Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Glorious Day!
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What a glorious day! The sun is shining down on me and it is warming up. I am alone at work today except for one of our project managers. All our union men are off for Veteran's Day and I am enjoying the quiet. I think I will take my work outside after lunch and enjoy the weather! Today I am reading manuals for some of the equipment here and that is something I can do outdoors. A funny thing happened today.... I got a Classmates.com email and it had a name on there that sounded so familiar but I could not place the person. I emailed my sister and she explained who it was. He had been a friend of a friend, not someone I was good friends with. Anyway.... I don't like near where I grew up outside of NYC. I do see comments and get emails from some people I went to school with who still live in the area. They are all such sad, miserable people. I am so glad that I moved away from that world and now live in the country here. When I saw Jim's name on my Classmates.com email, I clicked on it and saw a very happy smiling face. I read "his story" and it was so uplifting! He is a very happy guy and it really touched my heart. When we were younger, he wasn't popular and pretty much marched to the beat of a different drum. Here we are, 30 years later and he is so happy with his life and the "popular" kids from back then are totally miserable. (No, I wasn't popular either). I have changed so much since high school. I am much more confident and outgoing than way back then. I also have to say that I wake up happy every day. I AM SO BLESSED! And with that in mind, I am going to send Jim a classmates.com message to say hello and to say how good it was to see his smiling face on my computer today! God Bless! |
Sunday, November 9, 2008
My day did not go as planned!
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Wow - this day sure did not turn out like I had planned! This morning's blog described the beautiful sunrise. Well the sun came up and then Phutt! It was cloudy and windy and cool! I did hike up the mountain for about an hour. I did go to town and picked up what I needed. I came home and cut wood for about an hour and then quit because I didn't like this cold. I was planning to go Christmas shopping this afternoon but changed my mind. Weather and sunshine sure has an impact on my day - I love the sunshine and get so much energy from it! God bless! |
Sunday, November 9, 2008
What an excellent day!
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I am sitting here at my computer watching the sun rise over the mountain - It's beautiful! It was all pink for a while but now it's turning yellow - I guess that means I will see the sun soon. This morning I am going to take a hike up the mountain before I leave for town. I love hiking and with all the hunters out there on the other days, Sunday is the safest time to go. This afternoon I plan on doing some Christmas shopping. I don't have too much to buy this year. Most things I've bought online. My boys wanted down comforters and Overstock has some really nice ones for only 39 dollars. I bought two yesterday. This weekend everything is 10% off so they came to 35. I checked around and that is an excellent price for a down comforter - and I know that they are nice because I bought myself the same one last year. It would be so nice to get all my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving! It would make the holiday season so much more enjoyable and eliminate a lot of stress! Hopefully that will happen today! Well, off to get dressed for the woods! |
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Today's Blessing!
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What a wonderful day! I went out to town and did my shopping bright and early. After that I had planned on going out to cut more firewood but wondered if perhaps I should wait till tomorrow because of all the hunters in the woods. (there's no hunting here on Sundays). I was about to make my decision when the phone rang and it was a friend of mine, Bill. He told me that he had a load of firewood from some trees he cut down and asked if I would want it! WOOHOO! I drove down to his farm and we loaded it on his truck and I now have two cords of some of the best wood I've seen in a long time! And he said he'll bring down another two cords this week! PRAISE GOD! I will still get out there and cut some wood this week but , for now, there's no big rush. I tell everyone that each day God has a special blessing for us. Some days it may be a kind word from a stranger, a beautiful sunrise or maybe, like today..... firewood from a good friend! God Bless! |
Friday, November 7, 2008
It's Friday!
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Friday is finally here and it is a GLORIOUS DAY! It's about 72 degrees and sunny - Now that is my kind of November weather! I've been so busy with things that I haven't had much of a chance to write here but I am going to make a commitment to myself to get back in gear! So much to do this weekend! I am going to start and hopefully finish my christmas shopping. I plan to do a lot of it online. My son wants a down comforter and I know Overstock has some nice ones at fantastic prices. I also have to cut more wood this weekend - I've only cut about 3 cords and that is not enough..... unless of course, the weather stays like it is today!! I also need to plant some more christmas trees. I have about two dozen left along with 4 or 5 hollies. In my last blog entry I wrote that I was looking to move somewhere new when my job here is done and I am laid off. I got a nice note about Mt Airy, NC and I looked online. What a nice place! I think I will make a trip down there to check it out! Everyone - have a wonderful day and God Bless! |
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Do you love the town you live in?
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In January of 2010, the construction project that I work on will be done and I will most likely, be out of work. In June of 2010, my daughter will be graduating high school and moving on to College or the Navy. I've been praying about moving to a smaller home. I moved here 21 years ago from the NYC area. It was a big adventure for me to come to the country. I am ready for another adventure. I am asking all you homesteaders out there to comment or email me and tell me about your town. Would you move there again if you had it to do over? What makes your town special? I'm interested in your comments so please write! Eileen pinchingpennies@lycos.com |
Monday, October 13, 2008
Can anyone use coupons for baby items?
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I have some coupons for baby items. If anyone out there can use them, please email me. |
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Today's To-Do List
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Things I need to do today: 1. Praise God 2. Finish mowing lawn (hopefully no more mowing this year!) 3. Get leaf mold for strawberry patch 4. Hike up to the springhouse and clean filter if necessary 5. Plant evergreens 6. Dig holes for peach & apple trees that I ordered 7. Go to town for groceries 8. Thank God for a beautiful productive day! Now I will check back later and see what I've accomplished off this list. |
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The best plan is no plan at all.
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Looking back at my blogs this week, it's funny how nothing turned out the way I planned.... Thursday I planned to go to work, eat donuts (Thursday is donut day), then leave work and go to Kohls. Thursday I went to work. My boss showed up 3 hours late, forgot to get the donuts and was mad at me for not calling him up to tell him to get to work (LOL). He had overslept. After work I did not go to Kohls because the weather was so beautiful and I just wanted to be out in the gardens. Yesterday I thought it would be a typical Friday with me at the office alone getting a lot done..... Wrongo! My boss didn't go back to the main office in Pittsburgh like he always does on Friday. Instead he sat in his office sulking because the company needed him there to monitor testing. But you know, things always happen for a purpose..... I probably didn't need to eat donuts on Thursday. After all, I have finally lost the 10 lbs I needed to lose. Bill probably needed that extra 3 hours of sleep. And I am sure the Lord wanted me to spend time shopping at Kohls with my daughter instead of alone. She and I had a great time last night. She had gotten paid yesterday and bought herself a cute blouse. I had $5.00 and a $5.00 Kohls coupon and bought myself a nice beaded headband and 2 Yankee tarts in the Cranberry scent. After the coupon, it only cost me $1.26, so I left with change from my 5 dollar bill. After that we went out for breakfast for dinner at Denny's and then headed home to relax. Today is absolutely gorgeous out there. I am cleaning out gardens in a tank top and shorts. I love it! God is so good! |
Friday, October 10, 2008
Gas is down to $2.99 a gallon!
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Woohoo! Gas is $2.99 a gallon, as of yesterday afternoon! I am anxious to see if it goes down anymore today. Never made it to Kohl's yesterday after work. It was such a beautiful day and I didn't want to be inside! I went home and headed right out to the strawberry patch to get it ready for winter. I needed to turn over another 2 feet all around. They are doing fantastic this year! Lots of runners and the best looking plants I've had in quite a while. Tonight I will do the Kohl's thing with my daughter. It's just as well that I waited to go because a big 2 day event starts at 3 this afternoon and I want to get all the bargains I can! If you have a Kohl's near you and haven't signed up on their website for newletters, do it! About a week after signing up, they will email you a coupon for $5.00 off any purchase (no minimum). I'm taking my coupon with me tonight. They have knit tops on sale for as low as $4.99 and they are really cute. My friend spent her $5.00 coupon on Yankee Candles that were on sale for $1.49 two weeks ago. Well, today is friday and I am geared for the weekend. It's looking like the weather is going to be awesome here - mid 70's every day! Love it! |
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A POEM FOR THESE TIMES
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I received this in an email from Dayspring and thought it was worth sharing: LORD, THERE IS SO MUCH HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD RIGHT NOW. IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL, IT'S SO GOOD TO KNOW YOU'RE IN CONTROL, YOUR LOVE IS NEVER-ENDING, AND YOU PROVIDE FOR US. AS THE TREES TURN COLORS, AND THE NIGHTS GROW COOLER, MAY WE BE REMINDED THAT EVERY SEASON OF OUR LIVES IS A PART OF YOUR LOVING PLAN. AMEN HOLLEY GERTH, DAYSPRING WITER Blessing to Everyone! |
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thursday is Donut Day!
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Yippee! Today is Thursday and that means DONUT DAY at work! Today is Friday for everyone I work with (they work 10 hrs a day Monday thru Thursday). I work 5 - 8 hour days so I can be home when my daughter steps off the bus. On Fridays, when I am alone at work, I can get so much done! I work with 40 men - enough said. I get interrupted every 15 minutes with requests and problems. I fix their computers, show them where to find things, call 911 when there is an accident. But I love my job! This is the job I prayed for and God came through! With flying colors! I work for a Christian owned construction company and I Love Construction! After work I am going to run over to the new Kohls store before I head home. Kohls sent me a "welcome" $10 gift card in the mail. Then I signed up for email newsletters on their website and they emailed me a $5 coupon. So I am going to buy something for myself and I rarely buy anything for me. I usually shop Goodwill or the thrift stores. This is exciting! After work, I will head home and hike up to the springhouse. I want to check on the water level up there. It's been so low lately. It's drizzly now which won't help much but anything is better than no rain at all! |
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Bargain Shopping at CVS & Weis & The Economy
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After dinner tonight I was restless so I decided to head to town and get some last minute things at Weis before the sales change. I live about 15 minutes from town so I try to limit my trips to only a few times each week and when I am there, I try to get as much done as possible. I scoped out the CVS sales and did really well tonight! I bought 2 Johnson Buddies soap bars which were $1.19 each. I had a coupon for $2.00 off two. I bought a new Colgate toothbrush which was .99 cents. I had a coupon for $1.00 off. Then I bought a 32 ounce bottle of Vitamin Water for $2.29 for my son. After the coupons and a $2.00 ECB that was about to expire, I paid 67 cents. I got a $2.29 ECB for the Vitamin Water, a 50 cent ECB, a $3.00 coupon off Excedrin and another coupon for $4.00 off any $20.00 purchase. Not bad, huh? Then I HAD to go to Weis and pick up Smart Ones meals. I love them for lunch! I eat one just about every day along with a small salad. ANYWAY... they were on sale for 5 for $9.00 and I had a coupon for $1.00 off on top of it, so I saved a bit of money there and I'm set for lunches for a while. Gas is down to $3.29 here! It seems like everything is losing value these days. My 401k is down 35%. The only thing that is holding value around here is real estate. We have been really lucky about that here. When I saw that gas had gone down, it occurred to me that it seems like things are evening out in a way. Our economy in the Unites States is in poor shape, but so is the economy internationally. Everything is going down so now even the MidEast will feel it as crude oil drops. Maybe it's God's way of evening things out for a while. Maybe He wants us to just get down to the basics. To just focus on what's necessary for our lives. I know I have so much clutter - so many trinkets. When my husband died, I started selling a lot of my things on Ebay. I felt that the Lord wanted me to "Simplify" my life - To focus on the basics. I set aside the money I made on Ebay to get my debts down. I still have a long way to go but I know I'm on the right track here. I stay home more now and that has kept my spending way down. I am working on much needed improvements on my house with all this extra time. And I have alot more time to devote to my gardens and growing good food for my family. Well, enough of my ramblings. I better get this house straightened up before bed. God Bless everyone who reads this! |
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Today's Goals
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I'm on a roll lately! I've been getting so much done. Yesterday my son drove down and helped me put a new roof on the springhouse. Not a minute too soon either - That roof old fell apart when we took it off! Now for today........ Got to get those air conditioners out of the windows! Got to finish mowing the front yard! Got to mail out what I sold on Amazon! Got to eat Emily's baked macaroni & cheese! (that's my favorite job for the day!) This week has been crazy at work. I am working on a huge construction project - we are building a hospital. I work in one of those trailers on site and assist 3 project managers. We have a senior project manager, Dave - he is Mr. Calm. He is the one who keeps everything and everyone in order. Then we have Mike. He is Mr. Energy. He is 58 years old and gets things done! He runs around like an 18 year old. He's amazing. Then we have Bill. Bill wears many hats. He can be Mr. Fun or Mr. Trouble, but he is mostly Mr. Lazy. Well, this week, Dave, our fearless leader is at the main office. Mike, Mr. Energy was called off to another project for the week and I am left with Bill. OH MY. We all start work at 7 - Monday he came in at 11, then went to lunch till 2. Then he went on the jobsite to see what was going on. Yesterday he came in at 7:15 and left for a meeting that started at 7. He was supposed to come right down and do a meeting at 8 that he hosts but didn't show up till 8:30. He called me to have me print off meeting minutes as he was on his way back to host the meeting but I had already tried to do that...... unfortunately he had forgotten to do the minutes on the computer so I had to print up the minutes for Sept 23rd's meeting. Then he left for a meeting with the gas company at 9:30. At 1 o'clock I started to wonder where he was and someone told me he was most likely napping. He came back to the office at 3:15 as I was getting ready to leave. HE HAD GONE HOME TO NAP! I couldn't believe it! Today, well I am dreading today - he is probably due to go shopping for shoes (he did that last time Dave was away for the week). Say a little prayer for me! |
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
First Frost and An Old Crow!
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Today was our first frost of the year. I remembered to bring in my tender plants last night. I bought black geraniums this year and want to save them for next year. I have some other geraniums that I've saved year after year and they keep going and going. I love decorating! I am an artist so I tend to love anything with an interesting form or pattern. I love shabby chic and primitive and sometimes modern. I love antiques and original paintings done by unknown artists. I shop at the Goodwill often and when I see an interesting original painting on canvas for a couple dollars, I take it home. I wonder about the artist too. So much heart & soul goes into painting something. Anyway..... I decorate in a shabby chic theme for spring and summer but then when fall arrives, I pack away the shabby things and go with a primitive look. This weekend I started changing over. I had a mirror near the front door and in it's place I put a painting of an old crow on a pumpkin. I cannot count how many times since I put it there that I've done a quick look at my hair or makeup before I walked out the door and found an old crow looking back at me! Tonight I am going to gather all my cornstalks and decorate the front porch. I might even make a scarecrow to sit out there in an old chair. It's so much fun to decorate for autumn. I don't celebrate Halloween but I do celebrate autumn. I love the smells of autumn - hot apple cider, pumpkin pies and roasts in the oven. The smell of a wood fire and burning leaves. I love sweaters and corduroys and boots. Autumn is great. Well, I better get to work here. I guess that's what they are paying me for  . |
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Lord and the Laundry
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I know it sounds odd to most people but I love going to the laundrimat. Mostly it's because of the people. I grew up in a suburb of NYC and "people watching" is a favorite NY passtime. I got home from work at 4, grabbed the laundry and headed out to town. I expected to see lots of cars there but there was only one. Inside sitting in a chair by her washer, was a woman about 75 or 80 . She was reading a book. She had the whitest hair I've ever seen - it shone like a halo. There were 4 washers right beside her that weren't in use so I started to fill them. She looked up and I told how surprised I was that it was so quiet in there this afternoon. From there, we started a conversation and talked about everything. I believe that the Lord sends us the words we need to hear from people around us. She spoke to me about how she had recently sold her home and moved into an apartment. She had lived in that home for 54 years. She wasn't used to having to go out to do the laundry. She talked about the gardens she had. She loved growing corn and lots of flowers. She missed her big upright freezer. She used to fill it with the things she grew and bargains she found at the store. Her son had gotten cancer recently and had surgery and she felt that it would be a burden for him to come and help her from time to time with house chores so she sold her house. She told me she sold it to a wonderful young couple. They had wanted the freezer so she sold it to them for $50 because she knew that they were struggling to make ends meet and would make good use of it. I told her that my house was a 5 bedroom house and how everyone said I should sell it and move because it's only me and my daughter and she will be moving on in a couple of years. Her last words to me before she headed out the door were "stay in the house as long as youI can - that is where you are happy. You have roots there - you will miss your gardens.." After a day of hearing about the economy and the stock market. About how our 401k's will evaporate, I heard what I needed to hear. Being where you belong is so important. I have planted my roots in a place where I know the Lord wants me to be. I get peace from the earth. I spend so many hours talking with the Lord while I'm digging and weeding. This place feeds my soul. When the woman at the laundry was leaving she thanked me for listening to her. I hope I see her again some day. But if I don't, I do know that the Lord arranged for our paths to meet for a good reason. |
Monday, October 6, 2008
Is there a plumber in the house?
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I was just down in the basement and noticed some dampness around the hot water tank. I hd been noticing lately that the hot water pressure isn't as good as the cold water pressure. Time for a new hot water heater. Oh, how I hate installing them! Today I have so much planned! Work from 7-3:30. Then gather up laundry and head to the laundrimat. We're in a drought here so I am going to do the laundry in town. I actually prefer that. I can get 5 loads washed in 30 minutes and be done with it for the week! While it's washing, I run over to the Kwik Fill for a cup of coffee or to the Giant Eagle for a few grocery items. Then home to hang it all on the lines. I may stop at CVS for some of this week's buys. I love that store! With ECB's and coupons I can get alot of stuff for free. My daughter laughs because I have a stock of shampoo, soaps, toothpastes, etc. I am boxing up some things to donate to the local Women's Abuse Shelter. The lady who runs it told me the women would be thrilled to get stuff like that. I just saw there are frost warnings for tonite. I'm glad I put all my tender plants on the porch - now I just have to remember to bring them in later! There had been some showers in the forecast for this afternoon and evening and they are now gone  . I was really hoping for some rain to water my new transplants. Oh well, time to pray in the rain!Off to get ready for work! |
Sunday, October 5, 2008
My Goals
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Today I decided to start this blog about my life here in Bedford Valley. I love this place. My house isn't perfect - it needs lots of work. My gardens are a jumble. But my life here is wonderful! I am 50 years old but I still have so many dreams. So many goals. Most people would laugh and tell me to just sit back and relax. They say I've worked hard my whole life and it's time to chill. But I want to keep living as if I'll be here on this planet forever. I spent my day in the gardens. I'm starting a new shade garden. My perennial beds have become so crowded, it's time to thin them out. I've also traded plants with my friends and have lots of new additions. So I spent my day breaking new ground and I started digging up plants and moving them to their new homes. The new garden is in a horseshoe shape around my future sitting area alongside the stream. It will be a place to sit and relax and drink lemonade. It will be grand! My new strawberry patch is off and running and I spent the end of my day clearing more ground all around it to accomodate the runners that just keep going and going. I love this new garden area! I started an herb garden this past spring and decided to put strawberries all around it. The strawberries seem to like it there. The old patch was not producing much any more so I knew it was time to start a new one. The old patch was a little low and during wet springs, the berries would rot. The new patch is higher and the soil is excellent. I am looking forward to picking loads of berries in the spring. I am thinking of starting an orchard. I will ponder this before I fall asleep..... Off to bed now - I need to get up at 5 for work tomorrow! |