It's the busy time of year....the most busy time we have all year long. While it can be tiring, it's also lots of fun. I LOVE this time of year, for the weather change, the beauty change and the excitement of all that's going on!

Here's our past week in photos...

First, Thomas went hunting with our friend and neighbor...

Here they are going up our hill...

Nope, they didn't get a deer...maybe on Thursday when they go again? Maybe if the yahoos in the field behind us are not buzzing around on their 4 wheelers with their guns out....maybe they'd be able to get one!

Our dachshund, Penny, gave birth to five beautiful puppies!!!

Rebecca used the Knifty Knitter and made Mary a hat....she's working on other projects with it now...

We made root beer! Now, this did not save money at all...but you know how I like to make things myself...  It was neat to do and tasted wonderful!!!

Here are all the supplies...

Here I've poured the root beer flavoring into the sugar...

Here is the combined flavoring and sugar, as well as the yeast that has proofed...

And here is the final result!

We have 5 gallons of root beer to drink! The box says to store it on its side for 1-2 days, then store it in the frig for 3-4 days...consuming within a week. Guess we have alot of root beer to drink, eh?! Toby stopped at the store and bought a huge container of vanilla ice cream..can you say "root beer floats all around"?!

Craft day for Thanksgiving...here are Natalie and her dog, Bean, as pilgrims. (No, I'm sure the pilgrims didn't wear yellow hats..bonnets..what were they called?! But, it's the color we had on hand and I didn't want to ask Honey to make yet another stop at Wal Mart on his way home...)

It's been a fun filled, busy week in our home. We have baking to do today..along with a run to pick up milk. We are planning a quiet day tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Hope you enjoyed our week in review!!

Off and on something comes up about my modeling days and some of you will contact me by message or e-mail and ask about it.  I modeled from the time that I was 9 until - literally - days before I married at 25.  I also doubled as a make-up artist from 19 to around 32.  I know...if you know me now you'd think that was impossible!  lol  I often say that I'm rebelling as I've given up the suits and 4" heels for jeans and Burkenstocks!    And I'm MUCH happier now!!

But, I thought I'd share a few of my portfolio pics with you...

This is from my very first portfolio shot in 1969 at age 10.  I had done a couple of runway shows before I even had a portfolio.  I was with this agency until I was 16.

Different agency. This was from 1977, age 18, taken in Downtown Dayton, Ohio.  I always loved location shots and doing commercials.  I really enjoyed the switch on a 'formal' look by going w/a tux instead of a long gown.  I wish I could find a still of the "Arby's Days"...I used to do local Arby's commercials.

This was a fun headshot taken around 1980, age 21.  I actually had a MONSTEROUS stack perm and calmed it down for the day's work!    At this point I was also teaching at this particular agency part-time, working the Clinique counter at a dept. store full-time and trying to have a social life.  I made myself sick and was hospitalized shortly after this was taken.  That's when my modeling started to take a back seat ... my agency was NOT amused.  I wasn't there that much longer and ended up going free-lance, which actually paid more anyway.  So it worked out in the end. 

Well, there's the show.  It certainly seems like looking at a movie of another person's life now, and, in many ways, it is.  I wasn't a Christian until I was 23 and the Lord is SO gracious, forgiving and good to me!  I went through a broken engagement from an atheist, became a Christian in 1982 and married my wonderful Christian husband in 1984.  I am undeserving and grateful!

 As a side note...the last time I modeled were the last 2 months before we married, in 1984, in a wedding series that traveled to about 10 different stores.  The wedding gown I had picked out for our own wedding happened to be in the show and the coordinators let me wear it in the shows in one of my sets!!  My sweet Ty, when he would take me to some of the shows, knew which "bride's maids" walked out before me in the set when I wore my gown and he would lower his head and look at the floor until that set was over so that he wouldn't see me in my gown until I walked down OUR isle.  Wasn't that sweet?  He said that whenever I walked out in that gown the audience would ooo and ahhh and it was a terrible temptation to look.  lol 

So, there you have it.  Hope you enjoyed the journey.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

FOR TODAY...

Outside my window...Cold, gloomy rain.  But it's quiet and comforting all at the same time.  Makes home seem all the more cozy and warm.

Going through some previous posts that I had written, I came across this one and decided to re-post. 

I remember reading an article from  ”The Daily Telegraph” newspaper a few months ago that prompted me to write today’s posting.

This article was about a mother who was standing over her children watching them painstakingly writing “thank you” letters and complaining that they had to do and the fact they had missed their television programme. Does this ring any bells!

I remember from a very early age having to write “thank you” letters from presents received at Birthdays, Easter and Christmas and getting so stroppy as I had to write these letters.  I was not allowed to do anything else until these were done and trust me if my handwriting wasn’t perfect then my parents made me do them all over again - boy how I hated doing this and resented this every time.  Now I am so pleased that my parents made me do this “resentful” task.

Now it is much easier, as there is the telephone, internet cards and packs of “thank you” cards that you can buy in the stores.  I do still think though that writing your own “thank you” cards/notes adds a much more personal touch………though I have to say that I am guilty of not doing this nearly as often as I should and I tend to pick up the phone as it is so much easier nowadays to do this but I do intend in getting back to the art of saying thank you properly.

I have also noticed that children especially growing up in today’s world do not have the same values installed in them that our parents installed in us - and it is such a shame.  This is particularly relevant in today’s secular world.

We (myself included here) need to get back to the art of saying “Thank You” properly and installing this lost art back into our children’s lives too.

Got this one from Jen...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?  YES! lol  Usually bags for friends and wrapping for family.  Don't know why, it just ends up that way.  My FAVORITE wrap is brown paper tied w/twine or raffia w/some sort of CHRISTmas Stampin' Up stamps.

2. Real tree or Artificial?  We used to do the real ones, but I pick up quills ALL year, so we have used a fake one for years.  Last year, however, we got the most wonderful tree!!  It's very rustic - just the way I like it - it has just a touch of "snow" (so it doesn't look 'cheap') and pine cones and we put only vintage and rustic ornaments on it.  LOVE IT!  I hate to take it down!

3. When do you put up the tree? If not the day after Thanksgiving, then the weekend following.

5. Do you like eggnog?  No. 

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  Hmmm...my Barbie Dream House.  I'm old enough that it was the second edition, still cardboard, but it was WAY cool!! 

7. Hardest person to buy for?  My mom.  She's very well off and has 2 of everything.

8. Easiest person to buy for?  My dog, Maggie!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?  Yes; it's the one my family has had since I was about 3 years old and is starting to fall apart.  I'd like to get replacement Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus and a few animals from the company that does the wooden angels for all occasions (shoot, can't think of the name).  While I'm at it ... I CAN'T STAND to see the wise men in a nativity scene!!  They didn't find Jesus until He was 2 years old, for Pete's sake...so put them waaaaay over on the other side of the house that they can make a journey of it! 

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?  Both.  If I have your e-mail address, you'll probably get an e-mail; family and friends w/o e-mail get cards. 

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?  OK...I'm serious here...no joke...My dear grandma was a very frugal gal, having lived through the Depression she was always thinking of USEFUL things to give.  The first CHRISTmas we were married she gave us a can of Crisco w/a bow on top!!  lol 

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?  White CHRISTmas.

13. When do you start shopping? Usually in December.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?  Yes.  'Nuff said.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?  My mom's stuffing!

16. Lights on the tree?  White.

17. Favorite Christmas song?  O Holy Night and I Wonder as I Wander.  I have a really beautiful arrangement of 'I Wonder...' that I worked out on my hammered dulcimer.

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home?   We usually go to my mom's house.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?  Possibly...um...no.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?  A rustic star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?  We have our OWN family CHRISTmas on CHRISTmas Eve morning - when the girls were little we were always rushing all over the place and we weren't making OUR OWN memories and they couldn't enjoy their news clothes or toys.  So, when our oldest was about 5 we started our own tradition on the day before. 

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year.  The emphasis on Santa and stores putting up CHRISTmas - eh hem - I mean 'holiday' decorations BEFORE halloween!! 

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?  Rustic, vintage.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Didn't I answer that?  My mom's stuffing.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?  A digital camera.

The holidays are near so I want to know...

1.
Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
 Hot chocolate!

2.
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
 Nope, never did the Santa-thing.  Jesus supplies the gifts – that’s what we’ve always told them.

3.
Colored lights on tree/house or white? 
 White

4.
Do you hang mistletoe? 
 yes

5.
When do you put your decorations up? 
  always right after Thanksgiving :) 

6.
What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? 
My mom’s stuffing.               

 7.
Favorite holiday memory as a child: 
When I was about 11, I couldn’t sleep one Christmas Eve night and I had my radio on.  It was about 2a.m. and Nat King Cole’s “Chestnuts Roasting” came on while huge, fluffy snowflakes floated down outside my windows.  Ahhhh.

8.
When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? 
 2^nd or 3^rd grade.
9.
Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? 
Yes.  So that OUR family can make our own Christmas memories, we open our own presents on Christmas Eve morning so that it’s not interrupted by having to leave to go to someone’s house.

10.
How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? 
  We got a new Christmas tree last year that is very real-looking w/just a little ‘snow’ and pinecones on it.  We put away many of our more trendy ornaments for the girls to have one of these days and now only use the more vintage and backwoods-looking ornaments.  It’s very rustic and I LOVE IT!!
11.
Snow! Love it or Dread it?
I love snow...especially when I’m inside looking out!

12.
Can you ice skate? 
  That’s up for interpretation…I’ve roller skated all my life and only ice skated once.

13.
Do you remember your favorite gift? 

Christmas of 1998, Ty got me my hammered dulcimer!!

14.
What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? 
Remembering God's gift to us in His Son Jesus and having my family all together for Christmas. 

15.
What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
 Pumpkin pie and red velvet cake.

16.
What is your favorite holiday tradition? 
The big family meal – everyone together and happy.

17.
What tops your tree? 
 A rustic star

18.
Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Definitely giving 

19.
What is your favorite Christmas Song? 
  O Holy Night and I Wonder as I Wander

20.
Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? 
 Yum.

21.
What do you want for Christmas? 
A digital camera

22.
Do you attend an annual Christmas Party? 
 Ty’s work and – if can call it a party – our annual Christmas Eve service.

23.
Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? 

When I was little we dressed up for the meal.  Now we just wear ‘nice’ jeans and maybe a ‘dress’ blouse/shirt or sweater.

24. Do you own a Santa hat?
 nope – don’t do the Santa-thing here.

25.
Who do you normally spend Christmas with? 
Our family ~~ Christmas Eve day is for our own family; the weekend before Christmas day is w/Ty’s side of the family, Christmas Day is usually w/my side of the family.