Tuesday, October 30, 2007

An Award!!


Mary over at Mary's Writing Nook has given me the following award. Thank you Mary. I am glad that you find the site very friendly. I am now to pass it on to five people. It is always hard for me to pick just some and not all. I don't want anyone's feelings hurt. I pass it on to the following.

Perri over at My Life In Bits and Pieces. I really enjoy her humor and wished she lived near me.

Kim over at Life In A Shoe. She has lots of things to chew on, but also shares her life and the humor that only children can bring into your life.

Ginny over at R and V Farmstead. Ginny has been my friend in real life (vs. cyber land) for 10 years. She and I have laughed and cried together. I love her site and what she shares.

Sharri over at Sharri's Snapzshotz . She is new to the blog world, but has gotten off to a great start. She too is a friend in the real world, although she lives several states away.

Melanie over at Candle By Night. She too is a friend in the real world. She found a forever place in my heart by sharing her babies when they were fresh and brand new.

There are more I would like to list, but I am supposed to only do five.

It Didn't Even Take Dynamite!!

I realized that I did not like to leave the farm, but it must be worse than I imagine it to be. My dear friend Ginny has asked me to accompany her several times recently and it just never worked out. The last time she asked me, she said, it was almost impossible to get me to go anywhere. =) She called this morning to ask me to go to town. I had a terrible headache that I woke up with. My neck is out and if I sleep a certain way, I wake up with these horrible headaches. I told her at that point, I was not going anywhere, but I was sitting up in a chair with my neck supported and that sometimes helped. If it got better by the time she wanted to leave, I would go with her. When I called her to tell her I would go, she was already in transit... to my house.... I guess she was going to get forceful. =0 We ran around town and stopped at several stores and got what we needed. She took me out to some property that someone she knows has bought. It was beautiful. We tramped around in the woods. Crocs are not the shoes to wear while tramping in the woods. Ask me... I know!! On the way down my road bringing me home, we had friends who were out walking. The daughter commented to Ginny.... "How did you get Marci to go shopping with you?" I guess I am known for being a stick in the mud. =) Ginny commented that she guilted me into it. Thus my title for this post.... =)

Here are pictures from today. These first two were of a tree outside a store in town.

These next ones are all taken at her friend's property.


This is a nest up in a tree.




Monday, October 29, 2007

Vision Forum Second Giveaway!!


Kim over at Life In A Shoe is hosting a drawing for Vision Forum. Get on over there and take part. Make a wish list of $250 of items from their 2008 catalog. Put it on you blog and you might just win your list!!!

Here is my wishlist from the 2008 Vision Forum catalog.

1. Rediscovering the Famiy Altar #33352 $12.00
2. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God #84332 $16.00
3. The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision #68221 $16.00
4. Uniting Church And Family #43799 $45.00
5. Biblical Eldership #58775 $16.00
6. Fathers and Sons #47532 $32.00
7. Manliness #58762 $10.00
8. The Master's Plan For Fathers #43752 $35.00
9. Fruit of the Gospel Set #58730 $56.00
10.Gossip: The Plague of the Church #58783 $10.00

Count Your Blessings Monday


I am giving us an opportunity every Monday to not only count our blessings, but to share them with others. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Make a post on your blog telling us about your blessing. Please put a link back to this post. You can add the URL of your blog post on Mr. Linky below. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!



Today I am counting seasons as a blessing. Seasons show us the continuity of life. They give us spice and variety.

Ec 3:1-8 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

We had our first light frost on Saturday night and last night was our first heavy frost. It is currently 28 degrees. The frost kills off things that cause allergies in people. Our friend has horrible asthma. From Spring until the first frost, he has a hard time breathing. He looks forward to that first frost and this year it was really late. I love to sit by the woodstove and feel its warmth. This morning , we lit the stove for the first time this season. It shows that we are stepping into the next season.

We noticed on our drive to Columbus yesterday that the peak of the color has passed here. There are still lots of spots of color, but the bare stark trees in some areas showed the coming cold season. Our animals already have heavy coats, even though it has been mild. We may be in in for a cold winter. That is another reason to enjoy now. I love Autumn best of all with all of its color and change, but winter has its own stark beauty.

Another thing that we talked about is how Spring comes up from the south in a wave toward us. If we travel farther south in the early spring, they already have leaves on their trees, the spring shrubs and flowers are already blooming. Autumn on the other hand comes down from the north in a wave on us. New England gets its color earlier and as you head south, the change is not as visible. It is very orderly. God is a God of order.

1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Joshua came in last night and told me to bring my camera outside. The sun had lit up one of the trees on our tree line. Here are several pictures of it. The last picture is the peppers that we picked last night before the freeze. Peppers in late October.... another blessing!!!



Sunday, October 28, 2007

Pampered Chef

I was given a recipe to give out to you from my Pampered Chef consultant. This is just a little reminder if you meant to order and forgot. It is still not too late to order something through my party. If you are interested email my consultant, Ruth Ziegler at rziegler at roadrunner dot com and she will give you a link to her web page. Evidently, I was not supposed to post it to my blog directly. Here is the recipe.

Baked Pumpkin Dessert AND Centerpiece!

One small - medium pumpkin (very round and sitting flat), top cut off and insides scraped out. Mix together, then place inside: 3 cups chopped apples, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 T. "Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle." Rub outside of pumpkin with Crisco and bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. (Roast the top, too...but, leave off during cooking....add after removing from oven.) Use as centerpiece (place on platter and surround with grapes, whole apples, etc.) and dessert topping for custard, ice cream, or pound cake.

The party will be over in mid November, so the items should be here in time for the holidays if you wish to give them as gifts. Thanks to those of you who have placed an order.

My New Business

Actually I do not have a new business. Let me explain. I LOVE Kettle Korn. We have a festival that comes to a nearby town every year. Most people go for all the fried fair food, but I get a bag of kettle korn. For those of you who have never heard of kettle korn it is corn that is popped in a huge kettle that is both salty and sweet. It is so good. We went down to Columbus today to see Michael's parents. We stopped at a little farm stand (in the city) to see if they had any tomatoes. We were walking through the store and Michael told me to look and he pointed at a display of this...

At first I just noticed it was kettle korn and then he pointed at the name. MARCI'S!!! That's ME!! I find very few things with my name on it and even fewer that have it spelled like mine. When we got it home (as you can see...empty) I saw on the back that there is a website for Marci... Marci's Fun Foods. It is really good and I highly recommend it.

I thought I would show you some more pictures of the changing leaves. The peak is definitely over here, but there are still lots of pretty spots.


Friday, October 26, 2007

Latest International Guests

I have been intrigued by the different countries and cities around the world that have happened upon my blog. I would still love to hear from any of you on how you found us. Here is the latest list since my last posting on this. If you want to see all the different ones go down to the bottom of the post where it says Labels. Click on Around the World.

Singapore Singapore
Perth Western Australia Australia
Oakville Ontario Canada
Warsaw Mazowieckie Poland
Dominican Republic
Fernando De La Mora Central Paraguay
St. John New Brunswick Canada
Aarschot Brabant Wallon Belgium
Brisbane Queensland Australia
Owen Sound Ontario Canada
St. Catherines Ontario Canada
Orangeville Ontario Canada
New Zealand
Geneva Switzerland
Bristol England UK
Beijing China
Italy
Sanlafe De Bogota Distrito Capital Columbia
Valencia Spain
Johannesburg Gauteng South Africa

Welcome to each of you. I would love to hear more about your countries. I realize that I am not even sure what the names stand for. I do understand Canada and the UK. Thank you for stopping by.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Be Faithful In The Basics

The title of this post is one of my favorite sayings. I need to see it often to remind me of what I am to be about. I had a friend call me this week. She was telling me about this woman that keeps popping into her life. This woman has been observing my friend and her family. She is asking lots of questions. Basically my friend told her to go to the Bible and search out what God has for her to do. She also mentioned a book or two that had been not only helpful, but life changing for her. Then that's when the excuses start. We don't have excuses. We are to be faithful in the basics... PERIOD!!! It does not matter where you live, what the parameters of your family are, how you get along with your husband or children, or anything else. What are the basics?

For me they start here. First and foremost I am a child of the King of Kings. He has told me to spend time with Him each day. How much time do I give Him. Do I read a verse or two or even a chapter or two and say... "I'm done!!" Or am I taking that verse or two or that chapter and looking at it after prayer and with open spiritual eyes to see what my Lord might be telling me. Do I spend time in prayer, asking for wisdom, for understanding. I hear people say that they don't have time. Yet, they have time to be on the phone with friends, they have time to be on the computer, they have time to hit the garage sales, they have time... You fill in the blank. We don't MAKE time. I am too often guilty of this. That is why I said I need the reminder of being faithful. If I can't be faithful here, then nothing else in my life will be as it should be... period!

Secondly, I am a wife. That (not motherhood) is my first most important human relationship. I am to honor and respect my husband. These are not feelings that he needs to earn, they are commands from the Lord. No excuses. He doesn't say honor and respect him if he leads what you believe is a godly life, or as long as he is nice to you, etc. He is the leader of this home (under Christ), not me. He is the one who will ultimately answer before God for what went on or didn't in our home. I need to pray for him. That is a HUGE responsibility. Men are emasculated in today's society. They are made to look like buffoons or idiots in the media. I again highly urge you to get and watch "The Monstrous Regiment of Women" DVD. Even those of us who truly strive to be what the Lord calls us to be have areas of feminism in us that we don't even see. We need to make them feel like the important leader that they are. I am to submit to him. The woman who was asking my friend questions wanted to know if we are to be doormats to our husbands. I am to submit to my husband as unto the Lord. Therefore, my primary purpose in doing this is to please the Lord. It should be done with joy, not looking at what it is supposedly "costing me." If I do it willingly and with joy, there are great blessings and rewards. Not only does my husband respond differently to me, but I feel joy and peace. If you have a long history of not doing this, it might take a while of you being faithful, but I know that you will see results. Do I make my husband feel like he is the best thing in my life. Do I greet him when he comes home from work? Do I see to his needs in all areas? Or do I expect him to come home and take over because I have done the house and child thing all day and it is his turn? Do I expect him to meet my needs and pay attention to me for the evening? Am I a high maintenance woman? Ask the Lord to show you your heart. The real you down inside. What is your real motivation?

Thirdly, I am a Mom. I did not get the blessing of a large family, but I was blessed with a son and I am so grateful. Are you there for your children? Are you working along side of them? Or are you handing out jobs and doing your own thing? Do you tell your children how much they mean to you? Do you tell them you love them? Do you listen when they need to talk even if you are so tired and were on your way to bed? Do you exasperate them and make them angry? Are you expecting things from them, that are not in place in your own life? Again, go to the Lord and ask Him to show you.

All other relationships come after these. Are your friends more important than your husband and family? Think about the way you treat each of these... husband, children and friends... What do your actions show?

After searching the scripture and hearing from God then DO what the Lord shows you. Don't buy another book, go to another seminar, listen to another teacher/preacher, etc. looking for answers. Practice what you already know to do. That is where most people miss the mark. They keep searching hoping for that magic potion or answer to filter down and make life wonderful. God tells us to obey. Yes, He tells us with love and mercy, but He also expects us to do what He says. BE FAITHFUL IN THE BASICS.... NO EXCUSES!! When we obey, He gives us joy and peace. He leads us to higher ground. He trusts us with more. Spend time with Him each day and throughout each day asking for wisdom and answers to what is going on. He is faithful.

That's In The Bible??

Frazzled Farm Wife commented about my last post. She told what her Uncle said about a red sky at night. It is a little breezy here today, not like it has been. It reminded me of how many of our sayings, etc. come right from the Bible and we don't even know it. How many of you have heard:

Red sky at night... sailor's delight. Red sky at morning... sailor's take warning.

That comes from the book of Matthew.

Matt 16:2-3 But He replied to them, " When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.

Another one that comes to mind is the saying: A little birdy told me. That comes from the book of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl 10:20Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.

Can you think of any more?

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Heavens Declare His Glory!!

I just thought I would share the blessing of tonight's sky with you. It is true what the Psalmist says.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalm 19:1





Don't Stay in Your Pajamas!! =)

I normally am up and dressed at a fairly decent hour. However, I discovered something this week. If I want a visitor, stay in my nightgown and robe. =) On Monday, I decided to just stay in my jammies for a bit. They were warm and comfortable. I rarely get morning visitors unless it was previously arranged that someone was coming early to get eggs or something. My dogs started barking and I heard a knock at the door. One of the Wonderful Neighbor children came over to ask me something about the calves. They have a calf in with ours and the mineral feeder was empty. I told him I would fill it when I went out to check their water. This morning, I decided once again that I was cozy and warm in my jammies and did not get dressed right away. The dogs started barking and I went to the door and all 4 of the Wonderful Neighbor children were there. They each had in their hand a lemon and poppy seed muffin for me. See why I call them the Wonderful Neighbors? =) I can hear Mrs. Wonderful now with her PUHLEEZE!!! =) I told the children this morning that I had learned the secret of having morning guests when I wanted them. Stay in my jammies!!!

These same neighbors came to my door recenty with a present for me. They know I love sunflowers and had seen this coffee mug at the store. They bought it for me. It just looks so fallish. It is now my favorite Autumn coffee mug.
Here is a picture of one of the steers who will be going to the butcher at the end of this week. I believe this is Bullseye. He belongs to the Wonderfuls.
Here are some more shots of Autumn color. These were all taken on the property here.
This little plant was standing all by itself in the yard.
These last 3 pictures are all taken from the top of our pasture hill looking toward the back of our property. It is a panorama of what you see when standing on the hill.


Monday, October 22, 2007

Vision Forum Drawing

Kim over at Life In A Shoe is hosting a drawing for Vision Forum. Get on over there and take part. They are giving away $750 worth of products.

Here is my wishlist from the 2008 Vision Forum catalog.

1. Rediscovering the Famiy Altar #33352 $12.00
2. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God #84332 $16.00
3. The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision #68221 $16.00
4. Uniting Church And Family #43799 $45.00
5. Biblical Eldership #58775 $16.00
6. Fathers and Sons #47532 $32.00
7. Manliness #58762 $10.00

Count Your Blessings Monday


I am giving us an opportunity every Monday to not only count our blessings, but to share them with others. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Make a post on your blog telling us about your blessing. Please put a link back to this post. You can add the URL of your blog post on Mr. Linky below. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!



I am counting my family as a blessing again. I am truly blessed. I have a wonderful husband. We have been married for 28 years. He takes such good care of me. One of the way he takes care of us as a family is to take the time to teach us. On Sunday, our little fellowship was not going to be meeting. He prepared something to share with Joshua and I. He truly tries to please the Lord in all that he does. He shared some things out of Ephesians regarding ways that we can walk in the Spirit each day. We need to watch our attitudes, our words, our focus. Many people don't even know that the following Scripture is in the Bible. Some know about it and don't think it is for them.

Eph 5:3-5 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

We talked about how easy it is to talk foolishly and always make jokes. Or to talk about things that have nothing good about them. Like spending conversation time on bodily functions. There is another verse that tells us we will be judged for every idle word. He shared with us, how we need to take the higher road when people around us start these sorts of conversation. Also, we should not be the one to start them.

I am also thankful for my son. He is 23 years old and lives at home. He has been doing Bible studies with his Dad to see what he needs to change and embrace to be a godly husband and father. He is choosing not to date, but to pray and seek the Lord about his wife. He went to a neighboring town last night to pick up something for us. He wanted me to go with him. This is not something that happens all the time, but it thrills me when it does happen. He still enjoys being with his parents.

I am also thankful for my Dad. He got married on October 1st to a wonderful woman named Alice. Just listening to him allows you to hear his happiness. He still misses my Mom, but now he has someone to share the days with. They get along really well and they enjoy one anothers company. I am thrilled for both of them.

What are you counting as a blessing from God today?

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Pampered Chef

I am going to leave this post at the top for a bit so that people can see it. Scroll on down for new posts. Thanks.
Hi, I'm hosting an online/e-mail Pampered Chef party. For those of you new to Pampered Chef, the cutting boards, food chopper, and batter bowls with lids are must-haves for everyone's kitchen! Also, the stoneware is fabulous....and if you're looking for a great wedding or birthday gift check out the new Trifle Bowl with the removable pedestal and plastic lid....beautiful and useful. Also, the November guest special is 20% off all Simple Additions Entertaining products...All orders must be placed by mid-November. Please take a look at my consultant's website: (Pampered Chef does not want me posting the website URL, so please email my consultant, Ruth Zeigler directly at rziegler@roadrunner.com and she will send you a link to it. If you'd like to place an order, go to the homepage, select the icon in the bottom left corner, type in "Marci Blubaugh" as the host name, click on "search for host" then select "Marci Blubaugh" and begin shopping.....click on "Guest Special" to view what's available to you this month at 20% off. If local to me, choose to have your products delivered to the hostess, if not, be sure to choose the option to have your order shipped to your home.If you are having trouble ordering on-line or if you have any questions, simply e-mail my consultant, Ruth Ziegler, directly at rziegler@roadrunner.com.
If any of you would like to take part, that is great. If not, there is no pressure here!!!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Beautiful Autumn Day

Last night, I went out to make sure the little calves had water and saw this. I thought it was beautiful, so I ran back in to get the camera. All of the pictures can be clicked on and made larger.

Michael was getting ready to milk Buttercup tonight. I thought I would get a picture of her. She is at least 12 years old. She has been the best most gentle cow.

Sharri and her children saw 2 praying mantis's on their fall decorations. They actually got picture of them laying their eggs in the egg sac. I had seen a praying mantis on my screen, so I went out to try and find it. It had already layed its eggs and here is the sac. I never did see the insect.

My dear sweet Michael took me to town to do errands today. We took the scenic route so that I could see some of the fall colors. I thought I would let you enjoy some of what I saw.












These last two pictures are on our road on the way home. The color is really starting to come out. I am always thrilled to see it.