Oh my goodness. I woke this morning to find SNOW SNOW SNOW all over the place. I am just gathering the harvest for Thanksgiving and already we have snow. Geesh!

It is beautiful though, to look out at and see all the horse hoof prints and doggie prints all over. I bet if I looked close enough I would even find prints from lil mousies.  

I hated to have to go out in it but I did. I had groceries to get, things to take to the postoffice, and meds to pick up at the pharmacy. I am so proud of my grocery shopping today as I actually looked at the sales paper and with the help of coupons, a $25 gift certificate and a little planning, I was able to get $134.00 worth of groceries for $62.00. Now for some of you that may not be a big deal but for ME, the quick spender, it really is a mile stone. I am trying so hard to focus more and keep our grocery bill down to the minimun. Today, I DID GOOD!

I am home again and nice and warm, viewing the snow from my favorite place.... INSIDE!  I pray you are all warm too. Have a blessed day and drop a comment or two. heheee

Although, in crew, the official regatta season isn't until spring, we enjoy several events in the fall too.  The latest of these was the "Head of the Hooch" regatta in Chattanooga, TN. 

We had the most beautiful, perfect, weather for the event, and in addition to watching the races, were able to enjoy seeing some fall color (which is a real treat for us Floridians), grilling salmon and steaks outdoors for the team and their families, getting in some hiking time, and even visiting a museum located on the waterfront. 

What a great weekend!

Our son's boat - as it passes under the bridges and approaches the finish line.

For more "Show & Tell Friday" visit Canada Girl's Blog.  The pictures and stories you'll find there are amazing - not to mention, entertaining! :-)

... that today is Blinded by the Light Day? In 1976, Manfred Mann and the Earth and released one of their greatest hits, Blinded by the Light. Turn on all the lights in the house tonight to celebrate!

Or not. ;-)

For Today…November 17th, 2008

Outside my Window… ohhh the view is breathtaking. There is a dark dark blue sky and just over the ridge there is a country blue lining with just a hint of pink and orange. Almost like a fire's glow. The trees are outlined silhouettes. The temp is a mere 27* , but from inside the house it is just perfect.  

I am thinking…of all the things I want to accomplish today. From school lessons, to art to housekeeping. Lord.... would you mind allowing us, ohhhhh, about six extra hours today, I just want to get it all done!

From the learning rooms…Today we have Bible, spelling, science, math and home ec scheduled. We may be adding a visit to the Dr office today to, if I can get M an appointment. She just hasn't been feeling well lately. Please pray for her.

I am thankful for…  A forgiving Lord, a chance to start a brand new day, my husband, my children and my friends, my art and my on line buddies. For all those that have shared in swaps and bringing a smile to my face. For all things new!

From the kitchen… It is completely silent, no-one up yet to make any noise. I can smell the aroma of my hot cocoa brewing, mmmm and cinnamon scones about to become breakfast.  

I am wearing…purple leggings, an over sized t-shirt. and thick warm comfy socks. Seems this is my winter attire for bed these days.

I am reading…"Preparing My Heart for Advent: A Spiritual Pilgrimage for the Christmas Season"
by Ann Marie Stewart

I am hoping…that all my friends and family a warm, fed, and blessed beyond belief.

I am creating…several new postcards and ATC's for swapping and lots of goodies for my Warm Fuzzies swap.

I am hearing… the birds screeching as they fly by, the sound of horses hooves and they walk past the office window, ... and the snoring of my wee lil pumpkin as she lays next to me in the office.

Around the house… there will laundry going, children reading, writing, and oh how I pray, Laughing... We will fill the air with a Harvest scent and Christian music to set the tone for a wonderful day. .

One of my favorite things is creating postcards and ATC's that those receiving them will enjoy. I love my Mice and acorns, mice and flowers, mice and more mice.

I am praying for…those who need warmth from the cold, my families unity, all my friends hither and yon.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…getting the car repairs finished, getting M's paperwork for Behind the wheel, creating some great art work and spending time with family and friends. 

What I accomplished since last week…quite a few postcards and ATC's, a jean purse with an awesome wiener dog on it, some crocheting and painting. Lots of school work!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Praying you all have a wonderful day, stay warm and accomplish much.

Today has been one of those days where you wish you can hit the rewind key and earase the events and try again.

First off, my day started at 12:03 AM when I got a call from my daughter wanting me to pick her up from her friends house because she was feeling really sick. It is a 40 minute ride to where she was and I just couldn't get there fast enough. I arrived only to find her tossing her cookies in the drive way. She didn't want to wake anyone so decided to wait outside for me. (I... went in to tell her friend she was coming home and wasn't well). Praying all the way home that it was simply something she ate that didn't agree with her and that it wasn't the stomache bug, we got home around 1:25 AM. I got her settled in and then went to bed myself. THEN... I wake up 30 minutes later then what I wanted to only to find it had been raining for who knows how long and the car window was left open in the back seat. ARGH (Thanked God for Leather seats instead of fabric and carried on. I had to force the dogs outside to do their business cause none of them like the rain. Then wake all the children so we can do our morning chores and meet our friends at the library on time. We were going to meet for awhile there, go to Subway for lunch, and then go back to Deb's house to hang out until it was time for the boys to go to boy scouts. Wellllllll, before reaching Deb's house the Expo started to act really really strange. I heard a banging sound and then started to smell burnt rubber. Well we have been having a time trying to fix the emergancy break and had planned to drop it off at the garage on the way home from boy scouts. Well I guess something more went wrong and there I was in the middle of nowhere and SOMETHING was burning up. So I slowed down and tried to crawl to Deb's. There was a garage only 2 miles from her house and we made it there three minutes before they were supposed to close. I explained what I heard and smelt and the mechanic was able to smell it to. He advised me not to drive it home (55 Miles from where we were) so I called the hubby and decided to leave it at the garage. I went to Deb's we had dinner and then after talking about just spending the night and finding that we couldn't cause I didn't have any insulin with me (or my OTHER bucket of meds), we decided that I would just drive her car home and come back tomorrow after my car is repaired. Well, her car had a flat tire!!! So her hubby went out to fix it only to find three nails in one and a couple in another. It took him over an hour to plug all the holes. My hubby would have come to get us except he only has a pick up that will fit Three tightly squeezed. Well after about two hours we all piled in Deb's car and headed for home. 1/2 way there a light comes on in her car that says "Low tire pressure". OH GEEZZZZZZ!! Well we checked and it wasn't to low to drive on so we just came the rest of the way home. Now I know what tomorrow will bring first thing in the morning (Which mind you isn't but five hours away now) I will have to get up and get the air compressor, blow up the tire, head to town and stop at OUR garage and have them check the rest of the tires and plug away!!!   Isn't life just one happy adventure after another. ?????????

Well I guess I better get off to bed and prepare for a better tomorrow. Hope you all in bloggerville will say a quick prayer for us. Have a blessed day! NIGHT NIGHT!!

For Today…November 10th, 2008

Outside my Window… ’It is beautifully sunny outside but a bit on the cold side. The wind is blowing at a steady pace and the leaves are flying everywhere.

I am thinking…of all the people out there that have no shelter when it gets cold and praising God for the home I have.

From the learning rooms…Today we accomplished, math, spelling, horse training and grooming. Now I am tired and sore and need some resting time.

I am thankful for…The home we live in, the people in my life and the fact our God is a forgiving God.

From the kitchen… I can hear the pitter patter of pots and pans as the children prepare to make some cookies.

I am wearing…purple leggins, an oversized black long sleeve hently shirt. and thick warm comfy socks.

I am reading…"If it weren't for Eve I would be a perfect wife" by. Terri Camp as I await the delivery of "Preparing My Heart for Advent: A Spiritual Pilgrimage for the Christmas Season"
Ann Marie Stewart

I am hoping…the pain and ackiness will soon be gone and I can get back to normal again.

I am creating…a purse made from blue jeans and a shirt for a swap that I joined on Swap-bot

I am hearing… the screaching cries of a dog that is confined and doesn't want to be.

Around the house… there are many projects to be done. Starting in the master bedroom.

One of my favorite things Mice and acorns, mice and flowers, mice and more mice.

I am praying for…those who need warmth from the cold, my families unity, all my friends hither and yon.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…digging post holes for a dog lot, creating some great goards and spending time with family and friends. 

What I accomplished since last week…quite a few postcards and ATC's, some crocheting and painting. Lots of school work!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Blog Rolls
3 1/3-3 3/4 cups of fun friends (flour)
1/4 cup sweet graphics (sugar)
1/4 cup bright colours (shortening or butter)
1 tsp. bit-of-know-how (salt)
1 pkg. of encouragement (yeast)
1/2 cup nice comments (lukewarm water)
1/2 cup good blog posts (very warm milk)
1 proof-reader (egg)

Now to make these delicious Blog Rolls, mix 2 cups of fun friends, the sweet graphics, the bright colours, bit-of-know-how, and the encouragement in a 2-1/2 quart bowl. Add in the nice comments, good blog posts, and proof-reader. Beat on low speed, scraping the bottom of the bowl constantly, 1 minute. Stir in enough remaining fun friends to make the dough easy to handle.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased 2-1/2 quart bowl; turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm and cozy place until it’s double, about 1 hour. (The dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.) Punch down dough; make into 2-inch balls. Brush with a bit of bright colours. Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 400*. Bake until golden brown, 12-18 minutes.

OH MY GOSH don't they sound good!

My dear friend LakeLady started this meme on her blog and so I thought I would join her...

Welcome to My Kitchen

1.  Do you have magnets on your fridge?  oh yes, some photo's, some homemade, and some of the states we have visited

2. Do you have a calendar in the kitchen and if so, what is it's theme?  nope

3.  What is your favorite kitchen gadget or tool? I would have to say my Kitchen-Aid mixer and my pressure canner

4.  Are you lucky enough to have a pantry of some kind?  Yes!  and oh dear it's looking a little bare

5.  What is your favorite appliance?  The freezer, it holds my bag of ice that I HAVE to have at all times.

6.  Do you have an eat in kitchen?  Yes a simple table with five chairs.

7.  Do you have a bread box?  Yes. it is wicker with a flip top lid

8.  Do you have a picture of your kids on the fridge?  Of course!

9.  Do you ever cooked breakfast in your pjs?   every day! well unless it is one of the children's days to cook.

10.  Do you have a favorite cookbook?  Yes, my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and my divine desserts cookbook!

11.  Are you lucky enough to have recipes that were passed down from your mom and grandma?  Unfortunately no but we did find my dh's mothers recipe box and there was ONE original recipe in there of hers.... I just can't read it! :-(.

12.  What's your favorite food?  homecooked I would have to say Sloppy Joe's. Eat out is definately Chinese

13.  What's your favortie thing to cook?  Bread...buttermilk pie!

14.  Is your coffee pot electric or stove top?  Digital electric. :-)

15.  Do you make your own bread?  yes in a bread machine unless I want a different shape.

16.  Name one thing you have hanging on the wall in your kitchen.  A metal cow that has a welcome sign above it.

17.  Is there a clock in your kitchen?  two the microwave and the coffee pot

18.  Do you have a bowl of fruit on your table or counter?  Yes on top of the microwave but today... it's empty.

19.  What type of canisters do you have?  none!

20.  Does your kitchen have a theme?  yes, red pears and wicker

21.  What's for supper tonight?  meatball subs and salad.

22.  Do you have enough cabinet space?  I do for the most part but I will be loosing some soon to put in a dishwasher. 

23.  Does your family use paper plates?   yupper

24.  Do you have a good set of china packed up?  Nopper.

25.  Do you wear an apron to work in the kitchen?  When I remember to, but I keep my favorite apron in my studio to wear when painting.

26.  Name one thing you would change about your kitchen if you could.  I'd buy a new fridge with an ice maker in it.

Welcome to My Kitchen

1.  Do you have magnets on your fridge?  Yes!  My favorites are a Curious George in a spacesuit and a poster on the side of the fridge of Phillipians 4:8 (which is the rule of our house).

2. Do you have a calendar in the kitchen and if so, what is it's theme?  I have a little card sized calendar on our fridge.  It has an encouraging scripture on it as it was a gift from the women's ministry at church.

3.  What is your favorite kitchen gadget or tool?   I have two...a little electric chopper that looks like a tiny food processesor and my K-tec mixer that I use to knead my bread dough.

4.  Are you lucky enough to have a pantry of some kind?  Yes!  I don't know where I'd put all our stuff without it!

5.  What is your favorite appliance?  The crock pots.  I have two and some days, they're both in use.

6.  Do you have an eat in kitchen?  Yes - we have a table & 6 chairs and a counter-top area with 4 stools.

7.  Do you have a bread box?  Yes.  It's light oak with a roll top front... a gift from the kids. :-)

8.  Do you have a picture of your kids on the fridge?  Of course!

9.  Do you ever cooked breakfast in your pjs?   Of course!

10.  Do you have a favorite cookbook?  I like my big Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  Whatever I need to make, it's in there!

11.  Are you lucky enough to have recipes that were passed down from your mom and grandma?  Yes, a few.

12.  What's your favorite food?  Veggie calzone.

13.  What's your favortie thing to cook?  Bread...and whatever my family will eat!

14.  Is your coffee pot electric or stove top?  Digital electric. :-)

15.  Do you make your own bread?  By hand or bread maker?  Yes, using a whisper mill to grind the wheat and a K-Tec to knead the dough...the rest is me and the oven!

16.  Name one thing you have hanging on the wall in your kitchen.  A watercolor of apples done by my mom...beautiful!

17.  Is there a clock in your kitchen?  Three - the stove, the microwave and the coffee pot clocks.

18.  Do you have a bowl of fruit on your table or counter?  We have bananas hanging on a banana hanger on the counter.

19.  What type of canisters do you have?  Brown crockery - a wedding gift.  I've had them all these years and they've matched every kitchen we've ever had!

20.  Does your kitchen have a theme?  Sort of an eclectic mix of retro things along with modern stainless steel appliances and a slate backsplash that we installed ourselves. :-) 

21.  What's for supper tonight?  Crock pot chili.

22.  Do you have enough cabinet space?  It's very adequate, but I wouldn't turn down more!

23.  Does your family use paper plates?   Oh yes, usually for lunch items and snacks.

24.  Do you have a good set of china packed up?  No we don't.

25.  Do you wear an apron to work in the kitchen?  When I remember to, but I keep my favorite apron in my studio to wear when painting.

26.  Name one thing you would change about your kitchen if you could.  I'd rearrange things to where the fridge was easier to access.