Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Something on your October calendar that makes you smile?

Starting our traditional 45 Day fruitcake is always a fun thing to do towards the end of October.

2. Food for the soul or music for the soul...which camp are you in? Tell us why.

Though I really enjoy cooking and baking I have to go with music on this one. Apart from a good book, music is the next best thing to get lost in. I love music that speaks to me.
 

3. What are two or three things you've learned recently as the result of an online search?

My most recent online searches were for a sauce to go with mushroom ravioli, and how to do some computer coding. I found the answers to both queries and was able to accomplish what I had wanted.
 

4. Share your favorite game day recipe. You can describe it, post the how-to, or add a link to the actual recipe.

One of our favorites is Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos.
 

5. What are your five essential steps for creating the perfect morning routine?

I don't know that this would qualify as the perfect morning routine, but here are the first five steps to my mornings.

1. Shut the alarm clock off at 4:20
2. Get dressed.
3. Stumble down the stairs.
4. Turn on the kitchen light.
5. Start the coffee and oatmeal for LV.

6. What small thing have you taken note of today?

My day is only beginning and for the most part I haven't been awake enough to take note of any small things.

7. Sum up your September in seven words or less.

Enjoyed learning some new things everyday.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

You know the saying ..... don't cry over spilled milk.  I'm wondering if it is okay to at least whimper a little, especially since I literally have to clean up a huge mess as soon as I hit the publish button for this post.

The Imposter

I love the feel of a book in my hands, but even more, I love when I'm no longer aware that I'm reading and it's as if I have climbed between the covers of the book and am living there.

There are very few books that do that for me. Very, very few. Though I love a lot of books, and many of them I have read and reread often, it takes a special book for me to feel so connected.

When The Imposter arrived earlier this week I placed it on the stand beside my chair in the living room thinking I would read a few chapters after dinner and before bedtime.

Later that evening I settled in to read a few chapters. It wasn't long before I was no longer aware that I was sitting in my favorite chair. Instead I found myself in Stoney Ridge on a moss farm. Though there was heartache, and even bigger trouble brewing there was a certain calmness throughout. I really loved the faith portrayed in this book and how it became alive and real for the characters.

By the end of the book I felt refreshed, encouraged, and excited to be serving a wonderful God who cares for His children and gives peace even in the middle of the storm.

Disclaimer: I was not asked to review this book. I simply wanted to share with you all the latest great read I had, and hope you get to enjoy it too!

Cousins

Sailor enjoyed hiking with several of his cousins this weekend.

 

And I really enjoyed the time visiting with my sister-in-law.

It has been three years since their world was turned upside down when her husband passed away. A lot has changed since then and they're still adjusting to their new normal.

She shared some amazing stories of how God has been caring for them and answering prayers. Though we still don't understand why things happened as they did, we all agree that God is good, and He really does care for His children.

Mallow

The best bouquets are those hand picked and delivered by someone you love.

 

Buddy has advanced from bringing me a single dandelion to little arrangements that I display and enjoy in the kitchen. A few nights ago he brought me this one from things he found growing in our back yard.

A nice big pink/purple clover. A few small white ones. A fern frond, some yellow flowers that I have no idea what they are, and an assortment of sizes of leaves from a mallow plant.

He loves being outside, and gathering pretty things for his Mama, so today I'll be joining him and we'll gather lots of mallow leaves to dry and use as tea.

When I was growing up we used to drink it when we had a cold or sore throat and then take the leaves we had used to make the tea and make a poultice with it for anyone that was afflicted with a chest cold.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What's on your September calendar? Anything fun?

Nothing special planned. Simply enjoying our ordinary life.
 

2. You might be described as a natural born _____________________?

I've been told that I'm a natural born storyteller.
 

3. September is National Courtesy Month...what one act of courtesy would you most like to see more of in your home, town, or the world at large? 

I wish the world at large would be kinder to each other, even when, or especially when there is a difference of opinion. Not every thought needs to be spoken.
 

4. Eager beaver, chicken out, clam up, or let the cat out of the bag...of the phrases listed, which one have you related to most recently? 

Somewhat of an eager beaver. I have taken on some different tasks that I wouldn't have had to, but I do enjoy this type of work.
 

5. What's your movie theatre snack protocol? Do you chow down on snacks during the previews or wait until the movie begins? Do you buy snacks or refuse to pay those kind of prices? What's the last movie you saw in a theatre? How many thumbs up would you give it?

I've never been to a movie theater.
 

6. Henry Ford is quoted as saying, "Nobody can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind." Agree or disagree? Why?

Little bit of both.

 

Idleness as in lazy isn't good, but sometimes it is a good thing to sit back, relax, recharge, and contemplate on life.

 

I do feel more alert when I have some purpose to life, though sometimes after spending hours doing school my brain can feel like mush by mid afternoon.

 

7. What's the last job you completed or task you performed where you had to 'work like a dog' until it was finished?

I'm in the middle of that right now. I have lots of apples here that still need to be turned into pie filling and canned.
 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Apples, apples, and more apples. The tree here behind the house is giving more apples than I need or want. I have given some away. We've made applesauce. There are several jars of fresh apple butter waiting to be enjoyed. We've made apple desserts, and today I'll be making loads of apple pie filling.

I don't know what kind of apples we have, but they're huge, and make apples at the store look small.

I know I should be feeling very thankful for all the free apples we have, but right now I'm feeling appled out.

Books

  Books have been a big part of my life as far back as I can remember.

  Growing up our family library had quite an assortment of quality books that were read and reread over and over.

   The small library in our school contained more books that we loved. It was always a day of mixed emotions when the Amish schools did a book swap. We were thrilled to have new reading material, but sad to see some of our favorites go. The one year several of us plotted a way to keep our favorite book from getting traded, but that's a story for another day.
 
   During the late fall, winter, and early spring months my parents would visit the library and bring home armloads of books for us to read, and for several years the bookmobile made a monthly stop at our house and we would all get to choose books we wanted to read.

   I was a substitute teacher before LV and I got married. Since all money before we reached the age of 21 was handed to our parents, I never got to keep any of it. I guess my parents felt I deserved a little something from all that work I had done and offered that I can buy some books if I want to. I became the happy owner of the Anne of Green Gables series that year.

   I used to pore over book catalogs we got in the mail and dream of how wonderful it would be to be able to have them all. The thought of being able to visit an actual bookstore was a dream I hoped would someday become true.

   After LV and I got married I was happy to be surrounded by a whole lot of books I had never read before. His family had a lot of books that my family didn't read. Books by Lewis B. Miller, Grace Livingston Hill, mysteries, and the list kept going on and on. It was great and I was in book bliss.

   That first year LV and I started building our family library. We found books at the local Amish stores, and then one day when we went to town we stopped at a real bookstore. It was almost overwhelming with all the options I was suddenly presented with.

   We ended up buying an armload of books, among them was one by Fern Michaels. The cover was pretty, I liked her name, and the little blurb on the back sounded interesting.

   That night I settled in to read it and my little book world came crashing down. It was an awful book, peppered with foul language. Even without that language the story itself was horrible, and I realized that books must be selected with care, that just because it's a book does not mean it's fit to read. It got burned, and while I was disappointed that not all books have a chance making it to our family library we never lost our love of reading, and year by year our library has kept growing with carefully selected books.