Happy New Year!

"I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me."
~Anaïs Nin

From Our Home to Yours -- Merry Christmas!

http://mysite.verizon.net/respb203/creekside/

What I've been up to

Wow, I haven't posted in a while.  Life has been so busy lately and I've only really had time online to read messages.  No time to reply much either.

Some highlights since my last post:

• dance class
• AWANA
• walking everywhere (my attempt to not gain weight this holiday season and save gas money)
• coffee with a friend
• parties
  
• our church's live nativity went really well and we had a larger cast this year, and therefore more costumes to be made, plus more sets along the drive-thru
• Christmas projects with family and friends (decorating, cards, gifts, baking, etc.)
• practice so we have singers for our Christmas eve service
• caroling with our homeschool co-op
• everyday things (library trips, grocery trips, trips to piano lessons, laundry, dishes, cooking, etc.)
• educational pursuits (helping the kids with these)
• planning for a New Year's Eve get together at church
  
• sadness over situations within my family (please pray)

And now, I really should go to bed because I have more to do tomorrow...

Live Nativity

Our church is putting on its second live nativity (December 4 & 5) and I'm the costume coordinator again.  A group of us work on the costumes and those days have been teasingly dubbed the Grace Fellowship sweat shop ;-)

(You can see a hint of the costumes to the left but that's only about 1/4 of them)

There are 80 volunteers involved this year and they aren't just from our church.  Wow!

Its fun and exhausting but so worth every minute of it.  Especially when you hear how much it blesses people and reminds them why they celebrate Christmas to begin with.

To all the volunteers..........THANK YOU!!!

What characters are my family this year?  Noelle is Mary, Kyle is a shepherd, Kirk is a wise man, and I'm a villager (so I can help where needed and take pictures :-)  Hopefully, I'll get us together (in costume) for our family Christmas photo.  Some of the families did this last year and the pictures were great!

I am taking off today through Saturday to focus on Thanksgiving and enjoying my family.  I just wanted to share while I had a few minutes.

The Apprentice Puppeteer

Noelle is involved in puppet ministry this year and really enjoying herself.  She got her "hood" last night and has been having fun creeping us out, lol.  She put the thing on my head when I wasn't paying attention to her and, yes, you can see through it, but I would have liked a proper warning :-P

Pepperoni Pizzaz

Here's what we had for dinner last night.  I'd never made it before, but some similar, and we have decided that this ones the best!  I also got to use my Home and Garden Party cranberry bean pot for the first time (I only got it a year ago, lol).

The recipe came from a Quick Cooking cookbook, though its not really that quick (unless you have a food processor, which I do) but is worth the time spent.

Pepperoni Pizzaz

8 ounces medium tube pasta, cooked and drained (do this while mixing other ingredients so pasta stays warm)

1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce, divided

1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

1 package (8 ounces) sliced pepperoni

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp crushed rep pepper flakes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine 2-1/3 cups spaghetti sauce, along with next 9 ingredients, in a bowl.  Add pasta to sauce mixture and mix well.  Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish.  Combine the tomato sauce and remaining spaghetti sauce; pour over top.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Yield:  9-12 servings.

As usual, I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  Pizza is usually topped with what each family likes best so I only did what we liked and had on hand ;-)  I left out the mushrooms, halved the pepperoni amount (and cut the pepperoni into small pieces), and upped the onion and pepper amounts. I also didn't have the red pepper flakes so used hot sauce instead.

If you make it, let me know what you think.

Hard Drive Failure

No, I didn't have it backed up. Yes, I lost a lot from the last couple years (a lot of my pictures have been preserved on Flickr and Picasa, PTL for that, but the videos are gone). The hard drive was so dead that I wasn't even charged a fee by the computer shop for trying to retrieve my files. Some lessons in life are learned the hard way *sigh*

I have a new hard drive now. I've also resolved to buy an external hard drive to do back ups on, as well as continuing to use online sites for storage. I'm trying not to be paranoid about the whole thing, just going to do what I should have been doing all along.

What caused the failure? I didn't get my firmware update accomplished in time. If only life didn't get so busy that many things get put on hold until "a time when things aren't so busy". That's my excuse anyway ;-P

Oh well, moving on....

I Continue to Stand in Awe of You, Lord Jesus

I am continually humbled by my Lord and Savior. I'm very moved by all expressions of worship and after watching/listening to this song just had to share. Enjoy!


When I Speak Your Name by Gateway Worship

Which way?

Is up?

I'm so busy just trying to keep afloat lately. I kind of crashed today and can't seem to get motivated. I can't be this way, I have so much to do. Ugh.

I've neglected my blogs and I'm just keeping up with reading email (no time to really reply though).

Okay, off to make dinner...

Decorating?

Yesterday, we spent an interesting evening helping friends decorate for the Oil 150 celebration going on this week. There is a contest and let me tell you, they are out to win! An oil derrick in their front yard, no less! We started at 4:14 PM and finished the helping out part somewhere around 8:30 - 9:00 PM. We had people slowing down to get a good look (some also turned around to get a second look) and a few even parked to watch, lol.

Videos take too long to load so here are some stills from the many videos I took.

20 Years of Marriage

Kirk and I kept things pretty low key for celebrating our anniversary, we like it that way :-)

We walked to a local restaurant for dinner and just enjoyed some time together. I asked him if it felt like 20 years and he said, yes. I agree, lol. We've gone through a lot of growing pains together and our relationship just gets stronger. Marriage for us is a covenant, not a contract. Our vows did say for better or for worse didn't they? So difficult times are no reason for giving up!

There have been many many good times also. Here's to another 20 years or more!

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Rainbow

Noelle was washing dishes last evening. She looked out the window and saw...

Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?

Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?

Shared via AddThis

I thought I lost these

But I found them! Yeah!!!


I miss you dad!

Wagon Wheels West

This past weekend, July 31st and August 1st, was the culmination of Noelle's hard work this summer. Kyle was involved as sound man as well. Thought I'd share the memories :)



Getting ready to go on:

Life Right Now

My life feels so strange lately. I'm sure it has a lot to do with my dad dying from cancer and him not knowing the Lord. But there is so much else that I don't share with anyone but God. Sometimes I feel trapped by my life. Most of the time I just keep moving along and leaning heavily on my Jesus, or like now, just letting Him carry me.

This morning, I was reading a book that was recommended to me. I'm not particularly fond of this author's writing style, it comes across as rather offensive in some areas. However, there is a lot of truth in what she has written. This book was supposed to enlighten me on educating my teens but instead of that, it made me realize the many chains I have on my own life. They are chains that I have no way of removing either.

With this realization, I was struck by a major need to get out of this house and go for a walk. To be out in God's creation. So, I got dressed, grabbed the leash, the dog, a water bottle and my camera. There is a route that I walk sometimes that is about 2 miles long and in the woods for most of it. It was very peaceful and Owen was grateful for the exercise as well.

The first thing we saw that made me get out my camera was this doe. She stood there and watched me get the camera out of the carrier and after the first picture decided to take off.
Trying to take pictures with a dog attached to you is a little difficult, hence the slightly blurry pictures. Here are some of the different views along my walk.Owen loves the woods, so many new smells and so little time with mom dragging you along (or keeping you by her side).I have some video I took as well but its taking too long to upload them. I'll try again later.

Sometimes getting out and about really helps you refocus and recharge.

15

Kyle turned 15 yesterday. His requests for the day were a brownie ice cream cake and eating dinner out. Oh, and of course, family to share it with :)

Maxine

I'm sorry if your offended but I loved this!

The spirit of Thomas Jefferson lives!

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=103378

Pymatuning

On Saturday, we decided to go to Pymatuning Reservoir.

We stopped at the car wash on the way and the kids and I took some goofy pictures.
We had originally planned to go to the deer park (actually a small zoo) but the place was crowded beyond belief (we'll go back on a weekday). We were hungry anyway so headed into Jamestown for some lunch. Then we drove over to the dam to explore.
Next we drove to the other end of the reservoir to feed the carp. Noelle has a joke she tells about how to cook a carp: Take a pine board and nail the carp to the board, cook in a 350 degree oven for 4-5 hours, take out of oven and throw out the carp, eat the pine board ;o)
Here's a couple videos of the hungry buggers:

We stopped at Family Ties on the way home and ate dessert instead of dinner. I mean come on, who has room for dessert after eating a meal? ;o)

To top off the day, we went for a walk to see how progress was coming on the community swimming pool. The plaster crew came all the way from Texas and they were swarming all over the place trying to get things finished for the opening in a few days.

All in all, a very busy day!

A Really Cool Idea

We need to do this with our bay window!

New Ride

I really like my 2008 Pacifica. The color is called clearwater blue pearl (reminds me of the waters around a tropical island) and changes color with the light. It has a lot of gadgets but no DVD screen (we can play DVDs but can't "see" them, figure that one out). My favorite feature, that I played with and set yesterday, is the seating memory. Since Kirk is 6'2" and I'm 5'4" its really nice to not have to readjust seating every time I get in ;o)

45 life lessons and 5 to grow on

Originally published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday,May 28, 2006

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.


Posted by Regina Brett September 20, 2007 14:03PM
http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2007/09/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html

Short But Sweet

We've only had it since March. The kids and I have enjoyed it while we've had it.



We are moving on to something better though and I'll post pics in the next couple of days.

Randomness

Our favorite "room" and impatiens.




Some things Noelle has identified.
Owen's new kennel pad, with a zip-off cover I made from an old flannel sheet.

What is it

with my weekends being so busy lately?

Last Saturday (5-30) we traveled to Erie. We needed to buy Kyle a paint ball helmet for an upcoming air-soft battle with 9 other teens. We decided, since we were going anyway, to make a day of it. In addition to searching for the helmet, we also ate lunch at Ponderosa, watched Race to Witch Mountain at the discount theater, shopped for a baby shower gift, and wandered around the mall. Sunday morning was church and then the baby shower. Poor Noelle got stuck, along with two other girls, watching the little ones. She didn't find it fair (but handled it very maturely), she wanted to see what gifts the baby got, especially the look on Cheyenne's face when she opened the gift from us (an absolutely adorable little blue bathrobe that Kirk picked out).

Last night (Friday) was the air soft battle and Ky had a good time but came home exhausted. Kirk picked him up so that this morning Noelle and I could go to the community yard sales in Pleasantville (I haven't missed this in 4-5 years). We got up early to pick up Cindy and help her get her sale set up (Barb let her set up in her front yard), then off we went. Lets just say it involves a lot of walking because Pville may be small but it is spread out. We found many bargains and a lot of good food to eat. Tomorrow we have church and an evening fellowship time around a fire. It was going to be a dinner but changed, now I need to return at least one of the bags of fresh spinach I bought for the salad I was going to make. See what I get for being prepared ;)

50

Kirk turned 50 on May 29th. Noelle and I bought him a chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream at his request. He stayed home from work to be with us. Noelle did the candles and we sang to him.
Kyle video taped us singing but I'll spare you the bad singing, lol.

Evaluation Day

Thursday, May 28th

I really do want to be better organized for evals next year. However, this year I spent a lot of time putting things together over the last two weeks (ie. not much sleep). We are supposed to learn from our mistakes and I sure hope to learn from this one.

Anyway...

In the van we went, along with our paperwork and our DVD National Treasure 2 (yes, our van has a DVD player in it). I wasn't sure if trying to watch a DVD and riding in a vehicle wouldn't make one of the kids sick. They said they didn't have even a hint of queasiness, as they could see the road and watch at the same time. Obviously, all I could do was listen since I was driving but even just listening made the trip go faster.

We travel to Erie for the kids' evaluations because we really really like Myrilee and she came highly recommended :o) I think its normal to hope you've done enough to satisfy the state where homeschooling is concerned and when we left Myrilee's house I felt like a champion, lol. She lives on Lake Pleasant Road and we usually have a picnic at the lake on the way back home. This year it was pouring down rain so we waved at the lake as we drove by and decided to eat at McDonald's in Union City. Kyle and Noelle really enjoyed this as we haven't eaten at a McD's in a long long time. I thought thank goodness for dollar menus.

I slept well that night.

Memorial Day Weekend

Saturday the 23rd

I decided I needed to reclaim my front porch after doing the deck the day before. I hauled everything off, swept up all the leaves so Noelle could dump them over the creek bank, then put everything back in place and made room for our bicycles so they were ready for use.

Kirk cleaned out the fire ring so we could have a fire later in the evening. Then he and Kyle raked, mowed, weed whacked, and cleaned up the chairs for on the front porch. While the guys were doing that, Noelle and I took a planter back to the dollar store to get a smaller one for the deck table.

Dinner was eaten on the deck and it felt so good to have our *outside* room all set up. After clean up, Kirk made a fire and we enjoyed cherry mountain pies with a dollop of vanilla frosting. Mmmm...

Sunday the 24th

We decided to stay home from church and really spend time with just the family. Kirk ran to the store so I could make us all a big breakfast. Waffles, sausage, and eggs eaten on the deck. Beautiful morning!

Tom and Jeannette (Kirk's parents) took us out to lunch for an early 50th birthday present for Kirk. Then we headed over to the cemetery to place flowers on graves and walk around. We saw Great Aunt Jane there and talked with her a while. The kids and I also noticed that the cemetery was loaded with wild strawberry blossoms and began being careful where we stepped ;)

On the way home we stopped at my mom's house for a visit. My mom showed me the bluebird babies in the nest box and then bluebird parents began dive bombing us. I grabbed my camera and attempted to get a picture of one of them in the willow tree.

We were told to come back at 7 pm for a fire/cookout. It was a really nice evening!


Noelle, Larissa, and another little girl ran all over looking for critters and just having a blast together.

As everyone was getting ready to head home,
my mom decided we should all come back together and do it all over again Monday evening.

Monday the 25th

I needed to do some paperwork for the kids' homeschool evaluations on Thursday so Kyle and I stayed home while Kirk and Noelle went for a drive to look at trucks. The two of them also ate a late breakfast at a restaurant. Ky and I are home bodies for the most part so this was fine with us.

The fire/cookout was earlier than the night before. The great thing about the whole weekend was the beautiful weather! It usually rains (it did a little at the cemetery on Sunday but that was it) most of the weekend.

My Busy Day

Its been a busy day here. Kyle, Noelle, and I rode our bikes to a couple yard sales. I found a basically brand new coffee thermos carafe for $2, a little vase for all the flowers Noelle is always picking for me (she's such a sweetie), and some trims for crazy quilting. We got home from doing that and I decided to clear off the deck and sweep it. Got interrupted before cleaning the deck furniture to walk Noelle to the Y for homeschool gym (got over there and found out it had been canceled), went to the dollar store for a few things, then to Save-A-Lot for some more things, then walked home. Found out I needed to make a real grocery shopping trip in the van, so I made a list and off I went. I also bought some Impatiens to plant in a planters on the deck. The kids put the groceries away while I went and finally got the deck furniture hosed down and scrubbed. Came back in and made dinner. Ate, went back outside to put the cushions on the furniture while the kids cleaned up from dinner, then Kyle came outside and helped me haul all the furniture back up onto the deck. Planted my flowers, talked to the neighbors for a few minutes, then came inside and got on the computer. You know what? I'm tired.

On another note -- Kirk's mom called this morning and was talking to the machine, waiting for me to pick up. She wanted to do something special for his 50th birthday. Well, Kirk came home very early from work (not feeling well) and sitting on the computer, heard her message. I started laughing as I picked up the phone and informed her he had heard the whole thing. He said something to the effect of, "Over my dead body." Lol. Kevin's (Kirk's brother) girlfriend surprised him with a 50th birthday party last year and I was told that I better not do something similar.

More About CQing

Here's an update on my CQ square.
I still have a lot more embellishing to do.

The day before Mother's Day I bought a bunch of different colored costume satins out of the bargain bin at Walmart (Who can pass up $2/yard?) and some trims.

Another great resource for fabrics and trims are yard sales. Especially little girl dresses. I found this one on Friday for $1 I have accumulated a lot of buttons, threads, fabrics, trims, batting, needles, ribbons, beads, etc. over the years this way.

Another weekend...

Friday -- walked around town going to yard sales, payed bills, perused some stores, road our bikes to the library, walked to the store for a rotisserie chicken and some Italian bread for dinner, watched The Andy Griffith Show on DVD from Netflix

Saturday -- did laundry, dishes, played on the internet, worked on my CQ square, found some cross stitch projects I started years ago and did some work on one (the bee sampler to go on a pillow for Noelle), made a pasta salad for dinner, Kirk and Noelle went to Walmart for a giant sub for dinner and to get Noelle some shorts, watched The Andy Griffith Show on DVD (another one)

Sunday -- Kirk had to work today, kids and I went to church without him, I had power point today and recorded the sermon from our guest speaker Ed Black (a missionary to Croatia), took Noelle to Walmart to exchange her shorts (dad let her buy a size too small), got home and did dishes, walked to the store, made coleslaw and chicken drumsticks for dinner, did dishes, relaxed for a while, then wrote on this blog :)

Off to bed now, night all!

Concerts in the Park

Concerts in the Park starting up June 1

By Tom Boyle
Monday, May 11, 2009 10:58 PM CDT

With summer just around the corner, you can almost hear the sound of a band playing in Scheide Park in Titusville.

The Titusville Council on the Arts has released the schedule for one of the most well-attended events in the city -- the Titusville Summer Concerts in the Park series.

The 26-year-old program is a staple for family summer entertainment each year.

The concerts take place each Monday evening in June, July and August from 7 to 9:00 in Scheide Park. In addition, the Titusville Lions Club is present each week to provide food sales.

“Our program committee sat down and considered the acts we used last year,” said Penny Gustavson, executive director of the Titusville Council on the Arts. “We took attendance each week and considered the interest shown by residents.

“Every year the schedule changes, because we try to bring in new bands,” Gustavson said. “We put out the word early. Bands that want to play here during the summer must contact us by mid-January.”

Part of the process used by committee members to choose the musical acts is to listen to CDs forwarded to the arts council.

Gustavson said that last year's two most popular bands are returning: country band “Ghost Riders” (June 22) and 50s, 60s and 70s crooners “Top Cats” (July 27).

“People begged us to bring in a 50s and 60s band,” Gustavson said of “Top Cats,” who definitely filled the bill.

Another group that Titusville folks turn out for in big numbers is the polka band “Gerkmania.” Gustavson said that although these music makers are unable to perform on Monday due to work commitments, she will try to bring them in on another evening to perform.

“They are well-liked in this area,” she said. “We will try to work them in.”

Two newcomers to the Scheide Park stage are bluegrass band “Grass Fire” (June 8) and country rock's “Divided Highway” (July 6).

“[Divided Highway] is a very popular area band [that] we have not had the privilege of presenting before,” Gustavson said. “We are excited about being able to have them.”

Residents are encouraged to attend with a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the music each week. Families are encouraged to bring children of all ages.

In the event of rain, the concerts will be moved to Titusville High School. If Colestock Auditorium is not available, the show will go on in either the gymnasium or cafeteria.

The concerts are made possible through the generosity of several area civic groups and charitable organizations.

In addition to the concert series, the council will also be busy with Oil 150 Celebration activities.

Along with the tribute to Hank Williams scheduled for Aug. 18, Gustavson said there are a lot of other things planned by the arts council for Oil 150, pending the receipt of funding through grants.

Ethnic Day has been set for Aug. 20. The theme this year is the Seneca Indians.

“We are going back to the original collectors of oil,” Gustavson noted.

The Titusville Council on the Arts Summer Concerts in the Park schedule for 2009 is listed as follows:

June

June 1 - The Necessary Experience (rock)

June 8 - Grass Fire (bluegrass)

June 15 - Forsyth Special (Irish)

June 22 - Ghost Riders (country rock)

June 29 - Bill Beggs Big Band (big band)

July

July 6 - Divided Highway (mix)

July 13 - Loose Change Band (country)

July 20 - Newman (modern)

July 27 - Top Cats (50s, 60s and 70s)

August

Aug. 3 - Carl Olson -- An Instrumental Journey (pop)

Aug. 10 - CATRO (jazz)

Aug. 17 - Banjo Jammers

Oil Festival Special

Aug. 18 - A Tribute to Hank Williams






Posting this here so I don't have to go looking for it later on :)

Thinking Ahead

Rambling Post

Noelle took my camera outside yesterday to practice her photography. This was the best one. Its one of my double tulips. And I made home made salsa last night for today. I usually put black beans and corn in but decided not to this time. Still yummy (if I do say so myself :)
I use the food processor to make mine less chunky and also cheat by using jarred jalapenos and dried cilantro.

Poem

I've always liked poetry and used to write quite a bit of it when I was a teenager. This poem was brought to my attention on an e-list and I wanted to share it with you.

WHEN I SAY, "I AM A CHRISTIAN"
by Carol Wimmer

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved

Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer

The Weekend

On Friday Kirk and I looked at washing machines (decided against the used one) and bought a Maytag. Here's one of those purchases that I would love to have been American made but those were a couple hundred dollars more than we could afford. Lately, it seems as though everything we own is wearing out.

Noelle and I attended our church's mother/daughter brunch Saturday morning and had a really good time.
After we got home I spent most of the afternoon learning needlework stitches and working on my CQ square. Later in the evening we watched the movie Faith Like Potatoes.


Everyone else went to bed and I stayed up late mixing together the dry ingredients for the scones I was baking in the morning. I promised Ermagene I would make her two dozen and planned on giving the rest for cafe.

Breakfast Scones

2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sour milk

Mix dry ingredients together well. Cut in butter. Add milk. Kneed dough on a floured surface a couple times then form into a log and cut in half. Pat each half of dough into an 8 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges. Separate wedges and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in a pre-heated, 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Makes 16 scones.

Kirk stayed home sick from church so the kids and I went without him. The rest of the day everyone lazed around and I practiced more stitches for my CQ. Dinner was a simple affair of ham, eggs, and waffles. Kyle got invited to go listen to Eric Hovind speak at a nearby high school and even spoke with him personally afterwards. He got home about 9:50 p.m. and really enjoyed himself.

Maybe We Should Move to Wyoming

To homeschool all you have to submit is a letter of intent each school year. Hhmm.....

Firsts of the Season

Nothing smells as good as clothes hung out on the line.
Our washer is broken and I had to go to the laundromat. I had a lot of laundry to dry but only had $1.25 left after washing it all. I used that to start the towels drying (nothing feels worse to me than a towel hung on the line soaked, only to dry like sandpaper). I brought everything home and most went on the line. Jeans and unmentionables went in our dryer at home.

The washers at the laundromat don't hold as much as mine so I don't like this option. Kirk went looking for a used washer and found one. It was $500 brand new, is three years old and they want $250 for it. We looked at new washers without fancy settings and they were $350 - $399. Still thinking which route to go.

It was very hot in the afternoon, about 85 degrees and Noelle decided to enjoy a cooling trek in the creek.
When its hot like that I do not like to turn the oven on or stand over a hot stove to cook dinner. We did a fend for yourself night and then had sherbet for dessert.

I love this kind of dancing!

Yesterday

Owen is now 4 years old. Isn't he handsome? We think so. We could have done something special for him but I don't think he noticed :-)
I carved out a corner in our multipurpose room for my sewing space. Its nice to have a place all set up and ready to go. I got the table at a yard sale last year.
In a post last March I said we were going to make this room into our bedroom but it just never happened. We need a new bed and it has to be taken through the window to get it down stairs, so we're waiting until we get a new bed. Hopefully that will be soon as it really is shot and it doesn't help with Kirk's back and neck problems. He gets up and goes to work everyday even though he's usually in a great deal of pain. Prayers for him would be appreciated.

I finally finished the sewing portion of my first CQ block.
Now I need to do the embroidery over the seams and any embellishment I want. You can see a finished example here. I joined an online group called CQembellishers because that's the part I'm looking forward to the most. They refer to it as eye candy. I use to cross stitch before the kids were born and when they were little. I always meant to learn other embroidery stitches and they are what you use in CQs.

For dinner I made what we call Breakfast Pizza. Its really simple but good!

Breakfast Pizza

1 tube crescent rolls
1 pound sausage, cooked and drained
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press crescent rolls into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread sausage over crust. Whisk eggs and milk together, pour over sausage. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for about 15 minutes.

I actually did a variation on this yesterday. I used bacon, cooked and crumbled, in place of the sausage and used shredded swiss cheese instead of the cheddar. It was really good but I think I may have to increase the amount of eggs to 6 or decrease the amount of bacon to half. I served it with fruit and yogurt.