FINALLY! I got some layouts done!

I am determined that next year will be a different year for layouts................I'm going to do the 365 project again!  And my goal is to do a layout a day.  Not necessarily with a current picture.  Any picture is game!  OLD or NEW!  We shall see!  And, I'll be using my own kits, too!  So, we'll see how it all goes!

Today, I did a couple of pages for some challenges at Faith Sisters.  Hope you enjoy them!

(In the) NICK of Time! kit

(In the) NICK of Time! kit

The Biltmore

On Thursday, Dec. 23rd, we left the house at approx. 9:00.  We arrived in Asheville a little after 11 am.  We first went to the shopping district but found very little of interest to us.  Tim did find one fossilized snail-type creature that he bought for his fossil collection.  While downtown, we found the restaurant that we would eat our dinner that night.

We headed to the hotel, even though we were a couple hours early for check-in.  But, we were permitted to check in anyway.  So, we just hung out in the hotel til time to go to dinner.

Thanks is due Michael and Jessica for the gift certificate we used at Zambra's that evening.  It was described as being Spanish food.  The food was wonderful, but too expensive for the amount of food we were served.

Friday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel and headed to the Biltmore.  I was bummed that we could not take pictures inside.  It was beautifully decorated for Christmas!  What a HUGE place!  We did buy a pack of postcards with pictures of the house that I will scan and share sometime.  After we finished our tour, we went in search of some thrift shops and found a few, but didn't buy anything.  We also went to the Biltmore Village to do some window shopping, but we didn't see anything interesting.  We ate at Long John Silver's pretty late so we didn't go out for dinner.  We snacked on the goodies we had taken with us.

On Saturday, Christmas day, we got up earlier to get ready to leave.  We hoped to beat the weather that was headed East.  We left as the snow was beginning to fly!  We left at 8 and were home by 10:30.  Yep!  The weather followed us!  You saw those pictures yesterday.  Here are a few from our Biltmore trip.

Standing in front of the Biltmore Estate

The Biltmore Estate

Showing the ambiance of Zambra Restaurant.

The restaurant looked like a dive of a place with the entrance from the alley!

Winter Wonderland

I'm pretty sure we moved from the area of Winter Wonderlands..............so how is it that we have had so much snow in the 2009/2010 winters?  One thing for sure, it is beautiful!  But, that is about it for me!  Especially when it causes your electricity to go off and causes cancellation of church services!

Last night, right before I went to bed at about midnight, the electricity went off for just a second.  So quick that I didn't even have to turn the computer back on.  The lights had been flickering and dimming all evening.  I am assuming now that it was the wet snow packing itself on the tree branches and everything else it landed on!  But, I didn't think anything about it.  After all, we weren't in WV where it was a common thing for the electricity to go out as tree branches out on the hills fell into the lines all the time!

Fast forward to 2:30 a.m.  Tim rolled over to look at the clock, but it was off.  He rolled back over and went to sleep thinking the electricity would be back on in the morning.  Not so much!  At 6:30 I saw him in the very dimly lit kitchen (from a flash light) and heard him pulling down the candles from the cabinets.  Then I heard him opening every drawer looking for matches.  By this time, I was up (to get some aspirin for my headache that I always wake up with) and got the matches and lit all the candles for him.  Then I went to the bathroom and back to bed, thinking the electricity would probably be back on by the time I needed to get up and ready for church.  Didn't happen.  I never did go back to sleep, but my headache had gone away, to I got up.

Since there was no electricity by 8:30, we called to let everyone know there would be no services.  Tim walked over to the neighbors' and found out that the electricity would be back on by 6 pm!!!  YIKES!  I should hope WAY sooner than that!  So, I bundled up and sat on the couch to crochet.  Tim did some reading.  The neighbor was on his way to Walmart and asked if we needed anything.  Tim told him to bring us some bread and milk back.  We waited forever for him to bring it back.  When he finally did bring it back, he told us the roads were fine.  So, we went to McD's for breakfast.  It was about 10:30 by that time.  We hung out in Walmart for a bit, dreading having to come back to the cold house.  Mainly, though, because there was nothing to do..............without electricity, that is!

When we got back, we worked on the parking lot and the side walks some.  It was warming up and things were starting to drip.  Then Tim put down some salt and we went inside.  By this time it is 60 in the house and I put my fish in a bag for Tim to take to his fish tank in the office because his water over there was 70 degrees still.  Then I went back to crocheting and Tim did some reading and was just starting to snooze when the SWEET electric hum of the refrigerator could be heard!  THANK YOU, LORD!  And the best part...........It was 12:15 pm, not 6 pm!  Hallelujah!!  The temperature had dropped another 2 degrees in the house and was now 58, and I had wrapped my scarf around my neck and wrapped in an afghan.  So, the electricity came back just in time!  I was beginning to think I would have to snuggle up in bed!

Anyway, here's some pictures for you to "enjoy????"  If you enjoy them, that's ok!  I enjoyed the beauty, if not the resulting problems!

Tree outside the back door

Out front looking toward the road

..................even the snow!

Bundled up for picture-taking.

Taken from the road

Looking across the field next door.  How pretty!

Low-hanging wires.  I don't think the electric company would have just left this hanging, so I figure someone from one of the houses nearby did this, but I don't know.

Low hanging tree branches.  We heard a chain saw, so I guess the power company was working on getting some branches off the power lines.

Merry CHRISTmas to my Children, Children in Love and Family and Friends!

I love you all and pray that you have a blessed CHRISTmas.  Please remember to thank GOD for His amazing Gift on that first CHRISTmas so long ago!

I will post some pictures from our Biltmore trip when I return home later today.

Scowl at the Cowl!

Well, we made it back from our travels to WV and KY at around 5:30 last night.  I needed to start laundry, but didn't feel like it!  I brought Hannah's cold back with me.  I was finally getting over the crud I picked up while helping Terry and Jessica move a couple of weeks ago and then added the cold on top of the left over sinus stuff.  Oh well!  Such is life!  I told Tim that I needed to stay in the south until all of my "diseases" were completely gone, lol!

We really enjoyed our time with Liz and the family.  Hated leaving the kiddies so sick!  But am glad they are back to normal!

We also enjoyed seeing everyone at Buffalo Baptist again!  It is good to see those who were faithful when we were there remaining faithful, even during the trial of not having a pastor to lead them!

The Lord blessed us with safe travels to visit Tim's parents in northern KY, too!  The roads had been taken care of and we enjoyed normal speeds!  But, boy!  The wind chill was so cold it hurt your skin!  I am soooooo thankful for a warm car to travel in rather than having to travel with a horse and buggy!  BRRRRR!!!  I cannot even imagine what that must have been like!

Tim's mom found some circular knitting needles at the thrift store that she gave to me!  She admired the sweaters I had with me that I made for the grandkids for Christmas.  We also talked about a cowl knitting pattern from a knitting/crochet newsletter we both get.  So, I decided to make one, which I started last night.  The pattern I had was a bit different than the one she had seen.  I finished mine tonight.  I shortened the length of it from what the pattern called for because I didn't think it would need to be as long as they called for.  Well, I was wrong!  It really could have used the other 6" of length!  But, I will still use it and just make a note to myself about the length! 

Elisabeth, Jessica J, Jessica D and Cheryl...............Here are some pictures to show you what it looks like.  I want to know if any of you would be interested in me making you one.  And, if so, what color would you like?

Side View

Cowl folded in half

I could have used this while we were in the frigid wind this weekend!

Not folded in half.

It SNOW FUN!

NOT!  We woke up at Liz's with about 3" of snow (Tim's guestimation).  And, it was COLD!!!  There was no school for Hannah, which was a good thing as she and Ryan had been throwing up all night!  Poor babies!  I hope they only got better through the day!  I know they probably had a good nap today, not to mention poor mommy, who was up with her babies all night!  I just pray Tim and I did not carry the bug with us to pass to his parents and ultimately us when we get home!

Anyway, we headed to Tim's parents around 9 am.  We didn't take the usual route north to Pt. Pleasant, WV then west through the bottom of Ohio.  Instead, we followed I-64 through WV into KY and then headed up north on I-75 from Lexington, KY.  The road was wet in WV but mostly dry through KY.  We ran through one squally of snow where we lost the sun for about 15 miles in KY.  But the rest of the trip was free sailing at the regular speed!

We spent an hour or so at Tim's dad's then headed to his mom's.  While there she asked Tim to install new guts inside the tank of the toilet.  After completing the task, the flapper would not go over the hole so the tank would fill with water, even though he didn't even work on that part of the toilet.  Tim and his mom ran to the store to get a new flapper to no avail.  So, unfortunately, we left her with no way to flush the toilet without doing it manually by pouring water into the toilet bowl.  She has a neighbor who does helps her with problems.  She will get him to look at it.  She treated us to dinner at Bob Evans for Tim's trouble.  I helped her with a few computer items while Tim worked on the toilet.  She found some knitting needles at the thrift store that she gave to me!  I showed her the crochet projects I have been working on for the grandkids for Christmas.  We gave her Christmas gift to her, which she loved. 

After dinner at Bob Evans, we dropped her back home and we headed to Florence to the Travelodge that we had reservations in.  Tomorrow, we will make the looooooong trip back to NC!  I am dreading the trip!  Guess I'll spend the time reading and/or playing on the computer!   And probably snoozing!  :D

Can't wait to get back in my own bed!

Back it Up!

Saturday was a snow day, the very first one for us here in NC. It started around 1 PM. I love taking pictures of the snow and of it snowing! This first picture is looking out the front window towards the road and through my grapevine wreath.

The snow seemed to slack off a bit. But, an hour later, this was the view out the back door towards the neighbor's field.
I zoomed in to capture the snow falling.
You can see the light pole of the picture above in this picture on the left.
How pretty! This is zoomed in to the trees between the two church buildings.

And, by Sunday morning in time for church it was all gone! YAY!! Today the breezes were blowing and giving a wind chill. Not as bad as up north, but still pretty nippy for NC! Hopefully, by the time we head north for the weekend, this weather front will have passed on by!

'Tis the Season.........

I need to find out if my grandkids already have the following games that I found at Goodwill. Brand new games, never opened. Don't even look like they were stored and never used. I'm thinking Goodwill might do some buyouts like Big Lots does. Anyway, I have the following games and want to make sure they are not already owned. I know some of them are owned (I found out after buying them earlier this year), so if you can tell me whether or not you have any of them, it would help in determining how to disperse them at Christmas.

1. Battleship - I know Michael has this, but it is for ages 7+, so I figure I will be keeping this one.
2. Chutes and Ladders - for preschoolers - I'm thinking this would be a good one for Kara.
3. Feed the Kitty - ages 4+. I'm thinking this would be more along the lines for Ryan.
4. Yahtzee - ages 8+ - I'm thinking Michael on this one, unless he already has it.
5. Candy Land - I think Hannah, Ryan and Kara all have this one. If I'm right, I will be keeping it.
6. I also have a beautiful jungle-type animal puzzle for ages 4+ that I figure I will give to Kara.

Falalalalalalalala :D

Routine Changes

Today's agenda:
1. Breakfast at IHOP (we decided to eat breakfast out instead of lunch). Very nice change! The stuffed french bread was sooooooo good!
2. Thrift store hopping. NOT even ONE purchase!
3. Back home for the afternoon where I worked on a new kit.
4. Dinner at Olive Garden (Tim got a gift card for doing a wedding).
5. Back home again for the evening.
6. Finished the kit..........finally!
7. To bed at 2:45 a.m.
8. The cold is better, btw!

Short and Sweet

1. I'm so glad everyone in the Michael Day household is feeling better!
2. I LOVE the name Abigail for our 6th grandchild! Yes, we found out we are having another girl! That will make 3 grandsons and 3 granddaughters!
3. My cold is better, but not gone. I still wake up with a headache from the stuffiness and cough and gag quite often through the day..........but, we're getting there! :D
4. Time for a piece of the "best pumpkin pie Brad and Liz ever ate!" :P And, yes, we like a little pie with our whipped cream! :D
5. Say good night!

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program.......

Yep, I'm sure you can guess that Liz and family have just departed. Ryan is a great grandma hugger! :D But, then, he IS still pretty young! I suspect that will change in a couple of years! The girls are always good huggers, but the boys think it is not so cool later on! That changes again once they hit puberty! Except, it isn't mom or grandma they want to hug! :D

Anyway, we had a great visit, even though it was a short one. In 2 weeks we will see them again. Tim will be preaching at BBC on Dec. 12th, so we will spend Saturday night and Sunday night with Liz. On Monday, we will travel to KY to see Tim's parents and take their Christmas to them.

For now, however, the toys are back in place, the pillows are back on the couch, the videos are put away, and the blankets are folded and tucked away and there is a familiar quiet in the house. A somewhat sad quiet.....but a happy one, too! Time to get back to our regular pastoral routine!

God has blessed us in so many ways, it is hard to even enumerate them without missing some of them! One thing I am so thankful for this year is the gift of family! AMEN!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of my family, friends (in digiland and the real world) a
Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! Love you all!

It's been a long time..........

I can't believe it has been almost 2 weeks since I posted anything! How the time flies when you are having fun! However, I wish I could honestly say that I've had nothing but fun since my last post! Oh, cont rare!! For the most part, yes, life is fun, or at least interesting! But, this week, not so much!

Last Wednesday, November 17, I traveled to WV to spend the night with Liz and the next day head further north to Jessica's to be at her services as chief babysitter for Sawyer while she and Terry made the big move into their new home.

On Friday, Jessica and Terry went to work, and I kept Sawyer. Jessica left her phone for my use. A text message came to Jessica's phone from Liz wanting to know if Jessica and Terry needed Brad's help moving. So I called Liz and told her I felt like they could use the help! Otherwise, Jessica was going to be the one to man-handle all the furniture with Terry........not a good idea in my humble opinion! So, Brad and Liz left Hannah and Ryan at his mom's house and they headed to Lancaster to help.

It was a good decision. Since Liz is pregnant, we did not want her lifting much, so she kept an eye on Sawyer while I helped with some of the moving and cleaning.

The heavy stuff was loaded into the truck on Saturday. It was very cold that day.....approx. 44 degrees with a wind. Terry and Brad were in and out of the cold all day long, sweating and sleeves rolled up. I was in and out some, too, but I had a jacket on. Mostly, I was in the house working. Almost everything was moved by late afternoon. Clothes and odds and ends was all that remained at the old house. Jessica and I started unloading boxes. Terry started putting beds, etc together. It was a late night.

Sunday........Terry is really sick! Fever, headache, sore throat, stuffy. He stayed home from church. By the afternoon, I began to feel the same symptoms. Jessica and I kept working. She had been doing laundry the whole time we were in the new house, along with unloading boxes. We were making great progress in the living/dining/kitchen area of the house..........the part you see when you walk into the front door. By Sunday evening, I am feeling pretty rough! I was running a fever by the time I went to bed. I woke up sometime Sunday evening pretty sweaty. I guess the fever broke. I did not sleep well at all.

The plan was to get up with Jessica and Terry and Michael as they got ready for school and work. Sawyer was singing and talking and such a happy baby! I was still feeling pretty lousy. Jessica said their bed was wet with sweat as Terry's fever had broken during the night. He was feeling 60% better, he said. I ended up taking some more headache medicine and laying back down for awhile. I could not go to sleep, but my headache eased and I got ready to leave. By 11 I was headed towards WV. The original plan was to pick up the kids on the way back home to NC. But I wasn't sure with getting sick that Liz would want the kids to come with me. Hannah already had a cold and cough and Ryan will more than likely come down with it, too. So, they still came home with me.

I feel pretty well during the day, as long as I keep excedrine migraine in me. Night time is the worst because I have a hard time breathing in bed. I am up several times through the night blowing my nose and/or taking more medicine for the headache. I hate it when you have to sleep on a towel because your nose drains as you sleep. I know, pretty gross! So, why does my head feel so clogged up? Anyway...............

I took Hannah and Ryan to the Bolton Park yesterday, which is the park by the pool I take them to during their summer visit. It is not nearly as nice a play area as the park where we feed the ducks. Which is where we ended up. It was getting ready to rain as we left Bolton to head to Thom-a-Lex park. We were able to feed the ducks a whole box of cheerios and play on the playground before the black clouds rolled in and the wind began to whip the leaves off the trees. Home again, home again, jiggity, jig.............

Today the sun is shining again. Liz called with the announcement of what sex the baby is. Sorry, you will have to wait for her to tell you! :D They are coming later tonight to spend Thanksgiving with us. The turkey is defrosting. I have forgotten to get stuffing, so I will be taking the kids with me to the store after while and Kleenex is on the top of the list! Hannah and Ryan are still running around in their pj's (it is 10:30). Well, actually, Ryan has stripped down to his underwear!

This turned out to be longer than I intended. I would've filled you in on the days' activities between the last post (the 13th, I believe) and where I started this one (the 17th), but I would have to put too much thought into it to remember what happened! :D

Have a BLESSED THANKSGIVING!!!

It Wasn't Meant to Be............

Today, Tim decided we should take a trip to Pilot Mountain to take a walk. The weather is sooooo pretty and has been all week that he thought it would be nice to just get away and spend some time out in the fresh air! I agreed and off we went. Only problem is that EVERYONE else had the same idea! As we drove up the mountain to get to the top, Tim saw a sign that said "Summit Parking FULL." We kept going. Lots of cars were coming down the mountain, so we figured there would still be places to park. WRONG! We couldn't get to the top! There was a row of cars just stopped, obviously waiting for a parking spot! We couldn't see the "summit" yet, so we had no idea how far this backed up traffic went on up the mountain. We sat for a few minutes. No more cars were coming down. Tim decided to forget about it. No telling how long we would have to sit and wait! I know when we are there, we spend at least 2 hours hiking out and back and around the "summit" so it could have been that long of a wait, we will never know! On the way back to the house I talked him in to going to the Bolton Park, where we take the grandkids swimming during their summer visits. They have a walking trail, which looked like it went back into some woods. WRONG again! The total length of the trail was only like 1,390 feet! But, I did manage to get a few pictures of the beautiful tree leaves while we were there! So much for our spending the afternoon out doors! After 2 WRONGS, Tim was done and ready to just go back home!

My Inner Little Girl Came Out...........

Our thrifting today gave way to the little girl within me......namely, my granddaughters, Hannah and Kara. They take turns pushing Rosa around in the doll stroller when they are here. Ryan gets in on the actions sometimes, too! But, mostly Hannah plays with Rosa. Rosa usually ends up at the Dr. Day Clinic, at some point during her visit with us! Rosa seems to be a sickly child! Dr. Day (grandpa) is consulted quite frequently! Usually, when Hannah leaves, Rosa goes back in the stroller to sleep until Hannah or Kara shows up again. Well, now Rosa will be wide awake and waiting for their appearance! I found a little wooden high chair. I think there used to be some padding, but maybe not. I can tell it has been re-painted. Nevertheless, it was calling my name and I knew right away that Rosa "needed" it for her long waits. Now she can stay awake instead of sleeping between her Hannah and Kara visits! After all, she isn't Sleeping Beauty.......she is Rosa!

Adorning the Doctrine of God - Titus 2:10

Have you ever come across this verse in your Bible and wondered what on earth it was referring to? Well, my DH preached a GREAT sermon this morning on this subject! TOMORROW you can hear it here: http://www.hbcws.us/index.html

But, for now, I thought I would share with you some things I learned today. Then you can share any thoughts you might have. You might want to get your Bible to follow along with the verses because I am not going to write them out, only bits and pieces.

Our actions, our lives, can either "adorn" (Titus 2:10) or "blaspheme" (Titus 2:5) the doctrine of God.

It is interesting to learn that the Greek word for "adorn" in this chapter is kosmeo, which is where our word, cosmetic, comes from. Kosmeo means to put in proper order, i.e. decorate --adorn, garnish, trim. LOL, ladies! Is this not what we are doing when we apply our makeup, our cosmetics?! We are beautifying ourselves, embellishing, (I like that scrapbooking term) and making ourselves look better; more appealing!

So, with knowing what the word "adorn" means now, we can ask ourselves the question....."Do we beautify the gospel?" When people "observe" our lives, can they say about us, like they said about the disciples, "They've been with Jesus?" (Acts 4:13) We ought to be continually making the gospel, the doctrine of God, look good!

Next question to ask ourselves is, "How we can do this?"

1. By our actions. Matthew 5:14-16
We MUST let our lights shine! The world is filled with darkness, so we MUST let our lights shine so others will be able to see the way to Christ. We are the light of the world. We are privileged to be allowed to shine and adorn the doctrine of God!

2. By our lives. Titus 2:12
We will adorn the doctrine of God when we:
-> deny ungodliness (anything the opposite of godliness)
-> deny worldly lusts (strong desires for the wrong things)
Instead, we must:
-> live soberly (having the self control the HS of God helps us with)
-> live righteously (righteousness cannot come out of us until it is in us of God)
-> live godly (not following ungodliness. To live godly, we must possess God in our heart)

3. By being an example 1 Timothy 4:12
-> in word (good speech; God honoring speech)
-> in conversation (the way you live; your conduct)
-> in charity (agape love)
-> in spirit (HS controlling our lives)
-> in faith (our beliefs)
-> in purity (holy, pure living)

4. By our beliefs, or doctrine 1 Timothy 4:16
-> doctrine of Christ, 2 John 9
-> sound doctrine, Titus 2:1. "sound" is the idea of being healthy or hygienic. False doctrine will make you sick spiritually.

5. By being doers of the Word Matthew 7:21-27
Just knowing God's Word is not enough. We must "do" God's Word!

These 5 steps answer the question of how we can adorn the doctrine of God.

I hope you enjoyed this. I sure did!

Sausage Recipe and a Blog Train!

I wanted to post pictures of the beautiful full moon that is happening tonight! But, the trees around the house are in the way of it's view! I'm hoping that later on tonight it will be higher in the sky....or at least above the trees so I can get a picture of it!

For those of you who know that sausage does not agree with me (probably the grease in it), I found a recipe that does! And, it is very good! So I wanted to share it with you. I got this recipe from the 6 Weeks Makeover plan that I purchased back in 2005, but, alas, 5 years later and still no Makeover! Of course, not taking it out of the box may have something to do with it......I'm just saying!

But, I do like the recipes that I have tried and this sausage recipe happens to be one of them! It is a no-salt version, so you may want to add salt, but it is really good without the salt!

The picture below the recipe is the picture I took of it after I fried it.

Turkey Sausage Patties (obviously, I'm not using it as patties - Tim likes to mix it in omlets)
1 lb. lean ground turkey breast (I just use the frozen chubs of ground turkey)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 c. chicken broth (sodium free)
Combine turkey and dry spices in large bowl. Mix together thoroughly.
Add chicken broth, mixing well. Let stand 15-20 minutes.
Form turkey into 8 patties, approx. 3/4 inch thick.
Cook patties in non-stick skillet over medium heat, 7-8 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked.

Here's an option for those who like it hot:
Add 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper and 3 TBSP. tomato paste (sodium free).

And, here's an Italian option (would probably work well on pizza):
Add 1/2 tsp. marjoram, 1/2 tsp coriander and 1/2 tsp. rosemary.



OK, the other thing I wanted to share with you is a blog train that the designers at Faith Sisters (which I am a part of) are having a blog train beginning tomorrow and going through the 31st. So, be sure and check in at my designer blog tomorrow (click on the preview of my portion shown here to go to the blog). There are about 20 parts that will be available, I believe! And, one of the designers chose two of the papers in my portion to make coordinating alpha's with. And, they are really cute!

OK, that's it for me! Have a blessed week!

Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace.....

http://www.candiddiversions.com/2010/10/words-for-wednesday.html
Freely bestowed on all who believe! Isn't that just amazing!

The words on our church sign prompted me to do some thinking.......and thanking.......today. "There is no reason for grace but grace." Period. End of discussion. I can ask the question, and often do, "Why did the God of the Universe choose to bestow His saving grace on a sinner like me?" But, it is something my finite mind will never be able to fathom or comprehend! The only thing that explains it is the word itself.....GRACE! Grace, grace! God's grace!

One of my blogging friends, Candid Diversions, has this quote on her blog today:
"An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others. - A.W. Tozer"

That is grace, too! Not only did He save me by His grace, but He is with me ALL the time! I don't have to wonder if He will help me in this circumstance, but maybe not in the other. NO! He avails ALL of Himself to me ALL the time! And He does to ALL His children ALL the time!

The subject of God's Grace is so marvelous, it can't be fitted into one blog post! Here are a couple of songs that have been going through my head today (click on the title to hear the music). Thanks be to God for His Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace!

Only a Sinner Saved by Grace
Naught have I gotten but what I received;
Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed;
Boasting excluded, pride I abase;
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!
Refrain
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart,
Causing my footsteps from God to depart;
Jesus hath found me, happy my case;
I now am a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Tears unavailing, no merit had I;
Mercy had saved me, or else I must die;
Sin had alarmed me fearing God’s face;
But now I’m a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows,
Loving his Savior to tell what he knows;
Once more to tell it would I embrace
I’m only a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Grace Greater Than Our Sin
1. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,   grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!   Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,   there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.  Refrain:  Grace, grace, God's grace,   grace that will pardon and cleanse within;   grace, grace, God's grace,   grace that is greater than all our sin!   2. Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,   threaten the soul with infinite loss;   grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,   points to the refuge, the mighty cross.   (Refrain)   3. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.   What can avail to wash it away?   Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,   brighter than snow you may be today.   (Refrain)   4. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,   freely bestowed on all who believe!   You that are longing to see his face,   will you this moment his grace receive?   (Refrain)

Current Project

I woke up with a headache, which has been with me all day long! But, I managed to get some work done, in spite of the headache!

Walked
Got groceries
Made turkey sausage for freezing
Fixed one patty with an egg and pepper jack cheese on 1 slice of bread for lunch. YUMMY!
Washed dirty dishes (by hand)
Swept floors
Laid down for 45 minutes (did not help the headache)
Prepared Jambalaya for dinner
Did some designing before and after dinner
Giving you a sneak peek at my newest creation I'm working on before I go do some crocheting

Short and sweet! Nite, nite!

Bargains.....

I remembered that I had never shown you the great bargains I found with some of my birthday money!

I bought the sweater jacket and the skirt. I could not have matched my turtleneck any closer!

Here are some everyday blouses that I will be able to wear with lots of different things.
Here is a blue jean jumper.
These jackets are made by Sag Harbor, Alfred Dunner and J.G. Hook (in that order) and are washable and will go with lots of things I have already!
This is the same J.G. Hook jacket as in the picture above, but it isn't washed out here. I bought the skirt to wear with the jacket.
I also bought this skirt to go with the jacket.

So there you have it! So far, so good!

One Down.....a FEW more to go!

Remember my post of the "Plum Pudding" sweater that I commented that I thought it looked more pink than plum? Well, I was able to finish the sweater while we traveled this weekend. Here are 3 pictures of it. I still need to put buttons on it and tie up the loose thread ends, but I won't do that until I get the other sweater done to see if it will possibly be more purple than pink. If so, I will put pink buttons on this one and it will belong to Kara. And I'll put purple buttons on the other one for Hannah. Then I have one for Ryan to make, Camo greens and browns.

I love how this sweater turned out. I used the pattern for the back and the sleeves. But, the front and the collar were my own doings. The front was supposed to be one piece, too. And, instead of a collar, there was supposed to be a hood. But, since the thread is pretty thick, I thought this would be better as an over-sweater rather than a tunic type sweater. I plan to make a matching pair of leg warmers (not for Ryan, of course!). And if I get really ambitious, I may make matching scarves and gloves! But, don't hold your breath! :)

That variegated yarn looks sort of psychedelic, doesn't it?!
Here's a close up of the front so you can see the collar a little better.
And, here is a close up of the sleeve so you can see how it is joined. I sure hope these sleeves are long enough! They are 11" long, so if you, Liz and Jessica, could check Hannah and Kara's arm length from the shoulder for me, I would appreciate it! Also, because Kara is longer-waisted than Hannah, could you measure from the middle of their shoulders to their belly button (both Kara and Hannah)? I want to make sure the sweater is going to be long enough. If not, I think I can add a cute ruffle to the sleeves and the waist! Thanks, Liz and Jessica!

Home Again, Home Again.....

We ended up our travels by going to Blowing Rock, NC and window shopping in the historic district. Prices are waaaaaay too high, as they usually are at such shops! Then we headed home, stopping at Applebees for lunch (and eating the leftovers for supper.....my favorite part! :)

The first layout is actually 2 pages put together. You will definitely have to click on that one to be able to see it half way decently. All of these pages were made with my kit, Sweater Weather. Enjoy!


On this one, since the crotches were a little too close for comfort, I used my blending and copying method to disguise the problem areas! I'll have to remember that the next time I get creative! :)

Color Around Every Turn..........

We continued our journey down the Blue Ridge Parkway today. We actually went into section #5 for our trip to Linville Falls and Linville Caverns, about 30 miles south of Boone. Click on the pictures to see them bigger.


Color Around Every Turn.....

We arrived at Linville Falls at 11:15 a.m. We had to hike to the Falls. We crossed a bridge over the waters that flowed to the falls.
Other side of the bridge.....water flowing towards the bridge.
Some wild flowers along the water. The wind was blowing so hard at times that I'm surprised this picture turned out as clear as it did.
I took lots of pictures trying to capture all the leaves that were blowing and falling.
Upper falls.

More hiking to view the lower falls. Beautiful colors!
There are two spots to view the lower and upper falls from. The lower elevation of the two is from Chimney View.
Hiking today reminded me HOW out of shape I have become!! WHEW! I was GLAD for the many stops to take pictures. Including this creative moment, LOL! I wanted to capture those beautiful leaves way up at the top of the trees, but I wanted us to be in the picture, too! I laid the camera on a log and guessed at the angle for capturing the trees...and us! The first try was a good guestimate, but was too dark, so I turned the flash on. PERFECT!
OK, FINALLY! This is the Erwin View from a higher elevation than the Chimney View. I'm soooo glad there were no more Views! :) You can see the lower falls and just a bit of the upper falls.
This is the wide angle view.
After the Falls tour, we headed to the Caverns. It was guided tour, so we had to wait for about 1/2 hour before our tour started. These trout are at the mouth of the caverns. The employees feed them every morning, so I guess they must hang out here all day!
These stalactites were broken off during a flood in the cavern in the 1980's I believe.
Fake bat!
Below us - stagnated water, but clear. I thought the flash bounced off glass til our guide explained that it was stagnated water. There have been lines dropped 250 feet down into the waters and the bottom was not reached. There have been divers to try to find out how deep it goes, but it is too narrow. It is very narrow where we are all standing on this grate (a group of maybe 10 people).
Here shows the single file space we had to walk through. The guide warned that if anyone was claustrophobic that they might want to stay behind or at least at the end of the line!
REAL bat! Reminded me of a tiny mouse.
Yep, 25 minutes later, the trout are still there! There are 3 different kinds.....brown, rainbow and speckled.
We headed back to Boone and went to a Christian bookstore and a regular bookstore.....AFTER we ate lunch (at 4:00, I might add) LOL! Now we are hanging out in the hotel.

We have really enjoyed the view this weekend! Beautiful!!