It was found on the floor of a local, consignment store.  It was sitting on the floor,
surrounded by other pieces of old, unwanted, and discarded furniture.  It has served it's
purpose for many a year, perhaps in some farmhouse, or maybe in some row home.
Now, it sat unwanted, along with all the other pieces, on the crowded floor of the
old store.

It was then that my sister-in-law walked in and discovered it sitting there. 
She, with her creative insight, saw beauty in it's future.  She paid a few dollars for it,
and lugged it home.  I don't know if you are like me or not, but I find it so
inspiring to see old pieces made new.  When I walked in through the front door of her
farmhouse, here is what I saw...

She had cleaned it thoroughly.  She removed all of it's hardware.  She sanded it, to rid it
of it's many nicks and bruises:)  And then she lovingly painted it, and brought it back to
life in such a beautiful way, all for a few dollars and lots of time.

I was so impressed with her skills and her decorating sense, especially considering that she
had not tackled a job like this one previously.  It looked so attractive sitting in the foyer, with
it's new look and it's dressed up style.

At the same consignment shop, she found this old wooden table, and once again, paid
a few dollars for it.  She followed the same steps as the buffet above.  It too,
was given a second chance to shine in life.  It looked so good, along with the old, painted
wooden chairs.

On a visit to a nearby farm with her husband, she discovered the above piece, stashed away
underneath discarded pieces of old, unused farm equipment.  In an unique set of circumstances,
her husband was able to barter with the farmer, and she left with the piece. 

Another cleaning, sanding, and staining, along with hours of time, and look what she now
has, serving as a coffee table, in the family room of her guest house.  If you are interested
in reading about their guest house, you can visit my post from November 16, 2014.

Three old, unused, unwanted pieces, found new purpose and were given a new look, by
my sister-in-law.  She saw beyond their condition, and saw what they could become.

Thanks to my sister-in-law for the inspiration you gave to me, last Saturday morning.  And,
for the beautiful sights I once again received, while sitting on your porch.

 

 

In the midst of exceptionally beautiful fall days, when the leaves were sharing

their brilliant colors...

 

We were spending time with two special grandchildren for a few days, because...

 

...in a nearby hospital, this precious little guy was born. 

We all welcomed him with great joy.

Words cannot describe our gratitude for his safe arrival, and his healthy little body.
What a miracle!  What a gift from God!  A whole new adventure awaits his older sister
and brother.  The middle child kept asking his parents, "if he could pet him?"

Thanks so much for stopping by.

 

Recently, I received this gift as a hostess gift.  I can't tell you how much I liked it!  It was
from our oldest daughter and her family.  They collected these eggs from their very own
chickens.  They always have an amble supply of eggs for their big family, in the chicken coop
behind their barn.  They take turns collecting the eggs.  I must admit, eggs never
looked so attractive sitting in my refrigerator, as these eggs did.

Every time I opened my refrigerator, there they were, and they always made me smile.  You
might wonder why I have a container of egg beaters behind the eggs, but I was using that for
a recipe I was making.  As you can see, their eggs were front and center:). 

I share this post, because I just read that today is "Happy World Egg Day"!  Did
you know that?  Me neither, until I read it on my "Hungry Girl" update email.

Speaking of eggs...I almost always have bags of our favorite "Steamables".  There are a
variety of bags of these small potatoes.  There are baby reds, golden potatoes, and
fingerlings.  The instructions tell me to steam them in the closed bag for 8 minutes. 
I then open the bag and place them in a pyrex bowl.  I save them in my refrigerator,
and use them in so many ways.  One of my husband's very favorite ways to eat these
small wonders, is when I brown them, sliced with butter in a pan. 

I add the sliced potatoes to the buttered pan, along with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic
powder.  When they are browned and crisp, I break eggs into the pan, on top of the potatoes.

I then sprinkled shredded sharp cheddar cheese and cover with a lid, and let it all cook
together on medium heat.  When it is ready, I slide it all onto a dinner plate and serve it
with buttered toast.  This is so simple that I almost hesitate to share it with you, but it
does make him happy, so here is it. 

I use up these soft, cooked potatoes for so many meals.  Sometimes I slice them when
they are still hot, right out of the microwave, and add a tiny dollop of sour cream.  When
I do that, he eats two or three of them.  What makes these a stable here in our home,
is the speed with which I can cook them, and how tender and delicious they taste. 
Another nice feature of these bags of potatoes, is that they are often, buy one, get one
free:)

Another meal I make with the potatoes, is to make a white sauce, add a bit of sour cream,
browned hamburger, green peas, and cook together.  Pour over the halved and fluffed potatoes,
and add some shredded cheese.  I serve this with cole slaw or apple sauce.  A hot
cooked meal in no time flat.  We both like that!

What we like even better though, is this our sweet egg collector!

Thank you for stopping by!  "Happy World Egg Day" to you:)!

Day one...Grandparent's day and breakfast for first graders.

Day Two...Grandparent's Day and breakfast for third graders.  Fortunately, this week,
we were able to attend both breakfasts, for three of our grandchildren.

We brought our coffee, she purchased her breakfast at school.  Together, we sat at
the small cafeteria tables, along with many other grandchildren and their grandparents.
I looked around the dining room, and could not believe that we are now part of the
"really old" age group, in all of these children's minds.  When everyone was finished
eating, we started asking each other the questions lined on the table before us.

Did you ever...sleep in a cabin or tent? 

From the dining room, we headed to the classroom, and for a few minutes, we walked into
their world of school, meeting their teachers, sitting at their desks with them, and then
completing the papers that were prepared for us to complete.

If a child sitting near us had grandparents unable to attend, we would adopt that one for
the classroom session. Making them feel included, as we glued the colorful leaves on
the painted tree,

On the overhead board, at the front of the room, were some of the things that the children
thought about, when asked about what they liked doing best with their grandparents.
As I read the answers, I wondered which answer our granddaughter gave to this question.

Here I am pictured with my two third graders.  This morning was a special time
for their grandparents to visit.  Once again, we had breakfast and coffee together, and
once again, we all answered the list of questions that were placed on the table in front of
us.

One of the questions we asked our grandchildren, was..."If you could travel anywhere, where
would you choose to visit?"  Our granddaughter immediately answered, "the Statue of Liberty".
What an interesting answer from this young girl!  We both thought to ourselves, that we need
to take them there, because of the important significance that statue holds for them and their
freedom. 

After breakfast, we visited their classroom.  She proudly showed me her organized desk,
and each one of her text books.  I must say, I was impressed with the way everything
was in order, and neatly stored inside the small desk.

Once again, if a child's grandparents could not attend, those who were there, did a
temporary adoption.  We felt honored to "adopt" our niece's son for the morning.
Each child was given a list of more questions that they were to ask their grandparents,
and were to record the answers given.  A few of the questions we were asked...

"What chores did you have to do as a child?",  "What television shows did you watch
as a child?"  " What music did you listen to as a child?"

In case you wondered the answers I gave to her questions, here they are;

Answer number one...The chores I remember doing, were cleaning my room, washing
and drying the dishes many times, and I clearly remember picking up the fallen
apples from our huge apple tree in the back yard.

Answer number two..."We did not have a television".  In fact, we did not get one until I
was in my teens.  My granddaughter could not believe this fact, making me feel
like I was ancient:).

Answer number three..."I could not remember listening to music as a child, except the
hymns that my grandmas and mother played on their living room record players:).
Once again, that amazed this precious 3rd grader.  I am sure she will think back
over these strange answers again.

We were both reminded again, of how fast the world has changed, and continues to
change.  But, more important than that, we left the school, feeling more blessed than
ever, for the gift of grandchildren.

I am curious, how would you answer the above three questions about your childhood?

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with their "old" grandmother today.

Early this morning, I sat quietly, looking out the family room window.  My heart felt so heavy,
and the tears were near the surface.  My focus was clouded.  My thoughts went out to the
many families whose lives were instantly changed in a small, hometown of Rosedale,
Oregon.  I thought of what their Saturday morning looked like, and hence my sadness
for them.

Then, it was as if God redirected my focus, and suddenly, I saw their color
and their exquisite beauty ......roses..... as they continued to bloom, right outside the
rain covered window.
Not many of them.  No, just a few, but they were there, lifting their heads toward heaven,
and their presence blessed my saddened heart in a special way.

A few of the brilliant red ones...

A few buds, and newly opened ones, as well.

Quietly, without fanfare, through the rain and much cooler weather, they continued to
bloom, even though it is October.

Even the tiny raindrops added to their exquisite beauty.

I walked to another window, on a different side of our house, and there I saw it.  One remaining
pink hydrangea, and it too offered a touch of inspiration for me.  

 

At the back window, I observed the tiny birds that were happily eating away, despite the
heavy rain of the morning.  These inspiring sights outside my windows, on this dismal
Saturday morning, reminded me that God is still giving us gifts of beauty like these, to
exhibit His continual love for me, and for all of His children.  Then, it came to mind, the amazing sights that greeted those Christians who were brave enough to stand up in that classroom, when they entered Heaven's gates on Thursday morning.

 

 

I know that, because my Bible tells me so.

 

I read this in 1 Corinthians 2: 9

 

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor has entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

 

Great peace and heartfelt comfort was what I found on this Saturday.

 

 

Thanks to my uncle for sharing this last picture with me.

For at least 40some years, I have been attending the country fair in my home town. 
Each year, the main street of the town, along with many other side streets, have been
closed down to traffic, and set up with food stands, game stands, rides with colorful
lights and loud, fun music.  It takes place on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and
culminates on Saturday night.  The highlight of this fair, is the big, crowd gathering
parade on Wednesday evening. 

Last evening, my husband and I, along with our daughter and her children, headed
out to attend the activities for yet another year. 

 I wish I could share the sounds and the smells of this event, with you.  As we walked along,
I could not help but smile, as I observed once again, small town America, putting on her
finest, and  sharing the festive happening with so many people.

I could not imagine how this all must appear to all the children.  First stop...the "chance" of
winning your very own goldfish.  Their mother purchased one can of ping pong balls, with
the children each taking their turns to throw the balls and have them land in one of the
colorful bowls.  I stood back watching them, as they so carefully, attempted this feat.

As you can see, there was only one winner.  Ever so carefully, he carried this beloved goldfish
throughout the entire evening.

Next on the agenda, was their introduction to the fair staple, of funnel cakes.

Two funnel cakes, divided among six people, after being sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Believe me, they devoured every bite of those deep fried cakes. 

The flower display room was next, with so many entrants presenting their prized flowers,
plants, and arrangements.

This huge, beautiful dahlia caught our attention.  The vibrant color is big this year in the
fashion world, and would certainly capture the attention of everyone, in any garden.

This colorful, creative arrangement, was a favorite of my granddaughter and me.  We were
sure every teacher would be so blessed to receive it as a gift.

As the evening progressed, we took our coveted street side seats, thanks to my cousin
and her family, and waited for the parade to begin.  One could feel the anticipation, when
the first drums were heard in the distance.

The men who had served in the military were honored first, as they proudly marched down the
streets.

High School bands shared their talents too, as they marched past us.

The evening also presented time to catch up with family.  Here our daughter and my
cousin shared moments of conversation and laughter.  We were all grateful to her, for
our great seats.  Thanks Karel!

Huge tractor trailers, tractors, combines, were interspersed throughout the parade, along with
so many colorfully decorated floats. 

This hot air balloon demonstration caught everyone's attention, with the fire and the roar of the burner..

Before long, it was all over, and we headed home.  Everyone of us will treasure our
memories on another special hometown fair parade.  I was curious, does your hometown
have a fair or a parade?