There is something soothing and so luxurious about candlelight.  I realized that instead of waiting for a 'special occasion' to bring out the candles, *I* needed to create more special occasions, or just be aware of all the special occasions around me... Every day of our lives, each and every one are special, beautiful times.  Times to be relished and cherished. 
So tonight I decided to make a special occasion.  I worked on getting the house in order, I lit some candles, they produced a soft glow and tranquil mood in the evening and into the twilight.  It made me feel so special, so peaceful.
 I hope to have many more soft, cozy evenings with the sound of the crickets outside, the flicker of the candlelight inside, my children all snug in their beds and in deep sweet sleep...while I am sitting with a mug of hot cider, my treasured quilt, reading, or sewing...
Glorious
Quiet
Exquisite moments
... simple and true. 

It has been gloomy and dreary all day long.........and tomorrow is supposed to be the same or worse.  Yuck!  I really need sunshine to have any ambition at all, so as you can imagine, I haven't gotten much done today.  I have a "few" indoor projects I could be doing, maybe tomorrow some of them will inspire me, I sure hope so.

We actually didn't buy anything at the auction Saturday except 4 roller pigeons.  There was lots of critters there for sale, but nothing that really interested us, so we left about 1/2 way through the sale. 

Got home that evening and found out a lady wanted pies made for Sunday........so I spent Saturday night baking.  Remember I just said I was glad the pressure of baking every Friday was over for the summer??  Well, I had an order for 3 pies on Friday afternoon, and then made 6 more on Saturday night.

We had a pot-luck dinner at church yesterday.  A friend and neighbor gave me some eggplant and a recipe last week, so I tried it out.  It turned out good.  As always there was lots of good food there.

We have an interim pastor right now, he has been there about 6 weeks.  I can see the Lord working through him and it is exciting!  He is such a caring man and really stresses prayer.  Almost every Sunday there have been people going forward for baptism ( our church is Baptist) and to join the church.  You would not think people would make those kinds of decisions without a full time pastor.  There is just a different attitude, very exciting indeed!

Hubby has been working, until the rain, on getting the garden worked up.  It will be quite a bit bigger next year.  We also need to have a spot ready for some blackberry plants.  Some friends asked if we wanted some starts next spring.....of course I said yes!  They will have to be someplace safe from goat escapes.  Not sure there is any such place???

I know there are mixed feelings about Oprah, but I saw advertised today that her show tomorrow, Tuesday, might be interesting.  It is Where does our food come from, or something close to that.   They showed some free range chickens.  Don't know what it will include, but I thought it might be of interest to watch and see how they present the topic.  It may make us small producers look bad or it may bring us some great advertisement............

The weather man said there are frost warnings for the north-west part of Kansas tonight.........yikes, I know it is coming soon enough but I am not ready! 

Country Blessings,

Marilyn~at Heritage Hill Homestead

 

Sunday, Oct. 12:

We went to church as usual.  We had a guest preacher today because today starts our week long revival meetings.  The preacher talked about alot of different stories in the bible but one really stood out from among the rest.  The story of Noah & the ark.  The preacher said that Noah built the ark not only for his family & the animals but for all mankind.  He said that no one would take heed of Moses warning so no one but Noah & his family were saved.  I have never heard this take on this story before.  Very interesting.

Monday, Oct. 13:

Today was a busy day as usual.  Exercising, vacuuming, dishes, homeschool, 5 loads of laundry & grocery shopping.  Everything was smooth sailing....

until....

I got home from the grocery store!  I was unloading the groceries from the back of the van.  I went to pick up the sack that contained 4 half gallons of milk in it and pulled a muscle in my lower back.  OUCH!  IT REALLY HURTS!  So now I'm kind of laid up.  It takes me forever to walk around the house, thank the Lord I don't have stairs!  I went to lay down in my bed & watch some t.v hoping that some rest would make it feel better.  NOT THE CASE!  I practically screamed when I had to raise myself off of the bed in order to get up to make something for supper.  We are just having some spaghetti & a salad tonight.  I was going to fix lasagna but I couldn't muster up enough pain tolerance to accomplish that.

My youngest has been feeling sick to her stomach today.  We just got over with a round of colds last week and now another?  UGH!  She woke up this morning saying that she felt like she was going to throw up.  She has eaten a few things & has been sipping on some Gatorade, water, & Sprite.  She has kept those down so hopefully she will be back to herself tomorrow.

Until next time....

Outside my window-The sun is shining, and it's cool.The Skies are bue!

I am thinking-of all the little things I have to do after being gone a week from home.

I am thankfull- for my time with my daughter and her family. I had a great time in SA.

From the kitchen-laundrey baskets are sitting full of clothes waiting to be washed.

I am going- to the dentist this afternoon to have a tooth pulled! yuk!

I am hearing - Home and Garden on TV

I am reading- an inspirational novel I started on the plane.

I am hoping- to get to my studies today???

Around the house- is trip clutter that has to be put back in its place.

One of my favorite things- is watching people at the airport...The world seems so much bigger when I'm there.

Plans for work-clean clean

With my needle- I finished a baby quilt-officially... I worked on sewing scraps together on Ambers machine and by hand while I was in SA. I Sewed some curtains for her living room.

 From Gods word- There fore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exault you at the proper time,casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1Peter 5:6-7

Have a Blessed Day!

Nettie

Caramel Apple Butter 

 3 lbs apples

1/2 cup water or apple juice (I use unsweetened apple juice)

2 cups white sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

21 caramels

 Peel, core and chop apples. Add apples and water/apple juice into a large pot.  (I used my crock pot.) Over medium high heat cook apples until just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and puree using a food mill, food processor or whatever you have on hand. Discard leftover juice in pot. Return puree to pot. Add the sugar stirring well. Return to medium high heat and cook until mixture bubbles.

  *Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently until butter is thick and has a spreadable consistency. Add the ginger, cloves and cinnamon, stirring well. Add the caramels. Turn the heat up to medium low, stirring constantly until caramels are melted. Ladle butter into clean hot jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Seal. Process in a boiling water bath canner 10 minutes for pints, 5 minutes for half pints.

  *Using a frozen saucer place a spoonful of butter in center. If no rim of liquid forms, your butter is done.

I got this recipe from Grandma Rosie last year and it was wonderful! Do try it. :-)

 

You HAVE to watch this video!  Be careful, you'll catch yourself smiling through the whole thing!

http://www.maniacworld.com/twin-baby-moose-in-sprinkler.html

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

For Today...

Outside my window...another beautiful fall day.  Thank You, Lord.  Even though it is unseasonably warm today, once the rains came last week we started seeing some of that lovely red!

I am thinking...that I need to clean the kitchen!

From the learning rooms...NO SCHOOL TODAY!!  We're taking Columbus Day off as it comes on the same day that the Golden Angels homeschool volleyball team makes the trek up to Marion, Ohio for tonight's game.  It's the farthest we go for a regular season (non-tournament) game.  PLUS...my dear husband has today off from work (he's a contractor at a military base) and we want to spend as much time NOT traveling w/him as we can.

I am thankful for...an extra day to spend w/my sweetheart.

From the kitchen...my dh's favorite brunch of Amish French Toast and a new fresh loaf of bread.

I am wearing...my wonderful flannels!  Give me denim, flannel, thermal or cotton and I'm happy.

I am reading...The Last Days by Joel Rosenburg; he's sort of a Christian John Grisham-type writer.

I am hoping...that the repair work on my bow window won't cost an arm and a leg.

I am creating...a better organized house.

I am hearing...the radio, my dh turning pages in his morning newspaper.

Around the house...laundry, general house cleaning, enjoying each other's company.

One of my favorite things...now that our oldest dd is almost 21 and works outside the home, will be going back to school this January, has a social life and is involved w/a couple of ministries at our church - it's SO nice when all 4 of us can sit down to supper together.  We laugh, and gab, and plan.  It's an odd time of transition for me...I love to see them stretch their wings, but I miss being w/them all the time.

A few plans for the rest of the week...trying to keep school and housework on track w/all the volleyball.  I'm sorry I keep bringing this up, but at this time of year it's all-consuming; 3 and 4 games a week!  But this is dd#2's Senior year and we are trying to make this as special as possible (just as we did for dd#1)...so it's a big part of our lives until the 1st week of November.

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

Speaking of volleyball.  They also got new uniforms this year, too.

Click on the Simple Woman Daybook pic, at top of post, and see other Daybooks.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

This was in my inbox this morning and I thought it was worth sharing these good tips for saving money....Kitty

 

Saving on Your Heating Bill
by Justin Ripley
You don't have much choice. You must heat your home.

With gas, heating fuel, and electric prices rising more and
more every day, many people are finding that the cost of
heating their homes is reaching astronomical proportions.
Unlike other monthly expenses that can be cut out of a
person's budget, home heating expenses are not an area where
we have much choice. We have to heat our homes during the cold
winter months just in order to survive. It's a simple as that.

Despite the fact that this is an expense we can not remove
from our budgets, there are a number of things that can be
done to trim those heating costs throughout the winter. Many
articles point to expensive remedies, such as installing
energy efficient windows or installing new insulation. While
these solutions work, it can take years to realize the savings
in lower heating costs. Conversely, most of these ten tips are
cheap, easy, and quick to implement. I hope they will save you
some money while keeping you warm throughout those cold winter
months!

1. Install a "smart" thermostat. While it may cost you
somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to purchase a
programmable thermostat, it should pay for itself within a
year. Personally, I bought a 7-day programmable thermostat as
soon as I moved into my new house and I love it. It was
relatively easy to install myself and now the temperature in
my home fluctuates throughout the day per my plan. The heat
drops down to 62 during the day when I'm not home (why keep
the place warm when nobody is home!) then charges back up to
70 degrees shortly before I get back from work. At bedtime, it
drops down to 62 again, and then it heads back up to 70
shortly before I need to get out of bed in the morning. It's
great!

2. Throw some extra blankets on the bed. Following the thought
from above, I sleep in a relatively cold environment. I find
it to be better for my lungs, and frankly, once you're nestled
under a bunch of warm blankets, it's quite enjoyable. Not
heating the house to 70 degrees throughout the night will save
a bunch of money on those heating bills.

3. Consider buying a humidifier. Moist air feels warmer than
dry air, and it's better for your skin and lungs, too.

4. Wear wool socks in the house. The floors in your house get
cold in the winter as heat rises and colder air moves down.
Cold feet make cold people. Wool socks are cheap, comfortable,
and will keep you and your feet warm.

5. Wear a sweater. Like the socks, this is a cheap and easy
way to stay warm throughout the winter and allows you to set
the thermostat at a lower temperature. I've noticed that in
today's modern world people seem to think they should be able
to wear shorts and t-shirts in their homes throughout the
winter. This is fine if you want to pay for it. I'll take a
lesson from my ancestors and just bundle up a little bit.

6. Let the light in. Be sure to open the window shades and
blinds during the day. Sunlight coming in will act as passive
solar heat and can make a significant difference in the
temperature of your home.

7. Turn the ceiling fans on. This one may sound a little
crazy, but it works. Most ceiling fans have a switch on them
that allows them to run in reverse. By running the fan in
reverse at a low speed, it will actually help circulate warm
air throughout the house.

8. Seal the leaks. At the beginning of winter, go around your
home and seal up any potential air leaks with caulk or weather
stripping. Most of the heat that leaves your home escapes
through cracks around the windows and doors. To the extent
possible, seal these up!

9. Service your furnace and/or heaters. A dirty furnace or heater is not efficient and
will cost more money to run than one  that receives
annual cleaning from a professional. In addition to periodic
servicing, be sure to replace those air filters if needed.

10. Cook a big Sunday roast.  Mom
always cooked a Sunday roast. Pork or beef with carrots,
potatoes, gravy, and all the other good stuff. It was a great
tradition to bring the family together at least one day a
week, and of course, the food was great, too. Cooking a
roast meant having the oven on for a few hours, and all that
heat definitely escapes into the house. It doesn't cost much
to run the oven, and it's also a nice way to spend a quiet
Sunday in the winter with family.

I hope these simple tips prove useful and help you save some
of your hard-earned cash this winter!

Please stop by to visit Peggy to peek into the lives of other "Simple Women," and to read the guidelines for creating your own Daybook

  I must confess that amongst all the crazy things I have done, this one is the most painful. Saturday while helping a friend from church tear down her old well house(it was caving in) I managed to step on a rusty nail...Yikes  Although for the most part it didnt hurt just more of a Ahh man I gotta go get a tetnus shot(20 years since I last had one, and that too was for a nail in the foot)... I resorted to being driven to the hospital but not with out hitting the drive thru at sonic for their happy hour drink specials.... ha haha Go orange juice slushes, and a caramel java chiller!... Now before you go and scold me, I am most glad we got me the drinks as it would be 3 hours in the ER before I was to be released... During that time though my friend was happy as she got to watch the OU vs Texas college football game on the big screen tv they had in the ER room...

  With one Tetnus shot, a few X rays, and a couple of Meds later I was out the door and ready to conquer some more of the well house....Only to have our Pastor(who lives not far from up the road from either of my friend and I, tell us no more ladies until you can get the following materials to re build this well house. What a bummer.

 Now the pain, where is the pain you maybe asking for my foot, after all it was a puncture wound....Well the pain didnt come until Sunday, and boy does it HURT...its a constant dull throbbing pain and it will be nice when it heals. Now amongst all this I am wondering what in the world or better yet how in the world am I going to move along in the cleaning with this house of mine.... and still get the school lessons done... Tada a new plan! Well actually its a plan that I have thought about for a few days now, and with the inspiration I got from looking at other folks schedules I thought I could prayerfully consider and ask if it would be ok to make some of those mine as well... But as I can see I am already running over my computer time limit, so I will have to share with you the schedule at another time....Until we meet again.....Have a Great Day....