Friday, November 30, 2007

Pampered Chef Last Call

I am leaving this post up until Friday. Please scroll below it for newer posts.

I promise, this will be the last one you will get from me. My consultant extended the party because she forgot to send me something. I also told her that there were still several people who told me they wanted to order and had not placed one yet. So, here is your last chance. You have until Friday the 30th of November to get an order in. Here is a recipe that she sent to me...

Hi Marci, here's a recipe to share:

Holiday Monkey Bread

Generously grease "Stoneware Fluted Pan" with Crisco. Cut 3 cans Pilsbury round/crescent rolls in halves, and toss in brown sugar. Mix roll pieces in 2 sticks melted salted butter or margerine, one bag of dried apples, and 3/4 cup dried cranberries. Layer in pan, adding chopped walnuts or pecans and either the new "Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle" or the "Sweet Caramel Sprinkle." Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, if desired browness, cover with tin foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Gently loosen from sides with knife, and invert on plate after allowing to rest in the stoneware for about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to order or just see what they have, please take a look at my consultant's website. You can email her at rziegler@roadrunner.com to get the link. I am not allowed to post it.

If you'd like to place an order, go to her page and select the icon in the bottom left corner that says "Order Products". Then 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.

Thanks a bunch!!! I appreciate the orders that have been sent in. It helps me to get a few things.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

I Won An Award



I received an award for my blog today from Pat. I always feel so awkward receiving an award. My blog is about so many different things and they all seem so ordinary. The history of this award is meaningful too Eric Novak came out with the Christian award Blogging with a Purpose in late April of 2007. With so many secular awards around, Eric thought it would be a good idea to come out with a Christian award.

Rules:
1. Awarded parties must nominate five people who have not received the award.
2. The blogs that receive the award must serve some purpose.
3. In their post about the award they need to link back to this entry.
4. Awarded parties must post the award banner on their site. The banner must remain linked to this site.

my 5 nominees are....
Christina aka the Kansas Milkmaid . She has shared so many things in her life. She shares her struggles as well and yet like in the Psalms she is always giving thanks to the Lord.

Herrick over at The Deliberate Agrarian. He has insights on many different areas of life. He shares the heritage and legacy of his upbringing. He loves the Lord and is a good steward of the land.

TN Farmgirl is my third pick. She shares her wealth of knowledge on herbs and gardening. She also has some wonderful insights into God's faithfulness that she is quick to share.

Winslow's Calling is my fourth pick. I love the things that are shared on this blog. They make you stop and think and ponder what your life is really about.

Stacy over at Your Sacred Calling. She is a good reminder of the basics that we are to be about.

There were a couple of others I would have liked to add, but will follow the rules.

Thanks Pat for thinking of me!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Ho Hum on the Farm

After having Michael off for 11 days, life just seems sort of ho hum these last couple of days. It is cold outside and the sun is not shining. That adds to the whole attitude. The leaves are mostly gone and what is left around here is not very pretty when you aren't wanting to see beauty. Here is a picture of Sunshine and Diligence. I am hoping my three ewes are bred.


Here are some shots of the tree lines around the property.




Some days I am so glad for the company of the dogs. On other days, they get on my nerves. =) If you are ever wondering if 3 dogs are too much, then take it from me... 3 is at least one too many!! I went out in the yard today and they were chewing on this. I have no idea what "this" is. Ginny was here and she wondered if it was a rawhide bone. If it is, I don't know who gave them one.


I have never been a perfectionist in house keeping. However, I have never lived to the point this house seems to get in quite often. We have plain old cement floors (we are waiting until we can afford the floor covering we want). Plus we live on a farm. There always seems to be mud and dirt that gets tracked in. It is almost like a joke to keep a rug clean. It used to be the bathroom rugs, but lately it is the 2 kitchen rugs. I washed the rugs and put them down. They were only down a short while and look.... Who do you think did it? Honestly, it was such a perfect paw print that both Michael and I smiled.


This is probably the culprit. She is so exuberant and full of life. Everthing is done at full speed. We are trying to get her to settle down a bit. When you let her out she greets you with lots of hops and jumps. We are trying to teach her to not jump on people. She tries really hard, but she can barely contain herself. I did get her to sit to take this first picture. Then I had to go through the whole greeting routine. Then she greeted one of the cats.



She does add to my feeling like I live in a pigpen. I let the neighbor children do chores for pay. They have picked up puppy romper room messes several times. It does not take long and the porch looks like this. I left the dogs on the porch for awhile today since it was co-op day. The truck driver has a hard time seeing if the dogs are in the way. Also, the pup tends to jump on people and Belle scares them with her barking. So, I put them on the porch while I unloaded the truck and then put them back on the porch after a short time outside while people come and pick up their order. I keep wondering where all the white stuffing comes from as she has pulled out so much from the dog bed.


Something else that adds to the house looking bad is also a blessing. I wrote a couple of posts ago how we got a mark on our table and the Amish are fixing it for us. In the meantime this is what sits in the house. =) This is the pedastal base for our table.


Normally I crop my pictures to only show you the better parts of our house and property. We are in the midst of remodeling and it is VERY SLOW going. We used to have a store here on one end of the house. When it closed, we use the front area for our poultry pick up days and selling eggs. The middle part is serving as my pantry. It is disorganized and a mess right now. We just moved the washer and dryer into a new area. The old room they were in is my new pantry. We are at the place to finish putting up some drywall and painting. Then I will put the shelves in orderly and get everything set. Until then, I go crazy each time I walk out there. We buy in bulk on anything we can and I also can things here at home. They all go in the pantry.


This is the little store front area. The fridge on the left of the picture holds some of my stuff and the eggs.


This is the new laundry area. We had to tear the drywall off of this wall. Then we are going to extend the studs out at least an inch. The pipes for the bathroom stick out beyond the studs, so there was never drywall on parts of this wall. As I said, things are getting done slowly, but I look around and some times want to run away screaming!!! =) There really is an organized person inside of me. I have just squished her to the back though.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

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. If you don't have a blog, then just leave a comment and share your blessing. 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 know, I know.... today is not Monday. My blessing I am counting is also the reason I am late in doing this. =) My dear sweet Michael was off for 11 days in a row. So, every day reminded me of Saturday or Sunday. Today I sat down at the computer and thought of doing Count Your Blessing Monday and to my horror I realized it was TUESDAY!!!
Truly though, I am very thankful for the time my sweetheart and I got to spend together. We had some fun days and also some work days. He caught a bad cold from somewhere just in time to go back to work with it. I will be married 29 years in April. I can't imagine my life without my sweet man. God knew what I needed and He provided. I am truly thankful we had some good time together this past week and a half!!!

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Our Thanksgiving Week

We had a great Thanksgiving Day that we shared with family. We went to Michael's parent's house for the day. His oldest brother, Steve, lives out of state. Steve and his family were actually staying at Michael's parents for the holiday. His wife, Vicki's family also lives in the area and they had already left by the time we got there to go and see them. We had to leave for home and do chores before they got back, so we missed seeing them. If they had been there, the whole family would have been there. It is amazing to see how big the nieces and nephews are each time we see them. Here are some pictures of the day. There was lots of drama from the little girls, shyness from the little boys, and lots of red hair!!!









Michael has been off this whole past week. I love it when he is home with me. We have been trying to get lots of things done around here. We took Monday as a fun day and went up and drove around our old area up in Holmes County. Here is one of the pictures we took from that day. It was not all that cold, but the wind was really blowing and it was cold. The windmill you see in the foreground of this pictures was really going fast.

We had bought an oak table from our Amish neighbor. One day we noticed this mark on it. We tried everything to get rid of it. It seemed to be below the finish. So, we took this picture and printed it out. We went to see our old neighbor to ask him what we could do to get this off of the table. We were told that it is probably minerals that were in the wood. They worked their way up and out. They had us bring the whole table top back up there. They are going to sand it down and refinish it for us. We were thrilled. So, for now, I just have the double pedastal sitting in my dining area.
This picture was nearer to our house. This is the winter cover crop. It appears to be some sort of grass grain like oats or wheat. It was so beautiful and green. Don't forget, you can click on any of these pictures and make them larger.
While we were in Holmes County, I spotted this huge wood burl on a tree. I recently read an article about a man who goes all over and collects these and makes things out of them. I can't remember where I read it though.

We had a very blessed day and we had so much to be thankful for. Actually, it has been a very blessed week. I would love to hear about your day or week!!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Free Shipping from Christianbook.com


I saw Kim over at Life In A Shoe shared her coupon codes and I have one that won't be used, so I thought I would share mine. I have a code for free shipping on Christian Book Distributor (CBD) orders over $25. It is only good once, so act fast. If it doesn’t work for you, it means somebody else acted faster. Please use the link on my sidebar so that I get credit.

271571BLZFHJ

Free Shipping from Vision Forum



For four days only, in expression of their gratitude to their many faithful e-mail newsletter subscribers, Vision Forum is offering free standard shipping and handling on all new orders placed through our Web store which total $25 or more. This offer only applies to orders placed directly through the Web today through Monday. Free shipping applies only to the 48 contiguous states, and Canada. This special ends at midnight on Monday, November 26 (CST).

If you use the link in my side bar I will receive credit for you order. =)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!!

May we all take time on Thanksgiving Day to thank the One who is the giver of all good gifts. Take time from your schedule to thank the Lord for all He has given you.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17
I am thankful to the Lord for so many things. Here are some of them....
I was raised in a Christian home.
I got to enjoy my Mom until I was 46.
My Dad is still alive and is happily married again.
I have a wonderful husband who I have been married to for over 28 years.
I have a wonderful son that God gave to us.
I have my health.
I have plenty to eat and it is healthy.
I live on a farm.
I have friends both near and far.
I live in a land where I can still freely read my Bible, pray and go to a fellowship.
There are so many more.
From my family to yours, may God be a very real part of your day this Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful and blessed day.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Happy Birthday Mom!!



Today is my Mom's birthday. She would have been 76 years old. It is her third birthday that she has celebrated in heaven. She was a great Mom and is truly missed. Once again I say to you, don't let today go by without making things right with someone or telling someone that you love them. We are not promised a tomorrow!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!! You are loved and missed!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Turkey Day!!

Today is the day that the turkeys are processed and made ready for our customers. This really helps to eliminate some of Michael's evening chores. Here are some pictures of them he took last night. They are big birds!!




Monday, November 19, 2007

God Understands!!

I got this off of Highlights from Higher Ground, but I wanted to share it as well. This young man is truly wise. Turn up your sound.

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. If you don't have a blog, then just leave a comment and share your blessing. 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 my husband as a blessing again. I have another blessing which I am not able to share at this time, so I will save it for a future Monday. My husband is off for 11 days straight (including weekends and Thanksgiving). We hope to get a lot done on his days off, but we are also going to enjoy being with one another. Tomorrow is turkey butchering day and then people come in the afternoon to pick up their turkey. I will try and get a picture of them today. They always look so huge to me. I enjoy the time that we get to spend together doing whatever it is.... I am so grateful to God for husband who loves Him and wants to grow in Him. Michael is very gentle and sweet and kind. He has put up with A LOT these last 28 years. =)Here are the approved pictures to post.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Creativity

Are you creative? Do you have a creative mind? I often see things in knots on wood or in a moth that others don't see. When I am in a car and the turn signal or wipers are on, I hear a rhythm and a song comes to mind to sing in time with the sound. My husband loves to turn the blinkers off and on to try and throw me off my song. =) I do this with out thinking most of the time. I love to see others being creative as well. Michael is home for 11 days straight and we went into town on Friday. There is a property that we often pass. The person who owns it puts a lot of time and effort into it. I guess I have not gone that way for awhile. As we drove by I noticed they had painted 2 mules on the side of their barn as if they are looking out. I LOVE mules and I love it that they painted them on their barn. My sweet husband turned around so that I could take a picture of them.


In our last house, the barn was just unfinished wood siding. We stained it blue and I hung some things on the side facing the road. There was still a big blank space near the top. I had Joshua make me a wooden frame with 2 shutter like doors to nail up as if there was a window there. Then I painted a hay bale, a chicken, and a feed bag as if they were up in a loft. Some people thought I was really goofy. That is OK... I probably am. =) I liked it though.

I don't know how much I will be able to be on here this week, but I will try and pop in to let you know what is going on.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Snow Again

We had snow again this morning. One minute you would wonder if a winter storm was starting and then you would look out a bit later and nothing. If you click on these first 3 pictures you can see the flakes!!


We still have some color on the trees around here. It is so weird, but you know I have always wanted Autumn and its gorgeous colors to last longer. I guess this year the Lord is granting that desire. These are just around our property.


I know that a lot of people think it is wrong or strange to give human like qualities to your animals. I know they are animals, but they have such personalities and I enjoy making up what I believe they are thinking. =) Ok, I probably lost half of my readers because of that last statement.
Each morning I go out to do my chores. The sheep either hear me coming or see the dogs. They all gather at the fence. The older ones will sometimes cry out their "good mornings" to me, but since the ram has been in there, they are pretty quiet. Either he has told them to hush, or they are trying to impress him and not hollering out like a youngin'. =) They do still come to the fence and watch me arrive. Maybe I should start waving like I am a parade... me and 3 dogs make for a very short parade.
The younger ones however, all cry out in their itty bitty voices. I can hear them whining that they are so hungry and that I need to hurry. They don't usually quit until their feed is actually in front of them. Maybe it is because they are all boys.
I went close to the fence to get a picture of the ram. Everytime I raised my camera to take a shot, he would turn this side to me. I guess he figures its his best side and he wants us to notice the curl of his horn. =)
This is Sunshine jumping up and looking at me to see if I am done feeding the little wethers. She looks underfed doesn't she? I love how their eyes turn out blue when I take pictures of them. My goats eyes did the same thing.
Here is one of the little wethers sticking his head through to see if I have any extra treats for him.
Two of my ladies had beaten me to the sheep shed. I found these 2 eggs I brought in. Many times when I find eggs in the morning, I bring them in and have some for breakfast.