I think that Fall is Upon Us!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to go barefooted! :) That's how I know Fall is upon me--I had to resort to socks!

Here is a little late mini-harvest from the garden today. The last of the tomatoes, and a sink-full of parsley! There is still gobs more parsley out there! We even have tons of brand new baby plants that are growing!

Oh, and the last zinnia

My dear husband brought me a lovely Fall bouquet! Just for no reason! My Hero!

I found these darling little acorn salt and pepper shakers for 1.50! (Aren't they cute?)

They match my white pumpkin!

My daughter and I made some Fall cards today too...it was fun!

Muffy thinks so too!

NObama!

The following is an article by Voddie Baucham click on his name to read the rest! Don't miss it!

As I have noted a number of times, I simply cannot comprehend why Christians (of any color) can support Barack Obama. As Robert George of Princeton University noted recently, “Barack Obama is the most extreme pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the office of President of the United States.” In fact, George didn’t stop there. He went on to say: “[Obama] is the most extreme pro-abortion member of the United States Senate. Indeed, he is the most extreme pro-abortion legislator ever to serve in either house of the United States Congress.”

Sadly, despite these facts, George observes that “there are Catholics and Evangelicals -even self-identified pro-life Catholics and Evangelicals- who aggressively promote Obama's candidacy and even declare him the preferred candidate from the pro-life point of view.” George’s piece is clear, passionate, well-written, and spot-on. He even makes the link between abortion and slavery that so few people are willing to acknowledge.

Click Voddie's name at the top to read the whole article on his blog--there are also video's there too!

Apples to....applesauce!

I got these wonderful Stayman apples, along with some Golden Delicous...and made a few different things. The first day I made Apple Pie in a Jar (my friend Marci's recipe) and canned it (a first for me!). I also made applesauce and canned that. (I've made applesauce alot, but never canned it before--I usually freeze it).I actually enjoy peeling the apples and the delicious smell of them cooking! I spent alot of the time I was peeling praying for some friends who have needs. :0)

I used some of the applesauce to make Applesauce Gingerbread too. Yum!

It smells like Fall in here! Isn't it a great time of year? Enjoy it!

Proverbs 31:31
Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

A Weekend of Spiritual Refreshment...

This past weekend, our family headed to Virginia for a Christian Conference in Sedalia, VA called Celebrate The Glory.

As you can see, the drive down to Roanoke, where we stayed, (about 6 1/2 - 7 hrs) was lovely!

Because the leaves were in their full glory, hotel rooms were as scarce as hens teeth! (Did you like that southern expression Marci? See, it rubbed right off on me! hee hee hee) Thus, we had to drive about 50 minutes from our hotel to the event. Here are my sweetie and two children bright and early in the morning!

The church that sponsored this event did a fabulous job coordinating this event! Above, you can see the wagon which was laden with homemade, scrumptious bagels, and fruit. It was quite chilly Sat. morning, so they had plenty of hot coffee and tea too. Later in the day, they also served us a delicious, nutritious lunch!

There were also some vendors set up selling wonderful resources!

The decorations they did were gorgeous! What a talented group of people who love the Lord!

The speakers opened by each saying a word of prayer.

One of the speakers was Mr. Ken Jenkins, pictured above. He is a world-renowned wildlife photographer, and a very godly man, and gifted speaker. Our family was very blessed by him! He was also a very generous man, as he donated the prizes for the great photography contest that they held! There were some great photos submitted!

We were also very blessed by the Unfolding Drama team! The Rozeboom and Brand families have the passion and gifting to make Bible stories come alive using stories and drama. If you ever get a chance to see them--don't miss it! (Mrs. Brand is the daughter of Mike/Debi Pearl)

There was also music, and other speakers, including Uniting Church and Home's Eric Wallace. The focus of the conference was the importance of God's Word-reading it, and memorizing it. What a great time of fellowship with other believers, and refreshing of spirit by focusing on God and His Word!

Note: FYI, some of the music at this event was contemporary, not something our family sanctions. :)

Then, on Sunday, we had the privilege of visiting a wonderful Family-Integrated church called Heritage Baptist in Vinton, VA. What a sweet congregation and staff there! We felt right at home, and had a wonderful time of worshipping the Lord with them! We attended their worship service, and then a fellowship meal. We would have LOVED to have stayed for Family School, but alas, had to head for home.

Thank you Lord for the great like-minded fellowship we had with your people!

We needed it!

Photos...

Well, this past weekend we went to a conference (which I will post about soon)...and they had a photo contest. I thought I'd show you our entries (none of them won, but thought I'd share them anyway!)

Here are 2 of Briana's:


Here are all 3 of Brad's:

And here are 2 of mine:

Looking at all the photos that were entered was really fun. They had some gorgeous photography displayed there!

We Made Tracks!

Remember our trip to FL for the wedding? Well, our family got to take the Amtrak auto train to get there. (A perk of my sweetie's job--we get to go for free!) And we took our van with us! :)

The way it works, is that we drove from DE to VA to the Lorton Station. They loaded our van on the train, and then us! We left at 4pm, and arrived in Sanford, FL at about 8:15am the next morning!

Here we are waiting to get rolling! Since we are passriders-we are only entitled to coach seats (which means we would sit in a row w/other people) UNLESS there are extra sleeper cars available... On our trip to FL, the train was pretty full of "snowbirds"... so we got a small sleeper car called a Family Car. It is made for 2 adults, and 2 small children.

But, as you can see, we were just happy to get a private car at all! We got the last one left! We did have to travel down the train car to use the "facilities". :)

As you can see, we had a little bit of cramped quarters, but we didn't mind!

The scenery was lovely while it was still light out!

Above, the kids are trying out their beds for the night! (The steward puts them down for you while you're at dinner in the dining car) Which was delicious by the way! I had surf and turf! :)

We woke up, ate breakfast in the dining car, and got off the train in FL, ready to start our vacation!

And then...before we knew it, we were back on the train again, doing everything in reverse!

My daughter managed to take this shot from the moving train not too long after our departure.

Here we are in the dining car!

And here the kids are in the cafe car where they served us snacks, and they also show a movie if you want to watch it. In the daytime, this is an observation car as it is mostly glass.
Briana cranks off another picture before it gets dark. The scenery was breathtaking! And kudos to Bri for having such steady hands!-and artistic eye and talent!
Oh, and this time we even got a "full ride"! We got 2 deluxe sleepers with 4 adult-sized beds--complete w/facilities! Here I am washing my hands in one of our little sinks. :) Woohoo!
Yep, you know it--we went in style! :)

One of my goals in life is to try and live out today's verse!

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13,14

Now you Know!

I buy in bulk, and this has happened to me...thought I'd pass it along to you!

10 Ways To Soften Hard Brown Sugar

It happens to the best of us: rock hard brown sugar. How to soften it?

Ten easy tips below:
1.Place the brown sugar in an airtight container with a slice of fresh bread placed on top. Seal and leave overnight. It should be soft and fresh again in the morning, if not just let it sit another day or two.

2.Sprinkle a few drops of water over the chunk of hardened sugar, place in a plastic bag, seal, and let sit for a couple days.
3.Place brown sugar in an open container, then top with a moistened cloth (paper towel works too). Let sit overnight.
4.Place the hardened sugar in an airtight container with a few apple slices. This should soften the sugar within the next day or two. Remove apple slices once sugar is soft again.
5.Use foil or plastic wrap to cover the top of the sugar. Then set a dampened sheet of paper towel (not dripping wet) on top of the foil. Place in an airtight container and seal. Let sit overnight or a few days as needed. Remove foil and paper towel once the towel is dry and sugar is fresh again.
6.Buy a clay disc or if you have a pottery piece on hand (from a broken clay pot, etc.), set it in water for about 30 minutes. Dry the piece so it isn’t dripping wet. Put the clay piece in a container with the sugar and seal. Check after a few days. Keep the piece in with your sugar for months if you’d like–will keep it soft.
Quick Tip #1: Need the sugar soft now? Put the brown sugar in a container and place in the microwave with a small bowl full of water beside it. Microwave for about 1 minute–check. If it’s still hard, try for another 30 seconds. You can keep doing this until the sugar is soft, but watch that you don’t melt the sugar.
Quick Tip #2: Place the hardened sugar in a baking pan and set in oven (temperature at about 250° F). Check after 5 minutes. If still not soft, continue checking every few minutes until it’s soft and ready to use.
Quick Tip #3: Place the brown sugar chunk in a microwave safe plastic bag. Take a square of paper towel and moisten with water (not dripping wet–wring out excess). Place the wet paper towel in the bag with the sugar and seal. Place in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds. If still not soft, microwave for a few seconds more, repeating until the sugar is ready to use. Be careful not to melt the sugar.
Quick Tip #4: Stick chunks of the brown sugar in a food processor or blender and chop/pulse until useable.
For best results, make sure to store brown sugar in a sealed, airtight container. A clay disc kept in the container can keep it soft for months (see tip above for clay disc).
Brown sugar can also be stored in the freezer and thawed a few hours before using.

Just so you know--I tried the bread trick--used the heel of a loaf of bread, left it in a few days--it worked GREAT!