A New Year Recommendation

I thought I would just send you over to girltalk for some great insight and encouragement about the new year. There is much food for thought in their short daily posts, why should I try to wax eloquent when I'm in the same boat as many of you wondering how to proceed from here! :)

"New Beginnings..."

I'll be posting some thoughts on the New Year, just like everyone else, I suppose. I haven't collected all those thoughts yet, however. So I'll "keep ya posted" on when that comes together. :)

Yet Another Ice Storm

Today's forecast is calling for, believe it or not, more ice and snow. Possibly an inch of ice! This will be the fourth ice storm already this winter, and it's only the first week of January! But, honestly, I don't mind that terribly much because I don't have to go out in it. Being a stay-at-home mom has its advantages at times. :) Snow, however, would be just a wee bit more fun for little children to play in than ICE! Right after the last ice storm I took the boys outside for half an hour so they could try to chop through some ice with their little shovels. But the wind was blowing so hard that huge ice chunks were dropping from the trees and hitting the ground like shattering glass! It was amazing to see, but dangerous to be anywhere near a tree. Needless to say, 30 minutes of slipping on the ice and being cornered in the back of our tiny yard away from the trees was quite enough! So, I'm hoping the tail end of today's storm produces a bit of snow for the kiddies to at least walk around in with their snow boots!

There is a positive to bad weather for me, though. I either get motivated to tackle a cleaning project in the house, OR I curl up with an extra cup of coffee or two and a good book for a few hours while the boys watch movies in their sleeping bags. I have a feeling that this winter is going to continue to provide opportunities for both these options!

Come to think of it, I have a miniseries to watch on DVD, too! My inlaws got me the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice for Christmas! It's a collector's set with a beautiful book of how it was produced and everything. That may just be what I decide to do today! Hope you all are able to stay warm and cozy wherever you are today, too!

Mice and Popcorn

Apparently we have a mouse in the house! The popcorn strings I so tediously made for our Christmas tree this year are chewed right off of the branches! Somehow a very careful critter has eaten half of the popcorn strings without knocking a single ornament to the ground! I don't know why he didn't bother to finish the string closest to the ground before moving halfway up the tree, but at least he was careful not to mess with my precious ornaments! I was planning to leave the tree up for a few more weeks, but now it looks a bit goofy. I'm anxious to be rid of the whole mess! I think a mousetrap will be waiting for our little popcorn thief later tonight! :)

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!