4th Day of Christmas...

We're still celebrating...how about you?

Nothing elaborate, just keeping the Christmas decor

up for a little longer, and actually enjoying 

the glow from the lights now that things have

settled down around here...

Just a few sights from around the house this Christmas...

We pray that all families were blessed with

time to love and cherish the gifts 

God has given us,

 in one another!  

2013 is just around the corner...

and my decorations will probably still be here

after the New Year!

Our eldest asks each year, if the lights can stay up

just a little longer, and this year especially...

I will do as she asks.

Looking forward to what God will teach us 

in the coming days,

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year

to you ALL!!!

  

Days Gone By

The picture in my header is of our home out in the country,
where we lived prior to this home.

We lived 13 years in that place,
my girls were 7 & 5 when we moved there,
it is the place of their childhood memories.

The first time we drove by, before purchasing it,
I told Mr. C I didn't want a house on the corner.
No privacy in the yard... I thought.

We kept looking, praying,
and coming back to that particular place.
It was right more than it was wrong.

We purchased it after our previous home sold,
and went to work making it our own.

And while out there one day, all alone,
painting all of the sky blue trim
(throughout the entire house)
I realized...
"It's so quiet!"
The only vehicle to pass that day was the mailman.

It continued to be a quiet place.
Every now and then one of the local farmers
would drive by, and always, everyday
('cept Sunday)
the mailman.
My concerns about that corner lot quickly vanished.

That place held so much for us, so much living
right there in the yard, inside the house.
Long walks along field roads, and down along the river.
Seeing so much wildlife, often times
right in our own yard.  Finding arrowheads in
freshly plowed fields, the places where Native
Americans hunted and lived, long ago.

So many birthday cakes baked, parties planned,
and friends to share in the celebrations.

That home was our schoolhouse, and so many
discoveries were made during the learning years.
Me the teacher, learned so much right along with my pupils.
I remember, I was once again excited about learning,
muck like when I was as a child.

Our favorite living room...
the screened-in back porch
with a porch swing for our sofa.
Flowers upon flowers, blooming in as many
places as I could get them to grow.
And one great big old pecan tree that
showered down bucket loads of pecans
almost every single year.
Grape vines that produced grapes
that actually tasted like grape candy.
Have you ever tasted a grape like that?

White baby bunnies, a chicken and one too many roosters.
An old chocolate lab, and too many cats.

Hot fires in our fireplace, warm meals on our table.
Early morning meteor showers,
and late night bonfire chats with dear friends.
Flashlight tag with Dad,
and chocolate gravy and biscuits
on snow days with Mom.

We've been away from that place for three years,
and it's strange,
I haven't missed it at all really...
until today.

And today, I notice the quiet.
It's not because we live in the country,
it's a different quiet.
Most of my days are spent alone.
and it's ok, but it is very quiet.



PS- a tour of the old place



    
      

The Sound of Silence

I think that is a good description of this blog lately, 

it's been too quiet around here, and I do apologize.

Life has been happening and sometimes I just plain forget

to stop a moment and share...

and catch up with all of my dear blog friends.

With the change of seasons, it was time to change my blog look.

I was trying to go with an old fashioned feel, but I don't know...

is it creepy?
The picture is of our old house out in the country before we had made some major improvements on it.
It was a good snow scene, so I thought why not???

AND 

I wanted black/white/gray color scheme, with a touch of cardinal red...

because we always see so many bright little cardinals
during our winter months.  Does this work?
Or is it kind of depressing?

I almost feel depressed just talking about it!

Please share your opinion, it won't hurt my feelings.  

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!!

Now I'm off to catch up with all you wonderful people 

out there in blogland.

Have a blessed day my friends!

After Jean's comment
I edited the picture on PicMonkey...
I think I like this better...

You like???

Are You Sleeping?

I can't tell you all how many times,
early in the morning, I've heard those words.

Mr. C, whispering,
thinking he had heard me stir, and wondering,
"...is she awake yet???".

The other morning,
he whispered those words,
and I was awake to hear him.

Wanted to know if I wanted to head out to the edge of our little town,
out into the darkness,
to see if we could catch the last of the meteor shower.

He knows how much I love getting up,
in the wee hours of the day, to see such things.
And this was the first time in 25 years that
he was the one to ask me.

And so we did.

We dressed, carefully tiptoed out of the house, headed to the edge of town, parked underneath the star-filled sky and watched.  

It was closer to dawn, and so we knew our chances would be few.  

The peak time had already passed.  

He spotted two, and just before I gave up, I spotted one...

it blazed from high in the sky, right toward the morning star, 

and disappeared into the first glow of the morning sunrise.

SO spectacular!

Sunrise would be soon, why not stay and watch that?

And so we did.

As we sat there, in the chilly cab of the truck, 

I could hear an old familiar sound.

He turned the key on, pressed the buttons 

to allow the windows to roll down, 

and there they were, wild coyotes on the run, 

yipping, yapping and howling not too far away.

I'm not sure why, but I love hearing them.  

Reminds me of the many times at the old house, 

out in the middle of nowhere, where the wild things roam freely.  

They do on the outskirts of our little town here, 

where we live now, but...

we don't get to see or hear them as often anymore.

Seemed like it was taking forever for the sun to rise.  

So we drove while we waited.  

I've never really paid attention to how long of a time span there is 

between first morning light, and the actual appearance 

of just a tip of the glowing orb of the sun, on the horizon.

Finally...

it made it's grand entrance for the day, 

right there over the harvested cotton fields.

We drove a little longer, enjoying our little, surprise escape, 

early on a Sunday morning.  

Just a little further down the road and we spotted a young buck 

right before he headed back into the woods.  

After this we headed to a spot along the river, 

spotted a beaver swimming, and scared up a flock of wood ducks.

BUT, all I captured with the camera was this tangled mess of roots, 

along the far bank of the river.  

The beaver and ducks were much too quick for me.

We looked at our watches, realized we needed to head home, 

especially since our tummies were calling for breakfast.

We stopped by the small grocery store, so that Mr. C
could pick up a couple of items for breakfast
and just before he got out of the truck

 he mentioned the music they usually play in our local grocery store.  

"I hope they aren't playing any of their strange music, 

I always feel like I've stepped into the twilight zone...when I go in here."

We often feel that way when shopping in this store.  

I'm not sure why, how or where they select their music from, 

but we usually come out laughing because of the songs we hear 

and the sights we see.  Often times our grocery clerk gals are 

doing "the twist" on a good day, 

or the stock boys are singing in falsetto voices 

along with Frankie Valli-  

"She-e-e-er--ry ba-ya-by, Sherry baby!!!"

The music is so much a part of the atmosphere, 

they want to be certain you get the full experience, 

so they are kind enough to broadcast it out into the parking lot 

for those of us waiting on our loved ones.

And they did not disappoint, our morning ended like this...

"I've got the rockin' pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu...!!!"

Mercy!

I'm so glad I wasn't sleeping, 

I would have been severely disappointed 

to have missed out on this 

extremely memorable morning out with my guy.

 

ps-This may have been the first time he asked me to go watch
the meteor shower, but there have been other mornings
when he has asked me to join him outside
very early, just to stargaze.
The darkest part of night, is right before the dawn,
best time to see the stars at their best.
I do love my Mr. C!

Being The Light

 Often times in our lives, God gives us opportunities to shine. 

(stock photo)

I'm not speaking of "being in the limelight" kind of shine.  

I'm talking about being that beacon of hope to another, 

someone whose difficult circumstances 

are casting dark shadows over them.  

They perhaps feel trapped, 

and aren't sure that anyone can help them.  

Being available to others, sharing a smile, 

a hug, a pat on the back.

Words of LIFE from scripture, 

walking by their side...

always reminding them of God's constant love. 

That His love does not end when we make mistakes.  

He loves us despite all of our ugly flaws.  

His love is constant, and never changes.  

It is eternal, for those who are His through Christ Jesus.

"There is now therefore, no condemnation 

to those who are in Jesus...

YOU'RE NOT GUILTY ANYMORE!  

YOU'RE NOT BROKEN ANYMORE!

I LOVE YOU! 

MERCY IS YOURS!!!"

(Mercy Is Yours by Aaron Keys)

Speak truth into the lives of those

 who have believed lies.

Give hope to the hopeless.

Share love with the loveless.

Shine light into the darkness.  

^{John 8:12 "}Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. 

He said, I am the Light of the world. 

He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, 

but will have the Light which is Life."

Table for two please...

Those words did not come out of Mr. C's mouth 

on our most recent date.

No, it was more like, tree for one please...

and then another one, please.

He needed a tree, I needed a tree.

You see, 

he had asked me to accompany him 

on his bow-hunting trip.

And this is what it looked like from my seat

when I looked straight down.

He has graciously taught me

how to use a 

climbing tree stand,

so that I can see what it's like

to sit quietly in the woods, 

waiting for deer to appear at hopefully

just the right time.

And this was the view straight out in front of me.

Oak trees, and a hay field that had 

recently been cut.  

To my left, you can spot 

Mr. C, perched on the side of the tree,

if you look very carefully. 

It was such a fun date.

And I even got to wear

CAMOUFLAGE!!!

Sorry, no pictures of that.

What types of fun dates do you share

with your husband???

Anything unusual or 

out of the ordinary?

Whatever you and your husband do,

be pleasant, agreeable,

relax and enjoy yourselves.

He needs time away from all of the 

busyness of life, 

just as much as you do,

maybe even more so.

Dates do not have to be big, 

expensive or impressive so we 

can brag to others what we did.

Dates are for just the two of you,

to do what is uniquely fun,

 for you and your spouse.

Let your husband plan something for the two of you,

that you have no say in, 

and go have some fun!

Linking up with-
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home


alt="a-wise-woman-builds-her-home" border="0"
src="http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt60/junefuentes/wisewomannewbutton3.jpg"
 />

October's Arrival

Cool, dewy mornings,

breezy afternoons,

dappled bits of sunshine

through green lush leaves.

Boone curled up in

his new dog house,

just right outside

the kitchen door.

Starting the day

with my Bible,

a devotion from

Spurgeon,

and a cup of coffee.

Many prayers for

family and friends,

near and far, who are

always close in my heart.

Sending off my loved ones

each morning,

and I am here,

waiting their return.

Between the parting and the

coming home again,

I tend to the things that need to be

done each day for those who

God has placed in my life.

And I realize, I am so blessed

to have been given a husband

who provides for us, so that

I can be his help-meet.

And my prayer for myself,

is that God would help me to

be mindful of the time I've been given

to use these hours wisely,

to always be a blessing and not

a burden to my husband, who

works so hard, so that when he

returns each day, he can readily

see, that I have been faithful

over all that I've been entrusted

to during this day.

Praying for my sister's in Christ,

who have also been given the blessed

privilege of being-

Keepers of their Homes!

"The Lord Bless Thee

And Keep Thee..."

The Way I See It...

After everything that transpired last couple of weeks, 

here in the states, 

over Dan Cathy's statement on his family's beliefs 

concerning their view on marriage, 

(which caused such an uproar for all those 

who disagree with their Biblical stance), 

I must say something.

What I saw...

the body of Christ

came together

and stood with a brother,

who was being lied about.

They took their stand,

quietly,

peacefully,

lovingly.

No name-calling,

no bashing,

no hatred.

They stood with a brother in Christ, 

because he's one of ours, 

and they stood for their right to free speech,

as well as freedom of religion. 

They weren't afraid to identify themselves

with the ones who were being ostracized

and ridiculed for their beliefs, 

knowing full well, they will also

be hated and ridiculed by the world,

for believing simply that

God's word has the final say on

every aspect of their lives.  

^"18 If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you.

¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection andwould love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you."

John 15:18-19

  

A Tale Of Two Cities and Two Crazy Bloggers

WARNING:

  If you do not like ridiculous, (hopefully) witty,

just for fun, entertaining, blog posts,

THEN 

by all means

STOP READING NOW!

You have been warned.

And please remember,

 before you judge me for this little indulgence, 

kindly remember,

I am a home alone Mom.  

I have spent years (K-12) dedicating myself 

to the education of my darling children, 

& before that even,

days of diaper changing, countless sleepless nights,

 calming crying babies,

 as well as,

cleaning, keeping, de-cluttering,

organizing, mowing, gardening, sewing, reading,

baking, cooking, freezing, canning, creating,

painting, decorating, laundering, landscaping,

building, insulation installing, log-stacking, fire-building,

metal-roofing, repairing, packing, moving, unpacking,

(8 times in the course of 25 yrs.) 

training, disciplining, loving, caring, 

encouraging, praying, praying, praying... 

AND NOW

 I happen to find my days filled 

with endless, quiet hours.

So humor me please, 

and  

soften your critical, scornful gaze,

and remember...

all work, and no play makes

Mrs. C a dull girl.  

And now,

onto my story.

Relax, and enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once upon a time, two friends, 

living in two different states,

separated by miles and miles,

decided to embark upon 

a journey,

or perhaps we should say

an event...

 where no

blogger ever dared 

 go before.  

Now, in reference to that particular 

statement...

"different states..."

would that be different states of the mind,

or

different states as in locations?

You be the judge.   

Through our online conversations we realized

that on the VERY-EXACT-SAME day, 

(hold onto your hats)

we were both blessed enough 

to be able to go and run errands. 

Shocking isn't it???

And so, being the genius women that we are, 

we embarked upon a 

virtual experiment of sorts.

I took her with me, and she took I with her.

WAIT

She took me with her.  

I sounds more formal, 

but that is not proper English now is it?

And just for fun, my new rule, 

"I before me, except after she."

No, no, no, that should be,

"She before me, and always before I."

She took me with her, and I took her with me.

But did we REALLY?

It's sort of Twilight Zone-ish,

sort of parallel universe-ish.

I grabbed my list, put on my lipstick

before I headed out the door,

(I thought the occasion called for it),

AND THEN 

we headed to the big town.

For our first stop of the day... BIG LOTS

Leslie was so excited, she couldn't wait to get inside.

We had to keep reminding one another, 

we were on a time schedule, no time to dawdle.

And so we scooped up our deals, headed to the check-out,

& were completely satisfied with our finds.

Organic tea, extra virgin olive oil, and 

jalapeno potato chips 

for tuna sandwich night.

Yes, sometimes we eat chips.

GASP!

I know, I know.

NEXT- SELECT SECONDS

I really shouldn't have...  

but, come on, I know how Leslie loves to find a 

really good deal, she and I are alike in that.  

This place is packed to the gills

with all sorts of deals!

Furniture, clothing, purses, jewelry, home decor.

You name it, it's probably in there.

Mints, you ask?  Yes, even mints...

Ponder that for a moment in light 

of the name of this store...

pondering completed.

Thankfully THEY(the mints) were not seconds...

Anyway, back to the story...

 I took her to this local favorite.

Yes, Select Seconds, except for the mints, and nail polish,

no used mints or nail polish thankfully!

We ran in, calmly walked in.

We scanned the place quickly making a quick assessment

of what was available.

We scurried through racks, 

so many good deals, so little time

but stick to needs...needs, ladies!

Stay focused!

BINGO!

$3.96 for this blouse.

Cute, cute!  BUT I didn't want to make

Leslie wait, so I didn't try it on.

Later, at home, when I tried it on, 

I ended up having to pass this onto my Ms. C, 

too snug for me through the waste and hips.

I'm at that age where my eyes 

are smaller than my hips.

Ever been there???  

My eyes need to catch up,

so I don't make this mistake again.

*sigh*

Oh well, Ms. C is happy!

And could our next stop be the reason

for the hip expansion???

Leslie and I just had to stop in, 

we were so thirsty,

only 105* yesterday...

time for some fresh-squeezed

Chick-fil-A lemonade!!!

&

waffle fries!!!

(so sorry, I think I inhaled the waffle fries,

sooooooooo, none left for the picture...)

The picture on the tray was so tantalizing

that we decided we needed a cookie before we left.

Warm, gooey, chocolate, oatmeal cookie!!!

Leslie was like, "Ok lady, time to get a move on!

You came to go grocery shopping, and HELLO!

You aren't going to be able to feed that family 

of yours with just 

tea, jalapeno chips and olive oil.

Woof down that cookie girl, and let's go!!!"

Is it "woof" or "wolf"???  Who knows?

Like a good friend, I listened to her,

finished my cookie,

and off we went to go 

Krogering!

I only buy sale items, only what's on sale.  

Stock up on sale items, so I never have to pay

full price for anything.  

One of my favorite finds???

Sourdough bread in the day old bakery bin.

Sourdough is one of those fermented foods

we need more of in our diet.

Leslie agreed, "...yes, more fermented foods...", 

as she eyed me suspiciously.

Knowing good and well, that there are much

better options for fermented foods than just

sourdough bread.

Oh well, no time left to discuss that.

If I was ever going to get her back to her home state,

(state of mind or location,

you be the judge...) 

we were going to have to hurry 

and get some petrol, like, quick!

(I like the sound of petrol better than the alternative...)

So we did, and it was jam packed at the filling station, 

petrol had taken a little price plunge and EVERYONE 

decided to fill their tanks at Kroger right at the same time. 

Leslie and I wondered, 

"Did you people leave work just to take advantage 

of the gas prices this afternoon???  

What is going on???

Why the traffic jam???" 

Too many questions, too little time.

We both had to get back home and whip

up something amazing for our families

to feast on, for whenever they returned home.

As we pulled out of the gas station, 

this is what the sky looked like.  

It looked as if the biggest rain of the summer 

was headed our way.

Being that we are experiencing an extreme drought, 

this sight was good to see!!!

But alas, as dark and looming as these clouds looked,

not a bit of rain fell from these thick, heavy clouds.

On our ride home, we sipped on our 

lemonades, and sang off key

with Third Day.

Third Day Offerings CD,

best praise CD ever!

~The End~

This is dedicated to the lonely Moms out there.  

To the ones, who for some reason or another,

find themselves in the state of aloneness

more than they care to admit.

We don't want anyone to feel obligated to fix our aloneness

nothing needs fixing, we're not waiting for someone to fix our lives,

it's just a phase, a season, and we must adjust,

ALSO

 we just want to be understood,

that a day out grocery shopping can be the most

adventurous, exhilarating day of days,

especially 

when you pretend one of your 

Blog Buddies is hanging out with you.

~The End Again~    

Purely for your entertainment and speculation

this episode was brought to you

BY

Leslie the Homemaker

& 

yours truly

Mrs. C 

Retreat

A little getaway...

simplicity...

God's creation...

rest...

refreshing...

healthy...

a splurge...

laughing...

living...

exploring...

Yes...exploring.  

We found this little Bistro

 tucked away in a small quiet town.

The owners- 

an elderly Texas gentlemen

and his German wife, 

who spoke in her beautiful German accent.

And on the menu?

Tuscan Schnitzel

or

Moroccan Beef w/ couscous

and many other items I cannot remember.

All cooked fresh,

and served with pride.

A feast for the eyes as well as

for the body.

The lost art of conversation is expected.

No cell phones allowed.

No hats on men.

Rude children will be corrected.

Do not ask for a salt shaker,

everything is perfectly seasoned.

(and it was)

Oh, it was such a nice meal!

If we would only 

put into practice, 

each day,

simple rules, 

guidelines,

that help us to 

love one another 

through our actions.

Because... 

actions speak louder than words.

Good manners are a gift, and show love to those around you.

So very thankful that the owners of the Bistro 

have a standard and wish to teach others 

the goodness that comes from 

the thoughtfulness of good manners.

   

Praying that we walk in His ways, 

and bless others with His love.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 

patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law."

Gal. 5:22-23

 ^"Love endures long and is patient and kind; 

love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, 

is not boastful or vainglorious, 

does not display itself haughtily.

 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); 

it is not rude (unmannerly)and does not act unbecomingly. 

Love (God’s love in us) 

does not insist on its own rights or its own way, 

for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; 

it takes no account of the evil done to it 

[it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, 

but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, 

is ever ready to believe the best of every person, 

its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, 

and it endures everything [without weakening].

 Love never fails 

[never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]."

P.S.  

Just for fun...

Just look at that cute little turtle foot!!!