Far Above Rubies

Some photos taken in last couple of days

I just took a couple of photos and I had some friends ask me what a gas hob was, we had one fitted this morning.  We had wedding gift vouchers from a store called John Lewis over here which is an upmarket department store in the U.K. We had to get a new gas hob we were able to get a stainless steel one in the sale at the above store.

Below are photos of our cat Bizkit, canning/bottling I have done in the last few weeks. Last but not least socks that my DH bought home for me yesterday - aren't they just too cute :)

I have a beef casserole cooking in the crockpot which should be ready within an hour.  I finish work at 6pm so will go and peel & cook potatoes - so we will have mashed potatoes with our stew.

The weather today has been just delightful and so warm

DH & I are going to have supper and watch Strictly Come Dancing, just basically have a nice relaxing evening.

Fab Friday

 I say Fab because the weather is just that, fabulous! It is cool but not cold, the kind where you open up your windows and the breeze blows the curtains around, LOVE IT!

  Grinding was suppose to start today but they have pushed it back until Monday, which is OK with me. Hubby can take an extra weekend to relax before he starts working nonstop for the next three months. The money is great, but he gets tired of it after a month or so. I don't blame him either, I worked grinding several years in the scale house, and it does take a toll on you. Seven days a weeks for weeks and weeks.

   So for lunch hubby wants to go to his favorite eat out, Pizza Hut. I personally don't care for them but he loves it, so Pizza Hut it is. Then it's off to see mom for a bit at the home, a quick stop at the grocery store for a few items, and then home to wait for my dear friend Debbie who is coming for a weekend visit. With the holidays kicking up soon, we are getting a visit in before things get too hectic for visiting.

   So thats pretty much me weekend, chatting, swinging, porching, garage saleing, malling, eating out, and did I mention chatting. The guys will be doing some hunting.  So I hope everyone else is going to have a great weekend ahead. Call you BFFs and chat some.

***I now feel I need to say something****

I need to ask that readers leaving comments on my blog re: Candy at Keeping The Home, need to stop as I will not tolerate this any further. 

Everyone has a free will and a right to express their opinions on the internet as long as both blogs and comments do not offend anyone else.

Tell me, what is the purpose to putting anti blogs against a fellow blogger on the internet? What are you trying to achieve? Don't you also realise that posting/putting up "anti"blogs or anything similar for this matter is upsetting Jesus - has this crossed your mind?

By posting statements/blogs against someone is not only upsetting for that person but upsetting for friends, family and more importantly Our Father...............

If you have something to say then you need to tell the person directly to do other than this is not only very offensive but also childish and it is about time frankly that you guys out there grew up and fast and to think about what you are doing........

I will also add here that I enjoy Candy's blogs and besides which she speaks as she sees fit - not only that this woman speaks her mind and she makes it clear that she is not offending anyone but she is trying her best to reach out to the lost out there and those that do not know the Lord.

Candy like all of us is not perfect but she has a lot to offer all of us and I certainly am learning a lot from her.  Candy also does not spend "all her time" on the computer but posts once maybe twice a day. Candy moderates all her comments of which I am not surprised and quite frankly don't blame her for doing so considering the anti Candy blogs out there.  This very Godly woman is very much within her rights to post the kind of posts she does and has experience.  Ok, this lady may only be in her early 30's but she is a lady who can reach out to younger women and teach them.  Give her a break and get a life.

I will finally say here that I also may not agree with everything that Candy writes but on the whole I do agree with her posts and this lady follows the bible through and through and does her utmost to live a very Godly life (and yes this lady makes mistakes like all of us). She does her utmost to serve her husband and to teach her children the correct way to live - good for her but everything she does is is for the Lord and if you have a problem and/or fail to see that then go to your maker our Father.

I am not going to apologise for the harshness of this post but quite frankly I can not and will not deal with childishness especially in Adults.  Oh and for my comment from my last post you also have no right whatsoever to put up a blog in the manner you are doing and if you fail to see the hurt etc you are causing then perhaps you need to go back to the Word of God and to back off completely.

If any more childish or anti comments are left against Candy or anyone else then these will be deleted straight away without fail.  For goodness sake get a life and grow up.

I also pray that the Lord will bring your destructive ways to your attention and that you pray for forgiveness and move forward from what you are doing -

I have said my piece and that is that!

Thankful Thursday/Using what the Army gave us

  I have to give praise and thanks to the people who came to rescue during our time after Gustav hit us. We received help from several different organizations. The Salvation Army and the Red Cross  gave out cleaning and personal items by the buckets full. We decided not to take any of these items. I was looked at as snobish by my sisters in law, but it wasn't that I thought I was too good for these things, it was that we didn't feel we needed it and would have rather had someone else have it that did need it.  Also very thankful for the many power company trucks and workers that came in from other states to help restore our power lines. We actually had a crew from Alabama get us back on. Thanks guys!

  Another group was the Army National Guard, they were a trememdous help to us. They gave out water, tarps, ice, and food, which we did need and took. The food came in the form of MREs, meals ready to eat. These packages are a wonderful assortment of foods. Everything from spaghetti and meatballs to Mexican food, and I have to say, that what I tasted was great. I didn't eat any of these meals due to the high fat and carb content in them, but my boys did.  They are made for soldiers who need the protein and carb fill to keep going in the fields, so I understood why they were like that.  These packages also contained several others items such as drinks mixes, crackers, a tube of peanut butter or cheese spread,  poptarts and/or several types of baked goods (which were delish), candy, and packages of fruit, just to mention a few items. These meals are made to feed a person for the whole day on one meal pack if need be. They even came with these tiny little bottles of Louisiana hot sauce, which I thought was too cute. 

*If my camera was working I would take a picture of one of these great little meal thingys.

  I ended up keeping all the odds and ends that were in the meal packs that my boys didn't eat, such as the hot sauce, the crackers, the baked goods, the peanut butter, and the friut. The items have a shelf life of three years, so I stocked them on my shelf in my pantry, lol.   So this morning I used some of the friut to make muffins with, and they came out so good too.  I made cranberry and blueberry muffins. At first I thought Hummm maybe not, but to my surprise they were very good. My son ate 4 of them, so I know they were good, lol.

  Well the weather is gorgeous outside, thank you God,  so I think we will go do school on the patio. Have a great day everyone.

The Duggars

Has anyone been watching the shows on TLC the last two weeks about the Duggar family? I have, and I have to say that it's the best hour of TV I watch all week. Last night the eldest, Josh, asked for his girlfriends hand in marriage. To use the word "sweet" would be an understatement, lol. I have always felt so uplifted watching this family on TV, they are a true inspiration to me and others, I'm sure.

OH well, just my thoughts today!

We are all pumpkins!

****Tomorrow Andrewis coming with me to a special breakfast****

The Simple Woman's Daybook for October 6th

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW....Sunny and beautiful  day...getting ready for some rain tho.

I AM THINKING....that I hope my husband gets rid of the virus he has come down with very fast and that no one else gets it.

I AM THANKFUL FOR... that the sugar cane grinding season starts this week and that now I can stock the pantry and freezers full of food with the extra money it brings in.

FROM THE KITCHEN... grilled chicken strips with onions and peppers along with cheesy potatoes.

I AM CREATING...a better food inventory system. I kept messing up with the old one.

I AM GOING...outside in a minute to take in the beautiful weather.

I AM WEARING...red shorts, a striped shirt and pink slippers.

I AM READING.. ....the most recent issue of Mother Earth News.

I AM HOPING...that the rain holds out for a bit longer to let grinding start without a  muddy mess.

I AM HEARING...Little House on the Praire playing on the TV in the front room.

AROUND THE HOUSE....a sick hubby and a bored teenager.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS....the Fall air.

A FEW PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK....start taking down curtains for a washing and cleaning some walls and ceiling fans, ( I saw a couple of spider webs, yuck).

HERE IS A PICTURE THOUGHT I'd SHARE WITH YOU...

We use the moss for Halloween decorations most years.

10 Predictions no matter who wins the election!

****Help needed pls regarding Canning****

Hi, I have just made some Christmas mincemeat, which basically uses currants, raisins, apples, other fruits and brandy and have already packed the mixture into mason type jars.  I need to probably use the hot water bath method for canning but dont know what to do.  I will be using a tall saucepan which can only take three jars at a time.  To sterilise the jars I put a tea towel in the bottom of the pan and will probably need to keep the tea towel in pan for hot water bath.

What do I do for this method and any ideas on recommended time for canning please??