The secretary at the school in our town, invited us to a wonderful event her church was doing.  They  called it the Apple and Pumpkin Festival.  From 11-3 they had pumpkins for the kids, a moon bounce, games, prizes, crafts, pony rides, food, face painting, and clowns making balloon animals.  And get this...it was all FREE!!!!!!!! I'm sure it cost a pretty penny to put it all together.  They had a booth  where they were giving out free gas cards.   Who wouldn't jump on that one right?  Well when you went over to get your gas card they asked if they could ask you a few questions.  Now if any of you have seen the Kirk Cameron evangelism videos on God tube, you know what they asked.  Are you a good person? Have you ever lied?  Stolen?  If you were to stand before a judge would you be found guilty of these crimes?  Would you go to heaven or hell based on that?  I can't remember the whole spin but it was a great, non threatning way for them to talk to people, see where they are coming from and share the gospel with them.    They also had some people walking around with some great optical illusion tricks that went right into sharing the gospel.  I think that church is doing a superb job with fullfilling the great commission.  My girlfriend and her two kids met us there and we made a day of it.  The kids never got bored and they had a blast.  Here are some pics of our day.

THE NEXT TIGER WOODS!

KALEIGH AND BLAKE WITH CHARLIE BROWN

PARKER"S PONY RIDE

FACE PAINTING

BLAKE GOT A STRIKE!

PARKER IN THE MOON BOUNCE

I've been looking for some ideas on using the used canning lids from all of the canning I do.  I hate to see them go to waste.  So, here are a few links to websites for crafts that others have done:

Creative Crafts

Uses for Used Canning Lids

I have a gallon size bag full of used canning lids.  I'm going to start using them for Christmas gifts.  I've got most of the Christmas gifts for my side of the family, but not sure what to do about my husband's family.  They don't like home-canned goods and I'm not really sure that they like our homemade gifts ... hmmm.  I'm trying to be frugal, though, so we'll see what we come up with.  I'll post pictures later of the crafts we come up with!

Bow season has already started down here in Texas.  And, with God's grace and Johnny's good bow-hunting skills, we have a buck!  We're going to spend part of tomorrow processing the deer - probably making breakfast sausage.  If anyone has any good breakfast sausage recipes, please send them my way!  I think on the next one we're going to make jerky (yummy!).

I've also got a huge bag of peppers that I'm going to use this week to make Hot Pepper Butter. 

And, I took the last 3 jars of frozen grape juice concentrate out of the freezer in hopes of making grape juice this week.  I'm trying to get our freezer cleaned out for the sausage and venison we'll be putting in there this fall. 

God willing we'll hopefully get a few more deer this year so we can fill our freezer.

Life has been so busy around here - but I love a busy home!

   Do you ever feel that you are trying to live up to expectations? Expectations that aren't necessarily expectations of another but your own expectations? What are those expectations? Are they reasonable? Are they easily attained? Or are they simply expectations placed upon yourselve because of your perception of what you should be rather than what you are?

   Blogging is a wonderful and fun thing to do. I certainly enjoy reading other folks goings on. Seeing what they are up to, gleaning information, learning new skills and seeing into a small window of their lives. Like most, I often tend to think I'm not doing enough because I'm not doing all that someone else does.

   Now, add that one blog onto about a dozen other blogs, all of which are doing something different, and the expectation of self becomes insurmountably impossible. It sets me up for failure.

   Once I've fallen for this perceived view of what a failure I am, I try harder to do what all those others are doing and wear myself out, make myself feel less than adequate, less of a homesteader, mother, wife, sister, daughter, person. Before I know it, I hate my life, my surroundings and want to run away and hide because I have nothing worth while to share of my own life because I simply don't measure up.

   I'm here to tell you that if you do and think all these things...YOU ARE NORMAL!!! It's not just the blogs it's the books we read, the things we talk about, our dreams and aspirations all rolled up into one mondo ego trip. A trip that has only one destination...failure!

   I learned long ago that there were certain things I wanted for my life. Certain things that I was certain God was calling me to do. Bringing those two things together I realized that God was in it all.

   After I got my priorities straight and left behind all those wannabe blogs and books etc, I figured out who I was and what I truly expected of myself. I needed to line my desires up with God's and weed out the chaff. Easier said than done:P However, I finally managed to really see what direction I wanted and needed in my life.

   I delight in being able to do many things for myself. I enjoy being able to sew, knit, crochet, quilt, bake, cook, can, make dolls, ornaments, wooden toys and furnitures and other things too numerous to mention. Those things are handy but they aren't who I really am.

   I never wanted others to feel like less of a success because of what I share. I try to teach others to do some things through lots of pictures and precise explanation. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I seek to learn what others know. Receipts that I've never tried, skills I want to learn but have to take longer than most to learn it because I either don't have the facilities, time, equipment or know-how. And sometimes all of the above:P

   I want to encourage you all to just love the stories and enjoy the encouragement through others blogs. Don't be discouraged if you can't do a thing or aren't good at thus and such. Know that you are right where you are supposed to be right at this very moment, where God has placed you and wants you to be.

   I am not a good swimmer. I love synchronized swimming. It's beautiful, graceful, lovely to watch. I'll never do it. Not because I don't want to but because it's really not my strength. So instead I will enjoy watching it:) Just like riding in a rodeo, I could but why? It's not really my strength. I don't like being bruised, I don't like to be thrown, I'm not anxious to break and arm or leg or bust my head:P I just like to watch it:) Enjoying that someone else is able:)

   If there's something you want to learn to do just do it! It's my best advice. I didn't learn everything from my mother or grandmother. I didn't learn all that I now know because I was raised with this or that. Most of it I learned the hard way. Diligence, perseverence, reverence for the Lord and a desire to succeed. There are many things that I still desire to be able to do and I'm terrible at them. I've been trying for years and I still can't do it. I dont' give up and I don't place others on a pedestal who DO know how to do it (like my brother). I just know that if I never ever, ever learn how, I will die saying I tried...I wonder if juggling is easier in heaven?:P

Have a very blessed weekend!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

Mmmmm!

I made a boiled dinner today.

I let it boil on top of our wood stove all day.

It was soooo good!

What was in it - ham, garden carrots, and garden potatoes.

We had homemade, wholegrain rolls and fried dough (doughdodgers) to go along with it.

We will be having cinnamon rolls with glaze for snack time tonight.

It was the taste of the change of the season.

It's time to change the menu over to cold weather food.

http://candyfoote.com/