New directions

 Well only 2 more days to work this week, then a long week end! I am looking forward  to it! I plan on working on my future plans  for around here.. and maybe some baking! I really enjoy trying new recipes or throwing together something  to see how it turns out. Tonight I took ground beef, onions, peppers,garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, spices, strips of tortillas,black beans and cheese in a cast iron skillet.. it turned out pretty good! 
 Ric's last night at his third shift job is tonight, and I am soooooo glad! He starts his new job on Thursday, which is his birthday! He's very excited, I on the other hand am a little nervous, I  don't like the idea of him climbing those high cell phone towers!This opportunity came to him after a lot of prayer on a new job, so I will just trust this is the direction he is suppose to take! I know he will enjoy the travel and new experiences!
Well our bantam hens have had 10 baby chicks! Half of the chicks are black and the other are yellow! They are so cute, but now we have way to many chickens! So we either have to build a new coop for the bantams or find  homes for some of them..anyone want bantam chickens?..lol Their eggs are a lot smaller but just as good as the bigger chickens! .
I have had on my heart lately that we need to get involved back with a church. We have tried a few, but then we just don't seem to have that gut feeling its the right one..so we are going to start actively finding a church home.. I am truly excited about  the journey and where God leads us! I miss the fellowship of a church, the activities that draw you closer together, the thought provoking sermons and the closeness of a church family! 
Well Ric has gone out to check on his bees, and Catie and I are headed out to feed the chickens,gather eggs and pick some lettuce for a yummy salad! Have a great night!

Renewing self

I read a devotion this morning on complicating our lives, it got me to thinking about the way most of us do things. It seems to me we feel like we have to fill our time with doing stuff. Most of our free time is chocked full of stuff, going places, running errands, catching up on our to do list..What ever happened to the simply life? Focusing on God, and not trying to do everything? Do you remember when Sundays really were a day of rest? When you went to church, had lunch, then relaxed on the front porch swing, or visited with family and friends, maybe tossed a football around or took a walk? It renewed us, prepared us for the busy week ahead. Now, sometimes when I go back to work after a couple days off I don't feel renewed at all.Its not like I rested at all, I get so caught up in getting everything done that I do not relax , and I get frustrated at what I didn't accomplish!So my goal is to get back to simple! To focus on God, to have that day of rest, and let everything else fall into place!Why don't you join me?

Good Morning!

Good Morning!One of our Bantams had baby chicks yesterday! They are so cute! We have 6, 4 black and 2 yellow!Not only that but we have 2 more setting on eggs, so we may have a lot of baby chicks...anyone want some chickens?..lol They bees are doing great,Ric is still feeding them sugar water until they get more established and use to the area. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, so far anyway!We will see how it goes when he stops with the sugar water. 

I am going to sit with my friend in the hospital today and overnight tonight! I am glad she is doing better and I am excited to see her. God is good! She is slowly on the mend, The doctor said she was lucky to be alive, but I know its n
ot luck, its the Lord looking after her!Its funny, I do a devotion every morning to start my day, and it still amazes me how God speaks to me through it! So many times I have a situation in my life, and the next day my devotion addresses that exact topic! Yesterday I was worrying about several things going on in my life,from my friend in the hospital, to things going on in my family, to how I was handling these situations in my life. Then my devotion this am was on stop worrying!It pointed out when you realize you cannot fix every situation, it should make you calmer, and when you realize God CAN fix every situation it should           ` cheer you up! So start off today with the advice of Joyce Meyers..".Calm down and Cheer up!" Let God handle it,just don't forget to pray about it! Have a great day!

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! Mine was quiet and nice. We fixed mom breakfast before church, then came on home and spend a nice relaxing afternoon.Hollie had to work ,which was really a bummer, but we did get to talk several times!Shannon called from Portugal and we had a nice talk. I can't wait til they come home! Catie fixed an amazing supper of fresh veggies , and then we had a fire in the fire pit and just talked with all my boys..Ric,Ryan,Jonathan,and Jourdan. A nice relaxing night, I thoroughly enjoyed!
Saturday Ric got his bees! Its a little intimidating to see all them swarming around as they settle into their new home. He's excited though, and I am looking forward to the delicious honey! He has only gotten stung once, when his sister went with him to pick them up and had one in her hair. She panicked a little and he got stung getting it out of her hair. She did better than I would have though. 

We have been feeding them sugar water and they sure drink it up! Hopefully this will increase the yields on my fruit trees and such! They are not aggressive, which is a good thing. A lot of people say they are not coming to see me anymore..lol.. I hope that's not true! We will see where this road takes us! More later..

Back to it

Well, its back to work this morning after a couple days off. Its been a busy couple days, late nights and early mornings, but that's okay I have got right much accomplished !I did some baking, visited a bit, had a nice lunch with Catie, Hollie and Dan,and spend three hours catching up with a sick friend! Then, Ryan stayed over for the last two nights and it was really nice! Ric starts a new job in a couple weeks, he turned his notice in this morning and he is super excited! It involves a little travel, more money, and its just what he needs! I am so happy for him!Mother's Day is this week end , so I have been trying to figure out what to do for my mom. I know we are going to fill her flower box with petunias and maybe inpatiens  . Then we are going to have breakfast for her before church, but as far as what to get her, I am stumped!We are going to chill by the fire pit tonight, so hopefully I will figure it out!Regardless, I know I will enjoy the fire! Well , more to do..have a great night !

Monday Errands

I had the best time last night! Catie and I went to Hollie and Dan's for some good wine and great conversation! I really had an awesome time! I think we need to get together like that more often. It was nice to have a relaxing evening with family! I love the way we go topic to topic, then back to the first topic, covering everything under the sun. We didn't solve the world's problems, but it seemed we got a little closer! Then I was off today, we made home made cinnamon rolls  and watched  Cadence.In a little we are going to head down to Spring Lake so Catie can tutor and I will keep an eye on the boys, then pick up my sisters dog, so Hollie and Dan can work with her a bit!Then tomorrow, I am going to visit a sick friend and  take supper to her family. Catie tutors again and I will watch the boys. I am looking forward to it

.I wish the weather was a little nicer, but I know we need the rain, and I can deal with it, especially since I won't be out delivering the mail in it!I have been getting quite a few strawberries from the plants we planted a while back,but it seems something else is enjoying them too!  More and more I pick have a bite out of them! I suppose the nearby birdbath wasn't such a hot idea!Perhaps I need to rethink the yard layout , and move the bath away from the strawberry plants and blueberry bushes!Well time to go, have a great evening!

Mothers Day Reflections

As Mother's Day approaches I find myself reflecting back . I look at my past, and my relationship over the years with my mother, and my relationships with my children.When I was younger, from being a child to raising my own family, I never really thought about or appreciated how close my family is. While I am close to my Mom, it is definitely an entirely different relationship I have with her, than I do with my kids. I have a lot of respect for my mother. She could definitely stretch a buck, we never had lots of money, but we always had enough, and she saved for some amazing vacations too! I talk to my mom, if I have issues I need advice on, but there are certain topics I would not dream of bringing up to her. Some things would just stress her out to much. On the other hand no topic is too taboo when I have discussions with my children. I cherish that, but sometimes its tough, not having just the right words when they are troubled about something. Its difficult as a parent when your children grow up , and you realize its time to let them learn some of the tough lessons on their own. I so want to protect them, and make them see what I have learned through the trials and errors of my own life, but sometimes you just can't.You can listen, give them your opinion, and then you just are there for them when they need you. I think that's the most important thing of being a mom, always being there for your children,whether you agree or disagree, approve or disapprove,just being there when they need you, to love them !I know my mother is there when I need her, and I will always be there for my kids..Whether you have a great relationship or a troubled one, remember your Mom this Mothers Day, let her know you love her, in spite of any differences, and don't forget to thank her!

Disappointing Day

Well today did not turn out as I had hoped.I had plans to spend the day checking out the Cameron Street Fair, and the  Arts and Vines Festival in Sanford, instead I got called into work. I was not a happy girl, but it all worked out, I now am off on Monday, and I am turning off my phone just in case!It could have been worse, the mail really wasn't that bad, and it wasn't raining either, but I was still disappointed. Its funny, we get so caught up in our plans, then when something unexpected happens it throws us off balance! We never know what the day will bring, so I guess we should be ready for anything!The trick is to make the best of it, so it won't be too bad, That's harder than it sounds, I have a tendency to dwell on the negative, in those types of situations. Today I really tried to have a better outlook on the way things turned out, and it worked out okay.Now I have Monday to look forward to,and today is in the past, so its all good!Mondays are a lot worse than Saturdays, mail wise anyway. I guess I am trying to say, sometimes when things don't turn out as planned it works out better in the long run! Next time things mess up for you, look for the silver lining!

Street Fair

I walked around Cameron today, to see the vendors that had set up for tomorrow. It was  a little sad, there were a lot fewer than in past years. This mornings count was like 150, down from 300+ in its hay day! It seems some people in Cameron do not want to mess with it, they think it is a lot of trouble. I think that is a shame, I have a lot of happy memories of past street fairs, selling hot dogs in front of the Methodist church with the youth group, baking cakes for the women to sell inside the church and putting together ham biscuits at 5:30 or 6:00 am !Walking around in the late afternoon,after we had sold out,getting a glimpse of all the goodies that were for sale! Granted it was a lot of work, setting things up,ordering, preparing things, then delivering mail and coming back to help, but the fellowship was great!Now too many folks think it isn't worth the trouble,vendors are going to other towns who let them set up  and sell all week end. If we just put a little more effort into it ti could really be great again! We could have the antique cars at the park, and make it a week end affair. I know for a couple of the local churches this is there major fundraiser for the year! It would be a shame to let this die out, but it seems that's where its headed.Whats thew big deal? I mean if you need help with the set up,couldn't the town ask the schools or scouts to help, for their community service projects? Maybe have a committee in charge of the organization,advertising and preparation  then those who did not want to get involve would not have to? Send out a questionnaire to the towns people, see what they want, and what complaints they have,then see if you can address them. I don't know,maybe I am not seeing the big picture, maybe I am stuck in the past, but I love the charm of our little town, and I think the antiques add character to it. I hope we can pull together and save a wonderful tradition! See you at the street fair!

Cloudy Days

I am so tired of this cloudy,rainy weather! I know its great for the gardens, but geez I need a little sunshine! Its been so dreary and cool lately! I am keeping my fingers crossed that Saturday will be pretty for the street fair,it will be my first Saturday off in ages! Matt  officially starts as my sub at work, and I am so excited! I am still figuring out what to do for Mom for Mothers Day next week end, but it will be nice having Saturday and Sunday off to work it out! If its pretty maybe a cook out? It seems like we do a lot of those when we get together this time of year, but they are so simple and it seems to please  everyone!

We got another blueberry bush in the mail today, I think we may have gone a little overboard on the fruit. If all of them take off we will have a LOT of fruit! I mean we have strawberries, peaches, apples, cherries (sweet and sour), nectarines, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, 2 types of grapes! That's a lot of fruit!! I guess the bees will be happy!There's a lot we can do with them anyway, who knows maybe we will open a fruit stand with fruit,fresh eggs, honey and, bees wax candles,and then goats milk and cheese..lol  

 Well, one of the good things of the cooler cloudy weather is its perfect for a fire! Since its not raining I am going to take a cup of coffee out and light up the fire pit! That is after a run to Sweet Frogs for yogurt! Enjoy your night and don't forget to count your blessings!