Friday, November 30, 2012

Aloha Blog Hog

I'm just going to post the Link for the Aloha Blog Hop. My computer is totally nuts today and I can't get the darn button to work out But here's the link http://stacysrandomthoughts.com/2012/11/nagging-mom-strike-2/#comment-108113.

That mom on strike post brought up mommy memories of my own. I spouted out a big ole comment about my darlin' young 'ens. I have told myself never be negative in my blogging but that just came out of nowhere and I had done typed a whole mess. I'm a mother and I do love the kids but those kind of moments are why I don't really tell too much mommy stuff.
Cause sometimes it stinks...

                      I'm sorta' short on inspiration today, so I just thank ya for stopping by.
and most certainly if you are a mom,
You are surely a blessing!
and in return 
You've certainly been blessed!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Wicked Good Wednesday Blog Hop

http://www.wildernesswife.com/2012/11/28/its-wicked-good-wednesday-11-28-and-oh-how-time-flies/


Here's a like and a buttton to this fun blog hop. I hope the button will work for you I had some problems getting it to post. Maybe I should be in the bed after working last night instead of hopping around on blog hops but it's fun.
I hope you get in on the fun too.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

More Sharing..this is for those bad a$$ parents out there

Monday, November 26, 2012

Searching for Ground Cedar on Sunday

Our search for running ground cedar starts on the beaten path but we quickly take to the woods.
Start lookin' for it..you'll know you're in the right place when you see that greenery poking up through the brown leaves. The ramblin' in the woods is half the fun. Smells of the crushing dried leaves rise up and start ticklin' your nose.
 Oh we've found a good thick patch.
This is it..
When you find it start by rake the leaves back with your hand. You'll start seeing the way it runs.
Ground cedar us an evergreen and it's a vine; be gentle and start pulling it up.
We've brought some wreathes made of grapevine we're going to use them as the base. In times past I've tried different ways; I have started with just the cedar it's self but it's flimsy and your going to be wrapping for a long time. If you're not as cheap as me you could buy you a wreath base from the store to get started.


Oh no, Petey wants in on the fun.


What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! My best cowboy, good ole Pete making a few decorations for the house. You can see that Jack wore his gloves and I suggest you put some in your pocket. I forgot mine even after reminding him to grab his. It is always sunnier at the house but once you get in the cover of the woods and do a little standing around your going to be getting cold....unless you're tough like that..Jack's already put in a request for hot chocolate and hot cup o' coffee will be right on time for me.

If you live in a place that doesn't have running ground cedar, start looking around there is surely another vine or evergreen you can use to get you Christmas on. I'm a believer of use what ya' got and doing with what the good Lord has given.
Thanks for stopping by.
BE BLESSED






Sunday, November 25, 2012

Something to Share

Okay...I had to share this fun post from Stacy Uncorked.
                http://stacysrandomthoughts.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-thankfulness-and-fun/#c                                                                        Thanks Stacy!


Stacy



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Giggles and Head Shaking

I want wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I'm truly drinking from my saucer because my cup has overflowed. I'm also thankful for this new community of friends since I began traveling down the blogging road.
I traveled down to Madison, North Carolina this week for some errand and I just snapped a few pictures of downtown and Madison Dry Goods Store. This is just a fun and unique place to shop. They have added a deli full of all sorta of goodies and they were kind enough to share some of the Wisconsin cheeses that have become a real attraction for them. There's so much to tell about the place that I'm going to end it right there until me and sis can steal away for some big girl fun, that way I can truly do them justice.
Hey..Ann I'm a callin'...
I also feel like I've been doing all kinds of traveling right here where I'm sitting. So many folk have shared their families, recipes, DIY projects, beautiful tables in breath taking homes. I've got a birds eye view into your lives but I have to say I've been rather hesitant to bring you into mine. I could surely share things from holidays past that would make you shake your head and giggle; you might would even laugh out loud. I even got to thinking I should retitle my to a more fitting name. Something like...
Redneck Ramblings on Rorrer Lane
Don't get scared I didn't do it. 
Whether you're talking about my Mama's side or Daddy's side of the family there's a lot of us. The get together's are always buffet style; none of that sit down and pass the bowl stuff for us. With everyone bringing a dish or two and usually a desert too, Mama will have the kitchen table full, she'll have stuff that's best kept warm on the electric stove, the wood cook stove will be cold covered with a table cloth and so many dishes until there not a place to sit one more thing. That's when the food starts overflowing into the little  room to the side of the kitchen. You'll see another smaller kitchen table that's usually where the kids would be chowing down at but there's food there too. You might could set your plate down...
awwh...just squeeze in..
and kids eat your real food before you even think of looking on top of the 
chest freezer that is covered in desert.
It's a blue jeans and ball cap kind of crowd. Of course you'll see some festive sweaters and big smiles.
For goodness sake don't be shy...
we are talkers...
and you're sure to hear the latest old joke.

Now my mind goes back to a few years ago, well it's been quite a few now, when I was living in the Old House; I would host holiday gathering on my Daddy's side of the family. Mostly this was because I had the most room and I was living in Grandma's old house and that's where we always met before. I was inspired to do something charming. I had some new dishes I wanted to share and I had a wonderful new recipe for cranberry sauce.  Daddy said the blessing and we was all ready to dig in when my uncle said,
"Where's the plates?"
"Where's the cups?"
I said," they're stacked there on the counter and just grab you a glass." 
He said,
"You should of called. We came right by the store we could have brought 'em. Do you want us to run up to the Ridge( our little convenient store up the road)"
He finally obliged me and used a regular dinner plate as opposed to paper plates and cup. I thought everything would be fine after that. Then someone hollered,
"Where's the cranberry sauce?"
I said, 
"It's there in the bowl."
You know what they were looking for ...
the jellied cranberry sauce that comes out shaped like the can.
After all it has those nice ridges so you can tell where to slice it.
My cranberry sauce was not well received.

Okay. Are you through giggling or maybe you're shaking your head right now. Maybe you understand exactly the kind of gathering we have. I might be a redneck. You might be one two. 
If you find yourself stranded in Stuart town don't worry drop on in there's always plenty to go around.

No matter what kind of holiday you have I hope you spend it with the ones that love ya.
Thanks for stopping by.
BE BLESSED!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Some Favorite Pics from Christmas Past





Cowboy Cookies!!



Do you see the eye's she's giving me?
I guess she wasn't in model mode.

Thanks for letting me share!
Thanks for stopping by.
BE BLESSED!




Sleepy Stuart

Picture of Sleepy Stuart,Virginia

The weekend was slow and mostly uneventful for me. We usually meet at my Mama's house on Sundays for dinner and I always take a look over the hill to the town below as I leave each visit so I thought I would grab the camera out of the car and share my view with you.

Although there's many different types of festivals and civic events that go on in Stuart and Patrick Country so many of the times it's just a sleepy little town. Sundays for many in Stuart is revolved around church and family and I think those qualities are the most important assets we have. Sometime I think it could just as well be a little village in the Alps. Sometimes the old man(husband) and I joke that it's like a town in a snow globe  where folks could never imagine there's a whole world outside. 

Around here we're quirky and off beat but mostly we're a congregation of country folk with godly values and strong work ethics. The economic situation has been hard on the little community but we keep searching for a hand hold or foot hold to hoist ourselves up. 

Breaking new...WHEO 1720 am ...Hanes Corporation has won a grant to update their Woolwine plant here in Patrick Country that should lead to at least 50 more jobs. 
                       
Thank you Hanes !
Thanks to those who still believe in our sleepy little town.
Thanks for stopping by
Southern Direction
and as always 
BE BLESSED!


Thursday, November 15, 2012

the Christian Flag

The Christian Flag.

Meaning of the Colors: White: purity and peace; Blue: faith and truth; Red: blood of Jesus Christ and love.
Inspired by Charles C. Overton, Sunday School superintendent, in 1897. 
The Christian Flag is not affiliated with any denomination or church organization.

How about some recent controversy?

And here's how God can use that controversy...


Thanks for stopping by
BE BLESSED!







Wednesday, November 14, 2012

So Wound up

Oh my goodness, I'm so wound up!
 I work the night shift, so usually after I get the kids off to school and do my animal chores, I get on here and read a few blogs. A little reading and maybe a little posting and I'm ready for the bed.
but not today...

You see I listen to our local AM radio station every morning. If you want to know what's going on that's the only way to find out. There also a mayberry kind of humor I get from it. This morning the announcer was reading through the birthday's and community call-ins when he announced they needed help packing the boxes  for the food bank here in Patrick County. I had helped out one other time a few months ago and it gave me a good feeling to do something for the community. It was a little awkward, mainly because I didn't really know what I was suppose to do.

It didn't take but a moment for someone to point me to a few pallets of cardboard boxes I could be folding. That time everyone volunteering were older folks and retirees. I was partnered up with one of the counties sweet little grandpa's and it was quite enjoyable.
I knew better..if i miss the time set aside for sleeping there won't be any sleeping....
but I couldn't help it something came over me and I was tying my shoes back and running out  the door.
When I got there I saw a few faces that were familiar and a few new faces. I wasn't the only one who heeded the call there was a girl and guy that looked like teenagers (I was wondering if they should have been in school) and one guy was sorta like me, he chuckled and said he had never did this before but he heard they needed some help.(they put him on boxes..lol). The ladies on the line squeezed me in. 

I have to say I had such a fun time. The lady on my left was very nice and not too serious and the gentlemen on my right was and absolute mess. He was such a cut-up! His name was Mickey and if he wasn't picking on me, he was razing someone else. I also found humor in watching the faces and reactions of the newbies. There was a lady across the line from me that said she hadn't ever done this before either; she was quite nervous dropping things and just generally out of sorts.
but bless her heart...
By the time we were done she was a pro. We start at 9 o'clock and by 10, 35 people had filled 650 boxes. I think that's pretty good. The man that keeps the ball rolling for the food bank said a short word of thanks and most everyone started ambling out. A few of the men were discussing coming back to sack up the potatoes; a handful of us was left and we couldn't see any reason for them to come back later to do the chore, so about 20 more minute and a pallet of potatoes was divided and sacked.
now you see my problem...
I'm wound up. I've read some of my favorite blogs and I've hopped around on here but I ain't sleepy. Well, it's all good for now but I'm not sure what tonight will be like.
Thanks spending a little your time with me.
Thanks for stopping by Southern Direction.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

I May Be Southern but..

These are the only flags for me.

Veterans Day

Hey..and good mornin'  How blessed am I typing on this computer looking out a picture perfect window. GOD has definitely blessed me as well as this wonderful country we live in. I myself am not a veteran and for that  reason I especially want to say Thank you to all of you out there who made that sacrifice for me. I gave a thank you to my Daddy yesterday on the phone it was sorta funny we laughed between ourselves that   I told him I had definitely thought of him although I couldn't really say, "Happy Veterans Day". He sorta laughed and then I told him I was really just saying, "thank you  for what you did."

As a child I was always brought up with a strong appreciation for our country and our military. My Daddy(yes I am 41 and I still call my father, Daddy) is a Vietnam veteran and we were fortunate that he was able to talk about the things he saw and his experiences. He wanted us to understand what it was about and what really was going on. After all he was there. A lot of veterans can't talk about it and rightly so. But this year I really have thought about it deeper because I'm now a mother of a son who has joined the military. My son Louis will graduate from high school this year but he made the commitment to join last year and completed his Basic Training over the summer. 

In my mind, I always knew he would probably join the military in some fashion but as a mother I wished for him to first go to college, you know see to his best interest then maybe pursue the military. Yes, I am a selfish mother. Yes,I also understand the importance. At age 16 my Daddy was in the army and shortly into it he was in the 82nd Airborne and in Vietnam. Wow..16! Sixteen is a kid. Sixteen is still mama's boy. My son is a  little past sixteen and I pray he never has to become a veteran. I could write to you the things I've come to know about so many veterans in my own family; my uncles in Korea or maybe Louis's Great Grandfather and his seven brothers all in WWII, all had been Prisoners of War.

 Basically I want you to respect our service men and women in the service no matter what you believe. Basically I want you to know it was the sacrifice these men and women make that allows you to believe
whatever you desire no matter how wrong or right you may be. 
                                            Oh how many have gave the ultimate sacrifice!
I wish you to remember Veterans Day for what it really stands for not just a cookout or a party or a day out of work. Not just an excuse the decorate. Remember!! Remember what it means to so many.
REMEMBER and NEVER FORGET!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Decorating/Transition

Hi! I've been looking at so many wonderful decorating ideas for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. So many folks have such really wonderful idea's. I try to incorporate some thing new or fresh each year when I decorate to keep things from looking stale year after year but I also do alot of the same things each year. Many of the ideas I see on line and in the magazines are honestly too much for us. I also do more transitioning with my decorating than just abruptly changing out everything season to season. I prefer sutler changes rather that decorating overhauls. 
                                   Where do you get your most inspiration?
I receive most of my inspiration from nature and outdoors. I always prefer the outdoors and I find myself incorporating it into my home. Bring natural elements inside is my way. I don't do elaborate tablescapes; honestly it just doesn't work well with our family style. I do almost always have a tablecloth and an arrangement of flowers as a centerpiece. I usually have flower bed I can cut from but I like using wildflowers and wild shrubs. It's affordable and it also keeps it unique to me and my surroundings. I think it's a great method of decorating and it's affordable. God gives us so much if we will just open our eyes and look.  
                                     Sometimes things backfire....
I was inspired to start me a blog back in the spring. My yard was looking so promising and I thought I would feel my posts with pictures of flowers from my yard. Then my stepson moved back home with his dog, Oswald. Oswald had lived with us before and as much as I hate to admit brought me alot of grief. I had endured him through the puppy stage, digging, digging, digging. Here he was again but a older matured dog. I thoughts we'd be okay. Then the my son totes home another pup. 
                             You know what followed. More digging...digging...chewing...digging...
What should have been bed of flowers now red dirt and mud. Not even the solar lights survived. 
                                       What to do? What to do?
Decorating for me will be a challenge. Honestly my centerpiece right now is on of Jack's pumpkins he brought home from school. Jonathon has now moved into his place and the dogs went with him. I guess we have next season  to start again. 
                            Does your family get in the way of your decorating wants?
I suppose my decorating could be called transitioning; it also could be called compromising. 
Thanks for letting me ramble on with you...
and
Thank you for stopping Southern Direction.                                                  

                               
                              
                                      

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Operation Christmas

Happy Wednesday to you. I'm a little short on words this morning but I did want to share a post from
One Artsy Mama and also to extend the invitation to join up. What a great cause!


Sunday, November 4, 2012

Life as DaOldLady

Well...Hey! and Good Mornin' to Ya!

Yes, it's Lynn.
Yes..I am also known as DaOldLady.


I am 41 years old. I think that's an odd age. To many, many people that is very old but if your on the other side of that mark maybe not so old. I think the name is more a reference of soul than actual age itself. I think I have always been a sorta' old lady. Even when I was in my teens I had a great love for things that are old. Maybe it was because I was blessed to be surrounded as a child to so many of my grandparents (greats and great-greats) and they loved me so well that I just dearly loved everything about them also. Now they have all passed but to be reminded of them in some inanimate object is almost wonderful as a picture. Even a picture can't always capture that old smell or the roughness of years of use by callused hands.
maybe..
All those young years my sister and I slept in that old, black iron bed being careful not to roll on that one spot; you know the one..the one where that spring comes through the old mattress and pokes you in the butt. 
or maybe...
It was moving back to that old two story drafty house that Papa Fred and Granny Orella had made their home after my first marriage went down the drain. That house, oh that house; to love it was to hate it. I did love it but it was truly a labor of love. There was nothing uncommon to wake up and find that snow had found it's way through cracks in the corners between the wood floors and the wall. Winters full of toting wood, firing stoves, patching holes, unthawing frozen water pipes was a small labor when spring came and those big double doors would be left swung open day and night. 
I'm not a smoker or a chewer but to smell that sweet tobacco curing in the barn....well..there's not much that's so sweet a smell.
maybe....
It was all those barefoot days on that red dirt road. In Sandy Ridge where I grew up all dirt is red. That old red road that would lead you past the the fields to where the thick woods started taken you to the big part of the creek. That journey would take you past the almost forgotten family cemetery; a cemetery so old that markers were mere stones. I often found myself a rambler in the woods. I always get an unexplained feeling when finding an old home place. Places where the only remains would be a foundation of rocks surrounded by a bed of buttercups.
it could be...
I'm DaOldLady because my husband calls me that when speaking to friend. Don't worry he never calls me that to my face. So in return I gladly refer to him as the Old Man.
and...
you probably can guess...
I'm an old movie lover, especially westerns.
I love old fashion/clothes, probably from all those days messing in Grandma's closet.
I think lipstick/gloss is very important (Grandma Dorothy's lips were always done)
I'm a little concerned when shaking hand with a man who's hands are softer than mine.
I believe God is the glue without Him everything just comes apart.
I believe nature is perfect if human are careful not to disturb it.
History is important. If you don't know where you've been, how can you know where your going?

(the past)

(the present)
An always hopeful towards the future

Hoping your day is Blessed
and as always
Thanks for stopping by.



Friday, November 2, 2012

Aloha Blog Hop








Oak Tree-True & Brave

I thought I'd share this post from The True & Bravehttp://trueandbrave.com/Oak-Tree
I do believe Josh Abe is one of the most eloquent writer of today or maybe he writes of the things that touch my soul. Either way I'm drawn to share this post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Our Halloween

My little Ninja Warrior
You can see Petey trying to get in on the karate action.
Hey! I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and adventurous Halloween night. We changed up this year and didn't go trick or treating. Alot of the reason behind that decision was because Jack has been sick most of the week. Yesterday was the first day he had went to school this week and by the time he had got home I had to do a little coaxing to get any excitement out of him at all. So we opted to go to the Walmart, get some halloweeny movies and make cookies and eat pizza. 
All in all we still had a fun time. Jack had worn his costume to school and partied with his class. He wore his costume to Walmart and still got loaded up on candy that the store associates were handing out. 
Don't worry..
Jack has been in ninja mode for a week. This costume has had it's fun. 
No...
I'm ashamed...I didn't make the cookies from scratch. Well not really ashamed. Pillsbury makes a pretty good peanut butter cookie. Yummy with coffee.
Yes...
We picked cheap movies out of the $5.00 been. Jack really wanted Scooby-Doo and the Pirates the most but he fell asleep before he got to it. He also was excited about Despicable Me's, Minion Madness- Three mini-movies. It was very cute but they weren't kidding when they said mini. I picked The Goonies. He loved that one. I also picked Where The Wild Things Are. I really enjoyed this book when I was a kid but honestly this movies was so disturbing to us we had to cut it off. I really could write a whole posting about how awful I thought this movie was but I guess I would have to watch the whole thing to be objective. 
I don't think I can or will.
We had fun. I hope ya'll had fun.

Thanks for the visit!
BE BLESSED


DIY Cider

OMG! I can't wait to try this too easy.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-sparkling-cider-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-179451


I'm not prepared today but when I get it together I'll show you some pictures and tell ya how it went for me.
Drop me a line if anyone else gives this a try.