Enjoy the Little Things

My kitchen towel drawer was starting to look a little overworked. For my birthday my mother-in-law gave me a new set of dishtowels. That was just the push I needed to start fresh. I bought another set of towels and some dish clothes. The tattered towels went to the rag bag and those that were stained but otherwise fine were put with the canning items.


Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things. ~Frank Howard Clark


I also purchased a new cover for the ironing board. The one I had wasn't thick enough, but I was making do. I found this cover for $5.99 and couldn't pass it up for that price. I like how cheerful it looks.

You could see these as a couple of insignificant items for mundane task. I choose to see them as the little things that bring happiness. We all have dishes to wash and laundry to do so we might as well do these task with pretty items and joy in our hearts!

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

The Winner...

is Katy The Country Blossom!

Congratulations Katy! Please get me your address and I will bet this sent out as soon as possible.

Thank you to everyone who left a comment. I appreciate everyone who takes times to read my ramblings.

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Giveaway: Courageous

The past month or so I have won three giveaways! A Gooseberry Patch Cookbook from Farmchick at Fresh from the Farm, Southern Living Christmas Cookbook from Kathy at Here On Hartland and The Keeper from Carrie at Farming on Faith.


Since I have been blessed with such wonderful things I thought it was time for me to have a giveaway. I will be giving away a copy of my top movie pick of 2011.


Not only is this movie my top pick for 2011, but it is on my top 10 list of favorite movies.

Any movie that has action, makes me laugh, cry, think and want to seek a deeper relationship with God is a keeper in my book! For a chance to win all you need to do is leave a comment. I will accept comments through Sunday, January 29 and will announce the winner on Monday the 30th.

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Weekend Project

We have had new flooring for the bathroom in the garage for ~hmmm~ almost a year. I don't know why it never made it to the top of the to do list. Anyway, I told Chuck that installing the floor is what I wanted for my birthday.

I am very happy with how it turned out. You know how one thing leads to another and another. With the new flooring I felt the urge to make everything look new. I did some cleaning and organizing. Boy did the closet need to be cleaned out!


A couple of shelves were added to the bottom of the closet.


Ah, much better.


The medicine cabinet was wiped out and a few things were thrown out. I love that there is empty space!

There is a drawer under the vanity. This is fantastic storage space. I added some baskets and plan to get a few more. It is amazing how much neater this space stays without the contents moving around when the drawer is opened and closed.


Having everything neat and tidy made it easy for me to make a list of things I need to stock up on. Not only that, but it makes me happy and has inspired me to continue to organize and purge.

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Backyard Visitor

On Friday my neighbor called to asked if I had seen what was in the backyard. I walked to the kitchen window and said "Oh my!" as I looked out.


Yes, that is a coyote!! Saying I was a little shocked is an understatement. I talked to a biologist at DNR (dept natural resources) and was told there are a few reports of a coyote attacking small domestic animals. I was assured that unless cornered the coyote will not attack humans.

We plan to be alert and hope he has moved on and we will not encounter him again!

Joy of Home

As far as winters go this one has been pretty mild. We have had some light snow and it has turned cold. Brrr! When the thermometer drops and the snow falls I am more then happy to stay indoors.


Megan asked me to take her picture. It really doesn't seem possible that she is this big. Time really does fly!


There are plenty of things to keep me busy. It seems I am always in the kitchen.


I love popping open a jar of home canned goodness!

Is it just me or does laundry seem to never stop? lol


Not a complaint, just an observation. The mountain of laundry means we are abundantly blessed with clothes to wear.

The little ones I watch warm my heart.


Especially when I catch them showing love and kindness to each other.

I use my dishwasher for most of my dish washing. There are times when there aren't many dishes or the dishwasher is full.


I grew up hand washing dishes and there is something calm and soothing about it.


Candles are often lit. Adding a warm glow and a wonderful scent.

To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart. ~Pearl S. Buck

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Kitchen Table Science

While watching Martha Stewart the other day she had a guest on doing snow day activities. When this segment was over Megan and I both looked at each other and off we went to try it out. First we gathered our supplies.


A raw egg was placed in a jar and then about a cup of vinegar was added.


A lid and ring was added to the jar and then we let it sit until the next day.


Can you see the vinegar reacting with the shell?


When we took it out there was still a thin layer of shell. It needed to sit longer but since I had two little anxious ones I ran the eggs under water and gently rubbed the rest of the shell off.

The membrane was left and it had a rubber texture. Neat!


Megan punctured the membrane.




A fun and easy experiment!

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Making the Most of Your Library

Those of you who have been reading for a while most likely know that I am an avid reader. It is a love that I have enjoyed since I was a child. Those of you who are readers also know that it can get expensive. I am fortunate that my mother-in-law has the same taste in books and we pass books back and forth. Even with the book sharing it can still be expensive.

I have tried using the library, but I wasn't thrilled with it. Most of my reading has a Christian base. The Christian area at my local library isn't large. One of my goals is to try to utilize the library more. So far it is working well!

I use my latest book magazine to browse for books I am interested in.

I circle those that I am interest in and mark out those I have already read.


I then search to see if the book is available at the library.


I then mark library if I find it. I have found that my library system does purchase Christian books just not a large quanity of each book. That explains some of the frustration when I would go to the libary and couldn't find what I was looking for. By searching I am able to see if the book is available anywhere in our library system. If so when ready I can put a hold on the book and it will be sent to my local branch.

I receive an e-mail when the book is ready and then all I have to do is swing by and pick it up. I received an e-mail last week that two books on hold were ready. By the time I got to the library on Saturday all four of the books were on the hold shelf. Yes!


As long as the books are picked up before the hold date expires and renewed or returned on time this is a thrifty way to support a reading habit. I would love to hear your tried and true tips for making the most of your library.

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Made With L♥ve!

I celebrated a birthday on Thursday. My 41st if you want to know. We went out for dinner with my parents and then I was given a few gifts once home. A book, new cover for my Bible and a sign made by Megan. Chuck said that it was all her idea.


Be still my heart... I love it!!

It now resides in a lovely spot by the front door.


It means so much that she thought about what I might like and made it herself. I love gifts from the heart!

New Friends for a New Year

The new year brought a couple of new friends my way. The first is a pair of reading glasses. I have needed them for a while but was in denial. My, what a difference they make! I am using them much more then I thought I would.

My other new friend is Anne of Green Gables. Thanks to my aunt I am the happy owner of the complete set!



Can you believe that I have never read this series?! I am a few chapter in and am finding it a delightful read! Makes me want to stroll along the grounds of Green Gables and smell the cherry tree blossoms. Yum!

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Sunshine in a Glass

My parents said that they had some really sweet oranges but the skins were tough. Making them hard to peel. They asked if I wanted some to juice. Sure!





Megan had a great time making juice and it was delicious. Definitely a bit of sunshine in a glass.

Once the oranges were juiced I threw half of the peels into a bag for the freezer and the other half into a pan.


I then added some whole cloves and ground cinnamon. I boiled all of this and my home smelled delightful. So please tell me I am not the only crazy one to do this!:)

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

Catching Up

Now that the kitchen is tidy from dinner I thought it would be a good time to sit down and catch up. I have been meaning to blog for days. It seems that when I have time I am exhausted and not able to put my thoughts together and when my thoughts are together there is no time. One of the joys of living a full life! :) This probably didn't help.


I did a crazy thing on New Year's Day and caught my finger in the beaters of a mixer. Yes, you heard that right! I was getting ready to mash potatoes and couldn't get one of the beaters locked in. I meant to hit eject and catch the falling beater. Instead I hit the on button and it caught my finger and twisted it. I feel really silly that it happened.

Anyway, it hurt a lot! Luckily I pulled my wedding ring off when it happened because it immediately started to swell. Years ago I broken the same finger. I still had the plastic splint that the orthopedic doctor gave me at that time. I didn't see the need to spend money going to doctor since I knew there wasn't much to be done. It is better, but I still can not bend it any further then to make my hand into a C. I will continue to wear the splint and see how it goes.

For January the weather has been strange. The beginning of the week it was cold and blustery. A perfect day to make a pot of turkey noodle soup.



Cuddle under a warm blanket with friend and watch a favorite Bible story, David and Goliath.


Then the warm up began and by Friday it felt like a spring day.


This weather has caused some amazing sunrises.


I love stepping out for a bit of fresh air and enjoying this view as I begin my day.

It has also meant some outside time. Chuck worked a little bit on the fence and finished up one of the gates.


Megan used her outside time to fly a kite.


Even our furry friends were out and about enjoying the warmth.


I hear that the cold and maybe a snowflake or two is heading back next week. In the meantime I will cherish the glorious weather.

I am ready to settle down with a cup of tea and finish up An Amish Christmas. I hope that the week has treated you well and that you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments.