uh-oh!

When we bought our house in 1976, the appliances were coppertone.....of course......and I thought they were WONDERFUL! We have replaced those a couple of times over the years. However, we had never changed the range hood. Funny, it never occurred to me! But about 2 years ago, we replaced the vinyl with wood laminate flooring and purchased new countertops. As I looked around, I realized our appliances were all ivory and black, but we still had a coppertone range hood. Why had I not noticed that before? Anyway, I talked my Hubby into taking it down and painting it black. He thought it was a terrible idea, but he did it and liked it when it was done. One of these days, he's going to learn to trust me! ha!ha!
Now, the real story! There is an exhaust tube from the range hood to the ceiling which, of course goes through the roof. The tube (the part you can see) is covered with a wooden box. The previous owners had covered the box with a brick looking material so it looked like a chimney. I liked it..... it fit with the country look of our house. Well, when we took the range hood down, the "brick stuff" started to come down in pieces. We have been looking for something to replace it with no success. Real brick or ceramic brick would be too heavy and brick vinyl, that, at one time, was so popular, is now non-existent! Recently, I finally found some brick looking vinyl stick on tiles. So, last Friday, we put them up. They look nice. I don't like the look as much as the brick, but it is better than the torn up stuff! :-)
Last night, I was here alone 'cause the hubby was working. Several times, I heard a noise that I could not explain. I thought maybe it was acorns falling or squirrels running on the roof, but it sounded like it was in the house. About 10pm, I heard it again... a little louder this time. I decided I was going to solve this mystery. I walked into the kitchen and looked up. Yep, that was it........ our tiles were falling off one by one! I started to laugh and then I thought..."Yea, I thought that job was too easy." Hubby is going to fix it with a little glue. Kind of funny to think the other stuff lasted 34+ years, our lasted 5 days!!

Here are some pictures so you can see the before and after... and the later after! :-)

Here is the original brick look.....the front still looked pretty good, the sides were torn.


The new look.....

The "chimney" with the range hood....the finished project!


The unfinished project! ha!ha! Soon it will be finished again....maybe tomorrow!


I'm headed to TN tomorrow with our younger son and his family to visit our other son and his girls until Monday. Looking forward to having the 3 grands together ..... that is always lively! I'm also hoping to see some fall colors since we'll be traveling toward the mountains. I should have some pictures to share next week. Hope you all have a wonderfully blessed weekend!

in the valley

I have two friends who are going through a time of trial, sorrow, and loss. I discovered this song by Sovereign Grace today and it made me think of them. I have been in that same valley some this year, so I know how it feels to be there. This song would have ministered to me during that time. I hope, if you are hurting today, it will bless and encourage you. I would also recommend that you read what Kim had to say today. She wrote a beautiful post about trials and sorrow and God's purpose in them. I believe it will touch your heart as it did mine.

zuppa!

I felt like cooking soup and being (well, trying to be!) creative. So, I started with chicken and then started throwing stuff in the pot! :-) It turned out pretty good. Thought I would share my "experiment" with you! I guess we'll see how adventurous you are, ha!ha!

Italian Chicken Soup

2 large chicken breasts, boiled and cubed
2 cans (15oz) chicken broth
2 bags (12 oz) frozen Italian vegs
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 bag frozen cheese filled ravioli
salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken in 2 qts water with salt. Remove chicken to cool and cube. Add broth, seasoning, frozen vegs, and tomatoes. Simmer until vegs are crisp tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add
chicken and ravioli. Cook 3-4 more minutes.

It just occurred to me that grated parmesan cheese would have been good on top! :-( At lunch today (when we were eating it), my sweet girl and I talked about making it with sausage (the kielbasa type) next time and maybe adding a little spinach. I'll let you know how that turns out! :-)

am I practicing?

We heard a good message at church today. It was about Godly parenting. Now that our three are grown and on their own, most of our parenting is done. But there have been and will be teachable moments in the time I spend with my grands. The sermon included a story that made a powerful point that is applicable to all Christians.
The pastor, Allen, said when he was a boy, his dad took him and his older brother to stock car races. Children under the age of 6 were free. One night, just a few days after he turned 6, they went to a race. When his dad asked to buy tickets, he said "One adult and one child." The ticket seller looked at Allen and said, "What about him?' His dad replied, "He's 5 years old." Allen spoke up and said. "No Daddy. Remember I had a birthday. I'm 6 now." His dad frowned at him, told him to shut up and then said,"He's 5. One adult and one child." This happened before his dad was a Christian. Allen said nothing like that ever happened again after his dad was saved. But 50 years later, Allen still remembers the incident.
Why do you suppose it made such an impression? Well, his dad had told him about the importance of honesty, but when presented with the opportunity to show his son that he practiced honesty in his life, he failed.
How important it is that the life I live is consistent with the words I say. Not only as an example to my children and grandchildren but to all those who are witnesses to my life.

		"Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your Holy hill?
		He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart;
		and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman;
		who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts;
		who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken." Psalm15

and the winner is.......

....Heather at Heather's Hodgepodge!! Congratulations Heather! Since you are local, I will give you a call to get your details.
Thanks again to everyone who has blessed and encouraged me since March. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." Phil 1:3
I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

worth the wait

I watched a movie a couple of nights ago called "Hatchie" (pronounced "Hotchie"). It is the true story of a man and his dog. They met when the puppy got lost in a train station. The man took him home only for "a day or two" intending to find him a home (or so he said). He didn't try very hard and, well, you know what happened...... he kept the dog and they were inseparable.
Every morning, the man took the train into the city where he worked. Hatchie walked with him to the station, went home for the day, and then returned every evening a few minutes before his master arrived on the return train. After a very happy greeting, they walked home together. It was a small town, so most everyone knew the man and Hatchie and were touched by the bond that they shared.
After about 3 years (it isn't clear in the movie), the man died at work, suddenly and unexpectedly, at the age of 51. It was late that night before the family realized that Hatchie was still waiting for him at the station. They picked him up and took him home. For a few days, they kept him in the fenced yard, but they saw him stand at the gate every evening when he heard the train arriving at the station. They finally decided to let him come and go as he did before. So, every evening, a few minutes before five, Hatchie would take his place on the fountain rim to wait for his master. He would wait until the last train had come and the station master turned off the lights and went home. Then Hatchie would go to his sleeping place for the night. He did this for NINE years! He died one night lying on that fountain rim.....waiting.
This brought a couple of different thoughts to mind. First, our Master will never leave us. He promises that He "will never leave us or forsake us". He also says that nothing.......NOTHING..... "neither life nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus." Rom 8:38-39.
The other thought was about the waiting. There are many verses that talk about "waiting on the Lord." How long am I willing to wait? Would I wait nine years.......five years.....one year? How about 24 hours? We live in a world of instant gratification.... high speed this and fast acting that.
We don't know much about waiting, but God promises some wonderful things if we will wait on Him:

"wait on the Lord and He will strengthen your heart"
"wait on the Lord and He will exalt you."
"wait on the Lord, and He will save you."
"no one has seen a God besides you who acts for those who wait on Him."
"the Lord is good to them that wait on Him."

Diana at To Everything A Season posted about waiting today, too. When I found it, I was in the middle of writing this. I took that as a confirmation to finish this today. I encourage you to read what she had to say.
So, I know God has a plan for me...plans that are good! My prayer is that, by His grace, I will wait as He reveals that plan to me. 'Cause I don't want to miss a thing!!

(I appreciate all the sweet and thoughtful comments about the 1ooth post. You all are very kind! If you haven't left a comment, you have one more day. Read the previous post for details.)

100 posts + friends= give away!

I thought I would like being a "blogger" but I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. I believe it has made me more observant, more thoughtful, and more appreciative. I have met all of you (some special new friends), visited places through your blogs that I will probably never see in person, and I have learned some things! I look forward to checking in every day to see what you are up to and it is fun sharing my life with you. You have encouraged me, inspired me, and made me laugh!
So, to celebrate my 100th post and our friendship..... a give away!!

Remember this?


I made this for my daughter to commemorate her wedding date. Well, I'd like to make one for you! So, leave a comment between now and Friday night. I'll put your names in a hat and draw a winner Saturday morning :-) If you win, then all you have to do is decide the date you want..... one that is special to you or a gift for someone else. The frame holds three 4X6 prints......just so you know how big it is.
Thanks for supporting me in this adventure. I'm excited to see who wins......the give away, that is. I think we are all winners because God has blessed us with the possibility of an ever widening circle of friends and sisters!

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." I Thess. 5:11

fair weather

Our state's National Fair is held every year just a few miles down the road in the next town south of us. It was this past week. Our son from TN was here for the weekend so he, J, and I went Sat night. The weather was perfect...just cool enough for a light jacket......fair weather!
We weren't interested in the rides, but there were lots of other things to do and see.

Pretty flowers.....really pretty flowers!









There were horses.......beautiful horses......some being ridden and some pulling wagons and carts. These won first place in this group.


This was scary......while the wagon was turning to line up with the others, the horse started to stagger and then he just went down. Several people ran to help and once they got all the harnesses and belts off of him, he stood up and was able to walk out of the arena. They announced later that he was fine and we were grateful to hear that.



There were lots of rabbits... black ones with really sweet faces and...



white ones with really sweet faces........and about 50 more!!


There were milking demonstrations. I love jersey cows......they have sweet faces, too!




There were pigs, I mean HOGS! When we walked in, J said "Do you smell the bacon?" I smelled something, but it definitely wasn't bacon! If you've never smelled a pig pen, it is awful....really stinky!!


There were antiques in lovely displays.


And so many gorgeous quilts... it was hard to decide which one to post. I chose this because it looked "fallish"!


There were antique (well, it's about my age, so I will say vintage! ha! ha!) cars. This is a 1954 corvette. The guys were liking that ride!


I made a new friend at the scarecrow display. She was a celebrity...notice the red second place ribbon! Last year, there were about a dozen. This year there were probably 50.....competition has evidently gotten more popular.

We finished the night by eating Granny's Apple Dumplings and watching fireworks. It was a fun night. We've been going since it started 21 years ago, so we have some happy memories of our visits there... Sat night was another one!
Next post is 100....stay tuned for the give away!! :-)

"times...they are a'changing"

If you look at the top of my sidebar, you will notice that I am only 2 away from my 100th post! I believe that is a good reason for a give away. So, keep watch next week for details.
It is a beautiful fall day here. I love the cool mornings and at 2 pm it is only 70 degrees! I am so glad that God thought of seasons and I am grateful to live in a place where I can enjoy them all.
I'm also thankful for the different seasons of life. Looking back, I can say that I enjoyed the spring and summer of my life. I grew up in a Christian home where I was loved and taught to love God. Our early marriage (the 6 years we were married before we had children) was sweet. Though we wanted to have a child earlier, that wasn't God's plan. Instead, we had those years to learn how to be married and to grow as a couple. I am grateful for that time, because as they say "a baby changes everything".
Even now that the kids are grown and gone, it will never be the same as it was when it was just the two of us.
Summer was the "raising children" time. What a joy and blessing that season was! We enjoyed our children at every age. Each stage was a joy....... challenging sometimes, exhausting sometimes, but always interesting and always an adventure! We are blessed to now have 3 adults who share our beliefs, our values, our interests......and who like to come HOME! :-)
So, now with our daughter getting married and our nest being officially empty, we have moved into the fall.....according to the yearly calendar and our life calendar. It will be interesting to see what this time is like. I look forward to what God has in store for us. We are in the process of looking for a new church home. I believe that is going to give us some opportunities to make new friends and to be involved in ministry together. I hope that we will begin to travel more and spend more time with the grands!
Whatever happens, I hope fall lasts a LONG time. I'm not ready for winter yet.........in the weather or in my life!

" To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecc 3:1

looking for pearls

Yesterday, I read a great post here about "hindsight". It reminded of something I heard a long time ago. We all know that God is good and that He promises that His plans for us are good, but when adversity comes, sometimes we start to lose sight of that. We begin to question why we are having to go through this hard thing. So, the teaching I remembered was that we should "look for the pearl" when we are in the middle of something difficult, painful, life changing. We should ask God to show us the good thing....... how this brings honor to Him and how it makes us more like Him. Jesus was the "pearl of great price". His crucifixion was a awful thing, but the "pearl "was that it was God's plan for our redemption. His death was a terrible thing, but the "pearl" was the resurrection! When He left his disciples, that was a sad thing, but the "pearl"was the Holy Spirit who came to live in us to be our comforter and our guide. He may choose to show us when we ask or He may wait until sometime in the future. But, if our heart is focused on "looking for the pearl", then adversity will lead us to gratefulness and gratefulness will lead us to worship.

"Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God....my Savior and my God!"Ps.42:11

ahhhh...relaxing!

Well, I had 3 lovely days of peace and quiet....doing just what I wanted to do! The weather was glorious and the surroundings were pretty and natural. I spent lots of time outside enjoying the park. There were wooded trails to walk, a lake to sit beside, and animals to befriend!
I stayed in a nice little locally owned hotel called The Hide-Away. The room was nice and comfortable with all the amenities......well, all I needed anyway!


This greeted me every time I entered or left my room. When I first arrived, there were butterflies on each bloom.

This was the view across the lake from where I sat to read the first day.


Some ducks swam by so quietly that I almost missed them. I just happen to look up from my book as they were going by.


This gentleman serenaded me with his playing for about an hour. The music was beautiful as it floated through the quietness.


The water coming over the dam...so pretty.

Another view...
And another from the other side....


Notice the still blue water and the swirling white water....nice contrast!


Water as it hits the bottom.

I couldn't get the complete sign so you could read it, but notice the last two lines (click on the picture to make it bigger)... "those who need to get away from the hustle and bustle of life"...that was ME!


Interesting tree in the picnic area.......not sure what happened to it, but it is "hanging in there".....literally!

It is a little early for most of our fall color, but you can see there was some.

The one disappointing thing about this park is that they took the best campsites...the ones next to the lake and constructed "yurts". Ever heard of those? Well, here they are.... from the front.......


from the side.......


and through the window on the door.(I put my camera on the glass and and took a picture. I was shocked that it took such a good picture!) There is a bunk on top and the sofa makes a bed. There is a ceiling fan and wooden floors.

You have to cook outside and use the bath house, but if you don't want to invest in a camper and you don't want to sleep on the ground in a tent, it is a nice alternative. Just wish they hadn't put them on the prime sites.


At the end of the second day, I was standing on the dock, when this guy comes paddling by on his surf board... with his long white hair and china man hat. He was quite a sight! :-)


These geese were having a quiet snack at sunset, but the young lady in white was not happy that I was so close. She was honking up a storm. It made me wonder if there was a nest close by, but I think it is the wrong time of year for that. Maybe I was just disturbing her "peace and quiet"! ha! ha!

The water continues to flow over the rocks for a long way. This is the view from the road that crosses it The trails I walked were on either side.

I did some shopping on the way home which was fun. My jeans were too big (happy news!), so I bought some that fit. Amazing how much better they look and how much better it makes me feel when I look in the mirror. So, it was a sweet three days. I do feel refreshed and motivated to get busy on some things around the house. Tomorrow is a holiday, so I plan to get started early and make the most of the day. Thanks for visiting High Falls with me and have a blessed week.

Oh, and by the way, I went to see the movie "Secretariat" this afternoon.....great movie, sweet story and not a single word of profanity....amazing!! Wonderful way to end a special weekend.:-)

a recipe you might "fall" for!

Today, Jennifer is sponsoring Friday with Friends. Our assignment is a fall recipe. This is something that our family enjoys all year, but since it has pumpkin in it, I think it qualifies!

Pumpkin Bread

1 cup oil
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup Grape Nuts cereal ( or store brand equivalent)

Beat eggs slightly, add sugar and oil. Stir. Add pumpkin and water. Stir. Add dry ingredients and cereal. Mix well, but batter will still be lumpy. Grease two loaf pans well and divide batter into pans. Bake 1 hour. Cool in pans for 15 mins, remove from pans and continue to cool. Store in airtight container to keep fresh. This is very moist bread. Great for breakfast. We love it plain or with cream cheese.
Now just make yourself a cup of coffee or a cup of tea and enjoy!

retreating

Hubby and I talked about "getting away" after the wedding. As most of you know, we have had a rather busy and emotional summer and early fall with the death of two parents and our daughter's wedding. However, J started a new job and doesn't have time to take for a trip. So, I am going to hit the road by myself! Not going far....just up the road about an hour to one of our favorite state parks. Our family has enjoyed many happy times there camping when our children were growing up. There is water (a lake and falls) to sit beside, woods to look at and walk through, and, hopefully, blue skies, sunshine and pleasant fall temps. (But I am not camping... a nice comfy room awaits me!)
I'm taking my coffee, my diet coke, a book, my bible, some food and snacks( not crazy about eating by myself in a restaurant, but takeout is a possibility!) a portable dvd player and a couple of movies (in case there is nothing on the 100 TV channels to watch! ha! ha!). some crochet yarn to start a throw (we'll see if that happens!), and a notebook (in case I get inspired to write something!).
I'm looking forward to the adventure and I hope to come back refreshed. I'm going to try to participate in Friday with Friends....if I can figure out how to predate a post. So, if you find a recipe here on Friday, you'll know I was successful!
Hope you have a great weekend and holiday!

always in the palm of His hand

Hope this reminds you that He is holding you no matter what you are experiencing today!

it all started.....

......because we had Braves tickets! Then we decided, my sweet friend and I, that we would, instead of just going to the game, make a day of it. So, we left about 9AM and headed to Atlanta.
First stop was an outlet mall. Found some bargains at a shoe store and a Liz Claiborne store that was going out of business.......Woohoo!
Then it was onto Joe's Crab Shack for lunch. Not the best shrimp I ever had (not even close, actually!) but the company was great and the service was very good.
Next stop, another outlet store with scrubs (we all wear uniforms at work). Success again!
Then it was downtown to the Georgia Aquarium. I've been twice, but my friend had not seen it and she is a "fish fan". She has a koi pond in her yard, too. It wasn't crowded which was great, and we took our time. There was a picture of a whale on the wall behind us, but you can't see it. You have to be careful taking pictures there...they don't like the flash.


We saw some interesting things there.....such as white alligators....big ones!


Can you say "catfish dinner"? This guy would feed a crowd.... he was huge!


Crab anyone? It is hard to tell, but this guy was about 2 ft tall!


My favorite....the penguins. They are so cute and they pose for pictures! Do you see the young man on the right. They have tunnels under the habitat where you can crawl and then pop up right in the middle of the little guys. Cool!


There was a snack shop between the aquarium and "The World of Coke" ( another day!). So, we got ice cream and sat a table outside. It was a glorious day.....perfect temperature, beautiful blue sky. Great opportunity to rest, chat and "people watch". After about an hour.............

...it was on to the game! I won't tell you how we missed out turn...twice!...... and ended up (by the grace of God) stumbling onto the parking lot we were looking for from a completely different direction (breathe!). No, I won't tell you that story! But as you can see, we made it.

She is the REAL fan...shirt and all. Her number is her birth year and it has her last name on the back. I was impressed!

The Braves didn't win, but we still had fun. The lady sitting next to us is best friends with a friend of my friend.....did you get that? Small world! It is amazing to me how often that sort of thing happens.
There are always fireworks after a Friday night game. It was late....very late, but we decided to stay and get all the "bang for our buck" (pun intended! ha! ha!). I tried to take pictures, but that didn't work. So, here is a picture of the scoreboard that proves we were there to the end!


I got home about 2 AM after dropping off my "partner in fun"! It was great day!