better and I am happier.

I thank the Lord for the ability he has given me to take care of my house. I know I often complain about cleaning, but just think if you weren't able to do it? I would be so unhappy all the time. My momma taught me how to clean and take care of the house and for that I am very grateful.

I am also thankful for the laundrymat. Whew... I'd have been in trouble this weekend without it. That job could have reasonably taken about a week to complete and I would be troubled with getting it done. Now it is all clean and put away. You may say... "well that's a silly thing to be thankful for"... but just the same I am extremely thankful.

I am thankful that I have a creative outlet. I am able to go into my little "cubby hole" of a sewing room and get creative when I need a little creative relief. Christmas is coming.

I am thankful for my sweet husband who put on my snow tires last night in the dark because it was going to snow today and tomorrow. Isn't he a sweet guy?

I am thankful for a warm home to come home to. I am thankful for a good job in a time when many do not have work. I am thankful for my coworkers who put up with me on Monday after a sleepless night because the wind was blowing hard all night long and they changed the time on me.

I am thankful for my church family with whom we ate a wonderful meal on Sunday... yea for potlucks. I'm also thankful that we have good cooks at our church :) of course I probably ate a little too much, but how can you pass up chocolate chip cookie pie and chocolate cream pie?

I think that gets me caught up. Maybe I'll get a little more serious tomorrow.

Love you guys and join up in the 30 Days of Thanks at Conny's blog

30 Days of Thanks

2010-11-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am thinking of the message we heard in prayer meeting last night on prayer. What a blessing it is to be able to go to the Lord anytime we want. In good times and bad or maybe for no real reason at all or perhaps just in praise. No particular posture needed. No payment needed. No reason to wait. It's like having your best friend with you all the time. I think if my best friend were with me all the time we wouldn't be best friends anymore :) BUT God is our very best friend and he never gets sick of us.

Our pastor used the illustration in the Bible of Moses interceding for Israel.
Deuteronomy 9:18-29

"And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.
And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, [and] ground [it] very small, [even] until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.
And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.
Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice.
Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.
Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down [at the first]; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:
Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.
Yet they [are] thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm."

I know this is a large scripture to digest, but our pastor brought out some challenging thoughts... I've been thinking about them ever since. Is there someone in your life who just seems to be going the wrong way? They claim to know the Lord and seem to have a desire for spiritual things, but then walk away from the very things that would help them grow and mature? I have several someones in my life like this. Is my prayer for them important? You can see from this passage that Moses went through this same thing. I am praying that the God who began a great work in the lives of these people in my life... will perform it... just as he promised He would do. I am taking to heart this example from the life of Moses. It inspires me and encourages me. God is good and God is able to change the life of even the most crusty individual you know.

What a great God we serve and just another thing to be thankful for... the power of prayer.

If you'd like to participate in the "30 Days of Thanks" head on over to Conny's and link up.

30 DAYS OF THANKS... DAY 1,2,3

2010-11-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

I told Conny that I would participate in the 30 Days of Thanks. Here it is November 3 and I haven't started yet... sorry Conny... I hope to get caught up today. It's not that I haven't thought about it and I am truly thankful everyday, but I just wasn't able to get on to post about it.

November 1 In "retrospect" what I am most thankful for #1 in my life is found in this scripture passage:
Titus 3:4-7

"But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

I often think about what I would do if I lived in Old Testament times and had to sacrifice a lamb for the covering of my sin. There would have been lots of dead lambs :) Thank the Lord! He has provided us with sin cleansing through his death on the cross for us. Also what a comfort to know I'll see those who have gone to Heaven already. This separation is not forever. I will see my Mom, Dad, first husband, daughter, grandparents, aunts and uncles again some day. After the elections (oops that hasn't happened yet) it's also nice to know this is not my "final" home. How wonderful God is to provide us with Hope and we don't have to pay for it, or earn it somehow by being good. I'd like to be "good" all the time, well... you know how that goes :)

November 2
The next thing I am most thankful for is the leading of the Lord in my life. My favorite hymn "He Leadeth Me" has these words...

"Lord I would put my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine"

OK... I do murmur from time to time, but I want to say it is not my intention. I am so blessed! What do I have to murmur about anyway?
Isn't this a precious promise?
Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. "

He cares for us even in the tiniest of mundane situations. He knows we were made from dust and He loves us completely. What a blessing it is to know Him.

November 3
This catches me up with the rest of you. Today I must give thanks for my family. Of course my Mom and Dad are gone on now, but how thankful I am that they loved me and raised me in a Christian home surrounded by Christian principles and spiritual guidance. I have a wonderful brother and sister-in-law. I never had a sister, but Cindy is my sister anyway. They have two wonderful sons and their wives and children. My grandparents on both sides and aunts and uncles and cousins... all of whom I can honestly say would do anything for ya. My beautiful daughters Joanna and Heather and Heather's family and Joanna's Pedro :). My grandson, Brandon who came to know the Lord this summer, YEA! and then last but certainly not least my precious husband who puts up with me every day... not sure how. He is the sweetest person on the planet (according to me), and I love him so very much. I remember when he asked if he could be a part of our lives I had to tell him how crazy our family is. I thought he'd maybe turn around and walk away, but he chose to stay anyway and I am so thankful.
God has certainly blessed me with wonderful family members, each and every one of them. I don't want to miss my "extended" family... my husband's Mom and Dad and sisters and their spouses and children. They are also very wonderful and have been a true blessing to us.

OK enough for those 3 days. I'm ready for 27 more... see ya soon.

Long time ago....

2010-10-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yup, I know it's been a while, but I have been too busy to write much here lately. Other things have taken precedent. Anyway I had a post ready to share, but it was way too boring.

I wanted to show you some pictures anyway of my daughter's new hobby/career... welding.... artistic welding... metal sculpture... well, as you can see I'm not really sure what to call it, but it's neat and she's looking to sell some of her pieces so if you are interested let me know.

Here is her very first metal sculpture...

This would look really cool in a garden. I think its great what can be made from scrap steel. She's quite the creative one.

Her next try was a little more difficult probably because of the cast iron she chose to work with, but I think she'll get it... it's a good start and will make another beautiful piece when it is done....

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished project.

We have been very busy on the Millett Farm the past few weeks. This weekend we will probably be butchering ducks... the ones born in the spring. I think out of 12 ducks there were only 2 hens... the rest were drakes and gotta go. Muscovy meat is really outstanding. Of course as with any duck it is all dark meat, but very lean. We cooked some in the pressure cooker for supper last night and it was very yummy. That was a duck from last year. They are also very large birds and have quite a bit of meat on them.

They are actually quite a bit bigger now and are testing their wings... another reason why we really need to get this job done.

I hope to add more later...

Here's a little LATE fall color for you to enjoy....

Hope all of you are really enjoying this season of the year.

My Sweetie is turning 49.

2010-09-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

Today is my Sweeties 49th birthday. Even though he will tell you he's been 16 ever since he was 12 the truth is he's moving a little slower these days and I can tell 16 has long since gone. He's such a wonderful husband and I just have a need to tell you about him.

A couple months after Don Peel, my first husband, died in 2001, Mr. D asked if I might be interested in "dating" him. I told him this probably wouldn't be wise because our life was a little crazy back then. My father had died in 1995 and my mom was needing care. She had a stroke which brought on dementia. The doctors diagnosed this as Alzheimer's. She declined quite rapidly after that and then later had a fall that caused her even more problems. Someone needed to be with her most all the time. She went to adult daycare, but there were some gaps of time because of my work schedule. Friends were helping and my daughter helped to care for her. My youngest daughter had just has a baby. He was about 2 months old and he would come and stay with me on Sundays. With one daughter moved out and another on her way out, it was a little chaotic at our home.

I was still grieving for Don even though we hadn't been together in quite some time (since 1984)   He was still a good friend and someone I could hash things out with when life got a little crazy. He had been married twice since our divorce. I knew that even though he was not going to be in my life the same way ever again, he was still a large part of our daughter's lives. They were grieving too. His death was very sudden. He was playing basketball with some friends and just collapsed with a massive heart attack.

So when Doug, who had been a good friend and coworker for many years, asked me if I might be interested, all I could think about was all the craziness that was my life at that point. He didn't give up on me. He brought us a sympathy card and gift. He was so kind. He prayed for us. He broke through that resistance in short order and in April of 2002 we were married. The church was full to capacity on that wonderful day.

I think my Sweetie is one of the kindest men ever. He also has a great sense of humor and can talk to me when I am "nonconversive" and broody, which is especially when I have lots of stuff on my mind. He must think some times that he's talking to a wall.

He is very patient with me and he is VERY romantic. He doesn't believe in bringing me decapitated flowers, but brings me beautiful perennials.   He encourages and tells me I'm the most beautiful, even though wrinkles are taking over and there's sagging in places that never sagged before.

He helped me care for Mom for years before she passed away in 2005 and he sat with me through that really hard time. He was with me through some difficult family issues and with the passing of Aunts and Uncles and friends.   If I want to spend time with friends or family he is not jealous of our time together.

He fixes my car when it is ailing and keeps it running pretty good for an old thing. He calls himself a "grease monkey" but he's learned lots working on all the many vehicles we have scatter around.

He's not able to do everything he would like because of his physical limitations, but he does all he can to make our lives comfortable. He is patient with me when I spend money meant for other budget categories and gives me "that look" that keeps me in line (most of the time).

He cares tenderly for our animals. We have a kitty that had cancer and had to have her leg amputated and he nursed her back. We also have a puppy that was hit by a truck last year and her whole head was peeled like an orange. He tenderly picked her up and took her to get stitched up. He cares for the chickens and ducks and is a great gardener. We both like to do the same things for the most part and it gives us lots to share as we help one another.

I love this wonderful husband the Lord has given me. I thank the Lord that he was persistent. I thank his parents for raising him to be a good man. I thank God that He saved him and made him His child and brought us together just at the right time.

I hope he has a wonderful birthday and that the Lord allows him many more to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!

Friday on the Light Side

2010-09-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Conny from the Hutch Haus sent out a bit of a challenge and I'm passing it along to anyone who cares to participate.

Here's her list of questions and you can either answer these or the ones I have listed at the bottom of this post...

1. How old were you when you first wore make-up (please only tell me this if you are female!!LOL)? My mom was not in favor of little girls wearing make up so probably in Jr. High and usually I had to sneak it, but Mom would somehow always know. I was probably horrible at putting the stuff on since I'd had no practice. After a while I just stopped wearing it except on special occasions. I have some, but just the basics.

2. If you had "one last request" before you died, what would it be? That all my family would know and love God... actually I could widen that to all people know and love God.

3. How many times a day do you typically check email, facebook, and/or the internet? I check every weekday usually several times. I do this for work, but also at the same time check my personal email. It's pretty easy to do that and not waste a lot of time.

4. What was the last thing you drank? Well, today I had milk, coffee and a cherry Dr. Pepper thanks to my daughter who gave me 1/2 of a case. I found out this summer that I really like cherry Dr. Pepper again thanks to Joanna :)

5. What outfit or piece of clothing could you just LIVE IN all the time? Jeans and white T-shirt

6. How many sibling do you have - and how many did you want growing up, if any? One brother. I was happy with him. I don't remember wishing I had other siblings. We knew families that had lots of kids and I don't think I really wanted that.

7. What was your favorite toy/game as a child? I don't remember having a favorite toy, but I do remember the animals in my life. Kitties and dogs and the neighbors horse. I guess they were my favorites. My favorite thing to do was to be outside exploring.

8. What person do you think probably had the MOST influence in making you who you are today? I would say it was my Dad and as I got older my Mom too. They both lived their lives to honor God and serve Him. Dad could do almost anything and if he didn't know how, he'd read up on it and figure it out or talk to those who could and that way learn how to do stuff. I like doing that too. I wish I had more time to be more adventurous with trying new things. I think my daughters got that from him too. Both have branched out into lifestyles and work that are nothing like any of the rest of us. Of course that could be good and then again it could be bad. We like to go on adventures.

OK, there is your list of questions:

What is your favorite time of day?
When was the last time you had a bowl of oatmeal?
What is your favorite breakfast?
When you were growing up, did you have a pet?
If you were to go on an adventure where would you like to go and what would you like to do there?
When you meet someone, is your first impression usually right?
If you were to choose any occupation regardless of the cost of education, what would it be?
How old were you when you first learned to ride a bike and do you still go bike riding?

That's probably enough silly questions for one day. Feel free to elaborate. Enjoy and link back here in the comments.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

The Cross

2010-09-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

I know this picture is repeated, but just had to share the words to this song.

I purchased the "You are God Alone" CD while I was at the ladies retreat and just had to share these words with you.

The Cross

The cross before us to lead,

The cross behind us to defend,

The cross below us to uphold,

The cross beside us to befriend.

The cross above us to inspire,

The cross within us to consume,

O cross surround us with your power,

Enfold our lives, our souls, our all.

The cross each morning when we rise,

The cross each evening while we sleep,

The cross we see before our eyes,

The cross upon our lips we speak,

The cross be all that we would hear,

The cross be all that we believe,

The cross be with us in this life,

The cross be with us when we leave.

The cross before us, the cross behind us,

The cross within us, the cross is all we need.

The cross is all we need.

words by Pamela Martin, music by Craig Courtney

THE LADIES RETREAT AT THE WILDS OF NEW ENGLAND

2010-09-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful time at the Wilds of New England. There was lots of great singing, special music, wonderful Bible teaching and exhortation. It was a time of refreshing the soul. I don't often get to retreats anymore and this was a special treat.

I'm including a few pictures. Most of my pictures didn't come out so well. It was cloudy for the most part. Saturday afternoon the sun came out, but I didn't get any pictures then because my batteries died. All the time I had good batteries in the bottom of my purse, but forgot about them, so not many pictures.

This picture is fuzzy. One of the other campers took this of us in front of our cabin. I think her hand was a little shaky though. I'm including it anyway. There were 4 from our church and Sara's daughter Carrie. She's from another church, but of course hung out with us anyway. We had so much fun together, walking, talking, fellowshipping and just goofing around.

fall decor so pretty

cute little birdhouses with license plate roofs

nice tents that some of the ladies stayed in

all the accomodations were very comfortable and the cloud cover was actually a blessing, 'cause it was not too cold at night

Loved this picture with the beautiful sky... who knew a grey sky would be so gorgeous...

I think the camera was acting funky due to low battery...

glad I got a few pics anyway...

heading back down the hill...

the building ahead is the chapel/dining hall... the other small buildings house administrative offices, Cool Beans coffee shop, bookstore, maintenance and housing for speakers and staff...

Very lovely campus.

If I had been taking these pictures today, all the leaves would have been in full color too.

It was beautiful on my way to work this morning with the sun shining on the beautiful fall leaves. A moose ran alongside my car for a bit today... a young bull moose. He finally decided to cross the road... I just let him have his way. I love living here.

Have a wonderful day.

Our theme song for the conference and one of my favorite verses:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

PRESS TOWARD THE MARK by Mac Lynch

He who began a great work in you-

Will nuture and lead as He said He would do.

You have humbled yourself to His Word have been true;

You've been willing to change now what will you do?

CHORUS

Press t'ward the mark; strain t'ward the goal;

Press onward and forward, both body and soul

For the Heavenly prize, for the look in His eyes,

And for the crown that will not fade away.

Forget things behind; reach farther ahead,

Oh, follow the Savior's example instead.

Count all gain as but loss and all loss as but gain

To know Him our glory, our all.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Be not ashamed; with boldness pursue

The approval of Christ in all that you do.

Proclaim His great Word; be consumed in His love;

Pursue Him alone until with Him above.

CHORUS

Press t'ward the mark; Strain t'ward the goal;

Press onward and forward, both body and soul

For the Heavenly prize, for the look in His eyes,

And for the crown that will not fade away.

Forget things behind; reach farther ahead,

Oh, follow the Savior's example instead.

Count all gain as but loss and all loss as but gain

To know Him our glory, our all.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jeremiah 32:17

"Ah, Lord God!

Behold, Thou has made the heaven and the earth

by Thy great power and stretched out arm,

and there is nothing to hard for Thee."

A Very Exciting Day

2010-09-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

I am anticipating a wonderful weekend. A friend had paid for going to a ladies retreat at The Wilds of New England and had other things that came up and was not able to make it, so she gave this gift to me. I'm so glad she thought of me. So this afternoon I will be leaving work early and meeting one of my other friends and we will be going to an overnight retreat. Thank you Lord for these unexpected joys.

I will try to take pictures for ya if I have time to remember the camera.

Last Saturday was a wonderfully clear and warm day. I was able to get the laundry out and pick the beans and get some sewing done and so thought I'd take a picture or two to share with you.

The time stamp on my camera is not too accurate, but the date is right. Anyway, these are some fabric edged towels that I made for my neice's wedding. I saw this idea at Sew 4 Home I bought the towels at the dollar store and thought I'd looked them over quite well, but after the edging was on I noticed a small hole. So out came the heat and bond and a little embroidery floss and "bam" there's a flower. Kinds cute, huh? Should have done that anyway, even if there wasn't a hole. As you can tell, I like COLOR. Hope she does :)

Also made some little birb clothes for a lady at work who's daughter is having a baby very soon. This idea came from Carrie over at Life on a Back Road.

Then from Tip Nut came the scrubbie idea. Take a 1" strip of netting and knit it right in with your cotton yarn and make a 5"x5" scrubbie to go with the dish cloth. I love cotton knit dish clothes and have made lots of them now for myself and for gifts.

I had time to pick almost all the beans this weekend. I left a small section for eating fresh, but we put up all the rest up in the freezer. I got three pots full after stringing and cutting them. In the future we will probably can the beans, but just don't have the facilities to do that right now.

Did I mention squash? Well here's a sampling of what we're getting out of the garden this year. The pumpkin shape ones are a cross between golden hubbard and buttercup, and the oval shaped ones are golden hubbard. We also planted a new type this year, sweet meat. Out of a whole package of seed we had two plants that made it and they produced two "largish" green squash. I think I'll save some of the seed from these and try again next year to see if we don't get better germination. That depends on how the squash taste.

I'm leaving work at 3 today and will let you know next week how the retreat was with pictures hopefully.

This very appropriate verse was in the Days of Praise this morning.

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Psalm 119:18

This is my prayer for this weekend.... spiritual refreshment.

God is good! Hope you have a good weekend too.

Happy Friday

2010-09-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

At the urging of a good friend I am posting the recipe for stuffed peppers. These are a favorite at our church pot lucks. I came up with the recipe 'cause my Sweetie cannot have rice which is what is used traditionally in stuffed peppers. I like them very much along with stuffed cabbage, stuffed chicken, stuffed belly :) you get the idea.

Here we go... remember I make them different every time, but this seems to be the favorite:

Mrs. D's Stuffed Peppers

3-4 any color sweet pepper. We like the red ones.

2 cups cooked and mashed winter squash (may use leftovers here or cook ahead).
1 large onion diced
1/2 lb. ground pork (may sub pork sausage but reduce spices)
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t Cayenne (optional)
1 t Italian spices
approximately 1 c cubed sharp cheddar cheese

Remove stem and seeds from peppers and slice in half top to bottom. Set aside any small usable pieces. Spray a baking dish with a little oil spray and place your pepper boats into the pan. They can be snug.
In large frying pan brown meat and onions. Dice up and toss in any remnants of pepper. Add spices and cook until meat is cooked through and all is a little brown. Drain fat off meat. Place cooked squash into a large bowl and add meat mixture. Mix these together well. Scoop into pepper boats making sure to fill. Place cubed cheddar cheese on top of each pepper boat. Pour a little water in the bottom of the baking dish. Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes until peppers are soft and cheese is browned.

Don't make it too complicated... all ingredients are negotiable. I sometimes use turnip/carrot mashed together instead of winter squash, but you could use almost anything. If you used sausage, which I never have, you could probably eliminate all of the spices depending on what kind of sausage you use.

Have fun with it.

Here's a few pics of the garden from this week:

BEETS

TOMATOES

'DAN' SQUASH

(we grow these from saved seeds and each year they are a little bit

different, but always yummy - named for a friend who really likes this)

BLUE HUBBARD

BASIL

CHAMOMILE

'WILDFLOWER'

(from a package... not native wildflowers, but still pretty)

SUNFLOWERS

the babies are almost all grown up

As you can see we have many things to thank the Lord for. We had a wonderful summer with many days of warmth, now we are truly headed into fall. The leaves are just beginning to change and nights are cooler. I hate to see summer leave, but it is much easier after having such a nice long summer.

Just a verse or two to help you through the busy day...

Psalm 24: 1&2
The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

Harvest Update

2010-09-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

275 lbs chicken
2 qts green beans
8 pts peach preserves
3 qts frozen peaches for baking

our neighbor gave us 3 qts pepper relish... yum!

Thank you Lord, the meat birds are done for another year!

Harvest Update

2010-09-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

8 quarts pearl onions
10 quarts string beans
10 quarts shell beans
1 quart dry beans
... and counting

not a picture of my onions, but looks like them.... before peeling

my camera was at church, so couldn't take any pictures

A short Friday addition

2010-08-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

I have not been blogging very much lately. I love to blog too and I read all of your blogs and comment, but by the time I get done with reading and commenting, there is no time left for posting anything myself. I don't know how you all find the time. Maybe I am just not organized enough, but I would rather say it is because we are very busy right now. Last night I meant to come to the library to post something and work on the "budget" and then I forgot all the paperwork on my desk because I was in a hurry to get to the parts store to pick up a rotor for my car, but then got caught in traffic and the parts store was closed anyway so I just went home and picked beans, did laundry and hung it up and made supper. By the time I had shelled the beans, and cleaned up from supper it was 11 pm and time to hit the sack. I was tired. And you are probably tired of reading this horrible run on sentence :)

I thought after Brandon went home I'd have a little more time for this stuff, but not so. I have even less it seems. Work is busy and during my lunch breaks I have errands to run. All the garden is coming in at once it seems. We must pick the shell beans this weekend or they will end up being dried beans again. I don't mind the dry beans, but Mr. D like shell beans very much and I do admit they are very good with a little milk, butter, salt and pepper. I have been picking Bible Beans each day and they just seem to grow so fast. Tomatoes are starting to ripen up and the beets will need to be picked right after Labor Day. Plus Labor Day weekend we must slaughter the meat birds. They are stumbling and bumbling around in the coop... to lazy to even go outside where they can get out of the muck. I'll be glad when they are in the freezer, 'cause they stink.

Well, this really wasn't a complaint about all the work I have, just a statement of fact and that I hope to get back into the blogging groove asap.

I love you all and apologize for the lack of communication.

See ya all soon!

Say good-bye Spotty...

Prairie Flower Farm is Having a Party

2010-08-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love parties? I have been following the Prairie Flower for a while now and have been incredibly encouraged by her handling of the ups and downs of life. Christians have ups and downs just like everyone else, we just have a Savior to go to for help and to share the good times with. We also have one another... the "family". Hope you have a chance to stop by and visit this wonderful blog.

Misty Morning

2010-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

I'm going to post a few pics of the garden from this morning. I just couldn't resist the green. I love green.
Kari asked me how my garden was doing this year. Well, everything has been coming in early due to warmer than usual weather and a good balance of rain and sun. God is the one who does all that... we just put the stuff in the ground. Some years are good, some not so good. Last year we lost all our tomatoes, but had a bumper crop of beets and squash. This year looks like it will all be good if the weather holds. Notice the corn that was laying flat after the downburst we had about 3 weeks ago. Now it is all standing (somewhat) tall with tassles and hopefully we'll be picking some next week.

and a little bonus... momma and the babies

You may have to enlarge this to see them... the yellow blob in the distance. Please disregard the produce boxes in the foreground, they are headed to the recycling on Saturday. The pallets are to keep the poultry out of the muck that collects in front of the coop everytime it rains. We noticed that the grass will grow up right between the slats and that's what we're hoping will happen here. Those birds love green too :)

Have a really happy day everyone.

Just a note to let you know we're still here.

2010-08-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

We have had an incredibly busy last few weeks. I will try to summarize and I have lots to share, but no time right now for that.

Brandon came to stay with us July 6. He has been a real joy to have around and we will miss him very much when he goes home. His Mom is coming on the 13th and he will be going home that following week. He has learned lots and we've gotten to know him much better. Because he lives so far away, it is not always easy to know much about him under those circumstances. He's learned a little about farm life. We lost a few ducklings while he was here. The dog had to be disciplined for taking one of them and that was quite an experience. He learned that Spot had to bear the consequences of taking the duckling but that we still love her and after her time of discipline she will return to her place on the farm and will hopefully not do that again. We went swimming in the Baker River and cooked corn on the fire and he helped Mr. D with outside tasks, even helping to fix the tractor a couple of times. For being only eight years old, he sure has learned things quickly. He found a few more vegetables to likes, cauliflower and summer squash and zucchini. We even made zucchini brownies, a recipe we found on "Home Joy" http://homejoys.blogspot.com/ . This is a really yummy recipe and well worth a try even if you do not like zucchini.

I finished having my teeth out and have been fitted with dentures. I feel so much better but it has been quite an adjustment. I still am eating a soft diet and grinding up meat. Brandon discovered he liked steak the way I eat it and I have to admit it is pretty tasty. My last dentist appointment for 6 months was last week and afterwards we went to the ocean to celebrate. It was a most beautiful evening. We ate a little lunch and walked along the beach collecting shells and watching the fishermen and the waves. The water was quite cold, but it was so beautiful.

This weekend we are planning a trip to Clark's Trading Post. We always enjoy our trips up there. We hope to take a couple of the boys from church with us. It should be a fun trip with a picnic lunch and lots to see and do. This is our last weekend with Brandon, so we plan to really enjoy it.

I promise that the next post will include pictures plus I have lots more stuff to tell you about. Hope you are enjoying your summer too.

Love ya,
Mrs. D

OK... GARDEN PICS

2010-07-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

As promised to some of my friends, I finally have taken some garden pictures. This morning on my way down the driveway to work I had a couple of minutes, so thought I'd snap a few shots.

Thank you Lord for such a wonderful garden this year. Mr. D and I are both amazed at the plants. This is our first try with corn in this garden and if all goes well, it will be a success.

thought you'd like a before and after picture. This is the beet/pea/chard/radish spot I wasn't sure what would happen to the peas because it was so hot so early, but put them in a shadier spot. Of course I had to hold the camera in some whacky angle... but you get the idea.

some of the old chard has gone to seed and we have eaten lots this summer so far. I really like chard... probably better than spinach. The peas are doing OK... they aren't as high as last years, but they are loaded with pods. I planted regular peas this year, not sugar snap because Mr. D prefers these and said he would shell them :)

This is the "before" of the squash/cucumber patch. We left the lower part of this area fallow and you can see now what happens when the garden is left to it's own "devises"...

This is from the other side, but all in the foreground are weeds... lots of weeds. You can see that the squash have filled in a little and then have gone on to overtake the fallow area as well. We were going to till this over a couple of times this summer, but guess that's out of the question now.

We have harvested:

cucumber

zucchini

chard

some beans

radishes

some peas

rhubarb

asparagus

parsnips

basil

lettace

and lots, lots more to come.

Thank you Lord!

jacob cattle, romano pole beans, tomatoes, and more squash (planted late).

The Summer is Flying

2010-07-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm grabbing a few moments at my lunch today to post an update on our summer. It has been flying by. Our grandson is visiting from Washington, DC and this is keeping me very busy and very happy too. He's a delightful young man, and is quite interested in just about everything. He love helping Mr. D with the tractor and various stuff that needs to be done. He loves sleeping in his tent, though we've had a couple rainy nights we brought him in onto the couch to sleep.

We went to Dorchester Old Home Days on Saturday. We participated in a tug of war, ate ice cream and Brandon got to ride a pony around and around and around... no one else was in line when he got there, so they just kept going. He really enjoyed that. We saw a man talk about his work with black bear... very interesting... then we came home and went to a birthday party for a young friend from church. We had ice cream again, then Mr. D and Brandon played a game while Spot and I went for a little dip to cool off in the river.

so serious here... not sure what he was thinking about, but probably about the car. He had asked hundreds of questions about it, how did it start, were there lights, how old was it... etc...etc...

Our poultry have been reproducing. Momma Muscovy hatched 12 little muscovies this weekend. She's Mommy #1. Mommy #2 hasn't hatched her brood yet, but will probably within the week. We have another RIR who is setting, her sister hatched 4 chicks who are almost ready now to join the ranks now. We're just waiting for her to take them outside.

The garden has gone wild. It's hard to walk around out there without stepping on something. We had to consolidate the squash a little this year, so they are crowding out almost everything else. We ate zucchini last night and the night before and will probably be looking for unlocked cars soon. The Jacob Cattle beans are coming and I snitched a few last night just for munching. Basically the garden is a sea of green. Thank you Lord for the wonderful weather. I brought some cukes today for a friend at work who loves them and eats them everyday summer and winter. Next week we'll be doing pickles, no doubt. We make a garlic dill. Very crispy and excellent on burgers and even on pizza (OK, I know that sounds goofy, but really they are excellent on pizza). The pizza thing was discovered by some kids we were working with at the time who actually did it for a joke, but turns out they were really good.

My garden pictures didn't come out too well, but I'll include a couple. It was kinda late in the evening and was cloudy too, so the pictures were a little blurry. Guess I'll need to get down and take some better pictures. I like to document the gardens successes/failures for our garden journal. If I don't hop to it, there won't be any pictures this year.

Happy Monday

2010-07-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

I really and truly haven't forgotten that I have a blog, I just have been so incredibly busy there has not been much time for doing anything. I have wanted to take some pictures of the farm and post them so you can see the progress of the garden and how the meat birds have grown, but just have not done it yet.

My grandson is visiting for the month of July and I want to post some pictures of him too, but have not had time for that yet either.

No promises, but I hope this week we'll get caught up a little.

We had a wonderful time yesterday for the 4th. We had church and then the church family had a wonderful picnic lunch and a blessed time of testimonies. Then some games for the kids. After the picnic we went home and got ready to go swimming. I took clothes off the line 'cause it clouded a little and didn't want a repeat of last week where the clothes line collapsed in the rain and the clothes I had out there had to all be washed again (yuk!).
We went swimming at Canaan Street Lake, a beautiful little beach. We then went to the fireworks at Cardigan Mountain School. It was a wonderful day. After a little supper we got to bed around 11pm.

Tomorrow will be busy too with my daughter heading back to DC. Brandon and Mr. D will be spending the day together. In the evening I'll be taking the bus home from work, then I'll have to recall how to cook for an 8 year old. Any help gladly accepted :)

Hope you have a wonderful day....

More pictures to come, Lord Willing :)

2010-06-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Just a little tour around the Millett Farm.

These are wild flowers that have come back 3 years now.

Is this foxglove? This is a new one that just showed up this year. The stems and leaves have a burgundy shade to them and the flowers are darker purple than they appear in this picture. I really like this flower and will be transplanting it after it finishes blooming.

A close-up of some of our lupines.

They just keep coming back no matter how they are abused. Mr. D almost mowed them all over this year. I caught him just in time.

Big Red and his hens. He's a handsome boy and very good to the girls. They always get to eat first. He keeps a close eye on all that's happening and warns them of any danger

Here's one of his offspring. This hen is a good mommy. She is very protective. It's hard to get a good picture because her 4 little ones are always tucked under her wings.

The meat bird roosters at 1 month. They really like to eat... and eat.... and eat. They are getting feathered out now so soon we'll turn off the brooder light and let them outside. That will make them really happy.

This is a quick picture of the duck's nest. I estimate she must have at least 15 eggs here. Notice all the downy feathers around the edges. Getting all ready for little ducklings. These are white Muscovy and they are supposed to be good moms, but she lost a nest of eggs this large already this spring. I think she may have started nesting a little early and it was such a cold spring. In 35 days we'll see what she's got.

Hope you enjoyed your little tour around the farms. Maybe some day you can drop by and we can enjoy a cup of tea together.

Have a great day.

You gotta visit this blog

2010-06-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been to http://www.samsmommy.blogspot.com/ now is the time to visit. Let me give you a sneak peak at what's happening over there...

See what I mean?
Carrie has been photographing the progress of this little Robin family. It has been really interesting.

Thanks for sharing with us, Carrie.

Have a great day ya'll!