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!

Blog Templates Anyone?

I was searching around on the web for autumn blog templates and found this site which has some really neat, cute and pretty templates! Thought some of you out there might be interested in checking them out! Here is the link! And here is an absolutely beautiful autumn template for Wordpress users!
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Our fearless hunter, Rocky, treed a raccoon right behind the house! Here is a picture of the poor thing (the raccoon). I think he/she will probably stay there until nightfall because Rocky is surely keeping a close on that tree! Or maybe it will wait until Rocky takes a nap. *grin*

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AND here is something else our dear house pets MIGHT be doing while we are gone! *smile* And we thought they just slept all of the time.

Good Wednesday Afternoon!

Sooooo, here are a couple of pictures, as evidence, of some of what I have been up to the past few days! First, the Ohio State afghan I have been working on and it is coming along very nicely. And, secondly, the afghan that I am working on for Chantelle, the winner of the contest I had recently!

Nothing too exciting has been going on of late, but life is good, God is great and I can't complain. *grin* We kept our granddoggie, Trixie, this past weekend. We enjoyed having her 'cause she is a sweetie but Ellie the cat wasn't too thrilled, let me tell ya! *smile* But she (Ellie) is back to normal since Trixie went home Monday.

I PROMISE!! YOU HAVE MY WORD!!

CROSS MY HEART AND.....well...you get the idea!! I WILL post this afternoon, but this morning is pretty busy and we are headin' into town!! *smile* Soooooo, I'll blog at ya later!!! Bye!! ((HUGS))

Barbara H. at Stray Thoughts passed on the "Nice Matters"
blogger award to ME! I could hardly believe it, especially since I have kind of been in the blogging doldrums of late, but I graciously accept anyway!!! *smile*

“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award.”

Now I am to pass it on to others that I feel the above applies to. Soooooo, I choose to award Theresa at My World and Welcome To It. She is such a giving, upbeat person. I look forward to reading her blog each day. She loves and cares for so many people in her life. I sometimes wonder how she does it all. She is truly and inspiration!

Becky at What the Muffin? always manages to make me smile with her dry wit and teenage view of the world and life. Theresa and Becky always leave great comments on my blog and I appreciate it so much. Your blogs brighten my life! Now pass it on!!! (the award that is! *smile*)

HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM

If you don't have the money for the REAL thing, this might very well work! *smile*


1. Go to a second-hand store and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots

2. Place them on your front porch, along with several empty beer cans, a copy of Guns & Ammo magazine and several NRA magazines.

3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazine.

4. Leave a note on your door that reads: Hey Bubba, Big Jim, Duke and Slim, I went to the gun shop for ammunition. Back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls -- they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up real bad. I don't think Killer took part in it but it was hard to tell from all the blood.

PS - I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside.

And the winner is............

CHANTELL!!!!!!! There is a link to her blog on my sidebar! Yayyyyy, Chantell!!!

And she just moved into her new apartment! So she will certainly enjoy a new afghan to go with her new things!! You'll just have to email me the colors you prefer, okay, Chantell? Or did you prefer the fudge? Let me know!
Thanks to all of you who left comments and were hoping to win! I'll try to come up with another contest in the next few weeks, k? The Lord's best to each of you!! ((HUGS))

Slow going here

Okay, so I'll be the first to admit that I don't get ALOT of traffic on my blog: an average of 24 hits a day. But I'm not blogging to see how many visitors I can get. Nope. I blog to stay in touch with friends and family that I don't see very often and to let them know what is going on in my life. Oh, and I have amazingly met some absolutely wonderful people that I know consider dear friends through blogging and that has been sweet! Oh, and as you can tell by my lack of blogging recently, all that has been going on in my life is: NOTHING......NADA.......ZILCH.......ZERO!!!! Anywayyyyy......I said all of that to say that this has been the SLOOOOOWWWWEEESSSTTT countdown to 10,000 that I have ever lived through in my entire life!!!!! I actually thought that some of YOU....*grin*..... in your zeal to win a prize might have taken to visiting my blog a leeeetle more often. right. Anywayyyyy.....when it happens it happens and I will be quick to let you know who wins! And...noooooo.....don't go visiting unnecessarily just to hike the count. Let it happen naturally. *smile*

Tidbits!!

Depending on what you find entertaining or humorous, you might find this post by Ninja John to be both. I know I did!
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While I am no longer a youth, I am planning to go to the youth rally in New Straitsville tonight with Sis. Pam and offer my support to the youth! :-)
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We are still counting down to 10,000 and at present we are standing at 9,833!! And I am crocheting my little fingers to the bone! Well, okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I AM working on it, okay??? *grin*
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I have nuthin', people, to blog about. I am down to bare bones. BUT hopefully, the next few days will bring some inspiration and happenings that I can present to you here!!
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Soooo, until the next post, I leave you with this:
"What Pets Do While We're Away"



And we thought all they did was sleep!!!

Where Have I Been?

Hello everyone! It is now Thursday and I kind of wonder where my week has gone. On Monday, I went to Columbus to have lunch with my niece, Bethany, her husband, the Drewster (Drew *grin*), and little Nathen, my nephew, Troy, and his two sons, Corbin and Cade. We went to Max and Erma's on East Broad Street. Troy and Bethany live out in that area.

Soooooo, by the time I got ready to leave home, I could hardly make it out to the car because of the pain. "I haven't got time for the pain...." Remember that old Carol King song? BUT, I pressed on because I had already made all of the plans. And I am glad that I did because we had a wonderful time. Here are some pics of little Nathen and Bethany:



Is this little boy a cutey or what???? I just kissed on his little cheeks like crazy!! *smile* They're just so kissable!
Ed and I don't eat out very often. We just prefer to eat at home. Thusly, I just can't believe the prices they charge in restaurants! Unbelievable. I had an Ultimate Cheeseburger, which came with fries: $7.99!! And I didn't eat the fries because they were just bland, even though I kept adding salt. I also had Peach Tea, which looked like a glass of beer when they brought it because it had foam on the top of it. I told the kids, "This looks illegal." They just laughed. The tea was okay. Anywayyyyy......thank goodness I had some great company, because the food was kind of disappointing. Oh, the burger was delicious but not $7.99 worth of deliciousness.

I got home at about 7:30pm and I was ready for bed, let me tell ya! *grin* I didn't sleep very well and the next day, Tuesday, I paid for my "galavanting" the day before. It has been more difficult for me to get comfortable in bed so that I can sleep soundly, but I press on. It is just that the pain level has been up considerably, here of late, for whatever reason and it makes doing the ordinary, day-to-day things a bit of a challenge. And that means that I go slower than usual and sometimes I just don't feel like blogging because I don't want to whine or complain. BUT!!! I PRESS ON!!! In Jesus' Name! And I BLOG!! *smile*

Sis. Pam is home!!!! Now that might not mean much to you BUT it does to me!!! She is my prayer partner and such a dear friend. She works in the Athens school district, working with deaf students and every summer she goes to Florida to spend time.......two and a half months worth of time!!....with her son and his family. But, she has returned and I am so excited!

Lastly! Here is the Ohio State afghan I am working on for the lucky winner of my little contest and celebration of 10,000 hits on my blog!!

Running Interference Here!

For some odd reason, my counter did a reverse and was almost back to 9,000, so I put in a new one with the correct count and we are back on track to 10,000! I am glad to see that everyone is excited! I'll post in the morning about the past couple of days and the goings on here,k?

Countdown to 10,000!

Well, it HAS taken awhile, but I am on the countdown to 10,000 visits to my blog! Sooooooo, in honor of this momentous occasion, I thought I just might offer a prize to one of my faithful readers, meaning, I would put all of your names in a basket and draw it out, then contact you via email, get the pertinent info needed, and send the prize to you! Isn't this exciting?!?!?! (okay, okay....I know....it doesn't take much to amuse me. *grin) Nowwwww, what should the prize be??? My first thought is: AN OHIO STATE AFGHAN!!! And I just happen to be working on one at the present time! I mean, football season is just around the corner!!! Of course, if you don't live in Ohio, that might not sound so great, hm? *tapping my chin thoughtfully* Well, you could tell me the team colors that you prefer and I could make it in those colors or the home decor colors you prefer. Let me know what you think! Orrrrrrrrr, how about some of Ed's homemade fudge? And you have the options of plain, nuts, raisins, or both raisins and nuts? It is delicioso!! Another idea is a knotted fleece blanket/throw in the colors of your choosing. I'll post a pic of one that I made with OSU fleece. (Love that OSU stuff,hm? *smile*) Oh, and there are some of you who read but do not comment and that is okay, but if you want to be included, you'll have to post a comment here,k? Well, it is getting late and I must be taking myself off to bed as tomorrow is Sunday and I want to be rested and all for church! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!!
here.

Bits and Pieces

Okay, so I got a new cellphone recently and I couldn't ever hear it ring when it was in my purse. So, I got to perusing my ringtones and settled on "Rooster". Yep, you guessed it. It crows like a rooster. I'm not kidding. So I put it in my purse and put my purse over on the counter by the key rack where I always keep it. So the next morning, I'm doing dishes and I hear this rooster crowing and I say to Ed, "Heyyyyy, Ted (our neighbor who lives on the hill across from us) must have gotten some chickens. Hear his rooster crowing?" I am soooo blonde sometimes. *smacking my forehead* Here it was my cellphone "ringing". Ed just looked at me, grinned and shook his head. I thought it was hilarious! Needless to say, when I've been out and about and my phone goes off, I have gotten some weird/wierd *sp* looks but I love it and I ALWAYS hear it! Well, unless I have it on silent mode, of course, like when I'm in church! I wouldn't want it to start crowing in the middle of service!

Up there....a few sentences ago, I couldn't remember how to spell wierd/weird! Isn't it wierd/weird how you can type/write a word a kazillion times and know how to spell it, then one day....poof!.....it doesn't look right, you can't remember, and you have written this word sooooo many times before without any problem! And it isn't alzheimers either, you guys! I've done this for years! *grin* Anywayyyy, I'm still not sure if it is wierd or weird and I've just not bothered looking it up but I'm thinking it is W-E-I-R-D. If my vocabulary rules serve me correctly, I believe this is an exception to the rule: "I before E except after C" You might know,hm? Okay, I looked! HERE. It IS W-E-I-R-D! Mystery solved.

I have Spysweeper installed on my computer. When I add a website to my favorites, it automatically asks me, originally, one time, if I want to keep it..... Well, yeah. I added it, didn't I? *grin* But this "weird" thing happens EVERYTIME I go to Chantell's blog! It ALWAYS asks me if I want to "keep or delete" this favorite? Well, yeah. Hello. It's one of my FAVORITE blogs. That's why I PUT it in MY FAVORITES! Probably just some little glitchy thingy with Spysweeper, like me not being able to remember the correct spelling of "wierd/weird", even though I've used it a zillion times. *sigh* Such is my life some days.

It is 4:56AM, Wednesday morning. I have been sitting here since 4AM, unable to sleep. Alot on my mind. This seldom happens to me but has happened a couple of times in the past month or so. Usually I go to bed and sleep till 3:00AM, go to the bathroom, then sleep until 5:30AM. Like clockwork. Not tonight. Possible post-menopausal insomnia or I truly do have alot on my mind? Okay, I don't actually have ALOT on my mind, just some STUFF I am dealing with, so I am going to go pray for awhile and endeavor to give it to the Lord. Gosh, but that is difficult to do sometimes,hm? Let it go. Relinquish it to the Lord. But try I will! In Jesus' Name. For I surely can't work it out on my own.

With that, I will say, "Good night and Good Morning to all!" *yawwwwnnnnnnn*

It was bound to happen

Just coming off of a week of Campmeeting, I was feeling pretty good about myself spiritually. Felt renewed, inspired, but something felt a bit off-kilter in my spirit. I just couldn't quite put my finger on it. Bro. Cook preached his heart and soul out Sunday and I just felt so inadequate musically or "worshipfully" to accompany him. Then came Monday and I found out just how lacking I am. I went to the church to spend time in prayer, needing to close myself away with the Lord. In the midst of this, I asked the Lord to direct me to a scripture or passage that would help me. Without a doubt, He directed me to I Corinthians 13 (the love chapter, it is called) Now, I know what it says.....mostly.....and like a stubborn child I told the Lord, "I know what it says. I don't WANT to read it." Because I knew I was in for some chastisement. But......I read it.......and read it again......and have read it several times since. And have been smitten in my heart mightily because I am so far from what He wants me to be. He is so holy and so loving and compassionate. And that compassion extends to me so freely and fully. Where would I be without it? I would have no hope. There is an old song that the choir sang when I first came into the church. Part of it goes like this:
"And if I have not charity,
If love does not flow through me,
Jesus, reduce me to love....."
I want to be like Him. A reflection of Him. To be genuine. Right now......there's wayyyyy too much of me in the way, I'm afraid. "He must increase but I must decrease." John 3:30

8 Random Things About Me!

I've been tagged by Barbara who has a wonderful blog over here! Sooo, I am going to endeavor to tell YOU (you know who you are *grin*) 8 things that you don't know about me. (And you thought you knew everything, didn't you? *smile*) Oh, and then I am to tag 8 people to do the same, so be prepared!

Okay....first the rules:
1. Post rules before we give you the facts.
2. Start with eight random facts/habits.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their 8 things and post these rules.
4. At the end of the blog, you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names. Leave them a comment to tell them they are tagged.

Here goes:
1. When I go to bed at night, I lay down and go to sleep. Just like that. I don't toss and turn and all that. Ed says I could sleep on a fencepost! *smile*
2. I don't care for sweet stuff or desserts. Yes, you read correctly. Now that is not to say that I don't eat them occasionally, but I can do without them. Bring on the meat, potatoes and bread!
3. I weigh more than what you THINK I do!!! I just hide it well! (Thank you, God.)
4. My feet are NOT attractive. *feeble grin* (Hey, we all have our shortcomings!)
5. Pizza Crossing all-the-way pizza and grilled medium steaks are my two favorite foods! Yummmm!
6. I play piano, keyboards, organ and AM/FM radio! *grin*
7. I USED to teach two hours of aerobics every Monday night. (22 years ago, to be exact. *sigh*)
8. I love to read. I LOOOOVE to read. From a good book to junk mail and cereal boxes.

There you have it! Nowwwwww......I am going to tag these lucky people: Tracy, Becky, Jana, Theresa, Chantell, Stace, Tersie, AND Mrs. Gossom!

So you want to be a millionaire?

We've all fantasized about winning the lottery, haven't we? Thinking: "Oh, if I could just win a cool mill or few...Oh, I'd pay off the church mortgage, buy my sister Debbie a new home, a new vehicle, set Daniel and Erin up for life." Come on, now, we've all had these fun times of wishing. *smile* We think we'd be happy, satisfied, content. Well, sometimes we think we just might be, but in reality we know differently. Don't we? Read here to know for sure. "Only Jesus can satisfy your soul."

Sunday

We had life-changing, church-changing services with Bro. Ken Cook and his wife, Julie, yesterday. That's all I can say. Many of you know what I mean. I'll blog some more later in the day! God's best to you as you begin a new week!

The kitty of the house!

Doing what she does best! Sleep! Now she has several places around the house that she likes to sleep, but this is probably her favorite. Cramming her fat, furry self into this little box that is scarcely big enough. I believe green beans came in this particular box, but it makes no matter. Sleep she does! Or should I say.......she goes into a semi-comatose state for a few hours? *grin* Ya gotta love the kitty.....*smile*

In Memory of Tiffany

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" I Cor. 15:55

"Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matt. 5:4

"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

"It's Over.....It's Over.....It's OOOVER!....."

.....in the words of that old Roy Orbison song. *sigh* (Does anyone else remember it?)

I'm talking about Ohio Apostolic Family Camp and what an awesome time we had! I cannot even begin to tell here all that transpired there, but the word of God was awesomely delivered and His presence was there each time we gathered in the tabernacle from the first note played! As I said before, I was privileged to see so many friends that I only see at campmeeting. How wonderful it was! Thursday evening, Sis. Smith was driving one of the golf carts transporting people to the tabernacle from the parking area. I was sitting next to her and people were heading for the tabernacle in droves. All I could think of was this is how it is going to be someday......all of the redeemed gathering in, as the old song says. "When the redeemed are gathering in, washed like snow, and free from all sin. How we will shout and how we will sing, when the redeemed are gathering in."

On a much sadder note, Mt. Vernon Apostolic Church will be laying to rest one of their precious young people, Tiffany Potter, 24,who passed away this week of lymphoma. My heart goes out to her family and the church. This is such an awesome church that is pastored by my former youth pastor. You can read some posts about Tiffany here and and here. Please pray for the Potter family and the church as they grieve the loss of this precious young lady.

I will blog more later but for now.......being the sleep-deprived person that I am from a week of late nights, I am going back to bed for a little while! *yawnnnn*

Campmeeting Time in Ohio!

It has been a wonderful week at the Apostolic campgrounds in Millersport, Ohio! Even though I decided not to stay at camp this week, I have been able to go to service each night and it has been wonderful! I've seen so many good friends and heard some absolutely awesome messages from Bro. Klinedinst and Bro. Godwin. The music and worship each night has been so refreshing and strengthening. I'm glad that I decided to stay home during the day and ride with others at night. It is now Thursday and I am feeling the toll that it taking on my poor body but I type this as I am preparing to go take my afternoon nap, in preparation for another trip to Millersport with Pastor and Sis. Martin this evening! TTFN!

Another birthday celebrated!

Good evening from the valley! Well, we three sisters and two sisters-in-laws went out for dinner Monday evening to celebrate Bev's 59th! Yeehaa! Well, okay, I was so tired and so was Debbie, we didn't exactly kick up our heels but we did have a very good time. I should have taken a nap beforehand. (doesn't THAT sound old? *feeble grin*) NEVERTHELESS! On our way home, I managed to take a wrong turn. I went north instead of south, which took us a bit our of our way and then I missed the turn to take Cheryl home and had to find a turn-around on 33 that wasn't marked as an illegal u-turn AND THEN.....not being used to driving the big conversion van I was driving (it's Bill and Sandy's), I didn't put on the brakes as soon as I should have and we almost wrecked in trying to make the LEGAL u-turn on 33. hallelujah. BUT I managed to get everyone home safely! More and more when I go out for the evening, I am finding myself walking in the door, calling out "hello, honey, I'm home" and going straight to bed. Of course, this is after having been up all day and being busy. (I WAS busy all day, wasn't I? *tapping my chin as I try and remember....BUT.......to no avail*)
Anywayyyyyy.......here is a pic of me and the girls at Applebys:


















Oh, and as I was leaving Bill and Sandy's I just had to take THIS picture:
Bill is a plumber, so I guess it is fitting that he would have a commode filled with flowers in his front yard, hm? *grin* I think it is lovely!!!

To stay or not to stay?

That is the question. Oh, I'm talking about going and staying at family camp. *sigh* A part of me really wants to. It is so nice to stay because I can truly relax, have three meals a day prepared for me, visit and relax with friends, enjoy the morning service, relax and nap in the afternoon after lunch, I'm already THERE for the fantastic evening services and afterward, I can just head over to the dorm or my room and go to bed. Only this year I am remembering to take my earplugs because lights out is not until midnight and sometimes I just want to go to sleep early, you know? And if I don't stay, it will mean I have to drive to camp each night or ride with someone and then make the trip home. I won't be able to come up for the morning service which is usually really good! BUT, I don't like being away from Ed for five days and Ellie and Rocky. I know that Ed prefers for me to be here at home but I also know that he really doesn't mind if I go, either. This will probably be a spur-of-the-moment decision. What to do, what to do! Decisions like these used to be so easy for me to make! Is it my age and physical limitations that are causing this indecision?

Monday, Monday!

Well, here I am on the other side of another weekend, ready to start a new 7-day stretch! *smile* I've been doing my normal Monday and morning routine tasks: changing my bed, laundry, feeding the animals (including Ed) *grin, touching up the bathrooms and so on. I read a quote recently about finding happiness and contentment in doing the necessary, daily tasks and I can say that I've reached that place and it is good. ~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel and Erin were at church with us last night. She looked absolutely beautiful! I wish I'd had my camera with me! Daniel played the drums and was just awesome! I cannot believe how much his playing helps MY playing on the keyboards. I feel so strengthened and I swear I play sooo much better when he "drums" with me. Of course, I realize that we have the mother/son connection, too. Daniel plays the drums with such annointing and he is such a worshipper. Needless to say, I am so proud of him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bethany and little NATHEN (read the comments section of this post! *grin*) got to go home late Saturday afternoon. Now, mind you, she just gave birth to the little guy 24 hours previous to this! I just can't believe how soon they let them go home! We can only pray that there are no complications and there haven't been, thank you, precious Jesus, except for the little guy having his days and nights mixed up already! (Welcome to parenthood, Drew and Beth! *smile*) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I need to be about my day here. I have dishes to do and then it is off to visit a friend from church who had hip-replacement surgery. She is home and recovering and in need of some company. (I hope I'll do......*grin*) Then it is off to do my swimming and water exercises. Then it is back home to rest a bit and get ready to go out with the girls (sisters and sisters-in-law) for my sister Bev's birthday dinner this evening. ~~~~~~~~~~
(((HUGS TO EVERYONE!!!)))

Nathen Andrew Yerian!!!

Here is the newest addition to our family! Isn't he adorable????? He is my great-nephew.....Nathan! And, excuse me, but I must be honest here. I don't think ALL newborns are cute. But this one sure is! Okay, I might be just a tad biased. *grin* Nathan was born shortly after 3pm Friday afternoon. He weighs 7lbs.15oz. and is 19 inches long. We had a regular family reunion in Bethany's hospital room yesterday. Of course, it isn't just a room. It is more like a suite, so there was room for all of us. I am so thankful to the Lord that everything went well with Bethany's pregnancy and little Nathan's delivery and the Drewster (Bethany's sweet husband and Nathan's daddy) held up really well, too! *smile*

Patience is required......

......and I hear it's a virtue, too. (PATIENCE) *sigh*

Welllllll.......as you can see, I am endeavoring to redecorate a bit, but it is indeed a learning process that is made even slower because of DIAL-UP! Talk about needing patience.
Anywayyyyyy, I have a rather full day, so this will have to do for now, but I am planning to stop by the library later today where I may very well finish the redo here on my blog. I have a piano lesson to give at ten, then Ed and I are going to have lunch with Daniel and Erin. Next, I will be helping clean the church, water exercises, library......if my body will allow me to do all of this. Time will tell! *smile* So, I must be off, as I tend to get behind before I even get started each day. (This isn't good, is it? *feeble grin*) And I would love to go to camp this evening! Pray for me!

Go figure.

I remember many years ago, talking with my youth pastor, Bro. Kramer. I don't remember the actual gist of our conversation, but he ended up telling me that even though we're christians, that doesn't mean everyone is going to like us. And when we come across someone who doesn't like us, we can't take it personally. It is a choice THEY have made. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with us. Gosh, but that bit wisdom has helped me many times through the years, because I tend to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, think the best of everyone and just think everyone should like me. I mean, what's not to like? *grin*

Anywayyyyyy......this past week, I just happened to run across two people in particular who have never been especially fond of me. How do I know, you ask? Well, first of all, they act like it kills them to even say "hello" to me. You know, the just common, most simple acts of common courtesy. And, I do feel that I am a very approachable person. Oh, and we've never had any trouble between us, as we've never had anymore of a relationship than just saying "hello". But I can just tell that they don't particularly like me. So, the one lady is retired and working as a cashier at a local convenience store. I had gone there to buy some produce and meat for our supper, not even knowing that she worked there now. There were actually several of us there at the same time that had worked at or were still working at Smead, a local manufacturing plant. You know....they had just gotten off of work and were picking up some things for supper and so on, like me. Well, THIS lady retired from there. Anywayyyyy, so she is just talking up a storm to one of the other ladies that I had also been talking and laughing with, but then when it came time to check me out, she got this really sober expression on her face, though she did say hello and ask me if I was still at the library. BUT why couldn't she SMILE and be jovial with me. WHY did she have to act like it PAINED her to talk to me and be courteous? Well, I don't know the answer to that and don't need to know the answer. It's her problem. I smiled, endeavored to be friendly and so. Tis all a body can do.
Next, I am going to a local motel (Baymont Inn and Suites) three times a week, where I go swimming and do exercises and so on for my lower body. Dr. Gedeon recommended this as a great help, exercise and yet easy on my body. Soooooo, I see another lady there, who, over the years, has acted as though it pains her greatly to be courteous to me. BUT, I said hello to her anyway and she just kind of looked at me and said nothing. What? Huh? Go figure.
I am really past this bothering me, yet I just don't understand people who are like this. Maybe just because I am such an out-going person, that makes me much more sensitive to insensitive people like the above-mentioned,hm?

On to other things:

Daniel got his first paycheck this past Friday! It was a nice one, let me tell ya! His first REAL job and REAL paycheck. I am so happy for him and Erin! They are so blessed and fortunate! He also now has full health benefits for himself and Erin and one week of vacay!

Bethany, my niece, who was pictured with me in my previous profile pic (how do you like the new one?) is due to have her little baby July 24, so it could happen any day now!!

I went to see Dr. Gedeon Friday morning for the first time in about three weeks. I then went swimming and exercising. Now I am taking the swimming and water exercising slowly, so as not to aggravate my back, hips and legs too much. Well, the pain level has really spiked the past two days and night and my ability to walk and get around has really been hindered. I've not slept much the past two nights and have spent most of them either sitting up or in the recliner. I was not able to make it to church this morning, but will this evening. I'm not sure what is going on but I hope this, too, passes in time. I've not had this much pain and difficulty getting around for a loooong time. It has been a bit concerned actually. I'll keep you posted! Not to worry, though, for the Lord knows the path I take and "I am trusting in Christ alone"! *smile*

If you'd like to read a really cute and funny post, click on over here to Aidan's blog and have a read!

Oh, and I finished the Beverly Lewis' series "Abram's Daughers". Wow....it was a great read! I can't wait till I can get to the library to get another series. I'm hooked!

WARNING

I am thinking of doing some redecorating here at my blog. I've found some really pretty templates. BUT.......once I get something I like, it is kind of difficult for me to change and I am pretty happy with my blog the way it is. I was thinking, though, that maybe if I did a little updating, redecorating and so on, I would be more inclined to post more often. Sooooo, I think I'll start with a new profile pic!

I have had such a nice day today. I have been home ALL day! I did my usual morning tasks. Then I proceeded to finishing the afghan that I have been working on for my friend, Sonja. She gave me a bag of yarn and told me what she wanted, the colors and so on. It turned out really pretty. Here it is:

Well, it is late and I need to take myself off to bed as I have a lady coming EARLY in the morning to have her hair done! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

More about our trip to Maine!

I told you somewhat about my and Stacy's trip to Maine here. Now for some more of the little details. :-/

Stacy is 25. She has flown before. One other time I believe. Wellllllll......she was just soooooo spazzzzing out this time for some reason. For one thing, it was raining the morning we departed Dayton, so there was quite a bit of turbulence than what she had experienced previously. She kept asking me if we were safe. "Yes, Stacy, we are safe."

"Are you scared at all?", she asked me repeatedly.

"No, I'm not frightened at all. We are safe. Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight." Right. It was not to be. I mean, we are talking near to hyper-ventilating here, where Stacy was concerned, that is. I just couldn't believe it! Why me, Lord? And we were on a smaller plane than what she had flown on previously, so that made a bit of a difference, too, for her, anyway. Sooooooo, when the plane would make a noise or jostle around a bit, she would get this terrified look on her face and ask me or someone sitting near us or the stewardess, er, uh, excuse me.....I mean, flight attendant.....if we were safe. After awhile, it kinda started getting to me. Oh, I wasn't afraid, but I just couldn't understand her fear. I mean, she had told me that she had flown before and was fine with it. Mmmhmmm, right. Why does this stuff only happen to me? So on the second leg of our flight, from Detroit to Bangor, she kept asking the gentleman seated across the aisle from her if it was normal for the plane to make "those noises" and to jostle about like it was doing occasionally to which he replied yes. She asked our flight attendant a few times if everything was normal. Oh, and I forgot to tell you this: When we were getting ready to depart Detroit, one of our pilots came on the intercom to tell us that "something funky" had happened with one of the engines, so they had to shut the plane down and do a restart. Well, wasn't that just great??? I'm telling you, the girl started to hyperventilate. I got out the little barf bag. She was ready to bolt! But I prayed. Ohhhh, did I pray. And a couple of the other passengers talked to her and she finally calmed down and our flight took off as planned without incident. (thank you, Lord) You see, I wanted to go to Maine, but I was mostly going because Stacy wanted to go, knew she was going to have to fly and didn't want to go by herself. I had no idea that I was going to have to contend with this all the way there and back. Soooo, I thought the trip home would be better, seeing as how we had gotten there safely and in one piece, but nooooooooooo. Before we left for the airport for our return trip home, she was starting to get all jittery again and I thought: "I can't take this again. Please, Lord." Well, again, it was raining and there was thunder and lightning as we departed Bangor on Thursday afternoon and the trip to Detroit was rough BUT we survived and I kept Stacy intact emotionally. Again, we had a very undertstanding flight attendant who helped me in keeping Stacy somewhat calm. So we have a three-hour layover in Detroit, so by the time we leave there it is dark. She had asked me on our previous flights, "Can they see where they are going?" *sigh* I told her that they didn't need to SEE where they were going. They had instruments and the control tower personnel to keep them on course. I thought to myself, "Surely she doesn't think they won't be able to SEE where they are going because it is dark?" (help me, Lord.) Now, I don't know what difference the darkness made, but the girl got settled in, she was by the window, and slept the whole way to Dayton, which was only a 35 minute flight. But she said the darkness helped her for some reason. Sooooo, from now on, she is only going to fly at night. Go figure. All in all, we did have a great time. But it did get a bit tense a few times as I endeavored to reassure her and calm her. Will I travel with this young lady again? Well, if I've ever learned one thing in this life it is: Never say never. :-)

You wouldn't believe me even if.......

.....I told you the whole sordid story. Well, okay, "sordid" might be a bit strong. But it was baaaadddd. *sighhhhh* I'm talking about the day I had yesterday. Oh my word.......unbelievable. Although I did live to tell about but I'm choosing not to tell about it.....well, at least not today because I am still too tired and rung out to even begin to tell about it. But let me say this, at least: It started out as a rather ordinary day. I had my plans made, my time allotted for the things I needed to do, having given myself plenty of time to accomplish the things I needed to. BUT, all of this was before I joined my young friend and sister-in-the-Lord! Yes, the same young friend and sister-in-the-Lord that I took the CAAHHRRRAAAZZZYYYY car trip to Dayton with! The SAME young friend and sistah-in-the-Lord that I flew to Maine with! When will I ever learn???? Anywayyyyy......I may tell you more about my day yesterday tomorrow (does that make sense?!?!?) BUT today I am just not up to it,k? But I am trying my best to post more often for my faithful readers.......(((HUGS TO YOU!!))) I'll be back! :-)

What have I been up to?

Wellllllll......I've been keeping busy, let me tell ya! But then, I go a bit slower than I used to and have to take more breaks, so it takes me longer to do the things I used to do in a whipstitch! Anywayyyy.......this week I've had church, choir practice, worked on choruses and songs for the multi-media, done hair for my ladies, taken care of my home (that's more detailed than you care to know ;-o) and so much more.
This morning I woke up so full of energy! Of course, this burst of energy was mostly on the inside and when I tried communicating it to the outside of me.....well, I met with some resistance.....but I pushed through. I got all of my usual morning tasks done and then commenced to baking a cake (from scratch). It is called Pineapple Sheet Cake or Mexican Wedding Cake and it is my favorite! I made cream cheese icing for it and oh my word, is it delicious with a hot cup of coffee! I then made a huge bowl of macaroni salad....another one of my faves....and fried chicken for lunch. Ed spent the morning, until about 12:30, mowing and trimming grass. It looks sooooo nice. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow and post them. Oh, and I've also been working on an afghan for a friend. It is about two-thirds of the way done. I'll post pics of it, too. I promise! :-)
I spoke on the phone to my sister, Debbie, to my niece, Bethany, whose little baby is due the 24th of this month, and to my friend, Neda (we had some catching up to do) *grin*.
And in between all of this, I've been working on music for church tomorrow, putting some finishing touches to it.
Now, what kind of puts a real time crunch on all of these things is the fact that I am reading a really good series: Abram's Daughters by Beverly Lewis. I am on book two of five, The Betrayal. I don't often read fiction, but a couple of weeks ago, while in the library, I found her Annie's People series (3 books) and I couldn't put them down! Same with this series. *sigh* I just can't wait to finish the necessary things so I can READ! There's nothing like a good book that you can get lost in!
Previous to reading the Beverly Lewis books, I had just finished John Bevere's "Breaking Intimidation". A friend has highly recommended his book, "The Bait of Satan", so I put it on hold at the library. Before that, I read Rick Warren's "God's Power to Change Your Life".
I've also been listening to the CD's from Maine's Campmeeting. Bro. Alan Abbey was the day-speaker and he is just so awesome. The Lord has really ministered to me through Bro. Abbey's messages: "Where Has the Passion Gone?" and "The Watchman on the Wall" Oh, but I want to be continually growing spiritually and drawing closer to the Lord.
Andddddd, I've endeavored to enjoy the beautiful weather here at home, sitting out on the porches with Rocky at my feet, reading or crocheting, listening to my CD's, when I have the time to do this.
I'll try to be more faithful in my posting because I feel that if I am going to have this blog, I need to BLOG! (Right, Pat? *grin*)
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!