Randomness

Whenever we come or go, Lovey climbs up atop of a pile of things we are meaning to send to the Goodwill.  She peers out the window at us.  One might think she's says "WAIT!  Wait for me!  Where you going?!  I wanna go!!!"  or likewise "They're home!!!  Yippie!!!  They're gonna FEED me!!!  Wahoo!!!"  She is going to be sorely disappointed when those things actually GO to Goodwill.  I might need to invest in a window seat for her. 

Feet

I've noticed many footprints around home lately... kitty prints... dog prints... skunk prints... deer prints... birdie prints... and our very own footprints!  Here's some:

Replacement Light

Keith recently replaced the living room light.  The old light was on a ceiling fan, which actually blocked some view of the TV.  So I picked out a flushmount light.  Check out the before and after:

What Is For Dinner

What is for dinner this week?  Let's see... in no particular order...

1. Cube Steaks, Applesauce, cooked baby carrots
2. BBQ Meatloaf, Green beans, and potato
3. Ham slice, Risotto, and brocoli
4. Breakfast!  Pancakes and eggs
5. Pizza and salad (or just fresh crunchy veggies)
6. Hot Ham & Cheese with soup
7. Chicken & Dumplings
8. When all else fails or I run out of time... there is always Fettucini with red sauce.

Selfless Sunday

I haven't made a Selfless Sunday post in more than a year.  I kind of left the blog behind for the sake of facebook.  Every now and then I come back to the blog because it's something to keep, a record, a diary of sorts. 

I've recently been approached and asked to volunteer as a youth leader at church.  I heard the plea for volunteers.  I felt the tug.  I prayed on it.  I was targeted specifically before I even stepped up to answer.  Yes Lord.  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go Lord, if you lead me.  I never considered this to be my calling.  It was supposed to be my husbands.  Well, maybe it used to be or maybe in some way it still is but he's not available due to his work schedule.  Interesting how our calling can change over time.  Funny how the events of our lives can feed a need much further down the road.  I know with great certainty that I must answer this call.  I'm wrestling with the fact that I adore my restful Sundays.  Sometimes I get out to hike (when the weather is nice).  Many Sunday evenings we enjoy spending with my sister and her husband.  So for now I've agreed to help every other week.  I don't want to jump in with both feet and burn out immediately.  I start tonight.  I've been praying for vision and focus as I minister to the youth of our church. 

Ministry is selfless.  Answering a call to serve is selfless... but in so many ways feeds the heart of the servant.  I so look forward to all the sweet relationships to be made in the days ahead. 

1 Peter 4:10

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

What Is For Dinner?

 

This week, in no particular order:

1. Pizza (duh) and salad
2. Cheeseburger (or meatloaf), baked potato, fruit
3. Baked chicken breast, green beans, sticky-rice
4. Cincinatti Chili Spaghetti
5. Grilled cheese with tomato soup
6. BBQ porkchop, carrots, chop salad

February 2013

It's a new month.  We are finally feeling settled in our new home and surroundings.  We are over the hump of emptying boxes to find basic essentials.  Don't get me wrong, there are MANY boxes left to unload, but seemingly not the essential items.  I've been thinking a lot about downsizing lately, simplifying.  I told Keith I was going to send a set of dishes to Goodwill.  He acted insulted because he had bought them for me for Christmas a couple years ago.  I like the dishes, but it's not like they were expensive china dishes.  They were a Walmart find that went well in our former dining room.  Really?  I have to store them just because they were a gift?  Ack!  I like constant change.  I like to change dishes every now and then.  The cool thing is that the dishes we were gifted for our wedding are actually kind of matchy matchy with the new place.  I'm resurrecting them.  I can see their significance... wedding gift.  That's different.  Right or wrong?

I love new beginnings.  I shall make some goals for this very fresh month of February:

• Get back to clipping coupons!  Check!  Did that and used some today!  Best finds include deodorant for 98 cents, free microwavable campbells chicken noodle soup, free chapstick, Oikos yogurts for 62 cents, full size Digiorno pizzas for $3, 100 count box of Kleenex for 49 cents, Rotel 48 cents/can, and Sargento shredded cheese $2 each.  Ok so maybe I could have found better deals or more deals, but this is just a start. 

• Make a weekly meal plan and post it on the fridge!  I pass by the local Farmers Market every evening on my way home from work.  There is no excuse for buying grocery store meat and vegetables anymore.  I'd rather support the local farmers when I can.  Plus... FRESH MEAT!!! 

These two things should help with the budget.  We are finally able to iron out a family budget, having now paid our very second mortgage payment ever.  Yay!

Compost

Now that we have our own home and a little bit of property, it's raised up within me the desire to put more effort into caring for the land.  We have weekly trash service and bi-weekly recycle service.  We are being careful to recycle as much as we can.  But let's talk about the land right here under our feet...  Keith wants a rose garden.  I want a vegetable garden.  Doesn't it seem logical to COMPOST?!  This is my newest idea.  I'm researching the topic to figure out which method will work best for us.  There are all sorts of compost bins out there for purchase.  I'm not sure that we need to buy one.  We could probably make one.   I'm not sure what kind to make either.  I'm still trying to decide where to put it, not too close to the house or the barn and not a hike away either.  Also, I'm not sure if I should keep a compost bucket in my kitchen.  I read that some people keep a container in the freezer, which keeps it from fermenting in the kitchen.  There are also biodegradable bags that could be used in a kitchen bucket.  Not sure if I should think about those or just rinse the bucket after dumping it.  Any suggestions are appreciated.  I'm hoping to get it started in the Spring.

 



I understand that the Agriculture Extension in Pennsylvania often has a composting course available where they give compost bins to participants.  I was looking for that, but now I see that most counties have discontinued it.  Bummer :( 

Pets

Penny... So fluffy So beautiful in the sunshine.

Lovey.... Curled up on the new sofa. Looking so comfortable.

Winter Hike

Went for a hike in the snow today.  Trudging through the fluffy white stuff for 75 minutes.  It would have been easier with spikes or snowshoes or anything offering more traction.  Even trekking poles would have been a good idea, but I didn't have them in the truck.  It was still a delight to get out.  Janet brought Maizy.  She thoroughly enjoyed it.  Janet fell 4 or 5 times, but not hard.  She cracks me up!  I was spared except for choosing the wrong place to cross the creek.  My foot got wet.  Thankfully I was wearing my new wool hiking socks that wick moister away from skin.  My feet never got cold.  I LOVE these socks! 

Who came to greet us afterwards but my sweet pony Penny...  She's so fluffy right now.  I don't think she minds the snow.  Not on a day like today anyway. 

It was a great day, a great hike.  It just makes me feel good.  :)

It's Brown and it's Soft to the Touch

It's NOT a new pet, although having a new pet would NOT be out of the question.... if you ask me.  Just saying.  It's our new sofa!!!!  It's plush yet firm and oh so inviting!  The best part is that it is an electric recliner!  We wanted a reclining sofa.  I always had a hard time kicking the foot rest back down.  What am I weak or something?  Seriously?  I'm a hiker and I ride horses.  I should have SOME leg muscles!  Regardless, the minute I discovered it was electric I sunk into it and with a sigh said "This is the one!"

Mom was gracious enough to spend a quiet day at our home waiting for the delivery.  She apparently enjoyed the kitty-sitting opportunity as well.  Lovey found her to be quite attractive.  She spent the majority of the day lounging on Mom.  Too cute.  To say she's a "lap-cat" is kind of an understatement.  Thank you Mom... for your time and your attention to Lovey.  I hope that when you finally experience her alter-ego that it is from a distance.  :)

Home Improved

Today marks another home improvement.  The Culligan Man came and installed a water filter system.  This will remove a great portion of the iron present in our water.  I made coffee with tap water this afternoon and it was wonderful!  Finally!!!!  In addition, we purchased the softener unit that was newly installed here back in 2009.  The rent for the unit was about $50/month so we're happy to just own it.  I asked for a discount and they gave us half off the installation cost.  I'm happy with that.   

Let There Be Light!

The lights in the basement were a little bit odd.  The light at the foot of the stairs didn't work with any of the switches.  We figured out by chance that it did work when you run water.  The running joke was "Hey turn on the shower I need to go to the basement!"  The few lights in the basement offered dim lighting at best.  I had to use a lamp to see in the laundry corner, which meant I had to unplug something to have a place to plug in the lamp.   I can make do, but my husband is very handy in the electrical field.

Keith's last night off he spend it almost entirely working on the basement lights.  He rewired them and installed several new lights.  He also mounted a 4 foot fluorescent light over the laundry area.  Now it lights up like daylight in the night!  I'm so lucky to have such a bright husband. (pun intended)

I love my coat rack made out of horse shoes!  It's so ME!  Lee made it for me.  It's perfect in the entryway to hang our jackets. My friend Amy gave me the sign hung over it, which just fits our home so perfectly!

And with that all being said... the sun sets in the West as I return home this evening.  I love this home and the beauty that surrounds it.  I'm so blessed!

New House New Year New Memories

Christmas in the new house was wonderful!  I got Keith the "Bird Girl" statue for his upcoming rose garden.  He was so excited!  Now he's talking about finding a birdbath with a pedestal to display it on.  He's obsessed with planning his rose garden.  You know what?  I'm delighted!  His rose garden will be HIS mark on this place.  It's an important part of our future plans.  He's already been gathering ideas and tips and drawing out the plans.  God bless him! 

Last week we ordered a new couch.  It's on back order so it won't arrive until February.  Oh well.  We've lived more than a month now with a lawn chair and a dining room chair in the living room.  It works, but it's not all that comfortable or cozy.  I finally put throw blankets on the back of the chairs.  Seems odd, but those are the things that make you feel cozy when you sit and watch tv.  Anyway, the cool thing about the couch is that it is electric!  It's an electric recliner!  I have trouble getting the recliner to kick back down.  It's also firm but plush.  I can't wait to get it!

This week a lot was accomplished!  Our friend Lee pretty much gave us two whole days of work out of the goodness of his heart.  He really looks out for me.  I really appreciate that.  He and Keith worked together.  They removed the anode rod from the hot water tank.  Now our water doesn't smell wonky!  Yay!  They hung my big curtain rod in the living room and the coat rack that Lee made me in the dining room too.  So now I have a place to hang my coat and I hung the curtains that Amy gave us!  Thank you Thank you Thank you!  (and yes - we still have our tree up!)

Today I came home to find the boys on the barn roof.  They had already replaced some shingles on the house and a piece of roof vent, re-secured some flashing around the chimney, and cleaned the gutters.  They were patching a hole in the barn roof so now it doesn't leak!  Yay!  In the meantime I started scouting in the yard for burnable material like pieces of the roof, shingles, tar paper, and branches they had trimmed from nearby trees.  I also swept out the exposed downspouts and the front porch and filled the bird feeder.  It's good to feel productive!  Oh and Lee also put in a new exterior door on the chimney.   60 degrees in January is unheardof!  We took full advantage.  I was really tempted to rake all the leaves away from the areas around the porch, but I'm afraid to uncover the insulation that any plantlife has there.  It might be needed until spring.  I have no idea what plants are here, but we will find out in the months ahead. 

What else is on the To-Do List?  All sorts of things!  Let's see...

• Remove shrubs that are too close to the house.  Must wait till spring so we can replant them elsewhere if we choose.
• Electrical work in the basement.  Keith is waiting for his friend from work who wants to help him so he can learn how to do that.  Keith will enjoy teaching him.
• There are junk piles here that must be burned, sorted, and probably eventually buried. 
• Barn!  It needs cleaned out so badly!!!  We have stuff to scrap, burn, and organize!  It needs to be re-sided.  I want to price out Hemlock for that.  Then we'll address electric/water.  Once that is done, I'll need to install a barn floor for storing hay and add a couple stalls for the horses.
• Survey - we need a property survey or at least someone to come show us where the pins are.
• Fence - then we can put up fence! 
• Tractor - we need a tractor to mow and hopefully plow.  One with a front end loader would be ideal, but I doubt we can afford that just yet. 
• More curtains - I have a window in the living room and the entire dining room to decide what to hang.  Any suggestions? 
• The stove needs moved to a different area of the kitchen.  That requires moving wires. 

So so so much... but we have our whole lives ahead of us to work on it.  I'm feeling very blessed right now!

New

It's a new year. 2013. We have a new home. We have new routines and new aspirations. I can't wait to see all that this year has to offer!

Hiking starts Saturday! I wonder how many miles my feet will cover thus year.

Girl Friends

I have the best girl friends in the whole wide world! I had invited my lady friends just to come over for coffee and to see the new house.  They brought FOOD and GIFTS!  They all stayed and helped clean and paint!  I'm feeling SO BLESSED!!!  I'm a wee bit overwhelmed with all that needs done and where to start.  These girls just jumped right in and it's happening!  So here's just a glimpse of what transpired yesterday:

Living Room Before

Jill cutting-in

Keith priming the living room

 

Master Bedroom Before.  Ew! Wallpaper!

Amy scraping wallpaper. 

 

Tammy ran for tape and helped tape the living room.  Janet cleaned the bathroom, even the blinds.  Joelle cleaned in the dining room and helped me tape the kitchen in preparation for painting.  All my girls have good ideas about what to do with the kitchen.  It's so small! 

More to come... this is just a snippet.  Have I mentioned what great Girl Friends I have???!!! 

A Day To Remember

We've lived in the same house for just shy of 7 years now.  Wow, how time flies!  We never planned to stay here this long.  But that is changing...

PRAISE GOD FOR HE IS GOOD!!!!  WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST HOUSE TODAY!!!!  It's so perfect!  A very cute country ranch on 4 acres.  We are so excited!  There is a barn out back.  It's pretty shabby, but totally has potential.  SOMEDAY my horse will retire in our backyard.  It's so awesome to see your dreams coming true!

 



We had a champagne toast (or a few)!  We even had a little dance to our song.  Then we unloaded all the paint for tomorrow.  Mom and Dad paid us a visit and had the grand tour.  Poor Keith had very little sleep as he worked last night.  He's gone to work this evening pretty well exhausted.  I'm exhausted too, but not nearly as bad as he is.   

Tomorrow we have friends coming to help paint and clean.  I'm planning to make coffee and pancakes.  Not sure when the big move will be, but we have until the end of the year to clear out of our current place. We are very happy homeowners!!!  I cannot wait to see what plans the Lord has for it!!!  Let the moving process begin... a little at a time.  We are so blessed!!!  Yay!!!

Turkey Day

Mom has the turkey pictures on her blog. Recap... Uncle Charlie raised the bird. P3 and Daniel helped butcher it. Amanda had to buy a new pan that just barely fit in the oven. It was FORTY POUNDS!!!! The legs hung over the edge of the pan. It took two people to get it in and out of the oven. I pealed the meat off in large pieces. Wow it had thick skin maybe a half inch thick! It kind of fell off the bone. Paul sliced it with an electric knife. The remainder of the day was spent playing games and watching Duck Dynasty.

A great time and full belly was had by all.

Recent Recap

We've been to NC to celebrate Dad n Rach's 25th Anniversary. So sorry we are missing the big party but it was nice to miss the drama of the whole family and have their attention all to ourselves. The highlight of the trip... Rachel bought she and I matching Jammie's!!!

We were blessed with a most beautiful sky as we traveled there. There was a spot of rainbow right in the middle of it.

Catch up

I'm behind. That could be my lifelong motto. Right? On the contrary, I'm right on time. Gods time is perfect.

I met my July 1st hiking goal and since then failed to log any further miles. I did hike, but not as much and didn't write it down. Oh we'll. I'm hoping to pound out a couple today.

Lots of changes forthcoming. Stay tuned.