The Reading - Isaiah 30:20

This morning I opened my "Living Faith" pamphlet which my friend Hilda sends me faithfully as a gift. I am behind on my readings. However, I think that perhaps yesterday's reading may not have affected me yesterday the same as it does today. I must admit feebly I am not as committed to my readings as my husband is to his daily Bible scripture reading. I often ask him to share the daily reading and we discuss what he has learned. We have followed this same morning routine for many years. It is almost commonplace for us to ask how the reading can or will apply to our problems and our daily lives. I am very thankful for his knowledge and spirituality and his ability to share openly with me.

Yesterday's reading was titled "What Was Hidden Now Revealed" and I just noticed yesterday was the feast day of St. Nicholas. I remember when I was little we had a St. Nicholas day tradition of putting out a stocking and we received simple goodies. It was a long time ago and I don't remember much more than that.

Yesterday's reading begins talking about how God appeared to be "hidden" in the Old Testament, that to us he was mystical and fascinating. I remember as a young girl attending Catholic school back in the 50s I perceived God in a very unattainable place because I was so humble and just an immature child although I did find comfort in my faith and my Church. I was appreciative for my education and the close relationship that developed through time with the religious sisters who taught me. It wasn't until the Church changed some of their policies did I really understand and feel an open closeness with God and who He was. The changes by the Church in the early 60s also opened the door for me to understand more vibrantly about Jesus. It wasn't that I didn't believe or accept because we were taught to have faith and accept, but it seemed to me I just didn't understand. I was thankful for the changes so I could see why and understand and to accepted with an open heart about my faith.

Just as in yesterday's writings, I can see that what we read in scripture can relate differently each time we read a scripture or hear some one's opinion of that scripture. Faith is ever changing yet God does remain the same. I thing it's how I accept what is at hand, how I relate and what I do with what I have learned and felt as I read that makes the difference in my daily life. One sentence the author writes "There are also times when I long for the revelation of God. I want to see the Divine Face up close. The wonderful words "no longer will your teacher hide" wash over me with joy. They are good Advent words as we keep vigil with the mystery of God's incarnation" The author continues several lines later "In Jesus, God becomes friend, companion, teacher. It is easy for me to relate to Jesus as teacher."

Her final thought is "Jesus, teacher of my heart, in this holy season reveal to me what I most need to learn from you." We have all struggled through adversities of loss, change, sadness, and all the other human agony's that affect our earthly frailties. For me my faith was challenged the most when my son Brian died. I had strong faith which helped me through many trials and pain, but losing Brian brought me to my knees but not to pray. I never felt that God left me, I knew that I left God. It has been a struggle back up the hill of faith. I don't necessarily want to be where I was, but beyond. I am faced with a different set of trials which requires a different prospective from how I approached life when I was young. I was drawn to yesterday's reading because it brought to me what I feel I need and that is my request to Our Lord to be with me and to reveal what I need to learn to be a better person, wife, mother and grandmother, and friend in my daily life. I can't take my life for granted and never grow. Faith is an ever changing entity and I mustn't let myself become stagnant.

I appreciate my friend, Hilda, for sending this gift of the Living Word which arrives quarterly. She sends them to all of her friends and I can't think of a better means of sharing the Lord's words because we never know when someone needs a hug and that hug may come from the daily reading.

God bless you all. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Is it - - - Ho Ho Ho!!! or Baaaa Humbug!

We have received our first Christmas gift. It came via the postal system in a cardboard box a week or so ago. It was not wrapped in Christmas paper and I was instructed to open the boxes which I did and there I found the gifts for Bob and I from our Soldier Tom who is in Camp Taji, Iraq. He believes that Bob and I should be more active and excitable. He thinks its a waste of time that we watch TV in the evening. Our daughter was even surprised that we watched the same news program every day at the same time. What's wrong with these people? Not us - our kids, it is our pattern, after all we are retired.

So back to the gift - our Soldier Tom was surprised I hadn't taken his gifts out of the cardboard boxes yet and the explanation that it wasn't Christmas and I was saving the opening until then was a not a good enough explanation. Then when the other members of the family found out what was in the boxes, they were astounded that I could hoard such gifts from everyone else and not share the experience NOW!!!! Well, my dear disoriented, lack of patience family, suck it up!!! because I ain't opening the gifts for public usage until Christmas day. If you don't like it - too bad!!! What are you going to do - give the chief cook and bottle washer of the family a public thrashing, I DON'T THINK SO!!!!

Now by this time, have I got your curiosity ablaze? Do you want to know what our Soldier Tom sent us all the way from Iraq via Amazon and other Internet purchase outlets? Do you want to know, huh? OK, I'll tell you, especially since that is what this is all about anyhow! Tom sent Bob and I a Wii and some games. I actually call it a Wii Wii because I want too - which really agitates everyone, but I don't care. I'm not sure about the games he sent and how they are suppose to help our energy level, I was thinking something about the exercise one they have, but maybe its in there - well, really I don't think I want that one, but the sports thingie with tennis for me and the bow and arrow one for Bob would probably be more enticing.

I do know there will be real controversy and head banging as to Who can use this and when since our TV is OUR TV not for family consumption. We have a TV room and a living room with a TV and the living room has the big TV - can you guess who occupies the living room? If you would see the messy TV room which is occupied by adult children and grandchildren, you would understand why the living room is a security zone specifically for grown ups which in this house is a different description from adult children. Now you may think we are harsh but guess what - who cares? It's our rules and at our age we are tired of enforcing rules in our home, but this one we stick to because we can and because we need our own solitary space. There is really an invisible line well, actually not, but for some reason when the people built this house they sunk the living room one step down so to enter the living room which is an open room anyhow, you must step down and you must step down with permission if we are watching TV or playing the piano or just talking. Actually not, I just felt like exaggerating. Truly, we do need the one room we can find solitude and they do have the run of the other TV room and nare the twain shall meet, well sometimes they do meet. See, having older adult children and grandchildren living with you, there can be strain and stress.

As far as the Wii Wii usage goes, I'll have to address that in another entry because it will stay in the box and under the Christmas tree until Christmas day and I'll decide then who, what, where and why. Possession is 9/10th of the law and the name on the box is mine. And as an old lady of the house, I can say nanny nanny boo boo, it's all mine!

Have a great day!

Accomplishment

During the wee hours of the morning when I lay in bed wide awake and know it is just too early to get up, I can organize my day very well but once I get up and at it, I am a failure at putting it to work. Making lists have been a routine part of any endeavor I take on, but lately even the projects on the lists take days and weeks to accomplish. I begin with enthusiasm and end with disappointment knowing that at one point in my life when I was younger this would never have happened.

The meditation in the "Living Faith" booklet from yesterday reminds us to listen to the words of Our Lord and those who do will be like a "wise man who built his house on rocks" The writer says "Jesus may be saying that His words need to make a noticeable difference in how you use your time." Also "what matters is that we keep trying to act on Jesus words and not give up, no matter what, trusting that our loving Father can make good things happen, even through our feeble efforts." The reading is from Matthew 7:24.

We have individuals in our family who have struggles and their struggles impact first hand our family lifestyle in our home. I have realized these situations have a great deal to do with how I progress with my daily lists. As a result of being subjected to their struggles daily, trying to focus on my own personal needs and directives has become very difficult and often results in my failure to succeed. It would seem the easy answer would be to banish the "difficulties" but there are times when that isn't the answer. Change is our ultimate goal and that can't be attained yet, so dealing with it is the only answer. I do pray diligently everyday both for my family and friend's needs and requests but I also ask God to help me make it through the day in a positive direction. Achieving a positive attitude and behavior is my weakness because I do let the external problems affect my inner being and fail to be feel the spirit that is trying to lead me to wisdom and perseverance and to conquer the turmoil within our home. I can read and hear but the words aren't penetrating. My bad behavior is increasingly becoming out of control. I am accomplishing less and less. I know I must get back to basics and focus on what is important for me spiritually.

I have a long list today and I know if I accomplish most of what's written I will be content. No matter what the external turmoil, I am thankful for the gifts God has given me. He sent me a husband who listens and tries to help when I am down and makes me laugh through the tears of frustration. Today, I will firmly make every attempt to open my heart to hear the words of Jesus and visualize His presence beside me today.

Empty brain cells

Yes, that's how it is right now - so many thoughts but so little time. I've been having really goofy dreams for a few weeks and Bob says that I am talking in my sleep. I do recall driving a car from the right side, couldn't see through the windows because it was dark and the lights were off and I didn't know where I was going but ended up at a department store spending money on stuff I didn't need with money I didn't have. Whooaa! I usually end up lost too. Weird, huh?

Our Birthday party for Alexandra was fun. Kevin bought the cake from where he works and he did all the cooking and Suzanne helped with the clean up. It's nice to sit back and enjoy the meal before, during, and after without all the concern cooks have preparing and cleaning up. Here's Bob relaxing at the table and we're enjoying the time. Alexandra enjoyed having the tree up and lights on even though there were no ornaments, yet. We did put the tree up but didn't get the ornaments on - isn't that a hoot! We were too tired and it was late so the plans are for Thursday to decorate.

Going shopping today so not much else getting accomplished. We are going to the two stores that are always packed - Costco and WalMart - just grocery shopping today. If you've been to those stores lately, you can't help but wonder if these shoppers don't realize there's a spending slump going on - or - like us, we get our best buys from Costco and WalMart and we watch our spending. What else is there.

So here's hoping you have a blessed and healthy day. Tom called from Iraq for Alex's birthday and he had been sick. They have had a change in weather too - cold and rainy and was foggy the early morning he called. Tis the season when colds and flu seems to flourish. I hope you are able to dodge the hit on those pesty intrusive illnesses and have a wonderful Holiday season as you prepare for the joyous day of Jesus' birth and family celebrations.

Happy Birthday Alexandra

Here's she is - the birthday girl! She went off to school all dressed up and pretty and excited. We've had the big count down until today so we had to be ready when she woke up.

I surprised her with an early gift of one of the Webkidz she was wanting. They went shopping last night and after a telephone call to Kevin warning him not to get her one - she was so surprised when I handed her the one she was asking for wrapped in tissue. The next chore was finding a name then certifying the adoption which she'll complete upon her return home from school.

We'll have a small family gathering for her birthday party this evening. I can't remember when I was her age, that was a long time ago. She's a sweet girl.

We're putting up the Christmas tree tonight too. She loves to help and so does our daughter Suzanne. Many times in recent years I trimmed the tree alone, although Tom did help when he was home. Tonight is special and we'll all do a little trimming.

Bob has put some lights outside but we're not doing the whole exterior like we use to do - he just painted the house and I recommended he not bother putting new nail holes to hold the Christmas lights - he was relieved. Hoping to put the house up for sale next spring.

Hope you are having a great day. December first - where did this year go? We've had a busy family year - lots of visitors and health problems to overcome. Looking forward to enjoying the Spirit of Christmas and family. God bless and take care of you all.

Today's reading - "You Never Know....Be Ready"

"Watch, therefore" you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning" This from Mark 13:35

Be watchful, be ready. Cultivate eyes ready to see God in any and all places, any and all circumstances. You never know. Poof! Dante's "love that moves the sun and the other stars" right in front of you when you least expect it. Overwhelming grace when you least expect it. Watch. Be ready. Wake up!

from Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions

Christmas tree

Bob and I aren't the type of people who hurry up putting up Christmas decorations nor are we the type to be in a hurry to take them down. We decided this morning we would put up the Christmas tree on Monday and that is earlier than normal. Monday is Alexandra's 8th birthday so we thought it would be a good part of the celebration of her life to put up the tree on that day.

Alex's presence in our family brought joy to Bob and I in a year that was traumatic and filled with an awful void. Our son Brian who we had taken care of at home died in April, eight months later Alexandra was born. There is nothing on this earth that can replace the despair of the loss of a child, but the birth of a baby brings joy and a creation of new love. Bob and I had the blessing of being present when Alex was born - there is nothing more beautiful than the birth of a child, hearing the first cry and first breath and experiencing first hand a magnificent miracle which could only come from God's hand. Alex was an absolutely beautiful baby and today is a beautiful young lady. She has a love of God and is joyful and loving to everyone. God blessed her and gave us the ultimate pleasure of being her family.

As I was thinking of our celebrating and putting up the Christmas tree on Monday, I thought about last Christmas and our family. This year we will be minus one member and the thought brought me to tears and sadness. Tom was with us last year, but this year he is in Iraq. Even though we sent lots of boxes filled with gifts, goodies and even Christmas decorations, we can't do anything that will replace his presence with us on Christmas morning. We will be sad without him with us. I miss his presence around the house every day but you kind of take that loneliness for granted after awhile but celebrating the holidays, is a family event and it won't be complete without him home.

These two photos were taken last year. Tom and Alex had opened some of their gifts in the first photo and the second was Tom with his trombone he played in the Foothill High School Band. He was good too. By the way - you can click on the photos to enlarge them.

If you look closely, you can see the side of the stable on the table to the right of the photo. Bob made that stable for our second Christmas (1965) from twigs. We didn't have a lot of money. We are still using the same plastic figures we had then. We have put up our manger set every Christmas just as we are still placing our original Christmas Angel on the top of our tree - the one we bought for our first Christmas in 1964 - and she looks better than Bob and I - she's been well preserved. These are only a few of the family traditions that Bob and I have created during the forty-four years of our love.

Shopping on Black Friday

I was not one of those people who went shopping at 4 AM this morning. In fact, I was snuggled warmly in my comfortable bed. We are seriously conserving energy and keep the thermostat set low so it was rather chilly in our house.

It reminds me of the days when we stayed at Bob's grandparents on the farm. They had only the one huge intrusive heating unit in the middle of their small living room. When we spent the night we slept upstairs and our bed had a feather mattress. The house was very small - only five rooms and that included the screened in porch which was in use in the winter weather only to store things to be kept cold. The pump for the water was on the porch too - they didn't have running water. Oh, there was no bathroom, so we had to walk out to the outhouse, past the smoke house and the hen house. It was a one seater.

The floors in the home were wood covered with linoleum and during the winter the floors were very cold. The room upstairs was one long narrow small room. Incase you are a city slicker reading this you probably don't realize when there were no bathrooms or running water you had to carry your enamel potty w/lid with you and sit it somewhere by the bed where you wouldn't spill it. You just didn't want to go outside and find your way to the outhouse in the dark. There were no streetlights or big yard lights on the farm back then. Most people couldn't even afford to put outside lighting.

If you haven't experienced sleeping on a feather mattress then you have missed something unique and special. It's not a good thing in the summer time because it can be horribly hot and humid, but in the winter the feather mattress envelopes around your body and it is the best snuggle insulator on this earth. In the morning, when making the bed, it is necessary to use a wooden broom handle to beat the bed in shape and level it out otherwise it would look lumpy and uneven. The next chore would be to empty the potty.

I loved going to Bob's grandparents home even though there were very few modern conveniences. I remember bathing my baby boys in a big wash basin. I had to pump the water then heat some of the water on the stove - that she did have, they had a propane tank out in the back yard and she did have a gas stove. Her kitchen was small but she could sure cook up a storm. There's no one else on the face of this earth who could make homemade biscuits, fried chicken and fried apples like grandma could. Then in the summer time when she put out a garden I'd help her shell the lima beans, I'm sorry, but there ain't' nothing better than fresh tomatoes and cooked lima beans. And grandma's fried chicken wasn't anything like the stuff you bought in the store, hers was ssooooo good and delicious.

Those times were so precious and special to me. I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience that life never mind the inconveniences because I didn't see those things like that even though I was brought up in the city. It was the simple life and working for what you had and appreciating the peace and quiet of the country.

Happy Thanksgiving

The day has arrived, that one day we set aside to give thanks for our country and our blessings although I know many of us are grateful for everything we have everyday.

It has been raining here. I've been praying consistently for rain and that prayer answered is on the top of my Thanksgiving list today - it's even a little foggy which is awesome for this desert valley city. Bob and I woke up early this morning - another prayer answered.

Sending good wishes and prayers from our home to yours today that God blesses you with all your needs. Take good care as you may be the one who prepared the meals to be served to your family and company. Enjoy this Thanksgiving Day of 2008.

Please remember in your prayers the people in India who are suffering through the terrorists rage. We do have a lot to be thankful for that we woke up this morning and it was peaceful.

Turkey count down - 4...3...2...

It rained here today - Allelulia! It has rained almost all day and that is so grand! We have been in a drought condition for a couple of years now and we do have water rationing. We need lots and lots of rain as well as lots of snow up in the mountains. One of these days we'll get an answer to our prayers.

Well, I'm right on schedule with planned chores today except for putting the turkey in the marinate which I'll do before I go to bed. We had pizza for dinner and opened a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau we purchased at Costco. I was surprised to see this particular wine in the large selection of wines Costco carries. We have purchased this wine every year from one of our favorite stores and this was a first from Costco. Some years the taste of the wine is absolutely awesome but this year it was alright, enjoyable but I didn't get excited over this taste. We did purchase several bottles to put aside. It isn't expensive. It is a French red wine, and we do enjoy it and look forward to this time of the year when our local liquor stores stock the wine. The bottles always have a unique label and to me that is an additional reason for collecting.

I hope you've had a good day today and have a good night's sleep and rest well.

Counting down as we go Over the river and through the woods, 4...3...

The aroma of the pumpkin pie - even though it is a Costco special, and the presence of the turkey, and the ingredients for the dressing brings the senses to an awareness that a special holiday is almost upon us.

This song of Over the river and through the woods by the Chipmonks reminds me of many over the highway and through the byway along the river we went to Bob's mom's house for Thanksgiving. The car knew the way because it had followed the same road many times before that day. It was cold and sometimes snowy as we made our journey north from Kentucky to Illinois. It took three hours and we tried to leave early and in those days of my youth, getting everyone ready to go was a snap and even leaving early didn't challenge my energy and ambition.

As you may imagine traveling with four kids at any age for any distance is no picnic but the reward was at the end of the road when we reached my mother-in-law's house. She would have many homemade pies of all flavors - whatever your flavor it was there. She made homemade yeast rolls and the aroma of the rolls smacked you upside your brain's smelling sensors the minute you opened the front door. She was an outstanding cook so it would go without saying the turkey was magnificent as was all of the side dishes. There was plenty of room for lots of people at her dinner table and lots of room to spread out.

It was typical for us to want to take a nap after eating the banquet meal but as was in those days, the women did the dishes while the men did get to nap. It was worth it just to be able to get up and away from the table and move around. I never minded helping with the dishes because it was an honor to be at her table on this special holiday.

There's only my family left to come to the dinner table at our home. Sometimes I cook those yeast rolls like my mother-in-law did, but I don't do the pies but have my own special desserts instead. My in-laws passed away some years ago, as did my own parents. We do give thanks for them before we indulge in our blessings on Thanksgiving.

There's no over the river and through the woods to get to our home because everyone except Suz lives here already. How time changes. We've almost regressed backward in time when whole families lived together due to the economy such as it was during the depression. Our country has not gotten quite that bad off yet. If you had been to Costco today you would wonder how anyone could even imagine there was a stock market problem. You had difficulty finding a parking spot and our Costco has a huge parking lot. The store was packed and everyone's basket was packed full with food. Amazing.

Tomorrow I will start pre-preparing some things so I'm not working so hard on Thursday. I hope you all are well. Sending you best wishes and prayers. Do take care and keep safe.

Counting down - 4........

Have you ever thought about your relationship with your Thanksgiving turkey? No, I don't mean your husband, if that's who came to mind! Back in Kentucky, we knew several guys who were avid hunters and would go turkey hunting during open season. In fact, Bob was telling me this morning, one friend who was the manager of the wildlife management area in our county would bring wild turkeys from Missouri to our wildlife area. It was an annual routine for these guys to head out during open season and do their manly thing hunting wild turkeys.

At one time, we did kill some of our old chicken hens, pluck the feathers and cook them but I've never had to put up a wild turkey and prepare it for a meal, and I thank Bob for not ever expecting me to do that job because after doing the job on the chickens, I would put a stop to doing a turkey. So gross! I guess the Pilgrims wives didn't have a choice and they were probably pretty happy to have a turkey to roast, oh, I guess they had to put the turkey on skewers over the open fired or in the fireplace somehow since they didn't have a cast iron roaster and an oven. Gads zooks, those were probably tough birds, no wonder they had wooden teeth in those early years of the settlers.
I'm grateful for the farmers who have raised the tame turkeys because I am sure the meat is 100% more tender than those wild turkeys - not to be confused with Wild Turkey Bourbon which can be drank with the Thanksgiving dinner, but has no relation to the actual wild turkey bird except the Wild Turkey Bourbon might be a good marinade - you think?

I complained in my previous posts of my difficulty to accomplish a nice tasty tender turkey the past couple of years so I am resorting to a recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network. I tried this recipe many years ago and it resulted in the best tasting turkey I'd ever made. It does require marinating over night in a large bucket. In previous years, our desert temperatures were warmer than we are having this year, so I've lucked out and can put the bucket with the marinate and some ice and the turkey of course, out in the garage and I can be confident the temp will be at a safe level. I did receive a tip from another grandma blogger who says she uses a needle to inject the marinate into the turkey and it is successful for her - that does sound like a good idea too - Emerill Lagasse was injecting his turkey too. Something to keep in mind for another time.

I have one more trip to the grocery tomorrow to pick up last minute stuff like the french bread which I use for the dressing and some herbs which I may not have on hand for the marinade. Not too big of a deal this year and not as much food. Our grocery store was having lots of sales of two for one things so we lucked out and got some nice savings which I am sure we all appreciate right now.

We will be one less person at our table this year - Tom who is at Camp Taji, Iraq. I've asked him what they will be doing and he said there were a couple things planned. When we had flown to Germany when Brian was in the hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, after his accident, we were there through Thanksgiving and we ate in the hospital cafeteria with the troops. The food was delicious but that was an unforgettable experience. Brian was in intensive care.

Tom says they have a nice chow hall at the base and the food is good. Tom wouldn't complain though and never says anything negative. The only thing he has told me is to stop sending candy. He works out every day and tries to keep perfectly fit. We really will miss him at our dinner table this year. We have next year to look forward to having him with us.

Frozen turkey

Alias, I have gone back on my word, my agitation has diminished, I am on the fence of being almost excited about, can you guess, yes, it's meeting face to face, hand to hand with the frozen turkey. I regressed from my negativity and frustration when I read the grocery stores ads last week offering turkeys "buy one get one free" especially Butterballs. I do have to insert here, the Butterballs haven't been all that I've expected but then the past couple of years of cooking turkeys I haven't had any successful tasty cooked bird at least in my humble opinion of my cooking and expectations. I also must explain without length verbiage that recently my frustration has been with an non-compliant assistance cooking/cleaning house resident staff. As the advancing of age has interfered with my physical movements by placing restrictions and pain on my limbs, my energy and enthusiasm to be on my feet for a whole day is not as appealing as it was in my younger years. I have always loved to cook so it is very discouraging not to receive the support from the "boarders and hoarders" air apparent (don't know what that means - it just fits here). So, IF there was to be a Thanksgiving dinner at the Sullivan's this years there must be something done. I have grown tired and weary of begging, sobbing, moaning and groaning, yelling and screaming for help and the thought of passing out a tin cup for them to go beg on the street corner did cross my mind, but oh well, that's gross when we do have so much here in our home. Am I being nasty, yeah, probably, but well, I'm the cook and I do have one good assistant who is always there - my chief bottle washer and my hubby. So, the plan is on.

I have a plan, a menu, the ingredients are purchase with the exception of a couple last minute things, and so we are ready to get started. Because of my limitations and my desire to limit the size of our eyeballs and stomachs and behinds I have downsized the dessert, but nothing else, well, actually, I may eliminate a couple things because I haven't found a solution to make the preparation easier without help - so because of this, they will do without - maybe that will show them!!!! Either offer assistance or you don't get that traditional "you know what!" dish you always get at Thanksgiving. Evil, jeannie meannie appearing, please forget me Lord, I do know what I'm doing and after all you do give me these "people" to help, and right now this is the best I can do.

I have been talking to God about my feelings and problems. I know He has His hands full with the prayers of the politicians and the auto makers and their big bail outs, and the people who are out of work and so many other more important problems in our world, like Iraq, so my requests for strength for preparing our Thanksgiving dinner is very inconsequential. And so I realized that I should just forget sending in my request for physical assistance at this time and request spiritual guidance to accept. I know God has given me pretty good stamina and creativity and I'll make do. And, I do want to thank our Lord for all He have given us - I am grateful for all our blessings. I know in my heart He does give to each of us what we can handle. I am not sure I go along completely with some of that philosophy. I know that does goes along with the idea of the "grass is greener on the other side" and that if we really had a choice of the other side and we saw what they had to go through, we'd keep our yard, and that's how I feel and will try to do my best every day with His help.

Dear Lord, I do thank you for all your blessings, and the trials that have helped me grow in faith and spirit. Please bless these fine folks who read my blog, and all our family and friends. Keep them safe and sound. Oh, and Lord, please, send each of them a special blessing today, a surprise, that will make them stop and know it was your Holy Spirit visiting them.

Peggy, our milk cow

Once upon a time, we owned a farm in western Kentucky. We were two city slickers and one of us had the lifetime dream of having a farm, guess who that was? Like a message from Above, a piece of property became available next door to Bob's grandparents and we heard about it before anyone could snatch it up. We packed up our belongings and our four kids and made the journey from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, to Wickliffe, Kentucky, in the middle of January. It was a long cold drive, but the thoughts of dreams fulfilled kept the spirits warm.

We were to purchase many chickens, geese, rabbits (which he had in Buzzards Bay), we also bought a few cows and a bull, and down the road we tried our hand at raising pigs. The pig story will have to wait for another time because it was a laughable experience for me.

We weren't through with the dreams, his next adventure was to have a milk cow, and that's where Peggy came in. She looked very similar to the Guernsey in the picture above, I couldn't find an actual photo of our Peggy at this moment. I didn't get in on the milking but it was the job of Bob and the boys. She gave us lots of good rich milk and it was my job to be creative with recipes to use up all that milk. I learned to make cheeses of all sorts and ice cream too. The kids never had to be told no for having an extra glass of cold milk or hot chocolate.

This morning I thought of Peggy more intently than I have in a few years since we left the farm. I use to make rice pudding all the time with Peggy's milk - it was so good and rich. I'm making rice pudding from scratch this morning. With each ingredient I add and each stir, I think of Peggy and give thanks for the blessings of nutrition and enjoyment she brought to our lives on the farm. I also made some good potato soup with her milk too. Ummm Yum!

Peggy was a good ole gal - a really good milk cow and very much part of the Sullivan family.

We have lots to be thankful for in our everyday lives. I am grateful to have had the experience of living on a productive farm. The work was hard and it was a daily commitment with crops and livestock, but it was worth every minute. It was havesting the fruits of the land God has provided for us. Today I thank God every day for all the blessings He has brought into my life no matter how small.

I hope you are having a blessed day and all is going well with you today. May the Good Lord be with you and protect you.

Another weekend come and gone......

Busy weekend here, putting soldier's packages together, and odds and ends. I looked forward to a relaxful Sunday when a surprise visitor came to call - the stomach flu, icky, yucky! Thank you Lord, it didn't stay long and a good rest was helpful to survive plus chicken soup made at the hands of hubby. Heading to the kitchen to play UNO with granddaughter Alex.

I hope you have a great and blessed week - good health too. Talk to you in a day or too. God bless and keep you.

Packages for a Soldier

I can't quite take it all in yet just how quickly this year has passed. With Thanksgiving in two weeks buying a turkey is the usual custom. Are you cooking this Thanksgiving? And, what are your family's holiday traditions?

I shared in an earlier post about the first Thanksgiving dinner Bob and I shared. The episode of the case of the hidden gizzard bag is high on our list of memories. Our traditional menu has been the same for as long as I can remember whether it was a houseful of extended family or just us and the kids. The kids always request the same things. I haven't been feeling real energized for a couple of months and was considering not cooking dinner and I didn't want to go out. Alias, out of the clear blue sky I had a thought to use disposable cooking pans, paper plates and prepared food, for example, CostCo sells a prepared mashed potato dish that is delish! although there's no better mashed potatoes than mine so we'll think about that, and there's the dressing. I have changed up my recipe for dressing over the years I came across a recipe from one of the Food Network cooks and since then I've adopted the principles of that recipe adding my own ingredients. It takes more time but is the best dressing ever - that is if you like dressing. Sometimes I stuff the turkey and sometimes I don't - depends on my time.

I'd love to hear your ideas and traditions. If you click on my profile, my email address is listed there.

I packed up three boxes for our Soldier Tom and we'll take them to the post office this morning. I have more stuff to pack but want to stretch the mailings out. I know there's only a couple of weeks more to go before the ending deadline for mailing boxes reaching Iraq so I want to be early.

Saturday is the Blue Star Mom's meeting for our area and they will be putting boxes together for the troops. I went to Bath and Body Works - my very favorite store - and bought a few things for the seven females on our group's list. We'll be stopping by and hoping we can help. We'll have Alexandra on Saturday because Kevin is working - so maybe she can pitch in and help too.

We haven't heard from Tom for about a week now - and I get concerned especially when I hear about the bombings north of Baghdad. I have a map of the area of Baghdad and surrounding U. S. military bases, so I can zone in on exactly where the bombings are and how close they are to him.

I am humbled when I think of the mothers who have several members of their family serving in Iraq or Afghanistan at the same time. They must be very strong to handled the worry and concern everyday, especially if their solder is in combat. I am sure God blesses them with special attributes and strength of spirit.

Our prayers are with all our military personnel no matter where they are stationed. They are serving and protecting our country and we appreciate their sacrifices.

Prayer Shawl

I started a Prayer Shawl for my aunt last year. It was to be her Christmas present but unfortunately my expectations for my commitment of completion was set too high. And, at the pace I am going, I will probably be 110 years old before I finish it.

I learned to knit in 1967. Bob and I had moved back to Las Vegas from Missouri and we only had the two boys. I decided to take a knitting class which was being taught at the Sears store in Las Vegas on Maryland Parkway. The store is still there today which is a miracle in today's economy. I've never been a big kntter but did tackle house slippers for Christmas presents for everyone once. We didn't have a lot of money early on but both Bob and I did have skills to make things so homemade gifts were primarily what we were able to give to our extended family in place of store bought items.

The instructions for making the Prayer Shawl can be found on the internet - just google "prayer shawl" and it will come up - if you have any question, email me and I'll try to help. It is a very simple project - knit one row, purl the next, but there are rules to be carried out while you are knitting hence the prayer shawl. I selected to do this for my Aunt Thelma. She is my mom's sister and I have been "close" to her since I was a little kid. My mom's family are fun loving people and they all live in Ohio. I remember going to my grandma's for Christmas and everyone was always laughing. Grandma was sick and had to be taken care of by my aunts and my mom and dad helped sometimes too. But, the whole atmosphere in the family was a good time. Every time I talk to my aunt today we always laugh about something so silly - I know someone else would think we were koocoo! I miss getting together will my mom's family as does happen in all families - kids grow up and move away as I did when my parents and I moved from Ohio to Las Vegas in 1960. And, many of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents and my parents are in Heaven, so as naturally happens - things change.

I still keep in touch with my Aunt Thelma and we still laugh a lot even though she has many health problems. She has a wonderful husband and I love him dearly too. I use to ride my bike to their house after they were first married. Aunt Thelma made the best mashed potatoes in the whole wide world.

So, here I am today, still persevering with the Prayer Shawl. The rule is prayer, of course, you must pray for the person you are making the shawl for as you are knitting. It is a loving privilege to be making it but it will be an imperfect shawl I know I have dropped a couple of stitches and maybe started the row the wrong way when I started a new row. Each stitch is made with love. I look forward to the day I complete my prayer shawl and can wrap it in pretty paper and present it to my Aunt Thelma.

Veteran's Day

These are photos taken at the Veteran's Cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada. The Boy Scouts put one of these flags at each military serviceperson's grave site. It is an all inspiring humbling picture to experience first hand.

While we give remembrances to those who have served and have gone on to Heaven, we must remember those troops that are serving today. We hold a special place in our heart for Tom and all his buddies who are serving in Iraq, Korea and other bases away from home today. We keep all the troops in our prayers everyday with special gratitude for their sacrifices for our country and our families.

Please remember all our veteran's on this Veteran's Day!

Marriage Encounter and TEC

When Bob and I were young and we had a lot of energy even though we worked hard on the farm, we were also very active in our local Catholic Church. I started a Youth Group and worked with the teens. They were a good group and we had them out to our farm from time to time on hay rides and parties too.

What brought this to mind is I am shredding lots of paper stuff right now - bills, old letters, etc, and I came across the spiral booklets that Bob and I wrote in when we made a Marriage Encounter and I found my spiral booklet that I kept for TEC and I was a leader. Marriage Encounter is something for a marriage that is good but the purpose of TEC is to make the marriage better. And, it did for us. I didn't read through all the old pages except for one and it was Bob's writing. I mentioned what he wrote to him and we had to laugh. It is difficult working long hard hours, raising a family and meeting all your responsibilities then have something left at the end of the day to keep the sparks alive when you go to bed with your spouse at night.

There is something very reassuring being married as long as we have, it is a comfort level. It's a pleasure for me whe Bob is around, sometimes, the feeling is similar but better than when we were young. We don't do as much amorous stuff like we did when we were younger for a couple of reasons - there are still people living with us (I can't wait until we will have a home and be alone!!) and too, age does things to the physical side of one of the spouses - I won't get too personal. But, what we do do when we do it we have more fun and we appreciate everything we do together because we love each other so much and we appreciate what we have together. We hold hands all the time and it is sensuous. It is also security. It you are young (or old!) and eligible to do a Marriage Encounter if they have it in your area Catholic Church or other Christian Church, try to do it - it is a wonderful experience. Really, it will help make your communication better.

TEC was Teens Encounter Christ and I don't know if this is still an active organization. Our's was in Kentucky. It is basically for high schoolers and I can't remember the ages. It was an awakening for the teens and brought them closer to Christ. It was a wonderful experience for me too. One of the TECs I worked on my son Brian attended and I felt so privilege to be there with him. Brian was a good person and had a deep commitment to God and his family.

It is a beautiful day here. I am doing laundry and shredding stuff - - and I get to listen to my music at the level I enjoy because I am back in the corner of the house where I am alone and it is such a nice day I can have both windows open and enjoy the birds and hummingbirds too.

I hope you are enjoying your day and God has blessed you with many gifts today. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, but I hope we can go to the cemetery tonight to visit Brian. He is buried at the Boulder City Veteran's Cemetery in Boulder City. They will have a big memorial service tomorrow, but I am a "chicken" - I get too upset even after all these years and would rather grieve in private.

Take care.