The Cross In My Wallet

I was cleaning out my wallet and found this card that I've carried for years. I hadn't read it in a long time. I've moved it to different part of my wallet so that I can read it more often.

The Cross In My Wallet

I carry a cross in my wallet
A simple reminder to me
Of the fact that I am a Christian
No matter where I may be.

This little cross is not magic
Nor is it a good luck charm
It isn't meant to protect me
From every physical harm.

It's not for identification
For all the world to see
It's simply an understanding
Between my Savior and me.

Whenever I reach for my wallet
To bring out a card or key,
The cross is there to remind me
Of the price He paid for me.

It reminds me, too, to be thankful
For my blessings day by day
And to strive to serve Him better
In all that I do and say.

It's also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who know my Master
And give themselves to His care.

So, I carry a cross in my wallet
Reminding no one but me
That Jesus Christ is Lord of my life
If only I'll let Him be.

Kinda Frustrated

I can make stuff all day long. I have ideas that run through my head all the time. The creating part isn't what frustrates me. It's the displaying part! I came home to practice my display for the bazaaar this Saturday. Well -- we're on version #2 and it's now 11 PM. Here's the first one (please ignore the mess in the background. My house looks like someone threw up a craft store in here! And remember this is my dining room table and I was too tired to remove the chairs):



Here's the revised version (I still have to add some candles and pillows):

I'm still not 100% happy but it's getting better. Suggestions?

Now I need to go take it all down so the cats won't get in it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a little after midnight and I'm waiting for the pumpkin pies to cool so I can cover them. I looked at the clock and realized that it is now Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful. First, and foremost, for Jesus Christ who took my sins upon His back, climbed on that cross, and died just for me so that I can have eternal life in heaven. Hallelujah!!!

I have two beautiful daughters and two of the most handsome grandsons. I love them with all my heart. We will all be together tomorrow for dinner at my house. I can't wait!

I am thankful for my dear brother and sister. They are 2000 miles away in Illinois and I miss them so much. Wish I could share this day with both of you!

I am thankful for all my wonderful friends -- those that are close, those that are far away, and those that I've never met in person but only on the internet. You are all such a blessing to me. You continually lift me up and make my heart sing!

I have been blessed with the loveliest home and a great job! God has blessed me with the ability to sew and craft -- my creative outlet that I need so much.

Thank you , thank you Father for all these wonderful blessings!!

I pray that you are surrounded by friends and family on this special day. Enjoy all the wonderful food! Have a wonderful day!

Love and blessings,
Kay

Take This Test

My friend Darlene at Stover Lane always has the cutest things like this on her blog. I just love taking tests like this.

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass. You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

Listen to the Experts

This lovely home that I live in has the nicest appliances, especially the oven. The only problem is that it is cooler than the actual temperature reading. I've lived here for 3 years and have always guessed that the temperature was about 15 degrees off. So when baking I always turn it up 15 degrees. And I oven process my soap so I'd do the same thing for that.

For years I've heard people say "get an oven thermometer". I just kind of pooh poohed the whole idea and kept guessing at what the temperature of my oven was. A couple of weeks go I was watching Food Network - my favorite channel - and one of the experts said that an oven thermometer is necessary if you bake a lot. She said that she was shocked that when her oven said it was preheated it was only about 250 degrees. WELL -- if someone on Food Network said I should have an oven thermometer then I better get one.

I was out shopping today for Thanksgiving and regular shopping. I splurged and spent $6 on an oven thermometer! I was so excited I could hardly wait to get home to see what the results would be. Put that baby in the oven and set the temperature at 350 degrees. When the little beeper went off saying the oven was preheated I checked the thermometer. It was 175 degrees! It took a full 10 more minutes for the oven to get to 350 and then it consistently stayed at that temp.

So my oven wasn't off at all. It just wasn't preheated. I would stick the food in when the beeper went off and then it would take about half of the baking time to get to temp. That's why it always took longer for everything to bake! I learned my lesson. Listen to the experts!! They know what they're talking about.

Go get an oven thermometer! I'm off to bake chocolate chip cookies!

Encouraging Blogger Award

My new friend Deby at Apples of Gold awarded me with an award! Don't you just love getting awards? I do! I don't think a person can have too many or be encouraged too much. Especially women! We are so giving and so often don't get the recognition that we deserve. So thank you Deby! You are such a blessing and have made my day!

In thinking who to pass this award on to I had a hard time deciding. I have so many wonderful blogger friends who are so encouraging to me. But one special friend came to mind. She and I met in July 2005 on an online forum. We started emailing and have become the closest of friends. I have never met this lovely lady but we have talked many times on the phone and email almost every day. I feel like she is my biggest cheerleader. She is also straight forward with me and, when I ask her advice, she tells me the truth. I appreciate that so much.

This lovely lady is so talented. She has such a flair for decorating and her home is a sweet, welcoming place. I've only seen pictures but can't wait to visit in person. She is also a fabulous cook! The reason I know this is because she always tells me what she's been baking or cooking. She's also a great mom, who in later years in life, took on the responsibility of adopting two beautiful children into her family in addition to the other 5 children that she had already raised.

My dear friend lives on Old Crow Farm in Kansas and if you haven't guessed already it's Sher! You can visit her blog at Old Crow Farm. Sweetie, I am so blessed to have you in my life! Thank you for being such a great friend and such an encouragement to me. You deserve the Encouraging Blogger Award! Love you bunches!

From Shabby to Primitive

Have you ever heard that a person's taste in food changes every 7 years? I believe that because there are things I used to love to eat that I can't stand now. Is this statement also true of decorating taste?

I've been the ultimate cottage/shabby chic gal for the past 7 or 8 years now. Lots of pink and pastels, lots of roses and other flowers, white shabby furniture, etc. But for the past year or so I've started to be drawn to the primitive decorating style. Now I'm not the real hardcore primitive with all the dark, dark stuff. And those dolls with the really ugly faces - yuk! They scare me! I have to work myself into this slowly and don't think I'll ever go the extreme route.

But I love how the prim stuff makes your home feel -- lived in, cozy, comfortable, and inviting. I can still be a Rustic Cottage - in fact, rustic is the whole idea. It's fun to make primitive things too -- you don't have to be perfect (in fact, you shouldn't be) and that's right up my alley. I've been a prisoner of own perfectionist tendencies way too long! Here's a little prim pillow that I made this evening. It's going to be filled with saw dust (an idea from my friend Sher in KS - she's my primitive teacher) and will go in my bazaar booth. If it doesn't sell I have just the place for it in my home! I've still got to "grungy" it up to make it look old. But isn't it cute??

Veteran's Day

I miss my daddy today. I miss him more on Veteran's Day than I do any other day of the year. My daddy was a proud WWII veteran. He served in the Navy from 1943 until 1945 and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

Being a veteran was the proudest accomplishment of his whole life. He would talk about being in the Navy a lot and I loved hearing his stories when I was a little girl. They say that war changes a person. I know that it changed my daddy. There were certain things that would make him cry, even after all those years of the war being over. And he never could sit and watch a war movie. It just made him too nervous.

As I was watching TV this morning I saw WWII Vets who were visiting the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC. It was their first time seeing the memorial. Many proudly wore their uniforms, most had on VFW caps, and most all had tears in their eyes because they were overwhelmed.

All veterans are so special. They serve their country and fight so that we can live in a free country. I'm sure you know a vet. Have you thanked them for serving? I was thinking that I never did say thank you to my dad for serving. It's something that I never thought to do and now he's no longer here for me to do that. But I am going to write what I never got the chance to say.

Daddy, thank you for the sacrifice that you made all those years ago when you served in WWII. You left a new wife and a young son who was only 4 months old. When you came home your son was 2 years old. He didn't even know who you were because you had been gone so long. We will never know all the things that you saw or what you had to go through. But you went because it was the right thing to do. You were proud to fight and to serve. I will be forever grateful for your sacrifices so that your family can live in a free country. I love you with all my heart and miss you so much!

Thank you to all the veterans -- past and present! God bless you and God bless America!

Wanna See My Soap?

I'm done!! The last batch is curing! Here's a little sample of my soap. I just listed these in my Etsy shop today. Enjoy!

Peach and Gardenia

Oatmeal Milk & Honey

Citrus Basil

Enjoying The Quiet

I just love this time of night. Everyone else is in bed and the house is so quiet. I can hear the clock ticking in the living room, the cat snoring on the bed, and I'm smelling the vanilla bean soap I just finished.

It is very cold and very foggy tonight. I walked out on my front porch and it was so much darker than normal. We live right outside of town and you can see the lights of the town from my porch. It is still very dark here at night, but when the fog covers up the town lights it is pitch black. Something about the thick fog even makes the outdoor sounds seem muffled. I'm just glad that I have nice warm house to sit in and don't have to be out driving.

I am off tomorrow! I only work 4 days a week and used to be off on Monday. That got switched last week so this will be my first Friday off. Not sure how I'm going to like it. I always enjoyed Monday off because it was pleasant to know that Sunday was not the last day of my weekend. There's just something about having to get up on Monday morning and go to work! Wish I could sleep in a little later tomorrow but have to get my daughter and my grandson off to school. Maybe after everyone is gone I can have a mid-morning nap?? That would be a lovely treat!

Still Making Soap

Sorry I've been MIA for a little while. I'm still making soap and have 7 more batches to get done this week. So far I've done Oatmeal Milk & Honey, Citrus Basil, and Blue Bonnet. On the list to get done is Lavender, Heirloom Rose, Peaches & Gardenia, Pink Sugar, Vanilla Bean, Green Tea & Willow, and Country Clothesline. Oh this house just smells so good! In about a week I'll have all these listed in my Etsy shop.

While the soap's curing I'll be doing room/linen sprays, body/linen sprays, and lotion bars. I think that will be about it. Then I need to start working on my display. My sweet friend in Kansas, Sher, is giving me lots of ideas for that. She's the queen of display and marketing! But she'd never admit that.

Our weather still continues to be gorgeous! Lots of sunshine and dry weather. I'm enjoying every minute of it. But clear days mean cold and frosty mornings. One day this past week it was 28 here -- brrr! That's ok. I'll take that over rain any day!