Pass It On--My Christmas Challenge

This has really been weighing on me the last several days....

I'm challenging anyone and everyone who reads this blog, knows someone who reads this blog, or talks to someone who reads this blog to take the Pass It On challenge.
Christmas is the Season for giving...Right? Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 So here we go. I'm asking that we(yes, I'm included) do something for someone, preferably someone you don't know. Like, buy a meal for someone, give to the food pantry, buy someone's gasoline next time you stop at the gas station, pick an angel off the angel tree, the sky is the limit really. Just ask God to show you and I promise he will!

So that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:4
I don't need to know who, what, where, when and why...I simply want this to be a personal challenge.

Think of all the lives we could touch with just a handful of us doing something like this! That is so exciting! What a way to share the love of Jesus during the greatest season of all! By doing this we are also setting a great example.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Happy Thanksgiving

I am wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm trying to decide which pair of jeans are going to fit the loosest! I don't guess I'll wear sweats to Thanksgiving Dinner. I've been up since about 4 am. Not by choice of course. My youngest one started in coughing, needed another dose of cough syrup and DH is snoring like a bear in a cave...just decided about 5 to quit fighting it and get up...decided to make some rolls for dinner today. Last night I made 4 pies and a sweet potato dish. I must admit, my pies are getting better! My very dear friend, Lisa, gave me a pie crust lesson a couple of years ago and I've been thinkin I'm pretty good at it since then! ha ha
They are not as pretty as hers...but each one gets a little better! 2 pumpkin, 1 pecan, 1 chocolate. Took one pumpkin to a friend of ours...he's having a lot of family over, cookin the turkey himself. I'm the only one who is excited about the sweet potato dish...None of my guys appreciate a good sweet potato. You can't go wrong with this...sweet potatoes, butter, pecans, brown sugar, need I say more? I didn't think so!

I forgot I had some Southern Pecan coffee beans in my freezer...Oh my that makes good coffee.
I would like to begin the task of putting up my Christmas tree tonite...not sure I'll get to it, but I love to put on Christmas music and decorate. I always put my stuff up on Thanksgiving night and/or the day after. A tradition in my family is to watch Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase on Thanksgiving night. I still get tickled at that movie and I've seen it a hundred times. I think my mom has it recorded and we've just always watched it.

Does anyone do the Friday after Thanksgiving shopping day? JB and I went last year for the first time...it's totally over-rated! It was ok...we weren't after anything that was on the BIG SALE, we just thought we would go. We didn't like it mainly because the stores were such a MESS....people just have no respect for anyone else's stuff. We got a lot of shopping done, but we decided we probably wouldn't do it again any time soon!

Well, I'm off to check my bread dough...have a wonderful day and enjoy all the many blessings!

A New Do

Well, my haircut which is usually a trim with the same ol, same ol turned into a real live haircut!

I decided about 2 hours before I went, I wanted something new. So here it is.

My boys are not really liking it...JB has not seen it yet. He won't care too much, he's not totally obsessed with my hair. My philosophy....it's hair and it will grow back. In fact my hair grows quite fast. Not too worried...got some new color too. Brown/red, that is what JB won't like about it...

Note to self.....Not a big fan of taking my own picture...felt and looked like a complete DORK! After all that, you can't really even see the cut. Oh well!

Busy Week

I tell ya...I don't know where all my time goes. I've been busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rockin chairs! Whew! My dad had back surgery on Tuesday...everything went fine...hopefully he'll be home today. Please keep he and my mother in prayer as the healing process begins...let me tell ya...my dad is not a sit in the house kind of guy. God Bless my folks' neighbors as they are looking after the cattle, etc. I'm afraid that Dad will be itching to get out and about sooner than he's supposed to. We'll see. Wednesday brought a big run of cattle for us...it was 9 pm before the boys and I got home...nothing like walking in and sending them to bed. Today...should be kind of normal! Tomorrow is our church bazaar...it should be fun, it's always fun to get with everyone and work/fellowship together and have delicious food! We serve cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast and then serve chili, homemade chicken and noodles and vegetable soup for dinner with condiments and pie. Lots of handmade items for sale, we have a great group of ladies...we call them the "Hallmark girls" and they are great, they work so hard all year long preparing things to sell for this. I've sent some chow chow, apple butter and will try to get pies and/or cookies made this evening for the baked goods sale.

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving? I have got to get organized and make a little shopping list for the little things I need. I have hardly thought about what I'll make, that's out of character for me. But that seems to be my life here lately. Oh well.

I hope that all of you have a blessed weekend and enjoy every day....God is good. I'll leave you with a little something...we're singing this song Sunday at church and it's one of my favorites, the words are so simple but yet so powerful!
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.
I find it easier to Love God than to love everyone else! That has really been my work in progress this past couple of weeks. We are commanded to LOVE one another, not who we want to love or who it's easy to love but EVERYONE! That can sometimes be really hard for me. I remind myself OFTEN...Love them like Jesus!

HappyAnniversary to me...a couple days late!

Well, I had in my mind I would do this really cool post about my anniversary that was Wed...November 12th. Here it is Friday and I'm hurrying to post something and it's going to be quick. Nothing like I planned. That has been my life for the last 2 weeks. My boys were sick and out of school for 3 days the week of Halloween, had major homework and catching up to do there....JB's wonderful 100 yr old Grandma died that weekend...totally unexpectedly, JB's mom's husband was not feeling well and was in the hospital for a brief stay during that, funeral was last Thursday and last weekend....I was gone scrapbooking(so much fun) and here it is Friday again. It is hard to enjoy this time of year when it's passing me by like a race car....and I really DISLIKE the time change! I do not, repeat...DO NOT like it to get dark at 5 pm YUK! Anyway

JB and I celebrated our 14th anniversary on Wednesday. I use the term celebrated loosely there...it's sale day on Wednesday, there was no celebration! We'll do something...not sure what. Probably look at our new boat we bought(new to us) a few weeks ago and I have not had time to talk about or share pics! Anyway...back to the anniversary. I can't believe how FAST 14 yrs have gone. When I stop and think about that..it's a long time and it's been so good! If the next 14 go half that fast...whew! I won't know what to think!

I'm sharing a couple of my favorite pics....was going to do more, but time to get my Friday really rolling!

A few things to share real quick....I think we look like a couple of kids playing dress up when I see these! I wore my mom's wedding dress, white boots, my m/i/l made my veil/headpiece, the guys wore black jeans, boots and tux jackets. I had lots of wheat in the flowers, etc.(grown by my daddy!), we were married in the church we now attend, my home church was very small and would not accomodate the 500 people that attended! We had 2 attendants each and my flower girl wore a pantsuit! How's that for non-traditional!?!? We had a wedding dance in my hometown and it was fun..we left early of course as we were flying out the next a.m. around 4 for Reno, NV. That all seems so long ago, but yet it doesn't!

THANK YOU SUZEE!!!!

I must have received my Fall Swap box yesterday and just found it early this a.m. on my front porch! I felt like a little girl on Christmas morn...the anticipation was BIG! My swap partner lives in Utah. Let me back up a minute...Another blogger...Laura...organized a FALL SWAP--if you were interested...you let her know and she drew the names...etc. You were to send your partner your favorite things about Fall. No $ limit, just things you love and want to share. I had never done this so I thought it sounded fun, as I love FALL! I sent Suzee, homemade apple butter, pecan dip, mulling spices, note pads, a Fall handtowel and 3 recipes. Now in reciprocation.....this lady ROCKS! I received an awesome box of goodies! Take a look over here to the left...I almost needed a wide angle lens to get it all in!!!!smile

First thing I pulled out was the apron, made by Suzee, I love everything in the box, but I have been WANTING an apron for sometime now and hadn't purchased or made one. Thank you , thank you, thank you I absolutely LOVE IT and LOVE the colors!!!!!! I got chips and homemade salsa(family favorite of ours), brown sugar and pumpkin(necessities in my pantry), some serious smelly goodies for my house, fuzzy socks(mine are looking pretty bad), Pine nuts(only had on pesto, these look like she stepped out back and picked them--can't wait to eat them!!)and 4-5 wonderful Recipes I can't wait to try! It's funny, this was a random drawing for partners...my partner and I have many things in common and that was really neat!

This was the most fun...when I really stopped to sit down and make a list of my favorite things of Fall, it got a little lengthy! I will definitely do this again if the opportunity arises. I've met another really neat lady with a neat family and I look forward to keeping in touch. The internet is not always a good thing and I was reluctant to begin my blog...but it has been used for only good in my house and I've met several wonderful people that I would love to see in person. Who knows, maybe I will!

THANK YOU AGAIN SUZEE!!! I LOVE EVERYTHING IN MY GOODIE BOX AND CANNOT WAIT TO THROW ON MY NEW APRON AND GET TO COOKIN!!!!!!!!!!

A New Day

"What, then shall we say in response to this?" If GOD is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all---how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died---more than that--who was raised to life---is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

Have a beautiful day and give thanks to the Lord, our God and King for his love endures forever!

Family Pics

A friend took these pics a few weeks ago...the weather had been awesome and this particular day, the wind blew like it normally does in Kansas on a Hot July Day. Good Lord. Ignore my BIG hair! They turned out pretty good...we took a big family pic with my folks and my sis and her family as well. I'm anxious to get them printed off and framed.

These were taken at my cousin's house. He lives where my grandparents lived...I LOVE this ol' barn. Made a great backdrop for pics!

Another Gorgeous Weekend

New costume in stores soon!

"Unhappy Chiefs Player"

The "Big Ugly" with really dry, white legs!!

My neighbor's tree across the street...oh so pretty.

We've had another beautiful weekend here....it has been warm and beautiful. Nothing like I expected the end of October and beginning of November to be. What a treat! We went Trick-or-Treating last night. My boys are not that crazy about it....anyway, long story short...CB decided he didn't like his mask and cape we bought a couple of weeks ago and he didn't want to go. ZB wanted to stay home and scare people....no one comes to our neighborhood. Anyway, we did take off and hit a few houses...grandparents and friends. We were home by 8:30 or 9 pm. Today we went to my aunt and uncle's house in Ark City...every year they have a bonfire/skeet shoot/chili, potato soup supper and fun! This year I wore shorts! It was so darn nice out. We just got home....the boys were sick and home from school Tues thru Thurs. They were pretty tired when they got home yesterday from school. We had wonderful food tonite...I made pecan pie bars, corn/jalapeno dip, my aunt Gail made her wonderful cinnamon rolls....3 pans and they were awesome! In our family, if you don't get enough to eat, there is something wrong with ya!!!!

A little pumpking carving Friday afternoon..ZB carved an awesome "KSU Power Cat" CB carved...I'm not sure I think he called it....an injured football player with a scar on his head?!?!

ZB is very artistic and does great work in this area. He has great ideas and visuals in his head and is very capable of putting it onto paper or in this case a pumpkin!