2008 in a Nut Shell

Dad had 2 heart surgeries that included 5 stints

He also had 2 eye surgeries

Christal came to visit

Frank turned 40

We celebrated our 20th Wedding anniversary

I went to a taping of the Martha Stewart Show in NYC

Visited Washington DC twice

And Aunt Darlene and Glenn once

Gladys, Bryan and Francelina came for a visit from Arkansas

Amber turned 16, got her driver's license and a job all in the same week

She had a car accident that totaled her car

Andrew turned 13 and became interested in the guitar and girls

Frank was hired at his new job

Luke came to visit

We went to Georgia and Florida for vacation

I took a roadtrip with my new friend to Niagara Falls, NY

to visit Nancy and Steven

Chris, Becky and the kids came to visit

Amber took her first flight by herself to visit our friends in GA

Nancy and Steven came to visit

Mom was hospitalized

Frank's mom had a cancer scare

We got chickens!

Amber got her GED

She's been accepted at her first pick college

Andrew and I saw the Pirates play

Frank went hunting in Ohio several times

Frank built a shed/hen house

I had my first mammogram

People we're close to have divorced, moved, have lost a loved one, been ill or a combination of all of these things

We planted a garden and had more success than last year

We had family pictures taken for the first time in many years

We visited with Shannon and Drew and the kids

We harvested an abundance of grapes

We made apple butter outside in a big copper pot

We've met more people and grown a lot at our new church

My prayer shawl team(which consists of 4-5 people) made approximately 300+ shawls

And now I'm tired from listing all of this. Through the good, the bad and the ugly, God has been good. He is faithful and true. And that's all that gets me through some days.

May 2009 bring peace, unity and happiness to my home and yours!

Christmas at Our House

I had a tea party for the Prayer Shawl Ministry Team on Wed. the 17th. It was a lot of fun.Kay, Carrie and Amy were present. They each brought something yummy to share. On Christmas Eve the kids open one present. It's always some form of sleepware. This year Amber received a luxurious bath robe from Victoria's Secret. And Andrew received jammies.

Each year after Frank and I go to bed the kids do something to the house. Our first Christmas in WV they turned all of the living room furniture upside down to represent their lives being turned upside down with the move. This year they covered the kitchen in post-it notes.

I don't know if this has any hidden meaning or not.

Frank has the Santa look going on for Christmas morning. He was up early and made pancakes. Then he got us up at 7 a.m. The kids used to get us up early. But now he beats them to it.

This is what his shirt says.

Andrew was thrilled with his Fender electric guitar. There are no pictures of Amber opening her gifts because she was taking the photos. I think her favorite gift was a tripod for her camera.

We went to my parent's house that afternoon and exchanged gifts and had lunch. That evening Frank's mom came to our house to share Christmas dinner with us. It has been a wonderful holiday season. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Uncle Sam Wants You!

Or more specifically, my daughter. It's finally happened. The recruiters have her contact info. I was hoping to somehow slide under their radar and not have to deal with them. I know that sounds awful since hubby was a recruiter for two years. But at least he was an Air Force Recruiter. This particular piece of mail we received today was from the Army. They can be quite tenacious when it comes to meeting their goals. Hubby shared office space with Army Recruiters back in the day. Guess the phone calls come next. Thankfully, we have caller i.d.

Go Ahead! Tie One On!

National Tie One On Day™ - November 26,2008

National Tie One On Day™ celebrates the humble apron and the spirit of women of earlier generations who donned the universal symbol of home, family and mothering as the uniform of their daily wardrobe and helped make America the great country it is today. On the day before Thanksgiving, EllynAnne encourages us to pause in the preparation of our own meal, wrap a loaf of bread in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of encouragement in the pocket, and tie one on...an apron, of course!, and deliver the wrapped bundle to someone in need of spiritual or physical sustenance. According to EllynAnne, no matter which way you turn out of your own front door, someone who is deserving of a hug is very close by. “Women clad in aprons have traditionally prepared the Thanksgiving meal,” says EllynAnne, “and it is within our historical linkage to share our bounty.”

She did it!

Dear Amber,

Over the river and through our beautiful West Virginia woods, we send you best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Congratulations on your acceptance to Davis & Elkins College.Have a Great Holiday!

Your friends in the Davis & Elkins College Admissions Office

"Due to the Economy"

Yesterday while running errands, I kept hearing the phrase "due to the economy". And I wondered if these people even know what they're talking about or is it just a buzz word (phrase) they've picked up from the evening news.

While dropping off some papers at the admissions office of a local college, the admissions director told me about the fee that will be due once daughter is accepted. He then elaborated on the fact that "due to the economy" if we didn't have the $150.00 we could pay any amount over $5.00 and then make payments as we could. He continued to stress how a lot of families don't have the extra money right now "due to the economy" and once again told me I could pay any amount over $5.00. He knows nothing of our financial situation...good, bad or ugly...yet felt the need to repeatedly tell me anything over $5.00 would be fine. Okay, I get it!

Son and I were looking for guitars at thrift shops. One woman suggested we check the local pawn shops because "due to the economy" people were hocking their wares instead of donating them to charitable organizations like her particular thrift store.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, WV's unemployment rate is lower now than it was this time last year. Gasoline prices have dropped dramatically since earlier this summer, which makes filling up my CUV a lot less painful. I may be ignorant but I don't see how WV is suffering any "due to the economy". If I'm missing something, enlighten me. If your state is truly feeling the effects "due to the economy" let me know. I'm sure folks in Michigan would have something to say.

This is by far one of my all-time favorite desserts! It's only available for a short time each year and I usually only have one. Today, son and I got the last two this particular store was going to have for the entire year. I would have cried if I'd missed out. They're so yummy! So, hurry over to DQ before you miss out.

Apron Love

How cute is this apron!??? There's also a border of sheep along the bottom. Too Cute! Thanks Aunt D!

Support Your LYS (local yarn shop); I Do!

This scarf is made from chunky baby alpaca that I bought at my favorite yarn shop in Florida
This is my stash from visiting my favorite yarn shop in WV today. Yarn and Co. celebrated their 4th anniversary with an Open House. Congratulations, Sandra!This is a bag pre-felted made from Burly Spun yarn.
This is the felted version, finished with a hand-made button.

Words to Live By

"Everyone has at least one rule that they like to live by. My rule is to stay positive no matter what happens. Things in life may be hard, but never give up! Giving up is certain unhappiness. Whereas, staying positive and standing strong means making it through the hard times with more ease.

Just keeping the things and the people that you love close to you will make you feel more optimistic. Visiting with my best friend calms me down during rough times and taking my dog on a walk clears my mind. Those are both important things to me, so I can continue to stay positive.

For me, I think it's just feeling the smile on my face that boosts my spirits. Maybe your spirit booster is seeing the smile on someone else's face. Volunteer work, babysitting or even just giving your neighbor a helping hand are all excellent ways to achieve that.

Staying positive is more than an attitude. It's a way of life. Where pessimism and anger are proven to make you ill, optimism is known to heal the sick or even prevent sickness from starting. A happy heart is a healthy heart and I will choose to continue living my life with optimism and serenity."

Taken from the GED pre-test essay question: What's one rule that you live by? by Amber H.

Apple Butter Day

Frank started the fire at 7:30 a.m. We used a 20 gallon copper kettle that belongs to my great-aunt. Frank stirred....

Andrew stirred.....
Missy stirred....
Mom stirred....

Dad stirred.... ALOT....he stayed all day and took turns with Frank and Andrew stirring for 15 minute increments.
Neighbors stopped by....

I washed jars.....
ALOT of jars!!!
Amber stirred...
I stirred...
Greg stirred...Aunt Alice stirred...Mom McCarty stopped by...

I made some honey-wheat bread and home-made butter in anticipation of the finished apple butter.
This is what it looked like about 5:30 p.m.

And this is what it looked like a short time later.

18 gallons of apple sauce (that we made the previous week), made 9 gallons of apple butter. Yum!

What Happened?

One day I was teaching my blond little girl her abc's and 123's and now we're learning about ACT's and GED's. Not to mention SAT's and FAFSA, college applications, campus tours, scholarships, financial aid, class rings, senior pictures. AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! How did this happen? She grew up when I wasn't looking.

When you're dealing with diapers and temper tantrums you don't want to hear someone say to you "treasure this time, it'll pass so quickly". But it's true.

I remember the day we started home schooling. And now she's about to graduate. I never imagined I would home school her through 12th grade. It was never my intention to home school to start with. But God convicted my heart and convinced me that was what He wanted me to do. And He has been faithful to see us through each year. And here we are! Our final year! It has been challenging. It has been frustrating at times. It's been down-right hard at times. But it's also been so rewarding. And I wouldn't trade any of it...not even her tantrums over 3rd grade math...for anything!

Though my time of home-schooling Amber is almost over, I still have a few more years with Andrew. Like always, we just take it a year at a time. And if it's the Lord's will to home school him through 12th grade, I'll probably be back here sobbing again when he's about to graduate.

Prayer Shawl Team

Stand Guard, Men!

I heard something in my bible study this morning that just sent chills down my spine and arms.

In Genesis 3:24, it says that God placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

In Genesis 2:15 it says Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

In Numbers 3:8, it says the tribe of Levi were to attend or take care of the furnishings of the tabernacle.

If you do a word study, you'll find that the words guard, tend,keep, all come from the same Hebrew word, shamar. Shamar means: to protect, to hedge about, attend to, beware, take heed, preserve, save, watch.

So, when God put Adam in the garden, he was to guard it. If Adam was doing what he was supposed to be doing Satan would have never been able to get to his wife!

This just spoke to me about today's culture. Are the men doing what they're supposed to be doing to guard their territory, their wives, their children, from Satan's attacks??? Are the men tending and keeping what God has given them???

If Adam and Eve were so easily deceived in their perfect Garden of Eden, how much more vulnerable are we in the world we live in??

I Peter 5:8 says "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

Men, guard what God has given you. Women, put yourselves under that guardianship. (that's a whole 'nother sermon I'll save for another day)

Blissfully Domestic

I fought for a long time with the idea of being a stay-at-home mom again.
I had worked full-time for two years, home-schooled my kids and took care of my military husband.
I couldn't imagine just being at home all the time again.
But now, two years later, I have not only accepted being at home.....
but am thoroughly enjoying it!

Yummy Goodness

I recently discovered the most amazing cream scones I have ever tasted. I tried to get the recipe but was told they are from a local coffee shop. Went to the coffee shop, they're not sharing! They'll sell you as many of these amazing scones as you can eat but they're not giving up their recipe. But....

I did find this website Baking & Dessert Recipes & Photos - Joyofbaking.com and the photos of their scones look eerily similar to the ones in the coffee shop. There's even a scone newsletter on this website with lots of scone baking tips and various recipes included. Can't wait to try them.

Then this morning, I stumbled upon this recipe. Pop Up Pancakes Make and Takes These just make my mouth water. So simple and with basic ingredients. Yum!

I'll post pictures and let you know how everything turns out. Stay tuned!

Update:

Here's a pic of my Pop Up Pancakes. I had them with tidbit pineapples. Delicious!

Vacation is a Wonderful Thing

We went to Georgia to celebrate our friend's 25th Wedding Anniversary. It was a special time. Each of their three boys honored them in a special way. One prayed over them, one blessed them and one thanked them for being such great parents. As an "old married couple", can you ask for anything more???

Amber and I went to Florida for a few days.

I had lunch with my girls from the flower shop. And Ed. He's the optometrist that worked across the hall from us. We spent 4 hours at Ruby Tuesdays catching up on the last two years.

Amber and I had dinner Tuesday night with our friends, Frances and Reggie. They're a wonderful, sweet couple that love the Lord and have adopted us into their family. Their daughter and her family was there. As well as their son and one of his children. It was a packed house and lots of fun.

We attended church Wed. night at our old church. They gave me a stack of cd's to listen to on the way home.

Amber got to go surfing Wed. afternoon. She had no problem getting up on the board the first try. She's eager to go again.

I got to spend some time on a small beach all by myself. It was great! Just me, the seagulls and the sound of the waves.

There was some shopping involved. We had to check out the BX and Commissary. And Bealls Outlet and a yarn store called Unwind. And I had to go to the Bass Pro Shop with Frank's list in hand.

This was one of my favorite vacations ever! The only way it could have been better is if Frank had come with us. Maybe next time. We're working on him.