Considering the Future

My husband and I are beginning to consider what our lives will be like once our young folks sprout wings and leave our nest.  We are looking at downsizing our home, even though we just moved here last year.  We are looking at possibly having more property, even though it means more work to do the things we'd like to do.

We're realizing that we are limited with how much activity we can participate in at church living almost an hour away.  The special things that happen on days other than Sundays and Wednesdays simply cannot be attended because it isn't just a short jaunt over to the church or to a Couple's Night with our dear folks in our Sunday School class whom we've grown to love.  So we pray.  We'll find out soon enough what the Lord's will is for this as we lay this at His feet.  There is a lot to consider and even still, we consider the necessity of selling our current house when the time comes too.  Lots to consider.

We're realizing that we will be physically limited with how much we can accomplish on a daily basis due to the fact that our young folks will be out of the nest.  I mentioned to my husband that we could get him a good tractor (not to be confused with "new") with accessories that would help him do the work that is needful without needing one or more of the kids around to do it.  But, the other things, like putting up fences or things like that, if course we'd ask the kids to come help.

We're realizing that we'll need a house with 2 master bedroom/bathrooms just in case there is a need for one of our parents to move in with us.  Additionally, we're looking at building an apartment over a garage just in case our oldest son needs a place.  That will give him his own space and as much autonomy as possible.

We've talked about "puttering" with our days on the property.  We've talked about having a garden and having fruit trees and selling the produce.  We've talked about going to different festivals with things that we make to sell.

It's a sweet thought for us to have things like this in mind for our future.  I don't want anything ornate, but simple and all one level, but nothing too big.  I want to be able to have family and friends over to love on them.  I want to bless others and serve the Lord with my husband.

"Ponder the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established." 

(Pro 4:26)

In Christ,

Organizing After a Move

Sitting at the (very loved) table with my oldest son and hubby
playing cards with the sweet scent of a "Sweet Potato" candle.

I know that many of you have moved quite a bit more often than I have as an adult.  You could be a military family or your husband or wife's job relocates you every couple of years.  So, this post is probably "preaching to the choir" as they say.  For me, though, it is sweet reflection over the past year's journey, making realizations about myself and my family.

I started decluttering years ago, thankfully.  I have been using the FLYlady method of doing things since September 8, 2001.  That's a very long time!  Now, I haven't been "gung ho" all the time at every single step of the way, but it has certainly helped me to keep most of the clutter at bay.  [Confession:  As I type this, there are papers cluttering up my coffee table that Lord only knows where they come from!  It's all good though because I know that my young adults can go through it and decide what needs to be kept and what needs to be pitched and take care of it for me!]

I began decluttering in earnest preparation for our move south probably in October 2014.  I had requested at that time a firm answer from my husband whether or not he'd be retiring the following May so that I could make plans to either stay or move.  [Thankfully, he chose to retire.]  I started with books.  I knew that once I went through all the books on the book shelves, getting them put in to boxes to sell, it would be easier to pack up the ones that I wanted to keep.  I went through them with the young folks so that I didn't throw away anything that they wanted.  Surprisingly, they released more than I ever thought they were willing to release!  I was so glad!  This was an ongoing process, too.  I didn't do it all at once because I needed to have surgery in February 2015.  Once I felt like doing things, I had the kids bring me more books that I went through while sitting on the floor.  They did the heavy lifting for me, taking the boxes once packed and labelled to the attic to get them out of the way.  Once the shelves were empty, I gave the shelves to a friend to use.  The books we no longer wanted were sold at our homeschool group's book sale and whatever didn't sell went to Goodwill, never to enter the house again!  Oddly enough, there were more books stashed throughout the house that I needed to get rid of too.  I put those in our yard sale.

The yard sale:  We had a yard sale for 2 weekends, getting rid of lots of stuff.  Once that was over, we packed the leftovers up and took them to a storage unit where a local lady stored leftover yard sale times to sell for a charity.  Those things never came back in to the house.  [Are you noticing a trend yet?]

Once all those things were gone, we started to pack up the house in earnest.  We were still finding things to pitch.  I went through every paper I could find to either file or burn.  We burned a lot of stuff from the garage, so it wasn't a big deal to burn more.

We still had a "give away" pile and we found ourselves giving more stuff away still.  The plan was to sell or give away most of our furniture except for a few pieces that were meaningful to us as gifts from grandparents, or they were antiques.  We ended up keeping one love seat instead of giving it away because that friend didn't have room for it in her new house.  It was a godsend, though.  We have seating here in our living room for it! :0)

Once all of our things arrived here in GA, the unpacking commenced.  I found things that I forgot I had, made a home for them and moved on to the next thing.  I also found things that made me scratch my head and wonder "Why on earth did I keep that?" and put it in the give away box.  Every so often we get the opportunity to bless someone with the contents of our give away box.  We had double just about everything since we had 2 kitchens in PA.  So when we heard of a family who needed things due to a fire, we purged even more!  It felt good too! :0)

I am finding that as I go through boxes, I relive old memories of when that item was purchased or given to us. A lot of times I still find myself saying, "Why on earth did I keep that?!"  I'd love to say that right now everything has a home and everything is in it's place, but it isn't.  I have more shelving and storage to buy to make that happen.  I am saving for some nice storage because it will be in my office where those items go.

I know that there will be times when something isn't fitting right where I put it and I'll think about how to do it differently and it will bug me until I figure it out, but eventually it will happen.  Sometimes I will find something that will fit "just right" at a yard sale to help me get something organized.  It is a wonderful way to adjust to fit the new space.

I am also finding that the organizing of my home after the move began "before" the move.  Ten years worth of accumulated stuff was dwindled down considerably in a matter of weeks, but it continues to be dwindled still, as I continue to get through those not so essential items to get things organized and feeling more like "home."

I'd love to show you what I'm doing differently here (for a variety of reasons) than when we were in PA.  I'll save that for the next post, though.  A little hint is given in the picture above.  :0)

God Bless,

We're Moved....Mostly

We're officially Georgia residents now!  We bought a house in Southern Georgia and we're mostly moved in.  We've had some hiccups along the way, but nothing that isn't being handled.

Kitchen progress!  We've had an infestation which "put off" putting things away, organizing and such, so we had to wait.  Now it is driving me nuts not having things completely put away!  LOL

As you can see in the picture above, the doorway to the far right shows what most of our floors look like.  We had a crew come in and remove all the icky carpeting.  My husband is gradually getting the new flooring put in, but he needed to stop when he needed his table saw...and it was in Pennsylvania.  So, we clean concrete floors, tile floors, and laminate floors. 

I think it's worth waiting for, don't you?!  

Once I find my sewing machine I'll need to get to work on lots of curtains!

 We're getting settled, laying new flooring, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, organizing, scouring craigslist, thrift stores, & facebook for sale/flea market groups for things we need.

The Dining Room is HUGE!  Our table that seats 12 when completely pulled out now has room to fit in a space without feeling cramped!  More updates to come, I promise!

The red is going "bye-bye" in favor of a "Bermuda Blue."

Our daughter started priming her bedroom because it is so very red.  She needed to go over the primed wall twice to cover enough of the red to start painting the blue/green aqua that she wanted her walls.

This picture was taken a few years ago, but this is the color of her old room in Pennsylvania.  She wanted the same color here.

She and I went shopping on Friday to get some things for ourselves at one of the outlet stores for our birthdays, found a chair that would go well in her room once it is painted, and bought the paint.  I figured it would be good timing since her 18th birthday is tomorrow.  I'd already ordered her some boots and flats as a surprise, so her birthday celebration is in full swing!  The only thing I need now is to get her a cake and figure out where to take her for her birthday dinner.

My birthday is coming up this Friday as well.  I've already purchased a dress, scarf, and earrings for myself.  I didn't buy any shoes because I knew my hubby was getting all my dress clothes from PA brought down here this past weekend.  I just need to go unearth it all.  LOL

Of course there has been quite a bit of pool time.  We're trying to get the dogs acclimated to the pool.

She had Rustie in the pool and Gus went nuts.  He didn't want Rustie in there and wanted him out!  This is the first time Gus went down on the first step without anyone trying to coerce him.  LOL

We have visited 2 churches here.  While the doctrine and messages are both very powerful and on point, the worship styles are very different.  There is a lot to consider and pray about.  The question of "where can we serve and where will our service be needed more?" is one we're praying about.  A consideration brought out by our daughter is that if we're not being fed, how can we serve with our whole heart?  So there is a lot to think about and pray about.

Please pray that our house in PA sells soon.  There are tons of reasons we need for it to sell and the Lord knows all of them, even the ones we don't know about.  Please just cover it in prayer.

I hope to get in to a groove of blogging more often, at least once a week.

Until then...

God Bless,

The Reality of Moving After Ten Years

As I sit here in my reclining love seat, the living room around me is a shambles.  There are boxes, books, papers, and clutter everywhere.  The reality of moving after living here ten years is really setting in.

I've decided to begin with the books.  I know that the books are a HUGE hurdle to overcome.  Our homeschool group is having a book sale on May 4th, so I'm taking all of our books that have been weeded out and deemed sale-worthy or given away for free.  A "freeing" thing for me is that after the sale is over, I am going to take the leftover books to Good W*ll and dropping them off.  I've promised my husband that I wouldn't bring them back in to the house and I am following through with my promise.  If you read my blog and go to the homeschool group, meet me at my vehicle before I leave and whatever I have left, you can pick through.  It's yours!

Fortunately for me, it is only my living room that is disheveled.  The rest of the house is in good order, or can be put in to good order in 15 minutes or less.

I have realized, only because it has been in my face so blatantly lately, that it is worth it to declutter the mail and file it right away.  It is worth it to get the needful things filed, to declutter on a weekly basis, and to pitch the junk mail.  It is worth it to burn the things that are over 7 years old.  It is so worth it to get rid of junk!!!   So many times I have overlooked getting rid of those little things just because they might be of use to me some day.  I have overlooked things because I have been so very tired for so very long (Matthew 9:20) and the details have not been done.  After my surgery, feeling so much better, I started slowly working on my house.  It still isn't "up to par", but it is better.

After working on all of the books in the house, getting those packed in boxes and stacked neatly in the attic, it will be time to go through the craft items.  I don't plan to get rid of much, but I plan to get it "move ready" so that nothing will be lost, broken, or jostled.

The next will be the filing cabinet.  I have files and files of homeschooling papers, business papers and so forth that I need to go through to get rid of the "older than 7 years" items and burn it.

I am so pleased with the progress we've made to this point, though.  We have 13 days until we show the house and I want to get all the above things completed by then as well as a good deep spring cleaning and finishing the last little bit of painting that needs to be done.

In light of my recent surgery, just a little over 2 months ago, I am getting my kids to do all the heavy lifting.  They have been such a blessing to me!   The Lord knows that I needed these kids' help years before I knew.

Mr. G has been busy getting all the little projects completed around the house.  He just installed new flooring from the front entry way through the hallway, to the kitchen.  It looks gorgeous!  He just has a little nip and tuck to do with some wood in the kitchen, then some linoleum in the upstairs bathroom, then he'll be done.  I'm so very fortunate to have such a wonderfully handy hubby!

Upon viewing hundreds of houses in Georgia, we've sifted through so many that are too close to flood plains.  I never realized how important it was to be sure of that fact until I saw the potential for flooding in the variety of places.  Thankfully, we have a decent list of houses that are far away from flood potential to look at when we visit shortly.   Then all the fun begins!  

Setting up housekeeping in another house, in another state almost 1,000 miles away is definitely an adventure!   What is more of an adventure is that we're buying a "fixer-upper" to be on our way to being debt free.  We are so very convinced that it is imperative for us to get debt free ASAP in order to be in a position to help others as much as we can--including supporting missionaries when we can.  No one is going to help us do this, but ourselves, and we're going to make this happen for the sake of our future and the future of our children.

We are so very blessed to have been given new eyes to see the Lord's truth in "owing no man nothing but love."   The thought of that freedom makes all the "fixer-upper" work that will need to be done seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

God is so good! 

God Bless,

The Biggest Blessing

I guess you could say that the biggest blessing in my life currently which has blessed me in years past, but most especially this year has been the concepts I've learned on FLYlady.  Oh!  You don't know about her?  Well let me back up to when I was introduced to her.

With 3 little ones, books, magazines, junk mail, papers, dishes, laundry, cleaning and simply time with my husband was an overwhelming struggle for me.  I'd look at things that needed to be done, start trying to get it done, but quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it all.  I'd be full of anxiety and I'd shut down.

I was a part of an email group by the name of "Skinny Moms" when we were talking about organization among one of the many times we talked.  One dear lady mentioned FLYlady and I disregarded her suggestion for a couple months.  I thought to myself, "Just going to a website isn't going to help me."  I continued in the state where things were just overwhelming and tried my best to keep things moving.  I got so overwhelmed and just sat in the middle of the laundry room with piles 3+ feet deep around me, and I cried out to God for help.  After a few minutes of wallowing in self pitty, I got the laundry moving and went to tend to my kids.  I sat down at the computer and my friend who had suggested FLYlady before had sent an email about it (God's timing!).  I finally went to the website and started reading the first page.  My interest was piqued and I kept reading about this timer thing.

Do all that you can in one area in 15 minutes, then move on to the next area.  Do that 

for 3  separate 15 minute intervals, then set the timer one last time for 15 minutes,

 get a drink, put your feet up and relax.  Love yourself enough to bless yourself with

this time.  You've earned it!  Once the timer goes off again, start back at your 

beginning point, then do the rotation again until you've got everything 

done--dishes, cleaning and etc.  

Where to begin, though?  Well, since the kitchen is the heart of the home, she suggested starting by emptying the sink and shining it.  Not just a quick "swish" of everything, but getting the scrubbie, gel bleach scrub and going to town on every nook, crack, and cranny.  She told me/us that we needed to make sure our sinks were shined before going to bed every night.  This is such a simple beginning!  It was so silly and didn't make sense, but I did it anyway.  I did it for 3 days, adding to it each day.

then the towers fell....

Everything stood still.  We were fixated on the news for 2 months, doing just the barest of essentials just in case we heard anything else.

one day in November...

I slowly began shining my sink and doing things 15 minutes at a time.  I knew I needed to gain a semblance of control in our house with 3 young children and a husband to care for.  As the days went by, I was able to branch out because things got a little easier with cleaning and keeping things cared for.  

I started getting my Control Journal together and to this day it has gone through many changes, but the basics remain the same.  I stumbled upon an email in those couple of weeks about a Holiday Planning Journal.  It intrigued me, so I started it.  I planned weeks in advance to buy staples so I could bake cookies with my kids.  I planned for the menus for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but forgot New Years.  The food was purchased way in advance for everything, except for the fresh veggies I needed that I planned to buy a couple days in advance.  I planned gifts to give to my children and family, started writing out Christmas cards mid-November and I've never looked back.  I've changed how I do things over the years, but essentially things are the same.

I begin planning on October 1st now.  I have a grocery list that I add the non-perishable things to each pay period so I'm not inundated with the massive amount of food to buy.  I pick out recipes and do shopping for those items weeks in advance.  I've also set aside one day each week for baking Christmas cookies.  I have in years past, set aside time each night to fill out 5 Christmas cards each night to make sure I have them done by December 1st.  I haven't done this in the past 5 or so years, though.  We've resorted to getting special cards for parents, uncles/aunts, brothers/sisters, nieces/nephews along with gift cards.

What about my plans for 2015?

I am already looking for patterns that I hope to get to make for everyone for Christmas 2015.  I would like to get started in January purchasing things, then in February and March during my recoup time, knitting on those things.  I have grandiose plans, but honestly, those plans could be changed by life happening. (holding my plans loosely)   Between March and the end of September, I plan to pack up everything to be ready to move.  I've already decluttered some of our books to sell and I'm packing up other books that I'd like to keep.  Amazingly, I have 6 boxes set aside to sell and half a box packed.

Once we're settled, I plan to get my Holiday Planning Journal back out, making adjustments as needed, and making different plans for being with family over the holidays--hosting and visiting.

Life's changes are always coming along, throwing us a curve ball, but the biggest blessing has been the daily routines.  I can always tell what throws my day off when the routines are not followed and it makes everything a chaos.  Then when I step back, look around, and realize I need to shine my sink, grab my timer and go, knowing that just 15 minutes will make a big difference.

On a side note, when my daily Bible reading and prayer time has been neglected, I can tell too.  When chaos reins, important things go by the wayside.

As we are an hour from 2015, I'm ringing in the new year watching Duck Dynasty with my family.  Tomorrow morning we'll get up and sand the plaster filled holes in the kitchen, wipe and reapply as needed.  I hope to be able to paint by Saturday.  Needless to say, we've discovered more that needs filled in and we're just taking care of it.  Once this is all done, we'll move on to the next room.  I'm hoping to have all this needful stuff done by the time my surgery comes along.  I'm hoping....  ;)

Have a lovely New Year!

God Bless,

When I Can Work

I have grandiose plans to declutter, paint and pack away bunches of books, decorations and just generally get much more organized than I am now after Christmas.  My own grandiose plans have come to a roadblock of sorts.  I have entered pre-menopause and my menses are changing, lengthening up to 14 days causing a drastic lowering of my iron levels.  When that happens, nothing can stop me from taking a nap, out of sheer exhaustion.  I can sit in my chair to rest from my work and in 5 minutes be sleeping.

I have increased iron rich foods to be best of my ability.  I cannot, however, ingest sardines or organ meat.  I have been in contact with my doctor as well as an OB/GYN to pursue the next step which right now is an ultrasound.  We need to find out if there are any fibroid tumors growing inside my uterus or any abnormalities.  If there are, then we'll likely go in for a hysterectomy.  If there are no abnormalities, I'll likely go in for an ablation.  In the mean time, I do what is needful, then rest.  I need to accept this season of my life for what it is--a chance to grow the response of my kids, growing them to understand what it means to be an adult--to take the responsibility for getting things done without being asked; to step up and just get things done.

As my dear friend, Cheryl at copperswife.com says, we must "hold our plans loosely."  And so, as I release the expectations I have for myself, the plans I have for my time after Christmas is over, and simply rest, I know that I can rest in the knowledge that this is His plan for me just for now.

God Bless,

Disjointed Catch-Up Post

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." 

(Rom 8:26-28)

When young folks are not feeling well, we can do all we can, holding them, nurturing them, to help them feel better.  When they have concerns, we need to talk them out, showing them their options, helping them choose their words wisely in a variety of situations.  When it comes to the ultimate Healer, there is a time to give Him the concerns by praying with them through each of their concerns.   

Sometimes their concerns are far beyond anything we can fix.  Sometimes we have to lay down our own pridefulness and give our children to God in unfathomable ways.  

We have done just that in this past year.  The gut wrenching experience is one that I do not care to repeat.

Now, we've established a new normalcy, complete with different expectations, different day to day activities, and lots of appointments for all of us.

My day to day activities remain the same, but I struggle to gain a semblance of order.  Without getting enough sunlight, and beginning the cloudy time of year, I know my Sensory Affective Disorder is going to kick in soon.  I work to try to find a way around the symptoms by exercising, going on walks--even on cloudy days--getting enough nutritious foods, but I struggle to get enough sleep each night without waking through the night for whatever reason.  Keeping things in check depends greatly on getting enough sleep.  Six hours, sometimes less, of sleep each night isn't enough though.  It is work to get enough sleep.  (Go figure!)

Through all of this, we are beginning to thrust ourselves in to getting ready to move to Georgia.  I would love for all the work to be done when I snap my fingers, but it won't.  We will be downsizing, purging, decluttering, pitching, selling, and eventually giving thing away so we don't have to move them.  We only keep things that we absolutely treasure and things that are absolutely necessary.  We will definitely have many yard sales beginning in May.  To begin, though, I am selling some of our home school books.  I am taking them to our local home school group meetings to sell a little at a time.  

It is amazing how much junk one accumulates! 

We've added a puppy to our home recently.  His name is Gus.  Before Gus, by about a month, we added an adult cat whose name is Pickles.  He's a good kitty who will make sure to take care of our mice problem.  We got him because the mice were getting smarter.  Now we have 4 critters to keep each of us (almost) company.  Biscuit has enjoyed sitting on my lap while Pickles goes with my husband, Gus has taken a very strong liking to JL and Rustie enjoys getting attention from anyone.  He is getting older and will probably be facing his final time through this winter.  That's why we have Gus now.

We've canned quite a bit more this year than we have last year and the year before.  This year we've made 2 batches of salsa--over 20 quarts--sauce, stewed tomatoes, and hot peppers.  We are looking at pumpkin next and whatever else we can preserve.  If we haven't eaten all of it by the time we move then we'll take it with us.  We plan to put in a garden next year just in case our house doesn't sell.  

Last week our kids participated in the Clarion Autumn Leaf Festival with the Civil Air Patrol.  JL is holding the rifle in the left front, HJ is right behind him holding the banner, and DA is right over her shoulder in the back.  They did a phenomenal job!

Now we concentrate on schooling.  I struggle with getting much in, so I'm working on that as well as the many other things mentioned above right now.  If you don't see me around for a while, that is why.  I may document my purging journey in all its glory--messes and everything.  In order to purge, you need to make a mess, right?  We've lived in this house for 9 years, so I'm sure the mess will be huge!

~Until next time~

God Bless,

When to Rest

Years ago a wise friend counseled me to guard my time.  Make sure there is time for family, meal times and times of worshiping together.  I've tried to consistently be aware of those time stealers and guarded how much the children were involved in.

Times are changing.

Our kids are getting older and beginning to test their wings.  Our oldest son owns his own car now.  He bought it with his own money, but my Mr. G wants him to have more behind-the-wheel time in his car in hazardous driving conditions before allowing him to take his behind-the-wheel driving test.  He could pass it right now, but my husband would prefer to have the peace of mind in knowing that he knows what to do if he ever needed to drive in weather.  

Once he gets his driver's license he will be "cut loose"--in a manner of speaking--to head out and find a job.  He is a senior in high school this year, but he needs to have a job to pay for his vehicle expenses.  With his up and coming job, time together as a family is at a premium at this point.  He won't be able to go with us on many more vacations or family outings.  It will be time for him to spread his wings and fly.  In the mean time, we cherish every moment of time we have together as a family.  Once he spreads his wings, our family dynamic will change.  It's both exciting to see, but also bittersweet for this Momma's heart.  

Time is so very elusive.  Sometimes it runs by fast and other times so very slowly.  Time to make sure everything gets accomplished that is needful is right where I am right now.  The schedule for our comings and goings is getting busier, so time spent together as a family will have to be rethought and moments in the vehicle capitalized on as best as possible.  Discussions need to be made the best of with purposeful meaning or with erupting silliness.  The times together in this way need to be planned out whether it is to listen to scripture, Christian radio, sermons, or a young person's choice of venue.  Purposeful discussions need to be planned out in advance with topics such as is needful whether political in nature, therapeutic or character development.  

With all of this coming and going with activity, it begs to question "When does someone rest?"  In my humble opinion, rest is not only wanted, but desperately necessary.  In six days the Lord worked to create the entire earth and universe, filling it with every kind of creature as well as man and woman.  On the 7th day, He rested.  My Mr. G and I have come to the conclusion that "our" 7th day is the day we'll rest.  Since his schedule is not really set in stone as of yet, we follow what it is for that given week.  While I try to rest for half of my Sundays while he is at work, I also try to rest with him on his 7th day.  Yes, I know the Lord rested on the 7th day.  Yes, I know He didn't break his resting up in to two half days.  However, the Lord knows my heart and I'll let Him be the guide for me of when to rest.  In a couple of weeks things will change again, then my rest days will change.  For now, though, I rest on half days.  

My young folks rest their minds from school on Sundays.  They work hard on everything every day, so they need a brain break.  They've decided to join Civil Air Patrol and with all the work involved with that program, their work load (and subsequently mine) will increase depending on their rate of progression in ranks through the program.  They need brain breaks on Sundays.  It's a good thing. 

God Bless,

Pennsylvania Beauty

I was thinking the other day, "If the Lord wills it, I shall never move from Pennsylvania!" while driving through the area on my various errands.  I know, I've said in the past that living in the south would be wonderful for my arthritic back, but wait until you see why!

This is taken from the highest point in Cook's Forest.  My hubby and I climbed the fire tower to see the leaves.  What beauty!

What a beautiful area we live in!  We're so thankful, and humbled that God would bless us with such beauty.

This is the Clarion River.  This particular spot is where local canoe rental businesses take their patrons to put their canoes, rafts and inner tubes in the water for a 4 mile ride.  We've done this before, but on our own canoes.  What a wonderful time! 

Entering Seneca Point overlooking the valley.

I couldn't resist this one.  My husband is on the left and my oldest son on the right. 

A porcupine in a tree!  How cool is that?

This is the road we walk on to the right.  My husband pulled off the road to pick walnuts, and I snapped this picture.

Yes, it is a little blurry, but it is still beautiful nonetheless. I love this particular view of the road. Isn't it how life is? It's an uphill climb in some places with winding roads that you can't see around the corner ahead. There's such a beautiful rendition of life. You can look at the beauty around you or dwell on the potholes in the road. ;)

Our 3 blessings on the way to the Fire Tower & Seneca Point in Cook's Forest.

And me, enjoying the beauty God has blessed me with. 

Today and the past couple of days have been rainy.  Rain is in the forecast for the next few days too.  As I look out the window, just a few leaves are hanging on to the trees on the northern part of our property next to the road.  The burning maple still has quite a few leaves, but not for long.  Today is a melancholy day for me.  Another season has come and gone.  It is time to deep clean the living room, cover the few windows with plastic and begin preparations for the holidays.  This year we'll have a Christmas Tree, like every other year of our married life except last year when we were gone for Christmas to Florida with family. 

Today, though, is also a day that we'll can almost 30 pounds of peaches in to jam.  They start in the crock pots, then my daughter and I will leave to go get some beautiful soft yarn for a new baby afghan.  This is one of a mystery to me.  I'm making it out of obedience.  Once it is done, I'm sure the Lord will show me who will need it.  Who knows?  Maybe it will be us and I'll need to make another one for twins?  I don't know, but I'm trusting in the Lord's leading with this knitted afghan.  I've never made a knitted one, only crocheted, so this will be an interesting change.  Just like the change of seasons....