Just a Country Girl stuck in the City

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house.
So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air."
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Oh, how I can relate to those words! I love Autumn and the blessed relief it brings from Summer's often scorching heat. I find myself slipping out of doors the moment the sun begins to lighten up the sky in the mornings, and having to force myself to go back indoors to attend to the daily duties that need my attention inside: breakfast, homeschool, the inevitable laundry, dishes, and so forth. As soon as the "must-do's" are done, I pop right back outside to find some other enjoyable tasks outdoors.

Planting and tending crops for the Fall & Winter gardening season. We have a nice garden growing right now, a blessed improvement over our sad Spring/Summer garden.

Planting herbs that enjoy the cooler Autumn & Winter weather here in Texas, such as Parsley, Cilantro, Dill and Calendula.

Planting flower bulbs for Springtime blossoms. I like to plant Crocus, Daffodils, Grape Hyacinth, & Tulips.

Planting Violas (my favorite), Pansies, Ornamental Kale & Cabbage for Winter color in the garden and on the porch.

Harvesting the leaves of Lemon Verbena, and drying them for a wonderful Winter tea.

Collecting seed from the annual herbs, flowers, and veggies to dry for next year's plantings and to share with others.

Making a scarecrow to decorate the garden. I doubt it is very effective at scaring crows, but he (or she) always makes me smile.

Putting out seeds and other goodies for the birds and other little creatures that visit our yard.

Decorating the front porch with a pumpkin, Fall flowers, and perhaps a basket of gourds, corn and other pretty Autumn decorations.

Last but definitely not least, sitting on the porch with a cup of tea, a notebook, a few seed catalogs, and planning and plotting my gardens for the Spring!

Now, I'm off to wander about the yard and see what I can find to do this evening.

10 Tips for Saving on Your Heating Bills

This was in my inbox this morning and I thought it was worth sharing these good tips for saving money....Kitty

Saving on Your Heating Bill
by Justin Ripley
You don't have much choice. You must heat your home.

With gas, heating fuel, and electric prices rising more and
more every day, many people are finding that the cost of
heating their homes is reaching astronomical proportions.
Unlike other monthly expenses that can be cut out of a
person's budget, home heating expenses are not an area where
we have much choice. We have to heat our homes during the cold
winter months just in order to survive. It's a simple as that.

Despite the fact that this is an expense we can not remove
from our budgets, there are a number of things that can be
done to trim those heating costs throughout the winter. Many
articles point to expensive remedies, such as installing
energy efficient windows or installing new insulation. While
these solutions work, it can take years to realize the savings
in lower heating costs. Conversely, most of these ten tips are
cheap, easy, and quick to implement. I hope they will save you
some money while keeping you warm throughout those cold winter
months!

1. Install a "smart" thermostat. While it may cost you
somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to purchase a
programmable thermostat, it should pay for itself within a
year. Personally, I bought a 7-day programmable thermostat as
soon as I moved into my new house and I love it. It was
relatively easy to install myself and now the temperature in
my home fluctuates throughout the day per my plan. The heat
drops down to 62 during the day when I'm not home (why keep
the place warm when nobody is home!) then charges back up to
70 degrees shortly before I get back from work. At bedtime, it
drops down to 62 again, and then it heads back up to 70
shortly before I need to get out of bed in the morning. It's
great!

2. Throw some extra blankets on the bed. Following the thought
from above, I sleep in a relatively cold environment. I find
it to be better for my lungs, and frankly, once you're nestled
under a bunch of warm blankets, it's quite enjoyable. Not
heating the house to 70 degrees throughout the night will save
a bunch of money on those heating bills.

3. Consider buying a humidifier. Moist air feels warmer than
dry air, and it's better for your skin and lungs, too.

4. Wear wool socks in the house. The floors in your house get
cold in the winter as heat rises and colder air moves down.
Cold feet make cold people. Wool socks are cheap, comfortable,
and will keep you and your feet warm.

5. Wear a sweater. Like the socks, this is a cheap and easy
way to stay warm throughout the winter and allows you to set
the thermostat at a lower temperature. I've noticed that in
today's modern world people seem to think they should be able
to wear shorts and t-shirts in their homes throughout the
winter. This is fine if you want to pay for it. I'll take a
lesson from my ancestors and just bundle up a little bit.

6. Let the light in. Be sure to open the window shades and
blinds during the day. Sunlight coming in will act as passive
solar heat and can make a significant difference in the
temperature of your home.

7. Turn the ceiling fans on. This one may sound a little
crazy, but it works. Most ceiling fans have a switch on them
that allows them to run in reverse. By running the fan in
reverse at a low speed, it will actually help circulate warm
air throughout the house.

8. Seal the leaks. At the beginning of winter, go around your
home and seal up any potential air leaks with caulk or weather
stripping. Most of the heat that leaves your home escapes
through cracks around the windows and doors. To the extent
possible, seal these up!

9. Service your furnace and/or heaters. A dirty furnace or heater is not efficient and
will cost more money to run than one that receives
annual cleaning from a professional. In addition to periodic
servicing, be sure to replace those air filters if needed.

10. Cook a big Sunday roast. Mom
always cooked a Sunday roast. Pork or beef with carrots,
potatoes, gravy, and all the other good stuff. It was a great
tradition to bring the family together at least one day a
week, and of course, the food was great, too. Cooking a
roast meant having the oven on for a few hours, and all that
heat definitely escapes into the house. It doesn't cost much
to run the oven, and it's also a nice way to spend a quiet
Sunday in the winter with family.

I hope these simple tips prove useful and help you save some
of your hard-earned cash this winter!

I always forget my camera!

Yesterday afternoon, in the most glorious autumn sunshine, we went for a walk up on the Downs. I forgot my camera. I still don't have pictures of JJ. I forget my camera. Sometimes I take my camera. But I forget to use it.

I would like a good camera, as mind does not take very good pictures, but I have told myself, no way, no new camera, unless and until I can remember to take along and use the one I have !

We had a disappointing day yesterday. I was ill with a stomach complaint I suffer from now and again, possibly stress related, and church was not good. There are disappointing attitudes, I shall say no more. Then again, the children were very upset, as news of a birth was passed on to them by someone who, obviously, the family had seen fit to tell. Whereas, having promised the children they would let them know, they didn't bother to tell us. It's a small thing, but children are small things, and I hate how they are being drawn into the disappointment of church fellowships with such hierarchies, that humble folk like us never matter enough to be in on anything. If that sounds bitter - well it is a little.

It's a new day, and although the glorious sun has passed, and we are back to autumnal gloom, I will not let it get me down. But I also will not let my family be treated this way, when I know God has no favourites. Since my husband is equally upset about the situation, I fear another move may on the cards.

This was in my email today--WOW!

This is along the same lines I have been saying for a long time now..."be prepared". Again the Lord has confirmed. This does not just mean physically but also mentally and spiritually..we need to be prayed up and ready to face whatever the coming months and years bring to us...Its time to take these warnings that others have put out there seriously. I do not feel anyone here feels they know it all or know everything or that they feel they have a 'hot line' to heaven as one of my commenters put it...But the WORD of GOD is what it is and it SAYS what IT SAYS...You can either believe it or not...your choice...

Many Blessings

~Kris

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Prophetic Countdown in the Days of Awe!

Dana G Smith -

www.raidersnewsnetwork.com/full.php?news=20330

Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger

The world saw the dark day in which the Dow dropped 777 points in a one day nose dive at the beginning of the Jewish Holiday celebrating the New Year known as Rosh Hashanah. Putting this in perspective many analysts have been trying to calm the fears as major governments joined in the move to save the world economic system by buying up bad debt. Governments around the globe are putting together their own rescue packages as did our own Government after this historic drop of the Dow and the major US Wall street banks going under. As the American government nationalized the banks and put its own citizens in further debt, the nationalization of banks world wide have begun. The World officials and banking experts have been doing this in an attempt to save the world economy as fear spreads like a fire. Fox business news quoted Frank Davis, the director of sales and trading at LEK Securities who said "We've got fear selling going on. It's hard to control logical when you have fear selling."

Men's Hearts fail them for fear of those things coming upon the earth [this includes financial crisis]

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

As Rosh Hashanah was finished in its celebration, it gave way to the ten day's known as the "Days of Awe", in which Jews spend their time fasting and praying to get their name in the book. This leads up to the holiest time of the year for Jews known as Yom Kippur, or literally 'Atonement'. On this day, a total food and water fast is combined with all day long prayers and worship. This is the day Jews seek to get their names 'sealed in the book.' During all these Holidays, known as God's Holidays, the world economic situation has been on the forefront. It also tells the world that there is change coming and to prepare. The prophecies in the book will be fulfilled.

"Global Economic Trouble"

Revelation 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

Moreover, with the Nikkei index dropping to its lowest level in two decades, the world financial crisis is taking its toll. On this day, the day in which Yom Kippur begins at sundown, world markets are greeted by the Federal Reserve lowering its prime interest rate by a half point. The move to lower the rate was an historic one as the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Swiss Bank, Chinese Bank, and numerous others joined in to save the world economy.

"The Rise of the Beast who will shake the kingdoms, but will be brought down!"

Isaiah 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

This is a sign of the times, prophetically. First on Rosh Hashanah we find the down dropped 777, a triumviral number of 7's. Seven is a perfect, complete number, one of completion. With three of them on the downward spiral of the Dow, this signals a staunch warning. The year we have entered will be one of a financial crisis. It is one where the governments will not be able to handle. It is one where we find the LORD God shaking up the systems of government and their monetary markets as well. What these means is that the controls of what people buy and sell will now be even more controlled. Add to this more Governments taking on bad debt, centralizing banks, and having money problems. There is no better way to welcome the beast of Revelation, the son of Perdition in 2 Thessalonians 2 into the world than with this crisis. It also says to Americans that have had plenty, lived in excess, and worshipped the creature more than the creator; 'it is time to repent and seek the LORD.'

"Your riches are motheaten, they will be as fire to your soul!"

James 5:1 ¶Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

With the continuation of the financial crisis throughout these feasts which can be found in Leviticus 23, the warnings are to be taken very seriously. Now with Yom Kippur beginning at sundown tonight we find the historical move of all the banks worldwide following suit of the Federal Reserve and lowering interest rates. Along with this you find governments putting wads of money in the leaking dike of their own economies. The Son of Perdition, the beast, will have the power to control all financial interests. It is by no accident this is going on now. The LORD is warning the world that he is in control. We are living in that time when the great deceiver will appear. He will control all buying and selling. Today there is no better time to do this than now. With the ability in our technology to get instant access, credit, news, and have money flow from globe to globe in a short time, the control mechanisms will be put in place. With the American economy on the ropes, the dollar in trouble, the debt rising, the nozzle to credit tight, the world that follows our system of monetary policies will be in trouble as well. All this chaos is leading to the arrival of the Son of Chao's, the child of perdition, the destroyer. Now granted, this arrival could be two years away, but the symptoms of the global money troubles are an invitation for this deceiver to appear. When he does, the issues facing world markets will be quieted. In short, this 'angel of light' will present solutions that the whole world will fall for.

The Son of Perdition, beast will control gold, silver, and will honor a god whom his fathers did not know!

Daniel 11:38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

The fall feasts all look forward to prophetically to the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ [Yeshua Ha Massiach]. Included in these is the time of repentance, examination, and seeking the LORD God, known as Yom Kippur. Add to this the time known as Sukkot or Tabernacles and you have a picture of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ who will rule and reign in his Tabernacle from Jerusalem. He will also have all the nations come once a year to celebrate this 'Feast of Tabernacles'. The economy, money crisis, credit crunch, debt, and global ability to finance will be affected to the point that fear and panic will spread as never before. Add to this the full signs found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 and you will have a true picture of what is coming.

Isaiah 55:6 ¶Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Acts 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

For the believer today fasting, prayer, and seeking the LORD should be on their personal agenda. For the nations, peoples, and all children of disobedience, repentance is in order. We have but just started this road. The nations will be able to put duck tape fixings on this problem. The markets will continue to heave and swell. But in the end, the financial system will collapse as such, bringing in the true Globalization that many have been working for. In America, you have not seen anything yet. Trouble is coming; it is time to examine the sea worthiness of your life and family. See if it can bear up under the 'Storm' coming and the 'whirlwind of the LORD.'

Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

It is time to take Heed to yourselves, don't get caught up in the cares of this life so that the Day of the LORD come upon you as a surprise!

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

In short, to summarize, this is just one of many signs pointing to the coming of the LORD. The fact that this sign has occurred during the Fall feasts, signifying a time of harvest, means that the LORD’S harvest is coming and we are to take these events as serious. It is a warning! Two harvests will be reaped, the harvest of wickedness and the harvest of righteousness. One represents rebellion, the other obedience. The global situation will continue to worsen as the one world control by the beast will be finalized upon mankind who has rejected the ‘love of the truth’. [See 2 Thessalonians 2] In Yeshua, atonement has been made, the warnings are continuing to go out, and the kingdom of the LORD is coming. It is time to prepare. The trouble and turmoil will continue on all levels, but those who are obedient to the LORD and follow him, will find out the LORD takes care of his own. It is time to trust, keep your loins gird about with the Truth the LORD has given to us in His Word. Then having done all to stand, therefore, stand, with your shield of faith, quenching all the arrows of the enemy.

Shayna and Jeffie

Dora and her family from church came by last night for me to worm and give their dogs a set of shots. It is so funny how people see things . Dora was watching Jeffie how he was with Michelle (she stopped by for a bit) and she also watched how Jeffie is with Shayna.

Dora told me with tears in her eyes " Shayna is his mom" I gave a sad smile and said I know. She remembers them from church events and other home schooling events. Dora knows Shayna is his aunt (tea as he calls her) and that Shayna has raised him for a lot of his life.

We are blessed that Shayna at 15 years old took on the roll. They have such a strong bond. He cries every time he has to go.

Here are some of Shayna's senior pictures taken last year at this time. Shayna was 17 and Jeffie was 2.5. We bought the hole cd so we have the funny ones too:

Sanctified Manipulation

Kindred Spirits or True God Honoring Friendships

Why is it wrong?

I have found a few people that feel its wrong to stock up on things like food, medication, water etc...in the event of a total economic collapse..Not sure I understand why it would be wrong? The bible says to not store up our treaures in heaven, I think this means material posessions. We are not to worry about what we will eat and drink. This does not say not to be smart and stock things you and your family may need. There was a little joke going around at one time about a man who was in a flood and he was on the roof of his house and man in a life boat came by and tried to help him and them a helicopter tried .....both times the man said he was waiting on the Lord.....the man dies and goes to heaven and then ask God, 'why didn't you help me'? God reponds by saying, I sent you a boat and helicopter...this is not exact but you get the point...God will help those who help themselves...We are not stocking up because we do not trust God, we doing this because God says to trust him and he told me years ago to be prepared, took me a while to figure out what He meant but He clearly showed me to take care of my family and others if need be...He has continued to provide land and other things we need ion ways I would have never imagined.....Are those out there like me untrusting? Nope, we are wise and making sure our families are ok and many of us are thinking of others...I have made it clear to people in my life that if a the time comes they need help, I am here, I have land to give them a place to go and I will have food for them...this is not selfish...and we are not scared, just following the Lord...I am one that thinks ahead...if I do all of these things and nothing happens...so be it....but if it does...I am prepared...Now is the time.

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.

Just a Country Girl stuck in the City

Autumn Activities

10 Tips for Saving on Your Heating Bills

I always forget my camera!

This was in my email today--WOW!

Shayna and Jeffie

Sanctified Manipulation

Kindred Spirits or True God Honoring Friendships

Why is it wrong?

Fab Friday

~Women Professing Godliness~

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