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Showing posts with the label Around Our Place

Good, But Not Great

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You know there's a lot of things that I'm good at, but not any one thing that I'm really great at.... Back in 2012, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that is cancerous - for which there is no cure. Since then, I often find myself thinking about the meaning of my life.....  "What do I love, and what would I like to accomplish in my life......?" That's a hard question....  I love to sing... and would love to sing lead or background in a band. But how in the world do you get discovered.... I actually auditioned for a small group in 2015, and was given the gig, but they were located a few hours away and I would have been away from my kids and hubby 3-4 days a week.... I just can't do that right now, my family is too important.  I love plants and nature. I love making flower arrangements. (I have even though of opening my own florist shop...), but we live in the boonies and I would hate the tied down feeling of running a stor

Crochet Pattern for Christmas Tree Skirt

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Materials:  (1) 16 oz Yarn (color of your choice) *You can use different colors of yarn. I wanted mine to match my Christmas stockings so I made it all soft white. Crochet Hook (I used size H) *You can use any type of yarn or any size hook.... (The smaller the hook, the tighter the stitches. The bigger the hook, the more yarn you will need.) Glossery: (ch = chain, sc = single crochet, dc = double crochet, st = stitch)                                Directions: Row 1: Ch 22, dc in fourth ch from hook, dc in each ch across, turn. Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc in each st across to last st, dc in last st, turn.  Row 3: Ch 3, dc in each st across, turn. Row 4: Ch 3, 2 dc in each st across to last st, dc in last st, turn.  Row 5 - 6: Ch 3, dc in each st across, turn. Row 7: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st, (dc in next st, 2 dc in next st) across, turn.  Row 8 - 10: Ch 3, dc in each st across, turn. Row 11: Ch 3, (2 dc in next st,

No Apology

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"Never apologize for how you choose to take care of yourself!" I needed this reminder.....  In this season of my life, I often need to sleep more, rely on convince food, stay close to home, have help with dishes, cooking, cleaning, and laundry.... I can't do for others like I used too.... I cook and bake less, I give less, I focus on me and my family more. I need rest and a peaceful environment. And for all that... I will not apologize. I do not have to explain. I am taking care of me.  No apology needed.

Thankful For Us

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Today is Sunday.... the weekend before thanksgiving. My family's all home - it's the first time in 17 weeks that hubby did not have to work the weekend. The smell of warm coffee cake baking in the oven, sounds of Christmas music coming from the stereo, the warmth of the fire in our big stone fireplace....the Christmas lights twinkling on the mantle.... I look around... I love this time of year... and I love spending time with my family. I look at my love... he smiles back, the fact that he works hard to give me this great life is not lost on me. I snuggle a little closer and lay my head on his chest. The two youngest are so excited as they pull Christmas decorations out of boxes.... today we will decorate our Christmas tree.... the teen puts down her phone and joins in on the fun..... the holidays are here! Later, the in-laws will stop by to visit, and we'll watch movies, and have some hot chocolate.... but right now, the living room is a mess with Christma

Lessons from Gran Torino

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We recently watched Gran Tornio (the movie).  I know a few people who say it's an extremely bad movie to watch.... I disagree. I actually thought it was really good.... in fact we watched it as a family - yes, that means my 15, 9, and 6 yr. old watched it with the hubby and I. Please let me explain my reasoning.  Let me start by saying that the movie has a whole lot of bad language, which I usually don't care for. But that's how much of the world today is, and while I certainly think they could have left out a lot of the profanity, it actually works in this movie in its context.  I was struck by the fact that the  Mr. Walt Kowalski's  own k ids and grand kids were only interested in what they could get from him. They thought he was a burden.... never truly loving him.  (I saw that happen In my Grandpa's life.... everyone wanted a piece of him, but few truly cared about him.) The older I get, the more I realize that more and more families and people in

Finding Enough

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Fourteen years ago, I was a single mom. I made $12,000 a year, and lived paycheck to paycheck. It wasn't much, but it paid the bills. I provided for my daughter and I. Life was good . We were happy . A couple years later, I married this  great guy . He was every thing I didn't know I wanted. He lived in another state. Owned his own home. Had a good job. Was a man of good values. He loved God. He loved me. Loved my daughter. Asked me to marry him. I said yes. Life was good . We were happy. Over the next few years, we worked hard making our little piece of land into our dream home. Had a two more kids. Hubby continued to have a good job. We bought toys, but never living out of our means. Life was good . We were happy.... most of the time....  Every now and then - we felt something was wrong, but could never figure out what, so life went on. Last year (2015) we paid off the house/farm, bought a new car, bought a new tractor, and w

Quality Family Time in the Seasons of Life

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Our oldest daughter got her first real job this summer, which has made us realize that our season of life is once again changing! Don't get me wrong - I'm happy that she has a job, that she is growing up, learning new experiences, and becoming a responsible member of the community....     But at the same time, I realize that life is going to be different. She isn't always around. We have to check not only my husbands work schedule, but also her work schedule before we plan things.  So, we have been trying to fit in more quality family time.... Simple things like target practice.... Going to museums.... Having more campfires and making s'mores.... Taking walks and bike rides/visiting the cemetery.... This year our family did the local Walk for Life fundraiser.... Playing games....  Watching movies and eating popcorn.... Going on small trips Nothing fancy or extravagant.... just trying

Getting Healthy - Part 1

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It's no secret that I have struggled with my weight most of my life. I remember after getting my 8/9 yr old pictures taken - I was handing them out to my friends and I remember feeling ashamed that I was 'fat'. It was the first time I realized that I didn't have a waist... of course it didn't help that my best friend Carla, was beautiful, thin, and all the guys liked her! As a teen, I wasn't huge, but I wore a size 10/12 (the same as my aunt) all through my teens. I weighed around 125#. The time I weighed the least was when I was 17 years old and two months pregnant with baby #1, (morning sickness and plain poverty does that to you) I weighed 110# and fit into a size 6. *Note: I am 5ft. 1in. tall. After baby #1 was born, I kept gaining weight until I was at 160# (size 14) despite the fact that I walked everywhere I went and ate very little. Three years later, I was seeing a dietitian and was back down to 129# and a size 10. I gradually started

Getting Rid of Cookbook Clutter

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When I moved into my first apartment at the age of 16, I knew that I wanted some of my mom's recipes. So, I made a homemade recipe book, and spent a few days writing my favorite recipes down. You see, my parents were in the process of moving to another state (Pennsylvania) over nine hours away. I knew that I couldn't just go home and look through mom's recipes when ever I wanted.  Through the years, I added to my homemade recipe book, collecting any recipes that I thought looked good.  Fast forward thirteen years down the road. I was married with three kids. I had a Taste of Home magazine subscription, recipes from other magazines like Country Side, Better Homes and Gardens, and lots of recipe books that people had given me over the years. I had a whole shelf and a half full of recipes. When I wanted to try a new recipe, just the idea of looking through the stacks of recipes made me stop - there was so many, I didn't even want to sort through them.  I never use

How To Turn An Old Chicken Coop Into A She Shed

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We moved the chickens to the barn and turned an old chicken coop into a  'She Shed '. Our oldest daughter, Faith (15 yrs.) shares a small bedroom with her 6 yr. old little sister. There's not a lot of room, and with their nine year age difference, they don't have a lot in common. So, I thought we'd make a 'She Shed' for Faith to use as her own art studio... a place to get away, a place to relax, a place to breath. We took out the nest boxes, roosts, and all things chicken related, gave the whole thing a good scrub with Shaklee Basic H2 and Basic G to disinfect it , and let it dry. Then we mixed up  The Prairie Homestead's Whitewash  (we added 1 bottle of purple rite dye to tint it), and the kids and I got busy painting it on. We didn't quite have enough to do the floor, so left it original. I was planning on painting it white, but never got that done. (story of my life...)     It really brightened up the inside. After the

The Happiness Dare Giveaway

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I love this book and want you to love it too, so....  I'm giving away a copy - right here on my blog...  keep reading to enter! The last couple years, I have been choosing to have more joy in my life. We have gotten rid of clutter , figured out priorities, cut back on stress in our life, and paid off our home. Life is good, but you know what??? Joy and happiness are two different things -and my life could use a lot more holy happiness in it! Get this.... God is a Happy God - and He wants us to be Happy! A. W. Tozer said that the people of God "ought to be the happiest people in all the wide world!" I think too often as Christians, we put a limit on our happiness in God.  In The Happiness Dare, Jennifer says "God gave us the created world - with sugar, bluebirds, audio books, words with friends, art museums, and sex. You have permission to enjoy food, friendships, and a cool swim on a hot summer day. the devil didn't make art, laughte

DIY Bookcase Redo

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It doesn't take much to give your book case a whole new makeover!  You can accomplish it with very little cost and a little bit of time. Step 1: Take everything out of the bookcase, including the shelves. Step 2: Take off the back. It is easiest if you lay the bookcase front side down on the floor.                                                     Step 3: Lay lace (you could also use material, wall paper or even paint the back a bright color.) down on the top where the back originally was. Pull snug. Step 4: Lay back on top and nail back on. Step 5: Stand upright. Place shelves back in.                                                       Step 6: Put you're books back in! Note: The key to a good looking bookcase isn't so much in the bookcase as much as it's what and how to put things in the bookcase! Group books of the same color or kind together. Have some laying down and some standing up. Add in a few collectibles (anything you l