Stephanie

First eggs are so exciting!! And with Buff Orpingtons, I bet you'll get eggs most days!!

Here's what I like MOST about the group...it was such a GENTLE spirit. There was laughter and encouragment and listening ears that were interested in what you had to say. What a blessing this group will be to me, even if I never sew a stitch...which I plan to do!

Sounds like your accomplishing lots to me! I wonder about people who are bored? I can't imagine ever running out of something to do!

Oh my!! We didn't teach our children a single thing for the whole month of July!!! Must be so busy teaching/learning that we forgot to post about it...that's my story and I'm sticking to it. We have been busy indeed as we increase the gardening skills, cooking skills, etc... Our latest project has been to learn to make moccasins...we're still in the process of trial and error. We bought a bunch of leather coats from the thrift store and plan to use them for our leather. We are trying this one piece moccasin, so far we just made it out of soft fabric, but the concept really does work. here's the link http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/moccasin/mocinstr.html

Thanks Ginger! I went last night and had a great time of fellowship! Vic, what is a tshirt quilt? sounds very interesting! Last night at the group they were 'FELTING'. I had never heard of it, which is no surprise of course. It was really neat and here's a link that explains the process. http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/FEATfelting.html

okay....made it this weekend !!! It is fantastic!! and so very easy!

Y'all, I am SEW excited! Last summer we changed churches and started attending a local fellowship. It was a good decision and has made it much easier for the kids to be involved with activities and etc... My dh is very involved with the boys groups, the FCF (Fronteirsmen Camping Fellowship) as well. But me, well, I don't know, since we moved here over three years ago, I've been a bit of a hermitress. Well, this latest story that I've been writing in Fireside has made me do some soul searching and thinking how much I'm missing by not making an effort to connect with the women (they are lovely people) at the church and be more of a part of our community. Anyway, so this morning I was giving myself a good talking to, as I got ready to go and told myself what I needed was a change of attitude, to change the way I was thinking. In the meantime, dh and the two oldest boys have become very active with FCF and this means that they need Period Correct Outfits. My mom is coming in one month to stay for a week and help me, which is such a blessing. She is a wonderful seamstress and I am a 'sewing wannabe'. So, this morning I go to church and about half a dozen ladies sought me out after services, hugging my neck, telling me my dress was pretty, asking how I was, etc... It felt very nice, I have to tell you. As the chatting went on I mentioned to them that I was trying to get my supplies for the FCF clothing and guess what they said???!! They said, "Stephanie, why don't you join our Tuesday night sewing club?" I said, "Well, I don't know how to sew really, I bought a machine, but I don't really know what to do with it." And they said, "Bring it, bring your manual and we'll teach you!" I said, "Do you know how to do these FCF clothes? Could I bring my material and let you look at it?" They said, "Sure! We just made the Pastor's outfit for him and we'll be glad to help you figure it out." I am telling you, I am SEW excited!! I will be learning a skill, getting out of the house, making progress on this FCF project and making some real life, in my community, friends! This is a major deal for me! They meet every Tuesday evening plus the last Sat of the month for an all day sewing/craft day. They do crochet, tatting, sewing, scrapbooking, etc... Doesn't it sound wonderful?? What a blessing! God is so good to me! Just had to share!

This has been a record breaking cool July and I'm glad to have witnessed it!

Why thank you very much!!! At least I can enjoy my cake in cyberspace! Here's what I'm making today (with crushed tomatoes instead of paste) http://www.recipezaar.com/Ww-0-Point-Weigh...age-Soup-128956

I did it!! I spent the money and made the commitment and signed up to Weight Watchers On Line! I've been trying to get ROUND TUIT for over a year. Kept looking for that perfect moment to get started. This morning wasn't perfect at all, but I did it anyway. So, I entered in all my info and got my "point* allowance for the day and realized I had already spent about half of that daily amount with the big breakfast we had eaten of sausages, eggs and grits But, I don't care, well I do care. What I mean is, I can't do anything about what I had already eaten for breakfast. Right? So, I have been perusing the on line site and they have a list of 'free' foods. That was encouraging. I was glad to see that a lot of my favorite foods are listed there. So, I'm going to cook some brussel sprouts today, I love those things and they are FREE . :wink (2): It has this tracker where you mark down when you drink water, when you take a multivitamin, and other good habits. It has another area where you record your physical activities. You can earn more points to spend on food by doing more activities. I signed up for a three month deal, so we'll see how it goes. You're suppose to lose an average of 2 pounds a week. If I lost 50 lbs by the end of the year I would be ecstatic! What a difference that would make in my energy level, my blood sugar levels, blood pressure and etc... I told Henry that next summer I was going to feel much better than I do this summer! Wish me luck!!

Thanks for the link to your other blog, I made myself a follower!

Well hi there Madison! Glad to see you here in the Blog area!! I'm glad you're having a good time visiting your grandparents!

Beverages is a BIG DEAL at our house. It's summer and there are 9 of us, I probably don't have to say much more than that!

Thanks Ladies! PCS, sure you can, I'm so glad you want to.

Well done John!! BTW, are you not making your own beans? Or are you using chili beans that you previously canned?

Chickens are hilarious! I'm so glad you are enjoying yours, can't wait to hear you squealing all the way here in Alabama when that first egg shows up!!

Glad to see you blogging again, Enjoy your visit with your dgd and be sure to let us know what you find out about the Aquarain, I have Berkey, and I think it's suppose to do it all. Good to check though.

Sounds like busy and productive days ahead. I need to can some more pinto beans and baked beans, they are so wonderful to have on hand. Take care and pace yourself!

Wow! you mean they lowered your numbers on the spot? I was thinking it would be one of those over time type of deals. I'm not CRAZY about radishes, but I will eat them, esp. with a salad. Hmmm, wonder if it 's too late to plant some radish seeds. I have a pack but didn't include them in the garden.

Thanks so much for this Ginger, wonderful scriptures and encouragement! I've been feeling a bit tired myself lately, I needed the reminder to enter into His rest!

At one point this past weekend I just felt so tired and wanted to sit down, but, couldn't justify it with so much needing to be done. About that time, my second son who is 13 brought his blanket that had some tears in it and asked me if I could mend it. Well, I'm not much of a seamstress and I can't remember the last time that I sat down and mended anything, but I decided to try. This would give me a good excuse to sit in the recliner with my feet up and my hands busy. This blanket had been my dh's and he had passed it down after getting a new one. You may be familiar with them they are called Vellux Blankets. They are wonderful and we all like them very much. Here's a link so you can see what I mean. http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?ItemI...earch1Prod=True I'm not sure how the several tears occurred, but with lots of boys and dogs in the house, I can imagine a few possibilities. Anyway, as I sat there and contemplated the best way to approach this mending, I became a bit philosophical. I started thinking about how we all have times when we must set about mending relationships in our lives. Some times, we can just walk away, cut the ties and resolve the conflict by separating ourselves from it. Kind of like tossing out the blanket, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. But, when it is someone we really care about, things can get a lot more complicated. In order to properly address the tears in the blanket I had to first do some trimming away, the jagged edges made it impossible to match and mend properly. At first glance one may think I was making the matter worse, making a larger 'hole', as I snipped. Truthfully however, the pruning was necessary for the best mending to occur. As I began to stitch I quickly learned another lesson, this luxurious material had to be handled delicately. If I pulled a stitch too tightly it would actually pull a hole in the fabric. When we are looking to mend a relationship we need to apply gentle pressure as well or new hurts can be added to the old hurts we are trying to address. Matters of heart and trust and love are very fragile. Finally I presented the blanket to my delighted son. "It looks just like new!" He exclaimed! I laughed and replied, "As long as you don't look too closely." While I had done my best to match the color of the thread, trim away the jagged edges and stitch carefully, a close examination would reveal the mending that had been done. Still, in his eyes, it was like new. Just like our relationships that may have been torn and tattered , then mended with tender loving care, the scars may remain, but only if we look too closely. Sometimes we just have to embrace the mended relationship, appreciating it for it's warmth and declaring it new. So goes the philosophies of mending hearts and blankets.

Wow! That's quite a turn of events! So glad you got the school supplies you needed plus! BTW, don't call Ricky a big foot, my 13 yr old wears A SIZE !3 MENS!

Hi Pearl! and Welcome!! Yes, it is a great list to get you started along your way.

I almost giggled out loud, assuming the man was making a funny. But, then I caught the sincere look on his face and caught myself. We were at Aslan's Puppy Training and he was a visitor from another class. The trainer asked how Aslan was doing with the goats and the man said, "Oh, we really want some goats. What kind do you have?" Eager to help I said, "Oh we are just getting started, we have two Nubians and two Wethers." That's when he asked, "So, do Wethers make good milk goats?" Repressing my almost escaped giggle, I answered. "A Wether is a boy goat that has been neutered." I was proud I had been able to answer evenly so as not to discourage his newbie questions. "So," he continued, completely ignoring the fact that we were in the middle of dog training, "only the girl goats produce milk?" The smile came forth, I just couldn't help it. But I still managed to carry on. "Yes, a doe is girl goat and a doe produces the milk." I paused for a moment to let him ponder this and then added. "Are you planning to have milk goats?" "Oh no," he says, "we just want a goat to help clear out some brush." "Well, sounds like a Wether is just what you need." "So you suggest that breed." He continued to querry. "Wether isn't a breed of goat, it is a condition of a goat. A wether is a neutered male, good for companion goats, weedeating or barbeque." I added for good measure. "Did I hear you mention chickens?" "Yes," I answered cautiously as the trainer stands listening intently. I tried to avert my gaze in her direction so she could finsih the class. But, now she's interested. "What kind of chickens do you have?" I tell them. "Do you have any roosters that crow?" I admit I do. Then he says, in all seriousness, "But roosters don't lay eggs, right?" I assure them that is the case.

and Good Morning to you dear friends!! If y'all run out of organizational tasks, I know of this Alabama family that could use a bit of organizing themselves!! I've made some real efforts in decluttering myself and it's making a difference, now to stick with it!! Off to look at your pictures!