Happy New Year - To My Blog Readers!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

I thought I'd step in for a quick moment.  Things have been busy on our end and we're preparing for spring with a few interesting surprise turns for 2009.  I'm unsure what God has planned for us in the upcoming months, but one thing I DO know....He is good and will never foresake us.  Looking back, there hasn't been a moment he hasn't touched our lives, given us continued hope and sustained our every need.  To Him be the glory now and forever.

Doug and I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy 2009.  May You continue to count your blessings and KNOW that God loves you.

I am grateful for all who have blessed my life just by their presence. Both In real life AND on the internet.  I am truely blessed with those who choose to share their lives with me and pray that I may bless you each as much as you have with me.  I haven't been able to visit all of my commenters this week, but know that you are in my thoughts and I plan to visit you each soon.

Happy New Year Everyone! May God continue to Abundantly Bless You.

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Christmas With The One I LOVE
Friday, December 26, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

This Christmas was the most wonderful Christmas I've ever had.  We cuddled together, slept, made a special Christmas dinner, reflected on the TRUE meaning of Christmas...(you can find "why" I celebrate Christmas in a post below), and watched a Christmas movie together snuggled with the dogs.

It was simple, it was quiet, it was blessed and it was certainely something I enjoyed doing.  I think we'll be doing this again as our own traditional Christmas.  I just enjoyed the simplicity of it all, yet I also enjoyed spending time with my husbands family and my family as well (though there is usually my dads side on Christmas day which gets missed too).

I'm grateful to God that He gave us this opportunity and we hope to continue our simple, yet comfy Christmas Celebration of the Birth of our Lord and Savior.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

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Christmas Eve 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Christmas Eve is ALWAYS one I love to remember.  I enjoy spending it with my parents and the light-heartedness of the Lounsbury side makes things so easy to enjoy.  We already know we're not perfect, but boy do we know there's love there.

I have with great joy, the opportunity to celebrate with 4 generations of women in this photo.  All with whom are close and most who call each other weekly if not bi-weekly.  It's not often you find families like this.

After we had our regular ziti dinner or sandwhich rolls with fruit and veggie trays, each one of us grabbed a cookie, sat in the "small living area" (Well, it's small with over 30ppl scrunched in) and watched the latest movie my dad put out for Christmas again this year.  Pictures with each of us throughout the years together at family functions and holidays each year.

We're a "unique" family, but we sure do love each other.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Blessed New Year!

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Why "I" Celebrate Christmas - Merry Christmas Everyone!!
Thursday, December 25, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

"Then saith He (Jesus) unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Matthew 22:21

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." (Luke 9:23, 24)

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me (Jesus). In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.

” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:1-6

AND SO, Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. Matthew 27:27-31

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:6

 ****The above scriptures first and foremost, are THE "living, breathing" Word Of God:

2 Timothy 3:14 - 17 (NLT)
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

I celebrate Christmas to Celebrate the Birth of Christ.  For without the birth of Jesus through God our Heavenly Father and the Virgin Birth He commanded, There would be NO SAVIOR to bridge the gap between Heaven and Hell for all sinners.  We'd have NO WAY other than hell itself.  Through His gruesome suffering, He served as the perfection we as humans aren't.  He suffered, died, was buried, AROSE and to this day, lives in my heart.

I am NOT perfect, I DO NOT have a perfect life, I fall prey and sometimes commit awful sin, I make mistakes on a daily basis and while I have all these things against me....the ONLY reason I get to heaven is because Christ was BORN and because Christ Died so that I ((AND ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN JESUS' life, suffering, death, and ressurection)) will go home to see my ((OUR)) Father in Heaven.

I have a tree in my home with presents under them, I shop for "CHRISTMAS DEALS" and make homemade gifts, I eat wonderful meals, spend time with families...both Christian and NON.  I spend Christmas with family who doesn't have a santa, and one who does......but NONE of this is WHY I Celebrate Christmas.  I LOVE it, but I KNOW why I celebrate Christmas.  It's those very reasons from the Word Of God.  I haven't lost site of those things that are important, but cherish those memories with family and friends who allow me to Love God because He is a HUGE part of who I am, with hopes that maybe one day, those seeds will grow through Christ.

God is SO good and I share The birth of a SAVIOR with family and friends who will listen.  ALL OF THEM. I would not be who I am today without Christ and love that I not only choose Christmas to celebrate His birth for the Savior and LORD that He is.  But I also celebrate daily, knowing that everything He has done, Everything He accomplished, Everything He continues to be.....Is worthy of Acknowledgement, Praise and Glory.

Today, My husband and I spent time alone.  I'm grateful for the time because his schedule at work is busy. I understand how precious it is for us both to take time to reflect on the most precious gift we've been given through Christ Jesus.

I am grateful and a humble servant.....cracks and all!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

P.S., I would again, like to extend my invitation to calmly and respectfully share your opinons.  I WILL NOT except Anonymous HURTFUL Opinions and reserve the right to delete them.  Keep in mind I have information of anyone who posts hurtful remarks through IP Addresses and WILL use them if remarks are hurtful and threatening. 

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Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Well it's been pretty busy around here.  Aside from checking in on the internet daily, I have been knitting two scarves, prepping for cookie making to give away as gifts and trying to read the rest of The Quilters Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini so I can start another book in the series.

Doug and I have also been enjoying our time by watching old Christmas movies each week.  It's been fun!  My favorite is  A Christmas Carol (1938).  The 1938 version is THE ONLY one I'll watch.  Doug hadn't seen it before and figured if you've seen one, you've seen them all.  One thing you'll find, is that they don't make movies like they used to anymore. 

While the special affects may have been simple for the times, the acting is AWESOME!  Back then, you couldn't use the special affects to pick up where the actor fell short.  You had to either BE an actor, or your movie wouldn't sell.  I HIGHLY recommend that you rent the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol.  Not only is the movie the best of it's kind,  I also love most things Charles Dickens.

By the way, If your ever in Central NY, How bout taking a visit to Skaneateles, NY where you'll find a plethora of Dickens characters roaming the streets, having roasted chestnuts on an open fire, shop the old shoppes while also listening to Christmas Carols.  Weekends only, of course.  It just smells like winter around here!

Merry Christmas!

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Advent- The Story Of The Jesse Tree
Monday, December 1, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

The Story Of The Jesse Tree

Jesse Tree Graphic Designed by Shalfleet

The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots."  It is a vehicle to tell the Story of God in the Old Testament, and to connect the Advent Season with the faithfulness of God across 4,000 years of history. The Branch is a biblical sign of newness out of discouragement, which became a way to talk about the expected messiah (e.g., Jer 23:5). It is therefore an appropriate symbol of Jesus the Christ, who is the revelation of the grace and faithfulness of God.

The Israelites through the descendants of Abraham were chosen by God to be a light to the nations. When they were imprisoned by the Egyptians, they cried out to God for deliverance from their oppression. And God responded: "I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry . . . I have come to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them to a good land" (Exod 3:7-8). And so He entered history in a marvelous way to deliver them and bring them into a place where they could worship God and serve Him in peace and joy instead of serving Pharaoh in hard service. God promised to be with them and to be their God, and they would be His people.

But as they settled into the land that God had given them, "they forgot God, their Deliverer, who had done great things in Egypt" (Psa 106:21). As they grew secure in the land, they began to believe that "my power and the strength of my own hand have gotten me these things" (Deut 8:17). Even though God had raised up godly leaders like David, later kings and religious leaders served their own interests, and the people began to worship the false gods of the land. They even gave offerings to the idol ba’al, supposedly the god of rain and fertility of the land, thanking him for the prosperity they enjoyed.

But God grieved because "she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished upon her silver and gold that they used for ba’al" (Hos 2:8). God had "planted [them] as a choice vine from the purest stock" (Jer 2:21) and had expected them to grow and flourish and carry out His purposes in the world. But they had degenerated into a wild bush with worthless fruit.

Because they had forgotten God, they also forgot the call of God to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God" (Mic 6:8). God sent prophets to warn them of the consequences of failing to be His people. Amos warned them to "seek me and live" (5:4). Through Jeremiah, God promised them that if they would turn from their wicked ways He would bless them and be with them in the land (7:5-7). But he also said: "Take heed, O Jerusalem, or I shall turn from you in disgust, and make you a desolation" (6:8).

Some of the people longed for new leaders, a new "anointed" (Heb: meshiach; Eng: messiah) shepherd king like David who would help them to become what God had called them to be. But most of the people would not listen. They continued to worship the idols of ba'al. They continued to cheat the poor, steal from each other, neglect the needy, and do all manner of evil.

So God let them go their own way and suffer the consequences of their choices. The Babylonian armies came and destroyed the temple, the city of Jerusalem, the land, and took the people into slavery. The choice planting of God that had such promise, that God had tended so carefully and encouraged to grow, was cut down and became a mere stump (Isa 5:1-10).

But God did not give up on this people! Even though they had disobeyed, even though they had forsaken God for other gods, even though they had miserably failed to be His people and to let Him be their God, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob still loved them. He had made a commitment to these people that He would not allow to be undone even by their rejection of Him.

He had already told them this through the prophets, but they had not understood then. Jeremiah had promised a day when God would again plant and build (31:28). And Isaiah had spoken of a time when God would cause a new shoot, a new king, to spring from the cut-off stump of the lineage of Jesse, David’s father (11:1). During the Exile, suffering under the consequences of sin, they had little reason to suppose that God would do anything new.  Still, the old promises echoed across the years, even if they could not believe them or even understand them.

In spite of their failures, in spite of their inability to envision a future beyond exile, there came a time when the prophets again announced a new thing, proclaiming "good tidings" to the people: "Here is your God!" (Isa 40:1-11). The Exile was ended! God would bring back to life a nation that was already dead (Eze 37). Long ago they had been slaves in Egypt, with nothing they could do to change their condition, and yet God had chosen to deliver.

So now, in the midst of their failure and hopelessness, God had again entered history as Deliverer. They would have another chance to be His people, not because they had earned it, no more than they had deserved it the first time; but simply because God in His grace had chosen to forgive.

They returned to the land. But across the years, they again struggled to obey and live up to their calling. They would never again slide into the worship of false gods. They had learned that lesson.  But the great kingdom that they dreamed of restoring remained only a dream. They had hoped for a new king like David to lead them into a glorious future in which they would rule the world. They hoped to throw off the control of the Greeks and later the Romans and become a great nation. But it didn’t happen. And they became disillusioned and discouraged.

So, they again hoped for God to raise up a new king, a new messiah, to deliver them from the oppression of the world. They longed for peace and deliverance from the tyranny of a sinful world. The prophets again brought the word of God to them, and promised a newness. Even though they struggled to understand and believe, they held onto the hope that the same God who brought slaves out of Egypt, and who brought exiles out of Babylon, could bring Messiah into the world!

We know the rest of that story. God was faithful to that promise, and a new King was born in Bethlehem. So we can exclaim with the old man Simeon: "My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before all people, a light of revelation to the nations, and for glory to your people Israel!" (Luke 2:30-32).

But we also know that the world is still with us. Even though we can have Peace and Joy through the presence of Jesus Christ, we still long for deliverance from the oppression of sin in the world. We long for the full reign of the King, and the Kingdom of Peace that He will bring. So, while we celebrate the birth of the Branch, the new shoot from the stump of Jesse, we still anticipate with hope the Second Advent, and await the completion of the promise.

The Jesse Tree helps us retell this story, and express this hope.

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Sharing The Gift Of Thanks
Thursday, November 27, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

It's officially Thanksgiving and I couldn't go without wishing friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving from Doug and I.

As we start our turkeys, prepare the trimmings and open our homes for guests and loved-ones to arrive, lets not forget the things we are thankful for today. We all have SO much to be thankful for. I look at my own menu and as I saw the news today on those who are going without, I am reminded of just how much we actually have. 

Believe it or not, we've actually cut down on some things, yet as we dig in to our apple and pumpkin pies, I am reminded of those who go without, others who haven't any loved ones to celebrate with, those without warm clothes and even those who's family members are away serving our country.

Lets take the time to reach out to someone in our lives, whether it be a neighbor, volunteering at a local shelter, or even donating to charities and fundraiser's this year. You each make the difference and have a special gift.

I have much to be thankful for this year and I am most grateful to God for His unconditional loving-kindness. but also for the protection on family and friends and the blessings He gives us all each day. Life isn't always easy, but it's His kind and gentle hand that reaches out and gives us hope that we may share that hope with others.

May you all be blessed each day, May He continue to love and guide you through the joys and trials, May He work within you to strengthen you, grant you peace, comfort and most importantly may you share all you have with much love and thanksgiving, in Jesus Mighty name.

I leave you with an uplifting scripture during this time of Thanksgiving. May you all know that you are loved deeply!


Serve the Lord with gladness: 
come before His presence with singing. 
Know ye that the Lord He is God:
It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; 
be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting; 
and his truth endures to all generations. ~Psalm 100

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Thanksgiving Traditional Menu...
Thursday, November 13, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Mrs. Joseph Wood has sent out an email asking what those on her list have for Thanksgiving and the stories those dishes bring with them.  I thought  I would share here as well.

Dot (my nickname for my grandpa), Gramma and me

So what is your menu?  Do you have special memories and traditions that continue in your own homes?  Please share them with me here!

Blessings!

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Temper, temper...Update on the ghostly stove
Monday, November 10, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Good Grief!

It takes ALOT to get my temper rising. Someone thrashing scripture to hurt in the name of Christ, intentionally hurting someone, assuming when the person knows nothing or people not following through with promises they make. All of which I get REALLY irritated over time with and when it finally comes to, WATCH OUT!

I've had quite of few of those days over the past few months. Now not everything is everyone elses falt I will admit, but by golly, a question that runs through my mind quite a bit is why people can't say what they mean and mean what they say.

Today that question lingered even more. Remember that issue a few posts back having to do with the stove turning on it's own? I called the emergency hotline of the townhome I live at and the maintenance manager said everything was alright and that he'd be back on Monday to take care of things.

Meanwhile, everytime the oven went on, the range hood ((all four)) would start clicking and sparking ALL THE TIME and stay on, even if the oven wasn't on, the pilots would start clicking and turning themselves on  ALL DAY LONG.

Kinda dangerous don't ya think? Now I'm a homemaker, so I had no where to go thank goodness. But imagine if I had left the home and the sparks ignited something around my countertop. Do you think sparks would cause a fire and potentially harm not just our home with our puppies, but the neighbors homes around us who have children? Would that be an emergency do you think?

Apparently NOT for John the Maintenance supervisor. He decided NOT to show up this morning.  I gave him the benefit of the doubt and waited and waited and waited and waited.....the pilots had gone out again so I thought I was safe.  Until I decided to have oven steamed salmon with oven steamed asparagus.  It was fine until mid way through.....I heard a crack and then looked over.  I didn't see anything...a minute later...Crack, crack, crack....Pff!  There they go again...this time they're NOT stopping.

I called the 800 number and let them know I hadn't heard from John and asked them to call him again.  I waited and waited and waited. NOTHING. It was pretty late for someone to be at the apartment office, so I thought I'd call one of the offices that takes newbies around to see the place.  Apparently the night person said that there has been problems with this guy for awhile.  TELL ME ABOUT IT.  It's NOT the first time I've dealt with this guy!  She called the manager of ALL of the apartments and let them know about whats going on......He in tern called John and asked him to come back and fix what he promised to fix. 

No sooner I got off the phone, another call comes in.  It's the answering service. "Maam, John is sorry he didn't come as promised today but he wont be coming until Thurs. or Fri."  That's when it happened...I lost my temper.  You tell him to get here IMMEDIATELY!!  I cannot leave the house with all four pilots sparking uncontrollably throughout the day.  It's unsafe and EXTREMELY careless! "Sorry maam, nothing we can do". 

I called my husband screaming and crying...I hadn't been able to eat all day because I was afraid to use the stove, we were out of coldcuts, bread, etc.  All I had on hand is what I had to thaw out and cook.  I'm a diabetic and my sugar was dropping and I was moody and scared!

I also called the nice woman back at the office and she called the manager again who told John to GET OUT AND TAKE THE CALL!

He got here and I LET ER WRIP!!!  THREE days it took him, THREE DAYS.  He was careless and put the lives of children and other families at risk because he refused to take the "EMERGENCY CALL" seriousely.  I may have been more patient and less aggressive if this hadn't happen before.

Last winter, our old neighbor left his gas on in the house ALL DAY. By 11 at night I smelled gas and frantically ran out of the house.  None of the neighbors offered to let me in their homes, none showed any form of compassion. I was on my own while my husband was at work and had the car.  I called John that time and he literally said it was nothing and go back in the house.  It was too far a drive for him to come for something small.  I called the gas company because I didnt trust the smell....sure enough, the woman came in my home and it was coming in through our vents through the neighbors home.  They had to knock down the doors to neuralize the place. 

Because of this dummys lack of follow through, the whole building...maybe even the block could have blown and lives would have been taken.

I let this man know that it was THE LAST TIME.  I had called and left a report at the owners office, I had called our County's Housing Authority, I had called the mayors office, and next would be the BBB if the landlord refused to do anything about this man.

I have also written a four page letter documenting everything from this incident to the last few with him and will have it notarized tomorrow and sent certified.

Upon John leaving I let him know that our time was just as valuable as his time was.  That he should say what he means and mean what he says. 

Furthermore, I told the company the following in my letter to them:

Those who work for a company represent that company they work for.

While I do not wish for anyone to lose their job with the economy the way it is.  If they treat human lives carelessly and refuse to be available for true emergency calls because they live too far away or are too lazy to deal with the task, then they should not be given a job they cannot see through to the end.  I do not pay 900.00 a month to feel unsafe.  It's unfair to those who live here and reckless to guess without actually seeing if the situation is a true emergency.

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Entertainment Of Simpler Times
Monday, November 10, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Since cutting back on our t.v., my husband and I have been trying to find other methods of entertainment where we can interact with each other a bit more. 

After a year of having extended digital cable, not having it for several years while we were on students income in Ohio, things felt pretty stuffed with t.v. and not actually interacting as we used to do.  As things are today, I think I'm more at peace.  The t.v. isn't always on, I'm getting things done around the house as needed and am able to blog, read blogs as well as so many other past times that we wouldn't have tackled if our time was consumed by everything "reality" on t.v.  I guess you can say I just got tired and stressed with so much negativity, that I actually LONGED for those times when we were destitute.   

So I thought I would share our latest  past-times with you.

Puzzles.  It has honestly been SO much fun putting 1000 pc. puzzles together with my husband. We'd leave it when we got frustrated, and then go back when we were board.  We had a great time and I can't believe we haven't done this in so long in our house. It seems as though I haven't tackled a puzzle since I was a child in grams home.

Books.  Doug is a reader of heavy theology.  He LOVES it.  Me, on the other hand, I can't grasp alot of the heavy stuff.  I like to take my mind to another place.  Somewhere that my heart is at ease, where the characters love the Lord and where women get together to share.  I'm reading right now the Elm Creek Quilt Series by Jennifer Chiaverini. To be honest, I haven't really read for entertainment since gradeschool.  Any other time was because I HAD to for school.  It feels wonderful to pick up a book and read.  I highly recommend it if you haven't read in awhile.  This series is what got me started reading again and I have no branched out to all sorts of books.

Games.  We've played Scrabble, Cards, Othello and now, I just purchased a gameset of Domino's which my grandma used to play with my great aunt.  I used to love going to Aunt Nancy's to hear my gram and aunt fight over who won.  I'd hear...this is your score and mine is such and such and it's YOUR layout.  I very rarely see anyone playing dom's anymore. In fact, in the directions, it has so many ways to play, I can't figure out the traditional way my gram used to play.  Hopefully this will happen soon.  We plan to play our first game next weekend!

Movies.  We've been purchasing home movies to have on hand.  Mainly family type movies because we'd like some around when we finally adopt a child.  Both girls and boys would love these movies.  We try to get them and play them just to have a movie night for the week.  It's been pretty fun.  We're both kids at heart, my husband likes Aladdin and I like Beauty and The Beast of course.

Hiking.  We used to do this alot in Ohio. There were lots of trails nearby.  We have some trails here. I haven't gotten into them as much.  We've just started walking again with hopes to check out the scenery here in Central NY and also to lose some weight we could both really work on losing.

Listening to Music from the web.  It's FREE it's fun to have all kinda of channels and we absolutely love to listen to sermons too.  A great old time Hymn radio station I love can be found HERE.  look to the far right-middle of the page.  You'll see Windows, Real Player or MP3 format.  Press on the version you have and listen to the Old Hymns Radio. 

Crafting.  Ok, this is something I'm kinda at a loss with.  I'm ALL OVER THE PLACE.  I absolutely love crafting.  Problem is, I'm kinda ADD when it comes to projects.  They're scattered all over the place.  A few problems I'm dealing with I'll share with you: 

Over a year ago before moving here, I took a newbie course on learning to knit.  I got everything down but binding off.  Which is pretty essential to finishing a project.  We left before I could finish.

I also learned to cross stitch.  It was a quick lesson and helped me to get my very first project done, which now sits on our wall in a beautiful frame.  Do you think I remember how to count to get to the center of the cross stitch and start there?  nope!  I also have a project that has a circle which threw me off my X.  The cloth is supposed to be linen.  The cloth is so tight, I can barely see the holes to stitch.   So, I keep to the very small projects on the bigger size fabrics with holes I can see to cross stitch.

Then there's my quilting.  I took a course on how to quilt.  I used their machines.  I have a machine here at home that I can't seem to get the bobbin to lay right so it will feed the thread through.  THEN, I've misplaced my book somewhere in this place.  I'm assuming I accidentally packed it away. (I've been packing the things we don't need because we're purchasing a home..though we put it off now, till after winter) 

With those three crafts, I've REALLY wanted to start, and finish something.  I'd love to take the hand quilting course or the newbies course to cross stitching, but 60.00 for each class is pretty steep.

SO, I'm actually going to see if I can learn to bind off by way of the book I have and the internet. 

Maybe some of you pros with cross stitch, quilting, embroidery and hand sewing, could give me some tips.

In the meantime, I'm taking this winter to at least get ONE of these crafts underway.  By the time we get into our new home next fall, I would like to learn how to use my sewing machine well and be able learn hand sewing stitches too. This is my way of learning old housekeeping skills to save money for my home and teach me some kind of trade for a future that is uncertain.

Well, That's all Folks!  I do hope you enjoyed this post.  Please feel free to send me your craft tips. 

What are you doing to create simple entertainment in the home for you and your families? 

Blessings to you all, as you perform your God-given gifts and reach out to others with thanksgiving!

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WOW, did I almost have a heart attack!
Saturday, November 8, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

So I'm sitting here at the computer at alittle after 11pm, when all of a sudden the stove starts trying to come on all four pilots start clicking and I see all four lighting up with flames.  It kept doing it for 15 minutes and I had found that all the knobs were at OFF.

So I call the gas company and had to wait through the taped intro, only to have the lady put me on hold for another 15 minutes to tell me it's not THEIR PROBLEM.  They advised me to call my landlords and have someone come out.

Meanwhile, my neighbors new girlfriend finds herself outside when I walk out in my ugly house clothes in a frantic with the dogs she's trying to "HUSH" because her daughter is sleeping.Haha

I decided to walk back in to see if all is well and "of course" the knobs are off and everything is FINE.  BUT my maintenance guy said that he knew exactly what it was, that it was a falty starter and everything would be fine until monday.

So here I wait in utter fear for my husband. Praying the townhome rental doesn't blow up.

Ugh!  Such is life! Haha

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Welcome To The World *S* Baby Twins!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Yesterday We became Aunt & Uncle Again.  THIS TIME to twins born of my younger bil and his wife. They were blessed with twins without fertility drugs and the family is in HIGH SPIRITS!  Though each of my husbands brothers are in different locations, we all cannot wait to gather together in family unity.  Praise God for all our blessings!  My Cup Runneth Over.  Happy Birthday Aunties Dear Girls, we love you!

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Idea's for a Green Home Renovation Part I FLOORING
Saturday, September 27, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Since Doug and I are in the process of looking for and buying an older home, I've been doing LOTS of homework to come up with ideas to gradually renovate it using less toxic greener ways in order to aide us in a cleaner home and environment while also encouraging natural growth outside.  As I research and post my thoughts for future use, I pray that I may also help many of you who are also looking to do the same.

These are just ideas.  Some may be too expensive to accomplish, or may be something we'll be saving up to do.  Whatever the case, we plan to work on sustainablility for ourselves in our own home.  In all actuality, it would be nice to be "off the grid" have our own livestock and food, flower as well as herb garden for natural growth.

We'd like to come as close as we possibly can while being realistic and good stewards with what God has given us.

Floors

 I absolutely LOVE hardwood floors.  If I had to choose, I'd choose wide plank pines throughout the home.  They are extremely expensive and for my own benefit, I can't see cutting down more tree's. We need them for the very air we breathe, it would take several years to replace the ones that were cut for my own benefit.  Now I know I'm starting to sound like a tree-hugger.  I bet it would be hard to believe that I'm actually not.    There ARE alternatives out there.  One would be to buy old wide woodplanked pines.  Our pockets just don't have that kind of money. 

Plyboo Bamboo Flooring in DARK

One option I've honestly fallen inlove with is Plyboo Bamboo Flooring PlybooStrand by Smith.  With a hardness rating of 3,000 psi, twice that of red oak, PlybooStrand is the hardest bamboo flooring on the market .  Another good side to it is that it doesn't contain as much formaldehyde as many others on the market today.

The cost is over 4.00 a square foot and is still pretty pricey, but bamboo is much stronger and will take a beating without denting or chipping off the wood, while the bamboo also easily continues to grow.

sample of what a cork floor looks like

Another option would be to use a more pricey alternative like Cork Floor by Globus.  cork is harvested only from the bark of cork oak trees every 9 years, it is a renewable resource.  Another great alternative, Cork is soft to the touch and cushiony for those tired feet.  In using Cork it's considered to be fire-resistant, reduces heat loss, mold- and bug-repellent, and reduces sound and vibration. I can think of MANY uses for this including using it for dougs dream movie room to keep the sound quality and also keep me from having headaches when he and his buddies watch the games.

Cork is MUCH more expensive than cork. But the pro's are pretty worth the price.  If we ever wanted it, we'd DEFINATELY need to save our money. The price is between 6.00-9.00 depending on the style, color and room size.

As for regular "environmentally friendly" plush carpeting, I'm still looking our there for somewhat reasonably priced carpets without all the chemicals.  I'll post as soon as I find something.

Blessings!

Rebekah

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***Our Potential Home Fell Through***
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Well, after putting a bit on what I thought would be our home, we found out that the seller bought it through HUD and was turning it over.  Lets just say in a months time.  We hadn't had the Inspectors look at it yet, but the reason it didn't work out, was that they wouldn't be able to close in a timely fashion because of a stipulation with HUD.

Another couple concerns we have are A) a lien  AND B) He turned the home over so fast, we wonder if he re-did the wiring and such half baked.  Painting jobs are easy, but if the things unseen were replaced too quick or half-baked, we all know that our potential home could become a HUGE money pit.

I'm glad it was caught.

We're limited with time now. Mainly because one of the first time homebuyer program rules is changing due to the mismanaging of mortgages and defaults.  With that, things will change a bit and will cost US more. 

We also have reserves on moving in the winter-time.  We've moved three times already in a year since we moved from Ohio.  Now we've acquired more and moving isn't our favorite chore, not to mention doing it in the snow.  So we've decided on a cutoff and then we'll sign our lease for another 6 months and start looking again in spring if we don't find a place we're comfortable with.

We're not rushing ourselves because a program is changing, nor do we have intentions of moving in the snow.

SO, back to square one again.  It's all in Gods hands when, where, why, and how pertaining to a home of our own. 

Honestly I'm so much more calm than I thought I would be.  Oh, I had my "Woe Me" session this afternoon, where I reminded myself I'm an adult and to suck it up because Gods in control.  So back to normal I went and at peace with wherever and whenever God has planned for us.  He's never let us down thus far, and I know I can count on Him to guide and protect us.  Today he protected us with a purchase that couldn've potentially broke the bank if we had followed through.  He revealed so much to our realtor, real estate lawyer and us.  Praise God!

I'll keep you posted.

Blessings

Rebekah

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Home Buying Experience ***The Purchase Offer***
Monday, August 25, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Today we found our potential home.  It's taken awhile to find it, though not as long as I thought it would.  It's in a nice area, cute little home and has quite the open floor plan.   We decided we couldn't let it go without a fight.

We called our mortgage broker, got all our paperwork ready for our realtor, called our real estate attorney, and upon acceptance, IF our offer is accepted, we will hire our own inspectors.

It wasn't the homestead I'd always dreamed of having where I'd have chickens, goats and lambs. BUT, God has blessed us abundantly and if this is the home, we'll have plenty of space for a HUGE garden.  The city won't allow us to have chickens or other livestock.  It's ok though.  The mere fact that the home would be OURS and that we could grow food next harvest season, well, My cup runneth over!

In the end, there are plenty of rooms in our Fathers house.  My gift doesn't come from material possessions here, but will be alongside Him in His house. 

I shall keep you posted when we find out more.

Rebekah

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Sorry it's been awhile, BUT....................................
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

pic by allposters.com

I may still be absent most days.  We've been pre-approved for a home.  Praise God!  Now we start looking.  It's our first home and while I am on edge, Gods solely in control.

we've been doing LOTS of homework and looking for homes.  LOTS seem to be going quickly.  We see something, then it's contingent with a buyer. 

Please pray Doug and I find a suitable home within budget that God will speak BOLDLY.

It's another new exciting adventure down Gods direction for us.  I'm excited and grateful He's giving us the opportunity to own our own home.

I'll be back on days when I can and can't wait to find a home of our own.  Wheather it takes a month or a year, we plan to hold back and wait for the right one.

Rebekah

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*** Two Sets Of Jonses by Big Tent Revival ***
Thursday, July 31, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

****Be Sure to go to the very bottom of this page to mute the music so you can hear this wonderful song that puts life into perspective.

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*** Our New Kitchen Table & Chairs ***
Monday, July 21, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

I wanted to share a picture of the pieces we purchased and kept on layaway for several months.  When we moved here my agenda was to be careful with the money God gives us.  If you've known me for awhile, you've probably read about our financial mis-steps based on my EXTREME spending habits and inability to learn to budget, balance a checkbook or save. 

During that time in our lives, my husband was going to nursing school at the University of Akron, working full time and interning full time while the first 2 years I worked as a state tested Nurses Aid.  I believe things started REALLY going downhill just after the third year, when doug and I decided it was time for me to come home as "Homemaker" because he was gone so much, things in the home like meals, laundry, basic financial errands weren't able to be taken care of because I was doing doubles and he was working around the clock.

To make a long story short, I learned that year that I was frivoulous with money and only cared about my own gratification and keeping up with the Jones' at Church even though we were living WAY beyond our means.  It took two years later before we ended up in a Financial Peace University Class where both Mr. Thinker and myself learned how to deal with each others spending habits, took on a REAL BUDGET, started getting rid of debt and pay for things in cash, not to mention seeking out good deals.

Majority of my home is payed for in cash with such furniture beautiful furniture pieces that were found on Craigslist.  My sofa, loveseat, chair and tv Armoir alone only cost us 400.00 total.  I will take pictures of each room in the future to show the deals and the looks I got at a fraction of the price.

One piece of furniture I DIDN'T skimp on however, was our kitchen table.  Now don't mistake that for us purchasing the most expensive dining table imaginable.  Think more along the lines of  moderately priced and on layaway for over 6 months.  Yup!  We wanted it, we budgeted it, we saved for it for a LONG time.  Not to mention that stores don't often have layaways anymore.  One AWESOME thing about it was that we chose to purchase our table at a local mom and pop shop called Marty's Barn Cellar.  So our money was really utilized to keep our local economy going and we still stayed within budget each month until we FINALLY got our table.  We chose only 4 chairs at the time and decided we'd order two more chairs and just the buffet table not the full hutch which will again, be put on layways until Thanksgiving.

The reason we decided on a new table was one, the sets on craigslist were either pretty pricey OR they looked pretty odd for our home.  We have been without a table in our home for about 6 years.  Either there was no time to eat together OR we'd eat in front of the tv on our tv stands.

Growing up in my grandmas care while we (my mom, dad, and I ) lived in the upstairs apartment from her...well, It became tradition for the WHOLE extended family to come each sunday and join in for sunday brunch, holiday gatherings, and card games.

The family table brought so much love and comfort to us all.  My gram and her siblings handed down so much more than memories, they handed down the key to long-lasting family relationships.  Sitting at the table, enjoying meals together, good conversations, a cry or two, LOTS of card games or domino's and music flowing through the house while she was dancing to the sound of Slim Whitman or Pavarotti in the kitchen as she was doing the dishes with that ol' dishrag hanging from her shoulder.  That too, has carried on in me.

So our table, No, that was a piece that will carry on to our own children.  While I do not honor a piece of wood before my Lord and Savior, I appreciate the meaning behind it and that the Lord afforded us the opportunity to carry on a long-lasting Legacy, hopefully filled with many delightful conversations.  I give God all the glory from bringing us out of Financial Dispair to Good Stewardship.  I pray we may carry that teaching on to our children and grandchildren from times to come.

Much love to you all

Rebekah

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*** I Found It!! I Finally Found an Area Rug! ***
Saturday, July 19, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

It's Called Garden Border and it fits my Country Kitchen ((with roosters)) REAL Well.  I have to find one to fit underneath our new kitchen table that will still be big enough when guests are seated.  It's slightly pricey, but will last a lifetime if taken care of properly.  I should say it's pricey for US.  While it fits within our budget, it's slightly over what we had planned to pay for it.  However, alot of the 8 x 11's we've been looking for have been over a thousand dollars.  That price just ISN'T an option!  The price of this rug fits between what we had planned to pay and what we absolutely will NOT pay.  In my opinion, it's the most affordable for the quality.  So we're going to give it a month and if we STILL think it's what we want, and it's still available, we will purchase it.  My hopes of waiting till fall is that they will clearance it off slightly because it's floral.

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Are You KIDDING?!
Monday, April 28, 2008

Posted in In The Family Room

Got a phone call from the vet today about an estimate to have our dogs teeth taken out and cleaned. I figured it'd be expensive but had no idea.

I'm glad they left it on the answering machine or I would have laughed and flipped.


2500.00 - 3000.00 DOLLARS


ARE YOU KIDDING ME? "I" haven't even had MY teeth done yet. I love my dogs....I want them to live longer and I DO love my first dog maxwell, but his bill ASIDE from the 550.00 we spent on updated shots and bloodwork to be sure they'd be ok for surgery for HIS teeth (though they took sashas too with hopes to get their mits on her too)

Mrs. S., they said, you can put it on CARECREDIT. I wouldn't put any of it on credit. Can you imagine the interest rate on that?!

I suppose I should start shopping around. I feel just AWFUL because I love my dogs and would do anything for the care of their health...but 3k is WAY too much for a dear sweet dog.

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