Happy Birthday Brad!!!

Happy Birthday Brad!!!!

Out of all the blessings the Lord has given me, Brad is certainly one of the best! I am so privileged to share life with him and thankful for the 28+ years we've had together as husband and wife. The Lord certainly knew what He was doing when he brought us together 31 years ago.

I've always appreciated Brad's desire to honor the Lord, his integrity of spirit and godly character. He is very dedicated to the relationships the Lord has given him; as a husband, father, son, brother and friend. I've appreciated his steadfastness of purpose and the way he puts his family first. Although he has had short seasons of time when he has had to put in more time in "at the office" than he would like, for the most part, Brad established early in his career the habit of drawing strong boundaries. He makes it a priority to make sure he was home and involved with the girls and I. He has always taken seriously the job of providing for his family. I can not even describe the amount of appreciation I have for his support, encouragement and provision that has allowed me to stay at home and raise our family and focus on homemaking endeavors. Through example, action and deed, he continues to teach our girls what a great husband looks like. (And yep...I have to admit, he's even more of a Hottie now than the day I married him!! ;-) We are very blessed.

So, to my incredible husband, my best friend, and my partner for life!!

...HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!!

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at our favorite restaurant!!!

Complete with a complimentary dessert (Brad chose key lime pie)...yummmm!

Here's a look back....

just a few years!

He sure was a cute baby!!


I look at some of these pictures

from his youth

and can see the resemblance to

our own children's baby pictures.

What fun memories!!

Scent

I have read references before (here is an example-caution with this link's evolutionary leanings) about the fact that our sense of smell is the strongest catalyst for our memory. I mentioned this phenomenon in my post about enjoying the bouquet of peonies we recently purchased at a local Krogers. It was also referred to twice in the touching video "Making a Difference" that I posted yesterday. (watch it if you haven't already) So, I have been reminiscing a bit about what some of my favorite smells are because of the sweet memories they evoke. Here is a partial list:

1) Apple pie: My Dad...he is known for his special recipe of Dutch apple pie and we request that he make one whenever we get to spend some time together. We got to work on these together.
2) Dove Soap: Last year I bought a bar of Dove Soap for our shower and was surprised at the memories of my Grandmother that flooded back to me each time I walked into our bathroom. She used Dove Soap in her bathroom... and now we do also. :-)




3) Peonies, daffodils & Lilacs: Reminds me of a happy childhood and having those gorgeous flowers in our yard while growing up.




4) Pears & Raspberries: Same as above...these were in our yard when I was a child.





5) Fall: Yankee Candle scent of Spiced Pumpkin: I have burned this scent every fall for the past umpteenth years. I would ceremoniously light the candle on October 1st each fall....although, the last few years I haven't been waiting until October 1st. One year I began the tradition on Sept 1st...now I pull it out from time to time and light up. (I know...sacrilegious) Our daughters love the smell as well. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I really miss having a "real" fall living here in Texas so I import it through smells and decorations. (We grew up in Ohio)

6) Yesterday I was in a store and noticed a display of pretty, old fashioned cans of talc. I picked up a rose scented one and was amazed that it reminded me so much of my grandma. (the same one with the Dove soap) I wonder if she used this very same brand of powder? So...I paid over $8 for this can of powder to bring home a "touch of grandma". (Ok, maybe it's silly I know)
7) Campfires: Fun, fun memories of camping with family and friends. Also, memories of Period Craft shows during the fall up in Ohio. (Prairie Peddler)





8) Loved Ones... I love to hug Brad or the girls and smell their (usually) wonderful scent :-) I still remember when the girls were babies, with that special newborn smell. (no, I'm not talking about full diapers or throw up here ;-) My Mom wears Jontue perfume and whenever I smell that scent I think of her. I remember years ago I got a whiff of someone wearing the perfume that my piano teacher used to wear when I was a young girl taking lessons. I immediately thought of Mrs Pretzman, even though I hadn't thought about her for years.


These are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. What about you? Do you have any smells that you love for the memories they trigger?


And now...since I'm on a roll... :-) Here's another tear jerker:


Do you ever get depressed over the constant diet of doom and gloom from the news media? It seems like everywhere we turn we are confronted with the latest reminder that we live in a fallen world. I wanted to share with you this news clip I watched today about an artist named Kaz*iah Han*cock. Her gift to the families of fallen solders are a personalized painting to immortalize their loved one's memory. Watch here to see if this woman's compassion touches you, as it did me. (You'll have to look past her speech peppered with cussing to see her heart of compassion) Gosh, my life can seem so self-centered at times!! God, how can I reach out to show your love to others?? Kindness is a Virtue, Compassion is an Art.

Making A Difference

Do you ever wonder if you can really make a difference in someone elses life? Check out this sweet story, then look around to see who needs some extra tender loving care.

(Warning: As many have commented , have box of tissues ready)

Meet some of our "friends"...

I recently had fun practicing with my camera on the wildlife around our yard and capturing the critters that venture up on our porch. I began filling our "hands" feeder with sunflower seeds and have been entertained daily by the squirrels that venture, oh so cautiously, up on our porch to gorge themselves on the treasured seeds. I took these pics through the window of our living room and this little guy kept a close eye on me. He seemed to know that he and I were separated by two thicknesses of glass and that he was fairly safe to keep chomping away on his stash of sunflower seeds.

Looks like he has a "look-out" buddy there in the background to keep away the competition!

Look at this pile of sunflower seed hulls that have been carefully picked over and discarded.

He will sit out there for hours!

I moved a little and he got rather concerned!!

Awwwww, a Cardinal. Reminds me of my native state: Ohio. (It's the state bird)

Wish I knew my birds better....what's his name?? Note: Thanks to Bee, we now know that this little fellow is a Chipping Sparrow! Plus, she shared a great new resource: www.whatbird.com for identifying birds. Also, I should have put this verse up with the picture in the first place...Thanks Barbara H for reminding me to look it up!

Matthew 6:26 "(A)Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?"

Freddie the Lizard lives on our front porch and visits often.

I wish I could report that these beautiful and fragrant peonies came from our yard...however, we can not grow them here in the hot, humid south. :-( I found these at our local Kroger store and HAD to purchase them as a sweet reminder of the myriad of bushes we had in my yard when I was a young girl. I must have stuck my nose in these for a whiff at least 50 times the first day they graced our kitchen table. They bring back special memories for me. Funny how (it is said) that out of all our senses, smells are the strongest trigger of memories. I used to collect large bouquets of peonies for my Mom and she'd place them on our kitchen table. The funny thing I remember about them is how many LARGE black ants would always be attached to my bouquets and end up in the house along with the flowers. :-) I wish we could grow lilacs, daffodils and peonies here as I have such fond memories of those from my youth. Hope you enjoyed meeting some of the "Locals" at our home.

Also...if you haven't left your input on my "blogging survey" below...please take a moment to do so before you leave. Thanks for stopping by!

test

testing 123

Ok...the results of my test are in...Bee...take note. Bloglines does not seem to update new posts for awhile after you hit the publish button. I'm not sure if their updates- where they pull in newest posts are random...or they update, say every 30-60 minutes. In my non-scientific calculations, I noticed a difference from 1 hour on one update to three hours on another. I didn't take great care to make this an accurate test...just kind of checked for an update every so often. But, to answer the question : "do they post any corrections you make to your blog...or only show the original (unedited) post?" I believe the answer is that however they perform their random updates looking for new posts...Bloglines must pull in any edits you make and update those to the Blogline cache. I know this because my first test post was published as "testing 1" and then later I edited it to show "testing 123". This morning...Bloglines showed my new post as "testing 123". So...there you have it! Such useful information for the masses!! Now we can add "Researcher" and "Technical Analyst" to our titles of "COE of Domestic Operations"! Have a great day!!

Bloggityville Stuff

So, my friends, now that I have been blogging for several months now, I have a few questions for you. Call it a “survey”, if you will. PLEASE…let me know what you think!! Lurkers…Please...feel free to de-lurk and introduce yourself!! If you don't know how to leave a comment...check here.

1) Do you use a service like Bloglines to help you keep track of your blogging buddies?

2) Are you able to check in with each of them every day or do you just try to make your rounds a few times a week?

3) What is the most common way you are introduced to new blogs: Recommendations or links in the body of a blogger’s post, following links through a sidebar “blogroll” listing or clicking on links of bloggers in the comment section?

4) When you ask a fellow blogger a question / or even just leave a comment under the “comments” section of their post/blog, do you prefer they post the answer under the comments section of YOUR blog (to make sure you’ll see it)…or do you try to go back to their blog-remember which date you posed your question and recheck their comments to see if they answered your question? Which method do you prefer?

5) Do you always leave a comment to acknowledge your visit at a fellow blogger’s site…or do you often “read & run” (lurk)? How do you feel about the practice of “lurking”?

Thanks for sharing with me your insights and thoughts on your blogging preferences!


Like many of you, I am now using Bloglines to help me keep up with my blogging community friends. It has been a great way to have everyone’s address in one place and keep track of new posts as they come up. If you aren’t familiar with their free service, check them out here. Because Bloglines is my new “address book” and my posted blogroll is sadly outdated, I think I am going to remove it from my sidebar. For those of you that enjoy meeting new people by clicking on links (like I do), you will still be able to do that through the links provided in the “COMMENTS” section. I am blessed that several of my fellow bloggers are kind enough to visit on a regular basis and leave their “calling card” in the form of a comment. I have enjoyed the visiting back and forth between blogs and the development of many new “cyber Pen Pals”. Thanks for taking time to visit and interact with me through responding to my humble writings. This is how friendships are developed!

Life's Most Important Lessons

The Woodpecker Might have to go! Some of life's most important lessons can be learned from Noah's Ark:

One : Don't miss the boat.

Two : Remember that we are all in this thing together.

Three : Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four : Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

Five : Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

Six : Build your future on high ground.

Seven : For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

Eight : Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine : When you're stressed, float a while.

Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Eleven : No matter the storm, when you travel with God, there's always a rainbow waiting...

Hubby and I had a little date last night for dinner and a movie. Amazingly enough, four of the five movies showing this week at our local theater actually have a PG rating. That has to be a first! We affectionalty call our local theater "Sticky Feet", due to the fact that our shoes literally stick to the floor when we step off the carpeted area to reach the seats we have chosen for our viewing pleasure. (The question here would be: "And HOW OFTEN do they mop the theater floors??" eeeeew!) Sticky Feet is only 10 minutes away and charges $3.50 for a first run movie...unlike the upscale theaters down the street that charge (read: steal) $8.50 a ticket. It is a rare date indeed that we will shell out that kind of money for what Hollywood has to offer.

Anyways, our movie choice last night was the new Evan Almighty. Although I won't recommend that you and your family run right out to view this film, Brad and I did basically enjoy it. Aside from several instances of taking God's name in "vain" (the standard "Oh my gawwwwdddd") it was fairly clean and family oriented. Don't go in thinking this is going to be a theologically correct reinactment of Noah and The Ark or a sound look at the character of God for that matter. This is a fictional comedy that upholds family relationships and gives a nod to God's presence in our lives. I wish I could give it a stronger recommendation, but I will say it was refreshing to see someone in Hollywood trying to make a step in the right direction. It made for a nice, light hearted outing with my man. For a more complete review, check out the Plugged In movie review web site by Focus On The Family. Hope you each have a wonderful weekend!!

Family, Friends & Father's Day

It's been a week since I've posted here in blogville. Life has been full with lots of fun family time, friends and the wedding of a very special couple in our lives.

First of all... I didn't get to post anything for Father's Day, so I will once again say a special "I love You" to the three men in my life. First, my Dad....I snapped this shot of him when we were together for a fun family camping trip last fall. I love this picture of my Dad...it captures "him" perfectly! His gentle eyes and smile, his quiet strength, his casual laid back personality, his love of family and spending time with us...of the simple things in life...and of camping! What wonderful memories of our times together. He is a patient teacher and is so talented in doing things with his hands. Evidence of his artistry and skill is scattered throughout our home...from a beautifully hand made wooden cradle that rocked our three babies to sleep...to the stones laid in our fireplace. Dad is a do-er and a giver. He has been a wonderful example of a godly father and husband to each of his six children. I love and appreciate this loving man and am thankful for the blessing of having him as my Father.

I am also thankful to have Brad's father in my life. Brad's parents have been married 53 years and counting! Dad clearly shows love for his family and the time he is able to spend with us. Even though we don't get to see our families as much as we would like, we know that they lift us up in prayer each day. Dad loves to golf, listen to classical music, sing (he has a wonderful voice), go on walks, and play cards with the family. He is always ready to make us laugh by sharing jokes with his unique sense of humor. Now that he has a new lap top computer...I think he is enjoying finding his way around the world wide web! I am so thankful for the wonderful job he and Mom did in raising their son to be the kind and loving man I have had the privilege of sharing life with for the past 28 years.

God has been gracious to Brad and I in giving us strong and godly men as examples in our lives. We love you both!!
And last, but certainly not least... To Brad, my husband, the father of our children and the man I am privileged to share my life with these past 28 years. In fact...today marks the 31st anniversary of the first day we met...so many years ago!! How could the time have flown by so quickly?? I am thankful that the Lord brought us together and has given us the blessing of expanding our family to include our three wonderful daughters. Thanks for being a godly husband and father, for the example you have set for our girls, and now our sons-in-love. I have always appreciated how you put your family first, yet at the same time you have been an amazing provider. I respect you and I am honored to be your helpmate in this journey we walk together. Thank you for choosing me! Thanks for being a great father to our girls. I love you! Brad got a little extra spoiling from Ashley and Megan on Father's Day. They made him a tasty breakfast and we were able to spend some time together before Ashley and Casey had to head to the airport for the trip back to PA.

We really enjoyed having Ashley and Casey here for 7 days!! The wedding festivities went beautifully and we were blessed to enjoy special times with dear friends over the weekend. (More on that later) It was wonderful to get to spend so much family time together! We even brought out Casey and Ashley's wedding cake top from the freezer for the traditional one year tasting. We were all amazed at how good it tasted!! It was really neat to have them here.

Megan also came back into town over the weekend for the wedding and to see the fam. This was the first time we'd seen her since she moved in May and it was fun to get to spend some time together. It ended up that she had to put her car in the shop on Monday...so we got to spend an extra "unplanned" day together with Erin. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch (with lots of laughing) and a bit of shopping. The house seems pretty quiet now that everyone is gone. I hope to get a chance to visit my friends in bloggityville this week...but for now, I'm basking in the memories of fun family times!

Church Marque Humor

Answers....

Ashley and Casey are home!!!! Ha! They found our old dress-up clothes box. So happy to have them here for a visit!!

Ok, ok !! Gosh! Since Casey & Ashley have retired for the evening (long day of traveling!) I am going to post my answer to the Multiple Choice Meme. Thanks for voting...this was fun!! (To Erin, Renee & Bee...thanks for keeping my secret! ;-)

1) I once had an 8’ boa constrictor snake wrapped around my neck.

As you can see, this was a TRUE statement. I guess you all thought I was crazy enough to actually do this one! I can't say I look very happy about the situation from this photo though! I was at a craft show and spent some time at the booth of a traveling "petting zoo". Pretty brave for a young thing, don't ya think?? :-)

2) I began sewing when I was 7 years old. This statement is also TRUE. My mother sewed clothes and also made things for the house. I guess I took up this hobby sparked by her interest. Although I downloaded this picture from yahoo image search, it looks very similar to the machine I learned to sew on! Mom's was an old Singer.

3) I know how to (and have done) the following jobs around our house: lay a tile floor, installed sheetrock & patched holes in drywall, laid stones on the face of the fireplace, laid a laminate wood floor, wallpaper, paint, install wainscoting, rewired an electric lamp, install tile back splashes, and repair a broken toilet…to name a few.

This statement is TRUE. I pulled a few pics from the files of our current (ongoing) remodeling job. I guess I didn't actually mention the work we did on laying a sidewalk and the extension to our driveway. (Pictured above) Of course, hubby was the real brains behind the concrete work...I just helped! Brad and I began the hobby of remodeling our homes within the first year of our marriage. I suppose I have no fear in this area as my father was an Industrial Arts Teacher before he retired. Now he works part time at the church on the Building Ministries staff. Being a "do it yourself-er" runs deep in our blood. Dad has been very gracious over the years to lend a hand and teach us new skills. Brad also amazes me at his ability to research a topic and figure out how to do something...and then "go for it"! He has added many new skills to his knowledge base over the years. I love seeing what we can do with a some supplies and alot of elbow grease! I grew up in a home where there was always some "project" in the works. Now, Brad and I are carrying on the tradition. I will have to admit though, now that we are getting older, we are slowing down and it takes a lot longer to get things done these days. I'm afraid I don't have the patience I used to with living in a construction zone. We are slowly but surely completing different jobs related to this last remodeling job. It was our biggest to date and we will be working on it for some time!

4) I enjoyed reading about my cousin, a famous Indian fighter, in our history textbook when I was in elementary school.

This statement is TRUE. Sorry to Karen, Lori B & Kelli! Lewis Wetzel was a distant cousin of mine on my mother's side. His story was recounted in my 4th grade history book. Some considered him a "hero" much like Daniel Boone, however, it seems he basically lived his life in revenge against the native Indian. This is not something I think one would want to emulate. Now that I'm an adult, I see that he lived a very sad life.

5) I am the daughter of a blacksmith.

This statement is TRUE. Among other hobbies, my father learned Blacksmithing and enjoyed demonstrating this Early American art form at local 1800's period craft shows. This picture shows him the day he dressed in his frontier "costume" and demonstrated many of the Early American trades for his grandchildren. What a fun afternoon our daughters and their cousins had watching grandpa and enjoying a hands-on history lesson!!

6) I have a 100 hour pin for hours worked as a hospital candy striper.

This statement is TRUE. I worked for a few years at a large local hospital one night a week, after my day job. I originally did this as a way to get some "hands-on" experience in the medical field to see if I might like to go into this field after I graduated from high school. Although I really enjoyed volunteering at the hospital, I chose instead to go into accounting and worked in that area until I quit to start a family and raise our children. This picture is of my parents and younger siblings.

7) My favorite vacation was our trip to The Holy Land.

This is a picture of the Burial Tomb of Christ. Please notice what is NOT in the picture.... ME! Yes, the sad truth is that this statement was FALSE! Congratulations to Becky, Susie and Connie for their correct guesses! I do have a passport, but alas...have never had the chance to use it. Hubby is the world business traveler in our household. Actually, even our three daughters all have had the opportunity to use their passports. I hope someday I will have a chance to travel beyond the continental USA. I have, however, traveled in a large percentage of the United States. Now that we are "empty-nesters", we plan to do more traveling, Lord willing.

8) I have been hired to demonstrate how to hand make rope.

As you can see...this statement was TRUE! Ok, Ginger & Barbara...you didn't catch me on this one! :-) Twice I have demonstrated how rope was made by hand in early American life. My father often attended these period (Early American) craft shows demonstrating either Blacksmithing or Broom Making. A few times I was able to attend with him as a "craftsman" and demonstrate rope making. We used the hand cranked antique rope making "machine" made for the purpose of twisting twine into rope. After threading the machine and turning the handle the twine twists to form a tightly formed piece of rope. It was a lot of fun! This particular show Brad attended with our family (we had only been dating a few months) and he assisted with the demonstrations. You can see him in the second picture at the opposite end of the rope from me. He was assisting the young girl by holding the rope frame. Fun memories!

9) I have been in an automobile with literally hundreds of bees closed in with me.

This statement is TRUE. Sorry to dash your hopes Kim, Christie Belle, & Jen in MS! Although I did not take the picture of this bee hive, it looks much like the one we transported home in our car. One of my Dad's hobbies was that of bee keeping. At one point someone that knew he was a beekeeper, called him to remove a hive from their front yard. This arrangement was a way for them to get rid of the hive and Dad to obtain an entire hive of bees at no cost! Ugh...yep! I accompanied him on that trip. In order to get the bees out of the tree, he had to "smoke the hive" to first settle the bees down. The above picture is not Dad...I got it for you from Yahoo images....just in case you've never seen a beekeeper smoke hives before. I'm surprised this guy does not have on the beekeepers hat and gloves! Anyways, Dad then cut the hive from the tree that it had been attached to and put it in a large cardboard box. The hive....FULL of honey bees and the cardboard box then went into the back seat of our car. We were in the front seat! It didn't take long for some of those bees to find their way out of the box and begin flying around the interior of our car on the way home. Suffice it to say I was beginning to get just a little MORE than nervous!! I was one happy camper the minute we pulled into our driveway and I could hop out of that car!!! I'm sure the bees were still groggy from the smoke....but just the idea that they crawled out of the box was enough to set me on edge!! We sure enjoyed some great honey off those hives of Dad's!

Well...thanks again to each of you who voted and left a comment. This was a really fun post for me! Maybe I'll try to come up with some more True/False posts in the future! I never really "tagged" anyone on this post...so jump on in if you want... give us your own list!

Oh Yes...and specially for Ginger, Karen & Susie.... Yes, you may have some cookies, but I'm afraid you'll have to make them yourself! Here's the recipe!! (Sorry Ging...I'd love to share, however, it's a fer piece from MI to TX...so get busy girl!! Besides, Casey (our SIL) is doing just fine making his way through this plate of cookie...without any help...thank you very much! ;-)

Peanut Blossoms (“Kiss cookies”)
1 ¾ c. flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. butter @ room temp.
½ c. creamy peanut butter
½ c. brown sugar (packed)
½ c. sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla extract
Hershey Kiss candies (large) or Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour w/ baking soda & salt. In med. bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. When light and fluffy, beat in eggs & vanilla. Add flour mixture half @ a time, beating well after each addition. Shape dough into 1” balls, using a heaping teaspoon or small cookie scoop. Place 1” apart on ungreased baking sheet…or if making peanut butter cup cookies, place each ball into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake about 10 minutes. Remove from oven & immediately press a chocolate kiss lightly into the top of each cookie. (or a mini peanut butter cup into each mini muffin pan) Return to oven & bake 2-4 min. longer until cookies are lightly browned. Remove cookies from oven and place on wire rack to cool. I've had this recipe since Christmas of 1969. Hope you enjoy!!