A Most Wonderful Time of Year

We've been having so much fun decorating! Isn't it exciting to pull out those boxes and go through all your special Christmas things? It's like opening presents early! :) Hope you are enjoying the season so far!

Here are a few photos of our favorite things!

Come in out of the cold and snow. . .
grab a cup of coffee . . .and enjoy the tour . . .
Thanks for stopping by to enjoy a bit of the season with me! May your Christmas be a blessed one!

Yay! It's Finally December!

I'm feelin' that fuzzy feeling-ya know, the one that suddenly hits you right after you finish savoring that Thanksgiving turkey and swallow the pumpkin pie. It's that special tingle I get, when I know it's finally time to break out the Christmas decorations and let the month-long celebration begin! :)

It is SO MUCH FUN to experience the Christmas season with little children! It has opened my eyes to a whole new appreciation for this time of year and what it means! My boys are old enough this year to more fully understand the story of Jesus' birth and what a wonderful gift of salvation he was born to give to each of us!

We have yet to get our big tree (my sweetheart has been a little busy lately-a post for another time), but we've had plenty to do. Hopefully we can get us a real tree this weekend! Pictures will be coming soon. Happy decorating, everyone!

In Light of the Recent Election

I've taken some time since the presidential election to read and re-read passages in Ecclesiastes. It sorta sums things up.

Eccl. 1:4 "Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever."

Eccl 1:9 "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."

Eccl. 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:"

Eccl. 3:14 "I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him."

Eccl. 12:13 "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

Eccl. 12:14 "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."


Other passages that were great reminders to me this past week . . .


Ps. 118:8 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."

Isaiah 26:3, 4 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."

Ps. 31:24 "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord."

James 5:7a "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming."


God's Word is so jam-packed with encouragement! This is obviously just a taste. :) Finding a bit of encouragement in verses like these is something I need and look forward to on a regular basis.

Birthday Upstaged

Well, it's November 4th, a pretty important day for our nation this year. And I'm very aware that today's outcome at the voting booth may signify major changes for our country's direction. I had definitely planned on doing my part for republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain by standing in a long line to cast my vote; however, today I find myself stuck in my easy chair not feeling very well at all! I don't think I'm capable of standing for longer than five minutes, so it looks like I will not be able to assist in getting my birthday wish of a McCain victory. I must count on my fellow Americans to "get out the vote" today.

And yes, November 4th is a pretty important day every year for me. :) Unfortunately this year, I've been upstaged a bit by this "little" election. But since I'm over 30, I'm actually not that bothered by some attention being drawn away from my annual milestone. Tomorrow is another day, of which, I sincerely hope to be feeling well enough to get off my chair and maybe, just maybe, find my way to a store where I can indulge myself with the purchase of a new Vera Bradley bag. (I'm a little obsessed with Vera! Jeffery will attest.)

So, my special day will be one of much needed rest, and maybe a little reading. I find that sometimes, the Lord knocks you off your feet, so that you are forced to slow down and do a little reflecting. And as my Bible reading has been a little neglected of late, that is where I will start. Meditation on His word is always the very best medicine for whatever ales me. Maybe later, I will return and share what I read and how it blessed me. :)

Weather and Baseball

First, the look of my blog has changed again. And I'm not promising that it won't change a few more times until I settle on a particular look. I do love red, though, and flowers are always a good choice, in my opinion, so this may stay a while.

On to the weather...it's pouring rain/snow and blowing. Not conducive to outdoor activities. Thus, we will be exhausting all fun and creative indoor activities today, the boys and I. Oh, as well as keeping the dog quietly occupied. (Not an easy task!) We're keeping our fingers crossed that she has one of her few and far between "catch-up on sleep" days.

The weather has also put a cramp in the World Series...postponed until the storm passes. I'm not into baseball, but when your hometown team is involved, you are sort of obligated to get a little excited, right?!! I really hope it can resume tonight, and we can finally have a winning home team!! Go Phillies! I have a special place in my heart for pitcher Jamie Moyer. Not being a baseball fan, I only know his name because of a certain person I used to care for a few years back when I worked as a nurses aid in a retirement community. One of the residents I cared for was an older man who LOVED baseball and was Jamie Moyer's biggest fan. The man's name was Walter and he needed alot of assistance. Walter could have complained much about his physical situation, but he was always cheerful and just wanted to talk about one thing--baseball and Jamie Moyer. Every time you entered Walter's room he asked if you knew Jamie Moyer and that he was a great pitcher. It was virtually the exact conversation word for word with Walter every time; but he was so happy to talk about Jamie Moyer, that you couldn't help but oblige.

So, now almost 15 years later, I'm watching Jamie Moyer pitch for the Phillies in the World Series. It brings back memories of a college occupation that was not always pleasant. Walter was one of the few rays of sunshine in that depressing place.

I do not know if Walter is still with us, but I am hoping Jamie Moyer gets to bring this one home for Walter, his biggest fan!

An Autumn Look for My Blog. . .

I was getting bored with the look of my blog, so I found this really neat website with lots of free blogger templates. And believe me, if I figured out how to make this change, anybody can do it!

The weather has been slowly cooling, but not enough to actually start burning the costly gas furnace yet! We though last year's heating bills were ridiculous, I don't even want to imagine what this winter is going to cost us. I'm torn. I want an unseasonably warm winter so we can afford to keep the house reasonably comfortable, and yet I want my boys to have some snow to play in. Last winter was a failure in the snow department.

But Autumn has only just begun, so I must focus on the now instead of the future. We are in the midst of hunting season--archery for buck and doe, shotgun for grouse, etc. (It actually could be rifle for grouse and not shotgun. Apparently there's a difference. Who knew?!!) Anyway, between overtime at work for my hubby, some minor house renovations, and hunting season, it's been a little crazy around our house. Oh, and I hurt my back again, so I can't even help my man out with painting. Very frustrating!

I'm not letting the frustration overtake my excitement for fall, though! I love this time of year! Some of our trees are just starting to change their leaf color and the air has that crisp coolness to it. I love being able to put on my fuzzy socks and settle in under a fleece throw with a good book and a cup of coffee. Or hot apple cider or hot chocolate! Tea would be ok, too. Pretty much any steaming beverage. :)

So, I will probably post some pictures of our renovations when they are completed. But I'm not even going to venture a guess on when that will be. Meanwhile I will be nursing my sore back trying not to feel too guilty about how hard my hubby is having to work these days.

Camping in the Rain

For being relatively new to the whole camping thing, I'm pretty proud of myself and my little guys for having a really enjoyable time outside in the rain all weekend! Thankfully it was mostly a gentle, warm rain. We remained in sandals and rain jackets most of the time, and Jeff was able to keep our tent and eating area quite dry. :)


Now Jeff is an amazing cook at home, so of course we were treated to yummy camp food all weekend!And we spent some time roaming a lumberjack museum...


playing on the little beach area in the rain...

meeting some cute critters..

a chipmunk who parked under our table for every meal...

a baby snapper turtle...a little fawn who was stuck on one side of our jeep and its mother across the road on the other side...

and just really enjoying some down time away from it all!


I must say, if I didn't have such an experienced outdoorsman for a husband, the rainy weekend in the woods just might have ended sooner than planned. Thanks for making a wonderful memory for our family, sweetheart!

Where did summer go?

So, August is now gone, and summer is officially over. And with the rain and wind of Hurricane Hanna blown northward, I am enjoying the low humidity and perfect temperatures. My boys are very excited to see leaves falling, although I'm pretty sure they're falling early due to previously dry temps. and this past weekend's wind and rain. But, nevertheless, there are leaves to rake into piles for jumping, and that makes Garrett and Carson giggle with excitement.

Another adventure that has them giggling in delight is our camping trip planned for this weekend. This will be their first time, and they are anticipating all sorts of new adventures in the woods for three whole days. They don't even know the half of it. So, I will have camera in tow, following them around for the duration documenting their every new discovery and experience. I, as well, will be experiencing new things, as I've only done this one other time in my life, and it was before children. Needless to say, this will be a new endeavor for all of us. Even Daddy, experienced wilderness outdoorsman that he is!! :)

So, I'll be back next week with lots to share. Enjoy your week, everybody!

Doin' alot of thinkin'...

I've had a lot on my mind lately, most of which will stay right there and go no further toward a public post. (Just thank me later.) :) But life is a crazy winding journey sometimes, and mine has been awinding. Nothing traumatic, just a meandering through a wooded patch where it's hard to see what might be around the next few trees. However, recently I've felt like I've suddenly stumbled into one of those meadows of tall grass between wooded patches, where much like a deer, I'm enjoying some sunshine, breathing some fresh air, munching on some much needed sustenance, and keeping one eye on another wooded patch of uncertainty in the near future. But because I'm grazing in this spacious meadow, I feel up to the challenges ahead.

Now that either made perfect sense to you as you read that, or made you have second thoughts about continuing a friendship with a space cadet. :) Anyway, it made perfect sense to me as I wrote it just now, and since this is my blog, that's all that matters, right?!!

I've been spending a lot of time in my gardens, playing in the summer sun with my boys, enjoying some special times with my hubby, and I've also squeezed in some extra reading. All of which has done wonders for my soul and my outlook.

This is just a little bit of what has been going on in this head of mine, and sometimes you just have to write it down (or type it out) to move on. I don't know about you, but I feel better. I'll go back to posting normal stuff now. :)

So, it's summertime...

I'm just realizing that the date of my last post was May 31st. Somehow I've missed a whole month! But then I thought about how little time I spend indoors in front of a keyboard when it's warm and sunny outside!

So here are a few photos of what me and my boys have been up to...

Some backyard fun...

An evening stroll at a nearby lake...

Beatin' the heat in the river...

Seeing some local wildlife...

Finding a baby birdie that fell out of its nest...

Hope you are enjoying summertime as much as we are!

Pool Time!

This is where the boys will be all summer!

Heart-Soil

I have a little book I like to peruse every so often. It's a devotional book of sorts that uses the idea of gardening to explain a person's relationship with Christ. Well, gardening is one of my favorite past-times. And I definitely need reminders to continue growing closer to the Lord on life's journey. Thus, "Down a Garden Path" by Karla Dornacher was written for the likes of me. :)

One of the points in this book reminds us that "beautiful blooms and a bountiful harvest require good soil." To quote more insightful words from this book...

"Good heart-soil is an ongoing, never-ending process. As you open your heart to the tender hand of the Master Gardener, He is able to till the hard places, remove the rocks, and pull up the weeds of the world that would entangle and choke out the life of His love. Take time to cultivate your relationship with the Master Gardener. Ask Him to show you any areas of your heart-soil where you need to let go and let Him work. Seek to be the beautiful and bountiful garden He designed you to be."

And then Karla Dornacher quotes a phrase from a familiar psalm, "Search me O God, and know my heart".

Wow, those words! I remember many a church communion service where the hymn, written from that psalm, was sung. The words brought my heart, mind, and soul into a quiet and reverent place of humility and dependence. I couldn't help but do some soul-searching and vow right there in the church pew to allow the Master Gardener to cultivate my heart-soil.

I've often wanted to write out the words to this hymn and post it where I could read them daily. I need a regular reminder to weed out worldly influences, plant seeds of God's Word, and cultivate my heart-soil in order to attain a beautiful and bountiful life in His eyes.

So, as I enjoy my spring planting, thank you, Karla Dornacher, for this timely reminder. And in case you're not familiar with the psalm she referenced, read these verses and see if they don't move you in some way.

Psalm 139:23, 24

"Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."

Cabin Fever

Well, it has been a very long week, but yesterday, Memorial Day, my sick little boys and I were able to step outside and enjoy some long awaited sunshine. Sickness hit our household last week (exactly 24 hours after the boys attended Sunday School-amazing how that happens). So started a week of sleepless nights, miserable days stuck inside in front of the tv, tissue boxes adorning every table top. Only to begin the holiday weekend with a doctor's visit due to pink eye and an ear infection. At least the week had been just as miserable outside with very cool spring temperatures and lots of rain and wind. Inside, even if it was a sick-house, was definitely the better option.

My sweetheart gave up his three-day weekend plans of a family trip to Cabela's, target shooting, turkey hunting, and whatever else he could squeeze in, to babysit us sicko's and do some long awaited around-the-house/yard projects. Having him around for three whole days all to ourselves was just the medicine we needed, and by yesterday we were feeling up to spending the day in our back yard on a most beautiful day. The boys "helping" daddy, of course, as he did some electrical wiring for the fishpond and some outdoor lighting. And me relaxing on the back porch watching the many motorcycles that drive by on a sunny holiday. OK, I did work in a load of laundry or two in the middle of all that relaxin' ('cause clothing mountains were forming in the basement after a week of neglect!)

And here I would like to pause and say a big THANK YOU to my husband's new company for actually using a uniform service! No more washing work clothes for me! Yippeeee!!

So, today, the hubby is back to work, it's dismal and rainy again, and me and the boys are lounging. We're not back to full steam yet, and yesterday's outside fun was exhausting. Ours was a very low-key Memorial Day weekend spent at home, but we were together as a family and life doesn't get much better. Hope you enjoyed your holiday as much as we did.

My Boys in Trees

This is my boys' idea of a weekend well spent...







helping Pop Pop and Daddy cut up tree branches and stack wood piles. Does it get any better for little boys?


. . . and big boys? :)

Spring Blooms

I've been anxiously awaiting my garden's first blooms,
and here they are...

Spring shows God's detailed handiwork so brilliantly, doesn't it?