~A note from home~

Written by Sue, Sunday evening, Dec. 1, 2019... Rain, sunshine, windy, temps. 70, Nice!

Do you like surprises? I do. Isn't this poinsettia pretty and unusual, a surprise gift from dear daughter and her sweet boy friend! It kind of looks like a cross between a rose and a poinsettia, it even has a slight rose fragrance. (Bought at Lowes)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
I received a notice this morning on  my i phone informing me that I averaged 21 mins. of screen time per day last week, that seems to be par for the course for me these days, so much going on here at the farmhouse,.. and with family, that there has been so  little time for social time, for which I so apologize!......

We lost our dear sister-in-law, Betty, suddenly, two weeks ago, she not only was my SIL, but she was such a great friend. Betty was one of the sweetest persons, tirelessly giving of her  time and financial means to others.We went to high school together, played basketball together, Betty is fifth from  he left, oh what wonderful memories! See if you can find me in this photo, hint' I am one of those kneeling, answer at bottom of post.

 married brothers, worshipped at the same church, and shared many secrets! She was such a great example to me of what a Christian should be. I miss her so much.

Mr P. had to postpone his elective surgery of knee replacement until January for a very necessary surgery to remove a skin cancer, he has been recuperating so nicely, tomorrow he gets the stitches removed , 20 to be exact! Prayers for continued great reports.

As for me, I decided three months ago to get serious about my health, including proper exercise, 4.5 miles of walking 5 days a week, proper meals which is needing lots of improvement, and drinking lots of water! Two out of three is not so bad, ehh! As a result of these simple life changes, I am feeling so much better! I Thank my heavenly Father for His hand in my life and for my cheerleader, Mr P.
 I would like to share sometime of the situation that brought this about!

Through all of life's situations and circumstances I have learned that there are some things that remain stedfast, one being the "Faithfulness of God"!

Psalm 18:30~ As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

My journey of scripture memorization some time ago, has taken me to many stops on this journey called life. When you repeat a scripture verse day after day it becomes ingrained in your mind, body and soul, and applied to your life, this is what I have found. I am so thankful for the Bible, it answers any question I might have about life, yes, even an untimely passing of a friend.

 Praying for continued joy, peace, and happiness for you my dear friends,

love,

♡♡♡♡♡

Sue

Answer: 2nd from right, facing photo.

~It's that time again~

Written by Sue, Thursday Oct. 31, 2019   very warm, rain showers 80+ degrees

I guess you might say this week was the beginning of  my official holiday baking season. ~wink~ I started off with two  pies, a regular pecan

and a  cream cheese pecan pie, the cream cheese was a new recipe, it got two thumbs up.

Tuesday and Wednesday were cookie baking days, I baked 8 1/2 dozen chocolate chip, 

 Ginger snaps,  were next, 7 1/2 dozen, great for dipping in milk, or coffee, which I love.

Both packaged and delivered to a special nursing and rehab center by someone special.😉🎃

Little Red Riding Hood, found some helpers along the way.

 Susan is Director of Nursing at the facility. This facility has three sections,. Re-hab, short term care and long term care.We are so proud of all of her accomplishments, she loves her job so much. Nursing is a very noble, and dedicated profession, nurses go over and beyond what is required of them, I have witnessed this first hand.

 I love to bake, one of the many reasons I enjoy this time of year so much.

A Good friend is like a four-leaf clover;

hard to find and lucky to have.

~Irish Proverb~

That's how I feel about you dear Friends.

May your days be filled with many blessings.

Sue

"Hello Monday"

Written by Sue, Monday, October 21, 2019    partly sunny temps. 70's
I love birthday celebrations, we recently celebrated our daughter, Susan's special day.
It was a small informal birthday dinner here at home, she loves her dad's grilled steaks, the sides were baked potatoes, creamed corn, green beans and salad,

Oops! grin~can you find the crooked candle? ~

 of course birthday cake.

She requested "pig picking", or black midnight.

We surprised her at work with her favorite, black midnight, the layers are dark chocolate, with a caramel icing, topped with, toasted pecans, I have made this for her birthday since she was very small.

Time to open her gifts, like me she loves scented candles!

 More gifts...Notice her feet, remember I said it was informal, we don't wear outdoor shoes inside, either socks or slippers~wink~

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Who enjoys Soup besides me?

I love soup year round, most especially in fall and winter and on cool rainy days, Saturday fit that bill perfectly. One of our favorites is vegetable beef/sweet Italian sausage soup, with grilled cheese/cheese toast.
Most of the vegetables used were vegetables we grew. I made a huge pot, enough for several meals and to share with dear daughter.

Today I will be working in the vegetable garden, getting ready to plant the garlic, weeding, winterizing by mulching.

Thank you for visiting and for your most beloved comments.

Blessings,

Sue

Recipe :Vegetable/Beef/Italian Sausage Soup
Brown/cook 1lb. organic beef, 1lb. 'sweet Italian sausage in casings, drain, and slice sausage.
saute' 1 medium onion, large minced garlic clove, in 1 Tbsp. olive oil, drain.
in large pot place 2qts. tomatoes, add beef, sausage,onions, bring to a simmer,
add veggies,...I used lima beans, corn,carrots, peas, okra, chopped cabbage, potatoes, bring to slow boil, simmer. Voila' serve with either grilled cheese or cheese toast! I prefer cheese toast on Italian bread. Yummy, warms the tummy. It is even better the next day.

note..
Any vegetables that you like will do.

"The last hurrah of summer",

Written by Sue, Saturday, October 19, 2019   partly sunny with rain this evening, cool fall day 60's

Hello dear friends, hope you are having a great day, fall weather has finally arrived here in our area, I  wish you could see me smiling. 😃👏

Our days are full preparing for winter, each year we trim our hedges, and perennials, place fresh pine needles down for coverings, we call this bedding the plants down for a long winter's nap.

The potted plants in the garden were replaced with pansies, one of our favorite flowers, they have such a sweet mild  fragrance. Did you know they are also edible?

Pansies are  happy flowers, they are always smiling, they bring lovely color to the winter garden,

 

The two toned have a butterfly face in the center. What do you think? Now, how did Sue come to this conclusion? 

I recently read a most delightful book, written by a favorite actress of mine, Roma Downey! Can you guess what tv show she played on?This is an autobiography  as well as a devotional, it is so encouraging and uplifting, the book would make a great gift,  I enjoyed it so much I am now rereading it.

In the book she tells of her mother's passing when Roma was a young girl, and that her mother's favorite flower were pansies. She told Roma that the faces in the pansies looked like a butterfly, I had to check for myself, yes, they do look like butterflies

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."

Maya Angelou

Like the butterfly we go through many changes  to become and fulfill God's will and plan for our lives. I am sure the butterfly grew weary while struggling to escape the cocoon, but it didn't give up. Just as we face many challenges in our lives, we must remain stedfast to achieve this goal. The cocoon was the butterfly's protection, just as God is our protector and covering.

. 

"The last hurrah of summer"

The roses were so pretty, we decided to not trim them until after the first frost.

 One of our favorite plants are begonias, they come in many colors and varieties, notice my thyme plants below,   these are on the covered porch and will also be left until frost, probably will go in the garage.

These will also be left until frost,  garage too!

The mandevilla is still beautiful, another overwinter in the garage, I have two that are about ten yrs old.

I planted these early spring they have really flourished this summer, I can't decide if I want to replace them with pansies or to place them with the other plants in the garage. Oh my, decisions, decisions!

I must go my watch says it time to look alive and walk.

 Thank you for visiting, have a great day!

Blessings,

Sue

~Monday Morning Musings~

Written by Sue, Monday, October 7, 2019     cloudy, warm, temps.80 low humidity, so nice

~Autumn~

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With all of the busyness I am enjoying the fall decorations so much, yes, fall/autumn is my favorite season, with Christmas being my favorite holiday, this is when all of  my five senses really  come alive. I love the cool crisp mornings, the smell of fresh hay as it is placed in the barn! The leaves as they change color and begin to fall., carving pumpkins, campfires from burning leaves and oak logs, last but not least  all of  the fabulous fall recipes. OH! OH! I almost forgot, the  "Hallmark Fall" movies! YES!!

Ahhhh! the wonderful fragrance of fall,"Leaves", from Bath and Body Works  has become one of my favorites I like that this company is now using more essential oils in their products.  My fall candles are lighted early in the day!

One of my favorite decorations are these led candles, they come on about dusk for 5 hrs.

Pumpkins always a favorite on the mantle, more led lights. 

Turkey Man found his place on the sofa, and says no way is he leaving either! He says "eat ham, so much tastier"!`smile~

This tree greets us when we come in by the foyer, the lights also come on automatically at  dusk for 5 hrs.

I am so thankful for this season of  "Thankfulness", 

Psalms 100: 4-5~Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name, For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.

Not posting on a regular time schedule, is not a good thing for me as a blogger, it seems the longer I am away the harder it is to catch up. Sometimes life becomes so busy we neglect the things that bring so much joy and satisfaction to us. I truly enjoy blogging, this includes visiting with you, which I count to be more important than what I have to say.

I draw so much inspiration and encouragement from your ideas through photos and thoughts you share, whether it be on decorating, sharing your faith, and family, and food recipes! Bloggers are truly a close knit family to which I am honored to be a part of. My desire is to be a more active member of this"close knit" family! Thank you for opening up and sharing your homes and life with me.

Blessings,

Sue

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An update on Mr P.

Dear One has finished all his pre-ops. except for  two classes on the procedure, he  passed with flying colors and has been scheduled for surgery Nov. 20! Please pray for him, for the Drs., and yes for me.

Blessings,

Sue

~Every photo has a story~

Written by Sue, Wednesday, September 18, 2019~ Whoo Hoo Fall is visiting, sunny, cool, 70's
Here are a few of my photos with my  stories ...
Hydrangeas have been hard for me to get to bloom, I mentioned this to Mr P. who has such a green thumb, his reply was "No worry, Sue, I will take care of them for you," and he did, he faithfully watered, fertilized, and kept a watchful eye. Thus...

I will be cutting and drying these beauties, I also have three more hydrangea bushes that are blooming. Do you agree with me that Mr P. has an exceptional "green thumb, and is a loving husband"?
 
Dear One also mentioned how the fall, scents and decorations reminded him of pumpkin pie, sooo... Oh! it was quite tasty too,

This fella creates a new story every day, his name is "Uncle Joe," he is saying, "This corn is mine, all mine."He is so mischievous, but ever so sweet.

Here is the story about these two wreaths....
Last December we lost our precious, sweet pastor's wife, Lorrie, she was a  wonderful person, so giving, loving, and generous to all, she also had  a beautiful singing voice.Pastor Lynn was going through Lorrie's treasures, and asked if I would like her fall wreaths, of course I am  honored to hang  them on our doors in honor of her memory. This is the back entrance.

The only change I made on the front entrance was the bow, I wanted it to match the bows I bought for the bannisters and lights.

So here are my stories on this beautiful pre-autumn day. I enjoy seeing your photos,  and know that they too, have a story to tell. Sometimes our stories are happy, sad, funny, full of pride for accomplishments, future plans, and goals,decorating ideas, etc. 

So dear friends keep sharing and telling for we are all creating lifetime memories.

Wishing you much joy and happiness

 while you  travel this road known as "Life".

Sue

S

~Love fall colors most of all~

Written by Sue Friday, September 13, 2019, hot, hot, humid, 90's heat index over 100

Though the calendar, nor the weather says fall, I am enjoying fall inside, Smiles are contagious, when someone smiles at you, you automatically smile back.Try it, it works, smile first, and see what happens,we never know how much we may brighten someones day.

Counting my blessings,and placing them in the "fall blessings jar," to be read on Thanksgiving Day!

 "Am I weighing you down, could it be the pumpkin pie?"

 Love the colors of fall!

One of the reasons we celebrate harvest time, giving thanks, for our many blessings,sharing, caring, and for friendships!

 "Your secret is safe with me."

 I am also anticipating my holiday baking season. Pumpkin pie is number one on my list, dh says the decorations and candles reminded him of one, do you think that was a subtle hint.

It has been a busy week for us, we are in the process of scheduling  knee replacement surgery for Mr P.. That means lots of pre-op appointments ,the surgery will take place sometime between Nov., Dec, or Jan. Talk about waiting. Whew!

Have a great day, remember to 😃
Love,

Sue