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12/03/2015

Merry Christmas!

The month of December is upon us!  It is an exciting month and has been a very busy year.  The weather is amazing in Ohio.  This morning we have a dusting of heavenly snow.  Usually by now we have had several storms and have snow on the ground.  It is the season to be happy and give.  With all the things going on in this world it can be a scary place but we have to take it upon ourselves to make a difference.  Just anything will do on a daily basis.  My how busy and hectic our life has become!  I always have so much going on and honestly I don't know how I ever worked full time.  I won't go into boring details but I get up at 4:30 every morning and find myself with a project in my hands still at 10:00 at night.  At any given time there is at least ten things whirling around in my head at the same time.  I am always in a rush and never have a spare minute for myself.  Not only my projects but my responsibilities of my family.  My list gets longer!  Fred and I were finishing up our Christmas shopping yesterday and while ordering lunch at Panera Bread the lady who stood behind the counter grabbed my attention.  She smiled!  She really smiled!  I smile at everyone and it shocked me for a split second to see this lady smile.  She was amazing!  I wanted to tell her.  I stood there as Fred was ordering trying to get a chance to tell her but we had to move along.  She came to our table and said she forgot to ask me if I wanted mustard sauce on my sandwich and there she was with that smile.  I explained I had never had it before and was confused what I had ordered.  She asked me to come with her and tell the lady who was making my sandwich.  I did and it was not what I thought I ordered.  Now here was my chance.  We took care of business and as SHE thanked me, I told her she was very nice and helpful and she had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.  She smiled and told me,  "Thank you!"  She came back to our table and asked us if everything was ok and there was that smile.  That truly gave me a jolt!  God puts people in our path for a reason.  Sometimes we are in a hurry and forget God is watching over us.  He knows what we need every day - every second of every day. That lady made a difference just with her smile. I thought about her the rest of the day.  News of the California shootings came as we arrived home and I thought about the lady with the smile.  If we can do nothing else we can smile, be a little kinder, be a little sweeter and make a difference no matter what we are dealing with.   As we get down on our knees to pray remember to smile and thank God for our blessings!  As we celebrate Christmas remember Jesus is the reason.  I love you all!  Thank you for an amazing year!  Merry Christmas! 

10/02/2015

October has arrived!

Wow!  September is gone!  Does anyone know where it went?   October has arrived and it has brought some cold weather to Ohio.  I don't mind cold weather but after a month of 80 degree plus weather this 40 something seems rather drastic.  As the old Ohio saying goes..."If you don't like the weather right now, stick around it changes quickly!"  It does.  It is what it is and I am glad for every day I have.  I have been busy making bears, primitive fall dolls and have started on a snowman.  Selling some and keeping some.  I made quite a few pumpkins too.  Decorating for Halloween is really fun.  I always remind myself I start on Christmas November 1, so down comes the Halloween decorations as soon as it is over.  Fred and I have been very busy now that he is retired.  We have been making cupboards, shelves, painting, rock mulch all the way around the house and working in the yard.  We still have a couple projects to start before the snow flies.  Never a minute to sit down and there are days I get up at 5 am or sooner and work until 10:00 pm.  If I didn't have to sleep I could accomplish a lot more.  I also watch my cutie pie grandson once or twice a week and he is a sweet treat to my week.  How fast he has grown and will be 2 in a few weeks.  Wow!  My oldest grandson will be 11 in a few weeks and that does seem unbelievable!  What a sweet young man he is!  I hope everyone is enjoying all the festivals and autumn events.  The leaves are changing and I am anxious to grab on to every leaf and enjoy the beautiful colors.  God is amazing!  He showers us with his beauty where ever we look!  I hope you enjoy October!  Love you all!

9/05/2015

Happy September!!!

Happy September!!  The summer flowers are at their peek and it won't be long until frost now.  It has been a very busy summer with never a moment to stand still for very long.  Fred has been retired for a month now.  I am enjoying him being home every day and I hope he is enjoying every minute of retirement.  We try to fit everything into each day that we can!  He has been so happy and I can see the stress of his job has left his body.  I have been a very lucky woman for 25 years to have this wonderful man in my life.  God surely blessed me and heard my prayers.  I always say I had to suffer with the worst to appreciate the BEST!  The family is growing and before long we will have another little one joining in the fun!  Every day is a learning day for Nolan as the world is so new to him.  He and MiMi as he calls me like to play and cuddle.  What a joy he is.  Grandpa or PaPa as he calls him loves it when this acrobatic little wonder climbs up beside him to sit and chatter.  We try to enjoy every minute with him.  Chase will be 11 soon and he is the sweetest!  His dad and mom have taught him so well and he is always eager to learn.  His manners are very refreshing this day in age.  When I talked to him recently we were in the middle of a conversation when he said, "Grandma, can you hold on a minute?  I want to tell you right now I miss you and I love you."  What a dear he is.  Wish we didn't live so far away.  His hugs are the BEST!  I have been sewing every minute I can and Fred and I have been doing a lot of wood working.  We finished the 6 foot by 35 inch primitive cupboard and it looks better than I planned.  My problem is getting my imagination out of my head and into Fred's head.  Even with my drawings it isn't easy for him to see at times.  I have so many projects planned in my head it is very crowded!  Every day is a blessing and we have to enjoy our happy times.  I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful summer and looking forward to fall!!!  Love you all!

7/12/2015

Happy July!

This year is zipping by and summer will be coming to an end before we know it.  I hope everyone is enjoying July with relatives and friends.  Never enough time to spend with family!  I have been busy this summer keeping up with outside work, wood working and orders.  We will have a lot of excitement in the months ahead.  My sweet husband will be retiring and it will be amazing to not have to send him off to work in the morning.  I know we will keep busy but it will be so nice to be busy together every day.  We have been married for 25 years now and it has been the best 25 years of my life.  We will also have another grandbaby.   Won't know until it is born but I have a feeling it will be another boy.  With 3 sons and 2 grandsons I am planning on a boy.  Whatever it is, we will love it and spoil it~!  I hope you enjoy every minute of the remainder of your summer.  Never take your blessings for granted!  Love you all!

6/30/2015

June 30, 2015

Here we are, we arrived at the last day of June!  Where did June go?  Summer is flying by and we have not had a chance to go outside and enjoy summer yet.  This month has had every day filled with down pours of rain. I only remember one day that it did not rain, June 26.   There could have been one or two at the beginning of the month.  Last week remembering the weather reporter saying if we had 4 more inches of rain we would surpass the all time record for the month of June.  The next day which was Saturday, we certainly did get the 4 inches they predicted.  Since then we have had rain every day and this is Tuesday.  Wow!  It is pouring down as I write this.  I know there are other parts of the US and the world who desperately need rain and I feel sorry for them.  I have enjoyed watching the deer and their babies play by the lake.  We had two sets of twins and another single birth this spring.  One of the mothers puts her twins by our fence for me to watch over while she is getting a much needed break.  Love the little critters and making sure the neighbor's dogs do not disturb them.  I am so blessed living here and witnessing all the wonderful wild life who come through our yard to the lake.  The deer can stop in to have a snack of cracked corn or if they like some bird seed.  The apples on our trees will be ripe soon and they love to eat the ones on the ground.  Soon the pears will be their sweet treat.  You can always count on the deer to show up when they get the munchies.  I have been filling orders and making a few dolls and bears to sell.  Working in my wood shop is a favorite thing to do and I still have some benches and another boxed in corn trough for the deer to make.  The deer need a dry place for their food.  A large cupboard is in the plans for my materials.  It is exciting to think about it!  I hope you are having a nice summer and enjoying every little part of it. Have a Happy 4th of July!  Love you all!

5/14/2015

May has been a whirl of weather!

We are in the middle of May already and what a whirl it has been.  Cold, warm, HOT and this morning back at 35 degrees with a heavy frost on the ground and foggy.  Beautiful!  Love to take pictures first thing every morning.  Pink in the sky with that sliver of a moon through the fog over the lake with a heavy frost covering everything!  Whew!  Top every day off with a fantastic sun set and you have to fill in the blanks in between.  Some one ask me the other day if I ever put my camera down.  I guess I always have it with me.  You never know when you are going to have one of those brief moments that would make a perfect picture.  I have plenty of those!  Love my camera!  Mr. P. always laughs when I run off with my camera shouting, "Better get a picture of THAT!"  Poor man!  He does witness a lot of my crazy moments but he enjoys it.  This month has flown by and WOW it has been a busy month so far.  Mr. P. and I had a wonderful 25th anniversary.  He sure spoils me and I do try to spoil him rotten!  Love him more every day and I plan to keep it up for another 25 at least.  I hope everyone is enjoying spring and warm weather.  The summer will fly by so plan to enjoy every moment God gives with a long breath grabbing on to every chirp of the bird and sun rise you can until the sun goes down in the evening and your head is spinning on your pillow from all the beautiful things you have consumed. Love you all!

3/20/2015

The First Day Of Spring!

I hope everyone has made it through winter!  The first day of spring has arrived and I am hoping we will see the signs of spring soon.  Today it looks like the first day of winter complete with a snow storm.  I have been sewing bunnies and making primitive wooden projects.  I love to stay busy and I have a couple orders to start working on too.  Looking forward to yard work and planting a lot of flowers this spring.  Hoping SpRiNg will show up soon!  I am always thankful for my blessings!  Have a wonderful day!  Hugs ~ Carol

2/18/2015

As my Mother would say..." It has been Cold, Cold, Cold, Cold, Cold!"

This year seems to by flying by and February will be over before we know it.  I am hoping we have an early spring this year.  The freezing,  below zero temperatures started January 3, and have not let up.  We have had a day or so that it was warmer and not freezing cold.  I guess calling 46 degrees warm is stretching it a bit.  In the summer if we think about 46 we think that is cold.  Nevertheless what ever it is we have to endure it and be happy for another day.  I have been doing a lot of wood working and making bunnies too.  I enjoy making bunnies and thinking about Easter time.  It is a special time of year.  The deer number has grown here and it is always a treat to look out the window and see them coming for dinner.  There are twelve now.  I keep food in their trough and bird seed in the feeders.  The one deer who started coming first I call Deary.  I did not have the special deer food then so she would tip the bird feeder and lick all the seed out.  She is the only one who does that and doesn't eat the deer food now.  She is special and I love to watch her.  My neighbor Elouise told me she saw Deary come one day and there was no bird seed so she stood for ten minutes and looked right at the house.  I must have been away and the birds had emptied the feeder.  So now I fill the feeder up late in the evening so she always has plenty.  Sad to see them trying to find food when the snow has been on the ground for so long.  I also have a one legged crow who comes every day to eat.  He is Hoppy.  He has a difficult time eating and the other crows try to chase him away.  We have been here over two years now and we are almost finished with the changes we have planned to do.  We moved my Mother out of the house I grew up in and closer to us last year.  She has had a better winter this year and stayed warm and well.  I hope you are enjoying a wonderful week and are staying warm.  As my Mother would say..."It has been cold, cold, cold, cold, cold!"  The degree of cold requires more times said.  Have a wonderful day! ~Carol   

1/10/2015

Winter has arrived!

I hope you had wonderful holidays and are ready for Spring!  Ohio has been hit with severe weather and this morning the wind chill is suppose to be -23 degrees and linger for a while.  It has been a very cold week with actual temperatures below zero.  I love all the snow but the cold temperatures that come along with it are not fun.  I am thankful for a warm house!  The air manages to creep in through any little break but what can you do when it is below zero and the wind is blowing?  Please bring in any pets from the cold and try to feed the wild animals.  Keeping the wild animals fed outside is very enjoyable.  If they have some food in their belly they might be able to survive the cold.  I would like to build a shelter for the deer to be able eat inside.  They have a trough I feed them in but it is outside in the weather under a tree.  I usually see 12 most days.  My neighbor told me yesterday she got a nice laugh from one deer who didn't find any food in my trough or bird feeders and stood looking at our house for 5 minutes.  My trips to the mill to buy deer food and bird seed in 50 pound bags are worth it.  Seeing them every day gives me a lot of pleasure.  Someone told me recently that animals do not feel pain.  Wow!  That really upset me!  I was struck speechless!  I could not pull my jaw off my chest long enough to begin to say all that was on my mind!  I decided if they had not learned to have compassion for animals at their age I would not be able to inspire them with a quick kick to the shin ending with, "Did that hurt?"  It might take more pain than that and I wasn't carrying my club!  Animals are sometimes more intelligent than humans.  They give us far more than we give them.  Hoping you have a wonderful new year and enjoy every minute God has given to us!  Bear hugs to you!~  Carol


Looking back at winter!

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