Not Enough Time

There wasn't enough time in the day for me to work on turning the house into a home today.

We spent our day doing school work and housework.

Oh well, at least there was a lot of laundry that got done! ;D

~Candy~

08:16 - Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - comments {1} - post comment

Wiped OUT!!

I have to admit i have not been this wiped out in a long time. This cold has knocked me on my butt..... I went to bed yesturday afternoon around 1 and only got up enough to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water. I have done this all day yesturday, last night and today.. I am still wiped... I cant talk, my throat is hurting, my chest hurts, my head hurts.. YOu name it i just feel alround bad.... I know that it was a blessing that this showed it head before surgery.. I sure did not need this to happen after surgery or while i was in the hospital. i am sure that it would have only hurt my recovery time. So if i can say anything I can thank God that he allowed the cold to come out before i went to the hospital.

Today has been a day. You know what no matter how much you think you are ready for your divorce papers to come into the mail and no matter how much you know that what has taken place is the only thing that could have taken place.. Still when you get those papers you hold them in your hands and feel like a failure.... I mean there is no other words that can fill how i have felt today.... A failure.... I mean I knew the papers were in, I knew that i was divorced, I knew that the judge had signed them and  to be honest i also know that me and the children are better off now.. But to hold that stack of papers that round out the last 20 years of your life in your hand and it is so cold and so uncaring... That stinks....

have a blessed day all

glenda

05:16 - 2009-Jan-7 - comments {1} - post comment

Job Follow-Up, So the Lord is Working!

Good day friends and family! I pray that you are all having a wonderful day in the Lord. I thought I would drop by today and give a follow-up on my job situation that I spoke of two days ago.

I did some praying about it, and right now I believe the Lord wants me to continue working where I am currently. I did not think it wise to go somewhere else at this time, because I would have to ask for time off as soon as I got there.

 I do intend on taking the optometric assistant course, Lord-willing.The class starts at the end of this month and lasts until the middle of March. I am praying that the Lord will allow me to find a job soon after completion of the course.

But all I have to do right now is to wait on Him to prepare me for a possible job in this field.But I am looking forward to the start of the class. I used to want to be an optometrist, so this is the next best thing. I do think I will enjoy it.

So the Lord is working!

Well, I hope you have a great day!

TTYL

Shycountrygal

02:43 - Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - comments {0} - post comment

little catch up

Well things have been busy around here.  We have had 8 baby goats born in 2 days.  On Saturday the 3rd twins were born, then on Monday the 5th 6 babies were born. We had 4 males and 4 females, one died male last night. I will get some pictures of the goat kids up soon.

Here are some pictures around the homestead to update a little of what we have been doing...or buying.

Here is the turkey shelter.

Here is a different view with the chicken coop in the background and the barn/tack room (white metal building). The horse corrals are next to the barn and you can kinda make out one of the horses with its coat on.

The turkeys are getting big.  We will be hatching more in the spring.  I think we have at least 20 turkeys.  We have eaten a couple over the holidays.  The chickens and the ducks are lounging around enjoying the warm days between the freezing ones.

This is our new stud horse.  He is a buckskin, quarter horse.  He is a sweet horse.  He sure has things exciting around here with our mares.  They are all sassy now that he is here. Isn't he a cutie?  He is 19 months old.

My youngest son turns 7 today.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone by.  I will upload those pictures later.  Have a warm, productive day.  Blessings, Brenda 

12:46 PM - Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - comments {1} - post comment

Keep Your Kids New Games in Tact

Likely you have taken down your Christmas decorations and are in full swing of getting your kids to get their new items put away. This is always a good way to get the year started. If you are finding it hard to find space for those items, consider joining the Total Home Overhaul which will be unveiled today! But here is an essential way to help keep those new gifts fun and entertaining!

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12:57 - 2009-Jan-7 - comments {0} - post comment

Late start on schooling lessons...

  We got off to a late start in our schooling lessons today.  We still have math to do, but we are taking a break.  The reason for this late start is Will came home in a talkative mood and Anna was up early with baby William.  No morning time to myself this morning, but it was okay.  The conversations were quite pleasant. 

  I was planning on taking Seth somewhere--anywhere--today, just to get out of the house, but it is raining cats and dogs beyond my windows!  Maybe this is just a fast moving storm that will run its course and leave.  I will have to see.

  Seth is feeling better this morning.  He caught Anna and William's cold.  No fever, just sinus stuffines and all that goes with that.  Even with his cold he is doing fairly well in his lessons.  Yipee!!

  I need to get out in my garden and get the last of my broccoli.  I plan on making broccoli and cheese soup sometime this week.  Will and I are the only ones who like it, so I need to not make a huge amount.  I might blanch off some of the broccoli and freeze it for a later made casserole.  I also have some collards left and a cabbage or two.  I am beginning to think about my early spring garden.  I have the seeds all I need is the season.

  I am going to do some ironing today.  I usually do that in front of a good movie, but I have seen all our movies, so I am going to have to pick one I haven't seen in a very long time.  Watching movies seem to make the ironing just go faster.  I found Donnie's winter shirts; they are now washed and need a little touch up ironing and matched up with some pants.  Donnie does not like to put his outfits together.  He would rather me do it.  He says he can't put them together like I do, and he doesn't want to have to make decisions at 5 am every morning.  I really don't mind doing this for him.  So, that along with vacuuming the Beale Bungalow--these are the my work plans for today.

  I finished reading the Chronicles of the Kings series, by Lynn Austin, this morning.  The last book was the best, in my humble opinion.  The way this author worked in Scriptural truth was so refreshing to me.  I devoured these books.  I believe there were five in all.  Anna is now reading them.  I actually cried three or four times while reading the fifth book.  Sheesh...I am such a wimp.

  I have several other books I wish to read throughout the winter, but I will wait a few days before I start another book.  I need to digest what I have already read.  Donnie and Anna say I cannot read a book for pure enjoyment.  I am always trying to glean truths from them.  Oh well--that is how I am wired.

  I have not had any anxiety this morning.  This is nice.  I still have waves of these rotten emotions from time to time.  I must say that I cannot wait until Jesus physically casts the fear demon that is assigned to me into the lake of fire!!!  No wonder there will be tears to be wiped away and dancing and rejoicing in heaven!!  I, for one, am looking forward to it!!

  Well, break is way over.  I haven't decided what I am going to have for supper tonight.  I will be glad to get on my menu making schedule again.  One thing at a time, though.

  Have a great day, and God Bless!! 

10:41 - Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - comments {0} - post comment

Time to Save on Christmas

Most everyone knows that there is an abundance of great sales AFTER Christmas on wide variety of items. This year is a banner year for savings. With profits down for retailers they are sales abound. However, seasonal items are more deeply discounted. This is a wonderful opportunity for you take use a small amount of money to begin to prepare for next Christmas. These amazing sales can b e very enticing and often times I have found years when I have spent more than I had originally intended because I have found SO many great buys. This year we all need to focus on controlling our frugal purchases and there is a simple way you can score BIG on the savings without going overboard.

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10:18 - 2009-Jan-6 - comments {0} - post comment

We made butter

One day last week I remembered that I had bought some heavy cream over the holidays for Moma's Favorite Cookie, which I am GOING to post the recipe for! REALLY! :)  Well, I thought with this much cream, it would be a good time to show the children how to make butter... well the easy way to make butter.
We pulled out the ole food processor.
Poured in all that cream and turned it on...
There were a few different stages that I told them we would see...
First of all we saw it just as a liquid, as it is as cream.
We would start seeing the cream slowly becoming thicker, until we had it at the whipped cream stage.
They all tried it at this point and sneered... sadly they thought it would taste like cool whip.  Pitiful, huh? I told them at the enormous amounts of 'stuff' added to cool whip and this was so much better, and that we could add a little sweetner if we wanted whipped cream, but we want butter!
Keep it moving, keep it moving...
FINALLY!
BUTTER! :) HURRAH!
Please forgive the skunk stripes down my child's hair... our New Years Party got a bit crazy! :) haha
Mmm... this butter is good, Mom!
We even took the buttermilk and put it in a jar to use later and washed the curds with ice water to help get all the milk off so the butter would last longer.
Now a solid. How crazy are we? Doing school when we are supposed to be on holiday? haha... so is the life of a homeschooler.
I hope you have a great day friends.
My Cup Runneth Over...

08:33 - Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - comments {6} - post comment

Some Of My Favorite Things!

    While most folks are making lists of New Year's resolutions I've been slowly making a list of some of my favorite things!  Never been one to stick to a resolution (New Years or otherwise!) for long, I decided a list of favorite things would be more productive (to refreshing memory) and a whole lot more fun! LOL

  Those close to me know my fondness for old fashioned things and if they are the least bit "countryish" in nature then all the better!  My grandmother gave me this set of old "Ideals" books many years ago and I cherish them.  They are filled with stories, poems and pictures of days gone by and of simpler life.  The inside covers states that they were printed mostly in 1956, but the stories, pictures, poems and pictures speak and show days much older than that!  I'm placing these books at the top of my list for the joy they have given me in reading and re-reading them over the years, thanks to my dear Grandma!

1) Grams old Ideals books

2.) Handcrafted patchwork quilts

3.) Red geraniums planted in tin cans and sitting on a sunny windowsill in winter

4.) Country curtains

5.) Rocking chairs- especially the real comfy ones!

6.) Tea kettles whistling and coffee pots perking

7.) The aroma of bacon frying on a cold winters morning

8.) The hush of early morning and watching the sunrise

9.) Brillant sunsets and bright full moonlit nights

10) Cheerful and colorful birds at the feeders- pretty red cardinals, blue-jays, chickadees, etc.

11.) Country sights in every season, winter-spring-summer-fall

12.) Flannel pj's

13.) Curtains softly blowing in the breeze

14.) Braided rugs

15.) A good read- wholesome books with happy endings

16.) Crafting- all differnt kinds!!!

17.) Watching the flames in a fireplace

18.) The aroma of fresh cut grass in Spring

19.) Sleeping on sun dried sheets

20.) Organ music at church

21.) Favorite suppers-  golumbki with fresh rye bread and applesauce,  pancakes and bacon, Mom's       scalloped potatoes and ham casserole,  BBQ chicken with potato salad & baked beans,  just to name a few! 

22.) The delightful aroma of Spring flowers and newly dug garden dirt

23.) Sights and smells of Autumn- cornhusks, leaf piles, pumpkin pie, etc.

24.) Our little country home

25.) The sweet breath of a new puppy

26.) Country creeks (or is that "cricks"! )

27.) Watching the leaves flutter in the summer breezes

28.) Outdoor clotheslines

29.) Homebaked bread

30.) The sound of my knitting needles clickety-clacking while I knit

31.) Old barns and wooden fences

32.) Afternoon naps

33.) Hurricane lamps

34.) Our Heartland dishes

35.) Checkered tablecloths

36.) Sound of church bells in the city ringing out the time

37.) Early morning dew

38.) The coolness of the night air as it drifts through house

--- And so many more, no doubt!!  LOL ---

 I suppose the list could go on and on as I count my many blessings and think of my favorite things!   I was going to put loved ones at the top of my list but they aren't "things"- they are people and furbabies and dear friends.  So, anyway, it's been fun assembling this long list of some of my favorite things, maybe you'd like to make a list of your own to share and enjoy!

Homespun Blessings, Sher

11:07 - Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - comments {2} - post comment

Found A Memory!

 Yesterday I decided to finally tackle my very cluttered craft closet and while it took me hours to go through boxes and bags of supplies it was well worth the effort when I stumbled across this old stitching.  I remember working this project back around 1980 or so.  I've always had a fondness for old homes and this one just has such a sense of old fashion charm with it's different decors of each room, including a peek into the attic! 

  I had forgotten all about this stitchery, unsure of when I removed it from our hallway where it used to be displayed.  I guess it was proberly when we last painted and I tucked it aside for safe keeping and then had forgotten where that safe place was! LOL

  Isn't it funny how a found item can open up the flood gates of memory? When I look at this stitchery, I think back to when I stitched it as a young newlywed living in a tiny city apartment and dreaming of the day we would have our own home.  I also think back to the old homestead where I grew up and  shared a happy childhood of simple joys with family, neighbors and friends. Those days were long ago and yet they remain so very treasured.  We have come some distance from those simple years  but when we find treasures from our past it is as if time has stood still as we revel in happy golden memories. 

  Homespun Blessings,  Sher

10:40 - Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - comments {2} - post comment