Christmas Gifts

It's so easy for me to get wrapped up (no pun intended..hee hee) in worrying about what to get my family for Christmas. I am not the most creative person in the world so that can make it a bit of a challenge. Today as I was thinking about everyone and what to make/buy, I realized that it's easy to lose sight of the whole reason we have Christmas to celebrate. Last night, all three of us went and bought a tree. It brought so much joy to us. Jubal and I had so much fun decorating it. As fun as it is to decorate and get in the "spirit" of Christmas, that's not the real reason. This morning on my walk, God reminded me that He sent His Son as a beautiful newborn boy. He IS the reason we celebrate. It's amazing to me that such a little bundle could bring the world freedom. It's easy to forget and get caught up in the materialism during the holidays. Let's take time to thank Him for what He did and focus on the real reason we celebrate this time of year.

Good gravy

Wow...it has taken me a long time to make time to blog again. I haven't written in so long that I forgot my password to get into my blog...hee hee...
But, here I am and I am so happy to be back. I don't know if anyone is even reading this anymore so I will give it a try. If you are there, I would love to hear from you.
So, I have entered into my 2nd and FINAL year of the associates nursing program. You just don't know how great that is to say. I am praying I make it to May with flying colors and another diploma in hand. Since my last entry, I have grown a lot, cried a lot, and stressed a lot. Through it all God has been the best Hope and Joy. He is so good.
I also have to give major props to my hubby and son. Stephen has been so amazing. He has endured my freeking out moments and my many hours of studying. It means so much to me to have his support.
Well, I am going to log off. Hopefully I have at least one "fan" left out there in cyberspace.

A lot to say

Wow. It's been a long time since my last post...blush....but ya know? What's a nursing student/mom/wife/employee supposed to do? Hee hee.....
I figured since I had a moment I would say hello and see if anyone is out there, still reading my blog. Hmmm..this should be interesting...
So, a lot has happened since I last wrote an entry. First of all, God has been so incredibly good and faithful to my sweet family. I am so thankful for Him and His hope. He is truly amazing.
I completed my first semester of nursing school. It was so challenging, probably the hardest thing I have ever done, besides giving birth to Jubal. But it has been so incredible. I am learning so much about our bodies and how to care for the sick. One thing I learned, among many, is that I am a darn good shot giver. It's kind of freaky but I like to give them too. Don't tell anyone.
Another adventure is that we became a statistic in the unemployment realm. Stephen got laid off from his job a few months ago. For reasons we don't quite understand yet we have so much peace and have seen God do some incredible things. That leads me to his new adventure...drum roll please......Trips for Kids. God told him to do it and he is. What an amazing talent my husband has. I am so proud of him. You can follow his journey and find out more on http://tripsforkidswnc.com. It's very exciting to see how God is using and will continue to use my very own hubby in our community. He has also been the biggest support in my effort to complete my nursing degree. I couldn't do it without him. He is quite a cute stay at home dad if I say so myself. I love it.
Jubal is growing like a weed. He has lost a couple of teeth, gotten glasses, and is quite a little guy. I am so happy to be his mommy.
So that's about all I have to write now. I hope that I can post some more entries here and there. But I am not making any promises. ;)

New Adventures

So blogging friends, I may not be back for a while. Life has taken on a new adventure called nursing school. It's going to be busy and full of learning (and reading) ;0).
I hope that I will be able to write an entry here and there but I don't know if it will be very often. Thanks so much for reading my posts. It's been fun. Have a great rest of your summer and be encouraged: God loves you so much!

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy

The Farmer's Almanac published some great ideas using lemons. I thought I would make a blog post out of it. Fun stuff.

• For a sore throat or bad breath, gargle with some lemon juice.
• Clean discolored utensils with a cloth dipped in lemon juice. Rinse with warm water.
• Toss used lemons into your garbage disposal to help keep it clean and smelling fresh.
• Use one part lemon juice and two parts salt to scour chinaware to its original luster.
• A few drops of lemon juice in outdoor house-paint will keep insects away while you are painting and until the paint dries.
• Remove scratches on furniture by mixing equal parts of lemon juice and salad oil and rubbing it on the scratches with a soft cloth.
• To make furniture polish, mix one part lemon juice and two parts olive oil.
• To clean the surface of white marble or ivory (such as piano keys), rub with a half a lemon, or make a lemon juice and salt paste. Wipe with a clean, wet cloth.
• To renew hardened paintbrushes, dip into boiling lemon juice. Lower the heat and leave the brush for 15 minutes, then wash it in soapy water.
• To remove dried paint from glass, apply hot lemon juice with a soft cloth. Leave until nearly dry, and then wipe off.
• Rub kitchen and bathroom faucets with lemon peel. Wash and dry with a soft cloth to shine and remove spots.
• Fresh lemon juice in rinse water removes soap film from interiors of ovens and refrigerators.
• Create your own air freshener: Slice some lemons, cover with water, and let simmer in a pot for about an hour. (This will also clean your aluminum pots!)
• Fish or onion odor on your hands can be removed by rubbing them with fresh lemons.
• To get odors out of wooden rolling pins, bowls, or cutting boards, rub with a piece of lemon. Don’t rinse: The wood will absorb the lemon juice.
• Save lemon and orange rinds to deter squirrels and cats from digging in the garden. Store rinds in the freezer during the winter, and then bury them just under the surface of the garden periodically throughout the spring and summer.
• After a shampoo, rinse your hair with lemon juice to make it shine. Mix the strained juice of a lemon in an eight-ounce glass of warm water.
• Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice with two tablespoons of salt to make a rust-removing scrub.
• Before you start to vacuum, put a few drops of lemon juice in the dust bag. It will make the house smell fresh.
• Get grimy white cotton socks white again by boiling them in water with a slice of lemon.
• Clean copper pots by cutting a lemon in half and rubbing the cut side with alt until the salt sticks. Rub the lemon onto the metal, rinse with hot water, and polish dry.
• Suck on a lemon to settle an upset stomach.

Some Randomness

I made black bean burritos for dinner and I love roasting sweet potatoes to put on them. When I opened the oven to check on them, I thought it looked so cool so I took a pic. Am I wierd?

I also got some fun boots at a yard sale last year for 50 cents. What a deal! I wear them to work out in the yard and to take after the chicks.

Speaking of chicks.....

They are turning out to be quite pretty young ladies. At least I hope they are ladies ;)

Garden update

Here are some pics of our growing garden. We have had some issues with a few tomatoes and peppers getting some brown spots on the bottom but it doesn't seem to be spreading too much.

This pepper plant is new for me. They are purple peppers. I can't wait to try them out.

The yellow squash with the green tip is supposed to be acorn squash. We'll see!

I am so thankful for all this food and praying I get enough tomatoes to can this year. If not, that's what the farmer's market is for ;).

This is an Amish paste tomato. They make the best tomato sauce....yum!

Do you have a garden this year? How is it going?