Fri. Nov. 30

The last day of November!! It's amazing how fast this year has gone. I often wonder.... what did I miss while my days were flying by?

Our weather today was suppose to be warm and sunny. The temperature is around 51° but the sun has only peaked out a few times.

My last couple days have been very busy, but very productive. Wednesday I spent the whole day cleaning. I steam cleaned the kitchen, among other things. After all the cleaning was done, we freshened up and went out for supper.

Yesterday Hubby helped me clean my office and move things around. When I get the chance to put him to work, he REALLY works! The room is divided according to the work I do.... my boss' files, papers and disks are on one side of the room, while my personal files and things are on the other side. He sometimes comes in to work with me or get some paperwork I typed up for him, so I have a chair and table by his files where we can work. But yesterday Hubby helped me move furniture where I finally got my printer/scanner up on a stand where I don't have to get on my knees to get to it. Things feel more comfortable now, knowing everything is organized and clean.

Our #2 grandson just left. He's 18 and is getting ready to go to Ohio State U.  He wanted to update us on how that's been going. Classes start Jan. 7th, but right now he's in the process of getting info on his dorm and orientation week. Our 'baby' is going to college and be on his own. Talk about time flying!!! One good thing... he's only going to be 2 hours away. He's given his boss 2 week notice on quitting his job so he has time to prepare to leave plus enjoy the coming holidays.

He also came down to have Grandpa sharpen his straight razor. It tickled us when he said he wanted one. So Grandpa got him a nice one. I didn't think there was any man younger than 50 who used those anymore. He likes it. Bob put a good edge on it today, then worked with him again on how to do it himself. Bob also gave him a sharpening stone to keep in his kit.

I've worked several hours the last couple days on the genealogy project I'm putting together for another one of our grandson's. Since joining Ancestry, I've found so much information. I found one of Bob's relatives he didn't know anything about. All we had was a picture of him with his cavalry unit and their horses, and only a partial name (nickname and last name). I got so excited. It took several hours to piece together, but well worth it.

Today's devotional: 
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him  — 1 Corinthians 2:9

Wishing you a great day and a wonderful weekend ahead.
God bless.

Wed. Nov. 28, 2012

It's hard to imagine but we are fast approaching the end of November already. The next few weeks are going to be busy ones.

Our weather has been cold lately, colder than our normal, but nothing too bad. At least the sun's shining. It's been in the 30's during the day and in the 20's at night. The weekend is suppose to be warmer, in the high 50's. I'll take it.

My plans for today is steam cleaning the kitchen floor and vacuuming the living room. Then I hope to work so more on my new project. One of my grandsons is interested in his ancestors that fought in any of the wars. So, I've been putting together some print-outs to put in a folder for him. Each page contains the man's name, picture and how he's related. On some I've included some history of that war, dates, etc. and some pictures I've gotten from the internet. My husband was in the Army during Vietnam and when we found out that most of the kids today are not being taught anything about that 'conflict', it's upset him. There are so many people against our involvement and refuse to acknowledge it even happened. We lost so many boys during that time, we have to remember them too. It can't be forgotten. I'm hoping my grandson will enjoy having this, something he'll want to keep.

This project has been a big undertaking, more than I thought it would, but it's been fun. While I have a lot of information on my side of the family, Bob needed to help me with his relatives. Doing that, he got out his boxes of photos that we  haven't gotten into albums yet, to find his family members that fought for our country. In the process, I've researched their history, which lead to more information on them and their family. I've gotten side-tracked several times, finding more names and connections for my genealogy notebooks. It was exciting for me to find one of his lost relatives he didn't even know about. I hated to pay the membership fee, but I'm on ancestry.com where I find so much information. I'm hoping it will be worth it.

The devotional for today:  "When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." – Exodus 31:18 (NIV)

Commentary: The God of the universe had no problem in binding Himself to humanity with a written contract. We equate freedom with the ability to have options, but God equates freedom with His unchanging  promises. He took this one step further when His promises became flesh and lived among us in Jesus Christ. As the biblical story unfolds we find that true freedom occurs when the promises of God go from stone to flesh—from external obligations to heartfelt obedience.

Well, enough rambling. Time is flying. I better get up and get moving.

Wishing everyone a great day.
God bless.

One holiday down

One holiday down and now on to the next. We had a very nice Thanksgiving Day with all the family. Everyone was here... our daughter Lisa with her husband and 2 sons, daughter Lori with her husband and 2 kids (one daughter and one son), daughter Teresa with her husband and 3 sons. Then we had our son-in-law's older boy with his wife and baby. And as a special treat we had my brother from Texas with his 2 grandchildren. Then Bob and I made 21. With a little help from my girls, I managed the complete spread of lots of delicious food. By 9:00 pm I realized that my nerves were still fairly calm and my sanity was still in tacked.

The other day I mentioned on here that I was making my mother's bread pudding and I had a dear friend request the recipe. I typed it out and put it on my "Recipe" page if you'd care to take a look. The only request I have is if you make it, I'd like to hear from you.

I was making the bread pudding as a surprise for my brother. He hasn't had any for years. He was surprised and very pleased. He took a few pieces to go.

I didn't manage to get any pictures of our bunch because I was too busy. After about 4 hours +/- on my feet, my girls finally ordered me to sit down. Then they did up the dishes. I didn't argue.

Some people have been sharing about their favorite holiday movies they're watching this long weekend, so here's mine:

Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. I love this film. I always watch it this time of year. Sometimes I don't need my DVD because if I'm observant I can catch one of the cable channels showing it. This movie was released the same year I was born... 1946. Wow it is an oldie!

Our weather on Thanksgiving Day was very nice. It got up around 60° with sunshine. The little boys were able to out and play in the backyard to run off some of their over abundance of energy. But then yesterday and today it's turned cold, approximately 30-34 degrees with that ugly gray cloud cover where we've had to turn on the lights to read. We've even seen some snow flakes falling. Nothing sticking around though. I do think that winter is settling in and the heavy coats are out.

Wishing you a great weekend.
Take care. God bless.

The Night before Thanksgiving

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house.... is the wonderful fragrance of baking. I have my pumpkin pie ready and I just took my bread pudding out of the oven. This has been a family tradition for many many years. It's my mother's recipe and the holidays was the only time she baked it. After she passed away it fell to my responsibility. I hadn't planned on making it Thanksgiving. I usually do it for Christmas Eve dinner. But with my brother here from TX, I know he'll love having some. It's probably been years since he's had any.

We're doing a pot luck tomorrow. My daughters are all bringing side dishes, salads and desserts. I'm trying to make this as easy on myself as I can.

Friday isn't going to be such a good day. I just heard this morning that my boss' mother died. He didn't tell me. I had to read it in the paper, but that's just like him -- his way of coping. He very seldom talks about his personal life. Some men are like that. I've known his mother for years. She was a super sweet lady.

Our weather tomorrow is suppose to be really nice.... in the 60's and lots of sunshine. I'm hoping. Our boys can play outside. We're expecting 21 people so getting some of those energetic little boys outside to run off their dinner will be nice. :)

I hope you have a good Thanksgiving Day.
God bless.
-- Carol


TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING... 

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and in my sleep.
Strange dreams in my mind, began to creep
Thanksgiving leftovers beckoned --- The dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation......
The thought of a snack became infatuation.....
So to the kitchen I did race, Flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge full of goodies galore
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground!
I crashed through the ceiling. Floating into the sky....
With a mouth full of pudding and a handful of pie,
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees.
HAPPY EATING TO ALL!
PASS THE CRANBERRIES PLEASE! 

Thanksgiving guests

We had another beautiful day. The sun was shining and the temperature got up around 50°. Not too bad when it warmed up for the overnight temp of only 30.

My "little" brother got into town last evening. He and his family live in TX and they always try to come to Ohio once a year. This year they decided to come over Thanksgiving week. It's always good to see them. Her parents live about 30 miles north of us, so when they come up they usually stay with her parents and he spends time with us. This evening they all came here, including their 2 grandchildren, and we went out to supper. It was a great time. I love those kids. They're so much fun.

I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. I sure hope not because I have a busy week ahead of me. I'm taking my Vitamin C and getting lots of rest, when I can. Right now I'm sitting here starting to shiver, not from the temperature of the room, so I'm going to bed.

Hope you had a great day.
God bless.

Party Day

We all had a very busy day today, but a good one. Our youngest grandson turned 6 today and our daughter had a big party for him. We had a beautiful day for it. All those little boys, with all that energy, could play out in the backyard.

Bryan invited some of his friends from school but it was mostly family. The party had a football theme and his "other" grandma found this big football pinata.

 The kids were using a baseball bat, trying to break it. Finally my 10 yr. old grandson Ian, on the right in yellow, took his turn. He plays baseball and has quite a strong swing. When he hit the pinata all the candy inside came flying at me. I was surprised, but the next several minutes I helped the kids by getting the candy that flew behind me into the bushes. My daughter, Bryan's mother, is on the far right in the Ohio State shirt.

Then everyone had cake and ice cream. This Grandma supplied the cake this time... half white, half chocolate. I was very pleased with the lady I got it from. She did a great job on it and it tasted good, not that sickening sweet like so many others. Of course Bryan couldn't wait to get the football off the cake. He turned it upside down and used it as as potato chip bowl. He's quite a little guy.

Then it came time to open his gifts. He got a few toys, but mainly clothes for school. He's growing out of everything he has. I never did figure out the helmet turned backwards on his head.  LOL

After the party started breaking up, and his friends went home, it was supper time. So they ordered several large pizzas. I ate 2 very small pieces and it didn't agree with me. So I'm going to go to bed here in a few minutes.

Wishing everyone a good Sunday. God bless. ♥ 

Happy Birthday Baby

Thirty-eight years ago today I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was. I was in the Maternity Ward of our local hospital. She weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and her name is Teresa. She's one of my pride and joys.

Today was a good day. Nothing exciting but still good. The sun was shining and the temperature was around 43°. I took care of a few things around the house, then Bob and I went to WalMart to get some things. We picked up a few items for our Thanksgiving dinner next week. The rest I'll get later so I know they're fresh.

We saw my sister at the store and talked to her for a few minutes. She'd just gotten off work and she looked so tired. I worry about her. Her job is taking so much out of her. I don't know how much longer she's going to be able to keep this up. The job is taking it's toll on her physically.

After Bob and I checked out with our groceries, we brought them home, put things away then we went out for supper. We have a nice family restaurant up on Main St. that we like to go to. They have the best fried chicken, a salad/soup and hot bar. And home-made pies. It was dark when we left there, so we came into the house, turned on the TV and here we sit.

Today I am thankful for my little house. We lived in the country for several years, a half-hour drive just to buy a gallon of milk, and now that we live in town, I love being close to all our shopping. Our little house might not be very pretty, but inside it's warm and comfortable. Where anyone is welcome. Our children and grandchildren love to come here for get-togethers, where we always have a good time. And usually lots of food to go with it. In the summer we have backyard cookouts and in the cold weather, we play games on the kitchen table where we always get to laughing. My little 3-bedroom bungalow on a tree-lined street in a small town is where I live and that is a blessing I'm so thankful for.

Take care.
God bless.

"That's Where I'm From"

A boy born and raised in our little town had dreams of going to Nashville and recording his music. I went all through school with his mother and he was born the same year as my youngest daughter.

Well, Joel made it to Nashville and recorded his first song a couple years ago. Then it was made into a video. I thought you might like seeing it. All the scenes are my town and all the people I have known for years.

Murky Monday

My Sunday was a good day. Weather-wise it was beautiful. It got up to 70°, lots of sunshine, but the wind wanted to blow my hair off my head. Traveling the 10 miles to the baby shower in my van was a struggle to keep it on the road.

The baby shower for my great-niece went well. They held it in the community building because Ashley's mother sent out 80 invitations! Of course not everyone showed up, but she did receive some very nice gifts and everyone had a good time.

Looking out my window..... it's SNOWING! Well, this is November. When I went out to get the paper this morning, it felt so cold. After yesterday's warm sunshine, today's temperature is going into a downward fall into the 20's. No wonder my joints here.

This coming Thursday is our baby girl's birthday. Teresa will be 38! I feel so old. Then Saturday is her baby's birthday. Bryan's our youngest grandchild and he'll be 6! The years are just flying by too fast.

That explosion in Indianapolis yesterday has several people scratching their heads. It was horrible. The devastation is unbelievable. 80 homes destroyed! As of right now, I don't think they yet know what caused it. There's been stories of a plane crashing into the houses. Or a meth lab. Or a gas leak. But according to the latest reports, all of those scenarios have been ruled out.

I got a message from my baby brother in TX. He and his wife coming up next week and will be here over Thanksgiving. This was a surprise. It will be good to see them. His son and his 2 kids may be coming with them. We haven't seen his son in years.

Why do some motels put a chocolate on your pillow? I ate a chocolate last night, then tossed and turned all night. I couldn't sleep. I should know better because that happens every time. Chocolate gives me energy.

Today my thoughts turn to my brother. He's 6 years younger than me and when we were growing up, he was a real pain. He loved to pick on me, but he and my sister were just 18 months apart, and they fought all the time. Even physical fights. I hated it but couldn't stop them. Now we're adults and he has become my close friend. He's a good man with a kind heart. He's dropped everything to go to someone's aid. He loves his family deeply and cried on my shoulder when his wife had cancer and he was so afraid of losing her, the love of his life. Today, I'm thankful for having my brother in my life.

I hope you're having a good Monday.
God bless.

Springlike Saturday

Our weather was beautiful today. It was 71° and warm sunshine. Bob took care of some chores outside that he hadn't gotten to plus he mowed the grass one more time before the snow falls. We both enjoyed the weather.

I had to run an errand while he was mowing, then got home just in time to help him adjust the cables on one of our garage doors. When our work was done, Pizza Hut delivered our supper. It's been a long time since we've had a pizza, it tasted SO good.

I picked up a couple more little items to put in the gift bag for Ashley's baby shower tomorrow. I love to give gifts, but I'm always a "practical" giver... giving those items that I'm sure they can use.

I love Christmas movies. And I like to watch the Lifetime Channel. Now they're doing their 'countdown to Christmas'. I get to watch 2 or 3 movies every night until Christmas. It may just put me in the mood. :) I have to get through Thanksgiving first. I'll have all our girl's families here for dinner. There's 15 of us.

I just got a text message from our youngest daughter. Her 8 yr. old son loves army films and tonight he was asking her about our family, if anyone fought in the war of 1812. I've been doing our genealogy for years so she told me that he has lots of questions for me. She said for me to get prepared. He can't wait to come over. I'm looking forward to it too. It doesn't matter how many kids you have in a family, there's always those that don't show any interest in family history. So when one grandchild wants to know, it does my heart good. I hope I have someone to pass all this information down to.

What I'm thankful for..... my husband. We've been married 46 years. He graduated from high school in 1964. We had already been dating a year by then. I then graduated June 1965 and we got married the following Feb. He's been my best friend, my lover, my provider, my helper, my support and the father of my 3 beautiful daughters. He's worked hard to provide for his family, hardly missing a day, even when he was sick. I would love to go back and do it all over again.

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday.
God bless.

Friday Nov. 9, 2012

I tried to think of a word that would go with "Friday" to describe my day, but I couldn't think of one. All of my days are just 'quiet'. I probably should enjoy them while they last. The holidays are approaching fast and then my days will be busy.

This morning I had to work. I talked to our ad rep at our local paper about our auction ad. Then my boss sent me more work to do for him. That took most of my morning.

Then this afternoon Bob and I went to the store to buy some baby things. No, it's not me. HaHaHa. My niece (my sister's daughter) is going to have her first grandchild. That will make my sister a great-grandmother. Wow! And I'm older than her. My grandchildren aren't ready to be parents. I hope. Anyways, the girls are throwing Ashley a baby shower Sunday.

Our weather was fairly nice today. Sunshine and 60°. Not normal Nov. weather for us. I can remember one November day when our weather wasn't normal either. In fact it turned deadly. The temperature went up into the high 70's and the sun was shining. We were all enjoying it until the storm sirens went off. They screamed for almost an hour. It was terrifying.

Nov. 12, 2002....
"F4 tornado damage at Van Wert, Ohio (winds 207 to 260 mph). Tornado touched down near Willshire and moved northeast for 53 miles to central Henry County.  The tornado lifted near Malinta, Ohio.  F4 damage occurred on Lincoln Highway west of Van Wert.  F4 damage also occurred at the intersection of Dull-Robinson and Zook roads.  There was one fatality at this location, as well as an injury.  A couple was in the upstairs portion of their home.  As the tornado approached the husband attempted to cover his wheelchair-bound wife.  As he was doing this the home was hit, and a projectile struck the husband in the back of his head.  His wife was sent to the hospital in critical condition.  Another casualty occurred when the tornado swept a car off the road near Van Wert's Twin Cinemas, killing the driver inside."

My husband and son-in-law were standing out front of our house in the street, looking for signs of a tornado. I was standing in the doorway. I had my daughter and 2 grandchildren in the hall, with blankets and pillows. I was watching my husband outside. Then I saw both of them turn and run for the house. When I saw their faces turn white I knew we were in trouble. The tornado was almost 3 miles wide and crossing our street a mile down. That's when it turned and followed the creek and hit the movie cinemas just a mile over from our house. Another smaller funnel broke off from the big one and came over our house. There was some amazing stories that came out later about the movie theater. Several miracles took place that day. But it was also the scariest day of my life. During all this, my phone rings. My brother in Texas was listening to his satellite radio and heard the announcement. He calls to make sure we're ok. He had no idea the tornado was just a mile from us. 

I have no idea why I got started on that subject. 

What am I thankful for? In the spirit of this story, I have to say.... I'm thankful that God kept us all safe.
Psalms 91:11 ... I stood on His promise that day.





 

Thursday Thoughts

Not much going on around my little house today. Bob and I had to run out to WalMart today to get some things we were out of... all those taxable items that I won't get at the grocery store because they're too expensive. 

I had to do some more work for my boss today. These 2 auctions he has coming up is keeping us both busy. 

We just heard on the news there was another murder in the county just south of us. The man is still on the run and could be headed this way. We're all on alert for his vehicle. This is getting crazy. We used to live in such a safe area.  

My youngest grandson will be 6 yrs. old next week. It's hard to believe. My daughter is having a party for him, but it's also a party for her. His birthday is the 17th... her's is the 15th. And I don't have the slightest idea what to give either one of them. She keeps telling us -- NO MORE TOYS. Ok, but what about  Bryan? 

I've been hearing all day today of several companies beginning to lay off workers. And so it begins.  Obummer told employers to wait until after the election to announce any lay-offs. Which is illegal. But has he done anything legal since 2008? 

Yesterday we watched the stock market take a big dip and the price of gasoline jump up 30¢ a gal.!! More Obamanomics. 

I'm thankful for my mother. She raised 3 of us on her own. She worked a hard, tiring job in a uniform factory, sewing men's pants, for a small wage, just to keep a roof over our heads, food on our table, and clothes on our backs. Our father walked out on us when we were young and she had to be mother and father both. She taught me so very much. She was the strongest woman I know. She died in 1989 and a day doesn't go by that I don't think of her and miss her.   

Well, it's time to get ready for bed. I have a few things to take care of first, then I have a date with a good book. 

Tomorrow is Friday already. You know what that means ...................... the weekend!!

Take care.
God bless.

The day after the election

All day I've felt lost, like the slats have been pulled out from under me. I can't believe that man got re-elected. Half of this country decided to give him another 4 years to completely destroy us. It's unbelievable.

I made a comment on Facebook this morning about the 'stupid liberals' and I was put down for it. I know I shouldn't have said that. And I am sorry that I had resulted to doing the same as others have in this campaign. Name calling.

Now I need to move on... concentrate on each day... and leave the future in God's hands. I did my part, what I could do, and that's all anyone can do. The rest is out of my control.

Our weather was beautiful today... lots of sunshine. It was still chilly, high of 48°, but all in all, not bad. The rest of the week is suppose to be really nice, in the 60's. I just may go for a walk tomorrow.

I was doing a load of laundry this morning when I got an email from my employer. He sent me a list of personal property his client is selling at the auction Nov. 24th. I had to call him, then finished my housework before I went into work mode. I spent the afternoon working on the advertising and the scheduling with the newspapers, until it was time for supper. I fixed some fish and vegetables, cleaned up the kitchen, then sat down to relax in front of this computer.

I'm so thankful for a loving God and Savior. He has opened my eyes and heart to His love. He literally saved my life and He's walked with me every day since.

Take care.
God bless.

Election Day....

  My post is going to have Wed.'s date, but it's only 3 minutes past midnight. And I've been watching the election results. It's not looking good. 

We voted this afternoon and I was amazed at the voter turn-out. In our town of 20,000 people, we've never had to stand in line to get our ballots. Today was awesome. The large building was packed with people. We had to wait to get into a booth. There was a constant flow of cars coming and going. I've never seen anything like it before. Our county is mostly Republican, so I hope those are the ones I saw today.

I  got a double treat today. After casting our vote, we went out to eat. It's always been a tradition for us on any election day, but I didn't think we were going to today since we ate out the other day. But he said yes.

I've taken on my hubby's habit of channel surfing. There's nothing good on TV right now. Every other channel has election coverage. All their early predictions is driving me crazy. But it's like a bad accident… you don't want to look but you can't help it. Right now, in my state of Ohio which is a big swing state, they're still saying "its too close to call". Oh, Lord, help us.

I know it's still early for the official results, but everyone is saying Obama won. If that's true, and we find that Ohio went Dem. again, like what happened in 2008, my hubby says we're moving. TX and my brother……… here we come!

I think I could cry, but I'll wait till morning. They might have the official results then.

Good night…. God, I know you have this in your hands…. help us.

Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

What is wrong with people these days (present company excluded, of course)? There is just no common sense anymore. People won't  take responsibility for their actions.  And they never think of the consequences of their actions. It's crazy.

Then I read a news article like this:  yesterday a 43 yr. old woman set her 2 yr. old child on the railing of the zoo pit of African dogs. The child fell 11 ft. into the pit and of course the dogs were on him immediately. The coroner said he wasn't sure if it was the fall that killed him or the dogs. Now how stupid was that? Makes me sick. That poor baby.

I went out to the shop today and got my hair cut. I used to work with the gal that does my hair, so I have a standing appointment with her once a month. The one thing I do for myself. Plus I get to hear all the local gossip. :)

I then came home and fixed supper. We had beef stir-fry with rice.  The dishes were done and the kitchen was cleaned. Since then I have spent the entire evening on Facebook, chatting with friends, watching videos and playing games. I noticed, after several yawns, it's almost time for bed. 

Tomorrow is election day…. if you didn't already know that.  Bob and I will go to the polls in the morning to cast our votes for a new president. I have a feeling that the results of this election may not be officially known for several weeks. I've seen articles and pictures of the Black Panthers outside some polling places. Can anyone say 'intimidation' ? Then there's the UN Monitors. They're in several states. To monitor citizens when they go in to vote? I don't think so. Why are they here? I've never had a good feeling about that. So, if you still need to go vote tomorrow, be safe.

Until later…

take care. God bless.