New Beginnings

Happy (Belated) New Year!

I know, I know

I'm a little late on the new year greeting!

But I've been distracted...

VERY distracted.

 

 We had a wonderful Christmas with the family.

All our traditions and plans went off without a hitch.

We weren't sure how Christmas would play out since our daughter was expecting the day after Christmas.

She however, made us wait on the arrival of our newest little bundle of pure joy  until after New Years. 

On January 4th

Eliza Mae made her way into the world

AND into our hearts. 

She was well worth the wait!

What a fantastic way to begin a 

new year!

Now that the baby drama has calmed down, its time to look forward to the new year that awaits us....

a new year that will undoubtedly

fly by!

The new year is such a great time to make changes...

Get a fresh start...

to evaluate what is working in your life...

and what is not.

It's a great time to set new goals...

And begin new habits.

(For some great tips on goal setting head over to 

Sugar Pie Farmhouse) 

As for myself,

I've made a few changes.

For one

I no longer use this..

I have come into the 21st century.

I am now using 

OneNote

One Note is an organizational app that I can use on my computer

 and my phone...

and sync one to the other.

And who doesn't want to be more organized?

With living in 2 places

it has become a necessity if I'm going to keep all these balls in the air.

I unfortunately live by my lists.

But at my age...

I gotta have lists!!!!

Honestly, I have been dragging my feet on this phone technology...

Proclaiming it to be unnecessary.

   Its only been since we have been living this dual lifestyle that I broke down and upgraded to a new "smart phone".  

And YES, it's smarter than me!

I have to admit...

I love it!

 I especially love its 

GPS so I don't get lost when I'm out and about. 

And all of the apps available for download....Wow!

I don't make "resolutions!"

Resolutions are made for breaking,

don't you know!

But I do have a plan to spend a few minutes each morning with God.

This year,

I am following Joyce Meyer's 

The Power of being Thankful

devotional book.  

And to simplify things,

I have downloaded on my Kindle.  

And hey, I have an app for that on my phone too!

So no matter where I am, I have no excuses to spend time with God.

And of course, my prayer list is on One Note!

Not only a that-

But I have determined to consciously live in a perpetual state of 

Thankfulness.

It's not that I'm not a thankful person....

It's that I think when we are conscious of our blessings...

we live a richer life...

we're focused on the positive...

which crowds out the negative.

So of course,

I have a thankful list too!!!

I'm trying to find something... 

no matter how small...

to be thankful for

each day!!!!!!!

Do you have goals or changes for the new year.

I'd love to hear about them!

Until next time...

Try and keep it 

SIMPLE!

CH CH Changes

It has been several months since I last posted on this blog.  

It feels so good to actually have the time to sit before the screen of my laptop and get typing.

So much has been happening!

There have been many changes and more changes to come! 

Allow me to catch you up if I may…

Let’s back up to the month of May if we could…

In the beginning of May, we were able to take a lovely, and much needed vacation. I’ll share more about that in a future post.

Any guesses where we went on vacation??

By early June, my babysitting responsibilities for the grandkids were coming to an end.

 (Their mama is a teacher) 

 AND our garden was coming along nicely. 

But sometime in June, hubby completed his current construction project.  

(He’s a construction manager) 

He had been on this current project, a hospital, for nearly 10 years. 

  As soon as one phase would be completed, they would continue on to the next phase and the next……well you get the picture.

As this project was drawing to a close, he learned his next assignment would be iin Maryland, outside Washington D.C.  

                                                

                                                            And YES, the land of liberals!                                                                                                                                      

We live in Pennsylvania. 

Ahh, the serenity of our neck of the woods...

So while his new assignment is not that far away, it is too far to commute on a daily basis. 

So being the gypsies we are, we have packed up a few of our possessions, and headed to Maryland.                                                                                                                                                                        Talk about being a square peg in a round hole! 

   

                                                                                     

We have not sold our home.  In fact, we will probably be able to go home most weekends…..to mow grass, manage the garden 

 

and of course, love on our little ones.

Unfortunately, in this process, I had to re-home the girls.  L 

And my country dog has become a city dog. 

Josie, waiting patiently at the door of
 our tiny apartment to go for her next walk.

  I don’t think she’s minded though, because she gets walked often.  

  I’m sure as soon as she gets home, she will head to the field to do some ground hog hunting! 

 

So what does a simple country girl blog about when she is surrounded by city life?                                                         

Well, we shall see..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOOKING AHEAD

As if we haven't had enough change...

There are more changes coming…

In September, we have a wedding to look forward to.  

My baby boy is getting married. 

Okay, so he’s not a baby, he’s 28.  

But nonetheless, he’s my baby and he’s gettin’ hitched.

  And we are looking forward to the addition of a new daughter as well as a bridal shower coming up soon.  More about that later!

AND can I get a drum roll please……

We are going to be grandparents again!   

That’s right.  Jack and Rhea will be getting another brother or sister for Christmas. 

  When asked if they wanted a girl or a boy,

 Jack said "a boy,"

 and of course Rhea said "a girl."

  So good ol’ Jack told his sister that he could have a brother and she could have a sister.  I’m afraid someone is going to be disappointed!  Kids say the funniest things don’t they?

So there you have it!

                                                                                                                                                                         Lots of Changes… Lots to look forward to..             

                                                                                                                                                         

And plenty of reasons to be grateful 

and to trust in

and lean on 

the goodness of our God!

I Am Thankful For......

Like you, I am preparing for our feast on Thursday.  Even though I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year, I will be preparing food for the big day. But before I get busy in the kitchen, I wanted to share this little project....

I snitched the white (and very fake) white pumpkin from our front porch and gave it a makeover using the Cricut.

My hope is to get everyone to write what they are thankful for on the pumpkin (with a Sharpie) and save it for years to come as an autumn decoration.  It will also serve as a  wonderful piece of memorabilia to remind us of God's faithfulness, and to share with the grandkids one day!

Wishing you all a very

Ps..... In case you are wondering, I am thankful for many things.  Here are just a few.....I am thankful for a great husband, wonderful kids,  the most adorable grand babies, a new daughter- in -law-to- be, and other lovely people who play a role in my life..... I'm thankful for a warm home, and good health (and good health insurance.) ...... But most of all, I'm thankful for the Giver all good things, for He has provided me with everything I need (and most of the stuff I want!)

Gratitude in the Last Days of Autumn

Okay, so I know winter doesn't officially begin until late December. I'm not trying to rush the seasons.  But around here it feels like winter is rapidly approaching.

On my last post, I told you we were preparing for Sandy.  I'm happy to report that while she blew directly over us, she didn't leave behind a lot of  destruction.  

She did however, give us more than 5 inches of rain in our gauge!

 (Prayers for those who were not as fortunate!) 

Before the hurricane,  

we (me and the grandbabies) 

had been enjoying  autumn.....

especially the swing set!

We gathered nuts...

Jack was totally into cracking nuts! It kept him busy for quite a while!

Concentrating!

The kids played on Pap Pap's tractor....

 We foraged our way through the garden and fed the chickens..

Chickens love turnip greens!

Did you know that chickens can jump?
Oh yea!

What a sweet face

Goodies of kale, beets, chard, oregano, cabbage and can't forget the eggs!

We carved Jack -o-lanterns with Great Grandma..

Jack helped to "gut" the pumpkins

Creating the eyes and nose
with cookie cutters and a hammer.

Admiring his work

I'm not sure who had the most fun!

We celebrated Jack's 3rd birthday with a bonfire..

Playing in some corn.  Who knew that could be fun?

Can anyone say Uncle BUBBA!

Andrew and Ashley

Jack's mama made 

camping cupcakes.

Cute huh?

The face says it all!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post Sandy,  there aren't many leaves remaining..

the ugly brownness of winter is approaching...

I knew it was coming..

I admit that I don't like it....

not one little bit!!

But I shan't complain.

During this month 

when we celebrate Thanksgiving,

I am reminded that I have so much to be thankful for,

 and though winter is calling louder each day, 

I shall focus on the good things in my life.....

for they are many!

 Be thankful in all circumstances, 

for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Linked up with...

and..

http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/11/fall-harvest-link-up-party.html
and

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/clever-chicks-blog-hop-7-country-craft.html