Well looks like time is getting away from me again, it has been a while since I posted.
The recent news there is that SuZenn turned 9 years old yesterday!  Wow she is half grown now!  Yesterday she seemed to grow up some more.  She sure enjoyed her day.
Van and I will be getting a year older on the weekend with Van's birthday on Friday and mine on Saturday.  Yep we are getting old :)
The kids have been having some much fun building forts out in the woods.  I am so not looking forward to mosquitoes to arrive.  I am kind of glad for the warm weather and then cold so it keeps the bugs at bay.

            Even though this is not a recent photo I thought I would give you one of the birthday Gal!

Longest married couple

I thought this worth sharing!

Oldest Living Couple on Earth Gives Great Relationship Advice

Meet Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of North Carolina. They have been
married 85 years (86 in May) and hold the Guinness World Record for
the longest marriage of a living couple and get this.. Zelmyra is 101
years old and Herbert is 104.

The happily married couple teamed up with twitter this Valentine's
Day to answer some relationship questions. Check out their take on
finding love, getting through hard times and more. Good read.

1. What made you realize that you could spend the rest of your
lives together? Were you scared at all?

H & Z: With each day that passed, our relationship was more solid
and secure.Divorce was NEVER an option - or even a thought.

2. How did you know your spouse was the right one for you?

We grew up together & were best friends before we married. A friend
is for life - our marriage has lasted a lifetime

3. Is there anything you would do differently after more than 80
years of marriage?

We wouldn't change a thing. There's no secret to our marriage, we
just did what was needed for each other & our family.

4. What is your advice to someone who is trying to keep the faith
that Mr. Right is really out there?

Zelmyra: Mine was just around the corner! He is never too far away,
so keep the faith - when you meet him, you'll know.

5. What was the best piece of marriage advice you ever received?

Respect, support & communicate with each other.Be faithful, honest
& true.Love each other with ALL of your heart

6. What are the most important attributes of a good spouse?

Zelmyra: A hard worker & good provider.The 1920s were hard,but
Herbert wanted & provided the best for us.I married a good man!

7. What is your best Valentine's Day memory?

Zelmyra: I cook dinner EVERY day.Herbert left work early &
surprised me - he cooked dinner for me! He is a VERY good cook!

Herbert: I said that I was going to cook dinner for her & she could
relax - the look on her face & clean plate made my day!

8. You got married very young - how did u both manage to grow as
individuals yet not grow apart as a couple?

"Everyone who plants a seed & harvests the crop celebrates
together" We are individuals, but accomplish more together.

9. What is your fondest memory of your 85-year marriage?

Our legacy: 5 children, 10 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren,
and 1 great-great grandchild.

10. Does communicating get easier with time? How do you keep your
patience?

The children are grown, so we talk more now. We can enjoy our time
on the porch or our rocking chairs - together.

11. How did you cope when you had to be physically separated for
long periods of time?

Herbert: We were apart for 2 months when Z was hospitalized with
our 5th child. It was the most difficult time of my life. Zelmyra's
mother helped me with the house and the other children, otherwise I
would have lost my mind.

12. At the end of bad relationship day, what is the most important
thing to remind yourselves?

Remember marriage is not a contest - never keep a score. God has
put the two of you together on the same team to win

13. Is fighting important?

NEVER physically! Agree that it's okay to disagree, & fight for
what really matters. Learn to bend - not break!

14. What's the one thing you have in common that transcends
everything else?

We are both Christians & believe in God.Marriage is a commitment to
the Lord.We pray with & for each other every day.

The little room

 

I redid the little kids room, yeah Reuben shares with them.  I also redid the box.. it looks wonderful compared to before, the room and the closet box.  Van put the floor in and I painted it.

Angel and Abele'

After about 50 pictures we finally got a decent one.

 

Well it is official.. we are getting a new puppy!!  Don't have delivery date yet BUT.. isn't he cute!!!!

A new look on an old fan

My husband brought home this fabulous antique glass globe. (mm I best check my children's English books as I am not sure if there should be commas in that last sentence. I am thinking yes but, when I put them in.. well, I decided not to add them.) I had to find a way to use it.  I noticed that there were holes in the globe for hardware so I came up with the idea of using a bead where the hole is and wire to hold it on to the bolds of the ceiling fan were the "normal" glass globe would be.   I didn't realize that there was a slight tint on pink in the antique globe till I held it up to the ceiling fan blades.  Amazing!  Now if the ceilings were actually finished it would look even better.  Big sigh, another time.

Looking for some ways to show others kindness.. I found this and thought I would share it with you too!

Way to show kindness to others!

 I found this one on this site.  Refashion Momma  

 Alteration: My new favorite way to keep original hem on jeans

I am short. There is no other way to put it. I’m barely 5′ tall. I think I’ve only bought two pairs of used jeans in my life that were already hemmed to my length…ever…in my life!
My mom always hemmed my pants, even as I got older. Then, I started taking them in to a shop for alterations to keep the original hem which cost me $20/pair. I love how the original hem looks so I paid it. Well, recently I’ve tried a few different techniques and I’ve found one I really like. This is the tutorial I followed How to hem jeans
I started with a pair of new (used) jeans that fit great everywhere but in length.

I measured and pinned the jeans to the length I wanted them.
I needed to take off 4″ from the hem so I measured just over 2″ and pinned, measuring before pinning each time. Do not include the original hem when measuring. You’ll need to decide how much you want to take off then divide it in half and pin all the way around.



Now, sew very closely to the original hem, sewing to the right side of the hem. I reinforced this stitch and sewed around the hem twice because I wear jeans every day and need them durable.

Next, I cut off the excess. You can choose to keep it, especially if you’re hemming children’s jeans who may later need the length. I haven’t grown since 7th grade so I opted to cut off the excess material.
.
After, I ironed the hem to help it lay smoothly.

And now i have a great pair of jeans that aren’t drowning my ankles in fabric.


Optional: I prefer to do a top stitch right above the original hem to keep the bottom from rolling up after washing. This really does the trick (I’m way too busy/lazy to iron them each time) and this extra step keeps them flat. Make sure that you use thread that matches your jeans. I bought some jean thread that is heavy duty and matches really well; however, you do not actually need specialty thread, just make sure it matches and blends in.

 

 

I re did my ceiling fan.  We bought this one because I really need another ceiling fan in the game room, well the one that is in the music room matched so I put the one I had in our dining room in there.  So, I got this bright idea.  Okay I copied it online, not that creative yet. So here it is....

I hope to achieve a bronze look.  It turned out nice. My first attempt was the light in the background, it was really shinny. The paint was only a few dollars and time was only a few hours.  The transformation is wonderful!!

Glorify God in all Things.
This past February I took a trip with 4 of my teens. Our goal was to reach
the Creation Museum in Kentucky, which we did; and it was amazing. We did
lots of visiting with family and friends on our trip.
When we were close to Chicago, we could see the sky line just perfect!
Traffic was just starting to get pretty scary for this country girl. I had
Brandon say a prayer for safety and I said a
silent prayer too, I do always try to say: God, Your will, not mine.
Brandon said the amen and I heard a crash. I knew we were going to be
struck. Two seconds later the car behind us hit the back of our
car. All I could say was Oh, God, oh God. I pulled my
son-in-law's car off to the side of the road, again thankful that he let us
use his big, old, box, STRONG, car. As I looked over in the passenger seat,
I realized that Levin was quite shook up and he was extremely upset. I
asked if he was okay, as well as the kids in the back. No one was hurt. I
reminded them that we just prayed and we are in the center of God's will.
Here is where we are suppose to be!
I heard my neck go crack, crack, crack, crack when the impact happened and I
seriously was struck with OH NO, but changed it to God help. Well, in
reality my neck had been hurting from sleeping in different places. My neck
did not hurt the rest of the trip!
I needed to go check on the other cars to find out what happened. The other
cars were pulled off to the side of the road in the Chicago rush hour. As I
approached the car behind me I found a single, young woman in the car. She
was still seated in the driver's seat. I opened the door on the passenger
side. As I opened the door, I realized just why we were involved. This lady
wass totally in shock. She was shaking uncontrollably. I climbed in the to
the car and gave her a big hug.
She wass trying to call 911 and could not do it. I asked her if she was
hurt. She gestured no, so I crawled into her car and embraced her until she
was calmer. I repeated to her that she is okay, you are going to be alright.
Once she was calm, I told her that I was going to check on the next car.
The gentleman was already out of the car and he told me that he meant
to press the brake and he hit the accelerator with his foot. Thus is
why he hit so hard. He is okay and had called the police.
It was amazing to me, in all the time that we were sitting on the side of
the road, well over an hour, closer to two, not one person was willing to
stop to see if any assistance was needed. NOT ONE!!
When the lady got out of the car and saw the damage to her new car she was
pretty upset. Again I had to reassure her that she was safe and that the
car was just a car, she was not harmed, it is only a car. The lady's second
language was English so I am sure that was even more scary.
We had no damage to our vehicle but her car was not able to be driven.
Through it all, God again is showing me that we must give up all that we
have to be disciples of Jesus. Maybe not get rid of, but not to be attached
to stuff.
Thank you Lord for keeping us safe in Chicago and thanks for letting
me look at that beautiful handmade sky line for over an hour.

God you are awesome!

This is where one of my sons  planning to attend after he graduates. Lord willing!

Fake Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes

I am pretty excited about this site that I found.  Of course, I had to share it with you.  I have a lot of young bakers and I detest having to buy cake and cookie mixes.  I know that I can throw together cookies and cakes as fast as those mixes, but I am not always the one baking.  I have lots of boys that I am training to cook and bake, as well, as younger girls, so when I stumbled on this.. my heart jumped.  ENJOY!!
Fake It Frugal

Fake Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes

Ever have one of those "Ah-ha!" moments?  I happened to me yesterday when I was lamenting the price of those very convenient Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes.  I remember when they used to only cost $1.00 each in Walmart and now they're $2.50 each!  Who says there's no inflation?

Anyway, I usually just tell myself that I can make cookies from scratch anytime with the plentiful ingredients of my pantry, but then it came to me...Why can't I make cookie pre-mixes and keep them in ziplock bags for use at my convenience?  It's a similar idea to those beautiful Cookies In A Jar gifts, but just not as fancy!

So, I've come up with recipes for four of my family's favorite Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes.  They are a cinch to put together for your quick use later!  They're also as convenient as the Betty Crocker Mixes in that they only require butter, egg and vanilla to make!

Credit

Fake Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Credit

Fake Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies:

1 1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Credit

Fake Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookies:

1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 Cup Raisins and/or Nuts

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Melted Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix, Refrigerate for 30 Minutes & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Credit

Fake Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookies:

1 3/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1/2 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/8 Cup Molasses.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

I put together these 8 different mixes in under 20 minutes!

The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:

Fake Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes (Pantry Ingredients, Between $0.30-$0.40 each mix)

Total Fake-It Cost:  $3.20 (possibly less) for 8 Cookie Mixes

Compare to Real Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes ($2.50+ each)

Total Fake-It Savings:  $16.80

This is a sad good day for us.  Today we granted guardianship to Benjamin's  foster mother.  He is doing so well living with them, and as a mom, that is all one can ask for is the best for your child. So February 28 we went to court and guardianship is good for one year.

Being an adoptive mom and a foster mom in the past, I never thought that I would have a child in foster care and now grant guardianship.