Can You Guess What I'm Doing?

The day after Thanksgiving is when I usually get out my Christmas Decorations! I don't have many and as each and everyone was given to me, they are very special!

This Santa holds votive candles and looks so neat when it's burning! My neighbor gave it to me two years ago as a Christmas present and I have special memories from it!
Since my decorations are all up, can you guess as to what I might possibly do with these lights that I bought yesterday??

And what might this unfinished project might be???? Yes, that is a needle that is stuck in it!

Don't worry, I will post what these things are all about....... when they're done!

In other news, I have little friend that is sticking with me today. Lila sliced one of her pads open the other day so she gets to pal around with me instead of getting her paw dirty out in the pen. I have a feeling that I'm going to be ready to pull my hair out by the end of the day..... being in the house is something new to her (thankfully she just had a bath!) and all she wants to do is explore and chase the cat. She is on the same maturity level as Sawyer only she's bigger, stronger, and has majorly delayed reactions to obedience!!!
So, the plan is to soak the paw in salt water several times today, keep her with me, limit her activity, and hopefully that will do the trick!

My Winter Garden

My summer garden was a beautiful sight and I gloried in it every day! Now that fall/winter is here I have planted pansies and hope that they perform well also (if I can keep the "caterpillars" from eating them).

My Foxglove
Since I'm letting the ground rest for the winter, that doesn't mean that I have to quit "gardening"!! It just means that I have plants in the house! I have found several really neat plants that you can either grow from bulb or buy already established.

My Orchid
About a year and a half ago I bought this orchid for my birthday after hearing all about orchids' from our neighbor, and seeing all of the ones she had. I knew that a person could easily spend $25-$30 on one potted plant the size of the one pictured above, and I knew that I could not spend that much. But, I found mine at Home Depot for roughly $10!!!
Orchids are houseplants as they come from a warm and humid climate. They only need to be watered once a week (you run lukewarm water over the roots for a little bit and then let it drain) and prefer bright light. If you take care of them they will re bloom, and re bloom, and re bloom, etc. for you!! Mine has bloomed three times since I bought it and am so hoping that it will do so for Christmas!

Amaryllis #1
My first encounter with Amaryllis was seeing Trevor's' bloom in his garden. I was captivated by the lush green leaves and the deep red flowers and have wanted one ever since (for my garden). I haven't done any study on them, but from what I've seen Amaryllis are house plants. I haven't found one like Trevor's' , so if anyone can enlighten me I would be delighted!!

Amaryllis #2
My dear mother knew that I really liked these plants and watched me eye the grow kits at Walmart and one day she came home from her shopping trip with TWO bulbs for me!!! I was tickled pink!!! Unexpected gifts are the best I think! Anyway, they have been in "the ground" for about three weeks now, and are really starting to perform! I'm going to need to re stake Amaryllis #1 and then stake both stalks on Amaryllis #2. I don't know what color these flowers will be, but whatever color they are I know I will be thrilled!

Angel Hair Fern-I think!
This fern was dug up the day we moved out of Greenville and has been in this pot ever since. It sits up in the bathroom as it's warm and humid quite often in there. Last year it died back and the fronds turned brown, but it has yet to even attempt to do that this "winter" (or is it fall still?) I suppose I could plant it in my garden, but I just never think about doing that!

All of these plants, except the fern, are in my room and make it seem more comfortable! I get excited as I can see visible growth in the Amaryllis each and everyday! Soon, the Orchid will start putting up it's stalk and I will be even more excited!!

Ashley's Little Helper!

As I was making biscuits for supper last night, I heard a little voice saying "Azzah (pronounced- Az-sah), helw?" So, he helped me get a chair and the fun began!!!

I wasn't quite sure how to let him occupy himself as I had shortening in the bowl and did not want him in it, but after I ground the wheat he found plenty to occupy himself with!!!
Here he's "stirring"the flour! His version of stirring is to pound the spatula in the bowl and watched the flour fly!

"Measuring the ingredients"
He wanted to pour that little cup of flour into the already prepared bowl of dough several times, so we had to convince him that he had to pour into what he was "cooking". Notice how intent he is here and the flour on his hands!!

"Stirring "Azzah's" dough. Boy sis, that's stiff stuff compared to mine!"

The happy chef!
I want Sawyer to know that he can help me when I cook and so, if I'm able too, I'll let him stand on a chair and mess with his own cooking project. It's a struggle though, because I like to cook without a mess and with him around you will have a mess!!! The mess is worth it though.... I now have memories like this one!!!

Our Thanksgiving!

As we got up on Thanksgiving Day, we gave Thanks for the rain that the Lord had seen to send our way! It was a delight to look out the kitchen window and see it drizzling or to walk out on the back porch and see the pile of muddy shoes that the boys had worn! We truly had Thankful hearts on this day!

Momma had cleaned house the day before and I had decorated with our "autumn or Thanksgiving" decorations, and we were so excited to be having company over to help us "celebrate" Thanksgiving!

Mid-afternoon rolled around and we were just starting our dinner!! We usually have dinner at this time on special days (Thanksgiving & Christmas) as a change of pace. We didn't have a whole lot of cooking to do as our guests were bringing some food, but as you can see the table is LOADED down with food!!! It was a terrific meal with wonderful conversation!

After dinner, all the boys and men went out for a good rousing time of "see who can use up their ammo first"!!! Us ladies joined halfway through and some of us even got in on the action! Collin let me shoot his shotgun and then I shot my Great Grandfathers' .22. Trevor and Tristan put out a bunch of tin cans and blew them away with their shotguns (both shooting at the same time....)
When the guns come out and start to make a racket, all of the dogs either get under something or get in the dog house! They hate the noise and Lila won't come out of the dog house until she is certain that the noise is really over!!
After the ammo was used up, several of us went for a walk to work off the extra turkey calories and then went in for Pumpkin Pie and fellowship!!!
It was a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

A Hymn for Thanksgiving.

In light of the fact that tomorrow is Thanksgiving day, I'm going to post a hymn in honor of it.
I first sung this particular hymn about seven years ago during our Church's' missions conference. I was intrigued with the melody as it seemed "haunting"to me at the time; now I think the music actually causes me to focus more on the words.

"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"

"Come, ye thankful people come-

Raise the song of harvest home.

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin.

God, our Maker, doth provide

For our wants to be supplied:

Come to God's own temple, come-

Raise the song of harvest home."

"All the world is God's own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear:
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be."

"For the Lord our God shall come
And shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
All offenses purge away;
Give His angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore."

"Even so, Lord, quickly come
To Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou They people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin;
There, forever purified,
In They presence to abide:

Come, with all Thine angels, come-
Raise the glorious harvest home."

Words by: Henry Alford (1810-1871)

Music by: George J. Elvey (1816-1893)

Excitement!

Look at what came in the mail yesterday!!!! Daddy received this as a gift and none of us were even expecting it!!! Mom and I were tickled pink and soon after opening it decided that we had to watch it during supper!! So, we made chicken pot pie (in a baking dish) cooked some green beans and were ready to roll!!!

"The Return of the Daughters" is a documentary on "A vision of victory for the single women of the 21st. century" and you can see this theme throughout the movie. I was challenged and convicted about many things, but I was also encouraged.

Today, I've been thinking about why I considered this a good movie and why I would recommend it to other young women; here are a few of my thoughts.

1.) Anna Sophia and Elisabeth Botkin interviewed living examples of godly virtuous daughters.

For me, it's encouraging to know see "how it's supposed to work". I hear all these messages and gather all this information, but I don't see it in practice.

2.) The emphasis was on what scripture says, not on what the "interviewers" think.

Verses were brought up throughout the documentary to show what the Lord has in mind for women.

3.) It was challenging.

I saw so many areas that I need to work on, but the brother sister relationship that was emphasized in the bonus features really hit home.

4.) It gave hope for the future.

Seeing the living examples, hearing how it's changing lives, and seeing that there is a growing number of young women who are searching the scriptures for what the Lord wants them to do are so encouraging.

5.) I was pointed to the fact that I cannot be a virtuous daughter with out Gods' help.

Yes it's simple, but sometimes it's the obvious and simple things that hit home with me! If I seek the Lords' face and ask Him to give me the heart of a Virtuous Daughter, He will change me!! This is an exciting thought for me!!! I can look back over the past several years and see how the Lord has changed me! I know that He will change me if I am willing and ready to change and ask Him to help me!

I could most likely come up with many other things I was struck or challenged with, but this will do for now. I would encourage you to watch it if an opportunity arises!! You will not regret it!

ANOTHER Reason Why I Like Fall!

By now, everybody most likely knows that I love fall! The changing of the colors, the crisp air, the beautiful weather, and the cosiness of it are all high on my favorite list!

Well, there is another reason... one that I forgot about until I switched out my summer clothes for the winter ones.

I LOVE my socks!!!!

Fall and winter are when I pull out the knee socks!! I remember thinking several years ago "where on earth do the Bob Jones students get their long socks?". Thankfully, I have found several places that sell knee socks since then!!

I have been amazed at how "put together" I feel just wearing a pair of these socks instead of my normal "gym socks" (which is what I've always worn.). You can buy fun styles or more dressy styles. You can layer under them for extra warmth but but try them without all the extra sock layers and see how warm they keep you!
Our present house gets' rather chilly in the winter. The main floor is not insulated and you can literally feel the cold radiating up from the "basement". By wearing these socks, I have kept myself much warmer than I would have otherwise been. I am amazed at how warm they keep as opposed to the "gym socks" that I wear during the summer!

You can find Knee socks without much problem. My favorite place is Dillard's, where you can find solids, stripes, prints, and polka dots without much problem! TJ Maxx is another place, but they don't seem to have a very good selection at the store I visit.

These three socks are my favorite ones! They are bright and cheerful and make me feel extra happy when I wear them!

I like to wash my socks on the delicate cycle and then hang them out to dry, and hopefully doing this will prolong their life span! :o)

So now everyone knows I'm nuts..... right???!

A Hymn For Sunday

My Mother usually posts a hymn on Sundays' and since this particular hymn has been a goin' round and round in my head this past week, I thought I would share it with you!

"For the Beauty of the Earth"

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth-
Over and around us lies:
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flow'er,
Sun and moon, and stars of light:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child,

Friends on earth, and friends above,

For all gentle thought and mild:

Lord of all to Thee we raise,
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thyself, best Gift Divine!

To our race so freely giv'n;

For that great, great love of Thine,

Peace on earth, and joy in heav'n:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

Words by: Folliott S. Pierpoint
Music by; Conrad Kocher (adapted by: William Henry Monk)

A Video

Well, I have amazed myself and Marmee........ I was able to transfer stuff from her camcorder to my family's computer! Yesterday afternoon she and I were talking about the video that they captured of her "lil grands" first experience with a recorder (the musical kind!), and how she was unable to get anything transferred from the camcorder to her computer. I volunteered to take it home and see if I could transfer it to my family's computer and so I came home with camcorder, wires, and something that someone had bought to transfer to their computer. I stared, fiddled, and thought for about fifteen minutes and then Mom and I stared and fiddled for about five more. In the end, all I had to do was pull a wire out of what ever it was that the person had bought and plug it into the computer!!! Wallah!!! It worked and I'm astounded at myself!!!! We don't even own a camcorder and I've never messed with one before!!!

So, here is Marmee's "lil grand", Elise, and her experience with a recorder!

A Post!

I apologize about the lack of posts here lately. Each day brings its' own unique set of "goings on" and it seems as if the days begin to run together at times. Oh well, I'm here and posting..... at the moment!!! Please forgive me if I miss a day or two or three between posts; I honestly feel badly about it!

Saturday, Momma and I packed up Shoppe and headed over/up/or down (not sure about the direction here) to Iva for a craft fair! It was a beautiful thirty minute drive which took us through flatland and through hills!! Momma made the comment that this part of South Carolina is the states' best kept secret! I think it's true! It's absolutely gorgeous during fall!

This is how Momma "dooded up" the cupboard this time! It still draws comments from people who have their own "Southern Style Hoosier" *disclaimer* this is what I've been told it's called! I don't know it for certain! This craft fair had a much smaller crowd BUT, we did even better than we did at the Honea Path festival!! Momma and I were tickled pink!!!!

This is an "Apron Bonnet" that Momma makes for MarmeeDear & Co. She actually found an apron just like this in a box of stuff that my Grandpa had bought at an auction. She thought the apron was something unique and a "part of the past" and made a pattern from it!

This is the cutest book ever!! Loretta Hayward owns quite a few rabbits and has a home business called Garden Gate Cards. She photographs her rabbits and turns the photos into cards (very abbreviated and sketchy description here!)! She recently published "On the Banks of Durbin Creek" (which you can find here ) and it is such a delightful and funny book!! We really appreciate the scripture that she has sprinkled throughout her books and cards.

Momma made this apron.......
.....and this matching clothespin bag last week! We have it up for sale at the Craft Fairs, and if it doesn't sell at those, Marmee wants it!
We are also selling these cute burlap bags that are great for.........

......Planters!!!

I think my Mom is nothing short of a genius to have thought of this idea!!!

I absolutely LOVE this clothespin bag! The colors are terrific and the fabric is "fun"! You can see it more in detail here.... I remember reading the Dick and Jane books when I was a kid and this brings back memories!

Tristan learned the art of "Trivet Making" from our Grandpa and has in turn begun blessing others with home made trivets! You might wonder what a trivet is..... I don't know the exact definition but according to "The Dictionary of Ashley" it is something somewhat related to a hot pad. In other words, you use it to put hot stuff on! We have a cabinet drawer with about six or eight of them in different sizes. I personally like this size as it's perfect for a casserole dish or a cookie sheet! We don't have them up on the website, and I think I'll ask Momma about loading them....

Naptime with Sawyer

As Momma was leaving for the store not to long ago, she giggled out to me that......... "Sawyer has a library in his crib AND...... I think I smell something!" giggle, giggle, giggle! He had gone down for his nap about twenty minutes earlier and there were noises coming from the room that made one think that he wasn't very sleepy. So, being the adult that I am, I mentally prepared myself not to laugh, steeled my nerves against the odor that could possibly becoming from the room, grabbed the camera, and went to investigate!
Here's what I found!

Sissy, I needed something to pass the time in here!
His crib sits about a foot from a bookshelf and he has been known to pull all of the books off of any shelf he can reach!

Let's see what he was reading....

We like to start the educational process early here! He's trying to figure out how he needs to vote!

I can guarantee you that he chose this book because of it's bright and active cover!

He chose to read this book because he received five dollars from Grandma for his birthday, and he wants to spend it wisely!

Hmmm... I wonder if he will be this studious when he begins school?

All good and interesting things must come to an end, so Sayre picked up and put the books back together while I changed his diaper. Then he went BACK down for his "nappy". Look at that smile..... I wonder what he's up to now........ I think I need to go check on him!!!!

My Favorite Tea Cup

My Favorite Tea cup is very special to me. Every time I look at it, I am reminded of the time that was spent with my Daddy at the Father Daughter retreat that Vision Forum has each spring.

At each retreat a High Tea is held in place of Saturdays' lunch. These tea cups are a part of it and they are ours to keep. I have four of them and cherish them like very few of the other things I have! There are many fond memories behind these cups which I wouldn't trade for the world!

The cups and saucers' that I have are the "bigger" version of what Vision Forum sells Here. The bottom of my saucer says that it was made by "Reutter Porzellan of Germany". It's not a thick china and yet it isn't thin. I love how it feels and balances in my hands.

I was going to post several pictures of my tea cups in action, but I can't find them and am "afeard" that they are lost. I'd better go do some sleuthing in hopes that they turn up.

The Birthday Boy!

Saturday was Sawyers' second Birthday! My, how the past two years have flown by! They've been terrific years and I've learned allot just by having him around!! Such as, consistency is KEY!

Here he is with the horse that he got! It will make noises if you pull or squeeze it's ear and he likes that. I don't think he really sees the need to ride on a stick with a horse head on it yet. At least, it doesn't appear to be enjoyable to him!

Momma hit the nail on the head when she gave him a "John Deere Tractor set"!! He plays with it all the time! Let's see... there's a tractor, a sprayer, several various kinds of trailers, and a four wheeler and they all connect together (except that the four wheeler goes in a trailer). He is enthralled with it!!

"Hammie" is growing up so fast. He's looking more and more like a little boy and is interested in big boy things like hammers (which, interestingly enough, he calls Hammys'). Happy Birthday little guy! I'm so glad you're part of our family!