It's Begining To Look Alot Like Christmas

We have had our Christmas tree up since last week. This is the earliest that we have ever put up our tree. I am usually a stickler for waiting until after Thanksgiving, but the kids were begging and since we were going out of town for Thanksgiving I gave in. I've got to say it was really nice coming home and having that Christmas task already done. The kids and Tim did most of the tree which was really nice. We love alot of lights on our tree. We kind of lost count but there are at least 2500 lights. I do not have all of my stuff up but here are some pictures of the decorations so far.

Tim putting on lights while the kids straighten out the next branches.
Walter helping with the lights.
Chris's turn to help with the lights.
The kids put on all of the decorations.

My carolers above my closet.
My snowmen

Thankful

There are so many things for which I am thankful. This is not a complete list but some of the things that I have been thinking of this week.

Spiritual~

• God's great love that sent Him to die for me and my sins.
• God's guidance that helps me to know his will.
• A great church and Pastor.
• A Godly heritage.

Family

• A wonderful husband who I am more in love with than the day I married him.
• Brittany~My oldest who is quickly becoming a beautiful young lady.
• Walter~Who has a tender heart for God and desire to serve Him.
• Charlie~Who is the most giving and helpful girl I know.
• Chris~Who is the life of the party and completes our little family.
• My brothers and sister who are not just siblings but great friends~I love you guys!
• My Dad who has been a consistent example of Christ.

Material

• In the two years since Tim was hurt, God has taken wonderful care of our financial needs.
• For supplying us with a much needed van.
• A warm house and a place to lay my head.

Physical

• Healthy Kids and Family

Our family sang this song Sunday night in church. It pretty much sums it all up for me.

Thank You Lord, For your Blessings on Me
Written by: The Easter Brothers

Verse I

As the world looks upon me, as I struggle along
They say I have nothing, but they are so wrong
In my heart I’m rejoicing, how I wish they could see
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me

Chorus

There’s a roof up above me
I’ve a good place to sleep
There’s food on my table
And shoes on my feet
You gave me your love Lord
And a fine family
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me

Verse II

Now I know I’m not wealthy, and these clothes , they’re not new
I don’t have much money, but Lord I have you
And to me that’s all that matters, though the world cannot see
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Cooking up a Field Trip

This week we took the kids on a field trip to Cooking Up Fun. They learned how to make yeast rolls and honey butter. They had a great time learning to cook and spending time with some friends. They even got to eat some rolls and take some home!

Charlie cracking the eggs while Abbey looks on.

Christi and Brittany
Walter mixing the dough.
Kneading the dough and shaping the rolls
Trey, Walter and Will

I guess I forgot to take a picture of the final product but they were good.

Dinner Rolls

These are not the best rolls I have tasted but are nice because they only have to raise once for 45 minutes

1 3/4 c. lukewarm water

3 pkg. yeast (or 3/4 oz. of balk yeast)

5 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. powdered milk

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1/4 c. butter

Mix water and yeast together and let stand for 10 min. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. (may need to add a little more flour.) Pour out on a lightly floured surface. Roll out and cut into squares and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 untill brown (20-30 min.) Brush with melted butter when done.

Makes 24 large rolls.

Honey Butter

1 stick of butter

1 tsp of honey (or to taste)

Blend very well and allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving

Some how the kids and Tim got into a discussion about cooking. The kids said that Tim could not cook and Tim said he could. A challenge was made and Tim took the challenge. Last night he made Lasagna(something he loves but I don't make very often.) He did it without any help from me and even cleaned up after himself! It was just as good or better than mine! He is always saying that he can cook but never does it, now that he has proved it I said that we can take turns every other night:-)

Chef Tim at work

Chris getting ready to enjoy the great Lasagna

I told Tim while he was cooking that I was going to blog about it, and he said "It is going to be so good that you can't help but blog about it!"

Thanks Honey for the great meal I enjoyed the night off. I guess tonight is my night~ can anyone say "Cracker Barrel" :-}

Click on the picture below for some pics of some of our activities from the last month.

October 07

I know it has been a long time since I have posted, but I have a good excuse. I have been "mourning" the loss of a friend. Someone who was there for me everyday just when I needed her. Then one day she failed me and was not there for me any more. Because of that I have no time to blog because I have been spending my time doing this~ Washing dishes~and making my hands look like this~

So this fair weather friend had been~~
Kicked to the curb~ and my wonderful Husband found me a new and better one to replace her.

So now I am back in business!~YAH

Actually the real reason I haven't blogged much is I have not been feeling very inspired lately. I will be posting random pictures from the last few weeks soon.

Brown County, Indiana

Every Fall we take a trip to Nashville, Indiana, with my brother and his family. We have only missed one year out of the last seventeen. Over the years, we have grown from 2 couples and 1 baby to 2 couples and 8 kids! It is fun to shop in all the great stores, but the best thing for me is getting to spend the day with some of my favorite people. Yeah~ that brother who use to drive me crazy and pick on me when we were kids is now a great friend.
I took along my camera and took pictures of some of our favorite places that are a most stop ever year.


The Holly Shop~usually our first stop

The Toy Chest and the Candy Emporium are a favorite with the kids.

The Candy Dish is a must stop for the adults to get our Fudge Fix.

Our favorite place to eat is Hob Nob Corner Restaurant. When I suggested to Tim that maybe we could try somewhere new this year, he looked at me like I had lost my mind:-)

This is what the guys do most of the day~wait on us to come out of the store(Tim is really not mad~just a bad picture) The guys really are great about being patient.

The little guys waiting
Chris getting a ride from his cousin Byron.
We had a great day. The only bad thing about the day was that I forgot my wallet at home with all the cash that I had gotten out of the bank the night before. Oh Well~ I didn't need to spent much anyway and it kept me from getting stuff I really did not need, because if I wanted to by something I had to have Tim come in and pay with his debit card. I really made me think about if I really needed or wanted something:-)

Here are some pictures from UBC Old Fashion Day. The different classes make floats and they have a parade. I think they do a great job with the floats. Click on the picture to see more.

UBC Old Fashion Day

Our Busy Weekend

We had a wonderful fun busy week end. Friday night we went to GBS Homecoming. We had a good time and saw a lot of friends. The past two weekends~UBC and GBS~ I heard from a lot of people that they read my blog. I was tempted to feel a little pressure that I need to keep my blog updated and interesting. But I have let that go~ I don't need any more stress and pressure in my life:-} I was glad to hear who was reading and to reconnect with some old freinds. If you are not comfortable leaving a comment I do have an email link on the top left cornor.~Hint Hint

Saturday was very busy getting ready for our Pastor Appreciation Day. Saturday night some friends called and they were having a bond fire and asked us to come over. I was a fun time and so relaxing to just sit and visit by the fire. I was bummed that I forgot the camera.

I woke up Sunday morning with a terrible sick headache. I had to go to church and take care of some things for the Sunday night service and to help decorate for our fellowship time Sunday night. I should have stayed home(I'll just leave it at that.) I missed lunch at my in-laws and went to bed. Thankfully I felt better by 3:00 and could finish up all I needed to get done.

Sunday night was a great time of honoring our Pastor. We love them and are so blessed to have them. (more about that in another post.)

the theme was Roses. We had about 10 people speak about the Stetlers and them put a rose in a vase. We had several special songs and took up a love offering. We had all of the Sunday school write something to the Stetlers and put it in a scrapbook with the child's picture. They will also be receiving a gift from someone in the church every week for the next year.

I don't want it to sound like this was all pull off my me myself and I. I had a great committe that help and did a great job making my load easier. Thanks ladies.

I did not take very many pictures but here are a few.

Boys Chior
Decorated with roses
Marianne did a great job on the cake.

Kentucky Wool Festival

Last Friday we took a field trip to the Kentucky Wool Festival. They have Sheep shearing (which we missed ), sorghum making, a blacksmith, bluegrass, crafts, and lots of yummy food. Click on the picture below to see more pictures. I put captions under the pictures to explain more about our day.

ky wool festival

We were in revival last week with the Scotts. Had the field trip on Friday, and we went to UBC (where I went to school) Saturday. I have some good pictures from that but am to tired to down load them tonight. This week is another busy one for me. I have a lot to do for the weekend (can't say what-you never know who is reading). I have had a cold this week and am ready for bed by about 9pm every night. I usually don't go to bed until after 11pm. I have now spent a paragraph explaining why this is a short post and why I will have to update you all later:-)

Have a great weekend. I will try to fill you in on Monday.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I lost my mother to breast cancer so this is something that is close to my heart. I found a link to thebreastcancersite.com. They have a program that all you have to do is "Click to Give" and their sponsors will donate a free mammogram to some one in need. I have a link in the left column that will take you to their sight. You can click on it every day.
Below are some facts about breast cancer and more explanation on the "Click to Give" program, that I copied from their site.

Early Detection: Do You Know The Facts?

Each year, 182,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 43,300 die. One woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 400 will die this year.

If detected early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer exceeds 95%. Mammograms are among the best early detection methods, yet 13 million U.S. women 40 years of age or older have never had a mammogram.

The National Cancer Institute and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that women in their forties and older have mammograms every one to two years. A complete early detection plan also includes regular clinical breast examinations by a trained medical professional. Monthly breast self-exams are suggested in addition.
Click here and here for more information about breast cancer and the issues surrounding it.

How You Can Help In Mere Seconds — Every Day

The Breast Cancer Site provides a feel-good way to help promote awareness of breast cancer and provide free mammograms for women in need every day — through easy and quick online activities.
With a simple, daily click of the pink "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button at The Breast Cancer Site, visitors help to provide free mammograms for women in need. Visitors pay nothing. Mammograms are provided by our charitable partners.

Please remember to click every day to fund free mammograms and give hope to women in need. Every click counts in the battle to prevent breast cancer.

So ladies it cost us nothing. Lets Click everyday to raise money for this worthy cause.