Tuesday Kindness _ Blog 365 - Jan. 31, 2023

 

It's Tuesday! Practice kindness!

Each day we need to start with a kind act and follow through our day with that mindset. You are wonderful and blessed. Bless someone else today!

Happy Homemaker Monday - Jan. 30, 2023 Blog 365

 It is a cold nasty Monday morning here and we are under a winter weather advisory due to light snow, ice, freezing drizzle, etc. 

*** The Weather ***

As I said before it is cold, icy and a mess outside right now. I am thankful that I have a couple of hours before I need to leave and head out. I am hoping the roads are a bit better by then. It is supposed to be cold with temperatures in the teens at night. How many days till spring?

*** As I Look Out My Window ***

Ice and windy. Very gloomy out and there will be no sun today. The worst part of winter is that the sun rarely shines in January and that makes for a dreary month. 

*** Right Now I Am ***

Listening to the news and praying that my daughter and grand are safe driving. She is in a mini van and the roads are slick. She is not confident in her driving in the winter conditions. The news casters are saying it is quite slick out. 

*** Thinking ***

I am thinking of what plans I have for the week and attempting to think of a way to do a really fun game night for my Pink Zebra business. If any of you would like to join in playing free bingo and other fun stuff. I would love to have you join my VIP group. 

*** On My TV ***

I will be watching my recording of Fire Country on my DVR today. I will also be watching a couple of shows that my husband recorded last week. We watched the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals game last night and what a game!!!

*** Listening To ***

I have the news on now to listen to the weather and road conditions as I need to go out later. I have a new song that I have discovered as well that I am enjoying. 

It's called My Jesus by Anne Wilson and I absolutely love it!

*** On My Lunch Plate ***

I truly don't know what I will have for lunch today. I will be at my friends house and I am sure we will have some sandwiches or something. 

*** On The Menu***

Monday : Pot Roast 

Tuesday : Pork Tenderloin

Wednesday : Beef and Noodles

Thursday : Chicken of some kind

 

After that I am not sure what the plan will be. Going to ask my husband tonight what he would like. 

*** On My Reading Pile ***

I have finally finished the book I was reading and you will see a review on it shortly. I will now start a mystery. I believe it will be 

I have read several of these in this series and enjoyed each of them and I am happy to be returning to reading them. 

*** On My To Do List***

Cleaning and laundry is on the list for today as well as visiting my friend and working. 

*** Crafting***

I am finishing another diamond art painting and this one might be for sale. It is a group of cherry branches. It is one that my mom liked and purchased for me. 

*** Looking Around***

I see a house that I was not in last week due to being at my daughters. I see work that needs done to organize and clean again. I see Christmas that has to be put into the attic this week as well. I am ready to decorate for Valentine's Day. 

*** From The Camera ***

Our Mercedes. She is a Great Dane and such a sweet baby. I wish she did not shed as much as she does, but it is a part of life now. 

*** Bible***

“Pray without ceasing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)

Until next week, I pray that you each have a special and very blessed day. 

Sunday Smiles - Blog365 - Jan. 29

 Good Morning! I pray that you have a blessed day! It is a cloudy, rainy day here but we are still blessed to be alive. 

Every Sunday morning, I like to post a positive reminder of how life can be good and full of smiles. I like to make every one smile in daily life and I am on a kindness trend this year. We need more kindness in the world. Peace can't come without kindness and understanding. 

How could you not smile at this cute little duck with the huge flowers on it's head? 

This little giraffe is just as cute as the duck. He is right as well with his thoughts. 

Saturday Scripture - Blog 365 Jan.28

 Hello! Grab a cup of coffee, hot tea, or any drink that you like and sit with me for a bit this morning. I am happy to say it is Saturday, you are alive, and you are able to read this. You already have a lot to be grateful for. 

Do you realize how often we are so busy that we don't realize just how much we have to be thankful for or grateful for? Do you have a home? Be thankful. Are you alive this morning? Even if you aren't feeling well or you have problems, you are still alive and should be thankful. Do you have a job? Be thankful. Do you have children, a spouse, family? Be thankful, someone has lost one of those today. We get too caught up in our lives to thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. 

I am grateful that God gave me another day, grateful that I will see my grandbabies today, grateful that I have spent a week with my daughter, grateful for a job, grateful that I still have my mom and she is healthy. Grateful for my husband, although we have truly struggled with our relationship the past year. Thankful and grateful for two amazing grandbabies and a third one on the way. Grateful that I am in a home that I find comforting and warm. Grateful for the food in our home. So many things and yet, how easily we forget.

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Do we have all that we want? Probably not, we are human and always want more. Do we have all that our neighbors have? Possibly not. However, God doesn't say that He will give us all that we want and desire, He says He will give us all our need! Needs and wants are not always the same thing. I might think I need a new car, but I really just want it. All I need is a way to get from point A to point B. We might want to live without a struggle, but our need is to be alive. 

Do we sometimes thank God for unanswered prayers? Yes, we do. We may pray for a relationship that God knows is not best for us and that never happen, but another relationship comes along that makes us happier than we ever would have been with the first one. Thank God for that unanswered prayer.  We may pray to win the lottery, but God knows the struggles and unhappiness that might bring. He wants to fulfill our needs. We can work on getting all the other things that we want. 

God knows our needs- we just need to let Him work!

Happy Friday - Blog 365

 

Welcome to my 28th post for the year! I have joined Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom to blog every day this year. Hop over to her website and see what all the fuss is about. 

It is Friday and I will be heading to the home show again this week to help my daughter out with her booth. I have been here all week, but it has been a slow week for sales. I am hoping today is better and that her weekend is fabulous. I won't be here for all of that. I am heading home tomorrow. 

I always hate leaving her, but I do like to be home with the grands. 

I hope you all do as little work as possible today. Enjoy your Friday!

Good Night _ Blog 365 Day 27

 This is going to be a short post, but I did not want to skip my Blog 365 post. I simply want to say Good Night.

Middle of a Snow Storm - Blog 365

 Good Wednesday Morning. It is certainly winter time this morning as I write this. We are in the middle of a snowstorm. We have been expecting this as the news has predicted a winter storm warning for several days now. We are expected to get around 8-9 inches of the white stuff and it looks as though it will be a very wet snow. 

A wet snow is more dangerous as it can be very heavy and take down trees, power lines, etc. It can also compact and freeze much more than a dry snow will. It can make the roads more of a hazard as well. I believe that it's going to start a line of snow coming into the area as there is more snow predicted for next week. Our temperatures are supposed to hover around freezing today. By Saturday, which is the day that I am supposed to make the 2 hour drive home, we are to be at about 41 degrees with rain. Our weather has been crazy this year and continues to be the same way.

Many schools made the decision to close today. My grand doll knew later yesterday afternoon that she was having a snow day today! I remember the joy that used to bring as I knew that meant that we got to play outside, build a snowman and all that fun. We used to love to sled! Kids do not seem to do that as much these days and they have no idea as to the fun they are missing. 

Google Image

                                                         

I hope whatever your weather is that you are in a safe place, a warm place with much love around you. Have a great day!

The Best Seed Catalogs - Blog 365 _ Day 24

It is cold outside and we are possibly on the brink of a winter storm hitting, so why would I be talking of gardens? Winter is a great time to start planning your summer garden and it is a great time to learn about some new varieties of plants that you could have in the garden this year. You could spend hours on the internet or in the library reading of these things, plus ordering online seems to be the only way to do things these days, but there is a joy about thumbing through the pages of a seed catalog, 

 Maybe it is the sight of the brightly colored flowers and other plants that make this enjoyable, especially as the cold and snowy weather is blowing outside. Maybe the photo with the description that is the heart of the catalog is exactly what will make you decide to plant that in your garden this summer. Seed catalogs can be as exciting for a gardener as the old department store catalog was to a kid at Christmas time. 

 Yes, you can view them online, but I still feel that a print catalog is the best way to shop for seeds. Many companies now ask that you go to their website to request a catalog and that is almost their way of having the best of both worlds as you are sure to look around at the website first. You might even return to it while waiting on the catalog. Seed companies have made it much easier to order and given those that need the flexibility of ordering in order to have the seeds in a more timely matter, which is important to some families, but I still prefer a print catalog. 

 Is there a difference in the seed catalogs that you might choose to order from? Yes, there are multiple companies out there and I will share my  favorites here and my reason why they are my favorite. I am not saying these are the only companies, just sharing a few of the ones that I personally have found to be the best.

 1.  Burpee Seed Company

           

           If you have ever purchased seeds anywhere in the United States, you could have easily have purchased Burpee seeds. This well known and well trusted American company has been around since 1876. Burpee is known worldwide and has offered a large variety of flowers and vegetables for many years. This catalog is published annually and will often arrive shortly after the first of the year. If you are interested in a catalog, click here. 

2. Annie's Heirloom Seeds

        

        Annie's Heirlooms is another place that my family has ordered from for many years. They have a proven track record for offering some of the best heirloom and non GMO seeds in the world. In business for over 50 years, they offer an online or print catalog available here. Click on catalog and it will give you the option to download a catalog or order a print one. 

         I prefer their organic potatoes and their heirloom tomatoes over most any other company. As with Burpee, they offer seeds for every growing region and season. They offer tools and other supplies as well as seeds. 

3. Bear Creek 

       

        This company is one that I learned of a few years ago and I can now say is one of my top three go to companies. With over 1,000 types of rare seeds for beautiful flowers, amazing vegetables and herbs, Bear Creek is certainly making their way in the seed industry. Another perk is that they offer free shipping on all orders within the US. While on their website, check out the new seeds that are being offered for the first time in 2023. WOW! is my only word and you can bet some of these are on my list for purchasing this month. You can order a catalog here.

4. Burrell Seeds

        

        In business since 1902, Burrell has become another favorite. This seed company still sends the amount of seeds that a large farm family would have received many years ago. This makes them a better option if you are looking for a larger amount of vegetables, herbs, or flowers. Rhubarb is one of my favorites from here. I also have found that we enjoy beets that we have purchased from here. if you are interested in ordering a catalog, here is where to find the magic.

5. Park Seeds

    

         Park Seeds is my go to for flowers. My grandparents last name was Park so when I found this company I immediately knew I had to try them. You can order yours here. They offer one of the best selections of flower seeds as well as many fruits and vegetables. 

I would highly recommend that if you are a gardener, you check these companies out. You are certain to find something that you will want in your garden. 

        

        

Happy Homemaker Monday - Jan. 23,2023 - Blog 365

 

Good Monday Morning! I have a busy week ahead and so I am attempting to get this on here early today to join Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom and read the many Happy Homemaker Posts that you will find under her post. It is just a simple way to look into our weeks.

THE WEATHER

   CRAZY!!! It snowed yesterday, but most of it melted before the day was over. We are predicted to get a winter storm this week, but I hope we do not.

MY WEEK

  My morning has been rushed because it seems nothing has gone right. I am in a hurry before we leave to go to our Pink Zebra show that we are selling at for the week. Things will be fine once I get moving along. I am looking forward to the week with my daughter.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

  Coffee so far. I will be eating something as we travel this morning so that I can take my medicine for the day.

ON MY READING PILE

  A Colebridge Quilted Christmas, which I have been reading for several weeks. I am ready to finish it and start a good mystery. Hopefully, I won't be reading this next week. 

ON MY TV

  My daughter only has antenna tv so I won't be watching much this week. I watched The Beverly Hillbillies last night, which I enjoyed. It is nice sometimes to see the older sitcoms, which I feel are better than most of what is on television today.

THE MENU

  I have no idea as my daughter will be cooking this week. I will help a bit, but I do not have to plan which is quite a relief. It is nice to have a break from menu planning. She is a very good cook and usually has a plan in place.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

  I see the work that we accomplished yesterday. We had to clean up some of the stuff that she had out from getting ready for this big week of selling. I see the home that my daughter has dreamed of for several years and I am happy to say she is blessed at the moment in life. I find her home inviting and homey.

MY TO DO LIST

My to do list is not much this week. Keep up with my blogging, work daily 9 to 8, and do my online surveys, Good Reads, etc. 

   

Sunday Smiles - Blog 365 - Day 22

 Good Sunday Morning! It's Sunday a great day to bring a smile to someone. It is a great act of kindness and an honor to God for us to love thy neighbor. We are to love our enemies, which is hard to do. Jesus gave His life to save us of our sins and yet, we find it hard to love someone that has angered us, hurt us, or done something to make us not like them. 

I have struggled with this quite a bit recently and I am finally healing myself and working to make the world a bit kinder place by spreading kindness when I can and in a way that I feel is what I want to do. One of my goals this year in my kindness campaign is to share a smile with my blog friends each Sunday. I attempt to find quotes, photos, and memes that will make you smile. 

How cute is this? Even though this little man is quite mad and frowning, he is so cute and the meme just makes me smile. Hope it does you too!

Crafting for a Cause - Day 21 Blog 365

 Good morning! I hope everyone is having a fabulous Saturday so far. I have had my shower, completed packing to go to my daughter's house for a week, made my oatmeal that I am eating now and am finally able to sit a minute to write my post for the day. 

On Monday night, I went to our local library with my friend Libby and we participated in a class that they were having. It was titled, Crafting for a Cause. The cause was Upstream Prevention, which is a local group that seeks to support those that are struggling with drug addiction, mental health issues and thoughts of  suicide. They seek to support system level changes within the public health sector. The craft was painting inspirational rocks that would be put throughout the community for people to find. 

I must say I was a little concerned as I am not a painter or an artist. When we arrived we were the only two people that were there and the sweet lady in charge said she was not sure that many were coming. She also explained that there were stickers that could be placed on the rocks if we wanted, but that we would use paint pens and markers for our decorations and we could do anything inspirational that we wanted. I was relieved! I quickly Googled inspirational rocks to see what types of things we might decorate these with. I am thankful to say that we found many ideas to inspire us. 

Here are a few that I made. 

Being that many of you are aware that I am on a kindness campaign this year to personally make the world around me a nicer place, I was happy to take part in this. I quickly found that I enjoyed doing these and I may continue it at a further time to do more on my own. 

This is my favorite of all of the ones that I painted. 

We are now suppose to take them out into the community and place them where others might find them and brighten their day. I fully intend to do that and I will place them in my car today so that I am able to do that. I am thinking that I might have the grands make some for Valentine's Day. These that we made have a sticker on them that say #upstreamprevention in hopes that people that pick them up might check out.

Just for fun, which one is your favorite?

Have a great weekend!!

Winter Tea Party - Day 20- Blog 365

 A few days ago, I shared that the grands and I were having a winter themed tea party. I would now like to share a bit more about our day and share some photos with you. 

Welcome to our winter tea party sign that I made to invite them to the table.

Our table with our sign.

                          

More table décor. This is a snowflake cut from the same template as the sign. Thought that blue and white fit our theme fairly well. 

Here is the table once the tea pot and cups were on it. The little cups are for the grands and their mom and I opted for larger Longaberger cups that have a holly branch on them. I felt that these fit nicely with the winter theme as well, don't you?

The guests of honor. For some reason this photo is blurry, but this is my daughter and I. 

Here are the grands being silly. The little one likes to imitate her sister. 

Mini ham and cheese quiches. The grands loved these and being that our tea started at 10:30 a.m. it was a nice brunch food. 

Our cake. It was a cinnamon bun cake with cinnamon bun icing. We added blue and white sprinkles to one half of it for decorations. 

This served as our hot water. This antique tea pot was a gift to the oldest grand from her aunt. She knows how much the little one loves tea parties. 

Part of our activities was coloring this cute little penguin. I made mine a little more accurate than this one. 

Being that it was Martin Luther King Jr. day, we added this civil rights word find for each of us and we watched a video of his I Have A Dream speech. 

Here is mom and daughter coloring. If you look closely, you can see the black and white penguin that I colored. 

It was a fun day for all. We enjoyed blueberry and apple orchard tea with our snacks and now we will plan our Valentine's Day Tea. 

Winter Farm Chores - Day 19 Blog 365

 Winter time on the farm is a time that many think that you simply stay inside, stay warm, and rest. That is totally not the case. Winter time is work time on the farm the same as spring and summer. Chores never stop and work never is not there. 

Farmers, even hobby farmers like ourselves, have plenty of chores to do in the winter.  Feeding and caring for the animals never stops. As with us, our rabbits need more hay to make them warmer in the winter and taking care of their water is a task as well. The chickens require more care as well. Other animals also need more grain, hay, etc in the winter in order to make them warmer in the cold.

Equipment care is another area that you have the time to do in the winter. Making sure tractors and other farm equipment is in good mechanical order is important. You certainly do not want planting time to arrive and equipment be broke down. Many farmers have very limited time in getting crops in the fields due to weather and the time needs to be productive, not doing mechanical work on equipment. On our hobby farm, the tractor is an important tool for us and so winter time is a great time for a good overall check of the condition of the tractor. 

I prefer to look over water containers, food containers, hoses, cages, etc in the winter time as time is a little more relaxed. Many times we find rabbit hutches that need repaired or chicken boxes that need fixed and it is a good time to fix these items. 

Planning for the spring is a job as well. We plan what we are going to plant and we plan on what animals we need to add to our farm. Since we mainly raise animals now for food, our planning has changed a bit. Ordering seed is another important task in the planning as well. Many seeds have been purchased for this spring already. 

Financials are always a job in the winter as well. Taxes, planning for increases in seed, water, gas, diesel, and other expenses are best done during the cold months. As many farmers are well aware of, the inflation that many are seeing at the grocery affects them quite a bit more than just the price increase at the store. Our costs raise on most everything we need. The cost to operate a farm can be a huge issue for many farmers these days. Family farms are being sold because the cost to operate is just too much. It is sad to see generations of farmers ending their farms because of cost and the property is worth much more to a developer. 

As you can see, farm chores never stop and winter certainly is not the time to prop our feet and relax. Spring will be here shortly and our work needs to be planned and ready to go. So if you see a farmer, thank them for the work that they do. Humans need food and we need farmers. 

Several years ago, Paul Harvey produced the following story that was made into a Super Bowl commercial and I would like to share it with you. So God Created A Farmer

Winter Crops

 Winter can be harsh on the farm if temperatures and snow are issues where you live. Water buckets and troughs can freeze, more bedding is needed for outdoor animals, and many things just can't grow in the winter time. Much like humans, plants need warmth, sunshine, and water. 

There are a few plants that do well in winter and many can be planted in the late winter season. Root vegetables do well as long as the ground temperatures stay above freezing. Green leafy vegetables can do well in colder temperatures also. Vegetables like leeks, swiss chard, collard greens, even Brussel sprouts can be hearty winter vegetables. Turnips and radishes are other ones that have a high tolerance for the winter cold as well. 

Kale prefers winter cold and will actually taste better as the temperatures get colder. I recommend planting it in late August or early September so that it has time to start to grow before the cold hits, but I also recommend that you allow some cold time for it to grow in order to get the full flavor of it. Kale is a very hardy winter crop. 

Garlic is another crop that does best if planted in late fall and allowed to grow until spring. If you plant it in the fall and add a good layer of mulch to it for the cold winter, you will have a hardy crop of garlic come spring. This is a great way to begin the summer season of pasta salads and other meals that require garlic.  I personally have never raised garlic, but I have known others that have. 

Beets are known to grow best and taste the best if they are planted 6-8 weeks before the first frost. They will survive the winter cold well again with a layer of mulch to protect the roots during the coldest winter weather. The plants will produce quite nicely when allowed to grow like this. Beets are one of my very favorite foods! My grand doll and I greatly enjoy them and we will have several plants this year of these delicious purple- red veggies.

For many that garden, winter seems to be the time that nothing grows or can be planted. However, with a little guidance, a little more mulch, and some experience, you can garden throughout the winter months as well. This preparation will keep you growing vegetables all year long. 

These are all Google Free Images.

If you have not joined Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom, you should hop over and see what Blog 365 is all about!

Blog 365- Day 17 Kindness Campaign

 

Joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom to blog 365 days this year. Plus, I am working on a campaign to spread more kindness throughout the world. 

Happy Homemaker Monday - 1/16/23 Blog 365- Day 16

 

Welcome! If you have no idea as to what Happy Homemaker Monday is or Blog 365, you can hop over to  family corner and read Sandra's posts about both of these amazing link ups. 

It's Monday and day 16 of the year, this post will basically tell you all about what I am up to this week at the funny farm. 

The Weather...

   It is cold here this morning, but our temperatures this week are supposed to be more like early spring than winter. Although there is rain forecasted for most of the week, I will gladly take it and warmer temperatures over the extreme cold and snow or ice. 

Right Now I Am...

   Trying to write this while waiting for water to boil for a tea party with the grands and my daughter. I am listening to cartoons and my oldest grand and her mom playing with the Barbie Dream House that she got for Christmas. It has been a hectic morning already and it is only 10 a.m.

Thinking...

   I am thinking about all of the stuff I need to do today as well as the crafting class I am headed to tonight with a friend. I don't have my Bible study even completed today, but I have made mini quiches and baked a cinnamon bun cake for our tea party as well as decorated and got the activities out. 

On My Reading Pile...

I am still reading this book, although I have gotten quite a bit of it read recently. With the rainy weather we are going to have this week, I should be able to finish it. 

On My TV...

I watched My Friend Flicka yesterday and I watch Swat and Fire Country each week. Other than that, I am not watching much at the moment. 

Something Fun To Share...

   I am enjoying my grands quite a bit. They are cute and are certainly a bright spot in the day. 

On The Menu:

   I am going out to eat tonight with a friend. I am not sure of what the husband will eat. 

Tuesday: Chili or Chicken Parmesan

Wednesday : Five Bean Dinner

Thursday: Unsure

Friday: Fish

My To Do List...

    Today is the following:  Sweep, Mop, Bible Study, Pink Zebra VIP posts for the week, Meet my friend for a crafting class and dinner.

Looking Around...

   I see that the grandkids picked up fairly good, but I have to sweep and mop and put away the cake that we had with our party.

Looking Forward To This Week...

   The tea party that we had for today and the crafting class tonight. Other than that, I am looking forward to a week that I do not have a lot to do and I can relax a bit more at home. 

On My Prayer List...

   My daughter and unborn grandbaby

    My granddaughter each day in school as she is struggling with a few things

    My husband as his back and neck have been hurting

    My husband's cousin as he is dealing with a health issue. 

Bible Verse...

   “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

1 John 5:12 (KJV)

The Bible truly explains just how to have eternal life if we are just willing to read, listen, and learn. 

 

Sunday Smiles - Blog 365 - Jan.15,2023

 Good Morning on this cold morning in my little corner of the world. It is 29 degrees F with a wind chill making it feel like 20 degrees. It certainly feels like winter this morning, but it is supposed to warm up quite a bit and by midweek it will feel more like spring. 

As I set a goal to make a Sunday Smiles post each morning, I am here to do just that and I have joined Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom to Blog 365. Blog 365 is a group of bloggers that are posting each day to make blogger a more active place and allow us to meet new friends along the way. 

Google Image

I found this image today on Google Free Images and had to share this. Who can resist smiling when a baby is smiling? Happy Sunday!! Smile at a stranger today and share a moment of kindness.

Kind Words - Blog 365 - 1-14-23

 

Nice, friendly, sweet, amazing, beautiful, cool, hello, awesome, have a nice day. These words can mean so much to someone. 

A smile as someone walks by can say as much as a thousand words to someone having a bad day. 

A kind word could be just what the tired cashier needs. A kind word could be what the stranger you pass on the street needs. 

A kind word could be just what the stressed mom with a crying baby at the store needs to help her feel that she is not the only person in the world that day dealing with the cries.

A kind word to a teacher could be the reason she returns to the classroom tomorrow. 

A kind word to a teenager could be what saves their life that day.

It is true that you never know how someone else is feeling or what they are going through. Words can be easily spoken and a smile to go with a kind word could be the exact thing that they need at the moment you pass them. 

A simple hello to the person behind you in line at the grocery could speak volumes. 

You never know the impact your kind words will have.

BE KIND TODAY

Blog 365 is being hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.