Sorry for my vacation from posting!

The season has made life full to the brim! Christmas was so wonderful this year, filled with lots and lots of family, fun, hugs and kisses and food!! Oh, and then there is the small thing of gift buying, which I put off to the bitter end this year. That will be the last time that happens!! However, as my husband and I went out on a very, very snowy Christmas Eve day to purchase our last minute gifts (which not all were) we had the sweetest time together. Playing in the snow with the little loves or our lives, talking, eating (hmmmm, seems to be a theme here!) and just spending time together outside of our overly busy work schedules...it was simply wonderful!
Now, today, a normal Tuesday, I am readying myself for a trip to New Orleans. Yes, I am heading to the Big Easy.
It will only be a week long trip, flying back the 4th, but I am going to enjoy every moment of it. You see, our son has started a new job and has no earned vacation time....boooooo! I do not know when the Lord will allow us to see his sweet face again, so I am going to soak up every moment of this trip.
Oh! And there is the added bonus of snuggling a 7, 3 & 2 year old, and helping out our dear Daughter in law. God is so very good!
So, I may be able to post from there, but I am hoping that my days will be so full of hugs, that there will be no time for posting!!!
So, I will "see" you all next year.....have a wonderful, safe, God filled New Years celebration!!!!

Chalk Boards!!!

I love taking something old and making something I love from it!!
This is one example....a cute chalk board for my dining room!!!
First, you need to find and old framed picture that is inexpensive (mine was $4) AND a shape that you love....the shape or type of frame is the most important....if you don't love it when it is an awful color, then you won't love it even when it is the perfect color!!
My Mother, Aunt and Daughter were all with me when I purchased said picture (which was hideous by the way, but I loved the shape of the frame, just sayin!) and the comments from all 3 were less than favorable....also known as "think she has finally lost it!"

Well, after a light sanding, two coats of white paint and one coat of a light stain, to give it an aged look, the frame was as I wanted it! Then, I cleaned the glass, and sprayed it with 3 coats of black chalkboard paint...let it dry and voila! LOVE IT!!

This is an easy and very inexpensive gift to make for Christmas. Frames can be found in second hand stores, antique malls, consignment shops, etc.....remember, it is NOT the picture you are buying, it is the frame!
Have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Life, Blessings and Dogs

I always think that I have to have some really cool, crafty thing to put on this blog or else there is no reason to blog! Well, today, I will just fill you in on life. My life.
My husband LOVES his job! Praise the Lord from Whom ALL blessings flow!! We are blessed in this area to have this opportunity for him and Give God all the Glory for His amazing gift.
Our children are all serving the Lord in really different areas of the country and ministries. From music, to teaching, to teen work, to going into correctional centers to work with incarcerated teens....we are so very proud of the work that our children do. We are blessed by all 6 of them and are so amazed at what the Lord has done in our family. (If you are wondering at that number...our family includes in-law children as our own...as God has given them to us, just not in the same way as our children, but just as wanted and loved!)
Have I shared with you that we have 2 crazy dogs? We do. I tend to call them "freaks of nature". The female (sister from same litter) has a superiority complex and refuses to lower herself to the level of chasing a silly little ball. She sits on the back of the couch as a cat would and looks down on the male dog. The male dog, on the other hand, is feisty, plays, catches balls in mid air and can be completely annoying. They were gifts to our children. Our children got married, moved, left the dogs behind....how silly my husband is to gift our children with living things!!!
I have included a picture of our "holiday" dogs....can you see the excitement in their eyes??? No??? Hmmm. (ok, we really feel sorry for their having to endure this humiliation...a bit anyway)
Well, have a superb Thursday, and I shall continue on my quest for the perfect, or best, or sufficient Christmas gifts!

Whittle While You Work!!

Alright...here is my version of a "S'more" gift package. I have seen this 2 other times, once from where I cannot remember (and it looks little like mine) and the other was on HGTV, in which they went the route of a "hobo" style look, and in which I wanted a much more pleasant gift to give, so I got my creative juices flowing and made my own.
I found these perfect boxes while shopping at Wal-mart, the cost was $3 for 5 boxes, which I found to be reasonable.
First, I braved the cold (really cold!) winds yesterday, and went out to my favorite bush, which happens to be 10 feet tall! It is a snow ball bush that my Father planted for my Mother some 40 years ago, and I insisted must stay put when we got the land and built our home there....not sure the deliver drivers were as thrilled with my bush during the building process! But I digress.
Back to the S'mores! I whittled the "sticks" to a point on one end to allow for the roasting of the marshmallows. That of course is the reason that the 2 votive candles are included in the gift...for the roasting process!
Next, I put the marshmallows in a cute clear plastic bag found in any craft department of many stores, and closed it with a cutie pie snow flake seal. I put the chocolate bars in fun glassine bags, which I made myself, as I do not live at all close to a store that sells glassine bags, and did not want to order over the Internet and pay the outrageous shipping charges....soooooooooooooo, again I put my creative juices to work and made my own. I will post another blog about that process at another date.
Finally, graham crackers packaged in cello bags and loaded into the box! I am in love with the dark brown tissue paper that I used which I found through Oriental Trading and bought when they had a no shipping charge day.
The label is simply one that I found as a free printable on the Internet and really liked.
The "string" is a hemp that I tied the roasting sticks together with and also used to tie the box closed with a simple bow.
I hope that this helps you with an idea for a homemade gift to give, anytime of the year, not just for Christmas.
Any questions, just leave a comment and I will try to get the answer to you as quickly as possible!!

Christmas.....is coming......fast!!!

I am in the throws of getting ready for the big day. Tree is up and decorated. Mantle is beautifully endowed with many, many stockings and lights. And two small trees wait patiently for many small hands to embellish it with love, ornaments and strings of clutter.
I am making a few of my gifts this year. Doggie treats for the canine in the family, some super cool S'more kits, and herb garden boxes. I will try to get the pictures and instructions up yet this week for those who would like to try them also.
Each year since the passing of my Father, we have my Maa come to our Christmas Morning festivities.....which include a huge breakfast, consisting of freshly made biscuit's and sausage gravy, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, coffee and juice. I am not sure why this is our traditional breakfast, other than our Son loves biscuits and gravy and our daughter loves cinnamon rolls, and it seems logical to make what they love because I love them so.
The table this year will be a copy of a picture I found from Real Simple Magazine. The picture above is the one I found and will be the inspiration for our Christmas table this year.....how cute is that!!!!!!
Our most important "tradition" is that before we begin anything on Christmas Morning, we open our Bibles, someone reads the Christmas Story (last year was Aiden's first time!) and my wonderful, Godly husband prays over our family, the day and gives glory to our Savior. This is the tradition that I love the most....the reason for life. The reason for love. The hope of nations.

Photography

I LOVE photography! I love taking pictures, being creative (seems to be my nature) and looking over all the lovely subjects that I have captured.
I use my family as my main focus....after all, they ARE the best looking subjects ever!!! I am showing you a photo of our Daughter and her Husband, our Son and his Wife. I sadly do not get to use our Son or Daughter-in-law as often as I would like, as they live 1,ooo mile from us. And I would love to pepper this page with our next generation, but for safty's sake, I will restrain myself....but know, they are the cutest of God's creations!!!! ;o)
My husband, also, has the photo bug and does a wonderful job! I keep him in stitches over some of my "creative" photo's, as I love to take pictures of things like doors, sidewalks, flip flops and feet!
I will never make a living at photography, unless the Lord wills it, and I am ok with that....life, in still life or jumping up and down, is still a blast, and I am documenting it all!!!
Have a blessed and amazing Thanksgiving!!!

Ducks In A Row......

Sorry for the time off....I have be smitten with a bit of a cold and feeling yucky. (that is the proper wording for it....hehehe)
Well, it is less than a week away from our annual Thanksgiving Dinner!! I have my book (recipes and menu) ready, well, that has been ready for a few weeks, as I make out my menu and it is in stone, no changes...ahem...well, one small one this year.
The table extensions are up, and I am ready to roll!!! It will be small this year, only 12. However, we did have a Thanksgiving dinner last week with out of town family.
How about you? Are you looking forward to your time with family and friends?? I sure am.....I put up a picture of our daughter and son-in-law to depict the looking forward that I am feeling about Thanksgiving this year. I am not sure I am "longing" as seems to be shown in the picture, but wait, maybe I am! Longing to show Christ to our family. Longing to spoil them. Longing to show love, be loved and laugh, as we do so much at family gatherings.
I am grateful, loved, content and fullfilled. God is so good. this has been a rough year, this year of 2010, but it has grown us, strengthened us and made us even more grateful. Life really is GOOD with God!!

The Week Before Thanksgiving.....

Well, last week flew by, I will write more on that another day!, and if find myself in the throws of getting ready for our big Thanksgiving Day Dinner. How did that happen so quickly??????
Well, menue is planned, table is up, table decorations are made, invites are handed out, and all that is left is to make the food!
Wait a MINUTE!!!! All that is left???????? Shame On Me!! Where is my Attitude of Gratitude???? Thankfulness???? Gratefullness????
Today, I am grateful for an amazing week of family, family, breath in my lungs, jobs, cars, all the blessings I have each and every day!!
But most of all, I do not want to go into the Thanksgiving week without my sights set on loving my Lord and Savior. HE is why we all have what we have. HE is how I know what my eternity will play out. HE is why I am.
Thankful in every way....I am!

Flat Bread

I had some ladies over for a Girls Night Dinner last month, and I made a flat bread to go with the Italian Dinner that I made. It was not MY recipe, but was wonderful none the less. I made up recipe cards for each of the girls and sent them home with it, so that they could make the bread for thier families if they wished. It was a fun evening of laughing, eating and sharing....love those ladies!

Here is the recipe, and the photo above is what the bread does look like when finished!

Herbed Flatbread
Makes 16
* 1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
* 1 teaspoon active dry yeast * 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface & hands
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl
* Coarse salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
* 1 large egg whisked with 1 tbls water, for egg wash
* Sea salt, for sprinkling
* 1/4 cup fresh rosemary or thyme (or a combination)

Directions
1. Place water in a medium bowl; sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, oil, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and the sugar. Stir until dough forms.

2. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead with floured hands until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough stand in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces; cover with plastic wrap. Roll out 1 piece to roughly 4 by 10 inches on a lightly floured surface; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash; sprinkle with sea salt and herbs. Repeat with remaining dough, arranging 4 pieces per sheet.

4. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp and golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool on sheets on a wire rack.

Busy??????

I was told by my daughter that I must be too busy lately, as it has been 4 days since I last updated my facebook!
Well, if getting hugs, changing diapers, wiping noses, playing in the yard, taking short walks to my Mother's house with a little one, laughing, wrestling, tickling and the occational load of laundry and cooking are a reason, then yes! I am busy lately!!! What joy to be that busy!!!
I still need to keep my focus on Whom is the Keeper of all of this, but I believe with all my heart, that this week of "busy" was given as a huge gift by my Keeper and it is with great joy that I accept this gift. We never know what will come tomorrow or even in the next hour. But I know my Maker, and if all of this is over before I want, He is still my Lord and Savior, righteous and loving.
Thank you Lord for this gift of busy, even if for a shorter time than I would like...I still count Your blessing as pure joy. Thank You, Thank You, and may I please You.

Family

Well, we recived the most amazing suprise this weekend....our wonderful children decided on a whim to come for a visit!!! Can I tell you how excited we were...no, because it cannot be put into words!! God is so amazing, that at the end of a very trying week, he choose to bless us, not financially, but with love. The most wonderful love.
Our little L is stuck to her Nonni as is always the case when we are together. The picture above is proof of how she is...and Nonni is NOT complaining!
Our home is filled with laughter, family, food and fun! There has been lots of football, in the yard and on TV, lots of giggles, belly laughs from the adults as well as children and talk of the what the Lord is doing. So completely cool is the life of a Christian Family. So cool.
I pray that you all have an amazing Monday, and that the Lord blesses and fills your lives as He has ours. God is so very, very good.

Thankful Friday

This is the month in which we all turn our thoughts to being thankful. I, however, have been deep in study of Gratitude for about a year now and have even taught a class on it. Gratitude journals are a great thing...we have sooooo much to be greatful for in this life. I believe that the Lord turned my thoughts that way to prepare me for the past 8 months of un-predictable situations, sorrows, and loss of many things.

Gratitude. If I were to write out all things that I am grateful for, there very well may not be enough hours in my day to do so. If I were to write out my frustrations and angers, it would probably fill a page of a notebook. Funny how that is. When I am frustrated or angry, it seems that it is all consuming and nothing is bigger than it is.....but really????

God has shown me this one thing....NEVER DOUBT IN THE DARKNESS WHAT GOD HAS SHOWN ME IN THE LIGHT. Your truth? My truth? Do I see that when I am in that state of darkness? If I allow God too, He will remind me of it....He is good that way. But, my mind has to be bent in that direction, not fully focused on the one page of frustrations and anger, but still remembering the endless lists of gratitude. If I leave that open, even just alittle, God will show His light and illuminate all the lists of gratefullness and soon, I can focus clearly on Him. My countenance is brightened and life is much easier to deal with.

Gratitude....a wonderful, life changing event.

Blessing Mix

A few years ago I made these blessing mix bags for our Thanksgiving guests.

I would like to share the recipe with you, so if you decide to make these, you have time to get all accomplished before the big day....which by the way is 3 WEEKS FROM TODAY!!! How did that happen!!!

Blessing Mix

2 Cups Bugles 2 Cups pretzels 1 Cup raisins 1 Cup candy corn 1 Cup peanuts 1 Cup M&M's Chocolate Kisses

Bag to give to all your guests by mixing all but the kisses and put into bags and attach the following note. put the kiss on top of each bag.

Note: Bugles - shaped like horn of plenty, a symbol of our nations abundance. Pretzels - arms folded in prayer, for a freedom sought by those who founded our country. Candy Corn - the sacrifices of the pilgrims first winter, food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernals of corn. Peanuts - promise of a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence. Rasins - harvest gifts from our bountiful land. M&M's - memories of those who came before us to lead us into a blessed future. Kiss - the love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

If you would like a printable lable, you can go to a site called: organizedhome.com

Have a wonderful Thursday!!

Thanksgiving Menu

I am in the midst of making out my menu for Thanksgiving. I think this year, I will cook the turkey and the ham and allow my guest to bring all the sides....this will afford me the time and ability to make the appitizers and desserts! (which are my fave to make for sure!!)

So, I have decided to make an Italian inspired appatizer table: Mini Italain Meat Balls (served in my ceramic fondue pots), Tuscan Stuffed Mushrooms (my hubby's favorite!) and an Antipasti Platter full of Italin meats and cheeses....but a small platter as to not have anything waisted.

And for dessert.....3 Sugar free choices and 3 full sugar choices. We have a few diabetic relatives, and I always want offerings for everyone to enjoy. The thing that I have incorporated lately is, "small bites" desserts. Portion control if you will. Works well, satifies and does not leave regret....unless you consume like 20 of something!

What will you be focusing on for your menu?

Thanksgiving Table

How will you decorate yours?

This is how I intend for ours to look...with the pumpkins that I made and showed you how in the post below.

Have a amazing Tuesday!!!

Random Thoughts.......

It is Monday. Not the most exciting day of the week, and for many, the most dreaded day of the week. But for me, it is Monday.

We had a very full weekend starting with a Trunk or Treat event that my daughter and I participated in. Our "theme" for our trunk was Howdy Cowboy!!! We dressed with our hats, boots, six shooters (pink of course!) and lots and lots of candy to give away. About 150 children came through and we had a blast!!!

Next, my husband and I climbed up on my Mother's roof to tar and roll on the roofing due to a leak. I was COVERED in tar and was quite the beauty queen when it was all done....no pictures please!

Then my daughter and I watched Beauty and the Beast. I had forgotten what a great movie that is!

Sunday....my favorite day....Church, teaching Sunday School and then home to settle in front of the TV for an afternoon of Football! My daughter acutually has a ring tone of the Monday Night Footbal Music and I am the only one in her phone that she has attatched to that ring. Funny, but true, I watch all the games.

Then, back to church for Children's Choir...I am one of the leaders and LOVE the children, thier personalities and the funny things they say and do....LIFE IS GOOD!

Finally, my last thougth for this blog is: VOTE TOMORROW!!! I am not endorsing a party or person, just simply the right and privilage that we have in this United States of America to vote! Please do so.

Have a wonderful Monday all!

There Is Nothing.......

As many of you know, this year has been trying for my Husband and I. He has been through several layoffs, jobs simply ending and all the frustrations that go with this.

We have had joy, anger, sorrow, peace, and any other emotion that you can think of! There were days of tears (me for sure) being ticked off, laughter and simply throwing up our hands in surrender.

A very precious soul sent this to me at a point when I was pretty low and I would like to share with you this quote from Alan Redpath........

"There is nothing - no circumstance, no trouble, no testing that can ever touch me until, first of all it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circustance will cause me to fret - for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is - that is the rest of victory."

Now, I am not there yet, I still get a bit panicky, and allow it at times to disarm me. But I CAN say that because of this 8 month trial that we have been in, that I am much quicker to "lift my eyes upon Him and ACCEPT it for a greater purpose and blessing in my life"

Has that been easy, no. Has it been fun, no. Has it brought me closer to my Savior, YES. Do I feel His presence in all of this, YES. Am I all that I should be, no. Am I allowing Him to push me in that direction, Yes.

Life, is, as I said earlier this week, un-predictable at best, but My Lord and Savior is as predictable in His love, grace, mercy and molding as ever. Thank You Lord for all that you work on in my life that leads me closer to you!

My Mom

My Mom....she is fiesty, giving, frustrating (she is very hard headed.....runs in the family!!) and loves her family with all her being.

Mom has been through alot over the past few years....she lost my Dad 20 years ago, lost her 95 year old Mother 2 1/2 years ago (my Grandma was amazing!) and just lost her younger sister 2 months ago. Not to mention loosing the biggest majority of her site to Macular Degeneration about 4 years ago. But she has remainded strong, and determined through it all. She lives on her own, humbly allows us to take her where she needs to go and helps out as much as she can with all family activities.

My Maa.....a very loving title, as that is what we all called my Great Grandmother, so Maa is a title that is an honor, taught me much, like cooking, be involved, and so many other things, but by far the most amazing thing she taught was.....EVERY child should be loved, not matter what!!! There were days at our home when I was very young, where there would easily be around 15 children sitting at our table for lunch. All the neighbor kids would congregate at our house during the summer for day long baseball games, even though our yard suffered because of it, and during the winters, all were sledding on our river bank!

I don't think I ever saw my Maa not loving a child. She took in any child and loved them, no matter how they treated her or other adults.

This has lead to our opening our home to others....loving as if they came from my own body and WE are the blessed for it!

As you can tell, I love my Maa. And am proud to be her daughter.

In the pictures above, are My Ma loving on our little Natertot.....how cute is he!!! And her very first ever Binget! My husband and I took her to Mardi Gras this year and she had a blast! We kept it very clean, as our son and daughter in law know the right places to be in the midst of the ick that can be.

God is good, all the time. He blesses us in ways that we may not know are blessings until after the fact, and My Maa showing such love to others, has been a blessing and caused blessings in many, many ways.....Thank You Lord!

Crafting.....

Today I simply want to share with you a couple of things that I have been working on for our Thanksgiving table decore.
Now, NONE of the pumpkins are original ideas of mine, the ideas came from other DIY blogs, and I liked the ideas, so I went home and got to work!

The first pumpkins (bottom picture) are simply styrofoam pumpkins that I dug out to make way for the tealight candles....applied modge podge and sprinkled with glitter....I purposfully brushed off some of the glitter (out in the yard, thank you) to allow the orange to show through.

The second pumpkins (second from bottom) are dacopaged (I really have no idea how to spell that word!!) with clearance paper napkins from Target (thank you dear daughter!)

The third set of pumpkins (second from top) are small styrofoam mini pumpkins that I rubbed with gold paint to bring out the golds luster....I like these the best of the 3 kinds I tried!

I am also adding the kind of paint (top picture) that I used to put the glow on the 4 pretty little pumpkins!

I had a great, relaxing time sitting at my table, creating, making a mess and seeing the results. It has been quite some time since I have actually done crafting. I am loving it in small doses, and my next project will be a chalk board for the dining room......hopefully up before the big dinner!!

I just want to start this blog with you knowing that I am not in PAIN, but this is a look inside the life of a woman who loves the Lord with all my heart, loves my husband and children so much I cannot even describe it, and am blessed beyond what I deserve.

So, In Payne is just a look inside the life of me.

It is fall where I live, the trees are turning, the wind is blowing and life is un-predictable at best. My husband has been going through job woes, but we believe him to have finally settled into a job of challenges, joy and stability. Wheew...that last one has been a while in the works!!!

I have settled into the challenge of finishing up tasks around the house, that are time consuming, but will be amazing when completed.

I am sooooooooooooo looking forward to Thanksgiving, having family in, cooking, decorating, laughing....all these are a few of my favorite things!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I will end this post, a random act of thoughts, with this......life is good, God is amazing, and I am content.