Wednesday's Thanksgiving Hodgepodge!

Yes, I am still alive....just super busy and, believe it or not, the internet is not a priority most days. :-) But livin' life IS!!!! :-)
BUT I just had to make time to do the Wednesday Hodgepodge, even if I have gotten WAYYYYYYY behind on my Giving Thanks Challenge! I may just catch it up on my sidebar!
Anywayyyyy.....here is my contribution to the Hodgepodge! I just love that word!! :-)

1. If you had known what they knew then, would you have boarded the Mayflower?
Well, I tend to be a bit of a daredevil and I am always up for a challenge. I tend to be like the Apostle Peter, too! Ready to jump in with both feet! But, over time, my enthusiasm tends to wane a bit. BUT,in all honesty, I'd have to say....."When do we sail?"
Oh, and this would have certainly been in my younger years. As I've gotten older....now at the mature age of 59, I probably would have stayed on land!


2. How far have you traveled on a boat and how do you feel about boats in general?
Hmmm.....we travelled to Perry's Island in Lake Erie one summer. That was a one-way 17 mile trip and loads of fun!! And I've also taken the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Neither trip was very long and did not affect me adversely. I'm okay with boats!

3. What traditions have you kept, acquired thru marriage, and/or tossed? If you're single what are some of your family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

The only tradition I can remember Ed, Daniel and I having through the years is this one:
I would always have the turkey and rolls baked by mid-morning, say ten-ish.
Daniel would usually wake up about that same time and ever since he was old enough to do so, as soon as his eyes opened, the first word out of his mouth, even before his feet hit the floor, would be, "Fooood"! :-)
Well, he and his dad would come into the kitchen and I would carve off a few slices of hot, juicy turkey and butter rolls for them as they sat down at the table and while I continued doing this and that in the kitchen they would enjoy a leisurely mid-morning snack. :-) They did this for years!! We would have dinner later at about 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

As a child the only tradition that I can recall is having the same foods at Thanksgiving each year and, oh, how we looked forward to Thanksgiving dinner! There was not ONE thing that I did not like! Okay, well, I wasn't craaazy about sweet potatoes but I ate them smothered with butter and gravy or noodles. :-)

Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, noodles, homemade yeast rolls, pumpkin pie. I honestly don't remember anything green being on the table...:-)....though there may have been, most likely in the form of green beans, but not green bean casserole. It would have been green beans fixed with bacon, the way my mama taught me to fix them and I still do today. :-)

I do remember waking up early in the morning and hearing my Dad in the kitchen humming. It would still be dark and everyone else snug in bed still. He was always up before anyone else, making coffee and starting the rolls and noodles for Thanksgiving dinner.

Dad would have on a pair of gray work pants, and a clean, white t-shirt, his hair freshly combed and usually a dish towel laying over one shoulder.

Our dinette set was gray and red, with chrome legs on the tables and chairs. Remember those? :-) I would crawl up onto one of the chair, all sleepy-eyed and Dad would tell me to go over to the sink and wash my hands so I could help him shake out the noodles as he cut them. :-) It is such a precious memory that I have. Just me and Dad in the early-morning kitchen, working together, not saying much, but there was no need for alot of conversation. How I loved my dad!




4. What time is dinner and how many will be round your table? And what is the one side dish you cannot do without on Thanksgiving day?
We will be going to our son's in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner and it will be at 2pm. I believe there will be approximately 15 people there.
Besides the turkey, we must have noodles on Thanksgiving! That is a Peters' family tradition. (Peters' was my maiden name.) And, yes, I have the noodles made! :-)


Yes, I know it goes against all I believe in to ask for 'just one', but I made up for it by asking three questions here.


5. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Do tell....
No, I never have but we do have two in the house, just in case. I'm thinking I need to make sure that I know how to use them? :-/


6. Tell about a situation that caused you dreadful trepidation and feet dragging, only to realize later it was a true blessing.
Well, I am not able to share the details here but I can tell you that on the other side of even the most dreadful of situations, you will indeed find the blessng of the Lord when you've done all that you can to make things right, when you've been honest with yourself and others and when you've allowed yourself to completely surrender to the Lord and His will, humbling yourself before Him.


7. Baked, sweet, mashed, hash browned or french fried...which one's your favorite?
I would have to say hash-browned or homefries! With plenty of salt and some ketchup!! :-)


8. Insert your own random thought here.
Would you believe my mind is just kind of empty at the present time? But I do have some fleeting thoughts.....
I will say that I am so thankful for little Jaylon. I never thought I could love a little one like I did Daniel, but I do.....oh, and how! :-) And this "grandmother" love is different than the "mother" love that I had for Daniel.
I am more patient. I am not so pre-occupied with all that needs to be done. I so enjoy watching him grow and learn and discover every little thing. I think it is just that I have slowed down and come to realize what is really important and am able to give myself to that more now.
I'm sure I was much the same with Daniel but life WAS busier for us then, what with us both working full-time jobs, me until he was 2 1/2. We must have done a pretty good job. I mean, the boy....Daniel.....has turned out pretty well! :-) The Lord is so good.
I am so thankful for where I am at in my life. At times, I feel kind of cocooned in the wisdom that I have gained through the years and there is a secure feeling about it, this being a "mature" woman. :-) Oh, but I've earned it and learned most of it the hard way, but learn it I have! :-) And I'm still learning. Aren't we always? But I've been so blessed to reach this "good" place in my life for which I am so thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you and remember:

"Count your blessings,
Name them one by one,
Count your blessings,
See what God hath done!
Count your blessings,
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings
See what God hath done."

My first Wednesday Hodgepodge!

Joyce, at From This Side of the Pond is hosting Wednesday Hodgepodge and I'm excited to be participating in my first!! Just click on her blog and join in the fun and make some new friends while getting to know some "already" friends better! :-)

1. What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?
I'm not sure just what year it was, but we had FEET of snow here and were without power for days. Talk about being socked in! I'm thinking it was in December of 2002, if my calculations serve me correctly, because it was right before Daniel turned 16.
It was right after Christmas, because we were able to dig out before Daniel's 16th birthday party. And we were concerned that his then-girlfriend and her aunt and uncle, who are dear friends of ours, might not be able to make it. But they did and I remember them coming to our house after the party and our driveway was like a tunnel almost with mountains of snow on either side!
If you're wondering why I'm including all of these details, it's because I'm thinking out loud about it all in trying to figure out just when it was.
I'm going with the snowstorm of 2002-03!!! :-)

2. What is a sound or noise you love?
Jaylon yelling "Pa-pa" when we are outside. It is so precious! I'll have to get a video of it and post it!! AND the quiet....is that a sound?....like right now, as I'm sitting here typing this and Jaylon is sleeping. *sighhhhh* All I can hear is the computer humming and the tapping of my fingers on the keys.

3. Do you like seafood? What's your favorite seafood dish?
I looooove seafood! And would you believe that just about my favorite seafood dish is the seafood salad at our local chinese restaurant? Oh yum! AND the fishtail dinner at Jack's Steakhouse!


4. What part of your day requires the most patience?
I would say the evening between 5-6 o'clock. I'm usually kind of weary from a long day. It's time for Jaylon to go home. Some evenings, we have somewhere to go or I'm thinking about dinner. And now it is dark by that time. It just tends to be a bit of a stressful time for me.

5. What's your favorite shade of blue?
I would have to say navy!

6. Do people underestimate you?
I believe so, if appearances mean anything. ;-)

7. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
You know, honestly, I think it was when little Jaylon was being born. *tears* Can you believe it still makes me teary-eyed? It's so amazing that you can love this little baby so much and you've not even seen him till that moment in the nursery, where the nurse is doing all of the necessary things, gathering measurements and data and so on, while we grandparents stand at the window straining to get a peek at him. *sigh* Yep, I think that was the last time. :-)

8. Insert your own random thought here, and remember...I have a wooden spoon and I'm not afraid to use it.
Joyce! You are so cute and funny! A wooden spoon! :-)
There are days when I think, "Who has time to blog?". It would just be one less thing I have to do. But then when I finally get back to blogging, I find that I just love it and the people that I've met and blog with.
I don't mean to whine, but it would help tremendously if I didn't have to deal with dial-up still, so I'm praying that they get high-speed capabilites here in my little valley SOON!!! Please!!!!

Jaylon livin' life!! :-)

Jaylon was a cute little monkey for Halloween! And his daddy was just his handsome self, as you can see!! :-) And mommy was her pretty self but she is behind the camera so she is not visible! Gosh, that reminds me of someone else....ME!! Always behind the camera! Never in the pictures! *sigh*








Here's Ed and Jaylon playing with blocks. Jaylon loves his blocks, especially dumping them out onto the floor! That is his favorite part AND he is pretty good at helping me pick them up, too, thankfully!! But we do have to be a bit dramatic about putting them in the container, so as to make it alot of fun!!! :-)






Awwww...and when we were outside the other day, I was sitting in my rocking chair on the front porch when Jaylon came bringing me a pretty little pink flower that Ed had helped him pick! It was so precious!!



And these are pictures of Jaylon and Rocky down by the creek, one of their favorite places....with me right there with them....behind the camera!!! :-)

Not enough hours in the day!

OR am I mismanaging my time? OR am I trying to do too much in a day's time? OR am I getting older than I am willing to admit and really slowing down?

Who knows?!?!?! But blogging or even the internet in any way just hasn't been a priority of late because I have a toddler at my house most days and then when he isn't here, I'm endeavoring to accomplish some things that I don't or can't do when he is here. 'Cause when he IS here....well, I just wanna spend time with him....playing cars, reading books, being outside, watching Tigger and Pooh, just holding him and kissin' on him and responding to his jibberish which he speaks very expressively and I try to respond to intelligently. :-) He is sooooo adorable, as you will see in the photos supplied below! :-)




Isn't his little toboggan just the cutest on him? :-) And in the last three, you can see just how much he loves laying on grandma's bed! Oh, and he loves jumping on it, too! :-) Especially when I hold his little hands and help him to jump "way up high". AND he can watch himself in the mirror!! :-)








I remember, as a child, loving to lay in AND on my mom and dad's bed. There was just something so comforting about it.

Mom and Dad's bedroom was the middle room of our house downstairs and it was kind of a combination bedroom/sitting room where we kids tended to gather to play especially in the winter time.

In the mornings, after mom and dad were up, usually on a Saturday or Sunday morning, Johnny, my twin brother, and I would get out of our beds and snuggle into mom and dad's bed. :-) It is such a warm cozy memory. :-)

Enjoy the pictures of the boy and I'll do my best to post again before the day is done!!

Oh and are any of you watching Dancing With The Stars? Who are you hoping will win? My money is kind of on Bristol, believe it or not!!! At first, I was of the opinion that she shouldn't even be on the show but I've had a change of heart. I mean, she is the only person who doesn't have any performance experience and after seeing the bios that they showed of each of the final four last night, my heart really went out to her AND she has been dancing really well the last two shows!


And I thought she looked especially pretty last night!!

It would be pretty awesome if she won!

Catching up on my thanksgiving!!!

Okay, somehow I missed Day 7 of the Giving Thanks Challenge that is being hosted by none other than Leah at South Breeze Farm!!

Soooooo, I'm catching up today!! Oh, AND today is my birthday!! My 59th birthday, no less!!

Did I ever think I would see 59? Nooooooo......I honestly thought the Lord would have come by now. Some 35 years ago when I gave my heart to the Lord and started learning about Him and also about His second-coming, I never thought we'd see the year 2000, but here we are and I am still watching and hoping, trusting Him each day, knowing that He IS coming back for His church one day!!! Hallelujah!!!

Today, Day 8, I am thankful for my relationship with the Lord. It isn't just something I've read about or heard about but it is a walking, talking, living, breathing relationship that my Saviour and I have each day. Oh, what a friend He has been to me and continues to be and He's so much more than just a friend. He is everything to me....a father, a comforter, a healer, a refuge, my hope, my peace.....everything I've ever needed Him to be, He has been! He has never failed me and never will. How great is our God!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Backtracking a bit, as in going back to Day 7, I am thankful for my home. Next to the Lord, it is my refuge. Is there any place like home? That place where you can just be yourself and truly relax. *sigh* I loooove my bedroom! And truly.....be it ever so humble....there IS no place like home!!!

Giving Thanks - Day 6

It is Day 6 of the Giving Thanks Challenge being hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm!

I am thankful for my blog and blogging. I started blogging as a sort of therapy because I was going through a difficult time physically, I was unable to do as much as before and it became an outlet of sorts and also a great way to meet new people! It is also a journal which I would love to have published one day.

AND this Giving Thanks Challenge has really helped me to up my blogging game!! EVERY DAY!!! :-)

Giving Thanks Chalenge - Day 5!

Leah at South Breeze Farm is hosting Giving Thanks Challenge at her blog and I am enjoying it immensely!! Thanks, Leah! And it is always wonderful to make a new blog friend, too!!

On this, Day 5 of the Giving Thanks Challenge, I am thankful for my friends. My friend and prayer-partner, Pam, and I went out to dinner this evening and I was once again reminded of what a wonderful friend she is and how blessed I am to have her in my life, along with my other blessed circle of friends. (You know who you are!) :-) Thank you, Jesus.
Below is a picture of Pam in the lobby of the Ramada Inn where we had dinner this evening!

Giving Thanks Challenge - Day 4! :-)

It’s Day 4 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm.

Today I am thankful for my two sisters and sisters-in-law! They took me out for my birthday dinner tonight and we had such an awesome time!! My birthday is coming up on Monday, November 8, but this was a good night for everyone to go out, so we did!

They took me to the new Golden Corral in Lancaster and it was very good!

We WERE each buying a set of bath towels for whoever's birthday it happened to be but we talked the last time we got together for my sister Debbie's birthday and discovered that we are all getting way stocked up on towels, sooooo we decided to buy gift cards to Walmart instead, or wherever the birthday girl would like them from.

These wonderful women gave me some of the most beautiful cards! I will cherish them!!

It just seems that as we have all gotten older and our children have married, had children of their own and so on, that we five have gotten closer and really appreciate and enjoy our time together when we go out.

But now there isn't another birthday to celebrate until May! We will be having our family get-together for the holidays on December 11 and my two sisters, two brothers and our spouses go out for lunch on New Year's Eve Day, which is always a special time, so we will still be seeing plenty of each other. :-)

And I think we've discussed and agreed that we will probably do dinner out together sometime in February just for the fun of it! :-) The sisters and sisters-in-law, that is! :-)

Giving Thanks Challenge - Day 3

Well, here it is! Day 3 already of the Giving Thanks Challenge being hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm! If you would like to join, just head on over to her blog and follow the instructions!!

Today I am so thankful for my church family, my Pastor and his wife. I am always encouraged and strengthened when going to the house of the Lord and spending time with these wonderful people as we worship the Lord and break the bread of life together, the Bible.

Some Wednesday Randomness

Or, perhaps....."It's A Hard Habit to Break"!! :-) I mean, being used to posting randomness Wednesday, that is. Those of you who read my blog faithfully and were used to doing the RD each Wednesday will understand said comments.

It is a beeeyoootiful day in SE Ohio today!! Wow......let the sun shine in!!

First of all, several weeks ago I had mentioned wanting a blog button and Joyce at From This Side of the Pond emailed me to tell me that her sweet daughter Shannon makes blog buttons. Shannon has a cute blog at Sincerely Shannon and, after emailing her, she responded and said she would be happy to make me a blog button. She just needed some time to look around my blog and kind of get a feel of what would be fitting for me. I could hardly believe the end result!
It's amazing! Thank you so much, Shannon! Sorry for taking so long to acknowledge your wonderful gift to me!!!
Here is the blog button she made for me:


Again, thanks so much, Shannon for my new blog button!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I have to take a couple of deep breaths here.

I.Cannot.Believe.That.Gretchen.Won.Project.Runway!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Mondo was robbed!!!! There was no comparison!! None whatsoever!!!! Gretchen's clothes were so drab and boring!!! Oh.My.Word. I am 59 years old and wouldn't wear her drab, saggy stuff! Hello.

When something like this happens, I always say that am not going to watch the show next season! BUT I usually do. :-/ I just cannot believe that they picked Gretchen over Mondo. Sheesh!!!

I have a Michael Kors shirt hanging in my closet that I really like but I am about ready to offer it as a burnt offering in protest!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jaylon has not been feeling very well, so Erin made an appointment for him yesterday and I met her at the doctor's office with little Jaylon.

The little guy has infection in both ears! No wonder he was whiney yesterday morning and wanted Grandma to hold him with his sippy cup and blanky.

AND does this little guy throw a fit at the doctor's office! Oh my!

When we got out of the car? He started crying and twisting in my arms but once we were in the waiting room and he saw the toys, he was fine.

But then the nurse came out and said, "Jaylon?" and he started in again, even when he was just getting weighed and having his temperature taken.

So we get settled in the examining room and all is fine until the doctor came in. Oh my. I had to hold both of his arms down while he examined his ears, nose, and throat and listened to his breathing. I had my hands full!

BUT, once the doctor scooted back away, Jaylon was fine. Those tears stopped like a water faucet being turned off and he even high-fived the doctor before we left.

And then he started crying and reaching for grandma when we left the doctor's office and he had to go with this mommy. BUT I just kissed him and told him goodbye and left. Whew. It took me a few minutes to recover. :-/

Anywayyyyy.....he is here now this morning, taking his morning nap and from what I can tell, he is feeling pretty good, even if his little ears aren't a 100%. But, hopefully, medicine and prayer will have them good as new in no time!

AND, hopefully, we won't be making any trips to the doctor again any time soon. *fingers crossed* :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have a pot of chili simmering on the stove and I finished baking a double batch of oatmeal raisin cookies since Jaylon' s been sleeping this morning. I also started a load of clothes, got myself together for the day, so my day is off to a good start!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and my dear husband's birthday was October 17th! He turned 68! Instead of baking him a cake, I made him his favorite dessert....peach pie!!! And it turned out really good!! Thank heavens!!



Oh, yes....AND, lest I forget....here's the birthday boy!! :-)

Giving Thanks - Day 2

I am thankful for good, well-marked roads to drive on, especially as my husband and I've gotten older!

Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

Let me begin by saying that I have enjoyed participating in a wonderful meme for the past several months at Linda's blog, 2nd Cup of Coffee. She has so faithfully turned out 12 random questions every week for a long time, giving those of us who participated a chance to share some of ourselves with the blogging world and also a wonderful opportunity to meet and make some wonderful new friends, which I have! Thank you from my heart, Linda!! ((HUGS))

Linda has decided to take a break from doing the Random Dozen and I understand completely!

So, in leiu of the Random Dozen, I've decided to take part in the 4th Annual Giving Thanks Challenge which is being hosted at by Leah at South Breeze Farm, which I found out about at my good friend Barbara's blog, Stray Thoughts!

If you would like to join us, All you have to do is post one thing you're thankful for each day somewhere on your blog. It doesn't even have to be an actual thought-out post. Just start making a list on your sidebar if you want - somewhere you can see it every day to encourage an attitude of thankfulness. You can click HERE to read more about it!

Soooooooo......to start the month off, I want to say that I am so thankful for our little grandson, Jaylon, who is truly a gift from the Lord. He got a bit of a rough start in life, as he had to spend his first six weeks in the NICU at Ohio State University Hospital:

BUT.... he is now healthy as can be and how can I help but be thankful for that? Jaylon will be TWO years old on December 22! How the time has flown!! :-)