little house in the pines

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Yesterday family & friends celebrated my Sister's 60th Birthday. The weather was just glorious, company was great and excellent food (including curries - yum).

My sister and her husband have a stunning garden which was where the party was held.  There are so many different aspects to the garden and so many wonderful beautiful plants, flowers and wild life. Up until a week or two ago, there was a robin's nest in one of the sheds in the garden. Five baby robins plus it's parents - none of us wanted to take photos in case this scared/disturbed these tiny birds. We really hope all five babies survive, what the survival rate is of tiny birds surviving, we don't know but we have a feeling that this may not be very high :(.

It was lovely to catch up with family again, some of whom Andrew & I have not seen since our wedding last year and two cousins, I haven't seen for several years but despite this, they have hardly changed over the years - which is a compliment.  It was really lovely and very special for my Sister too.

Jackie has not aged very much at all and definitely does not look her age by any means - anyone who doesn't know her would think she was ten years younger than her actual age. My brother too who is now in his mid 50's again, would easily pass as being in his very early 40's.

I am so blessed to have a wonderful family even though some members I don't see very much - they are great.

Below are some more photos that I took throughout the day. Here are some taken in Jackie & David's fabulous garden.

Of course, I had to take a photo of some of the balloons :)

Here are some general photos that were taken during the afternoon/evening. These are a mixture of pics of family & friends.

Andrew needed to pop home to make sure that Patch was ok plus to give him some more food - one of my niece's came with us as she absolutely adores dogs. She loved Patch and thought he was great - Patch was very gentle with her and very good.

 In the evening, we had more family come over which was great. Chloe was having great fun with Andrew playing with our iphone. I am not sure who was teasing the other the most as they were playing games and checking out photos on the phone - they were having fun which was lovely to see.

 And to round the dayoff - gathering together, relaxing and enjoying each other's company listening to piano music being played by Jackie, David & Various friends - what a delightful way to end an absolutely perfect and very special birthday :) 

 If anyone would like to comment, please go to Forward To The Past - thank you :)

   My knees have been hurting for the last 2 days more than usual.  Every time I step I get a sharp pain in one or the other.  My left ankle is also swollen.  This is what you get for standing and walking on a hard floor for 9 hours at work.  It feels so good to sit down and relax right now!

  Work was way too busy today.  If they want to shove so  much at us they should hire more people to do it not expect us to just go faster when you`re going at top speed now.  THEN I get yelled at for something that someone else didn`t do.  It`s not my job and I don`t get paid the big bucks to do it like the person that is supposed to be doing it.  I`m so glad I`m getting out of there soon.

  Tomorrow we are going to go shopping for a blind for our kitchen window.  We are tired of the neighbors checking us out every time they walk out their door and down their driveway.  Trouble is it`s a big window,  63 1/2 x36 and I checked online in a few places and that is not a size that I find.  Maybe someplace will cut one to size for us.  I really don`t want to be watched cooking or having my morning coffee in my jammies!

   I got a curling iron for my new haircut because the hairdresser said it will smooth my hair and be less damaging than a flatiron because it won`t get as hot.  My hair is fine and thin so it damages easily.  I can`t work the thing!  I keep wanting to slide it down my hair because that is what I did with the flatiron.  And I can`t even figure out how to do the back!  I guess I just need practice, but I don`t want to burn my hair off!

   I need to go get a snack (just what I don`t need!) and a book to keep me off my ankle and knees.

     That Girl

  It has been an amazingly good 2 days at work for a change.  I think it`s because they aren`t pushing the work on us quite as much.  But as the week goes on, it will get worse.

   Today I got my hair trimmed after work.  It was past my shoulders but kept getting caught in my collar and driving me crazy!  And the humidity was terrible today and every time I looked in the mirror, my hair seemed a little shorter but a lot bushier!  I frizzed to the limit!  So, she cut it to just above my shoulders and now it is straight and sleek and swingy again!  I really wanted to grow it a bit, but it is so thin that I probably would end up with one strand by the time it reached halfway down my back!  HAHA!!  I like it, it feels really good!

   We had thunderstorms last night and this morning and lots of rain.  My herbs are really coming up now.  I didn`t check the tomatoes and peppers tonight because the neighbors won`t leave me alone when I`m outside and that drives me crazy.

   Well, Hubby will be home for lunch in a few.

   That Girl

  It was a really busy weekend as usual.  We took Hubby`s best friend to Friday`s for dinner for his birthday.  I managed to get some laundry done, and a bunch of odd and end things.  There was a good movie on last night and I never sit still for a movie, but it was good and held my attention.

   Today I made homemade bread, my homemade spaghetti sauce, and a batch of cinnamon doughnuts to try out my new snack fryer with.  I liked them, but the batter wasn`t thick enough and sometimes ran down through the holes in the fryer basket.  I am going to look for another recipe that works better, but these were still good.  I do like my snack fryer.  Now I want to make potato chips but that won`t  till next weekend because I have to work all week.  I also did more laundry and managed to hang it all outside in between the raindrops.

   I am really tired, so I`m going to relax now.

  Blessings,

         That Girl

PLEASE NOTE: Not suitable reading for readers under 18

For the next 30 days as many of you know we are praying for our husbands - this could not have come at a better time to be honest :). Last week was an especially difficult week in our marriage and one where to be honest I could quite easily have walked out on but I didn't.

As many of you may be aware, my Darling Husband is not a believer yet. DH does at times come to church with me and or come to various Life Group Socials that we have - he has also played golf with a couple of the guys from Life.

We are now heading towards our first Anniversary which will be at the end of this month. As I look back on the last twelve months this has not been an easy ride at all for either of us. We have had to deal with varying trials, more than we should have had to through in twelve months. Some of these trials have been to do with work, losing our unborn baby, finances, my hysterectomy, communication problems plus my depression which included my ending up in hospital last August (this last bit, Praise The Lord I am still here as I almost didn't make it!).

DH & I are in many ways like chalk and cheese - total opposites but on one hand we both have a stubborn streak which is not a very nice trait to have.  When we have fights, (I) at times back down and make the first move to make peace. I get this little nudge from The Lord which intensified especially when I feel like "why should I have to back down" kind of feeling - but in the end I do it and more often than not the situation between DH and I improves.  It is far nicer when we are getting along.  There are times that DH has had enough and makes a move to ease the tension between us.

There have been many testing times throughout our first year of marriage and I know that we have both had a lot of adjusting to do and still are continuing to do so. I have been told many times over that the first few years of married life can be difficult.  You (we) are getting to know one another, we do things differently and don't agree on a lot of things. We have different and varying interests. In regards to our home, I am the type of person where I like to have a place for everything and for our home to be clean, no clutter whereas DH is the total opposite to me. When Andrew doesn't put things away (i.e. tools etc) then I put them away but quite often I forget where I put things and DH when he wants something & I have to look for it, either gets irritated and/or stands around with that knowing look of amusement when I can't find something.  There was a time when I lost a whole 2 months worth of his medication which he had to re-order - he wasn't happy and I can't blame him. 

Most of the time I know where to find things but there have been times that I have just gone on a cleaning frenzy and just put things in bags and put them away in the understairs storage cupboard in the dining room.  We are waiting until we can purchase a shed by the way and when we do, all DH tools etc will go in there along with his set of golf clubs - then I can have the understairs cupboard totally free as my pantry and freezer storage space. At the moment everything gets dumped in here as we have very little storage room elsewhere.

Now onto something else - a few months ago, I found a magazine in one of the draws under DH side of the bed - I became upset and this was dealt with or so I thought.  Last week, I decided to listen to a sermon on our iphone before going to sleep but when I went into the phone, I found some unwanted sites on there that had been bookmarked.  I was shocked and very upset.  To cut a long story short, DH could not understand what the big deal was or why I was so upset (and still doesn't totally to be honest).  Things were very fraught and I did pack a small bag and a friend took me to my sister's home where I was going to stay for a few days. Within a couple of hours of being at my sister's home I felt I should return home so I did.  The next couple of days were very fraught and I just basically felt as if it was all my fault and I still do to an extent.  I booked an urgent appointment with our Family Therapist which we both attended.  DH is a little more understanding of how and why I feel the way I do but not totally.

I know DH has been on his own for a few years and probably had no issues with this kind of material before. He also without a doubt didn't give this a second thought and/or could not see that what he was doing was wrong (and still doesn't to a degree) but he does know how much I am unhappy about this.  DH does not even use the iphone now at all now - I don't have any objections to him using the phone but as long as he does not go onto sites that I know are not right.  DH said that he came across these sites by accident - I don't think so, besides which, I am not that daft!.

I guess this is something that is not going to go away overnight and I need to continually pray for us as a couple, for our marriage and also that DH no longer accesses these sites either on the iphone or televisision or anywhere else for that matter.

I am aware that this is probably "the norm" amongst non-Christian guys but this is also a problem with Christian men too unfortunately and no matter what anyone says  - this is sin and sin is sin........................

I know that we are going to go through more rough patches as no doubt all marriages do. I know that I can call on The Lord at any time and there are times that He has carried me through situations and will continue to do so. I also believe that He is also with Andrew even though, DH does not see this yet!

Another thing I am learning to do is to keep my mouth zipped at times when I can get so frustrated & irritated which believe you me I do not find easy. As soon as I open my mouth at times like these we can often say things which we regret afterwards - I am sure that others can identify with me here.  Learning to keep our mouths closed is one of the best things we can do - when the road becomes a little rocky (I will be posting a vision about rocky roads that was given to me yesterday from a Dear Christian Friend) we need to get down on our knees and hand the situation(s) over to The Lord & ask for His help.  As well as keeping our mouths zipped, we also need to guard our thoughts and immediately get rid of any unwanted thoughts that come into our mind, again, hand these over to the Lord and if needs be ask for His forgiveness too.

Something else I am learning is that quite often we are prone to blaming our spouse for things that go wrong - I have done this so often.  This is where we need to turn around and take a good look at ourselves, we need to ask The Lord to show us the areas in which we need to be changed......................This is all still new and very much a learning process for not just me but for my DH too.  Even though I know to expect plenty of rough rides so to speak, I am also looking forward to the many joyful times and changes that the Lord is going to do not only for me but for DH too.

The next post will be about the vision that was given to me yesterday :)

Please note any comments to be left at Forward To The Past

  It was a pretty good week.  Work was uneventful, but busy.  I still don`t sleep well, as usual.  Last night I was finally sleeping so good, and at 2:00 Hubby came in to go to bed and it woke me up, then I couldn`t get back to sleep, so 5:00 came fast.  I decided to get to bed a little early last night, and the phone rang twice.  It seems like people know when I try to sneak in a little extra rest.

   Tomorrow we are going to the thrift store for jeans and summer shirts.  Then we will take Hubby`s best friend out for dinner for his birthday.  Hopefully we get home fairly early so I can get some reading time.  I only get to read in the evenings on weekends, mostly.  I have a world of things I want to read, but my Bible is first on my list.

   On Sunday,  I`d like to get my homemade spaghetti sauce made.  I make a big batch and freeze it in meal size portions so I only have to make it every third time or so.  I use a lot because Hubby loves the leftovers for lunch.

  I`d also like to play around with my new snack fryer I ordered from QVC.  It arrived today. I`d like to make some cinnamon doughnuts, and a bunch of chicken nuggets or bread some mushrooms or califlower.  I have big plans, don`t I?  And little time.  My little snack fryer is so cute.  It is just a quart size, just right for 2 people.

   I am hoping to stretch the weekend and get all I can out of it, and relax some too.

   Have a great weekend!

                  That Girl

Hello!  I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day!  We were in a parade so we spent the day before decorating our friends truck.  DD coaches a T-ball team and we put all the kids in the back of the truck.  This is the second year we did this but last year we walked the route.  It was fun.

   We have been helping DD clean and keep up house because she works so many hours and has quite a drive to work.  I got to be too much after 3 weeks for us.  We cleaned and scrubbed, did all the laundry and even cooked supper.  So yesterday we just vacuumed and picked up and I did dishes and made supper.  Then we went home to our own crock-pot supper.  We also in between this, took  the cat to the groomers and then picked him up when he was done, that was a half hour drive.  I love helping her out, but we both work full time and this took up all day every Saturday, so we told her maybe we`d do it every other weekend.  I still had my house to clean and errands to run.  This leaves only Sunday, and that turns out to not be a day of rest.  I wish I could do more, but I get so tired!  Hubby gets tired and achey and my knees kill me.  I hate to be a quitter.  I still will bake and cook occasionally for her, though.  I`d rather cook than anything.

   I guess I better get ready for the work week now.  Thanks for stopping by!

                  That Girl

I haven't been here, but I bet you can guess where I have been! Most nights, I collapse into bed sporting a sunburn (try as I may to avoid it) and some achy tired muscles. Yes, summer is definitely on its way! The gardens are all planted and mostly weeded. We put in around 100 tomato, 100 pepper, 800 onions, and other assorted vegetable plants. Hopefully, we'll be able to have plenty to put up, share, and perhaps sell at market.

There are many beautiful blooms on the strawberries and lots of green berries, too. We've found juicy ripe ones hiding in there as well.  There's nothing like them! I don't know how many of you have ever grown your own strawberries, but they are incredibly sweet. The other berries all seem to be growing as they should and I think Lord willing, it will be a good year.

The new chickens are growing like crazy as well as the turkeys and the hogs. Everyone is doing well.  My sister bought some new (Alpine) dairy goats (Leland and Sarah), so I've been very excited about the possibilities there! If all goes well, I should have milk for my soap someday.

The ice cream social and parade was a lot of fun. The weather was warm, but beautiful. That's just what you want when you want to sell pie and ice cream. It's hard for me to believe that it's nearly June. I'm sitting here enjoying the cool breeze blowing the fragrance of some sweet smelling white and pink peonies that I cut. They belonged to my grandmother. She had the most beautiful flowers and was the envy of the Garden Club, if not the whole county. Folks still talk about her gardens. She would be happy to know that we're still enjoying them. :-) Soon, we won't be able to have the windows open because it will be too hot and humid.

Well, my sheets and quilt that smell like sunshine sound pretty good right about now. I think I will turn in for the night. I have been enjoying the very early quiet spring mornings when the sun wakes me, however, it seems like before I know it, it's setting again and there are never enough hours to do what needs to be done. There's been no word from my MRI. I'm assuming that "no news is good news." I have been feeling well for the most part and when I have days that aren't so good, I know to slow down. Though I love all of the gardening and such, I'm definitely going to work in some "lazy days of summer" as well before summer slips away. The thought of a nice shade tree and a good book sounds lovely, doesn't it?

For Today... May 30th 2009

Outside my window, the sun is shining (already at 05:19) and I can tell it is going to be a gorgeous day :)

I am thinking about the meetings I have this morning and the one that DH & I will be attending this afternoon.

I am so thankful for Yeshua, for my wonderful DH, family and friends :)
In the kitchen, I will be making eggs on toast for breakfast. Later on today I will be making a cauliflower and chickpea curry and if I have time squash risotto - oh and dessert for the weekend :)

I am wearing a grey top and long black skirt

I am hoping that the therapy session this afternoon will be beneficial, helpful but most of all a move forward for DH & I.

I am hearing, birds twitterin, and water coming out of the drain pipe.

I am praying that my marriage can start to move forward from the events of this wek and that DH & can start drawing closer. I am also praying that DH will open his heart to the Lord - that would be so so wonderful and the icing on the cake!

Around the house, laundry, hoovering upstairs, sorting washing and cleaning the windows in the kitchen and the worktops thoroughly.

One of my favourite things is to sit outside on the sing seat with a book or listening to music on my iphone and just chilling.

Weekend plans, working tomorrow then perhaps a bbq in the evening. Sunday church plus gardening :)