Fall Is Here



Fall is here, one of my favorite times of year.  A time when the leaves of fall wave goodbye to the long hot days of Summer.  The cool mornings revive me somehow. It is funny how so many of us look forward to summer and by the end of it can't wait for fall. 

Some of my favorite things about fall are:

1.  The changing of the leaves.  I posted once about how the leaves turn from green to reds and oranges and how we can relate this to our lives.   The Bible tells us to be instant in season and out.  Our lives should reflect the goodness of God no matter what our 'leaf color' is. 

2.  Fall puts me in the mood to decorate my home.  I love to get out my pumpkins, indian corn and fall leaves and place them in various places of my home.  I love family traditions and my Mom loved decorating her house for the different seasons and that is why I guess I love it so.

3.  Halloween,  a fun time to get together with family and friends and just be silly.  We have a tradition of dressing up.  In order to come to our Halloween party you have to be in costume.  This picture is of my sister and I.  She came as a clown and I was the infamous 'Octo-Mom'.    My sister, my two brothers and myself always went Trick or Treating.  Back (in the stone-age) we would get a large brown paper sack and off we would go into the neighborhoods (right by ourselves) and fill them up with all kinds of candies and delights.  Things have changed now we wouldn't dare let our little ones go out Trick or Treating without an adult.   



Adults Being Silly



 The babies love it, they love dressing up and pretending to be Barbie or a Rock Star or a Transformer.  

Yes, Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  It is a time for family to come together and share in fun and laughter and most of all love.  Just like a warm October fire, love burns brighter if shared with family and friends.

                                                                     T

BC Powders and Vicks

I can't remember when I started taking BC Powders.  Years ago my Mom took them and they were the household thing you would grab when your head was pounding or you felt like pounding someone. They were great at relieving pain and stress. 
I must confess I have been taking them for over 20(+)years and have over the past few years taken 2 or 3 per day.  Why do you take them? (my Doctor asked of me).   Do you have a headache....No......Do you have pain?.....No, I just take them, my Mom took them so now I take them.   Isn't it funny how we do something just because our Mother did it or our Great-Grandmother did it.  
That brings up something else I do just because.   My Grandfather years and years ago got me started on Vicks vapor rub.  He would lather it on his chest and under his nose and assured me that you couldn't go to sleep at night without doing this ritual.   So at night before I say my prayers, I lather on the Vicks (of course my husband just loves the romantic aroma that it brings into our room).    I have now passed this on to my Grandchildren, when they spend the night with me and we all 4 climb into my warm and comfy bed, we pass the jar of vicks around and each one of them wipes a swipe under their little nose.
Passing down things to each other through this life-cycle is what makes us unique and quirky.  I can't imagine my life without the many priceless things my parents and grandparents passed down to me.  And I look forward to many more nights of climbing in bed with Jesse, Macy and Cole and the minty smell of Vicks.  Now for the BC Powders, I have finally had to give them up.  I just found out I have an ulcer from the years of taking them.  Oh well, the ride was good while it lasted.  The BC's did what they were meant to do, even tho I have an ulcer - I will always look at a box of BC's and think of my dear Mom.
And later in life, my Grandchildren will go to bed and beside their nightstand will be a jar of Vick's and they will think of me.

I Love You To The Moon and Back - Grandparents Day

I woke up this morning and lying in the bed next to me were three of the most beautiful children in the world, my Grandchildren.  They love spending the night with us and I usually just go ahead and have all three come and stay at the same time.  Jesse is 9 and tends to be the more sensitive one of the group, while Macy who is age 6 is the class clown of the group and Cole who is also 6 tends to be the loner of the group.  Now by that I mean, give Cole a transformer and you don't see him for hours.  How he ever takes those things apart and then puts them back together again is a mystery to me.  Jesse and Macy play well together, they have their moments and really remind me of when their Moms were little.  Play a little...fuss a little.
I love being a Grammy to these kids, I use to think I could never love anything like I did their Moms, but I have been proven wrong.  The love a Grandmother has for her Grandchildren is indeed priceless.  I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I am now older and when I was younger, I was too busy working, raising two girls and trying to be a good wife all at the same time.  I am still working now and trying to be a good wife (well some of the time), but I feel like I have more time to be goofy and silly and let these three get away with a lot more than their Moms did.  They definitely have a way of pulling at this Grammy's heartstrings.

Yes today has been a good day - Grandparents Day - my day.  My day to do what I love best, spend it with my Grandchildren.  Love you Jesse Macy and Cole to the Moon and Back!

We Will Never Forget 9/11/2001

I remember September 11, 2001 exactly where I was when our country was attacked.  I was at work and I got a call from my husband telling me "you have to find a TV or a radio, our country is under attack!"  I immediately shared this with one of my co-workers who was sitting by me at the time and she got really scared. She asked me "Is this the end of the world, are we all going to die?"  I didn't have all the answers for her, but of this one thing I was sure, no matter what the outcome God was going to see us through this horrific time.   I was able to share with this co-worker the love of God and that nothing man would ever do to us or our country, would ever take away his love.  Life in the United States would never be the same, so many innocent lives were lost, so many families were broken.  But one true thing became a constant in all of our lives, we were all aware of the great sacrifice that was made for us all by our fellow US citizens.  In the words of President George Bush "Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.“  We will never forget!

Thankful Thursday

 I was just letting my friend Greg over at the General Store know that I am so 'Thankful' that he is the host every Thursday for 'Thankful Thursday'. 
What am I thankful for:
I am so thankful that in this crazy world we live in that we can still find peace.  I am so thankful that my children do rise up and call me Blessed (well atleast most of the time).  I am so thankful that God gave me 3 of the Best gifts that I could ever ask for...My 3 Grandchildren.  I am so thankful for a great marriage to my sweetheart of 39 years.  I am so thankful that I have a job, while so many are without work.  Yes life is crazy and in the world's eyes things look bleak, but through the eyes of God we have hope and a future...for this I am very Thankful.

Let God Calm the Storm or Calm You

Okay, so today I feel like a sermon is coming on :) If this is not for you, then I can promise you it is for me!!!

Sometimes God calms the storms and Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:21-22


We may never know why some requests are not answered the way we expect them to be answered. It is hard to understand how God seems to move mountains to change one situation and then in our next request he simply seems to be beyond our reach. All we can do is to continue to present our requests to God and believe God will hear our plea and answer. If what we are asking for isn't in line with what God has for us, then I believe He will give us something greater than we could have ever imagined.

Most of the time we have no clue how hard God is working to move in our situation. And for this very reason and because of our belief and faith, we cannot give up on God and what He can do on our behalf. I heard someone say on the radio the other morning, that we all have BIG needs and BIG problems, especially with the economy like it is, BUT, we also on the other hand have a BIG God. He is able to move mountains, turn water into wine, part the seas, the list goes on and on... I think as we look back in life, we are able to see all the ways in which God 'Always' answered the right prayer or request for us. Sometimes God's saying 'NO, not now', was exactly what we needed. And then there are the times that God just says 'NO'. God knows what is best for us and his 'NO's' turn out to be actually the best thing for us.

Today, my prayer for you is that you will exercise your faith and confidence in God and allow him to work in your life. Allow God the opportunity to either calm your storm or to calm you. Like everything in life, it is always about 'timing'...God's timing!!!

Social Networking + I am Back !!!

Okay so I admit it has been along time since I have blogged, not because I haven't had a lot to say or report.  I have been trying out the latest crave Facebook.  It has attacked me like a thief in the night.  At first it started out slow ... I found a couple of people who would accept me as their friend (of course they were my daughters).  Then a few of their friends and some of my family members requested me and I was well on my way into the world of Social Networking. 
When I joined no one told me there would be a daily status, comments, games and likes.  A status..I have to think of a daily status?  I can hardly decide in the mornings if I want vanilla caramel creamer or 2% milk in my cup of coffee and they want me to share a status.   They never told me that after I got home from work the first thing I would do is go to the computer get on this social networking thing and go back to work Farming, taking care of a Zoo, Baking and digging for lost treasures.   Another thing I didn't know was that I would have to decide to  'like' something.   I thought I liked everything and that people knew what I stood for, but I guess you have to make it known by pushing the 'like' button.
I tell you after a year of this, my head hurts from all the farming and plowing I am doing, our laundry has been neglected, dinner...what is dinner? 
I think I need to solve this once and for all go back to blogging because it never took up any of my time.  I only need to check in with Linda at 2nd cup of Coffee and see what she has got brewing for the day.  Check in with Fuschia for my daily devotion and be sure and get my Thankful Thursday in and check in on all my blogging buddies and comment on their post. 
Yes that is what I need to do as a matter of fact I might just try and do both (but give up the farm, the zoo, the bakery and the Island of Treasures).