~Two Finished Projects~

Both are scarfs:

Purple with "pom-poms". Very easy knit, just back and forth! I got the yarn from the Dollar Tree, so it cost me $2.


Up close:


This next picture was taken when the scarf was still on the needles. I promise you, it's finished, but I couldn't get a decent picture of it, and I didn't want to drag out all the stuff for my light box. It's hard to take pictures of dark objects! I chose this picture because it showed the cable the best.



I got the pattern from this from a book called One Skein. I borrowed the book from the library a while back. This was my first project using cables, and I enjoyed it making it very much. It is very long and skinny, and I wasn't sure how I would like it. However, I think it's very cute. *Smile*

~A few links for your enjoyment~

Susan Godfrey posted on a topic that really got me thinking: wardrobe planning. I don't spend a lot of money on clothing, as I buy most everything on sale or clearance. However, I have a lot of hits and misses in my closet. Susan wrote a list of things she's going to look for and buy/make in the next few years. I need to do the same thing!

Mrs. C posted a mom's dictionary recently, and I laughed out loud all the way through. It's hilarious, mostly because it's so true!

I love to try out new recipes, and one way I enjoy getting recipes is through my blogging friends! For some reason, it makes me feel closer to that person when I'm making something that they make too! :) Mrs. U posted a recipe for potato leek soup, and I'm telling you, it's delicious! I haven't ever used leeks before, so this gave me the opportunity. When I checked out, the cashier asked me what they were, because she'd never seen them before! LOL

~Side Notes~

Just a little note to let you know that I'm not completely finished updating my sidebar. I know that I have about 4 or 5 extra links to add. So don't worry, if you don't see your name there, it's not because I'm excluding you! I just haven't had the time to finish getting all the names in. If you haven't already done so, if you link here, or would like to exchange links, just let me know, and I'll add you in. =)

~Mending~

Ah, the delightful task of mending! Don't you just love to mend?

What? You don't? Me neither! Mending is one of those jobs that I procrastinate on. My husband, in need of a few of the things residing in my sewing room, asked me once again last night if I could fix them.

The thing about most mending jobs is that they really don't take that long to do. Sew on a button, repair a seam...those are things that take, oh, 2 minutes to accomplish.

So why do I procrastinate? I really don't know! My grandma, who is a professional seamstress, always used to say (about things that needed mending), "I wish I knew someone who could sew." I guess I inherited the procrasination gene! *smile*

~It's that time of year...~

Football Season!

I was thinking about a reading that I did for my church's Valentine banquet when I was 15 or 16 years old. The funny thing about me doing it was that I knew absolutely, positively nothing about football. So the "ditz" I was pretending to be...was really me! LOL

Here's the reading:

Shall I tell you about the very first football game I ever saw? Of course I didn't see it very well because Harry couldn't afford very good seats. In fact the seats he could afford were so far back we found it better to sit on a very sturdy branch that grew over the edge of the fence...But even this was crowded. I was constantly moving over to make room for others up there: six crows and three woodpeckers.

I must admit that Harry did everything possible for my comfort. We had popcorn, peanuts, hot dogs, ice cream bars. Best of all, Harry promised to pay me back the very next day...

Harry taught me the idea of the game. A man has to carry the football from one end of the field to the other. Isn't that a perfectly silly thing to make a game out of?...But there they were--full grown men running, falling, kicking all over the place just to have the ball for a few seconds...Why, they could have saved their money so each player had his own ball.

My biggest confusion came when I tried to tell our team from the enemy team. Harry said that our team was the one with the football. But pretty soon the other team had the ball and I was all confused again.,

One time I looked down and there was a player carrying a bass drum instead of a football. I asked Harry about it and he said it was the half. Well, it certainly looked like a whole drum to me...Then it was the musicians' turn to play. Of course they didn't play football...they played music...I guess someone had kicked the football over the fence because all the players were gone quite a while looking for it. But pretty soon they found it and the players came whooping back again.

I asked Harry why all the players got in a big secret huddle just before each play. He looked at me kind of funny. But when I begged and begged he finally broke down and told me what the big mystery was. It seems that the enemy team was planning to play a dirty trick on ours. They were trying to plant fifty tons of dynamite down in a corner of the field. Then they were gong to try and lead our team over the buried dynamite and boom! the game would be over...I asked Harry if that was strictly according to the rules but he just smiled mysteriously, and said nothing. Funny thing, though, as much as the teams plotted to blow each other up, nothing every happened...This little incident certainly made me look up to Harry. He was the only one there who knew the secret. He knows just about everything! And he tells it all to little old me!

He even explained to me about the men with the striped shirts. They were afraid of football and just stood off to one side and played their own little game--whistle blowing. Every time a player fell down with the ball these funny little men blew their whistles like mad and made crazy little motions with their arms. Harry said it was all part of the game.

I finally got the game figured out. You see, each player has a number on his back. If player number 67 catches the ball his team scores 67 points; while if player number 88 catches the ball his team scores 88 points. Somehow this doesn't seem fair to players with little numbers like 12 and 15, does it?...It was an exciting game all the way. The final score was five thousand, nine hundred and thirty-five to zero.

~Autumn Scents~

One thing I love about fall is the coziness of the scents we use. Now is the time many homemakers pull out their fall-scented candles, and begin to bake more. The summer heat is over (unless, of course, you happen to live in a hot climate), and baking no longer kicks the air on.

Yesterday afternoon I baked an apple pie. Oh, it smelled (and tasted!) so delicious! I still have many apples to use up, and I figured I would test my skills on a pie. I have only made a few pies over the six years I've been married.

I used Smart Balance shortening instead of regular shortening, and the crust turned out very nicely. Smart Balance is turning out more and more heart-healthy products these days. We've used their "buttery spread" for years now. (I'm done with my little un-paid-for plug for Smart Balance products. *Grin*) My husband was so impressed with how the pie looked that he took a picture.

What are some things you use apples for? I have some semi-tart apples that I'd like to get used up pretty soon here, because I want to buy more apples in a different variety! I'd like to make a batch of apple butter, and some pie filling as well.

Ahhh...apples and cinnamon and nutmeg...such delicious scents! What are some other scents you associate with fall time?

For other fall-related posts, visit TheHomeCast.

I'm so excited!

Susie from Bluebird Blogs drew my name for a free blog redo! Thank you, Susie!

She is also offering 5% off all other orders. I really did mean to announce the blog re-do constest here on my blog, but I always thought about it at odd moments in time when I wasn't near a computer. I guess I didn't need the extra 5 contest entries!

~Frugal Weekend: Shopping~

One thing I have found that keeps me from over-spending is a once a week shopping trip. If I run out of something during the week, I note it on my shopping list, and carry on with the rest of my week without it. Obviously, if it's something crucial like toilet paper, I would go to the store.

I also do not typically "window shop". (I'll be honest and admit that I don't care for shopping too much anyhow!) Window shopping leads to extra purchases, even if I wasn't planning on buying anything, or didn't have the money for it.

My weekly shopping trip does several things:
*Makes me shop from a list--if I'm only shopping once a week, I'd better get everything I need!
*Keeps me from buying extra things. (You know how this one goes--you run into the store for "one thing" and before you know it, you have a cart full of stuff!)
*Eliminates impulse buys.

I heard this on a tv show recently: "For every minute you stay in the store (grocery) you spend an extra $2."

And yes, I still make mistakes!

For more great tips, head over to Crystal's Frugal Weekend!

Poll Results

Do you like EGGPLANT?

Answers Votes Percent
1. Yes, I love it! 30% (25 votes)
2. It's ok. 22% (18 votes)
3. No, I hate it! 17% (14 votes)
4. I don't know, because I've never had it! 31% (26 votes)

Total Votes: 83

The I don't knows and the Yes, I love its were neck and neck, but the I don't knows got one extra vote!

This poll was interesting, because I assumed more people would say they hated it.

~Happy Fall, Y’all!~

Today marks the official first day of autumn. Not that the calendar has been dictating our weather…we’ve had several weeks of cooler weather; leaves have been changing to their gorgeous autumn colors; and our days have been getting increasingly shorter. I’m a little sad that summer is over, but I’ll be happy that fall is here!

Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

I won’t be decorating our living room and dining room with my fall decorations this year. We are going to be refinishing our wood floors, and redoing the walls and woodwork in these rooms. Since this project will be commencing soon, there is no sense in pulling all my decorations out. However, I will bring my fall front door decoration up from the basement.

I also need to bring some of my warmer clothes up from the basement. While I don’t like the cold weather, I do like warm and cozy sweaters, socks, and pajamas. I’ll have to see what all I have packed away!

Fall is a gorgeous time of year! Enjoy it with your family and friends!

~A regretted impulse purchase~

An impulse purchase, according to Wikipedia is:

An impulse purchase is an unplanned or otherwise spontaneous purchase. One who tends to make such purchases is referred to as an impulse buyer.

Marketers and retailers tend to exploit these impulses which are tied to the basic need for instant gratification. For example, a shopper in a supermarket might not specifically be shopping for candy. However, candy, gum and mints are prominently displayed at the checkout aisles to trigger impulse buyers to buy what they might not have otherwise considered. Sale items are displayed in much the same fashion.

Impulse buying can also extend to so-called "big ticket" items such as automobiles and home appliances. Automobiles in particular are as much an emotional purchase as a rational one. This in turn leads auto dealers all over the world to market their products in a rapid-fire, almost carnival-like manner designed to appeal to emotion over reason.

I've never bought a car on an impulse. LOL

Last night I went to my gardening class, and on my way out of the store, was faced with a wall of Dutch licorice candy. I love licorice, so I picked out a package, and checked out.

As I drove out of the parking lot, I popped a piece in my mouth. Whoa! That stuff was nasty! I'll try another piece. Even nastier! My mouth was burning, my sinuses were bothering me, and I was anxious to get home so I could get a drink of water. It was THEE nastiest, grossest, yuckiest, most disgusting "candy" I've ever tasted!

Now, maybe some Dutch licorice is good. However, I doubt if I'll ever find out!

~Trying something new...~

Amy shared this link for making a light box on her blog a while back, and I was intrigued with the idea.

Here are a few pictures I took tonight:



The lighting isn't "just right" but I still had fun with it.

Here is the light box I "made":

~Oh, how funny!~

Tammy -- [noun]: A person who laughs at anything (even this entry) 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

It's true, I laughed out loud. Too funny.

HT to Laura.

~Link Exchange~

If you link to me on your blog, or you would like to exchange links, please let me know, either by posting in the comment box, or by sending me an e-mail. I'll be setting up the links in the next few days!

~Ketchup~

My grandpa had a joke that he told us every time we canned tomatoes at his house. It went somewhat like this: "Mr. and Mrs. Tomato were taking a walk with their young son. He happened to be lagging behind. So Mr. Tomato turned around, stomped on him and said 'Catch up'."(pun, of course, intended!)

Last night after church I finished my ketchup. From 9 pounds of tomatoes, I got three 8-oz. jars of ketchup, plus a little left over. Once I turned the heat on high and stayed close by to stir it often, it boiled down quickly.

I'm happy with how it turned out! It has a little too much vinegar in it, but otherwise, I love how it tastes! Next time (yes, there will be a next time!) I believe I'll add the vinegar slowly, tasting it as I go along.

~A walk~

Today Kevin and I went for a walk on a trail near by. The weather was gorgeous, and there were many things to photograph!

~A Year of Color: Silver~

My flute

~Frugal Friday: Shampoo and Conditioner~

Frugality is not just finding the best deal at the store, but properly utilizing what you have spent your money on.

Several years ago, I read a book in which the author stated that the correct amount of shampoo to use is about a quarter's width in the palm of your hand. The correct amount of conditioner to use is about a dime's width in the palm of your hand.

Using this little shampoo and conditioner does work! My hair is shorter now, but even when it was longer, it was still enough shampoo. Conditioner is for the ends of your hair, not your whole head, so that small amount is just right for all lengths of hair. If your hair is extremely oily, or very long, I'm sure you would have to adjust the amount of shampoo and conditioner to suit your needs.

Also, using less shampoo and conditioner means your hair will be shinier! It takes extra work to wash out large amounts of shampoo and conditioner, so I suppose that would mean less water used too! (Theoretically speaking, anyhow!)

My shampoo lasts for months on end. I only buy several bottles of shampoo a year.

~This 'n That~

~If you have bagged spinach, don't eat it. There has been one death, and at least 20 cases of people ill with e-coli. See this article for further details. A few weeks ago, I had heard of several people who had gotten e-coli from bagged salad mixes, so I've been avoiding them since then. The convenience isn't worth getting sick (or dying!).

~I'm making ketchup tonight. I got quite a few tomatoes out of my garden, and wanted to make up a batch of ketchup. In my mind, I was going to cook the tomatoes, run them through my food strainer, and "voila" have tomato paste come out. Yeah, right. I got tomato juice, of course. It's simmering on the stove right now. *I* am enjoying the smell, but someone else, who happens to live with me, is not enjoying the smell of vinegar, spices, and tomatoes that is wafting through our house. LOL

~I'm interested in the results that are coming in for my little poll. The "don't knows" are currently in the lead. To the "don't knows" out there...you should try some eggplant! =)

~It's "sweater weather" here! It's supposed to warm up over the weekend, and then supposedly the high for Tuesday is 56*. I refuse to believe weather forcasts here in Michigan. They aren't very acurate. When we moved here, people told us, "If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes." That's been true on some days!

~I made chili for dinner tonight. Yum! I love soups and chili on a cool day. It's the perfect meal for fall and winter!

~I'm working on yet another new project. :D It's a cabled scarf, perfect to learn how to do cables on. Cables always looked extremely hard to me, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy they are. The scarf is very skinny, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. I told Kevin that it's a "California" scarf--a decoration, not something to keep warm with. I really like the way its turning out though, so I will finish it.

~Have a good day!

~This is the day~

Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day...September 14, 2006
Which the LORD hath made...cool, overcast, and a little wet
We will rejoice and be glad in it...Today is the time to rejoice in the Lord!

Today I'm thankful that:
*I'm on my way to heaven
*The weather is supposed to warm up soon
*I am in good health
*I don't have anything scheduled for tonight
*God never fails us, He is unchanging!

What are some blessings God has given you?

~Take a Poll!~

------------>
Make sure you take my poll!
------------>

It's an easy question! *Smiles*

Edited: MusicLover left this comment:

Tammy, it be a good idea to give alternative name "aubergine" [for "eggplant"] also, for your European readers. I've a feeling that some of the "don't knows" would know about aubergine!

That's very interesting! I've never heard that name for "eggplant", in fact, I don't even know how it's pronounced! LOL Thanks, MusicLover!

~Pears and Applesauce~

I canned these last night after work. I got four pints of pears, and canned them in white grape juice. The pears cost $2.50, because they were seconds, and the juice cost $.99, and there is still plenty left. The applesauce is made with Spartan apples. It turned out really thick, and not very sweet, so I thinned it with some of the white grape juice (thereby adding some sweetness). I got four pints of applesauce as well.

I think I'll use the apples for something other than applesauce. The other applesauce I made was so smooth, whereas this applesauce feels grainy. I'm learning as I go!

Tonight I went out to the garden and picked just over 9 pounds of tomatoes. I'm going to make ketchup with them! There are still lots of green tomatoes out there. I'm sure I'll be picking tomatoes up till the first frost!

~Ask for Directions~

If there is one event in my life that I can point back to and say that it taught me to ask for directions it happened when I was in 5th grade.

I had just started going to a Wednesday night Bible club at a new church, and was enjoying it very much. On this particular Wednesday, I was dropped off as usual. What wasn't usual was that no one was upstairs. No one. Not a soul. Hmm...that's odd.

Oh well.

Yeah, "oh well." I could have done the very smart thing and gone downstairs to find an adult, any adult, and have asked them where the Jet Cadets were meeting. Simple.

But, I was scared. Really, I was. Looking back, it seems so ridiculous! I was just too shy to go down and ask a simple question.

For me, the solution was to stay put. There was a shelf with outdated Sunday school papers (with stories) on them. I entertained myself with those. That lasted as long as the papers did. Then I started exploring. The allotted time for Bible club sped by when I was actually in the Bible club, but the minutes ticked by s-l-o-w-l-y on this night!

And then I cried.

Finally, finally, I could tell that the younger kids were finished with their meetings downstairs. So I went down and found my sisters.

At home, my parents somehow found out about my evening. I'm sure they had to pry it out of me, because I know I didn't volunteer the information.

And that, folks, is why I always ask for directions! I learned that night that the consequences of not asking for directions is far worse and painful then asking a question.

And the other children? I found out the next week that they had spent the evening in the fellowship hall having a special program!

How about you? Childhood shapes us into the adults we are now...do you have any such stories?

~I remember 9-11-01~

I've debated about whether or not to write about this topic, as I don't really have anything stunning to say. But, I thought I'd go ahead and share...

I was sitting in the living room, waiting for my two sisters to get ready to go. I had just said “good-bye” to my husband. Our church’s annual Pastor’s and Workers Conference was in progress, and I had taken work off so that I could attend. My two sisters were staying with us so that they could go as well.

My husband called shortly after he left, telling me what had happened. It was around 7:30 a.m., but because we were in California, both crashes had taken place already. My husband told me what had happened. I asked him several times to make sure I had gotten it right. Stunned, I called my sisters into the living room, and we sat down and prayed for America, for the people affected by this awful deed.

We made our way to the church for the conference. With so many people in the auditorium (I’m going to take a guess and say over 400 people) it was quiet. Very quiet. Those who hadn’t heard beforehand, heard from others.

The morning sessions were different than had been planned. It was a very somber morning.

In the afternoon, my two sisters and I went shopping. It was a special treat to have them visiting me, and we still wanted to spend the time together. The mall we went to was deserted. Stores were closed. The stores that were open were pretty much empty--both of shoppers and workers. We didn’t end up spending much time there.

We lived close to the San Jose airport, and were used to the constant air traffic overhead. It was eerie to have absolutely no planes flying overhead.

At the time, we didn’t have a television. I have never seen footage from 9-11, just pictures. While I didn’t know anyone who was killed on that day, or anyone who knew someone, it was a day I’ll never forget.

I think what I remember most from that day just five years ago is quiet. Less cars on the road. No planes in the air. People, just sitting. Quiet. And sadness. A profound sadness.

Today, I pray for the people who are still mourning the loss of their loved ones, and for our country.

God bless America!

For other's stories, visit Shannon here.

~Visit Length: 0 Seconds~

I have a stat counter installed on my blog, and enjoy seeing where people come from: what states/countries they are visiting from, the referring links they use, and the searches they make that land them at my blog. For instance, if someone does a web search, and ends up at my blog, I can see what they searched for. I get hits all the time from people who searched for a "flower washcloth" (a project I made and blogged about, see my sidebar). There must not be many flower washcloths out in the www! LOL

But something that I always wondered about was that so many of the visit lengths were from 0-5 seconds. If people were really reading my blog, it would take way longer than 5 seconds to read my posts! HA! Maybe I should have taken that as a sign to be less verbose?

Today I was checking out my stats, and chanced upon this:

Common problem with Visit Length Stats
If you only install the StatCounter code on one page of your website and your visitors never reload that one page, then your visit length will always be less than 5 seconds! It is highly recommended to install the same code on all pages of your website you want to track.

Aha! Problem solved.

I don't think I prevent this, because I only have one template to put the counter on. But it makes me feel much better! *Grin*

~Pictures~

Fall is definitely here. I spotted this flower peeking out of these leaves during a walk this afternoon:



One of my gerbera daisies. I didn't notice the ant until I downloaded the picture!



My garden. The beans are about done.

~Tea, tea, tea~

My friend over at And So it Goes... was offering chai tea to her blog readers. As in, a case of tea. I signed up as fast as I could. *grin*

Tonight Kevin came along when I went grocery shopping. When he shops with me, he doesn't stay with me, but comes and goes, depositing things in the cart. At one point, he found me in the tea aisle, where I was diligently looking the tea over, trying to decide which tea I wanted. You see, it's now fall, and cooler weather means more tea to be had. Kevin laughed at me, and reminded me that I'm getting a whole case of tea, why would I possibly need more tea?

Because, the tea I'm getting is all the same flavor! Gotta have more than one flavor to choose from!

You can never, ever, have too much tea on hand!

Or, can you?

Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mostof_tea.shtml

~Applesauce~

The *one* thing that allows me to be happy fall is now here is the fall produce. I would be quite content to have another month or two of warm weather. However, that isn't the case! We got a cold front from Canada, and our high today was 61*!!! *Sniff* We still have warmer weather in sight though!

But, back to the fall produce...apples are a huge crop here in Michigan. Here are some facts from http://www.wmta.org/colortour/:

*Apples are Michigan’s #1 most valuable fruit crop, with a value of about $91,000,000 annually to the apple grower.
*There are over 8 million apple trees, covering 41,000 acres, on 1,000 farms throughout Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
*Michigan expects to harvest 840 million pounds (or 20 million bushels) of apples this year.
*Apples are by far the largest fruit crop grown in Michigan. Michigan produced over 1.25 billion pounds of fruit in 2004 including apples, tart cherries, sweet cherries, blueberries, peaches, grapes, strawberries, pears and plums. Just over 60 percent of that amount was apples, which totaled 760 million pounds.
*Small family farmers who operate their own orchards dominate the Michigan apple industry. According to recent statistics, 99 percent of Michigan orchards had fewer than 100 acres in apples.
*Longtime favorite varieties still dominate Michigan’s orchards. The most prevalent variety remains the Red Delicious, followed closely by the Golden Delicious. The up-and-coming Gala or Royal Gala apple is rapidly gaining on tradition, however.
*Michigan also plays a vital role in processed apples. More than 68 percent of all Michigan apples are processed. Michigan is the largest supplier of apple slices used in commercially prepared apple pies. Michigan apples are also a main source for applesauce, fresh-cut slices, and fresh and shelf-stable apple cider.

I know, you came to my blog today to learn about apples grown in Michigan, right? LOL

I happily support the family orchards, by purchasing apples, squashes, pumpkins, etc. at their produce stands. Last fall I wrote about winter squash here.

Thursday, I bought some apples, and today I had the chance to can them.

Taking a bath:



All chopped up:



I bought this strainer to process them:



The final product:




I'm incredibly happy that the applesauce turned out pink. *Grin* I know, it sounds silly, but I truly love the color of the applesauce! I used Paula Reds for the sauce. It made a very nice, thick, smooth, *pink* sauce, which was just a little on the tart side. I was wanting to stay away from sugar, but I did add some sugar to take the "bite" out of the sauce. I got three quarts from a half bushel.

I want to try a few different varieties of apples for sauce. I just love to try different varieties of apples anyhow! So yummy, and the price is so good. I spent $5 on the apples, and *ahem* a little more than I wanted to on the strainer, but after I had run around everywhere looking for one, I bought the one I could find.

So now I have plans for more applesauce, apple butter, and apple pie filling. Oh yeah, I also bought some pears to can as well. Yum!

~Frugal Fridays: Household Cleaners~

My frugal tip for this week is regarding household cleaners.

Just walk down the cleaner aisle at the grocery store or at Wal-Mart, and you will notice how many different cleaners there are to choose from. One thing that I have done to save money in this department is to buy the good 'ol fashioned brands that have been around as long, or longer, than I have. I don't typically try out new brands. Out of Comet? I buy more Comet. Out of Windex? More Windex. There's always going to be a new, improved, better-than-ever product out there tempting me to try it out and see if it really does work better. Many of those new products have such harsh chemicals in them. A little elbow grease on my part is worth saving my lungs from the fumes of those expensive cleaners in the fancy bottles!

In my cleaning cupboard I have my Comet, Windex, Pine-sol, Murphy's Oil Soap, and Simple Green. I do have a few other cleaners lurking in there, but those are the cleaners that I use on a regular basis.

Certain circumstances do require different cleaners though. When we lived out in the country, our water would leave rust marks in the bathroom. Comet didn't cut it then. When we lived in California, we had super-hard water (I would get hard water deposits on my fingernails--just from washing dishes!) so cleaners that cut the hard water were in order.

You'll notice that I do buy name brand products. I have tried the cheaper generic products, and haven't been happy with them. In the long run, I believe I'm saving money, because I have a good product to clean with. Cheap cleaners require more to be used, and they don't do the job as effectively.

For more frugal tips, click here.

Pray for the Godfrey family

Susan Godfrey is going to be having a baby this coming week, which was diagnosed with Potter's Syndrome this last June. This means that the baby does not have kidneys, and will only live up to a few hours after birth.

Please add Susan to your prayer list, and be in prayer for her and her family. I cannot even imagine the depth of pain that they will be going through.

Amy has a prayer chain here, and Crystal is putting together a package, with details here.

~Don't let your food eat you~

Oh no, his food is eating him!

A few weeks ago, at Red Lobster.

~Christmas in September~

Yesterday evening I ran some errands, and stopped at Michaels. I spotted some wooden ornaments and decided to purchase a few.

Last night Kevin and I listened to Christmas music and painted the ornaments. We had a very nice time together, and I have to say that Kevin's artistic abilities far surpass mine! His ornament is the one on the left, and did not come with lines. My snowman did come with lines (which I was quite glad for!)



Kevin said that this was his first and last ornament. LOL I think he should paint some more!

I've been tagged!

In a round about way...
Kim said:

If your name starts with any of the letters in CHOCOLATE, I'm tagging you. Would you expect any different from me?

To answer her question, no, I wouldn't expect anything different! LOL Kim's always talking about chocolate!

Here are the questions:

1. Are you craving anything and if so, what?
Not at the moment. I am a little thirsty, and I'm going to go pour myself a cup of iced tea as soon as I get off the computer.

2. What is the weather outside, and do you wish it would change?
The weather is gorgeous! It's not hot, not cold, not raining, just simply beautiful! The weather that says, "Fall is on the way, but it's still summer!"

3. What two websites do you think you will go to next after you are finished here?
Actually, I'm finishing up. I just checked my e-mail, checked my bloglines, and I'm ready to get off the computer.

4. Do you wish you were somewhere else and if so, where?
It would be lovely to be sitting on the beach at the ocean, just drinking in the salt air. But, since that's not possible right now, I'll just be happy here! :)

5. Do you wish you were someone else, and if so, who?
No, I never have!

6. Tag?
If you're name begins with any of the letters in: KNITTING IS FUN! Then go ahead and feel tagged!

~Yellow Pepper~

Fresh from the garden...

~A Year of Color: Wisteria~

I submitted two pictures this week for A Year of Color.

These are the socks I knit a while back. I think they are the perfect color for this week. I didn't take the picture, since I was wearing the socks, but I did make the socks...and my husband took the picture, so I figure that's good enough!


This is a hibiscus bloom on my neighbor's bush. There aren't any flowers in full bloom right now, just a few blooms. The flowers were much prettier than the blooms are. I'm thinking of getting at least one hibiscus plant!

~Cicada Shell~

At least, that's what I think it is...



Found while I was wandering around our backyard with camera in hand.

~Happy Anniversary to ME~

Today is my one-year blogging anniversary. Just think, I thought I would run out of things to say! That hasn't happened so far!

~Yarn as entertainment~

I have been stalling on completing my sweater, because I know, without a shadow of a doubt that it is NOT going to fit me. In order for it to fit me, I am going to have to lose a lot of weight (a LOT of weight). So I've been working on it here and there, but mostly half-heartedly.

I got a knitting book from the library, and the author states that yarn is entertainment. If you look at yarn as entertainment, it really isn't expensive to knit at all. To figure out how much it costs to entertain yourself per hour, just divide the cost of the yarn by the number of hours spent knitting. Voila! Cheap entertainment.

When looked at THAT way, I suppose that is true. So now I'm going to focus on finishing my sweater, so that someone else could benefit from it. I'm thinking either my mom or one of my sisters. And I'll repeat to myself how much fun I'm having as I knit. And next time, I'll make sure to pick out a pattern closer to my true size, not my imagined size! LOL

~No more holiday "blahs"~

Since we moved across the country, we are no longer close enough to family to get together for the one day holidays that happen throughout the year. Some of our holidays have ended with us feeling frustrated, because we didn't want to go out and do anything (everything would be crowded), so we stayed home...and did nothing.

Not this holiday! We invited a couple from our church over for lunch. We had a very nice time with them! We knew them, but now we know them so much better! Having someone over is a very good "cure" for us. It has helped us to get to know people better, and it gives us something productive to do with our day!

~Telephone Etiquette, Part 2~

My sister-in-law, Rebecca, sent me that comic after my post on telemarketers. The look on Calvin's mom's face (I don't read Calvin enough to know her name!) is hilarious! That's how I feel with some telemarketers...going from calm and polite, to agitated, then totally frustrated with them!

Calla Lily left a comment, that I got a giggle out of:

Caller: May I speak to the lady of the house?

Me: There's no one here by that name. *click*

Too funny.

My dad's first name is one that people sometimes confuse with a female's name, and often when we would answer the phone and people asked to talk to him, and referred to my dad as "she" or "her" we'd just say there was nobody by that name at our house. LOL Since they were asking for a female, that wasn't technically a lie! Another clue that it was someone we didn't want to talk to was if they pronounced our last name wrong. Again, there was nobody there by that name.

Sometimes my younger sisters, in their quest to make sure they didn't pass on a telemarketing call to my dad, were a little over-zealous. Imagine, if you will the following phone conversation:

Sister: "Hello"

Person on the other end: "May I talk to Bro. ___ (our last name)."

Sister: "Is this a soliciting call?"

Turns out it was a man from our church! Haha...most telemarketers aren't that chummy. But, I guess, you just never know!

~Bye, bye day lilies~

Two years ago, I didn't even know what a day lily was. But when I was introduced to them, it was instant for me. I didn't like them at all. Not a bit. Nothing about them.

So when we were looking at our house before we bought it, and I discovered that there were day lilies in the side bed, it was almost enough to be a deal breaker. Well, not really. But I knew they wouldn't stay there for long.

They ended up staying in longer than I thought I'd tolerate them. But today, they are officially gone. Nada. Zip. Well, I'll probably discover some next spring. But I can take care of them swiftly.

Oddly enough, I've seen pictures of day lilies that I actually like. There are many different varieties, and some of them are actually pretty. I won't be planting them though. The orange variety is a very common ground cover in our area. I don't understand it one bit. But, everyone has their preferences!

~Fall is in the Air~

Happy September!

I have enjoyed the summer so much, that I'm a little sad to admit that as the calendar page turns to September, the weather is looking a little more like fall. We just have little reminders, really, that fall is around the corner. The wind is blowing like fall wind does, and the leaves are just starting to turn colors. The air has a slight "snap" to it, and the temperature is dropping. Of course, we will still have warm summery days, but September is definitely the transition month for us.

A good thing about fall...I'm planning on planting quite a few bulbs this year! That gives me something to look forward to! :)

~Telephone Etiquette~

If you're a telemarketer, don't read any further. *Grin*

I'm telling you, telemarketers can be the rudest people on the phone! At work, I'm constantly getting calls from people who want to talk to the "Person in charge of making financial decisions" or the "Person in charge of making _____ decisions". I get these calls nearly every day. Sometimes, by carefully wording my response to the questions, I can tell them we're happy with the services we have and to please put us on their no call back list.

However, that's very rare, because telemarketers are also very persistent. They don't take "no" for an answer. That's when they get rude. I'm not rude back, but I do make myself clear. They say obnoxious things to me, and then they call back the next day. Now listen, I may not make the financial decisions around here, but I do make the decision on what calls get transferred! Being rude is not going to get them anywhere!

Grrr...

Thankfully, we have our home phone listed on the national do not call registry, so we very rarely get phone calls. That's nice. It's also nice that at home I happen to be one of the financial decision makers so most of the time I can tell them to stop calling. I said most because every great once in a while, they will insist that the only person that can make the decision is my husband. Whatever. Like he's going to get upset that I turned down yet another credit card offer?

And my final complaint for the day? Don't call me "Baby". Yup, that's right. Today I called in a technical service call and the woman who transferred my call called me "Baby". I said, (in a not-so-kind voice, I admit), "EXCUSE me?" She changed it to "Dear". Still not professional, but slightly better than "Baby."

Ah, well...I do respect the fact that telemarketers are just trying to make their living. But, please, please, can't you just stop calling me???