Another Road Trip.....WOO HOO!

This morning, a lovely group of women and I, will be bound for NC for a Women's Conference. We will be gone all day Friday and Saturday. I am so EXCITED! This is our group from last year. We had such a great time!

Please pray that we arrive there and return home safely.
I know this is going to be a time of great fellowship. There's nothing like a great big group of women getting together and PRAISING THE LORD!

Have a great weekend. See you when I get back!

Headin' Out!

We are heading out today to spend the day with my sister. Going to take care of a few homeschool things, then off to lunch (nom nom) and some ice cream afterwards.

Have a GREAT day!

YAY, GOD!!!

Isn't it AMAZING how God takes care of things?

Skippy found out a few months back that his plant would be closing here in VA due to the poultry plant they purified water for, had filed bankruptcy. He has applied at many places and has not been able to find any work here. We have been praying that God will give us direction as to what to do not only for his employment, but about our house as well. We have been severely close to foreclosure, but PTL, the mortgage company has worked with us so that will not happen.

Two weeks ago, his boss called him and told him that they were going to disassemble his plant, ship it to another location, and then rebuild it. They wanted to know if he would be willing to transfer to Alabama and manage the plant there, hence our recent road trip this past weekend to check things out. We still have not had a chance to tell some of our family, so if you are on my facebook friends list, PLEASE don't post anything about our move. THANKS! :> )

God has shown us so many signs that this is the direction He is leading us. His provisions already are amazing:

• Job: Skippy can transfer with the same company so we don't lose ANY benefits at all or loss of wages.
• Church: A wonderful church, Grace Life Church of the Shoals, is close by and happens to be the home church of Skippy's favorite preacher, Paul Washer
  
• Homeschool: Grace Life Church has a homeschool group, which takes care of all the "cover school" requirements
• Housing: We are going to TRY and do a quick sale on our house, and I pray that we will not have much trouble with that. We are practically giving it away. While in AL, we met a wonderful man who is going to let us stay at his 3 bedroom home that comes with a 5 horse stable, a cement pond, and a peacock running around loose, on his 15 acre farm, RENT FREE for a year in exchange for helping him with his other rental properties and maintenance on the house. GOD IS SO GOOD!
  
• BONUS: He has 18 horses and he is bringing some of them back to the farm so they can be at "home" again. Did I mention he has 18 horses? LOL
  
• And not to mention all of the other things that God had already prepared and set in motion way in advance of this job opportunity
  

I don't think the signs could be any clearer that this is where He IS sending us.

As much as I don't want to go and leave my daughter and son-in-law, our friends, and our home church, but I do know that if we continue to put our faith and trust in God, He will take care of everything, I know that eventually, I will be able to answer the question, "Where do you live?" with a gentle response of....................

Road Trip

Hi, everyone! We are back from our road trip. Skippy's job sent him on a business trip to Alabama to a little town called Russellville. And when I say little town, I mean LITTLE TOWN! It is about the same size as the town we live in, only there is a LOT less to do. I didn't think that was possible, but it was! lol


While we were there, we did a lit of driving around, checking out the area. I found a house I would just LOVE to have. Isn't it SWEET? I just LOVE the wrap-around porch.



Look at the corner with the wicker furniture.....AWESOME!

I have more to share, but it will have to wait. Lots to do today!

ROAD TRIP

ON A ROAD TRIP WITH MY BOYS.....BE BACK MONDAY!

Away With You.........Be Gone!

I just read this over at Lindsay's and just had to share this:

“Having alot of things–whether it’s furniture or knick-knacks or things you think you might need but never end up using–can make [home maintenaince] an overwhelming, or seemingly overwhelming, task. Clutter or crowded spaces can make even a clean house seem not so clean. When the clutter is gone, cleaning is easier and the house actually looks clean when I’m done…A neat space is much more inviting than a clean, yet cluttered, place.”

I have been struggling with the issue of "clutter" for quite some time. My mother, God bless her, was a PACK RAT in every sense of the word. She has been gone almost 5 years, and I still have not gotten rid of most of what she collected. I guess part of the "rat-ness" rubbed off on me. LOL

Skippy and I are thinking of selling our house and getting something smaller, now that my mom and the girls are gone and it's just the three of us now. It just makes sense in so many ways. How true that statement is that "clutter, can make maintaining your home an overwhelming, or seemingly overwhelming task!" There are days where I just look around and want to just crawl back in bed and pull the covers up over my head and stay there! Clutter has caused tension (for me) and is so much harder to maintain....and dust.

I am so glad I came across "Passionate Homemaking". She has given me the incentive that I have needed. Thank you, Lindsay, for that giant push off the proverbial "clutter-cliff."

BRB

Blog Hop - AWESOME Pepperoni Bread Recipe

“In the childhood memories of every good cook, there's a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot, and mom.”



This is a recipe I have been using for years to make the most delicious pepperoni bread you have ever tasted (at least in our house, that is). It is a very simple recipe that I make in my bread machine (or you can make it by hand, works great either way) on the dough cycle and then let it rise in the bread pan and then bake. Mmmmmm.......the aroma! Your house will smell WONDERFUL!

For one (1) loaf, you will need the following, and this is the order that I put my ingredients in, which is according to the bread machine manufacturers directions, so please check your manual before starting. For this recipe you will need:

• 2 tsps yeast
• 2 cups of bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp non-fat dry milk
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• 3/4 cups warm water
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni (depending on personal preference, but we use a LOT)
• 2 tbsps chopped garlic (again, depending on personal preference and you can substitute garlic powder for fresh or jarred if you desire)

After adding ALL my ingredients, I select the dough cycle and let it go, which takes about an hour and a half for it to complete. I then take out the dough, shape it either into a loaf or section it and shape it into rolls. The possibilities are endless!

After the loaf/rolls are shaped, I put them into greased pans and let them rise to desired height. For me, that usually takes about 45 minutes as our house is warm from the wood stove and things tend to rise a little bit quicker.

Bake at 350 degrees. For the loaf - 20 - 22 minutes and for the rolls - 15 - 18 minutes. This particular night I had made both for dinner. As you can see, they came out GREAT! But I will tell you this, they didn't last long!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Come for a walk with me down Memory Lane!
And if you have a "Memory Lane" post, head on over to Scottsville to join in on the fun!
This was taken soon after a hurricane came through our town 8 years ago. This picture, is one of my all-time FAVORITES. This is my DH and my sweet son walking back to our house after viewing the damage. They are walking on the road that leads in and out of our development.

To the right, there is the
Dry Run Creek. It rose so high, that it totally destroyed the bridge by the main road, came within inches of our neighbors foundation, and completely covered our only way in or out. Thankfully, Skippy had made it home before the road was flooded. PTL, no one was injured when it came through!

This next pic, was of my boys when we went to the American Museum of Frontier Culture. When I saw them walking away, I remember the hurricane pic and had to grab this one quick. I just love it when the two of them spend time together.

THEY ARE MY WORLD!

Sharp Shopper

Today was grocery shopping day. Cathy and I and the kids, drove to H'burg to go to our FAVORITE grocery store, Sharp Shopper. They carry a wide variety of grocery items:

* Pet food & accessories * Cleaning, household & paper supplies
* Canned soups, fruits & vegetables * Beverages (juices, sodas, etc.)
* Dairy, freezer & produce departments * Snacks & candy
* Bulk food * Cereals, pastas & bread
AND MUCH MORE . . . .

When we go, it's ALWAYS on a Tuesday or a Friday. That is when the new trucks come in. You never know what GREAT STUFF they will have! Did I mention that it was my FAVORITE GROCERY STORE? :D

These pictures are actual pictures of what our store looks like. When we first started going, it was less than half the size it is now. They have done a LOT of work there.

Do you have any discount groceries stores near you that you love to shop at? Come on.....share it with us.....what's your favorite?

At The Park

Today was another busy day. We had Sunday School this morning, followed by the morning worship service. Then it was off to the ball field for another day of tournament play.

After taking a bunch more pictures, I was able to sit for a bit and have lunch with I mean sit near well, at least be within 100 feet of, my darling Skippy. He has been so busy for the past month getting things ready for this tournament, that we have not had much time to really sit with each other. I will miss the kids when this is over, however, I will very much enjoy being able to spend some "quality" time with my DH and Kiddo.

After lunch, my sister Cathy called and asked if we wanted to go with her and the kids to the park. What a great idea. Little did we know that my friend, Debbi was going to be there as well. The kids had a wonderful time playing while the "girls" just sat around and laughed and talked. Then it was off to Flotzie's for chocolate covered ice cream cones. (Deb has those pics) DELISH! What a way to end a relaxing afternoon with such special people!

Opening Day Surprise

Yesterday, was a full day for all involved in the tournament.

There was hotel registration..........

Team registration.................

Cooking for the team picnic................

Wrapping over one thousand hot dogs and hamburgers, eight trays of baked beans, umteen pounds of potato salad, and a TON of BBQ chicken made special by the Police Department. (That's me...all the way in the back on the left :> )

We fed over 800 people at the picnic....WOW!

Then there was an evening of F U N........

Playing at Imagination Station.............

Pin trading..............

and fireworks..............BOOM!
What a great day. We were all so exhausted. Most of us got to bed way after midnight, and were back up and out to the ball field by 6:30-7:00. Skippy was there at 5:00 am preparing the fields for play. WHAT A MAN!!!

************************************************************

Today was Opening Day Ceremonies for the Little League State Tournament. All the kids were there in their nice clean uniforms. They all looked GREAT!

These are players from our area, District #3. Out league did not have any teams in the tournament this year :> (This is only 11 out of the 16 teams that are participating. They just finished parading across the field, and are waiting for their names to be announced. There's nothing like being a kid, surrounded by almost a thousand people, and having YOUR name called out over the PA system. We want them all to feel special!

The League planned a BIG SURPRISE for everyone......SKYDIVERS! How COOL is that! We were a little worried that they weren't going to be able to jump due to the cloudy skies, but WOO HOO, they did, and what an awesome sight it was! Please take a look.......

Did you see the beautiful mountains in the background? :> )

After the ceremony was completed and the skydivers had landed safely, the skies opened up and just POURED on us, which caused the games at first, to be on a two hour delay, but God saw to water our fields with the much needed rain canceling them for the rest of the day. Thank you, God, for your provision of liquid sunshine today! :> ) We so needed it!

Little League Baseball Tournament

Pledge
I trust in God
I love my country
And will respect its laws
I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose
I will always do my best

We have been involved with Little League for the past 16 years. Skippy has been everything form coach to President. This year, our town has the privilege of hosting the State 9-10 Baseball Tournament. Skippy is the coordinator and he has been extremely busy for months, getting this all together. Well, it is tournament time and it is AMAZING to see all that he has done! I am so PROUD of him! Kiddo and I have volunteered to help out where we can, so I will probably not be blogging for a day or two so I shuffle around and be where I am needed.

Today, I helped with the picnic for about 800 players and their families, after which we had an amazing fireworks display. THANKS, D! I will be taking MANY pictures and will try and post some of them when I get a chance, depending on whether or not I have permission from the families.

Little League is a WONDERFUL organization and we are PROUD to be a part of it!