Christmas joy

Merry Christmas to everyone. I got to thinking that Christmas can be the most wonderful day of the year but it can be also the sadist. Two of our friends lost loved ones just a few days ago and this will be a very hard holiday for them. It brings to mind just how precious is the time we spend with each other and take each other for granted. Take the time to tell the ones you love how much you love them and care about them and especially take the time to tell the one who died so that we may live that you Love Him. Also remember Jesus is the reason for this season.

working hard

There is the saying a womans work is never done and they are so right. Just take a look at this lovely woman working hard in the kitchen on thanksgiving. Here is a mother and wife who takes being a homemaker very seriously. The table set for the day was fantastic as was the thanksgiving dinner. The friends and family that gathered around the table enjoyed the fruits of her labor. Terri is among the many women that enjoy being a cook, nurse, wife & house cleaner etc. This is one job in a womans life that sometimes people take her for granted but as time goes by and your children grow and become independent of their parents this is when you receive the thanks for a job well done. How great to hear those words from your family Thanks Mom you did a great job. So remember when your days are full and your tired and stressed it is all worth in the end.

We can't believe we have had another snow storm. So whats to do on these cold winter nights and days. We certainly can't hibernate like the bears but we can get cozy and warm in our houses and prepare our homes for the Christmas season. Unfortunately we will not have the wonderful smells in the house from all the cookie baking as we are taking this year off from all of that. We have decided that we do not need all those wonderful goodies to eat as we are trying to watch very carefully how much sweets to inbibe on. Doesn't sound like much fun but we will suffer through it with lots of nuts (very good for you) and lots of wonderful fruits. As you can guess we are doing this since my Husband needs to take better care of himself (which we have always done) but he is having some heart problems and we do not want them to get worse. So enjoy those wonderful cookies and breads and we will be thinking of you and praying that you will have a wonderful Christmas holiday.

Here is a quick way to make great muffins in a hurry when you have company and do not have time to fuss. Take a large can of pumkin and mix with a box of spice cake mix (you can add nuts or raisens if you want) and mix till all is moist. Drop by spoon fulls into muffin pans and bake at 350o for 25min. or however your oven bakes. Enjoy

family

This is a new painting that I just completed and it reminds me of two parents sending their children off to places unkown. Not really but we just came back from visiting our son and his family and I got to thinking about how fast life changes. When I and my husband were growing up we had our Aunts, Uncles, cousins; brothers ,sisters and parents all within a short distance from each other. It was like one big happy family that you could visit at a moments notice. But life does change and now these family's are scattered all over our country and visiting is done maybe once or twice a year and usually for a longer period of time. I am sure we all have brothers -sons-daughters-sisters that are located far away and do not have the time to see each other like in the old days. But we have methods now that we did not have years ago such as the internet and cell phones that we can still keep in touch, send pictures, write notes that can be picked up almost instantly. So there is no need for any of us to feel out of touch with our loved ones.

Aunt Jewel's coffe cake

This coffe cake is fantastic and very easy to make. 1/2 cup softened margerine, 1 Cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 2tsp. vanilla, 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. soda, 1tsp. baking powder. Beat margine and sugar till fluffy. Beat in eggs ,sour cream and vanilla. Stir in the flour,soda and baking powder. Spoon part of mixure in a 9-inch pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and a tsp of cinamon. Pour the rest of the batter over this and sprinkle another sugar and cinamon mixure over the top. Bake for 35 to 45 min. in a 350 oven. Enjoy

It came at around 4pm on Sunday and it was a wild storm with many white outs and was our first snow storm of the season. It was not wellcome as it never is but then when the sun comes out and everything is white and clean you forget why you don't like snow. It still is Gods creation with snowflakes, each differant so we should thank God for his amazing artistic hand on even these small cold white flakes. Praise the Lord we did not have to travel in this storm since we had the dinner for our small group. Everyone had a grand time (we had soup and sandwiches) and all got home safely.

Matthew 18:5

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. This is Mckenzie, now four months old and growing by leaps and bounds and is starting to be showing some of her personality. How precious are our children who must be loved and taken care of by not only us in her family but our extended family. This morning at Church we had our baby dedication which is one of the things that as a congregation love to see. Our Pastor dedicates these babies and older children in a very personal way and brings to mind how important we are as part of our Church and Gods families we should be involved in the lives of the parents as well as their children.

This morning was extra special as we have two dedicate parents who have adopted four girls. Three years ago they adopted two girls from Russia and one of them has already received the Lord as her Savior. Just six months ago they brought home two more girls, but this time from Etheopia. Neither girl could speak English and were very timid and fearful but now are joyful and are able to have a conversation with you. These two girls were dedicated to the Lord this morning and how great it would be if others would feel the need to adopt children that need homes as the need is so great. There are thousands waiting for mothers and fathers and when I look at my grandaughter in this picture my heart goes out to those that have know one. Pray for these children as there are far to many.

Joy

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. I often forget to accept the joys of life that God has surrounded me with. This scene is from some of the woods from around our neighborhood--do I appreciate this beauty--sometimes- but then it is so easy to forget the one who created it. Do I take the time to just look and be amazed at the trees and stream that is below, sometimes yes and sometimes no. We take so much that is before our eyes for granted and the simple things in life that should bring us so much joy into our lives is not thought of at all. Why is it so hard for us to become like little children and express our joy for those around us to see. We have a Saviour who died for us, that created the beauty that surrounds us and forget that He would love for us to shout and sing praises to Him day and night. I am trying to be less rigid in the way I express myself and am trying to enjoy the Love of the Lord and to let others know the Love that is there for us to grab hold of and slowly I am beginning to see what the Love of the Lord is all about. Praise His Holy name.

Children

Children are truly a blessing from the Lord. It is wonderful to be a grandmother and to watch our grandchildren as they progress in life. You would love to tell them that life will be wonderful and full of joy but that is one thing that would be great to tell them but then how would they learn to cope with the hard things that will come along in our life. There will be many joys but also many trials along lifes pathways. I think of the cute girl in this picture (one of our grandaughters) who is full of joy and happiness and with lots of energy and just wish how much we could keep her safe and free from the cares of this world. But there is one very important person that is and will always be a part of her life that will never leave her or forsake her and will be her guide throughout the days of her life Jesus Christ our Lord and savior. It is wonderful to have the assurance that He will be with her as she grows and becomes the woman He has chosen her to be. Do you have this assurance if not reach out to Jesus and He can change your life for ever.

A walk thru the woods

Living in Erie Pa. which is the fourth largest City in Pennsylvania has so many lovely places to go to do nature hiking. We have the Pennisula that has beachs and hiking trails, then we have a nature sacurary that has wooden walk ways for those that find it hard to walk on uneven trails. That is just a short walk but is very pretty . A few years ago they expanded this area which was donated land to include a part of the suburb (Millcreek twsp) for a nature hike that is three miles long and is all woods and also follows a creek. It is a beautiful walk and my husband and I decided to take this hike on a beautiful sunny day. We did not however take the whole way since we kind of got tired but we had lunch together and enjoyed the day since we will not have to many more of them. God has provided us with so many wonderful things to do if we just take the time to enjoy them and leave behind the cares of this world. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His beauty that he has given us to enjoy.

The Laurel Mts.

If any of you ever get a chance to see the home that was designed by Frank Loyd Wright for the Kaufman family I hope you get a chance. It was built over a water fall and is just amazing how he designed the house to make the falls a center of attention. It is located in the South East of Pennsylvania in the Laurel Mts. and not to far from Pittsburgh. The house was started in 1935 and finished in 1939. Many from all over the world come to see it since it is now considered a museum. My husband and I made the trip for our 48th anniversary and had a wonderful time. We stayed at Seven Springs which is a resort for skiing in the winter and hiking and other outdoor sports in the summer. It is an amazing resort as you could consider it a little city in itself with so many things to do and places to eat that you could spend a whole week and never run out of things to do. Hope all of you get a chance to visit this area of Pennsylvania.

Gods sense of Humor

My son Paul owns property in the country and every year plants a lovely garden. This year he did not have as big a garden as usual and just had a few things planted just for he and his family. These pumpkins that you see here in the picture look beautiful and healthy but he did not put seeds in the garden for them to grow. My son and daughter-in-law have horses so they get lots of manure and I mean lots. These pumpkins started to grow on top of the manure heap and the plant was huge with tons on fruit. Now we can maybe see Gods humor because we do not know if these are real pumpkins or a cross between a pumpkin and squash or who knows. Anyway I will cut into one of them and cook some to see what happens. When you look at the shape of them they kind of look like a squash so I will have lots of fun to see what God planted in my sons garden. God is so good and faithful to all of us and even brings up things in our gardens that we did not plant. Have a great week and that God for all the bounty he supplys to us.

What is truth?

My husband and I are taking a course at our Church that asks the above question. Also Why did Jesus come? Do you really believe, that what you believe is really real?Last week our lesson was on Veritology and last night it was on Philosophy and Ethics. This is the most intense study we have had for a very long time. It really makes you stop to think and ponder the above questions. The teacher is Dr. Tackett with insights from Dr.R.C. Sproul and Ravi Zacharias. The answer to why Jesus came is He came to testify to the Truth. It would be great if all of you could hear this study (it is a video) and maybe in the future your Church will be able to buy the series for all to hear. The picture above was taken at our wonderful penisula with our family in the two row boats. What a wonderful place we have to go and enjoy undisturbed nature and fully enjoy Gods gift to us.

helping others

The God who washed away our sins will also wipe away our tears.anon Sometimes we take the love of others around us for granted and don't appreciate the little things people do for us. We have a neighbor that lost his wife four months ago and has become very dispondent and extremly lonely. Today we had him over for dinner and it was a joy to see him having fun and laughing and just enjoying being with some one. We try to see him as much as possible and have invited him to our Church for a social. The Lord has told us to seek those out who are hurting and needing a loving touch. All though our friend does not know the Lord we pray that with time he will understand his need of receiving the Lord as his Savior.

family

Over the labor day holiday we had the privilige of having three of our children and their children together. It is not very easy for our one son who is a Pastor of a Church in New York State to come home to see his brother and sister. How great it was to see our grandchildren interact with each other and have a great time. These are such precious times in our lives that we take for granted and do not stop to think how great is our God to give us these moments in time to share our joy and love for each other.

our love for God shows in our love for others

The scripture for the above is found in John 13:35. I got to thinking that this is one commandment that is the hardest to follow. Our youngest son has now taken a new job with working with retarded people as he felt he wanted to do something that mattered. This got me to thinking, do I do things in my life that show my Christian love to those around me or do I hide that love. This will be my new goal in my life is to show love to the people in my life that are hard to love. We all have these people in our lives and put them aside with many excuses as to why we do not associate with them but that is not what our Lord would have us do. I pray that if any of you have someone in your life that you should try to get to know better and learn to love that with Gods help you may find a true and rich friend.

Fun at Findlay Lake

Two weeks ago we joined our son and his family at Findlay Lake which is not more than and hour away from were we live. Our son loves to run and compete in races. This was a five mile race around Findlay lake (which is not far from a famous ski resort Peak and Peak). The weather was perfect and just the kind of day for a race. The most exciting part about it was that our son won the race and coming in first was the first time that this had happened. The trophy he received had a geraffe on it and we had wondered way. Now this is why I am mentioning this. Several years ago there were three famous hunters that traveled all over the world hunting and killing (sounds terrible) wild animals. They had every one of them stuffed and had quite a collection. Since they had so many they approched the town members of Findlay lake and donated all these animals to the town. If you are ever in the area in this part of New York state do not miss the museum that the town built for all these animals. The most amazing one is a 27 foot geraffe which needs to be redone but it is something to see. There also is a crocodile and alligater and so many more stuffed animals that would be impossible for us to see in a life time. The picture I put in is of myself my daughter-in-law and grandson. We really had a great day.

a mural

Three years ago I started to do murals at Church and for my daughter. The first two were done at homes that where not hers. Since our daughter and her family have moved back home I got to do this mural (there are two other walls that are done) for our new grandaughter that is now six weeks old. My goal in life before I got married was to become a comercial artist, however, since that did not happen I was a frustated artist doing art work at home for myself and family. It was not until I took a bible study at our Church about being a misundrstood artistic person that myself and others in the class realized how much we are misunderstood. So my focus now on life and drawing and painting has been to just enjoy theGod given talent that I was blessed with and to show it in other ways. Such as being able to create four murals at our Church for the Nursery. I no longer am frustrated and am glad to be able to paint and draw for the enjoyment of just doing it.

Our Guide

There are so many wonderful verses in the Bible that we can cling to that tell us how the Lord is with us throughout our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 is one that is always used. However, I discovered another one that tells the same thing but in a different way. Psalm 32:8 The Lord says,"I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. How great to know that we have so many of these wonderful words of the Lord to see us through the hard times in our lives. I hope this verse will remind you of Gods faithfulness to all of us.

This is a fourth of our family. Our son Paul, his wife Melissa, our grandson Bryce and of course grandpa. Since none of us were able to have a vacation this year we all decided it would be nice to go some where close by and the Football Hall of Fame fit into our plans nicely. We all had a great time and it was nice to get away for one day without any stress. Since Home Depot did away with full time jobs, Paul has a new job, Melissa is in nursing school and doing great. Bryce stays at home (he will be 13 this month) and takes care of two house cats, a dog, a bird and a lizard. Outside he is in charge of a goat and one horse and one mule. This keeps him very busy.

Thankfullness

Sometimes we forget to be very thankfull for everything that comes into our lives. By this I mean our health and how much we take for granted. This year has been an experience for my husband and myself. In March in was discovered that David's prostate cancer was active and needed to be dealt with. What we are thankful for is it is amazing to see so many people with cancer (young and old) that come for treatment. We praise the Lord for being with us through this time and for providing the health care Dr.'s and Nurses who attend to the patients. We are almost through with the radiation treatments and I say we since it affects both myself and my husband. Through all of this I had to have a pacemaker since I was having heart problems and then had a very small stroke. With all this we have learned to lean on the love of our Lord and draw closer to him. Praise the Lord

This is the newest member of our family. Mckenzie is a sweet little girl that so far is a very good baby. She is now two weeks old. Her brothers enjoy her very much and can't wait until they can do more things with her. How precious and innocent is this little girl that God gave to us to enjoy and help raise to teach her all about Gods great gift to us in Jesus Christ.

The Majesty of God

Psalm 8 begins: O Lord,our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. I sometimes think that we take everything around us for granted, like the flowers, trees, stars in the sky etc. and forget who it was that created all the beauty that surrounds us. These are my roses in my garden that I look at and admire and enjoy but never think to thank the Lord for creating them for me to look at in wonder at the way they were created. So sometime take the time out of your busy day to relax and enjoy the things we so take for granted and apprecate the Lords hands that created them for us to enjoy.

This is another painting I did Last year. I am thinking of adding some birds into the painting to make it more interesting and wanted your input. It is called wilderness falls. Two years ago we took a train trip that took us up into the wilds of Canada. This was one of the falls we had seen. It was a wonderful trip.

painting

This is a new painting of mine. I don't have it in a frame as yet but I need to name it and am having a little trouble thinking of one. So after looking at this can any of you come up with a suitable name. To exhibit paintings they all have to have a name. So any of you that are budding artist's remember that is one of the things that will sell a painting.

The hand of God

Psalm 145:10 All your works shall praise you, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless you. I got to thinking the other day about how so many people think that this earth just happened with a big bang. But when you see things like Hopewell rocks and the majesty of them that it brings to mind the creative nature of our God. I never realized the talent that God gave me to create paintings and drawings but now it has occured to me that sometimes I don't thank Him enough. Life is strange sometimes as my husband and I have had some physical things to deal with this year but with Gods help we have gotten through them and appreciate more the health we have.

This image of the three of our other grandsons was taken last year at Halloween. Like I said we have seven grandsons and two grandaughter's. Four of our grandchildren live near us and the others are out of town. This year we will add another grandaughter to our family which we are looking forward to. Last year I bought a new camera that has been very easy to use and fun also. When I am able to get pictures of my other grandchildren I will add them to my blog.

Trip to Niagara Falls

Last year we took one of our grandson"s (we have seven) to Niagara Falls as he had never been there before. It was a thrill to see the Falls through someone that has seen them for the first time. Growing up in Buffalo N.Y. my husband and I had seen them probably every year. It was the place to go and see one of the wonders of the world. Bryce our grandson said it was the best thing that ever happened to him and still talks about it and would like to go again sometime. However, because of health reasons we may not be able to take any trips this year. But God has been very good to us and you never know later on in the summer things may change and we will be able to manage a short trip.

Hi, well I finally have figured out how to get the pictures on to this blog. This is a picture of me in front of the famous light house in Nova Scotia, called Peggy's Cove. It really was something to see and the scenery was fantastic. If you want to travel to this area I would suggest going maybe in July or August since when we went in June it still was a little cool.

our trip to nova scotia

Last year we took a wonderful trip to nova scotia and here are some of the pictures we did not get a chance to show everyone. This is Dad waiting at the dock to board the bay ferrie.

my grandsons

I am new

I am starting my own blog spot. This weekend I will put pictures up of the art show.