Well the last three days or so must have been the coldest it has been in awhile.  When DH went to work this morning it was -7 or 8.  I took some photos over the last couple of days especially when we had a bit of snow - I guess a light dusting really but still enough to affect public transport etc. 

There is a large pond next to my next door neighbour and this has been frozen over for a few days. 

Here are a couple of photos of our back garden and you can just about see the frozen pond to the right of the pictures.

I really do need to go and purchase a pair of gloves and a hat :lol.

Talking of purchases, I was really pleased today, I managed to pick up some gifts that were on sale in one of the stores I visited this morning.  I couldn't believe how low the cost was - these will be perfect for birthday presents etc for family/freinds throughout this year.  My gift shelf in my office is becoming quite full :).

Oh, those tempting little darlings are arriving daily in the mail ...yep, you know what I mean...SEED CATALOGS! 

What lovely thoughts they do bring to mind, gorgeously blooming flowers, luscious fruits and bountiful vegetables all in a perfectly tended garden  . 

Making a long list of new things to try and some old favorites to replant comes next. 

Then reality sinks in when I actually add up the cost of my wish list ; and the paring down begins.  I still usually end up with more seeds than garden space; but they make nice little gifts to tuck into a card or letter for a fellow gardener, and many can be saved for planting next season. 

I've yet to sit down for my list making this year, and it is just about time to start some things indoors ; but this afternoon looks to be cold and dreary outside- perfect weather for "seed shopping" in my book!

I will probably order from Bountiful Gardens and Seed Savers Exchange this year.  I love The Cook's Garden catalog, too; though mine has not yet arrived.  What are your favorite places to order seeds from?  

Next week I'll try to post a few picks for 2009 from my wish list.  Please share your own favorite seed catalogs, and any "must have" items from your own wish list this year!

With Wishes for a Bountiful New Gardening Year,

Catherine

  I was dreading this morning!  Donnie would be going back to work-after being off for three weeks!  Schooling lessons starting back up again.  The laundry and cleaning starting all over again.  Sigh...     

  But this morning wasn't so bad.  I think it was because Donnie prayed for us before he left for work.  Will and Anna slept until noon. (Will works nights, and the baby has been so sick.) So, Seth and I had the morning virtually all to ourselves. 

   I was able to get all my laundry done, the kitchen cleaned, the house straightened, the furniture dusted, the floors vacuumed, Seth's sheets changed, a sour cream coffeecake made, some chicken breasts boiled up for chicken salad and a chicken thawed out for supper tonight.  Not bad for a mornings work.

   There seems to be some stress in the air.  Will is getting sick and he is grumpy when he is sick, but this is our home and we will go on living our daily lives anyway.  

   I have the bathroom to clean and that is really it for today.  Anna said she would cook supper tonight.  Fried chicken...I am going to make a sweet potato casserole and boil up some seasoned butterbeans. 

   I cannot wait until my Donnie comes home.  I miss him.  His Mr. Steady-ness used to drive me crazy!  But, now I truly rely on his steadiness.  His soft firmness--his calmness.  I seem to feed off this trait of his and I try to imitate it as well.  Yep, I miss him.  Retirement is looking better and better all the time.

                God Bless!!!   

I got dreams of starting a small farm (doing lots of reading), getting the garden in, making the corn crib into a mini green house, putting in hedgerow and split rail fence in front of the house and few other small projects.

I'm excited to see spring around the corner. I've got my 2009 garden planned and a list of seeds I need to order ready (got a gift certificate, will put it to use). Going to get the lights hooked up, can hardly wait to start the seeds in the basement.

Decided to also start eating right/healthy to lose the extra pounds, with my goal being June. Want to add exercising and walking in my daily schedule. Will keep a journal on my progress.

Blessings! 

   Ever heard the term "get real"? Well, I figured this was the right time to share how we "get real":P

   Every year, folks everywhere, during the festive holiday season, from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years, take pictures of the events that surround them. As we all enjoy sharing our special moments with our families and friends, the perfect pictures are sought and bought (or generated on our trusty, all encompassing computers) so that we might send these to our loved ones. Memories of family times together. Moments that we'll never see again.

   Babies first Christmas, the last time the matriarch or patriarch was with us all before passing on to Glory, when all the family was finally together for the first time in years and the list goes on. For us, we not only seek that perfect picture to share but we seek to share the real us. After all, it's not the staunch poses, capturing the exact moment that everyone is looking in the right direction, children behaving, babies content, it's the chaos in between those pictures that leave us with the lasting impression of that holiday past:)

   Our first picture above is the one folks seek to share...however, in THIS family, the following picture is the one that will appear on next years Christmas Cards...We believe in "getting real":P

Have a very blessed New Year ahead!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

   Today is the LORD's Day!  I went to church, but I must say that my heart was not on the sermon.  I was in prayer, almost the whole service, for my grandson.  He has a viral croup, and the little guy has been sick.  Last night I held both my daughter and grandson while one cried and the other coughed.  My heart was hurting for both of my children.  We have steamed bathed him, cool mist vaporized him, Vicks rubbed him, held him, snot wiped him since Wednesday.  All I could do last night was annoint him and pray for him.  It was a long night.

   Will came home from work about 5 in the morning and took over the watch.  The three of them did get some sleep, but it wasn't a restful one.  Will ended up doing some postural drainage and that helped.  This evening, the baby does sound better.  Thank you Abba!!

   This weekend has been marked with some increased anxiety.  Donnie is returning to work, and my safety net will be gone.  When Donnie is here everything seems to be right for me, but when he is gone-nothing is right.  I am a big girl.  I shouldn't feel so vulnerable when he is gone.  I am hoping that once we are back into our normal routine of schooling, housework, shopping, etc.- that the anxieties will stop.  I must put my trust in the LORD not into the very presence of my Donnie.  Everything will be okay-God says He will never leave me nor forsake me.  That is His promise.

   Right now, I am so exhausted from fighting the anxiety that I feel as though I could sleep for a week!  These things rob me of sooo... much energy.  It is funny--when God is in something--the energy flows.  There is an excitment in the air.  When satan is in something--the energy gets zapped!  There is dread and fear in the air.  I know that these bouts of anxiety and panic are not from God.  This is a good revelation.  I have always heard that where God reveals-God heals!  I am ready for His healing!  Smiling...

   There is so much in my heart and mind that I would love to type out here, but everything is still so jumbled up that I could not type these thoughts out if I tried.  I have been thinking about my family, the economy, lifestyle changes, health changes, home changes.....changes period!  How does God work through all these things?  How does He work through all these things with every person in the world?  He is so much bigger than I give Him credit for.  Hmm...

   Well, I am going to close.  God Bless!!

We have a busy 2.5 year old named Noah.  And I do mean BUSY!  We have been having a hard time getting him to gain weight because he is on the run all the time, and can't be bothered to stop and eat most days.  Although he is getting better about eating when the rest of us do, and taking regular snacks, he is still on foot, moving and a'shaking all day long.  He rarely stops to come snuggle anymore like he did when he was 1, and he doesn't sleep as well in his bed either.  UGH

But a few days ago I found out a secret to getting him excited about getting into bed and taking a nap.  That morning I stripped down all the beds (ok, so there are only 2, but ALL the beds, sounds like I did alot more that I actually did. LMS) and washed and dried it all.  Around nap time, I realized Noah's favorite blankets, his stuffies, and pillowcases,etc. were still in the dryer.  I went to check if they were dry and they were.  About that time, Noah walked into the laundry room and saw me holding one of his bed blankets and said MINE as his eyes lit up.  He didn't see me take things from his bed, but he knew the routine of mom taking all blankets and stuffed animals, so he instantly said, WHERE"S CAT??? in a concerned little voice.  I said I don't know in a teasing manner, and he practically climbed into the dryer to find his cat (his name is also cat), his racoon (named Rusty and loved and washed for almost 2 years now without falling apart), and bunny (He used to sing Jesus Loves Me but we wore him out), taggie blankie (a blanket with ribbon tags all around the edges that he recieved from my mom) and all his other bedding.

I carried some of his items and he carried the most important....the stuffies.  I went to make his bed, and he scurried after me to place the animals and pillow in just the right spot.  (He thinks the two pillows in his bed should be used as extra padding and not a head pillow.  He sleeps on two pillow side by side instead of sleeping with one under his head. LOL He has done this since he was old enough to have a pillow in his crib! LOL)  Then I started to walk out, but Noah crawled up into bed and I thought, ok.  We will give this a try but I am sure in 2 minutes he will want up.

I tucked the little guy in as our ritual goes and he laid down, snuggled in, sighed and I left the room, closing the door gently as I left and told him I loved him and after he slept we would play with toys.  I stood just outside the door, waiting for a terarful hollar that he wasn't ready to nap.  (NO SLEEP!!!!!  MUST PLAY!!!  LOL)  BUt he didn't.  Miraculously, he went to sleep.  Leaving me suprised and thankful for the peace and quiet for the almost 2 hours he slept that day.  Dear Lord, thank you for nap times!!!  I need those few hours of quiet just as much as he needs the rest and sleep!!!

Another good site!

http://www.handmilking.com/BIZyCart.asp?ACTION=Home&CLIENT=HandMilk&ACCOUNT=17496-

Amanda <><
Matthew 6:33

http://farmwoman.proboards106.com/index.cgi-

Amanda <><
Matthew 6:33

A wee bit more expensive, but looks good anyway!

http://www.wisementrading.com/butterchurns.htm-

Amanda <><
Matthew 6:33