Starting My Day

I used to read blogs at night. It was how I relaxed before I went to bed. Over the summer that has changed. The kids are sleeping, one in the living room on the couch, so I'm confined to my bedroom for a while until they wake up. I get my coffee, have quiet time with the Lord, and then start my day by checking email and reading my friend's blogs.

You all bless my heart so much! What a joy to open my email to see that someone has stopped by my blog and left a comment. This morning it was Laura of Harvest Lane. She won one of my weekly soap giveaways and has been a regular visitor ever since. I went to visit her blog and read about how God has provided a new job for her husband, how her husband and sons put up a new wooden screen door, and was reminded of ways to use things up and save money.

My friend Darlene at Stover Lane is looking for her red recipe box. I wish I could be there to help her find it.

Sher at Old Crow Farm in Kansas is enjoying a much needed cold front that has given relief from all the heat and humidity. As I read her blog this morning I walked around her garden with her as she watered her flowers and enjoyed the cool of the morning.

I have to stop by Kim's blog, Mrs. Morris Art, to see what kind of ATC card she's come up with in the night while I was sleeping. Or to find out what the dogs have been up to. I'm lucky to have her live close to me so that we can see each other.

There are so many more people that I have visited this morning. I will probably never meet you in person. I wish I could. I 'd love to sit a spell with all of you and talk. But you are my friends of the heart. You share your world with me each new day. You bless my heart. Those are the best kind of friends to have. I'm so glad that God brought you into my life!!

Tickled Tuesday

Christian comedian Michael, Jr - he is so funny!! Enjoy!

Soap Winner

When we came back from Utah we brought back a new member to the family - Aaron. He is the son of the people that we stayed with there. Aaron and Steph have been friends for a couple of years. Aaron came to visit us last Christmas and just fell in love with Washington. He has a girlfriend here and decided that he'd like to live here. Since he'll be 18 in November, his parents felt that he could come now. So I have an "adopted" son!! He's a sweetie and did the drawing for the soap winner.

The is winner is Theresa at A Sentimental Journey! Congratulations!

Cinnamon Bun Soap

Here's my first attempt at Cinnamon Bun Soap! They are all handmade so no two are alike. They smell so good - cinnamon bun fragrance, sprinkled with cinnamon, and topped with creme' brulee icing!

I admit I had a hard time because these are prim soaps and my perfectionist nature wanted to take over!

I'm going to do another batch tomorrow and those will go in my Etsy and Ebay shops.

Many thanks to Terri at Long Cane Primitives for the great recipe!

I've Been Tagged Again!

Debra at Sparrowgrass tagged me! Pop on over and visit her blog - it's lovely! Now to come up with six random and slightly interesting things about myself.

1. When I was little I had a cocker spaniel named Penny. My sister and I used to dress her up in doll clothes and push her around in a doll carriage.

2. I was always forming some type of club or business when I was a child. It ranged from a lemonade stand on the corner to the No Boys Allowed Club. Of course, I was always the boss - went along with my bossy nature. Guess much hasn't changed in all these years except I try to be less bossy.

3. From 2nd grade to 5th grade I lived in Scottville, IL - population 200! My dad was the local blacksmith and my mom ran her own restaurant.

4. I am always doing some kind of craft or thinking about doing one. It's hard for me to sit still for very long or to keep my mind from thinking up new creative things. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not.

5. Lists, I live by lists. My friend Kim says it gives her comfort and pleasure to come to my house and look on the counter to read the latest list. Some days the list gets completed and other days it just gets transferred to the next day.

6. My first name is Melva - names after my dad Melvin. I'm not especially fond of the name and wonder what my parents were thinking. The only person that uses my first name (and has my persmission to) is my older brother.

Rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write 6 random things about yourself.
Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here's who I'm tagging:

Kim at Mrs. Morris Art
Dalyn at Muckbook and Aprons
Darlene at Stover Lane
KKJD at Farmgirl in GA Style
Carol at Fifi Banjello
Katy at Country Blossom

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Mrs. B at http://herpeculiarlife.blogspot.com/ . I have to tell my 5 favorite things excluding family things. So here goes!

1. First, and foremost, is Jesus! I am grateful every day that He loved me enough to die on the cross for me - even if I was the only person in the whole world!

2. The cool Washington mornings.

3. My morning cup of coffee with Hazlenut creamer.

4. Gardening - flowers, veggies, just about anything you can put in dirt.

5. I love watering - it's my favorite thing to do right after supper when the sun is starting to set and the heat of the day is disappearing. It's my alone time with God.

Now I have to tag 5 people. I hate choosing as I have so many friends with blogs. So if you'd like to participate please leave a comment and let me know! Tag - you're all it!!

New Soap!!!

I finally got some soap made!! There's more to come but I just had to do two new scents that I've been wanting to try for summer - Good Mornin' Mint and Sugared Lime. They're both in my Etsy shop. I've also opened an eBay store (yes Kim, I will leave it open this time).

Stephany was gone for a while when I was making the mint soap. She came home and was very excited that I had made soap. I asked her why and she said "Now everything is normal again." She is right - everything is normal again. It's funny the things that our kids find comfort in. Our lives have been so topsy turvy for the last couple of months that it blessed my heart when Stephany found comfort in the minty batch of soap.

Good Mornin' Mint has spearmint and peppermint essential oils and I also added ground mint leaves. This one will definitely cool you off on a hot summer day!

The Sugared lime smells so good too - reminds me of a cool, frosty marguerita!

I haven't done a soap giveaway in a while either! So just leave a comment on this post and tell me which new scent would be your favorite. I'll draw on Sunday for the winner.

Hugs,
Kay

Glorious Sunday

I have a laptop which I borrowed from my husband for our trip to Utah. Actually, Stephany says it is HER laptop. That's to be debated, but we let her think it is hers.

Since I'm in a temporary place right now I get to go to different places each day to use free WiFi with my laptop. It's kind of neat. Right now I'm sitting in the Battle Grounds Coffee shop drinking an Orange Crush soda and typing on my blog.

It's fun to sit here, surf the internet, visit my favorite blogs, listen to music playing over the stereo system (classical at the moment), and watch people. Maybe I will not get internet at home when I have a permanent place. Maybe I'll just keep traveling around enjoying the company of strangers while I surf!

What a glorious Lord's Day!! The sun is shining here and it was so nice and cool this morning. I got up about 8 AM and went out to the patio. Missy's plants are in need of some serious TLC. So I picked off spent blossoms and watered them. After that I did my Beth Moore Bible study. I was going to join the study at the church in Layton but then we came back here. So I have the book and am doing it on my own. It's about the Fruit of the Spirit. Each day is about a 35 minute study. I'm going to like it because she really makes you dig into scripture. I even had to do a time line this morning!

God bless you on this Sabbath Day!!! Many hugs!!!

We're Here

We got into Vancouver about 5 last night! I was a nervous wreck coming down the mountain into Pendleton, OR. That is a huge downgrade with a hairpin curve. But I prayed all the way down and it went just fine.

Eastern Oregon is very barren to me. It's brown, no trees, and rock. As I drove further west it slowly got more green. When it was finally to the point where there were pine trees everywhere I was so excited! I almost felt like crying.

It is so good to be home! I still don't have any internet at my temporary home. Right now I'm sitting at Kim's using my laptop. Not only do I have internet connection here but she fed me a wonderful dinner - marinated tuna, rice, and salad. Good food and good company!!

Thank You!

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words of encouragement regarding our move back to WA! I can't express in words what you all mean to me. My heart is so blessed!

We are in Nampa, ID tonight and I'm in the lobby of the motel using the computer. It is very hot here. I talked to two friends in WA today that said it was 75 degrees there. I can't wait to get back and see the green pine trees.

We have about 6 hours to drive tomorrow and then we'll be home!

Going Home

Sometimes we think that after we've prayed about a situation and some doors open, then we feel we know what God is trying to tell us or where He is leading us. That's how I felt about moving to Utah. I had prayed, made job contacts, had positive responses, had a place to live with friends, and felt this is where God was leading me. I sold or gave away everything. I only brought the things that would fit in my car.

I've been here almost 3 weeks, none of the job contacts have worked out, I've sent out 30 resumes with no responses, and we are homesick for WA. The job that I had lasted for one day and there were some issues that went against my moral standards. I decided not to go back.

I have been discouraged the last couple of days. Patience is not my virtue and I have such a hard time waiting on the Lord. This morning I laid in bed and just turned this whole thing over to God. I asked for His forgiveness for not trusting more, for trying to take control of this situation, and for being prideful about what kind of job I wanted. I told Him that whatever job He wanted me to have I would take. No matter what the pay, hours, or where it was. I let go of it all.

I got online and posted my resume on Craig's List in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. About two hours later I got a call from a lady in Vancouver who saw my resume on Craig's List. She wants to interview me on Monday at 10 AM. I've received 4 other contacts from companies in Vancouver regarding positions that they have open. These are more responses than I've received in the 3 weeks that I've been in Utah.

Don't get me wrong - it is beautiful here in Utah. The hot days, warm nights, and sunshine have been so appreciated. Steph and I are even getting a tan! Well, except for my legs - they never tan even when I wear shorts.

Tomorrow we are packing the car and Thursday morning at 8 AM we are heading back to WA. I truly do feel foolish that I've spent all the money to get here, uprooted my daughter, and on and on. But I also know that in every situation God is teaching us a lesson.

I have lived in WA for 23 years and for the last 9 years I have been discontented and wanted to move somewhere else. I whined and complained about the rain, the cost of living, and more. So I moved to Utah. God's lesson to me, and to Stephany, is that WA is our home. It's the only place that she's ever known. My family is there, my dear friends are there and soon we're going to be there.

I still don't know what God has in store for me. I don't have a home to go to now. I'll be staying in my daughter's apartment until her lease is up at the end of August. After that I have no idea where we'll live. I only have unemployment until the middle of November. All these uncertainties! But God is in control! I gave all of it up to Him this morning and am not taking it back. He is leading now and I am gladly following.

The Rustic Cottage Newsletter

Some time back I started a Google group so that I could publish a newsletter every month or so. I got lots of lovely people that signed up. However, now I can't remember my username and password to get into the account. Thus the reason for no newsletter!

I've opened an account with iContact (and wrote down the username and password) for my newsletter. There is a sign up box in the right hand column of my blog. If you'd like to receive my newsletter please feel free to enter your name and email address. You'll be taken to a "Thank You" screen and all you have to do is hit the back button to get back to my blog!!

Hugs,
Kay

I Got A Job!!!

I am so excited - I got a job today!!! I have been sending out resumes like crazy. Last Saturday I drove by an Express Personnel office in Clearfield. I decided to go yesterday to drop off my resume. While there the manager told me about a couple of positions that I would be qualified for. One was as office manager for a company in Centerville that manufactures and sells a salon hair care line. The owner spends most of the time in England so she had to email my resume to him.

I went back in today to complete some paperwork and they said they were waiting to hear back from the owner. I got part way home when my cell phone rang and she told me I had the job!! I had to turn around and go back to get time cards and directions.

I start tomorrow at noon and it is for the same pay I was making in Vancouver. God is so good!!! I am just so grateful for this job. Now we can start saving and hopefully can be in our own place within the next month or so.