This, That, And The Other Thing

My youngest nephew came over, spent the night on Saturday and got to spend the entire day with us on Sunday. It was nice to have him here. He didn't cause a bit of trouble and really did a good job at lending a hand to my #2 teenage son, who spent several hours spreading stone in our lane. It's been so unusually rainy this winter and due to the large amounts we've received, our property is totally saturated. Some areas of our property look like ponds. We've even have geese fly down and spend the night here.

Since moving into this old farmhouse about six years ago, we haven't been able to lay a proper drive. Oh, we've had good intentions to do so, but one thing or another kept getting in the way. However, it's gotten to the point where we just couldn't ignore it any longer. Thanks be to God that we had enough in tax returns to cover at least part of the stone purchase. We weren't able to get all the stone that is needed to finish it completely, but it's enough to get us by, at least for a little while.

While the boys were out working and later, bike riding, I was busy inside trying to get my grocery list and meal plans for this week prepared. I was also able to get four loads of laundry done and managed to make two batches of wheat gluten steaks. I sent some home with my sister. She's never had them before and I'm hoping that her family will all like them.

During our dinner yesterday, my nephew wanted to watch "Honey I Blew Up the Kid". (He borrowed it from my MIL who happens to live next door to us). I didn't have any plans to sit and watch the entire movie as I had already seen it many years ago and didn't recall it to be very good. However, the longer I sat, the more I got sucked in... it was much funnier than I remembered. It was fun cause we sat there together just engrossed and then all of a sudden, something funny would happen and we would all burst out laughing at the same time.

It's the little things that we'll remember the longest!

Back In The Saddle Again

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Our family had a very nice time together. We had way too much to eat, but the food was delicious. My mom shared leftovers with us and we've been enjoying them throughout today. After our meal yesterday, some of us played card games while others enjoyed each others company with conversation and some picture taking. The kids watched a movie, "Ratatouille". I have no idea what it's about, but apparently it was funny in spots because I heard the them laughing out loud from the next room. We had planned to watch the Colts game with my folks that evening, but they don't get the NFL channel, so we decided to just head home. It was getting late anyway.

Well, Comfort Keepers hired me! I've been working a little here and a little there for the past couple of weeks. Since my schedule at work isn't set in stone yet, things at home are sort of hit and miss. Hence, the reason for my blogging absence lately.

Being a caregiver is not foreign to me. I have done it on and off since my early twenties. Oddly enough though, I'm finding that it's like donning an old hat. Working for Comfort Keepers affords me to be blessed many times over. It's a good feeling knowing that even though I don't have any fancy degrees or hold any grand titles, I'm still doing something that's important and needed! Seeing my clients as they smile at me, and greet me warmly is a very satisfying feeling.

My supervisor has been very accommodating with not scheduling me to work on the Sabbath. In fact, before hiring me, I was asked if there were any days that I wouldn't be available and I told them that I couldn't work on Friday (preparation day) or Saturday because of the Sabbath. I also said that I preferred not to work on Sunday, but would work if they needed someone to fill in. So far, they haven't asked me to work on a Sunday, but as winter draws near, I'm sure I'll be called as there are often illnesses, transportation problems and weather related issues that occur during this time of the year.

In closing, I want to say thank you to my friend Celli for being such an encouragement to me as I was waiting to hear from Comfort Keepers. She said all the right things and gave me all the assurance to believe that I was a 'shoe-in'. Thanks Celli! Love ya girl!!

Our Weekend In Ohio

My husband didn't have to preach last Sabbath (9/29/07) and he wanted to take the family somewhere special. We always enjoy visiting different zoos and therefore look for places that aren't too far from where we live. We had talked about going to the Columbus Zoo in years past, but never quite got around to making the trip. That is, until last weekend. We had a fun-filled day that Sunday. We saw lots of animals and learned some new things along the way. For me, the highlight of the day was getting a chance to feed the Rainbow Lorikeet birds. Lorikeets are birds found in Australia. They're related to cockatoos and parrots. If you are lucky to live near a zoo where a lorikeet exhibit is available, make plans to buy a bit of nectar so you can feed them. They are tame and quite fun to watch as the eat right out of your hand-- well, sort of. (You'll know what I mean when you take a look at the pictures).

On Sabbath, we started out at Deleware State Park. This is where we ate our lunch and then took a walk down by the lake afterwards. We also drove around the park a bit to see what else we might like to do. However, there really wasn't much else to do there, seeing that we didn't have our own boat and we weren't camping there. So, we decided to head back toward Columbus to try another park we'd seen on the way.

Highbanks Metro Park is in Lewis Center, OH. It's a beautiful park! They offer seven different hiking trails, ranging from easy, moderate and difficult. There are two large picnic areas with tables, grills and shelters. There's two playgrounds, horseshoe courts and an area for volleyball. The Nature Center is especially neat. Just outside of the rear doors you step out onto a boardwalk that leads to an observation deck. That deck connects to Overlook Trail. Due to time constraints however, we had to choose a shorter trail. The park closed at dusk and we didn't arrive there until a couple hours before sunset. By the time we were done in the Nature Center it was too late to take a long trail.

If you enjoy being out in nature and you're in that area of Ohio, be sure and stop by for a visit. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. We were a little sorry that we didn't stop at this park first. Next time we will. [smile]

If you'd like to see pictures of our short trip, click here. It will open up a new page (give it a moment to download) where you can view the scrapbook that I put together of our special family weekend.

Sunday's Hog Roast/Family Reunion

Photo Courtesy of: FulcrumGallery

This past Sunday we journeyed three hours from home to go to my husband's Aunt Mayme Ruth's farm for her annual Hog Roast. This is always a big event where, not just family, but area neighbors and church goers are invited to attend too. I took vegetarian dishes of course. Things that would go over well with the meat eaters. Surprisingly, my huge bowl of potato salad was the only one there. I also took a pasta salad, a big pot of green beans with garden potatoes mixed in, and a bit of chunky applesauce. There was so much food, no one could have possibly tasted everything.

September 23rd was chosen this year because it was Aunt Mayme Ruth's 89th birthday. You wouldn't know it to watch her though. She's always right in the middle of all the activity and can keep up with the best of'em.

There were games of horseshoes, football and a few rounds of volleyball going on. Of course, if you're a Colts fan, you might have been seen indoors from time to time catching a glimpse to see what the score was. The littlest ones among us had fun jumping in the inflatable bounce house nearby. As for me, I just had a wonderful time laughing and visiting with all of my husband's cousins and catching up on the events of each other's lives since we gathered together last year.

Something that always catches my attention is the closeness of Aunt Mayme Ruth's daughters. She has five girls, (two boys) and they are just the best of friends. For the most part, they all live nearby to one another and from our talks I found that they do a lot of things for, and with each other. I've never once seen a negative look or heard a negative word between any of them. That's a wonderful example and exactly how it should be! :)

Thanks for everything `Aunt Mayme Ruth, Nancy, Ellen, Faye, Louann, Molly, David and Garrell!`

My favorite dish served that day:
(made by my mother in-law)

SWEET AND SOUR "BURGER" LOAF

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 stick margarine
1 c. chopped onion
4. c. dried, herb stuffing mix
1 1/4 c. water
1 1/2 c soy cheddar cheese
4 eggs (may substitute with soft tofu)
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. sage
1 20 oz. Can Worthington Veg. Burger (may sub. with Morn. Star Veggie Crumbles)

Saute' onions in margarine. Add to remaining ingredients and mix throughly. Place in greased 2qt. baking dish.

GLAZE:
1/2 c. catsup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. hot water

Mix all ingredients together and pour over top of loaf, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.