A Relaxing Week with a Beautiful Lady

I had such a relaxing week this past week. Portia and Paris went on vacation to San Francisco and the Redwood Forrest with their dad.

 It was the perfect time for my mother to come up and stay with me for a week. I love spending time with my mother and we never seem to run out of things to talk about.  We talked about the bible and God's Word, we talked a lot about the details of my brother and fathers passing. We talked about the girls and homeschooling, about all of our family dynamics. We talked about her future plans and her BIG house or at least her house that seems so big as she adjusts to her new life without my dad.

 We went to Wal- Mart and she helped me to figure out finishing the afghan that I have been working on. We went to church and it was fun to hear her perspective on what my pastor was preaching on. We sat and watch tv each night as I worked on my afghan and she rolled scans of yarn into balls. We talked about politics and things that are going on in our government and it was wonderful to just sit and have good conversation with a like minded soul.......you know, they say, "the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree".  We have so much in common, oh we are very different in how our brains process things but we are very much alike in our values and world views.

This is my beautiful mother, Fran. I love her so much! She is truly the matriarch of our family and has been a tremendous stabilizing force in my life. 

We have always called her the energizer bunny, it is so hard for her to just sit, she has to have a plan and loves to have something to do so while she was here I took advantage of her expert organizational skills and we cleaned out all of the school curriculum and art supplies, sorted out some old books that I no longer wanted and reorganized both the school cabinet and the built in bookshelf.  This took us an entire day!

Then we spent half of another day cleaning and organizing the garage pantry/food storage. Dealing with all the empty canning jars can be quite a challenge but we put our heads together and managed to get everything into the cabinets. The girls other grandparents gave us several boxes of their old canning jars that they were no longer going to use so I had to make room for those too. 

 I discovered that with everything that was going on last fall with my brother and my dad that I really did not get as much canning or reordering of bulk supplies done as I had wanted to.  God is so good though, our freezers are full and we have plenty. We still have some squash and pumpkins left from last years garden in cold storage. I cook the pumpkins and feed them to my dogs, they love it!

Then we spent the last of our time together getting her ipad and iphone set up in a way that made sense to her. We even learned how to change your apple id and downloaded a few new apps. We had fun learning together.  I do soooo love my mother!!!

Looking Back - Taking Stock - Looking Forward

Wow, I can't believe it is already February 1st. Today is mine and my husbands 38th wedding anniversary. WOW.........who would have ever thought, I was only 15 1/2 and he was 16. (I think I will try to scan a picture of us then and post it) The Lord has blessed me with such a wonderful man who has worked hard all his life to provide for his family. I pray that I have been just as diligent at being a helpmeet to him.

  I was looking in on my blog that has been so neglected and then over to my picture files and I can't believe I was so slack in taking pictures and posting last year. I hope to do much better this year.

It seems as though I was under a lot of stress last year, so many things going on with so many of my family members. My mother was struggling with some health issues that took some time to resolve and my father is battling bladder cancer and he also slipped on Ice and broke his back. He is doing well now and so is my mother, but my parents are aging and going through all that comes with that. I live an hour away from them and that can be very frustrating at times when I can't be there to help as much as I would like.

Last year we learned that my brother has prostrate cancer that has spread to all his bones. He was responding to the treatment for awhile but now it is advancing. He too lives and hour away and I will be trying to go and see him every other weekend now. (my heart is sick)


On a lighter side, the girls and I are back homeschooling this year and it is going very well. I kinda fell apart and sent them back to public school half the year last year but we started out in September of 2012 homeschooling again and it has been a much better year. I feel like we have found our groove. We are still using Sonlight for our curriculum and we love it.

There was lots going on last year, we had expanded the garden and I canned and froze everything I could get my hands on. Now I'm planning this years garden and looking at seed books. Evaluating what I put up too much of and what I put up that I could have used more of. This is still very much a learning process for me. I try to do a 1 year food storage and am still learning how much of what, what did well that I want to repeat, what was over kill what didn't work so well.

Also looking into all the other stuff I stock up on because my husbands work is seasonal and is usually out of work every winter. I try to stock up and fill the freezers all summer through fall and we pretty much live off that all winter and spring. So far It has been working out ok but we have run out of a few things. This year I will have a better understanding of what we need more of.

Here are a few picture from last year, maybe my picture enthusiasm will be stronger this year.

 At the gun range, my family are hunters and Portia & Jayda took hunters safety last year with my son Wayne and with Papa.

 above, Portia and Papa below is my grandson, Jansen with his fancy green riffle.

 Wayne, Papa and Portia

 My grandson, Jaren with his fancy red riffle.

 The new chicken house, painting it is on my todo list for this year.

 We borrowed a pony last year for Paris to ride on our trail rides. His name is Freckles and he was such a great pony for Paris to have around and ride last year that we are going to get him again this year. Her horse, Honeypie is not quit ready for her yet.

 This is Penny (pretty penny) she is Portia's new mare that was given to us last year. she is so pretty and sweet. I love her and she is so gentle to ride for anyone.

 

I have more to post but for now, blessings to all, stay well!

Keep your eyes on the Lord, He will keep your foot from stumbling!

My Favorite Turkey Brine | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond

AHHHH, its that time of year, time to make plans for our Thanksgiving dinner. I love to make things special for my family and love to try new recipes. My family is very traditional though so some old family favorites will always be included ( green bean casserole) I have wanted to try brining a turkey for several years now so this year I am going to give Pioneer Woman's recipe a try.

In years past we have smoked our own turkey, roasted it the traditional way and even deep fried it in a turkey fryer (very tasty and moist), but I have never tried marinating my turkey in a brine. I have heard from friends that have tried it and they all tell me that it is wonderful.

This year I am feeling a bit festive so I'm going to give this a try.
I love Pioneer Woman and her recipes, I have her cookbook and use it often. ( I collect cookbooks) I also go to her website often for inspiration.

My Favorite Turkey Brine The Pioneer Woman Cooks Ree Drummond

The mighty hunter and his kill

THis is my youngest son, Wayne and the huge bull elk that he shot a few weeks ago.
The SFW put this picture on the cover of their magazine and did a short write up about Wayne and where he got his elk and what is scored….I can’t remember right now what it did score but it was something like 340 or 360? It is HUGE!!!  and Wayne is thrilled, that is all I know. Way to go son! I love you and I am so happy for you.

The Gathering of Friends my favorite cookbooks

I was so excited last weekend when DeWayne and I were invited over to some friends house for dinner, Mike and Debbie Jones are great friends of ours and we try to get together once in awhile. Some times we meet at a restaurant or at each others home. This time we went to their home.   Their home is beautiful, it looks like something out of a magazine. They don't have grandkids yet and their kids are all grown so their house is immaculate! Debbie and I have been friends for nearly 30 years and our tastes and interests are very much alike so we have fun inspiring each other.

Well was I surprised to find out when we got there that she was making dinner with her new volume #3 of
The Gathering of Friends cookbook.......I didn't even know it was out yet.

I'm the one who showed her my cookbooks (volume #1 and #2) and she fell in love with them.....she ordered hers and since then we have both given them for birthday gifts and wedding gifts......everyone loves these cookbooks!!!

Michelle Huckstable, the woman that wrote them is also and interior decorator and the photos in her books of beautiful rooms and beautiful tablescapes are very inspiring. She also has the same taste in decorating as me and Debbie do so we get tons of ideas for our homes from these cookbooks. (who would have ever thought you could get decorating ideas from a cookbook?)
Thanks Michelle!!!


I just ordered volume #3  of my favorite cookbooks of all time....:o)

I have quiet a collection of cookbooks and I love to cook, set a pretty table and have family gatherings.
I started doing dinner parties a few years ago for adult birthdays....I set the table with all the pretty stuff I have collected, tall stemmed cut glass water goblets, colorful place mats, cloth napkins, candles and my red toile dishes that I bought at TJ Maxx (love that store). My mother has even gotten in on the fun and picked up some nice pieces she has come across at yard sales.  SO FUN!!  I also do a nice table for Holidays. Its a great creative outlet for me. The birthday person gets to go through my "The Gathering of Friends" cookbooks and select their menu. With all the grandkids there are 10 of us so I set two tables, one for the adults and one for the kids. I think I have tried most of the recipes in volumes 1&2 and I can't wait to get #3.

So if you like to cook like cookbooks and pretty tablescapes go check out these cookbooks and buy one...... I bet you will love them too!  warning though you'll want to collect them all :o)


Blessings!
*Susan*

In The Arms Of An Angel

Christine,

We thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday and days before that too.

We think of you in silence, we often speak your name.

All we have are memories and your picture in a frame.

Your memory is a keepsake, for which we will never part.

God has you in His keeping, we have you in our hearts.

Your girls are growing so fast, a shadow of you they cast.

I tell them that you love them and one day together you will be.

On that day your picture they will no longer only see.

Christine Leeanne Bird Gough Went home to be with the Lord on May 29th 2005

Today I took my petition to the "Throne of God"

DeWayne's cousin Blaine Gough has leukemia and is in the hospital now undergoing treatment.
A wonderful, kind and generous man that we both esteem very highly. A man that has gone out of his way over the years to help Dewayne and I get our start in this world as well as for countless others. A man who dearly loves his family and speaks only good of them. A man that for as long as I can remember has always sung the praises of his wife, Lynda and his kids. A man who's eyes sparkle when he talks about his grand kids.

Today I wrote this prayer for him and I took it to the throne of God.

A Get Well Prayer for Blaine

Father, hear my heartfelt prayer today for the healing of Blaine Gough.
A man that I care deeply for.

I pray for Your mercy , Your compassion, Your grace and Your love in making him whole and well again. Make the work of those treating and helping him be full of Your perfection, and grant him a quick and complete recovery.

Father, cause the bone marrow transplant to be successful.
Allow the leukemia to not only go into remission but to be completely eradicated from his body.
Then I pray Lord that You will restore Blaine's immune system quickly so that he may return to the life that you have so richly blessed him with.

Lead and guide those around him to provide what he needs: encouragement, assistance and support. Lord, I pray that You will wrap Your loving arms around him, giving him comfort, strength and peace, drawing him ever closer to You, as You lead him through this trying time.

May Your perfect will for Blaine's life continue to unfold, and may the "glory" of Jesus be revealed!
In Jesus' name I pray;
Amen.

Father, I thank you that I can come boldly to your throne and that you "will" hear my petitions.

Because of the completed work of Jesus Christ, on the cross. "It is Finished" Come quickly Lord Jesus.

THE POWER OF A GODLY MOTHER

As I was contemplating the scripture in the "Being Transformed" post I kept being drawn back in my memory to a poem that I wrote for my mother for Mothers day some 20 years ago. I found it interesting the comparison that I had drawn between that scripture and the poem I wrote about watching my mother (a very godly woman) and how us girls watch our mothers lives and then as we grow up our lives take on a likeness to theirs, we hope! How very blessed I am to have such a godly mother. What an honor it would be for me if when they are grown my grand daughters can say the same thing about me!

She is Watching You

She is watching you

and all that you do.

From very early on in life

she was watching you be a wife.

She sees the love and care that you give.

It's teaching her how to live.

She watches you when you are happy.

She watches you when you are sad.

She was even watching when you were mad.

She is there each and every day

watching you while you pray.

She is your loving daughter

and her life is an image of all you have taught her.

When she has grown your blessing will be,

that the image of Christ is what you see.

by Susan Gough

I love you mom, and even though I'll be 49 years old in August I am still watching you!



As I was digging in my file for this poem I came across a card that my mother gave to me for my birthday years ago.

Daughter,

today and always,

please know that I see you.

I see the path you've made

that's all your own.

I see the many unique

talents and gifts you have to share.

I see your brilliance, your enthusiasm,

and how deeply you care

and hurt sometimes.

I see your hard-earned wisdom,

your soft pure innocence,

your unconditional goodness.

I see what a difference you make in this world,

and I hope you know

how very much I love you,

and how proud I'll always be

to have a daughter

as wonderful as you.

Love, Mom

How blessed I am! The Lord may not have given me a sister but I am so blessed to call my mother my best friend and to have had two Christian parents to teach and guide me throughout my life.