Oh Holy Night

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Christmas Carols and I have to share this with you. I found this a few years ago and it makes me smile every Christmas when I listen to this young man’s rendition of Oh Holy Night. Be sure to listen to it all the way to the end. It gets better as it goes on.

http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000570.php

Another Christmas Carol to listen to is this one which offers in reverse as well to listen to ‘hidden meaning”.

http://blog.adonias.cl/archivos/Flash/Jingle_Bells_Reversed.swf

These are my Christmas gifts to you.

Be Thankful

A coworker of mine has been going through some rough times lately. Through everything she has smiled and kept looking at the positives.  She has posted this in her office to remind her that she has much to be grateful for. The author is unknown but it makes me think everyday when I see it. She has now accepted a new position and will be leaving me soon but she promises to keep in touch. I want to share this with others so that they may realize that they have so much to be thankful for.  Libby this post is dedicated to you.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

 Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

 Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

 Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

 Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made the effort.

 It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

 Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

Praying Mantis

A couple of weeks ago when I got home from work I found a praying mantis near my front door. I had to come in and grab my camera to get a picture. I hadn’t seen a praying mantis in years. Isn’t it beautiful?  When the picture is larger you can see its little white eyes staring directly at me.

Heritage Farm in Huntington WV

On Saturday my husband finally took a day off from work and spent the day with me. He has not had a day off since he was in the hospital last November. We planned our day the night before and woke at 7AM to hit the floor running.

First we went to the Milton Flea Market. They had burned to the ground last year and recently reopened. They are not as large as they were before but I have no doubt that within the next year they will be back to their full splendor. We have faith in you Milton Flea Market.

Next we went to Heritage Farms in Huntington, WV. This was our third attempt at going to the museum. The first two times we went to find their gates shut and a sign saying they were closed. I highly recommend calling ahead to see if they are open if you want to go.

Mike and I love going to historical places and learning about how things were done back in time. Our friendly guide Dan was very knowledgeable and the tour lasted about 90 minutes. While we enjoyed our visit I don’t see us going back again. This place just can not compare to the Farm Museum that is in Point Pleasant, WV. If you want to see something amazing go there instead.

At Heritage Farms you are not allowed to take pictures inside the buildings. For $8 per adult you are walked around the outside of the buildings and you are allowed to enter three of them. The guide tells you things along the way. I did learn things and saw pieces of equipment that I had never seen before but was very disappointed that I could not take pictures. I believe that $8 per adult was too much to ask as well.

When we went to the Farm Museum in Point Pleasant, WV we were not charged and were allowed to enter every building and take as many pictures as we wanted. They even have a restaurant there where you can enjoy good country food. Did I mention that we loved the one in Point Pleasant? haha

I am not saying that Heritage Farms in Huntington is a bad place to go. Mike and I discussed that it probably would be enjoyable if we went during their special events where they have all of their buildings operational and have their children’s petting zoo available. None of these things were available for us on Saturday.

Here are a few pictures that I was able to take outside.

I don’t want you to think that Heritage Farm isn’t nice. We did have a pleasant visit there and do not regret going. If you are planning a trip call them first to make sure all of the areas are open before going. I think if the other areas had been open that we would have had just as nice a time as the Farm Museum in Point Pleasant.  Well, maybe.

My Weekly Menu for 08/23/2009

Before I begin my menu I want to say congratulations to a family member. I won’t mention her name but she has been doing low carb and is doing excellently. She is now down 31 pounds. Way to go. You know who you are and how much I love you. She plans out her menus and is testing her blood regularly. She is not needing anywhere near as much insulin as she had previously and my prayers are that eventually she will be medicine free. I love you honey.

I have kind of gotten out of posting my weekly menus and I think I need to do this for myself to keep me organized.

Over the past few weeks I have been using a Chinese cookbook and before that a grilling cookbook. Next week I plan on making appetizers for a bit. I have three wonderful cookbooks that are for appetizers that look very promising.

This week I will be trying two new recipes that are from my grilling cookbook. The rest are recipes that I have already made in the past.

Sunday- http://grace2882.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/blackened-chicken/ and http://grace2882.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/cabbage-on-the-grill/

Monday- http://grace2882.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/baby-back-ribs/ and I will make a big pot of mixed beans for my husband since he does not need to eat low carb.

Tuesday- left overs- I have knitting class

Wednesday-  Roast

Thursday- Left overs

Friday- Bacon Wrapped Beef Patties- recipe to follow if I like it.

Saturday- I will try a new fish recipe called Grilled Spice Fish. Mike is allergic to fish so it will be perfect for me to try since he can eat leftovers.

A Hat and 2 Scarves

I have been knitting away and having a blast. I finished the black and white scarf that I had shared a couple of weeks ago. I was pleased with it but wish that I had used a larger knitting needle to make it softer. I had used funfur and black holding yarn to help give it base.  I plan to make gloves that have the matching trim around the cuffs for a nice Christmas gift for a co-worker.

 

I finally finished my multidiagonal scarf. Boy was this thing work. I am pleased with how it turned out but my poor knitting teacher had to help me correct a million mistakes along the way. I definitely learned a lot while making this one. I promised her that I would never make another one. haha

If you want to make one you can get the pattern here.

http://douma.net/Karen/knitting/Accessory-Scarves/Multidirectional_Diagonal_Scarf.htm 

I worked this week making my grandson, Caleb a Candy Corn Hat for Halloween. It is so cute. I loved making this hat and learned many new techniques along the way. I had never used double pointed knitting needles before. I started out making the hat using a circular needle but as the hat got smaller it wasn’t working for me any longer .

The nice ladies at www.ravelry.com assisted me with providing a video to a technique called Magic Loop Knitting using circular needles. This worked great until I got the top point of white on the hat. Then I had no other choice but to switch to the double pointed needles. You can see the video for Magic Loop Knitting here.

You can get the pattern to make this cute hat here.

http://www.skeinsandbeans.com/candycorn.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

I Need An Ark!!

It is flooding at my home as I type this. We are in wait and watch mode. Everything that we can put on top of tables and beds has been raised. The water is completely under our house. I shot this video before it got dark. The water is even higher now. Another couple of inches and it will be inside our home. Please pray!!

Dewey

My sister, Donna and her husband David recently had an addition to their home. His name is Dewey and he is a cute little kitten. Who could have denied this face? Just look at him.

Well, things haven’t been too smooth at their home since Dewey’s arrival for a few reasons. The first being that they already had this beautiful kitten, Abigail who was used to being the center of attention and didn’t appreciate having Dewey invade her turf.

When they brought Dewey home I called Donna and she was just about in tears. They had to put Dewey back in the travel crate because Abigail was hissing and trying to attack her tiny little brother. Donna stated she was just about to have to take Dewey back.

Now we couldn’t have that happen so I called my daughter, Samantha and had her call Dewey’s new parents. Samantha had just introduced her new kitten into her home so she knew how to get them to bond. Luckily Donna and David listened to her and now Abigail and Dewey are living peacefully together.

Donna is constantly laughing at one of the antics that her kittens have performed. They are getting so much enjoyment from these two little bundles of fur. Donna and David will still ask pet questions occasionally but they are doing pretty well on their own of getting the kittens to behave and learn new things.

Donna made one attempt at teaching Abigail to use the toilet instead of the litter box. That made for some amusing stories. Once Dewey is bigger she is going to attempt it again.  I will do my best to follow that story here on the blog but don’t let her know. shhhh.

Saturday night I received an email that I just to share with you. Don’t worry I have her permission to do it. Apparently Dewey is as fast as lightening and keeping them on their toes. The following story is in Donna’s own words.  Everytime I read it I can’t help but laugh.

It is now my time for confession.  I keep warning David that he has to watch out for Abby and Dewey because he keeps closing them up in the bathroom and various other spots in the house. 

Yesterday he closed the door and screen door and I came from the other room and could hear poor little Dewey.  I could tell it was coming from the front door and hurried to the door.  David had gone out a little earlier and had closed Dewey between the two doors and his poor little foot was caught under the screen door.  He was crying and shaking.  He let me cuddle him and of course I had to tell David that he needed to be more careful and that Dewey was fast and he should always look behind him. 

Now comes for the confession…  I was preparing food to take to Rob’s today for move in day and had just gone into the bathroom to get dressed when I could hear poor little Dewey meowing very loudly.  I asked David what Dewey was doing and he said he didn’t know.  When I came out of the bathroom, David was no longer in the kitchen but I could still hear poor little Dewey. 

You guessed it…..  I had closed POOR LITTLE DEWEY in the fridge.  When I realized the meowing was coming from the fridge I hurried and opened the door and sure enough he was hanging inside trying to figure out how he was going to get out. 

 I felt so bad and then I had to give myself the same little talk.  I guess when I was putting the lettuce and cheese back in the fridge, he had jumped into the bottom before I closed the door.  He is so fast.   POOR LITTLE DEWEY……  He was sole survivor of the litter and then he ends up with us as parents! 

Freezer Stash

I took stock of what I have in my freezer and now I need to plan this next week’s menu utilizing what I have on hand. I went to the store this morning and bought more chicken, beef and vegetables.  When I got home I realized that I had quite a bit already in my freezer. I cleaned it out and this is what is in my freezer.

I now many people have more than this but I don’t have a separate deep freeze. This is just what is in my freezer section of my side by side refrigerator.

Chicken Wings- 6 1/2 pounds

Hamburger- 5 pounds

Boneless Chicken Breasts- 12.5 pounds

Bacon- 3 pounds

Cheddar Cheese- 9 two cup bags

American Cheese- 6 one pound packages

Tenderloin Steaks- 5 packages

Pot Roast- 2 very large

Italian Sausage- 1 pound package

Bone in Chicken Breast- One package with 3 large chicken breasts in it

Swiss Cheese- 3 one pound packages

Strawberries- 6 two cup packages

Triple Berries- Large bag from Sam’s Club

Spaghetti Sauce

BBQ- leftover that I froze

Baby Back Ribs- 1 large package- enough for four meals

Butter- 3 one pound packages

I hate to admit that I have a couple of packages of mystery meat. It is either beef or pork.

Caleb’s frozen fish sticks that he loves so much.

2 cartons of ice cream

Wieners- 2 packages

Mozzerella Cheese- 4 pounds

Bologna- 2 packages

Coconut- 2 bags unsweetened

Pecans- 2 packages

Cranberries- 1/2 bag

My goal will be to plan for several weeks utilizing what is in there. Lets see what healthy meals I can get with these items.

My veggie purchases today included eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, avocados, red peppers, yellow peppers, orange peppers and cabbage. I will need to go each week to get milk, bread and veggies but lets see how long it is before I need to buy beef or chicken. This could be interesting.

I also bought 7 dozen eggs at Sam’s today. This should last me about 3 weeks. I already had 18 eggs at the house. We use a lot of these. I plan to make muffins this week as well using the pecans and cranberries.  I think a coconut meringue pie would be nice and would use many of the eggs. I will post this weeks menu tomorrow.

BTW: My daughter’s birthday is tomorrow too. :::SIGH::: I remember when she was still at home and not living so far away. I miss her so much.

Because you asked!!

My daughter has asked to see some before and after weight loss pictures so I took some yesterday to share. I was not the only one in the house who has been eating low carb lately. Our lovely cat, Chessie has too. Chessie is 13 years old and has been a very round cat for as long as I have known her.

She used to belong to my friend.  When she died I took her cat into our home and she has been here for 9 years now. A few months ago I began feeding her a bit of canned cat food. She still has her dry food (high in carbs) but she eagerly awaits each evening when I return from work to get her wet food (low carb).  We also cut out her high fat treats at the same time.

She has lost a great deal of weight and is acting and looking like a kitten again. Check out her before picture. She was quite the round kitty.

Now check out her after picture. The picture was a bit difficult to get. She was wanting attention and being very demanding when I took the picture.

I won’t be giving my usual weekly menu this week as I am going on vacation to visit my daughter. I do know that we are having three recipes from the blog while we are there. The Portabella Mushroom Lasagna, Tandori Chicken and Italian Sausage Ratatouille.  We shall see how well my son-in-law handles these foods.  Since I began eating this way he has done very well with the new recipes. I will give a full report next week.

I am so excited to get to see my daughter and son-in-law this week. We have our itinerary already planned and all of our meals are scheduled. We will be visiting, zoos, museums, botanical gardens and shopping outlets. We might go geocaching if there is time. No matter what we do it will be nice because of the company that I will be with.