Proverbs 2:1-2

I LOVE this pic with the verse. Til next time ....

Help! I was kidnapped by little green martians ....

....oh, so you don't believe that. Well, the truth is alot more boring and mundane. Sure you don't want to go with the little green men story? No? ok, but I warned you. The more boring reason the blog has been quiet is life got busy, and blogging kept sinking lower and lower on the to-do list. There were times when I thought about posting but had trouble even figuring out what to talk about. But I used my blogroll to keep up with reading others blogs. Then even that trickled away to nothing. I think I got bored with blogging and reading blogs or maybe I simply lost interest in that way of communicating on the web. Weird, huh?

Of course, part of it might have been the fact that my mom gave me her old iPad when she upgraded. Now I had a bright shiny toy to play around with. I fell in love with all the apps out there and exploring all that you can do with them. An iPad isn't the best way to surf the web, so I never got on my blog or others with my iPad and it became practicallly all I used. We also found that my son who has Angelman's syndrome took to the iPad like any fish in or out of water. He LOVED it, and was able to utilize it. He found youtube videos about dinosaurs faster than the speed of light. So with the extra money I had been saving up for a new laptop I bought myself a new iPad instead and gave Josiah the hand me down. So now we are 2 peas in a pod hunkered down over our iPads enjoying apple technology. One thing I've really enjoyed doing is taking photos with my iPad. It has a great camera and I love how I can immediately see in full screen mode what I'm shooting. I have found a half dozen apps besides instagram to tweak said photos and post on facebook and twitter. I had let my picture taking days slide as it was such a hassle to upload the photos onto my computer and then mess around with them. Now its a breeze.

To be fair tho, there were other factors. Pinterest comes to mind. Boy, is that an addictive sight. I love it! And I don't just pin items, I go back and use those pins. I've made some great recipes from it, tried some cleaning and organizing tips, found a few new hairstyles to experiment with along with new nail polish colors and tricks. Everything a girl could want. At the beginning of the year, I also quit playing a silly online game that had taken up alot of my time and made it a priority to get into the Word daily. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I found a rhythm that works for me: reading a passage and writing down my thoughts about what it is saying to me, then writing out my prayer requests for family and friends and finishing with prayer. I got so hooked on it that I was even able to continue with it thru the summer when the Joe-boy was home. I just made sure I got up before he did and had my time of quiet then. The goal of having a consistent quiet time had been on my heart for quite some time. I'm glad I finally gave it priority in my life. If you have been pondering the idea of pursuing a more deliberate time in the Word and prayer, I would wholeheartedly encourage you to go for it! You'll be so glad you did. Just in the last couple weeks I've added praying for countries around the world. I'm using the book "Operation World" to guide me as I pray. The book is split up into 365 days for the year to pray over a different country. It gives you an overview of the country as well as specific prayer needs for the people and the pastors and workers in the country.

And lastly, I've been doing more walking. My doc wants me to walk daily, but I usually get in a 30 min walk 3x a week. We had a lovely fall this year and walking gave me an opportunity for some great photo shoots.

So that's my boring life. How has your year gone? Been abducted by aliens? Til next time ....

Think About Such Things

What Are You Thinking About These Days?



Til next time ....

Cash Envelopes Update

Back in September I wrote about how I started back with the Cash Envelope System. I loved getting back into the cash routine, and 5 months later I still love it!

The categories I use for my cash envelopes are:

~~Groceries
~~Eating Out & Entertainment
~~Gasolene and Bridge Tickets
~~Household Needs
~~Babysitting $$
~~Gifts
~~Haircuts, pedicures, other personal stuff
~~Allowance $$ for the Hubster and I (We give ourselves an allowance to use for whatever we want, no questions asked and no need to keep a record)
~~Clothing Fund

For you, there might be other categories you would include or exclude. It's great that you can customize it to your needs.

When I started using cash again, I also started using a budget sheet every two weeks. Because we get paid every two weeks. I budget how much I'm going to put in my envelopes for each category for that two week pay period, making sure that I have more money than bills. At the beginning, there was a bit of guessing going on, but as we've lived this out the last few months, we've found a rhythm to how much we need for each cash category. I've been able to trim our gas fund and grocery fund a bit whereas our gift fund went up significantly over the holidays.

Now going into 2012, I have a better sense how much to save in my envelopes for those longer term funds like gifts, vacations, household needs (like a new club chair) as well as those funds that are spent every month like groceries, gasolene and eating out.

As I was talking about this with my husband the other day, I realized that what I really love about this system is just how much I feel in control of our outgo now. I like seeing it on paper and seeing the cash in the envelopes. I like knowing that there are cash funds that are building up over several months to purchase bigger items that are on our wish lists and not getting spent on frivolous items we dont' really want or need. I guess what I like is it keeps me disciplined and on target, both shortterm and longterm.

For those of you who are interested, here are a couple websites where you can print out or make your own envelopes. The first one is the one I use, but check out the ones that look interesting to you. #1 paper envelopes, #2 a fabric wallet #3 another fabric envelope And let me know if you're on the Cash Envelope bandwagon.

Til Next Time ...

Currently ....

I did this back in October and had so much fun with it that I thought I'd do it again. Want to join along? Just copy and paste the questions and answer them on your blog. I'd love to see what you are currently up to.

Current Books: Finishing up the Hunger Games trilogy. I'm on the last book 'Mockingjay'. Its riveting. Have a couple on the nightstand ready to go when I finish this one that look good: The Life Ready Woman, and PrayFit. Don't those sound like interesting titles?

Current Playlist: Adele. Got her cd for Christmas. she's got an amazing voice.

Current Color: Red, red, red! I love red

Current Drink: Coffee with Peppermint coffee creamer--yumm!

Current Food: none right now, kind of overloaded from the holidays. enjoying simple fair after the indulgences of late.

Current Wishlist: a comfy chair for our living room. have my eye on one from cost plus world market.

Current Needs: a haircut! and color!!

Current Triumph: I'm really happy that I got back into a regular devotion schedule instead of hit and miss. Its been wonderful to have some quiet time with the Lord each morning.

Current Bane of my Existence: the 6:30 alarm! I AM NOT a morning person, but the world seems to be. Why can't school start at 10am instead of 8am? huh? why? is there any earthly reason not to let us night owls get some much needed rest? huh? sigh .... I know I'll never change this world, but if I could .....

Current Indulgence: a nap! see above ...

Current Mood: sleepy! (not really). Happy, content.

Current #1 Blessing: Being at peace.

Current Outfit: Jeans, long sleeve black t-shirt, purple jersey knit swing jacket/cardigan? I love it.

Current Excitement: Plans to visit my sister in Denver this spring.


So how 'bout you? What are your 'currents'?

Welcome 2012

(courtesy of Lori from Fresh Picked Whimsey)

The Day Before the Night Before Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It is almost upon us and the elves are scurrying around our abode doing last minute secret things. Unlike many years in the past, I am actually quite ready. Just a quick trip to the store for last minute perishables for the big feast, a fun movie outing with the family, and maybe looking for a last minute gift for the hubster .... (Yes, he will have something under the tree, this would be extra).

I am so glad I lowered my expectations this year. If I had tried to do all that I have done in the past, I would be making myself crazy right about now.

One thing I've learned in the year we've lived here in the Gorge, is that I can't just zip off to the store. I plan my trips and make every moment count. Driving an hour each way, I spend 4-5 hours in town hitting every store known to man! and that's only cuz I run out of steam =) So the days of driving 10 minutes to go pick up one little thing at Joanne's or Target are gone for now. But I've adjusted .... Life is good!

So how bout you? Are you ready? Ready or not, here it comes!

This is one of my favorite verses that sums up the Season for me:

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~ Isaiah 9:6

And I love how my friend, Michele signed off her Christmas card: As we near 2012 let's continue to live for the one who gave us all. Merry Christmas!

This n That Ramblings

Where did November go? Sorry for the MIA trick, guess life caught up with me.

After the #1 son recovered (after giving his cooties to me, of course!) we celebrated his 14th birthday. I had a post all thought out to sing his praises, but it never got from my brain to the blog .... sigh. Then Thanksgiving happened and with travel and baking, the blog got neglected again. Now its December 1st and I'm determined to write something, even if it is only incoherant ramblings.

*It's December 1st: Do you know where your advent calendar is?

*It's December 1st, our favorite dog Spunkie who we had years ago was born this day. I was going to try to dig out a pic of her and scan it since she walked this earth pre-internet days, but i ran out of time. just imagine the cutest 30 lb mutt and that's her.

*We're still deciding what to get Joe for Christmas and I'm wondering if we might be able to find a dog, just like our Spunky. Does pet 'lightening' ever strike twice?

*I know what I want to get the big Mister, but dont' think he's going to like it. Should I get it for him anyway?

*The older I get the harder it is for me to come up with gift suggestions for myself for the big Mister. Its not that I don't want things, I just don't know what to tell him. Just don't get me something I 'NEED', k?

*Went to the dentist for a cleaning, the first one in a very long time (ahem). Wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I think dentistry has come a long, long way since when I was a kid and had the biddy from (well you know ....) who scarred me for life!

*Had a wonderful time at Thanksgiving this year. Went to my sis's and bro-in-law for some awesome Turkey and all the extras. Then went to my niece's for dessert. My bro and sis-in-law, my niece's hubby and 4 great kiddos plus my mom, sis and hubby and us had great fellowship over yummy goodness. Love making good memories with my family.

*Today I'm putting up our Christmas decorations. I like to wait a few days after Thanksgiving to give myself some breathing space between one holiday from another. A little margin in my life is a good thing.

Well, that's about all the ramblings I have stored up.

Til next time ....

My Sick Boy

Today is Day Three of the Sick Boy at Home.

Over the weekend he developed the sniffles and a bit of a cough. We laid low except for church. Monday morning I decided to let him sleep and kept him home from school. By afternoon he seemed to be more like himself. So Tues morning we got up and off to school he went. By mid morning he had spiked a fever and the school was calling me to come pick him up.

Tues afternoon and evening his symptoms abated and he looked like he was on the mend again. But not wanting a repeat of Tuesday, I waffled whether to send him to school or keep him home. After hearing him coughing in the early hours, I made my decision to keep him home again.

Today has been more of the same: sniffles, a little cough once in awhile, lots of cartoons and lots of liquids.

The hard thing about Joe being sick is that he rarely acts sick. He doesn't lie on the couch, moaning or napping. If you didn't hear him hacking or have to wipe his nose you'd barely know he was sick.

I'm really hoping he gets to feeling better. With no school on Friday, if he doesn't go to school on Thursday he will have missed almost the whole week.

I'm keeping up with the laundry, the dishes and the meals, but I'd really like to get back to my writing. Kind of hard to do when Dinosaur Train is on in the background!

Thankfully, #1 son doesn't get sick often. Just part of the challenges of being 'mom', right?

Til next time .....

Thanks but ....

Til next time ....

Superfluous Pic of the Day

I haven't shared many of my photos of late so I dug thru my stash and found one from this summer I thought you'd like.


(Mt Saint Helens)

I just love the contrast of the green and blue and white.

Til next time ....

Currently

Currently

Have you seen this one? Me neither. What are your 'currents'?

Current Books: Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad; I'm about 2/3 thru it and have really enjoyed it. Very helpful info for dressing well. Just finished Mrs Jeffries Speaks her Mind; cute cozy mystery. I have the whole series and reread them when I want a mindless escape. Write A Novel and Get It Published; waiting in the wings on my bedside table. Looking forward to seeing what this author has to say.

Current Playlist: Soul Sister or whatever its called. I know its an old song, but I love it! It makes me want to dance and sing along

Current Color: Dark Red and Black. My go-to colors for winter.

Current Drink: Diet Coke with Lime, a holdover from summer. Still enjoying it. But I do have some apple cider that I want to doctor up for the family and have some weekend.

Current Food: Been making a few pumpkin desserts, all keepers, and craving mexican!

Current Wishlist: a pumpkin candle, my current one has finally reached its end. Boots! but I don't want to pay the top dollars that my wide calves require. None of the regular stores carry boots for big calved women like myself. I checked. A date night with the hubster =)

Current Needs: A new bra!

Current Triumph: I've written over 24,000 words so far on my novel. That's alot of words. I'm so proud of myself and can actually see myself finishing this book next spring.

Current Bane of my Existence: Clutter, its definitely time to get rid of more stuff!

Current Indulgence: New nail polish-- Wicked and Devil's Advocate both by Essie. Now to get one or the other on my nails!

Current Mood: Mostly happy but anxious about a few things too ....

Current #1 Blessing: My devotional time this past month has been so, so good! Loving my time in the morning with my Lord.

Current Outfit: Jeans, long sleeve t-shirt, and cardigan.

Current Excitement: Hubby getting home from his business trip. It's been a long week without him.

Current Link: a gorgeous fall photo, you won't be disappointed.

So how 'bout you? What are your 'currents'?

Til next time ....

House Names

Do you name your homes?

When I was younger I found that I loved mysteries, esp Agatha Christie mysteries and other british authors. I remember reading one of her books and there was a house named The Laurels. Yes, the houses actually had names, not numbers, at least I don't think they had numbers. But I digress. In another story, the house was named Sweetbrier. Cute, huh?

So twenty years ago or so, when Michael and I had just taken over my dad's biz and were struggling to make ends meet, we lived in this tiny little 2 bedroom cottage. It was white, small, no curb appeal or charm to speak of, but we were happy. The rent was low and it had wild sweetpeas growing outside the front door. I hadn't got into gardening yet at that time or maybe I just didn't have the money. Ha! So the sweetpeas were a welcome bit of color in the spring and summer.

For some reason, I nicknamed that little home "Sweetpea Cottage" and it stuck. Whenever we talk about the different places we lived, we always know which one was Sweetpea Cottage. We never refer to it in any other way. Our other homes we reference as "the one on langdon street" or "the duplex in auburn" but I will always think of that little cozy home as Sweetpea Cottage.

So, I could end this post right here, but its really just a prelude to what I've been thinking about. We've been here in the gorge now for over a year, and been living in another non-descript 2 bedroom home. I must say it's a bit bigger than Sweetpea was, and has twice the yard, fenced even. But woefully, it does not have twice the charm.

I would love to come up with a name for this home as we very well could be here for a bit longer, maybe alot longer. There's an old pear tree outfront and several worthless black walnut trees that make gardening prohibitive. Did you know that a black walnut trees roots will inhibit growing veggies within 5-10 feet of it? or was it 15 feet? Anyway, it basically makes growing a garden pretty fruitless .... or veggieless! Ha ha.

So if you think of a name for our home down here in the gorge, let me know. And I'd love to hear if you've ever named a home you've lived in. Or if the house came with a name.

Til next time ....

How Did His B-day Sneak Up On Me?

Yes, it comes every year. On the same day even! But this year it kind of snuck up on me. What? you ask. The hubster's birthday. I have been thinking about it, and pondering what we should do to celebrate. I have already asked and received ideas for gifts and food. But somehow, in the busyness of life, none of these ideas have been acted on yet. But that's ok, I still have 12 hours, right? HA! Actually, with our crazy schedules right now, we won't be celebrating til the weekend. So I'm not in the doghouse yet.



Looking thru the archives, I found that I started honoring the hubs on his special day back in 2007. A couple years I posted pics, One year I posted the b-day card I made him. Most were short and sweet posts. But this year, I want to be more verbose. I want to share what makes my man so great for me and our family. If ya don't do it on the guys b-day, when are ya going to do it, eh?



So pardon the bad poetry but it was the best I could come up with on short notice ....



An Ode to the Birthday Boy

Why do I love him? Why does he make me smile?
His steadfastness reminds me of his Father above
His hardworking body and soul rarely tires

Telling dino tales none have heard before to his firstborn son.
They will never hold a conversation, but father loves the son just the same

Studious in his studies, high grades he obtained
Found work and moved us to the land of beauty wind and rain
Listens to stories swirling around in my head
Brainstorms with me where the plot should travel or end

Loves me thru hormones and emotions, disappointments and tears
Laughs with me, hugs me tight, smiles at me, journeys with me thru the days and years
We have been thru alot, rollercoaster ride from "I do" to now
The ups, the downs, the falls to the ground,
the in between, the seen and unseen.

Many more years I hope to have with this man of mine
A few grey hair have sprouted up, a few more pounds to his still lean frame
But like fine wine, he grows better with age.

(and no I have no aspirations to be a poet)


To you babe! Happy birthday, Sweetie

Going to the Library today .... got 10 books on hold to pick up! TEN! Love me some books to read. Til next time ....

Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer, Surgery, Radiation ....

I love my mom! And over the years, it has been hard to watch her fight colon cancer, then breast cancer, and see her go thru surgeries to remove stuff that's not suppose to be there. Tomorrow and Friday I'll be right alongside her again as she fights another battle. Right now we're still not sure what's going on, but after her colonoscopy we'll have more details. The doc has already scheduled her for colon surgery on Friday, so they have found enough to justify cutting an 86 yr old woman open to get the foreign bad guys out. I'm so glad I can be with her as she fights this fight. I'm so glad the Lord has given her 86 great years here with us. She has a 'TON of friends and family who love her dearly. She's touched many lives through her teaching career, and mentored many writers along the way.

While we don't know what the future holds, we DO KNOW who holds the future. And her trust and mine is placed in HIM, the only wise God. Thank you for your prayers on my mom's behalf. And I'd appreciate your prayers for a safe journey up and back to Seattle/Kirkland. Hopefully, my boys will survive without me for 3 days!

Til next time ....

Ten on Ten

I'm so proud of myself! wink, wink I remembered 10 on 10 this month before it was halfway over. Which is what I usually do. So then I go visit Mer's blog who hosts 10 on 10 and find she has quit doing it! Like in January! But never one to follow the crowd, I decided I would just do my own anyway. Like I always do. I really do follow a different drumbeat in my head.

So here's my 10 on 10 for October which just happens to be the 10th month of the year.

Ten Things I Love About Fall

1) The Colors: Red, orange, yellow, green, brown. And all the shades represented in each of those colors are magical. Twenty some odd years ago my husband and I were able to go back to Virginia and North Carolina in October. I remember the trees, specifically the sugar maples, were so vibrant, so alive with color. Ever since then I just can't get enough of fall colors, esp in nature.

2) Pumpkin anything: We're talking food here peeps! Not decorations. Love me some pumpkin pie, of course. And also, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, dried pumpkin seeds, pumpkin desserts, and pumpkin custards. Right now there are so many pumpkin delicacies on Pinterest that I want to try.

3) Hot spiced cider:  mmmm .... mmmmm!  I like a good espresso, a great cup of hot chocolate and an ice cold lemonade, but there's just something that just says Fall like Spiced Cider.

4) Sweaters:  Cardigans and pullovers just smack of Fall, don't they?  After just wearing sleeveless shirts and tanks all summer its nice to pull on a sweater.

5) Nature walks: I much prefer to walk and hike in cooler weather than in the heat of the summer. I don't enjoy sweating much, so a hike on a cool weekend is just perfect in my book.

6) Football: Go Boise Broncos!!!! Need I say more? Well, yes, I guess I should.

7) Cracklin Fires in the Woodstove:  Last week, the hubster brought in wood and kindling and built our first fire in the woodstove.  There's just something about the warmth and the flickerin flames in the morning when I crawl out of bed.

8) Fall Decorations: Pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks, hay bales, pitchforks and old barns. All of these say FALL to me and I love it!

9) Cozy evenings at home:  Which include #7 a great fire, #6 football, #4 sweaters,  #3 hot cider and/or #2 pumpkin  yummies.

10) Thanksgiving: My very favorite holiday after Christmas. What's not to love when you get great food, great family and friends, fellowship, football and a chance to be grateful and thankful for all the blessings in your life?


So how 'bout you?  What do you love about Fall?  And do you have a list of 10 on the 10th?
Til next time ....

Happiness

Til next time ...

Weekly Recipe Roundup #4

It's time for another weekly recipe roundup. Yesterday was a spontaneous cooking day for me. I tried 3 new-to-me recipes .... I think that is a record for me for one day. So I thought I'd give you a recap of what I tried and how they came out, plus what I made for breakfast this morning.

First up was thai noodles from a recipe I found on Pinterest. Verdict: quite yummy! It called for sauteing up red pepper in oil and then straining the little pepper seeds. I wasn't able to strain all the little seeds, so even tho I only used 1 Tbsp of the hotties instead of 2 Tbsps the recipe called for, the dish was a bit hot. Loved it! But the hubster wasn't quite as impressed. He's not into "hot" quite as much as I am.




Recipe #2 was an easy little appetizer number that I've been wanting to try again for awhile. I made Bruscetta many years ago and loved it, so when I ran across this recipe (again from Pinterest) I had to give it a try. The stars (ingredients) finally aligned themselves up last night, so before they could run away (mold, mildew and turn into mad science projects)I whipped up some delish nibbles right before dinner. Verdict: extra yummy!

The big finale of my cooking day was The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast. Now when she makes it I am SURE it IS perfect. For me, not so much. But I do not lay any of the blame at her or her recipe's feet. But totally and squarely on my own pot roast feet of clay.

If you remember, one of my 11 in fall of 11 was to improve my cooking skills and I quote:

10) Improve My Cooking Skills: I've always enjoyed trying new recipes, but now I want to improve my skills and techniques.... techniques I will conquer: making a great pie crust, a great pot roast, and cheesecake.

I'm a little bummed that it didnt' come out as well as the Pioneer Woman's, but not all is lost. I learned a couple things. One: I need a smaller covered pan to cook my pot roast in. I ended up using my turkey pan, cuz that is the only roaster I have that has a lid. Way too big! And two: I need a recipe that helps me check the doneness and not just give me a vague "it'll be done in 3-4 hours." Part of my problem was that 30 min before it was suppose to be done I checked on it and it didn't look done to me, but in actuality was probably done or close to being overdone at that point. So I think I need a meat thermometer and a recipe that guides me that way. What'd ya think? Am I off the deep end? What's your tried and true method of making a pot roast?

And no, we didn't have to order pizza. The meat was a bit well done, but still edible. Lots of gravy, the yummy carrots and mashed potatoes made up for a little toughness.

Finally, this morning, or rather last night, I whipped up some Deluxe Oatmeal. Yes, that is really what the title of the recipe is. An old favorite I got off the internet a long time ago. The photo below is similiar, not my actual oatmeal. You dump all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook overnight. Then Ta-Da, the next morning you have a yummy b'fast just waiting for ya. Here's the recipe if you're interested.

Deluxe Oatmeal
2 c milk
1/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c quick cooking oats (I use old fashioned and haven't noticed a problem)
1 apple finely chopped
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chopped walnuts or almonds

Grease inside of crockpot (very important, or else its going to be a bear to clean, just ask my hubster). Put ingredients inside crockpot and mix well. Cover and turn on low heat. Cook overnight or 8-9 hours. Stir before serving.

Makes 4 cups. Which is enough for our family of 3 hungry peeps in the morning.

So what have you been cooking lately? Tried out any new recipes? And, please, tell me your secret to a great pot roast. My hubster will be so thankful!

Til next time ....

Do You Pin?

Are you a pinner? You know, of the pinterest variety? Never heard of it? Well, you are just missing out on the most fun ... seductive ... time wasting website ever invented!

Someone described it like having a new magazine delivered to you every day!

Did I mention its addictive? Very, very addictive.

Here's a few examples of what I've found on Pinterest this week.





Or how bout some of this ....






Or if that's not your thing there's always this ....





And that isn't even the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more. So if this makes you salivate like it does me, drop me an email and I'll send ya an invite. Or if you're already a pinner, let me know so I can follow ya.

Til next time ....