Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thursday’s Thankful Heart

Thursdays Thankfulness

I keep a daily journal of at least three things I’m thankful for and at least one thing I’m thankful for specifically about my husband.  Here are a few recent entries:

 

General:

  • Prayerful heart and closeness to God
  • Fuji apples… sweet and crunchy
  • My pony lovin on me (probably due to the Fuji apples)
  • An ultra-lovey kitty in the morning
  • Sweet tasty muffins from a friend
  • Couple days ahead with my study takes the pressure off
  • Fall-like days, new temperatures, new colors, subtle changes surrounding us
  • Appliances that work
  • Having a nice rug in the living room
  • My first REAL pot of chicken noodle soup
  • Friends that want to enjoy exercise with me
  • Praising God feels so good
  • Sleep
  • New journal with fresh clean pages
  • Sweet tea
  • A superior at work who has a great confidence in me
  • Teamwork at work
  • Morning Coffee with cream
  • Freedom
  • God’s awesome creation

 

About my hubby:

  • Close snuggles in the middle of the night
  • He had a good attitude about some unfortunate things at his work. 
  • Sweet morning kisses on the forehead before he leaves for work in the wee hours of the morning
  • Compliments about my cooking
  • He acknowledged his crabbiness
  • He went on a road trip with me even though he would have to stand around and wait on me while I was in a 2 hour long meeting
  • He called and asked me for a date
  • He didn’t get angry when I had a mental breakdown
  • I fell asleep in his arms
  • He shared some deep thoughts
  • When we hike he watches out for my footing and keeps checking on me

Recording thankfulness definitely keeps me accountable in praising God for such blessings.  It helps me keep that positive focus of gratefulness. 

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Wednesdays C.O.W. (Coupon Of Wisdom)

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Anything that prevents you from glorifying God is a barrier.  What barriers exist in your life?  Think on it… then take action. 

Selfless Sunday

Selfless Sunday Logo

One of my FB friends is gal who was part of the youth group we worked with when we lived in Kentucky.  She has since turned into a lovely young lady who graduated at the top of her high school class and is now a college student.  She posted one day that she has no coffee.  So I put together a shoebox full of goodies for her including a bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee!  Every hard-working college student deserves a little care package from time to time.  I put in some other nifty-gifties including a bag of Halloween M&Ms, because every girl needs herself some chocolate!  I remember being POOR when I was a student…  I know she will appreciate it.  I can’t went to send it off!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Blessings Monday

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What a lovely way to start my day… counting my blessings!

  • Warm cup of coffee with lots of cream… YUM
  • A slight reprieve from the duty of leading the weekly Bible Study at the Ladies Group at church… someone else is giving it a try.  Enjoying the study from a little different perspective. 
  • Gainful employment and superiors that value my presence there with confidence in my work. 
  • Witnessing the change of season is happening right before my eyes.  Went hiking yesterday and enjoyed taking it all in.    Thankful to have a friend who enjoys hiking with me.  God has created so much with such intricate detail, and such beauty. 
  • Warm home that is affordable and a pantry and freezer full to sustain us.  I appreciate the discount we get for K’s job.
  • Friends that care enough to share a space for my pony and are completely flexible with my chore schedule.  Also friends that care enough to make sure my pony stays in my grip.

I have much to be grateful for this morning.  Thank you Lord for the abundant blessings in my life.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Weekend…

It’s been a LOVELY weekend.  Yesterday I not only worked for 6 hours, but accomplished laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, and cooking.  Today we attended worship followed by a lunch of homemade chicken noodle soup and I went for a 3 hour hike after taking a nap.  Now I’m relaxing… going to go to bed soon.  It’s been a very nice weekend.  Tomorrow is going to be a L-O-N-G day!!!

 

p.s.  I need to cash in on my new hiking shoes soon… the ones I have are wearing out.  The ones K bought me for my birthday didn’t fit.  

Food & Savings

After baking a loaf of Tastefully Simple Beer Bread… I did my weekly grocery shopping yesterday.  I didn’t get any coupon items because I stuck to the outside isles of the store for the most part, except for some canned goods.  I am out of homemade stewed tomatoes, so I had to buy some.  :(  I so very much want a garden!  Anyway, I got fruit, veggies, meat, and essentials.  Most of it came with a grocers discount because of Keith’s employment, so SCORE!  My $60/week grocery budget came right under the wire WITHOUT coupons at $59.99!  Yay!

 

As soon as I got home I started a pot of chili.  That should be enough for dinner Saturday, lunch Sunday, and the rest I’ll pack up and freeze.  I sent Keith a text “I’m making chili for dinner.”  He texted me back “Funny, I sell gas and you give it to me for free.”  He’s a wise guy!  Later he asked me if I’m going to enter it into the Annual Chili Cook-off at church this fall.  I guess that means that he likes it.  Another SCORE!

 

I decided that I wanted to try to make a pot of chicken soup just like Gram-ditties used to make.  So last night I put a chicken breast on to boil.  I de-boned it, but put the bones & skin in the pot to boil along with a whole onion, some carrots, celery, and herbs.  Before bed I strained off the stock and put it in the fridge along with the chicken breast.  This morning I started the pot with butter, onion, carrot, celery, and spices… then added chicken… then stock… then noodles… viola  I have a pot of AUTHENTIC chicken noodle soup!  And… it’s LOW SODIUM!  The only thing better would be if I grew my own veggies, spices, and chicken!  I’m so proud of myself!  So, this pot should be enough for dinner tonight and then maybe lunch tomorrow… and I’ll pack up the rest for the freezer. 

 

So what about the rest of the week?  Hmmm… 

- Spaghetti or Cheese Ravioli

- Eggs & Bacon or Pancakes… whichever we decide at the time

- Ham & Potato Bake

 

So there you have it… a plan for the week! YAY!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Great Times 9/17/10

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Annual outing for work…

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Great times…

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Unique entertainment

Monday, September 13, 2010

Blessings Monday

I am blessed to enjoy good health and an active lifestyle.  It’s a shame that sometimes unpleasant things in our lives, or in the lives of some close to us, remind us to enjoy the simple things.  At some point I started moving slightly slower in the morning.  I used to be able to jump out of bed, put on my shoes, and start my day with a spring in my step.  I’m not so springy these days, but I’m not complaining.  I try to make healthy choices for my life on so many levels.  Hiking is my new exercise of choice.  Geocaching creates the hiking goal.  I just like the fact that I can be outside, enjoying creation, and not have to exhaust myself on the boring treadmill.  I can stop and smell the roses, literally!  I am healthy and happy.  What more could I ask for?

 

BlessingsMonday

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Hiking at Ohiopyle & Enjoying the Cascades!

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After Hiking We Fished at Lake Wilhelm

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Hiking the Allegheny Trail to Indian God Rock

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Geocaching at The Falls… Ohiopyle

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Enjoy Life

A friend is facing surgery soon for cancer that is attacking her body.  Likewise, another friend lost her mother last week to the same.  Still another friend suffers from a broken heart of another sort.  Every now and then we need a little reminder to enjoy the simple things of life.  The simplicity of one another’s company and the beauty of the great outdoors are high upon my list of things I am thankful for during our recent off-time.  Here comes the change of season…  There is a chill in the air.  The horses are shedding their sleek summer hair making room for the thick winter coat.  The leaves are changing and some are falling already.  There is a new school year for kids…  new starts at church too… My Monday night Bible Study begins again tomorrow and we have SEVENTEEN ladies signed up to attend!  WOW!  Suppose we include a new level of thankfulness with our new starts… for simple things… for life and all that we are blessed to enjoy. 

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Johnstown Flood National Historic Site - Sep 8, 2010



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Take A Guess...


What do you see and why would I be close enough to capture a shot like this? This was found a couple hours after reading the warning sign about the poisonous snake population in the area.
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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Enjoying Vacation Activities

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Yesterday we hiked and were Geocaching at Sandy Creek Trail near Franklin, PA.  There is a really nice paved and well maintained trail, but we ended up hiking up a mountainous ATV trail to find a stash.  We hiked several beautiful miles in the wilderness.  It was fantastic!

 

Today we are going to Johnstown, PA to see the Johnstown Flood Museum.  Then we will swing down to Ohiopyle to see the Falls and also hike a few miles.  Yippie!

Monday, September 06, 2010

Vacation Recap and It’s just getting started!

I have to say, this has been one of the best vacations we’ve ever had.  Most of our vacations past were quick trips to visit family that we don’t get to see enough.  This being our 10 year anniversary week, we took off more than a week 9/2 thru 9/12.  We investigated the possibility of an exotic vacation, maybe an all inclusive in Cancun or something.  Don’t get me wrong, that would be nice, but it’s quite an expense.  We have a few aspirations for this time off and some we’ve already accomplished.

 

1) Hiking.  We not only went hiking.  We went Geocaching, several times.  We love it!  We will probably go again a few times this week.  I cannot even estimate how many miles my feet have traveled this week.  It’s been fun finding the little stashes.  We have scaled mountainous terrain, although from the perspective of someone who has never scaled a mountain… a great big hill feels like a mountain.  We climbed lots of hills, bush-wacked our way through weeds, crossed creeks, admired bodies of water, piles of rocks, and all sorts of wildlife.  We have taken notice of fish, birds, deer, and there were at least 3 snakes along my travels.  (none that I had to look face to face mind you)  We saw something that resembled bear poop in the woods of North Park… are there bear in that area?  A couple finds took us along established trails, which I never knew existed… or if I did, never had developed a need to explore.  Why is that?  It’s beautiful in the outdoors and this time of year is especially lovely!  I can’t wait to do more of this!

2) Horseback riding.  We had the most lovely ride yesterday.  It was a mid-morning ride, which I haven’t done for a long time.  The weather was super-comfortable and windy too, but she was a true gem. The fact that she was so well behaved was HUGE because it’s usually the wind that sets her off.  I’m so pleased with my pony these days.  Keith is doing a fine job riding as well.  He’s noticing more intricate details like the fact that the horse he was riding often shifts himself across the trail to prevent the horse behind from passing.  I’d love for him to have some riding lessons at some point.  At any rate, I think more riding could be in our near future!

3) Overnight stay away from home.  As luck would have it, our farm-friends were away for an overnight so we slept over at the farm so we could take care of the animals.  We had the dogs and the horses and of course the home is absolutely beautiful.  It was relaxing.  We shared pizza and a bottle of wine.  There were treats left for us too… dessert-like coffee cake oh so yummy and a jar of homemade sweet pickles, and a card with a gift-card in it for an anniversary gift.  We are so spoiled!!! 

4) Picnic.  Last evening we went to a picnic/bonfire at Renee & Lee’s house.  It was a grand time.  Of course there was a TON of food and the company was delightful.  What a perfect evening for a bonfire.  It was crisp and the fire was hot.  There was an elderly gentleman there playing the accordion.  Keith played some backyard baseball and came home proud with a wounded pinky from sliding into the base.  Many thanks to our friends for having a lovely little get-together.

 

So now that we are down to just shy of a whole week more, what else is on the agenda? 

  • Today is Mom’s Labor Day picnic.
  • We need to clean out the garage.
  • I’d still like to get our bikes out and fixed.
  • Fishing… when are we going fishing.
  • More hiking/geocaching and horseback riding.
  • Johnstown Flood museum.  (maybe some hiking at Ohiopyle while we are in that area.)

Who knows what else.  We just like not having to have a schedule.  This has been the most relaxing and fun vacation ever.  I think we should do this at least once a year!