catsnmore on the farm

Update

UPDATE

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU ALL  for the overwhelming out pour of love and concern. I told some one this morning in a PM that I felt as tho I couldn't live up to you ladies. I put you all on pedistals and as hard as I was trying, I kept falling off trying to reach you all. How silly is that, really I'm not sure what I was thinking.  Like I'm the only one with a personal life  that is messed up.

When I started this blog I promised myself that I would never lie, stretch the truth, or exagerate in any way. I wanted you all to know the real me. Well the REAL me has problems.

"My name is Kitty and I my life is not perfect!"

 There I did it. Now I feel better.  LOL.  I still feel the need to take a break for now. I did try talking with my dh today and he tells me that this unhappiness that he is feeling has been a long time coming. I'm really not sure what he's going through, but the fact that he is not a Christian in any way shape or form really doesn't leave me much to work with. I am leaving my future in God's hand for now. I do see cracks in some door already, so maybe it will all work out, and maybe not as I would hope either.

Thanks again for all the prayers, I feel like Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life, LOL. (I have to laugh to keep from crying. )

Love you all.............Kitty

PS I will still be visiting often, I just can't stay away.

Saying Goodbye Forever, Is A Very Hard Thing to Do!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today, well, actually this whole week since Saturday, I have been thinking, and praying, running certain scenarios past hubby about friendships.  And I won't go into great detail here, but a long time friend I feel has changed.  She isn't the same person I knew years ago, or even last year.  She hangs out with the wrong crowd, drinks and does things I don't agree with since I am Christian and so is she.  I think she is using the bar scene, bar friends, and the alcohol as her coping mechanism.  Which in some sense, I can understand, because goodness knows I have used a bag of cookies and a glass of milk as my coping mechanism, and I have the body to prove it too! LOL 

To make a long story short, I felt this friendship was going nowhere but down the hill.  She has other friends (bar friends), she was willing to take and take and take from me (I was too kind to say no, and that is my fault), but not willing to give anything back to the relationship.  She wasn't willing to pay me for money she borrowed, and then I found out she stole from me as well.  She dropped me in an instant when the bar friends called her, but wasn't willing to be there for me when I needed her.

This last Saturday, when I spoke to hubby about it, he was very sweet and understanding, saying he has been in relationships like that as well, and he had to walk away and told me to pray about it, and how I wanted to handle this.  He has been against my friendship with this gal for quite some time, because of her bad influence on me, and because she does seem to suck me dry of everything I had to give, add drama to my life, and was unwilling or unable to give anything back.  I felt like I was being used, and it made me mad.  I don't remember her always being like this though.  I think a really hard life, failed marriages, and bad decisions (not judging here, because goodness knows we all make them, and I have made many many of my own), have brought her to this place.  I just wish she would run to God instead of to the bar.  I wish she would find some new friends from church who didn't bring the daily drama into her life that the bar and those friends bring to her life, but all the Christian friends I know she had before have all walked away and washed their hands of her in the past year or so.  I was the one who stuck around the longest.  She thinks her new bar friends are loyal to her in her time of need, because they don't walk away when she is down, but the truth is, if she stopped hanging out in the bar, they wouldn't be anywhere to be found in her life!

So hubby and I both prayed about it and believe me you, I don't take something like this lightly.  But after praying and asking for some Godly guidance from some Godly Christian friends, I had to come to the realization that I was part of the problem by letting her treat me like this, and that I shouldn't be doing that.  I shouldn't let people who encourage me to leave my hubby at  every little fight be in my life.  (Which she has done since her and her hubby have separated, because she doesn't like my hubby, and wants me to be single like her) I should lnot let someone talk negatively about my hubby in that manner and try to bring me down to her single parent level.  I told her a couple of times that talking negatively about my husband hurt MY feelings and if she cared about me, she wouldn't do it, but she continued to speak negatively about him, male bash him, and encourage me to leave.

 So, after a weekend of tears and sorrow, I had to tell this friend yesterday that I was not willing to put up with her actions anymore.  She owes me quite a chink of money, but I told her I would write off her debt and have decided she owes me nothing, because this is what hubby and I decided to do.  She doesn't have the money, and it would take her years to pay that small amount of money back.  Even if she promised to pay it, I would continue to get mad every month when she avoided my calls reminding her that she was 15 days late and needed to pay me.  She would NEVER pay back the money see, and it is easier to cut ties now, and count myself lucky that this is all she owed me, than to stew over it and get angry about it every month until it was paid.

I am writing this not to get attention, to slash her name (I have purposefully not mentioned certain personal things about her or her family, to protect her), not even to get sympathy.  I just needed to write I suppose!  And even now, that it is over, and the damage is done, the Lord has spoken, my hubby has given me his point of view, I still wonder, did I do the right thing???  I have been going against my own hubby's wishes for 2 years now, by being friends with her, and I can't do that any longer.  I have choosen to put my husband and our relationship above that of mine and another other girlfriend. 

But I find myself mourning the friendship that used to be.  The girl she used to be, and the fun times we had, laughing how she and friends toliet papered my house many years ago.  I still find myself in tears as I write this, not wanting her to think I am one of "them".  The ones that leave you high and dry when you are in your time of need.  I find myself now, still  wanting to call her and tell her about the silly dream I had last night, like we did almost every morning.  I find myself wanting to send her a text message and say...........I still care.  I miss you!  I love you!  I will pray for you!  But I can't........I simply can't sit back and watch you self destruct anymore!  I can't let you walk all over me anymore.  I am standing up for myself!!  I will learn from this, and I do pray that you will too.

Did I do the right thing???  I am second guessing myself.  Satan is playing games with me, making me feel guilty for the decision I have made and it is time for me.....to stand my ground.  Now, how do I do that??

If you are reading this, and find it in your heart to do so, please pray, for my friend, that she would find the path she is supposed to in life!!  And pray for me, that the mourning won't last long, and that I can move on without this haunting me.

Zucchini-Bran Squares (Recipe)

Another recipe from the classic zucchini cookbook.. Note I haven't tried these recipes yet but will soon..I might do these this weekend..

From our kitchen to yours

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zucchini-Bran Squares

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3/4 cup (1 1/2sticks)butter,melted and cooled

3/4 cup egg substitute

1/3 cup skim milk

3/4 cup bran cereal

1/2 cup raisins

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1~preheat the oven to 350F.Grease an 8 inch square baking dish or coat with nonstick cooking spray

2~combine the butter,egg substitute,milk,cereal,and raisins in a large mixing bowl.Set aside for 5 minutes.

3~In a small mixing bowl,combine the flour,sugar,baking powder,cinnamon,and baking soda. Mix well.

4~Squeeze the zucchini to remove any excess moisture.Stir the zucchini into the cereal mixture and stir to combine. Spread the batter in the prepared baking dish.

5~Bake the squares for 55-60 minutes,until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

6~On a wire rack,cool the squares in the pan. Serve warm or completely cool.

Serves 9

Enjoy!

Winner of the denim apron giveaway is: HeatherD76!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the denim apron giveaway in celebration of my 300th post.  I had 14 entries in all who were interested in receiving the apron and today I chose the winner.

I have already pm'ed her and will be sending her apron out next week, but I wanted to post here as well, so all of you could go congratulate her on her win!!!

The c farm updates

Well we are very busy here.. It has rained off and on the whole week. So there is much to catch up on. I just came in from mowing and to have lunch.. I started mowing @9:30 and finished @ 1:30 for the day. I still have another day of mowing.. I went through a tank of gas.
Ray is working he is starting his four days on. There is the garden that needs picking..green beans and yellow. Zucchini and the rest of the peas. That is what I know about. The flower and herb beds need weeding and the pool needs to be cleaned and I have one more load of clothes to bring in from line and hang another..Make Ray's meals for tomorrow for work and I hope to make a apron.. I cut four aprons out last night.. So my day is full.. I better go and get the clothes in ..

Thanks for stopping by..

Sister Brenda

Obviously I have nothing to worry about....

The NEA Is NOT About Education But Indoctrination!

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=70464-  If only Christians parents would see what 13 years in a secular enviroment is really doing to their kids. It's Babylon in America!  Ideas, not education! Let us look ONLY to scripture for our guideance and never be ashamed to proclaim the truth! God's Word NOT the world! In Your Sweet Name Jesus!

Father please open the eyes of your children and forgive me for keeping mine shut for so long!

Bless all who pass this way!

Amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7

I don't understand

VBS is Super Fun...

Hello Dear Ones... I hope your week has been especially sweet.  Lately things have been a bit crazy, but last night as I was teaching my class at Vacation Bible School I was just overwhelmed with God's goodness and mercy.  I love teaching children about our Lord.  VBS is super fun... here are a few pics from this week and the great thing is, we still have tonight and tomorrow!!!
Our theme is Outrigger Island.  And the motto is~
Know the Truth
Speak the Truth
Live the Truth
So we are all dressed in Hawaiian clothes... Last night was Mu-mu night.  I felt like Mrs. Roper... remember?
I didn't get a full body shot, but you can kinda get an idea from this picture Cameo and I took before we left...
Here are some pictures from the first night...

Here is my Carlie Jean and Logan...
Here are the girls in my class... My Cameo is there on the far right.       I am excited for tonight and tomorrow and hopefully will have a bunch more pictures.  Have a great Friday!
My Cup Runneth Over...Chas

Today's Sewing Projects

Today, I finally got to do some sewing again.  I made a new baby ring sling for carrying Micah in.  I had some moss green linen fabric that I had originally bought to make a dress with.  The fabric was a perfect weight of linen to make the baby sling from as it is strong enough to hold Micah securely, yet light weight enough to not be too warm in the summer.  The sling instructions came from Sweet Things Baby Slings website.  Leah, the owner, used to make and sell baby slings as a home business but as of May, 2008, she has closed her business and began offering her sling instructions on the webpage for free.  She has instructions for making and using both the ring sling and the pouch type.  The ring sling took very little time for me to make.  I serged all the edges before hemming them.  Leah's instructions were very easy to follow and I now have a new sling for Micah that I can't wait to try out tomorrow.

Another sewing project was making a stack of new diaper soakers.  A while ago, I had been given an interesting diaper soaker.  Made of a doubled layer of terry cloth, the soaker was shaped like a cloth diaper buyt without elastic or closures.  The soaker had an additional rectangular piece or doubled terry cloth with rounded corners that was sewn down the center of the soaker to give additional absorbancy.  I love this soaker over any other type I have used.  I wrap it onto Micah, then wrap a diaper cover over top.  At night, I can use it inside of another diaper to give extra absorbancy as a night diaper.  Using the serger, I was able to sew up a stack of these soakers in very little time.  The one change that I made to the soaker was the way the extra layer was sewn in.  On the original one that I was given, the extra soaker layer was stitched down the middle with a single line of stitching that went down the length from one short end to the other.  When I dry this soaker in the dryer, it takes more than one full cycle to dry it thoroughly.  To solve that problem of drying time, I instead stitch the extra soaker across the short end at the back of the diaper only.  This makes a "flap" that will allow the soaker to dry faster, whether it be in the dryer or hung out on the clothesline.

Tomorrow, I hope to get some more sewing finished.  It seems that the list of clothing and other sewing projects never ends when you sew for your family.  I love it!