sweet treats

I'm now in the older lifetime category.

Sweet treats will not be allowed for me . . .

starting tomorrow.

little pumpkin

Look what was given to Little A after church on Sunday. . .

  

A pumpkin hat!

It was knitted by a very talented friend from church.

Little A knew right away it was a PUMPKIN!

 

After the wind storm had passed this week, I was able to take a few fun

photos.

I love the colors of fall!

 

At three, she didn't last long.

No more standing in one place!

This little pumpkin is off and running!

"Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry.

For the Lord Most High is awe-inspiring, a great King over all the earth."

Psalm 47 1-2

 

 

hissing and kissing

Meet our new house guest who is visiting for the next month:

After realizing that our Lucy was not pregnant, Mr. E. decided to bring

the male, "Chief", to our home for the month in hopes that this visit

would be more. . . productive, if you will.

So far, Miss Lucy has not been a hospitable hostess.  There

has been more hissing than kissing going on. 

We've been told that given time, they will become quite fond of each other.

Although, this marble Bengal's name is Chief, Little A instantly

re-named him, "Bobcat".  You see, he is absolutely enormous

compared to our Lucy who is on the petite side of the scale.

He seems the size of the bobcat on our family room wall which Mr. E. trapped

several years ago, thus "Bobcat" seems most appropriate to Little A..

"Hims not little, he big!"

"Him freak me out." 

(Such is the vocabulary of a three year old with 5 older siblings!)

So there you have an update from the continuing saga of Simply Grand Bengals.

Happy Friday!

caught

Five boys.

I'm trying to train five boys to be young gentlemen.

Yes, we live in the woods but please boys. . .

Let your behavior not portray that you were perhaps

raised by a pack of wolves! (That line's for you, Jane!)

No elbows on the table; No slurping; Please get a kleenex;

That piece of meat is WAY to big for our mouth; No toilet

talk; Wash your hands; Put your glass at 12:00; Do not

lick your plate; You need to ask to be excused;  Bring your

plate to the sink. . .

Now we have two boys in the house who continually use

their shirt collar in place of a napkin.

It drives. me. crazy.

I know these bad habits will dissipate as the years go by (please!)

but for now I will have to remind them, each time they're caught,

to NOT wipe their face with their shirt! PLEASE!!

 

Happy Wednesday!. . . Happy Training!

just want you to know

Last night Mr. E. was out of town.

The rest of us were at church til' 8pm and came home to a message

on the machine.

Still standing with my arms full of "stuff" I listened to Mr. E's voice. . .

I just want you to know I'm O.K.

I was in an accident. . .

My heart sank.

I was curious to know the details,

thankful that he was OK,

and anxious to talk with him.

Z-man flew to the phone before I had my hands free.

The good news was that the accident could have been worse, the

truck is still drivable, and he'll still be able to attend his meeting

at the capital tomorrow.

The bad news. . .  his shoulder was injured and he's experiencing a

significant amount of pain.

Twelve hours later, we receive another call from Mr. E.:

I'm standing outside the capitol building.  We've all been evacuated due

to a bomb threat!

At this point we can't help but laugh as I exclaim,

Quick, get in your truck and head home before more catastrophe follows you!!

Life.

You just never know what the day has in store.

So as the sun sets on this beautiful fall day I'll remember what HE

just wants us to know . . .

The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you , oh Lord, do not

abandon those who search for you.  Psalm 9:9-10

This is my command; be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or

discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

 

 

Our peace depends on our willingness to see everything in God,

receive all from His hand, accept with gratitude just the portion

and cup He offers.  Shall I charge Him with a mistake in His

measurements or with misjudging the sphere in which I can best

learn to trust Him?  Elisabeth Elliot

 

Happy Tuesday!

May His peace be yours today,

new beginnings

October ushers in our fall season and a few new changes.

We say good-bye to the garden.

Just a handful of carrots and lots of potatoes left to be pulled.

  

And a few red peppers which, as I found out this afternoon, are of the VERY HOT variety!!

(Quick, grab the milk, my mouth is burning!!)

 

Pumpkins!

  

I must show you this picture taken at the beginning of August. . .

This is one of SEVERAL buckets of basil which fragrantly descended onto my kitchen

counter the last few months.  Mr. E. loves pesto so we froze the leaves of basil

and I simply take them out of the bag, wash them, place them in the food processor

and add a handful of walnuts, a few cloves of garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil. . .

and waalaa!! fresh pesto is ready to add to cooked pasta. Yum!!

 

Little A is such a hoot!  She had to find her "glubs" (gloves), just like daddy, before

she could go "work" outside.

 

A new calendar decorates the wall in our dining/school room.

I ordered this from rainbowresource.com.   A wonderful home school website with

endless resources at very reasonable prices.

 

The highlight of the past week was our New Beginnings banquet

for our new local pregnancy resource center.

I was part of the banquet committee and truly felt blessed to witness

God's hand in orchestrating such a powerful and exciting evening.

Beautiful flowers, food, and delectable dessert favors graced the tables.

The highlight was hearing personal testimony's from several women who had

been led to seek out a pregnancy center during a time of crisis in their lives.  The

centers serve as so much more than helping both women and men through their

immediate time of crisis.  Many years later, these women are still involved by coming

alongside other women and being a part of the center bible studies.   Many people

in our community will be blessed, in ways that God only knows, by the start of this

new pregnancy resource center in our area.

 

Happy Saturday!

96 years young

We have a neighbor.

His name is Frank and he’s amazing.

Yesterday Frank had a birthday.

He was born 96 years ago!

He is a WWII veteran; still lives in his own home; he mends his clothes with his

sewing machine; he installed new cabinets in his kitchen; he

shovels snow from his roof in the winter; he makes a deliberate

effort to get exercise every day. . .It is not surprising to

see Frank in the woods chopping wood.

 

We decided to make Frank a card and bring

some chili, bread, and jam and wish

him a happy birthday.

We knocked on the front door a few times and began to

wonder if he was home.

I decided to check the back yard.

And that is where we found him. . .reading the owner’s manual

in the front seat of his new Ford sedan!

“All I need to know is how to open the

door, open the trunk, and start the car. . .none of the other fancy

stuff they have in cars nowadays!”

He was disappointed that his sister and brother were unable to

come for his birthday due to an unexpected illness in the family.

I’m glad we stopped.

God bless you, Frank.

 

As we continued about our day I couldn’t help but take my camera along

and shoot the beautiful scenery along our mid-west roads.

Happy fall Friday and 1st day of October!

Heather