Monday, August 31, 2009

They Must Grow Up


It's been a year since my baby girl has moved out and started her own life. I still cry thinking about all I am missing of her life. Will I miss all the planning of special events? Getting married? Having babies? My grandchildren growing up. She moved 5 hours away. I'm a mess lately. A dear friend of mine Patty from Morning Ramble had shared with me a poem she was given when her daughter's left the nest. Thank you Patty. I still read it and it still helps.....
On Children
"And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."

Over the last week we have been celebrating 3 birthdays. My 35th birthday was August 24; Chelsea's 9th birthday was August 25; and Josh's 12th was August 30. I can't believe it's been 18 years since I became a mommy. I had many tell me I could never do it. That the dad wouldn't stick around. Proved them all wrong. We have been together 19 years in June and married 12 in July. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. I hope I have been a good influence on my children and I have taught them all they need to know to become productive adults. There are a few things I brainwashed them on. ie. drugs, "lovin" before marriage....

We are planning on one more baby. I am so excited. I absolutely love being a mommy. It is the most wonderful job. I hope they all know how much they are wanted and loved. (((HUGS))) to my babies.....

Sunday, August 30, 2009

My Sunday Morning Musings


Many thoughts are going through my mind this morning. My wonderful hubby is having much turmoil in his life. He lost his loving mother, the only woman he knew of as mom for 43 years. She was a blessing. If it wasn't for her, I would have never met him. I miss her so much. Now the Will has been read. She didn't leave him anything. Unless his Aunt and Uncle would have been dead would he have gotten anything. He is very unhappy. It effects him everyday. None of them are offering him anything from her home. Not even to buy. It's hard to see his heart breaking like this.

My garden is growing very well. Just sad that I couldn't get it out earlier with the frost and rain early on this year. Still many zucchini coming on. I have 3 watermelon and 4 cantaloupe. Kids keep watching them waiting for the wonderful outcome :D

School started last Monday. Kids love their new teachers. Josh is happy to have his friends back from his old school. That is nice we are still in the same school district so all the elementary schools come together at the middle school. So he knows kids from 2 of the schools. Chelsea had an accident in gym class Friday. Ran into another little girls head. We watched her Friday night and Saturday all day. Seems better today.

I have started preschool with Wyatt. He loves to learn his letters. Now he is bringing things up to me to show me all the letters he can make out of different objects.

We are doing a craft table at the Oktoberfest in Port Trevorton. I can't wait. Gonna start sewing this week more. No appointments or anything scheduled. Will post those photos as I get stuff made.

Watch for a contest by the end of this week. I am getting together a list of goodies to enter to win! Watch out for details throughout the week!



Thursday, August 27, 2009

Would you like to have your own online business?

I am putting up eBook store packages on my ecrater page. So far I have homemaker, homeschool and an ultimate eBook package.

I am doing very well selling my eBooks and am offering you the opportunity to have the same experience!

Checkout Angel Bottom's Boutique Ecrater Store

Sunday, August 23, 2009

In Our World

My garden is doing wonderful! Not wanting the summer to end. A million tomato plants. All tomatoes are green so far. Will have a ton when they all ripen. I have 6 zucchini plants. I see lots of little zuch's so will have a ton probably by the end of the week. I have about 20 loofah gourd plants planted and growing tall. I hope I can get some sponges for holiday gifts. How exciting. :D
We harvested our potatoes. We made out better with the red potatoes (make note next year red potatoes) We have a few watermelons and cantaloupes growing. I hope to have more before the cold nights. My corn is few and far between. Have enough probably for one meal.

The kiddos are all in bed. Tomorrow is the first day of school. :( I will definitely miss them. I so want to homeschool. I feel they would learn so much more here than in public school but with finances we are both looking for work and praying for more orders from my business. Josh starts the middle school. I can't believe he is a middle schooler. It was just yesterday my water broke. Chelsea will be in the third grade. She is so excited she can play on the big playground this year :D Wyatt and I will be doing preschool here at home. I want to help him with his speech and letter/number recognition to start with. Daddy wants to make him wooden letters with his wood tools. They all are growing up too fast.

My mom is cancer free for 18 months. Praise the Lord! No meds since April. Life is calming down in that area. She will only go every 3 months to her family doctor and every 6 months to the cancer doctor with scans. With only one kidney she is limited to the dye in the cat scans.

I will be 35 tomorrow. Wow I remember wanting to be 16 then 18 then 21 now I'll be 35 wow! Hubby and I will probably go for lunch and walk around the Street of Shops for a bit. Then home to do more housework. I am so into this decluttering. I have gotten rid of 12 bags of clothing, 3 trailer loads of trash and freecycled lots of knick knacks and stuff.

Well off to bed! Have to get up early to get the kids off to school :(


Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Preparing Your Garden for the Winter

Some people believe that when the weather starts getting colder and the
leaves start to fall, it is time to put away the gardening tools and wait
until next spring to work on their garden again. Wrong. Winter is an
important time to maintain your garden's health and assure yourself a good
crop for next year. You may think that might take to long to prepare your
garden, but the truth is that it takes less than one day to prepare your
garden for the upcoming winter.

When the nighttime temperatures drop to less than forty-five degrees
Fahrenheit for more than four days in a row, or frost is forecasted for
your area (usually around late October or November) you know its time to
begin preparing your garden. You should begin by evaluating your garden
design, check which plants grew well in the past season, and which plants
did not do well. Fall is a good time to decide which plants will remain in
you garden next year, and which ones should go.

It is also a good time to decide which new plants you want to grow. To
make your garden more colorful and healthy, be sure only to plant the more
hardy plants during the fall so that they can withstand the winter. Some
plants that will do fine being planted in fall are: rudbeckia, Aster
Novi-belgii, Anemone Japonica, panicle hyandea, endive, escarole, and
Brussels sprouts. You can find all of these and more in gardening
magazines or your local nursery.

After you have finished this you should begin cleaning up your garden.
Begin by pulling out weeds that may have cropped up, and raking fallen
leaves. Weeds and rotten leaves can carry insects and diseases that might
be harmful to your garden. You should also rid your garden of spent annual
plants, and harvest your vegetables and other plants that cannot withstand
the winter weather. After fall has come and gone, the leaves will be off
your trees and you can see the rotten branches. Trimming off the unwanted
branches from your trees isn't necessary to your gardens health, but may
help later on by not dropping branches on your plants and not blocking too
much of the sun.

If you have younger trees you should consider wrapping them and supporting
them with stakes to help them survive the winter wind and cold. Putting
mulch over your garden for the winter can be a helpful way to protect
plants from sudden temperature changes and heavy snow. For mulch you can
use about five inches of shredded bark, pine needles, or a variety of
other materials. You have to be careful not to mulch too early, because
some insects may still be alive and able to take shelter in it for the
winter.

Once you are finished with your gardening tools you should clean them and
make sure they are in a safe place where they won't rust and you know
where they'll be for next year. Before winter comes you should always set
out slug repellent, as slugs are one of the worst bugs to have in your
garden. If you have a pool or fountain in your garden, be sure to take out
any fish that you have in them and bring them inside. There’s nothing
sadder than a fish frozen in a block of ice.


Monday, August 17, 2009

Not Me~Monday!



I didn't sit in front of here all day praying for the safe return of two little children that became lost while swimming in the Susquehanna River. Keep flipping through websites for new updates. No not me.....praying to God they came home.

http://www.wnep.com/wnep-union-search-missing-children,0,3196580.story

I didn't sit here in tears when they called the coroner to the rescue. Questioning why the parent's weren't around. Why did they let and 11 and 8 year old to swim in the Susquehanna River without adult supervision.

I didn't grab up my kiddos and hold them for a half an hour against my 11yo sons will. I am counting my blessings tonight........

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Zucchini Overload? 11 Ideas and Recipes to Get You Through Zucchini Time

by Monica Resinger
http://homemakersjournal.com

It's that time of year when it seems you don't have enough friends and family to give zucchini to. I have come to love zucchini time because over the years I have gathered quite a few ideas and recipes. Here are eleven ideas and recipes to help you through zucchini overload time.

1. Freeze it. Shred it, measure it into the correct measurement for your favorite zucchini bread, then freeze in a freezer bag. When you want fresh zucchini bread this winter, all you have to do is thaw a bag out and add it to the recipe.

2. Freeze zucchini bread. Make zucchini bread loaves (see recipe below) and freeze them for later. These are handy for bringing to potlucks or giving as Christmas gifts.

3. Add to... You can shred zucchini and add it to spaghetti sauce and meat loaf. This adds nutrition and bulk.

4. Deep-fry it. Make your favorite beer-batter for making fish and chips, dip slices of zucchini in it and deep fry for a delicious treat. Dip in ranch or barbecue sauce.

5. Fry in butter. Dip zucchini slices into egg wash, then flour, then fry in butter and season with salt.

6. Eat it fresh. Cut it up and dip it in your favorite vegetable dip such as ranch.

7. Stir-fry it. Zucchini is excellent stir-fry material. Add it to your next stir-fry, or stir-fry it all by itself. Heat a wok or large frying pan on high heat, add a little oil and stir-fry until crisp-tender. Add stir-fry sauce or eat it plain, either way is good.

RECIPES

8. Zucchini Bread

3 cups shredded zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans that are 9x5x3 inches. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans. Bake 50 - 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves and remove from pans.

9. Zucchini Relish

2 cups chopped zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
2 tablespoons salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground mustard

Combine zucchini and onion. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain; rinse and drain thoroughly. Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add vegetables; simmer 10 minutes. Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling- water canner.

10. Chicken Zucchini Parmigiana

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
seasoning salt to taste
1 large or 2 medium zucchini, sliced
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In a large, heavy skillet saute chicken breast and garlic in oil about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with seasoning salt to taste. Remove from skillet; set aside. Add zucchini to skillet, sprinkle with seasoning salt to taste and cook and stir 5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Push to sides of skillet. Arrange chicken in middle of skillet. Top chicken with cheese, tomato sauce and herbs. Cover, cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is hot.

11. Black-Bottom Zucchini Bars

1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa

In a mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg and vanilla until. Blend in the zucchini. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to zucchini mixture and mix well. Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half; spread into a greased 13x9x2-in. baking pan. Pour remaining batter on top and spread out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bars test done. Cool. As you can see, zucchini is very versatile. I hope you'll come to appreciate it as much as I have.

Check out the Vegetable Recipe E-book:? http://homemakersjournal.com/vegetablerecipes.htm
Monica is the founder Homemaker's Journal E-publications, the growing home of many fun and informative home and garden e-books, tip sheets, articles and more!? http://homemakersjournal.com/
Get a FREE Slowcooker Recipe E-book when you subscribe to Monica's FREE e-zine for homemakers!? To subscribe and receive instructions for picking up your FREE e-book, just send a blank e-mail to:? HomemakersJournal-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


Friday, August 14, 2009

Just My Ramblings As I Lay in Bed


Why do material things make people so evil? Why is money so bad but we need it to live and prosper?


These past 2 months since my mother in law went to heaven have been emotional. Death and possessions make people very greedy. I want this or you need to pay me for doing that. It is a sad day when you have to watch your husband tear up because ones are fighting over your childhood home and you have no say in it. Being he was adopted by a wonderful lady his grandmother and it is her biological offspring fighting over the estate.


It hurts a lot not being able to stop it all and make it better for him. Please keep us in your prayers to get us through this horrible time. He needs prayers to help him hold together, to make sure his mother's name isn't run through the dirt.


Thursday, August 13, 2009

Lastat Michael

Lastat Michael Dreisbach
5 pounds 14 ounces
18 inches long
August 13, 2009
3:35 am
One month early
Proud Mommy Kathleen Dreisbach












Music in the Park

Went to music in the park last night. Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blah's were playing. Lots of fun kids songs.









Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Storm With 80 Mile an Hour Winds

No power for a day, almost lost my garden down the backyard :( ruined many corn crops around us. Horrible storm.














Tuesday, August 11, 2009

YE OLDE AND NEW COLLECTION OF HINTS FOR HOMEMAKERS

HEALTH AND RELAXATION

Try a cup of baking soda in a Cup of warm water. Relax for ten
minutes or until refreshed.

One tablespoon of baby oil in very warm bath water for smooth
skin. Watch the wrinkles go.

Try a warm bath with feet propped up high for a relaxing twenty
minutes.

Mix dry oatmeal and water into a paste and spread on face. Lie
down and let it dry. Wash off with warm water. Excellent
facial.

Cold Cream on eyelashes and brows keeps soap out of eyes while
shampooing.

For that Bright Eyed look, place cucumber slices on eyelids
while relaxing in a hot bath for ten minutes.

Remove gum from hair with nail polish remover, then shampoo.

Cornbread mix spread on face, let dry and wash off with warm
water and see how clean your skin looks.

Another refresher... squeeze cotton pads out of ice water, place
on eyelids and lie down, elevate feet.

To prevent hair pins from falling out, bend one prong in a "V"
about halfway up and insert in hair. It will stay.

Clean your rings with toothpaste and old brush.

Artgum eraser will clean bone colored shoes.

To keep Cold Cream from spoiling and maintain its freshness,
keep it in the refrigerator... and it's so cool.

Prevent wrinkled scarfs. Roll and place in toilet tissue cones.

Old lipstick tubes, thoroughly cleaned, are great for
purse-sized pill boxes or for pins etc.

White shoe polish will keep a cast clean on broken bones.

Clip on earrings can be used for cuff links or scatter pins.

Cuticle remover will clear hands of nicotine stains.

Ice water and soap to remove ring from swollen finger.

Cut legs off old card table, to about ten inches high. This
will make a good table for sick or bed-ridden folks.

Boil pine splinters and sip tea to stop hiccups of long duration.

Use a lazy susan at bedside to enable sick to reach more items.

Old socks worn over shoes on ice helps to prevent falls.

Tape on shoes helps prevent falls on highly waxed floors.

Emergency Sinus Relief - swap white vinegar high up in the
nostrils.

Recycle Your Own Paper - Use backs of unwanted advertising mail
for scratch paper pads. Roll your newspapers into a tight roll
until they are log size, tie with a wire and burn in the
fireplace. It will burn like a log, but even longer. Shred all
of your newspapers and junk mail and save in a large bag for use
in packing materials and for making paper mache items by adding
flour and water.

Save cans to freeze leftovers in.

Save plastic bags from bread for freezer use.

Save plastic milk containers, fill with water and freeze. Use
in camper iceboxes or coolers. Also these can be used to freeze
colored water or juices in for later use in a punch bowl.

Clean vinyl with liquid window cleaner.

Avoid tears when peeling onions, slice first, then slip the
bands of skin off.

Use an egg slicer to slice apples or mushrooms.

Leftover pancake batter makes good fried onion rings. Separate
and let soak in batter for fifteen minutes. Fry in hot oil.

Loose door knob? Put a drop of shellac in the screw hole, then
tighten. It works.

To grow thyme - thyme will grow anywhere, but it prefers a dry,
poor soil. If the ground is rich, the plant will become too
luxuriant and lose its aromatic qualities.

Very strengthening drink - beat the yolk of a fresh egg with a
little sugar, add a very little brandy, beat the white to a
strong froth, stir it into the yolk, fill up the tumbler with
fresh milk and grate in a little nutmeg.

How to preserve flowers and fruit - Fruit and flowers may be
preserved from decay and fading by immersing them in a solution
of gum arabic and water two or three times, waiting a sufficient
time between each immersion to allow the gum to dry. This
process covers the surface of the fruit with a thin coat of gum,
which is entirely impervious to the air, thus preventing the
decay of the fruit or flower. Roses thus preserved have all the
beauty of freshly picked ones, though they have been separated
form the parent stock many months.

Household cleaner formula: Soap powder - 2 oz.; soda ash - 3
oz.; trisodium phosphate - 40 oz.; finely ground silica - 55 oz.
Mix well and put up in containers. most of the above items can
be purchased from drug stores or hardware and paint stores.

Household window cleaner formula: Castile soap - 2 oz.; water -
5 oz.; chalk - 4 oz.; french-chalk - 3 oz.; tripoli powder - 2
oz.; petroleum spirits - 5 oz. Mix well and pack in tight
containers. Above ingredients can be purchased at local drug,
hardware, paint, or nursery stores.

Fire Kindler Formula: Rosin or pitch - 10 oz.; sawdust - 10 or
more oz. Melt, mix and cast in forms.

Paint Brush Cleaner - ammonia (household ammonia will do).

Sun Burn Lotion - Peanut oil (buy at grocery store).

Radiator Cleaner - Tri-sodium phosphate (buy at paint store).

Tree Wound Dressing - Lanolin (buy at drug store).

Frosted Window Paint - super saturated solution of Epsom salts.

Mosquito Repellant - Oil of Pennyroyal, rub on skin (buy at drug
store).

Furniture polish and cleaner - Vinegar.

Tile Cleaner - Deodorized kerosene (buy at an oil company).

Windshield Anti-fog - Glycerine (buy at drug store).

Label Cement - Egg white is an excellent label cement.

Cockroach Exterminator - Borax (buy at the grocery store).

Ground Mole Control Powder - Black pepper placed liberally in
their runs.

Battery Anti-corrode - Vaseline.

Fire Extinguisher - Plain baking soda.

Nail Bleach - Hydrogen peroxide (buy at the drug store).

Type Cleaner - rubbing alcohol (buy at the drug store).

Wonder Car Product - Removes tar, paint, wax gum, etc. Benzol.

Cures Cigarette Habit - Take before breakfast 1/2 teaspoon each
of Rochelle Salts and Cream of Tartar, also chew Ginseng root
and swallow the juice.

For Great Beauty - drink a teaspoon of Figwort. This will
banish every blemish from your skin as it cleanses the blood.
Chamomile teas will give one a complexion to be proud of.




SEWING HINTS


Emergency ripped hem repair - use double faced sticky tape
between hem and dress.

Bobbins, thread, and other sewing notions can be hung on a
bulletin board with straight pins near your machine.

Cut buttons, zippers, snaps, hooks, and eyes from all old
clothes and place near your sewing machine. Pin all the buttons
that are alike together with a large safety pin. Saves a lot!

Cut the cost of making a round tablecloth by using the fringe
from an old bedspread.

To cover unremovable spots on children's clothes, iron transfers
of animals, etc. over spots or paint with textile paints. Looks
new!

To reline a jacket or coat, use the old lining for the pattern.
Spray heavily with starch and press. Pin to the new material
for a perfect pattern.

For a matched set of spread and drapes, buy two bedspreads and
make a set of drapes from one.

For an attractive eyeglass case, fold a pot-holder and sew up
one side and the end.

Worn out tops of little girls slips? Cut off at the waist and
insert elastic for half-slip. Also good if she has grown too
tall for it.

Use iron-on rug binding on men's trousers to prevent "waist-band
curing" of trouser tops. Great for the heavy-set men.





CLOTHING HITS


Footlets twisted twice in arch of foot prevents slipping off.

Use two rubber bands and three safety pins on sliding bra
straps. Pin to each strap and in a "V" to center bra.

Use hair spray to stop runs in hose.

Clear nail polish will stop runs in hose and also makes good
glue.

Use nylon net to brush lint off dark clothing.

Fold several pieces of tissue, pin through dress with tissues on
back to prevent heavy broach from sagging.

Felt markers are good to cover shoe scuffs.

Grease spots which have set, in washable fabrics, can often be
removed by rubbing fresh grease on spot and washing immediately.

Monday, August 10, 2009

My Nursing Necklaces










Not Me~Monday!



For the past day and a half we have been without power (Praise the Lord! It's been restored) today being the hottest day of this season. Heat index of 98 degrees.

Not Me! I didn't go to bed last night texting to Twitter about going through withdraw not being able to get online. Then driving to Walmart to get cell signal so I could tweet some more before I went to bed.

Not Me! I didn't run out during these 80 mile an hour winds to shut the garage door for my hubby. He just painted his motorcycle. And shut the door on my shed door that is my storage for my fabric and beads. Not Me!

Not Me! I didn't plug my computer and fridge into the generator this morning to get a few minutes of online time. :)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Giveaway~Once Upon a Blog Design

Come and celebrate the 2 year anniversary and Grand Re-0pening of Once Upon a Blog~
Enter to win 3 different giveaways! Sign up for a blog makeover and receive $10 off! Check out all the new design services that are being offered!


Saturday, August 8, 2009

Car Photos~1973 Volkswagen Squareback

This is the car hubby is restoring. It was in pretty good shape to start with. But it had a lot of work under the car. Yea, got wet feet driving in the rain :( recovered the seats, still waiting on the mirrors to be shipped (2 months now)







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