Sunday Scripture

I Corinthians 10:13 - "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

This was the first scripture that I memorized after giving my heart to the Lord on that long ago
Thursday evening in 1975 at the First Apostolic Church in Lancaster, Ohio.
You see, I was struggling with smoking cigarettes. I had smoked for six years. I had had people tell me that they either just lost the desire for cigarettes after they were born again or the Lord delivered them from them instantly. Well, neither of those happened to me. *feeble grin* I also lived with my parents, who were not in the church, and they both smoked which made it doubly difficult to quit. *sigh* I will say that my parents encouraged me and endeavored to help me quit, though they still smoked.

Oh, I would be in a wonderful service at church and the power and presence of the Lord would move upon me and I would promise the Lord to not ever smoke again and I truly meant it. But then I would leave church and before even getting home, which was about a forty-five minute drive, I would have such an intense craving for a cigarette. More often than not, I would succumb and have a cigarette. Sometimes I had cigarettes with me but if not, I would stop and buy a pack. But as soon as I would light one up and take a few drags, I would get so angry at myself for being weak and throw them out the window, only to be faced with them again at home. And this vicious cycle would repeat itself continually in the early days of my developing relationship with the Lord.

One day at the retail store where I worked, when I was on my break, I wanted a cigarette sooooo much. I was the only one in the break room and I started looking in the ashtrays (there were alot of them) for a cigarette butt long enough to smoke. I was pathetic. I couldn't find one. I sat down to eat my lunch and pulled a small bible out of my purse. Now, I wasn't knowledgeable enough of the Bible to even know where to look for help, so I just opened my Bible and put my finger on a random verse, all the while asking God to help me to overcome this terrible addiction. I opened my eyes and started reading I Corinthians 10:13. I could hardly believe it! It was only the Lord that enabled me to find the EXACT verse that I needed that day! He is such a personal, caring Saviour! I memorized this scripture right then and there while on my lunch break! It has been a strength and help to me all through the years when I have faced temptations, great or small.

And the cigarette habit? Well, I can't tell you EXACTLY when I no longer smoked. I just know that one day soon after that day in the break room, I realized that I had quit. I no longer had that gnawing craving for them. The Lord so graciously and patiently helped me to overcome the hold they had on me. I learned to quit beating myself up for being weak and dependent on them as I learned to lean upon Him for the comfort, peace and soothing that I needed. I always say that if I could quit smoking, ANYONE can!!! With the help of the Lord, that is!

"He gives me strength as I worship Him,
And my heart is filled with praise,
Jesus breaks the bands as I raise my hands,
And gives glorious victory."

The newest member of First Church!

Here is a picture of the newest member of First Church Praise and Worship Center in Logan, Ohio! Little Daniel Chase! Isn't he a cutie? His mother is Jamie and she has come to First Church all of her life. It is so wonderful to see the heritage continuing. Her mother and grandmother also come to First Church.

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And here are two OLD members of First Church....me and Ed! Aren't we cuties? *smile* We just happened to both wear navy blue to church and I thought we should have our picture taken! It isn't often we dress alike. Well, at least in the same colors. *grin* We do have one sweet couple at church who are always color-co-ordinated, Bobby and Brenda, and I think it is soooo sweet. They always look so nice!

You make me smile!

Barbara, my dear friend at Stray Thoughts, passed this award along to me, 'cause I make her SMILE! Thank you, Barbara! Below is the description of the award:

"The thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell,and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with.
I wanted to create something special for people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement. Although there are MANY people I want to give this award to at this very moment, I am going to choose four bloggers:
Please grab your badge and wear it(with a smile) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you.”

And now I am going to pass it on to some people who make ME smile and encourage me with their postings.

Linda at Echoes from the Elms

Rhonda at More for Your Life

Chantell at Where You Can Find Me

Theresa at My World and Welcome To It

Let It Rain!!!!

It's raining in Ohio!!!! I am so excited!! Because it has been sooooo dry here!!! Thank you, Lord Jesus. Now I am going to bed and listen to the raindrops on the roof as I read and drift off to sleep with my sweet husband! Rain, wonderful rain!!!!!

Thursday funnies

Noah opens up the ark and lets all of the animals out, telling them, "Go forth and multiply!"
He's closing the great door of the ark when he notices that there are two snakes sitting in a dark corner.
So he says to them, "Didn' you hear me? You can go now. Go forth and multiply!"
"We can't," said the snakes, "We're ADDERS."
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Why don't skeletons date?
They don't have any BODY to go out with!
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Why can't mummies keep friends?
They're too WRAPPED UP in themselves!
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In a quandry

I have just not been feeling very well today, Thursday. I have been having stomach trouble, meaning my stomach has just been irritated and kind of "acidy" for the past couple of weeks. I've also had some chest discomfort because of some indigestion, I think. This is rare for me. I just don't get sick at my stomach or have intestinal issues, coming from a family with strong constitutions. *grin* BUT, this has had me a bit concerned because I haven't even wanted to drink my morning coffee. So, as I was laying in bed early this morning, pondering all of this, it dawned on me that it might be the naproxen that I started taking about a month ago. I take it with food and I only take two a day. So I googled Naproxen and its side effects and sure enough, "stomach irritation" is one of them! I also have two or three sores in my mouth which I have not had forever, even after a summer of eating home-grown tomatoes, which this year, for some strange reason, did not cause sores in my mouth. Thank you, Jesus. But, when I noticed the first sore just inside my mouth, I wondered what in the world could have caused that. Now I know it is probably the naproxen causing the stomach problems causing the sores. Yuck. Soooo, I am now off of the naproxen and we'll see how long it takes for these issues to clear up. SOON, I hope.

Guess who came to dinner?

Well, you'll know as soon as you see the picture! Yes, it was the three musketeers, as we lovingly call them! *smile* That is Erin's younger brother, Brian, on her left and of course, Erin and Daniel. Brian has his own bedroom at Daniel and Erin's and practically lives there,which they all love. We joke around about it with Erin's parents, saying we didn't know that we were going to gain a "son-in-law", too, when Daniel and Erin got married. They say they didn't realize that they were going to have an empty nest once Erin got married, either. Brian was pretty much still living at home when Daniel and Erin got married but just started spending more and more time at their house and now you know the rest of the story. We just love him and consider him part of the family.

Sooooo, Tuesday evening they all came up for dinner. We grilled steaks and I fixed dutch potatoes and garlic bread. They don't eat much in the way of vegetables, except potatoes. I also made apple dumplings and had ice cream. It was all delicious and the steaks were perfect. After dinner, we went into the living room and while I played my piano, we all sang and harmonized and the kids taught me a couple of new choruses that they sing at their church. Daniel was just amazed that I could pick them up and learn to play them so quickly but I reminded him that I have been doing this for 30 years, so it should come kind of easy to me by now. *smile* I also helped them with the harmony on a couple of songs that they sing and Daniel kept us all laughing throughout the evening.

A task accomplished!

Now this might look like just a little leather-bound journal to you BUT it contains ALL of the names, phone numbers and addresses and even some birthdates of family and friends that I have collected since Ed and I have been married! They used to be spread out amongst 5 or 6 address books, bits of paper, on old phone books and in tablets. I have wanted to get them organized and in one nice address book for soooooooo long and I FINALLY DID IT!!!! It is a major accomplishment and I feel so good about and just had to share it with all of you!!

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I also finished an Ohio State baby afghan for little Nathen! I put fringe on it, which I've not done before and I think it looks pretty good. Now I just have to get it to him!

And now for the answers!!!

Here are the answers to the "How America Shops" post!

1. What one item does Walmart sell the most of?
BANANAS!!!
I can believe this.

2. What state buys the most televisions?
OHIO!!!
I think this may be because we have TWO MLB teams, TWO major league football teams,
an NBA team, OSU sports, just to name a few!

3. What comfort food does Walmart sell the most of and stock up on during a natural
disaster, such as a tornado, hurricance, snowstorm, etc.
POPTARTS!!!
I found this just unbelieveable, though I do have a blueberry poptart every morning with
my coffee!

If you go here, you may be able to get the answers if you click on "Inside Walmart" . I just heard the answers on the show. You all gave some really good answers, even if they weren't correct. *smile*

How America shops!!

Good Morning America ran a series last week about Walmart and how they make it their business to know how America shops. They told three interesting facts about how America shops and I am going to pose these three questions to you, my blog readers, and see how many you get correctly. Post your answers in the comments. I'll give you a couple of days. I'll put the answers up Monday and no cheating!!!! Don't go looking up the answers on GMA's website! I got one of them right. The other two I was amazed at! Here they are:

1. What is the one item/product that Walmart sells more of than anything else?

2. What state in the U.S. buys the most televisions?

3. What comfort food does Walmart sell the most of and stock up on during a natural catastrophe such as a tornado, hurricane, snow storm, etc.?

Put your thinking caps on and post those answers!! You just never know! You might win a prize!

My hidden talent

Okay, I have to be honest here. When I went to the "Your Hidden Talent" page, this was actually my first choice, but I clicked on the other because I REALLY liked it, too. I think they both describe me pretty closely. Give it a try!

Your Hidden Talent

You are both very knowledgeable and creative. You tend to be full of new ideas and potential - big potential. Ideas like yours could change the world, if you build them. As long as you don't stop working on your dreams, you'll get there.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

What's Your Hidden Talent?

I saw this over at Barbara's blog, Stray Thoughts and thought it would be fun to do! Just click below to do it yourself! (How do they know this stuff about me? In just one click? Amazing..)

Your Hidden Talent

You are a great communicator. You have a real way with words. You're never at a loss to explain what you mean or how you feel. People find it easy to empathize with you, no matter what your situation. When you're up, you make everyone happy. But when you're down, everyone suffers.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Ed and his new toy!

Here he is! On his new riding mower. And he REALLY did NEED it. *grin* He was so indecisive about getting it, but I told him now was the time to buy it because they had been reduced for clearance as the mowing season is just about over. So, he took the plunge! He has our little valley so spruced up and looking beautiful. I'll take some pictures tomorrow and post them for your viewing pleasure! Good night, all!!! *yawn*

A couple of other things

Now, I will be the first to admit that I am by no means a techie, but I do know the basics of computer ownership. *grin* Anywayyyyy, I learned a couple of little tidbits this past week about my computer and thought I would share just in case they might come in handy for you.
Many times, when I am opening an email or webpage that has alot of images, all of the images do not load. Well....Erin was here with me one day and told me to just right click in the square where the picture SHOULD be. A drop-down menu will appear. You just have to click on the "Show the picture" option and the picture(s) will load. Now, this may be more prevalent on dial-up. I don't know, but I hope it comes in handy for some of you as it did for me.
Also, I was needing a blank floppy disk. My CD burner is on the blink. :-/ I didn't have a blank floppy disk. So, I put an old one in, opened "my computer", then "3 1/2 floppy (A:)". The floppy had some documents on it that I wanted to keep. After looking around for a little, I noticed that to the left I was given the option to move the file. So, I clicked on "move the file" and was given options of where I could move the file to. I moved them to "my documents" and next thing I knew, I had a blank floppy disk. Now, this may seem simple to you, but this was how I learned most everything I know about my pc. I just picked up little hints and tricks from here and there. I also get an email periodically that offers alot of great tips and tricks. You can sign up for it or read past tips and so on at World Start. Worldstart has a wealth of basic, understandable information for computer users and also about Exel, Word, Powerpoint, and Outlook, to name a few.

Two recipes and household tip

I was wanting to make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies yesterday (they are Ed's favorite!) but was not looking forward to spending the time spooning out the dough onto the cookie sheet and so on. It isn't because I'm lazy, either. I just wasn't looking forward to being on my feet for so long and having to get up and down so much. Soooooo I searched on the internet for a recipe for Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Bars and I found one! And is it ever yummy! These taste just like a soft oatmeal raisin cookie but you just mix up the batter, spread it out evenly in the baking dish and 25 minutes later....voila'!....wonderful, warm oatmeal raisin bars! Great with milk or a hot cup of coffee! Here is the recipe:

2 cups of flour
2 cups of oats
1 tsp. of soda
2 tsp. of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups brown sugar/ packed
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of raisins

Cream together the butter,sugar,eggs,and vanilla. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Spread in greased 9X13 baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Be sure to not overbake.
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The next recipe is for Company Casserole and one of our ladies brought it to our ladies' meeting Tuesday evening. It is scrumptious and a bit different than anything I've had before. I love the blend of flavours it has. Here is the recipe:

1 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
Mix the above ingredients together until smooth. The recipe she gave me just said to mix the above ingredients together but I'm wondering if you could also do this in a saucepan over low heat?

1 medium onion / chopped
1/2 green pepper / chopped
1 Tbsp. butter/margarine
1 lb. ground beef
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of ketchup
Sautee the onion and pepper in the margarine. Add ground beef and brown. Add tomato sauce and ketchup. Bring to a simmer until all indgredients are done and mixed together.
Cook 1 16oz. pkg. of noodles and then put them in a lightly greased 9X13 baking dish. Add the cream cheese sauce to the noodles and mix well. Next add the ground beef mixture to the noodles and mix well. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
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We have found that usually in the spring and fall the siding on our house and garage has gathered mildew or mold on it. Well, many years ago, I came up with the idea of mixing a bit of bleach with water and scrubbing it down. It worked wonderfully. But now, Ed just uses our garden sprayer to do the job. The mildew and mold disappear, the siding just gleams and there is NO SCRUBBING! You don't have to rinse the bleach water off either. This sure is alot less expensive than the commercial washes you can buy. The bleach water doesn't affect the paint or stain on our porches either. Ed said he uses 1 cup of bleach to 2 gallons of water. I hope this idea comes in handy.
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I've had a low-grade fever for the past couple of days and have just felt a bit under the weather. I've been resting and drinking plenty of fluids in an effort to ward off any on-coming cold or whatever bug I seem to be trying to get. The weather is gloriously lovely. I'm so thankful to the Lord for the beauty that He has given to us to enjoy and savour. The leaves are beginning to change, turning the hillsides into beautiful palettes of color. I pray you are enjoying the pleasant autumn weather where you are. (If you're in the northern western hemisphere that is. *smile*)

Court Case

Columbus, OH (AP) - A seven-year old boy was at the center of a Franklin County courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the Child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the University of Michigan Wolverines, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

Okay, so this WOULD have been more meaningful, perhaps, if I had posted it BEFORE Michigan beat Notre Dame, BUT Notre Dame's got nothin'!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Sooooo, Snow White had just gotten home from running some errands and the seven dwarfs were nowhere to be found! She looked everywhere and then suddenly remembered the old well out back. They had meant to have it covered because it WAS a danger. Snow White went running out to the well and sure enough there were little footprints all around the opening of the well. Snow White was frantic! She began yelling their names down the well. "Doc, Happy, Sneezy...are you down there?" Nothing. "Sleepy, Grumpy??" Still nothing. She kept looking and yelling. Suddenly she heard a faint sound coming from deep in the well. "Hilary for president....Hilary for president..." "Oh Thank goodness!" Snow White cried, "At least Dopey is still alive!!!"

Word Jumbles

I don't know what they call these but I love them! They were in our ladies' retreat program and I thought I would share them with you!

ELECTION RESULTS: LIES-LET'S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS: ALAS! NO MORE Z'S

A DECIMAL POINT: IM A DOT IN PLACE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO: TWELVE PLUS ONE

SLOT MACHINES: CASH LOST IN ME

DORMITORY: DIRTY ROOM

ASTRONOMER: MOON STARER

THE EYES: THEY SEE

THE MORSE CODE: HERE COME DOTS

AND THE GRAND FINALE:

MOTHER-IN-LAW: WOMAN HITLER!

The fair, the open house, the reception...OH MY!

I've been quite busy the past few days, so if I need an excuse for not blogging much, that would be it. Last Thursday night, Ed and I went to the Hocking County Fair (We live in Hocking County) with Daniel and Erin and watched Tough Track. Now if you have never seen this, let me tell you.....it is so hilarious! You see, they use the motocross track from the night before and let people run anything they have over this same track, be it a van, station wagon, dune buggy,car, truck...anything but a motorcycle. Last year, some guy ran his old conversion van around it. It was a scream!!! This year, they had several roll-overs, which was really cool! *grin* Anywayyyy....I love to watch it! If I was a few...okay, SEVERAL, MANY, you choose...years younger I might even take part. Some of the drivers like nose-dived their vehicles into some of the humps and it made my teeth hurt to think of the jarring they took. I hope they wore teeth guards. *smile* And we ate fair food! Yummo!
On Friday night we went back to the fair to watch the truck and tractor pulls and Daniel and Erin joined us. Thankfully, both nights we got a really close parking space, so I didn't have to walk far. I didn't walk around the fair. We just went right to the grandstand and then back to the car. But it was fun and I saw soooo many friends and acquaintances. ANDDDD I got to eat FAIR FOOD!!! YAYYYYY!! I mean, it only comes around once a year! *smile*
So, on Friday nights of the fair, every year for the past several years, my oldest brother, Bill and his wife, Sandy and their children and grandchildren go to the truck and tractor pulls and we join them and all the rest of the family knows we are there and they sometimes join us. Anywayyyyy, they always sit on the top row, so I had to hike it up all of those stairs which I managed to do, but it was a bit of a challenge. (I paid for it later *feeble grin*) BUT we had fun! AND we ate fair food.
On Saturday, Bev and Bud had an open house for Drew, Bethany and little Nathen, in leiu of a baby shower and it was great! They had the most delicious, to-die-for ice cream cake I have ever eaten! The bottom layer was some kind of raspberry swirl. Oh my! And little Nathen was adorable as usual! The only glitch was that Bev's front steps...all two of them.....are really steep and even though Ed helped me up because there isn't a handrail, they kind of put a bind on the ole hips and back. *sigh* BUT I press on! Bind or no bind! *grimacing grin*
Later in the evening, I went to another wedding reception for my nephew Jason and his new wife, Lindsay. Her parents held this for them and it was most enjoyable. (Actually the shrimp cocktail was what made it REALLY enjoyable! *grin*) Soooo, they had a bride/groom dance. Then a bride and father-of-the-bride dance. Then a groom/mother-of-the-groom dance. After all of that dancin', they put a glass container on one of the speakers and said if you wanted to dance with the bride or groom you had to pay a dollar for fifteen seconds. Well, I figured it would take ME at least that long to get UP there so I put in two dollars, shuffled on up there and took a turn around the floor with my sweet nephew. *grin*
I enjoy reading each of your blogs and the goings-on in your lives so much. I just want to thank you all for taking the time to post. I hope you are having beautiful, absolutely gorgeous fall weather like we are here in Ohio. I've been savouring it! Well, I am off to our monthly ladies' meeting. Blog to you later!!! *smile*

Happy Birthday, Bro. Ryan!!

Today is Don Ryan, Jr.'s 39th birthday! Remember when YOU were 39? *smile* I can. Barely. (Is that the correct spelling for the barely/bearly I need to use there? *feeble grin* I used to know these things without questioning. *sigh*)

Anywayyyyy......go here to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!


With a cake like THIS, you can say you still had your vegetables? *smile*

The winner of the 10,000th blog hit prize!!

Here is Chantell all wrapped up in her new lavender afghan that I made for her when she won the contest!!

Funny Name Meme!! Give It A Try!

I found this Funny Name Meme over at Leslie's blog and thought I would do it for fun! So if you are a little bored or have some time on your hands, give it a try and see what you come up with! I'll be checking around to see who does it! GO BUCKS!!



1. MY ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Puppy Focus

2.MY GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Butter Pecan Macadamia

3. MY “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
J-Cav

4.MY DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Red Dog

5. MY SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Belle Vinton

6. MY STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Cav-je

7. MY SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Black Java (Java sounds better than coffee...*grin*)

8. MY NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Lemuel Herbert (YUCK!?!?!)

9. MY WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Jean Herbert

10. MY TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Greathouse Guthrie (I couldn't find any BIG cities that begin with G, so I just picked a random town! Sounds pretty neat, hm? *grin* Guthrie is in Oklahoma!)

11. MY SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Autumn Daisy

12. MY CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Pear Blousie

13. MY HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Oatmeal Willow (this does sound sooo hippyish, hm?)

14. MY YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Crochet Breeze Tour

The mother of invention

You've heard that old saying : "Necessity is the mother of invention." I think I got that right. Well, it holds true here in my life. I thought I would share a couple of things I've learned to do since I'm not quite as mobile as I used to be. First, I'm always dropping things. Not because of any physical problems. No,I'm just clumsy, I guess. Also, I am vertically challenged (short). Sooooo, I was getting clothes out of the dryer one day and having a little difficulty getting the clothes that were in the back. I happened to look up on top of the dryer where I keep a laundry basket and a few other things and there laid my barbecue tools. You know, the long-handled kind. Tongs, a fork, a spatula. Well, I got the bright idea of using the long-handled tongs,which also have little teeth on them, to reach back into the dryer to retrieve the things I couldn't reach andddd IT WORKED!!! So now I have put those handy things (the tongs) where I have easy access to them and use them to pick up things all of the time! Not that I don't still bend over and retrieve things myself when I can, but on the bad days they really come in handy. Oh, and they are good for reaching things that are high up and out of reach IF they're not too bulky and heavy. For those, I use Ed! *grin*
One morning as I was straightening up around the house, I noticed some little pieces of glass on the hallway floor. After checking it out, I saw that Ellie the cat had knocked the electric candle out of the window and the little lightbulb had shattered on the floor. Sooooo, I got the broom and swept it all up into a neat little pile but I couldn't manage to hold the dustpan AND the broom in the position needed to get it up off of the floor. So, I thought for a minute and headed to the kitchen to get the duct tape! I tore off an adequate strip, headed for the hallway and carefully laid the tape over the glass pieces. I pressed down on it with the broom, then managed to pick it up while holding onto the window sill and voila'! There was all of the little pieces of glass and other miniscule particles stuck on the duct tape! I was so proud of myself! *smile* Isn't duct tape great?
Which leads me to another story: While at the ladies retreat this past weekend, Bev, Bethany and I made our usual trip to The Buckeye Connection which is located in the lower part of the Hyatt complex. I couldn't believe all of the new things they have but the one that I loved the most was "Buck Tape"!!!! Yes!!! Can you believe it??? For some reason, I had this thought and I asked them if they had "duct tape" and the young man said, "Yes, but it is actually BUCK TAPE." !! It is red and you can get it with either Ohio State Buckeyes on it or Go Bucks. Daniel will definitely be getting a roll of this for Christmas! He made a billfold out of duct tape in his drafting and design class and carried it till it absolutely wore out. They also had an Ohio State hammer AND a baby bib that says, "I slobber scarlet and gray!" (Liz, you NEED to get one of those! *grin* Or just MAYBE you'll get one for a gift!) Anyway, they have a new website here, though they don't have many of the things I saw in the store....yet.
Have a great day and I hope you are having the beautiful September weather that we are!! God Bless!

Be fruitful and multiply?

Oh my word! You just HAVE to read this! I guess it DOES pay to have a baby there! *smile*

Is It Real?

My nephew's wedding was this past Saturday evening and on the back of the program they had a portion of the Velveteen Rabbit called "Is It Real?" I cried as I read it. I had never read it before but I am at the library now and am going to get it to read. Anywayyyy....I wanted to share this portion of it with you and hope it touches your heart as much as it did mine.

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Two or three things to share

Ed and I were doing some dusting and cleaning around the house here one day and he had finished running the vacuum. I have this wonderful spiced cider spray from the White Barn Candle Co. I was going to spray in each room and Ed told me to give it to him and just wait a few minutes. So when the central air came on, he sprayed a couple of shots into the intake register and VOILA'! The whole house soon smelled wonderful!!! How's that for a time AND step saver?
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Also, I have a round patio table that is made of the heavy plastic like the lawn chairs. It is white and every morning I go out and wipe it off but leaves or flower petals often leave stains. So to remedy this, I just pour a few drops of bleach on it and wipe the top thoroughly with a couple of paper towels and VOILA'! I have a beautiful white tabletop once again!
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Yesterday for dinner I fixed stir-fry and wanted to put a sweet and sour sauce on it but didn't have any, so I searched on the internet for just a bit and found this recipe and it is delicious! Here it is if you would care to try it. And the best thing: I usually have all of the ingredients needed to fix it!
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
4 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon catsup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with3 tablespoons water
Combine all the ingredients except the cornstarch mixture in a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low. Stir the cornstarch mixture and slowly pour it into the simmering liquid while stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and becomes clear. You can use this as a dip or a sauce.

I used beef broth because I didn't have chicken broth and it was fine. I also added about a tablespoon more of cornstarch to make it as thick as I wanted it. Hope you like it! Daniel and I are both "dippers", meaning we love to dip most anything into something. Thusly, I have always kept ALOT of condiments in my fridge. We love the sweet and sour sauce from McDonald's and dip our fries and sandwiches in it when we eat there. Erin calls Daniel the condiment king and SHE now has a fridge full of condiments! *smile*
Oh, and to fix my stir-fry, I just grilled three boneless, skinless chicken breasts after first seasoning them really good. While they were cooking, I got out a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, poked the bag a few times with a fork, on one side and popped them into the microwave for about 4 minutes. They cook right in the bag you bought them in. Next, I cooked angel hair pasta in my huge skillet. I heated the salted water in the skillet, put the pasta in, turned the heat off and it cooked in nothing flat. I drained the water off and added the vegetables. I cut the chicken up into little pieces and added it. Then I topped it all off with the sweet and sour sauce, tossed it all together, made sure it was nice and hot and there you have it! It is simple, yet delicious!

Okay, now where was I?

Oh yes, we had just finished up on the massage chairs, which were unbelievably wonderful! Sooooo, we FINALLY get back to our room, well, after stopping by the coffee bar and grabbing a couple of pricey snacks :-/ The room on the FOURTEENTH floor at the END of the hallway. Well, little Nathen had slept all evening, so he was bright eyed and bushy tailed so Bethany went to bed and Bev and I stayed up with the boy, which we really didn't mind 'cause he is sooooo sweet! Bev finally put him in his little portable bed and we settled down for a good night's sleep but soon Nathen started stirring around, not fussing, just making little noises, so Bev got up and put him in bed with his mama and he IMMEDIATELY zonked out. He just wanted his mama! I knew I probably wouldn't sleep very well and I didn't disappoint myself. *feeble grin* The next morning I just knew that I was not going to be able to hike it over to the conference room for the service that morning, so we decided to have a relaxing morning in our room instead. Bethany noticed that we had been left the morning paper and I told her that for the price we paid for our room they should have read it TO us and given us a one-month's free subscription! LOL Once we were all packed and ready to go, we went to the Plaza Restaurant downstairs and had a wonderful, leisurely mid-morning buffet breakfast to die for. We then headed off to Bethany and Drew's new apartment in Pataskala, also known as "Patalaska" to the locals. *grin* They had searched and looked for an apartment that was nice, reasonably priced and in a good location for them and the Lord certainly blessed them with one. I am so happy for them and little Nathen! They go to Bro. Tiller's church in Reynoldsburg, so this is just a perfect location for them! So we spent the remainder of our time together at Bethany's place, lovin' on that little baby. *smile* I arrived home at a little after five and had just enough time to get unpacked and get ready to go to my nephew's wedding at 7:30 that evening. *whew* It was a lovely wedding and I am so happy for them. It was an outdoor wedding and was just beautiful. We didn't stay for the reception as I just couldn't do it. Actually, I had forgotten about the wedding until Ed called me earlier that afternoon and reminded me or I would have gotten home sooner. *feeble grin* BUT they are having another reception this coming Saturday and I will probably go to it. *whew* Saved myself there! *grin*
Here is a picture of my sister Bev and her little grandbaby in our room Saturday morning!

And one of Bethany and little Nathan sleeping! And of them in service Friday evening! She is such a good little mother! I wish I had a picture of him that shows how dressed up and cute he was Friday night! Okay, okay, here is one MORE of them Friday evening right after we got into our room! Can you tell that I love them? *smile*

The Ladies' Retreat and more!

Hi Everyone! Well, I made it to the Ladies' Retreat and back. I went with my sister Bev and her daughter Bethany. Also coming along for fun was little Nathen, Bethany's little 7week-old baby boy! He is such a good baby! He slept all night! Hallelujah! And did we ever have a time! So, we were able to get a handicap-accessible room. Thankfully. BUT it was clear down at the end of the hallway, next to the fire escape/stairs. So in case of a fire, what was I suppposed to do? Maybe they could just throw me over the stairwell and we'd hope for the best? *smile* Oh and we were on the 14th floor BUT our room was lovely, I must say and we did have a great view!

So, we get to our room, rest for a bit, get ready for service and head off to get a bite of supper. It was heading for 7pm by this time. We knew we were going to be running late because Bethany and Bev both had to work until 5pm. Anywayyyy, we go down to the foodcourt, have a nice, relaxing meal, then head for the ladies' service, but we couldn't find it. It's usually in the Regency Ballroom but there was absolutely nothing going on there, so we headed for the front desk again and found out that it was in the convention center. Great. BUT not only was it in the convention center. It was at the very teetotal end of the convention center. Thank goodness I had my walker. Bethany had not brought a stroller for little Nathen so we put him and his carrier up on my walker and started off. Oh my word. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't mind walking. I push myself many times to walk because I know it is good for me, but this was REALLY a walk. I know there is probably a good reason why it was so far away but had we known, we might have stayed somewhere else, although that probably wouldn't have helped either because a friend of mine stayed in a hotel near the end of the convention center but found that the outside doors were locked and they had to walk allllllll the way up to the lobby of the Hyatt and walk the entire distance back to the Terrace Conference room. The service was wonderful, the booths and so on were enjoyable, we saw alot of friends and acquaintances. But we decided to head back to our room a little early. Soooooooo, we head off BACK this humongously long conference center. Welllll, there was this kindly gentleman who was a custodian there. He came over to us to peek in at little Nathen and we chatted a bit. I asked him if he lived nearby and he said yes, that he lived just a couple of blocks away, to which we laughed and said he was probably closer to the conference room than we were! He reminded me of Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy. He was so sweet. So we get about halfway up this first long hallway, though it is much, much larger than a hallway, and there are these three massage chairs, so we decide to sit down and treat ourselves to a chair massage. So we insert a dollar apiece and let me tell ya, it was heaven! We are sitting there ohhhhhing and ahhhhhing and moaning and groaning (we toned it down after a bit as we realized how we might sound to passersby LOL though if I remember correctly, there weren't any!) as this chair does its wonders on our backs and necks and this kind gentleman (see above) gets to where we are, sees us and just shakes his head slowly and chuckles. We tell him that we figured we'd take us a rest and that perhaps the massage would help us through the rest of our trek. I did feel quite invigorated after the massage! It was great! I'll finish this post later 'cause right now, I have to catch a quick Sunday afternoon nap!!! *smile*

Roller Coasters and Me

Daniel and Erin were on vacation a couple of weeks ago and went to Kings Island with another couple. (Heather Wilkinson and her husband. I don't know his name.) Anywayyy....Daniel was telling me about the rollercoasters they rode and all and it reminded me of the last time I road a rollercoaster and I thought I would share it with all of you. We had taken the youth group on our annual Kings Island trip/August 2004. Well, Kaitlin (she is sitting in back by me on the Vortex) and I decided we were going to ride every rollercoaster in the park. We were on a mission! I think we may have started with the Son of Beast and went from there. Now don't get me wrong. I didn't say that they don't scare the socks off of me,(as you can tell by the picture below. While the rest of them are smiling, I'm the one in the back with the Don King do, with my mouth open for screaming) but I love(ed) to ride them. The thing about the Vortex is that I have to hold on but while doing that those foam covered bars that come down over you about beat my ears off my head, yanking me around and all. So after riding the Vortex, I believe it was on to the Flight of Fear, the indoor roller coaster. Now, I had never ridden it and I thought, "How bad can it be? It's indoors for goodness sake!" But once we got up closer to where they take off, I could see that that thing shot out of the starting gate like a bullet and people were screaming and shrieking. Still, what could be so terrifying? It's in a BUILDING. Well, let me tell ya, you go from 0 to I-don't-know-how-many-miles-an-hour-but-it's-alot in a matter of less than ten seconds. And it is this tall, yet compacted rollercoaster that just about jerks the insides out of you. I've said that I really do think I got whiplash from riding it. AND as if that wasn't ENOUGH! It caused my hair to come down! NOTHING has ever caused my hair to come down! Till this! So Kaitlin and I get off this thing and are standing inside on the platform while everyone else has taken off. Me with my hair all over the place. I told her that I wasn't leaving the building till I got my hair back in some semblance of presentable order, which I managed to do. Then it was on to ride Face-off, the last one!......or so we thought. It began to rain! They started shutting some of the rides down. It was about 7 o'clock, so we decided to go ahead and head for home. We got wet and by the time we got to the van my neck was really hurting. But what a time we had! I'll never forget it and that is what memories are made of!! Oh, and I might add.....my rollercoaster-riding days are pretty much over at this point. *grin* But I have some sweet memories to cherish.

Finishing up the long weekend!

For being a holiday weekend, we had a great attendance at church Sunday morning. A young man, who came to our church as a child, received the Holy Ghost Sunday morning! He is now in his early thirties. He has been coming for a few weeks now and was baptized last Sunday. He came up to the altar Sunday morning right down in front of where I was playing the keyboard and he just raised his hands, cried out to God and was wonderfully filled with the Spirit of the Lord! It was so awesome! Last Sunday night we baptized a young lady who works at the Mexican restaurant next to our church. She is not able to come often, but every Sunday night for the past several weeks, she has come to service on her dinner break (1 hour) and come to the altar seeking the Lord. The Lord is moving and I am so thankful for His faithfulness.
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Ed and I went to church in Nelsonville with Daniel and Erin Sunday evening as we didn't have church in Logan that night. Pastor Martin sometimes cancels service on the Sunday evenings of holiday weekends and I really appreciate it because it gives us a chance to spend time with family and so on. Anywayyyyyy, we had an awesome worship service and Bro. Dunnells preached his heart out. It was so good to be with the wonderful saints in Nelsonville and Daniel and Erin. Here is a picture I took of them afterwards:

They are so happy and Daniel's new job is going so well. Erin's family just loves Daniel and is so good to him. I was telling my sister Debbie yesterday that I just feel so blessed that Daniel and Erin are so happy and doing so well. You invest yourself in your children and raise them up to love the Lord and to serve Him and then when it happens, it is such a humbling and overwhelming feeling. I sometimes feel like I don't deserve all of the goodness He has brought my way, but He is a gracious, merciful and loving Father, so faithful, so very faithful through all of the years.

"He's been faithful, faithful to me,
Looking back, His love and mercy I see,
Though in my mind, I have questioned,
Even failed to believe,
Yet He's been faithful, faithful to me."

ADA

Ed and I spent Friday night in Summersville, W.Va. which is just north of the New River Gorge where we went Saturday, as I told of in this post. We stayed at a Super 8 Motel. When we checked in, I asked if they had a handicap-accessible room, which they did. Well, we took our things in and were getting settled in. I coudn't find a place to hang our clothes and I asked Ed if he saw one. He said, "Well, they probably figured that if you're handicapped you can't get out of your clothes anyway, so why would you need a place to hang them up." Well, this struck me as really funny and we had a good laugh! I could just picture me staying in my clothes forever. LOL Oh, and we finally found the clothes rack but they had put a small refrigerator, microwave AND small personal safe underneath it so I don't see how you could have hung your clothes up even if you wanted to! And like Ed said, they figured you were handicapped so....oh never mind! *smile* Another thing: you wouldn't believe how lowwww the commode was! I know that is kind of personal, but it WAS! LOL Now, mind you, they had the bars and all to hold on but they only help so much. I mean, when you get down so low......okay, I'll stop there, but I will say that it can be REALLY difficult to get back up, okay? LOL BUT on the flip side of THAT scenario.......on our way home, we stopped at a very nice roadside rest, just south of Parkersburg. Well, I went into the handicapped stall and I am not kidding, I had to stand wayyyyy up on my tippytoes to sit down and then when I was seated, my feet were dangling, not even touching the floor!!! I felt kind of silly, actually, like a little kid! Sitting there swinging my legs back and forth. Well, I figured I might as well have a little fun while I was WAYYYYY up there! LOL Oh, and just to let you know, I'm just a hair over five feet tall here. *grin* There MUST be some height guidelines for these handicap facilities whether it is a roadside rest or a motel, surely!! You know, you never think about these kinds of things, until you need them. Like handrails and ramps instead of stairs and big, old heavy doors to maneuver through AND the height of commodes. Such is my life. LOL I am just so thankful that I can smile and laugh about it. You make the adjustments. You press on.
We had laid down to read for a bit before going to sleep Friday night and Ed asked me if I would adjust the air conditioner, so I stood up, put my arms up like I was getting ready to take off and asked him if he wanted that done sometime tonight. *grin* It can take me awhile sometimes to get everything moving in the right direction. He said it would be really nice if I could manage it. *smile* So I did.
Oh and that ADA up there in the title? American Disabilities Act. (Just in case you didn't know. *grin*)
Gotta run! Well, okay, run might be a bit of a stretch. I gotta get moving. *getttttiiinnnnggg uuuupppp* Heeeere we gooooooo.......See ya later!!! *smile*

"Take me home, country roads....

....to the place I belong.....West Virginia, Mountain Mama.....take me home, country roads....."Ed and I packed a few things and drove down through the hills and mountains of West Virginia. We went to the New River Gorge and Bridge. We were there about 15 years ago, perhaps a little longer. At that time, you could see the visitor/information center from Rt. 19 and also a clear view of the bridge from the visitors' center. The trees and foliage have now grown so much that you now have to walk down to a viewing platform to get THIS view of the bridge. It is the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. It was the longest steel arch bridge in the world but Japan now has the longest bridge of its kind.

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While Ohio State handily won their season opener against Youngstown State, this was THE sports story of the day, the month, the year.....maybe EVER! Go Bucks!