Snow? Boy do we have snow!!

We have been having one big snow storm! Since yesterday about 3pm it has snowed more than 15 inches! That is the most the folks here have seen in over 20 years! Where does it all come from? I went out to help Chris shovel the rest of the driveway..for the second time and the snow comes almost to my knees. The piles on each side of the driveway where he has tossed the snow comes to my waist! Can you imagine making a snow angel in that!

So here is a few shots I wanted to share. The brown colored pictures were taken last night about 10pm, the rest I took this morning.


Our back porch, right outside the kitchen door.

The front yard, um er, what yard?


My garden. This was taken from the underneath porch, out from our basement door.

The front, um, front yard...somewhere out there. The road is out there too, it must be there somewhere!

Our trees in the back yard.

My husband has been blessed with strength and willingness to shovel the snow for us. I am so thankful. God is good to us, we still have heat and power.

The is from our second floor, out the window. I know, out the window! C took this one. We thought the chimnea looked funny.

And one of my garden, with the fence now down. The weight of the snow brought it down last night. :-( I know what I will be doing when this all melts.

Have a great day! I am, even amongst the snow and being housebound. We got out, shoveled some, posted here on my blog, going to make a hot lunch, and finish de-cluttering the basement.

I am blessed.

Peace,

Dee

What we've been up to

Last Sunday it was so beautiful out, Chris and I decided to take a drive in the country. We headed north towards Bergholz then hooked a right on a back road and sometime later met up with the highway we needed. Let me just say, hills and windy roads made the beautiful drive interesting. My husband took his time meandering and I got to snap some great pictures so I thought I'd share. We didn't get out of the truck since it was REALLY cold out, so most of the pictures are landscape. I had fun trying to get a good shot, he had fun making u-turns and driving slow while I tried to take the picture.


A couple of the other pictures are random ones of the happenings in our home. God is so good to us. We have a warm home, happy dogs and a blessed marriage. I couldn't ask for more than to have a husband who is seeking the Truth in Christ. Thank you God for all you've given me.

It isn't as large in the picture as it was driving, but that is the moon last weekend. It was so beautiful. A reminder to me of how large the whole creation is.

Molly, our 9yo Boxer. She really likes the warmth of the fire. When she wants a fire going she just sits in front of it staring at it, wishing for a fire. My girl is getting older. Yesterday the vet said her tremors or shaking is possible senililty....aww, how sad. He said she sort of spaces out and forgets where she is and shakes. I didn't even know dogs can get that! Aside from that she is the healthiest 9yo Boxer he has seen in a long time!

This was just too cute not to post. Koda, our white Boxer, and Sasha, she is all of 5 lbs, sleeping together in the sunshine. To cute!

Icey water falls from the side of the hills near Bergholz.

I took this because of the old barn. There is something about old barns, hmm, antiques in general, that I just find adoring. If they could talk! oh, what stories we would hear. This home was set back off the road. Someday C and I would like to have a small place that would give us the space away from the road. I hope to add chickens and goats to our gang soon, but not until we move.

The river was ICE! Hopefully you can click on this and see the water up close. It was so fascinating.

The view as we drove out of our town. Once you get behind the hills, or valley as the locals say, this is pretty much what you see. It is beautiful with all the snow. It's wonderful in spring and summer too, heck, throw in fall...the fall colors are beautiful as well. Hmm. Not like the desert I used to live in many years ago.


This was just too funny. The car wash has icycles all over it! We've heard from the local's ( I use that affectionately since we have lived here just over 2 yrs and I am learning how to live in this climate.) that we should take our car to a car wash everytime it stops snowing. This will wash off the salt from the roads and will allow our cars to last longer. I just had to take a picture of getting a car wash, in the winter, with ice hanging off of the device that goes around and under your car. The blower blows the water off as we drive out, sssllloooowwwllllyy. And any remaining water is frozen before we get out of the driveway. I've also learned to keep a lighter in my purse (I don't even smoke!) to heat my key so I don't get locked out of my car because of the snow or ice. It sure makes for an entertaining day. Unless you are in a hurry of course, then God is teaching me something I'm sure, I just need to step back and give it to him.

Hmm, enough rambling. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Peace,

Dee

Questions about what I eat

Coming to my home so I can cook you a meal? Most likely you will not find canned goods, prepared or frozen (except vegies) or packaged foods.

I have many people that when they hear of the way I cook say "why go to all that trouble?" Well, 1st my health, 2nd it's the way God made our food...not the way man says it should be for "convienence". Several years ago I found out I was intolerant to dairy and wheat (gluten), though I am not celiac, and made the necessary changes. A couple years later my health still wasn't up to par for me, so being an autodidact, I read and learned and finally the Lord opened up the door about sugar. Ha! the key to my health. I cut out sugar as well and my health got better.

I used to cook 2 meals, per meal. So, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners. That was short lived. I told my family that I loved them, but I just couldn't do this. So they could eat what I make or make their own. We did that for a while too. Then slowly the things I was making smelled yummy, and my family even ventured into tasting some new things. Today I only cook 1 of each, except breakfast. I don't like cold cereal (even though there are things I can eat). So I prefer to cook up some buckwheat or millet, sometimes it's butternut squash or acorn squash cooked up and made into a hot cereal.

People ALWAYS say, "good grief what DO you eat." Meat, sweet potatoes, beans, rice, oats, buckwheat, millet, vegies, green apples, and fuji apples, yogurt, sauerkraut, almond milk, lots of water, cranberry juice (concentrate only) goats cheese sometimes as a treat, homemade coconut macaroons, spiced walnut cookies, baked apples, should I keep going? Does it look like I starve!? No, I have just found a way to eat what God gave us before it is pre-packaged.

Since I often get questions, online and in person, about providing ideas I have decided to add meals and recipes if requested to the In the Kitchen link. I thought about starting another blog, but that's too much work. My life is based on Keep It Simple. Speaking of, my rambling ugh! Oh well.

So here is what I had for lunch Monday:

Organic ground buffalo meat, cooked up with some onion and peas. Lightly drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of salt and peppe. On the side is garbonzo beans, or as we call them "ju ju beans"...don't ask, sprinkled with a southern barbeque seasoning called Butt Rub (no sugar in this great little seasoning!) and my reverse osmosis water. Fancy, no. Took along time, um about 20 minutes. Maybe 15.

No sugar, no wheat, no dairy and not processed! The garbanzo beans are soaked overnight and cooked in my crock all day. I don't have to do a thing but sort, rinse, soak. Then in the morning rinse and put in my crockpot on low for the day. Before dinner, rinse, separate into 2 - 3containers and off to the freezer. Equivalant to 3 cans!

You can do this! Pick one meal you would like to try and cook with out processed or sugary foods. If you already cook this way, care to share?

Wishing you a warm day from freezing, windy Ohio!

Dee

A giggle with Koda

One of the things I love about being home is that I get to enjoy fun things, especially having Boxers. They are known as the "clown" of the bunch, and yesterday Koda lived up to this.

He has an orange ball that we bought him for entertainment in the winter. I fill it with Cheerios and he rolls it around the house so a few will fall out and he gets the treat! Well, he has learned where I "keep" his ball, and any time the pantry is open (even just a bit) he helps himself to walking in and getting his orange ball, bringing it to me no matter where I am and dropping it at my feet. If I don't pay attention he picks it up and drops it again.

After he did his little stunt of opening the door yesterday, he brought me the ball and put it in my lap. I just had to laugh, so I gave in and he got his "entertainment". Only yesterday as he was batting it around (he would be a great soccer player!) his ball rolled over by Sasha, our little 5 lb, sleeping munchkin who if he is in "her space" she growls, barks and chases him off. It really is quite the site.

He was afraid to go get his ball. He groweld, and talked, and whimpered....from sitting next to me looking at her across the room. Mind you...she is sleeping. After 20 minutes of this, and I refused to help!, he got the courage to go around the house and sat in the living room a bit closer but still wouldn't go up to get his ball. He finally sat in the dining room about 4 ft from Sasha, still groweling and whimpering. He layed down then woofed at her, testing her to see if she would wake up. She did, only to go back to sleep. As he would inch closer he go the courage to reach out (unfortuantely I missed that shot) and he stood up ever so quietly to grab his ball then he ran like crazy around the house and came back through the dinning room to bring his ball to me. The whole thing, was so hilarious. I was so grateful to be home and get the great laugh!

Here are a couple of the pictures I did get:



Inch worm...

He got it!!

What a hoot! I just love my boxers!

Have a great day~
Dee

Rested and Rejuvinated

Today I feel rested and rejuvinated. Sundays at our house are a day for rest and family time. Sometimes we have friends over for a big breakfast after mass, or coffee/tea and games in the afternoon, sometimes we even go for a bike ride at the Panhandle trail.


Yesterday we napped. It's what we usually do. So here's our typical Sunday: I get up at my usual time, about 5 am, and make tea and have my quiet time for reflection and Bible reading with the Lord. Chris gets up a bit later and I have a snack then we start getting around for mass. All 3 dogs are let out and if one of us has time they get fed, if not, well they won't starve in an hour.


After mass, when we walk in the door one of us yells "Sunday clothes" then we run upstairs to change into our clothes for most of the day...sweats and a fleece sweatshirt, for C a t-shirt, warm socks and house shoes (or for some of you folks, slippers), Then we go down and Chris makes us a big breakfast: pancakes or waffles, and bacon maybe an egg or two. After cleanup we either read, or lately Chris has a puzzle of the Last Supper he is working on, then a nap. Usually a 2 hour nap. Lazy? No! Restful. We are called to rest on Sunday, the Commandments weren't given to us for nostalgia!

I don't have these anymore but I think they are fun!


The rest of the day is reading or going for a walk. Then dinner or phone calls to family then dinner. By now it's after 7 and we start to talk about the week and what each of us has going on. Sort of an impromtu family meeting. We've always had family meetings on Sunday evening, but since the kids are gone, it's pretty simple. Simple is good.


Keep it Simple and Live in today...today is Monday!

Peace,

Dee

Simplicity

As I re-read some of the posts at High Desert Home on simplicity, I am inspired to par down and re-think what I have and what may be adding a burden to my day or life. Even without being conciously aware of it.

As the Lord would have it, I have been allowing time for creativity and it feels good. I finished my curtains for the kitchen, then I found myself desiring to par down my basket weaving area (where I did some of my sewing). A sat down and cleaned out 2 binders and stacks of "stuff" that was doing nothing but causing me to feel a bit of angst everytime I looked at it. I want peace, and from what God is showing me, Serenity is to be had if I am willing to change me. That means I need to let go of somethings, accept some things and have the Courage to Change the Things I can.

After all was said and done, I've parred down to one binder of patterns, a few books and one small binder with future ideas that I have dreamed of for years. Like owning a tea/craft shop where folks can come and chat over tea, or bring in their projects to work on in the back craft room. Just a dream but things like that are in the small folder. It FEELS more serene over there now. I am blessed to have taken the time to listen to the Lord and ask "what's the next right thing for me? Clean out your creative area!" Yeah! So my goal this week is to pick out my next basket weaving pattern. Small steps, 2 % changes as a dear friend has told me.

Almost homemade, :-) I'm adding on to some curtains I bought.



The finished product! I wanted the off white band with fabric bows and buttons added.
This is the valance. I try to keep as much daylight coming in as possible. I like the natural daylight, it seems to give me more energy.
Today, I am seeking God's will for me and not getting caught up in what I need to do for someone else ~ to my detriment.

Peace,
Dee

Icey Waterfall

Were we live is right along the Ohio River and to travel anywhere north or south we have to take the highway along the river. We are blessed to see the most amazing things like this:

Look closely, the color is from the minerals in the rocks. How cool is that! Each year I have seen this (All 3 years now) and as the season progresses the colors get richer. I hope to catch it about March, it's a dark amber color. It's fascinating to me how God can create such beauty, even in the cold. It gives me something to ponder on rather than the thought of how cold I am.

And this:

This one is farther up. It's so beautiful.

Peace of Christ,

Dee

Trip to Amish Country

About every 6 weeks I take a trip up to Amish country to get our chicken, and shop and a couple different bulk food stores up there. It's usually a day trip, so yesterday Chris took the day off and went with me.

When ever we go driving I grab my camera, I never know what I will see along the way. This is what we saw yesterday:

This barn has one of the Barn Quilts on the side. I think they are so neat.

This is Tappan Lake, that is frozen!
Here is another of the lake, you can see the whole thing is frozen across to the other side. Little tiny feet prints were scattered here and there in the snow in top,

Aren't these icicles just amazing! I dont' understand why folks here BUY icicle lights to hang from their house, and then REAL icicles form over the top of them. I just have to laugh and shake my head, I don't get it buy hey, it's not mine to get, right?!

This one is special to me. For some reason I really enjoy seeing covered bridges. These bridges hold a special place in my heart. Last time I drove through, there was a lot of Amish men who were in the process of building this one. It's finished. I've never gotten the priveledge of seeing one be built then later see the final product. I hope they dated it like so many of the other beautiful one's I've seen. Isn't it grand! To think something so simple can be so beautiful and useful. Hmmm, maybe that's why it appeals to me. I like beautiful, useful and simple.

Which reminds me, I have to get off the computer and do a 28 thing fling (declutter my desk in layman's terms) and get to my creative project today.

Peace,

Dee

Treasures to me

In my post on Jan 1, I spoke of looking for a new tea pot that was made in the USA. I hadn't been able to find one that I could use on the stove, so I started to resign to the fact that my small pot has worked for the past 6 mths, so what's wrong with heating tea in a pot. I don't need a tea pot, right? Chris said, wrong! He did some searching and found a woman that had this tea pot. It's a Pyrex Flameware Tea pot, meant for stove tops. {insert big grin here}. And this is what he got me for my birthday:

I have such a loving husband! He did a great job searching and picking this out. I love it! It's perfect for us. It makes 6 cups and the lid is glass with little tabs that when rotated, lock the lid on. The handle never gets hot and it boils water just as quick as my stainless steel pot. Did I ever tell you how much I enjoy having tea? Click on the link to see.

This treasure is so neat. I ran across this broom at High Desert Home (she has a great blog by the way). At first I thought "that's weird, but in a cool kind of way". As months passed I noticed every time I got my grocery store special out to sweep with, I would dream of have a cool colorful broom. It may make sweeping fun! And lately, I'm all about bringing more fun into my life. So I went to the site and saw the price, no way. I'm not paying that. Some more time passed and this was still on my heart, so I went back to their site. I read the whole story about the company and the people that make them. Yes, you can really see the pictures of the people that make them. HAND MADE! Not in a factory somewhere in you know where. These people grow the materials, harvest it, dye it with non-toxic dyes, weave or braid them and earn an honest buck for their work. I like that. I am always willing to pay a bit more when I know the person that made it is benefiting directly. Kind of like Fair Trade.

And you know what. It works great! I've tossed my grocery store special that had severly frayed bristles and now own this beautiful pink and lime green broom by Sweep Dreams. I encourage you to check it out. Maybe you need some color and fun in your day to day sweeping. (No I'm not getting any money for this, but I am getting a lot of joy when I see it and use it.) It doesn't even go in my pantry, it hangs on the outside so I can enjoy it. :-)

I believe God gave each of us gifts to use. These people have great gifts and I feel blessed to have a treasure they made.

Wow! There is a lot of links today. I hope you enjoy them.

Christ's peace,

Dee

On the back porch.

Yesterday it cleared enough for the sun to come out. It was so beautiful after days of snow. Days!! And my husband, being the cool guy he is, built a fire in our chimnea on our back deck and pulled the glider over so we could sit on it together. We had a sleeping bag wrapped around us, but by the time I took the picture we were cleaning up. After being outside for an hour the sun was going away and the winds were kicking up. At 20 degrees with the wind, I'm good inside, thank you very much!

Maybe you could stop by and have tea on the back porch with us?

Peace,

Dee

Happy Birthday to Me!

Me, about 2 yo.

Where did all the blonde go? Oh yeah, I still call it blonde even if the lady at the DMV laughs at me!

I just can't express the gratitude that I feel toward fellow bloggers of mine and my sister's. So many have posted birthday greetings for me, it just tickles my insides!

Yep! Last Thursday was my birthday. We didn't do a whole lot since we had a snow storm that day. The one thing I really wanted was to get a good burger at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. That's it. Kinda simple, but I'm a simple kinda gal. We were able to go up to a Ruby Tuesday's about an hour north of here, and I had a bison burger. And my eyes were bigger than my tummy but boy was it good!! Avocado and the works (minus the bun...can't do buns anymore. I order it with then pick it off as I eat so I have something to hold on to while I eat my burger. I bet that is something you really wanted to know, huh?!)

God made me who I am, warts and all. The family life I had, the place I lived, the choices I've made have all formed me to be the person I am today. Do I regret some, yes, Do I celebrate some, Yes! All of it though has been guided by my Lord. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for Him. I am deeply grateful. Today I try to thank Him for all the years past, and look forward to getting to know Him better in the years to come, if that is His will. In the mean time, I am stirring up my creativity in today, This Day! Thank you God for my life!

And I would like to thank you for the birthday greetings, and poking me in the side to check my blog. I never dreamed. I wish I could give hugs back. Thank you for making my birthday grand!

God's peace be with you,

Dee

Happy New Year!

A celebration...let's have some tea!

So did you stay up until midnight? I was fast asleep, until Chris came back into bed from taking the little dog out just before midnight. I woke up to hear the car horns going off and fireworks. I don't get much into the midnight thing since I've come to a place of acceptance that staying up past 10pm is "Harmful to my health". I say it tongue in cheek, but with a bit of sincerity.

Yesterday I started really contemplating about New Year's resolutions and came to the point that I realized, I don't like to make resolutions. Resolutiotions to me are great for a day or two then (insert sound of bomb diving here). I found a blog that she spoke of this too. She changed resolutions to goals. I like that. Goals. So I am making goals for 2010, not resolutions.

My goals for 2010 for now are:

* Going the whole year without buying anything from China. Believe me when I say, I will spare you the soap box lecture, not speech, lecture on why I've decided to do this. I will save that for a whole post someday. I've already met my first struggle with this. This week I started looking for a teapot made in the USA. A stove top teapot. After spending my free time for 3 days and speaking to a woman in Atlanta GA that owns a retail business for US made teapots, mugs etc, there is nothing made in the US that is stainless steel or even close. I had to resort to antique sites that sold Corningware or Pyrex that used to be made here. There is one glass one, the glass is made in Germany then sent here to the US to be completed. Hence, my first stumbling block. Do I want to buy ONLY US made products or just completely avoid "made in China"? I've decided to do the latter, but with conditions. If I am going to buy from another country I want to know if it's handmade, like Fair Trade, or someone has a legit. business and is selling the product here in the US. If it's mass made, stamped "made it X". I won't be buying it in 2010. Now C, can do what he wants. God made each of us with our own passions and desires to be pursued in our own life. I STRONGLY feel this way about this. Okay, so I've rambled on and scratched the surface about something that has gotten under my skin. Wonder why? Go in one room of your home. Go around and pick up anything, or several things. Read the tag or the stamp. Where is it made! Enough said.

*Second goal: Each night to write 3 blessings God has given me in my journal. I contemplate my day and look back at my behaviors and actions through the day. Going over my character defects and assests give me ground for working to make tomorrow different, should I be given the gift of another day. I feel writing 3 blessings down will also open my mind more to look for the blessings in things. Hmm, God is teaching, I'm trying to show up to be a good student.

*Third goal: Walking daily and some kind of strength work 3x a week. Even if it's a few basics on my ball at home, something 3 x a week along with walking. I haven't set a goal for how many miles yet. I'm still praying for God's will in this area and haven't gotten an answer. For now, I put one foot in front of the other and get out the door, or head to the mall to walk.

*and Fourth and final, I think: To garden smarter this year. Starting seeds inside, knowing what I'm planting and how to harvest AND preserve it, to harvest when it's ready not when I'm ready, to practice preserving, to save seeds for next year, to learn more about heirloom seeds, to learn more about composting (especially through winter. Any ideas?)

Hmm, I think this will carry me through until Christmas. What about you? Do you have any goals? I enjoy hearing about others so I can encourage them and see how they are doing. Encouragement is so important. God tells us to encourage each other while it is still today. He is such an awesome God, He knows what we need. My spirits need lifted and I always enjoy when someone encourages me. I hope I can do that for you as well.

Peace,
Dee

Okay one more: to actually live my values. I never understood about values until a few months ago and upon making my list of things, it warms my heart and makes me feel confident to see my values on paper. Now, it brings me down to not live them. So, Fifth goal for 2010 is to live my values. :-)


Happy New year to you and may God shed His grace and blessings on you, One Day at A Time.

My Garden this past season

My first square foot garden we built last year. This one has sage, onions, strawberries, and "what was I thinking mint".

My garden this year! Green beans, tomatoes, onions, herbs, squash, and 1 praying mantis!

A close up after the onions were pulled and the herbs trimmed back. I dry the herbs and prep them to use in the kitchen. Another post for that though.


A small bit of my first harvest. Patty Pan squash, green beans, and yummy carrots!

This is how I water my garden. Yep! Rain water. Water here is so expensive AND so polluted due to the fact we get our water from the Ohio River (joy! huh!?) I refused to shower, drink or use the tap water (since the state has issued a failed EPA test for the watere here for the past 7 years!) So we bought these from the County Ag office, cheap. C used his talents and built a stand for one so the pressure pushes the water out quicker, and excess runs from a small hose on the side down to the barrel below.

See? You would think I water with Miracle Gro when I use rain water. You should try it! Even if you catch it in 5 gal buckets, try watering your houseplants and see what happens. (PS Don't drink rain water unless you purify it first. Just my tip for the day)

My compost bin, brand new and just started to compost when the weather turned. I've stopped for now, I don't know about throwing scraps in the compost with 2 inches of snow on it.

So there's some of joy from this summer and fall. I never knew how much I LOVE to garden. I'm always out there. And if I'm stressed, anytime of the day or night...I'm in my garden piddlin' around. There is something soothing to the soul with mixing dirt and tending to the creation that God is growing. I'm just the gardener, He is the Creator. When I pull in the crop that is ready or just water and tend to it lovingly, it brings me so much joy.

Here's a funny image. Snow all over the garden and ground and I'm standing at our glass door in the kitchen looking out at the garden saying "come back...come back!" LOL. I know, soon enough. I actually need this resting time through the winter to learn more about composting and gardening. This is the time to pull in, rest and restore.

So, would making paper rings up to the first planting be wrong! :-)

Reviewing the past two seasons

I have been out of the blogging world for sometime. Circumstances have been such that my mind and heart have not been in it. But as I regain ground and I look to myself and the things that bring me joy or things in the past that have brought me joy...blogging is one of them. I have just a few blogs I enjoy and read often, it's funny how I consider them friends even though we've never met.



In light of looking back through some of my pictures I have a handful of events over the past few months that I really would like to share. I hope you enjoy them and I will try to keep it brief (Me? brief? my husband would fall over laughing. But shhh, don't tell him I said I can be brief.)

Enjoy~

C's birthday! We had BBQ Beef ribs, and he was one happy camper!

Our windows before the replacements were put in. Wood frames, counter weights in the side soiled with soot from a past coal heating system (before we owned the house). They were beautiful, built in 1927, but leaked air like crazy. Last winter I watched my blinds move on the INSIDE of my house when the wind blew outside. Praise God for the money to buy new windows! My house is warm this winter thanks to Him and C's hard work.

Out with the old leaded glass windows.


C holding a counterweight before it was taken out.

There's the new. Oh I could just hug them!!!

Have you ever seen a house with NO windows?

Tad-da! Brand spankin' new, no leaking, warm, lovely windows! Can you tell I like them. I thank God a lot for them.

Me and my lap buddy (or so he thinks) during morning prayer time.

Fall colors on my drive to Amish country to get some meat.

This was cool. Exact replicas of the Nina and Pinta, the two of the 3 ships Columbus sailed on, docked in Steubenville. They sail around the country so people and kids can see what it was really like to be on the boat he came over on. There is a man and his family in Africa I think, that still knew the trade for how the ships were built. So these were done the exact way, pine tar to make them float and all. It was really neat to be on, but I could never sail on one. Sea sickness is not my cup of tea. You can search for their web site, they take volunteers to sail with them. Each ship has a captain to guide the volunteers (no experience required).

I hope you enjoyed the journey over the past few months.

Peace,

Dee