Last post of 2008

Can you believe it; the last day of the year 2008? It was one year ago today that we rolled into Omaha, Arkansas and met Rene Garcia for the first time at the Ozark View RV Park. It was a desperately cold night and the wind was blowing hard. Tonight we will be in Tyler, Texas and expect 30 degrees for a low. Its 57 right now and we feel so fortunate! 

The past week has been like a blur. We've done some shopping (both Sam's & Wally in Tyler), we've done some driving (two large lakes about 30 miles North), we've gotten caught up on some chores, I've done some baking and we've experienced a Cowboy Church for the first time. Before we head West again we plan to catch up on a couple more chores and to visit the Zoo in Tyler.

The cowboy church was very interesting. We went on Christmas Eve and enjoyed their musical service. The church is in a large metal building that housed everything they need. From the full kitchen they served a meal before the service. During the service they had a live nativity scene in the front with all charactors in authentic Old West garb. The baby boy was so quiet and happy, it was beautiful. The wise men and shephards were even sporting revolvers and spurs. ;-)  Everything in the front of the church is natural wood, from the cross on the wall to the little lecturn stands draped in paisley bandanas. They had given the preacher the night off to spend with his family and there were plenty of congregation members ready to offer excellent music, poetry and scripture. The children gathered around a church elder sitting in a padded rocker to listen to the Christmas story. We didn't make it to Sunday services because I was a bit under the weather but felt the Christmas Eve services filled us with their love.

 

 This is potato bread and a dandy recipe if I may say so. I still long for better elasticity in the bread so it doesn't crumble so easily. I suspect that will come when I work it in a stand mixer rather than by hand with a wooden spoon. I may need to knead it longer too.  ;-)  If anyone is interested in this recipe please let me know. Its made with left over mashed potatoes.

Bubba and I believe we have found the most amazing flavor combination for the Amish bread/cake starter. We used banana cream pudding rather than vanilla and dried blueberries rather than raisins. DELICIOUS would barely describe it, especially when its still warm. We've decided that we like it best baked as a cake rather than in a loaf pan. I still coated the pan and the top of the batter with the cinnamon/sugar mix and I think that accents it well. 

We would like to wish you all as much love and happiness as you can stand in the new year. May the Lord smile upon you and may you enjoy the comfort that only comes from a relationship with him. 

More later ......................  2009

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Wishing all a memorable and fulfilling Christmas

Christmas Eve

http://www.crossbrandcowboychurch.org/

I'm very excited. This is where we are attending Christmas Eve services tonight. Another brand new experience for us is on the horizon. I had never heard of a Cowboy Church and am anxious to participate in the music and fellowship this evening. After an offer to guide us to any type of Christmas Eve service we may desire, we decided we would like to join our RV Park manager Shirley at her church tonight. She participates in the musical portion of the ministry at the Cross Brand Cowboy Church of Tyler. On our first day in the park we invited her in to warm up with a cup of coffee and were blessed with a few beautiful songs. She played Bubba's 12 string and sang some original music for us that was simply AWESOME.

We've decided (  I begged ;-)  ) that we are going to stay here for two weeks instead of just one. I have tons of fresh fruit stored in Debbie Meyer green bags that I need to either bake with, make salad or juice out of or freeze. I have an Amish Cinnamon Bread bake on Monday. We've found every kind of shopping we might need in Tyler; ie: Sam's Club, diesel for $2.19/gallon and so on. And we're waiting to hear from the Titanium dealer in Decatur when he receives the replacement cable for our slide out that he ordered from the factory in Ontario. I also found that I was wrong about there being no laundry room at this park. I checked it out yesterday and am excited to have such a nice clean laundry room with a farm sink, folding table, ceiling fan and bookshelf full of reading material. Thats how I will be spending my Christmas Eve day.

I wish you all a very Blessed and Loving Christmas. We miss all our friends and family very much. Please know that we are thinking of you and praying with you as we celebrate Jesus' birth.

More later ........

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Its so close now

Born Unto You
 Luke 2:8-14

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Guess where we are?

TEXAS

TEXAS

TEXAS

TEXAS

If anyone is reading this who doesn't know us well or hasn't been following this blog long you may not understand.

For those of you who know us you'll understand my excitement.

We've felt drawn to Texas for at least a year now and we're finally here.

We're staying at the 5 Star RV Park between Tyler and I-20. We plan to stay here for at least a week. We need repair to our bedroom closet slide and will be making arrangements for that with whichever Titanium dealer can get us in soonest after Christmas. We're going to call locations near Ft.Worth and near San Antonio.

We've only been here for a few hours but I feel confident in recommending this park to anyone who is traveling through this area. Its not a big park and they don't offer laundry or propane but the manager is an extraordinary woman and the Christian love is overwhelming. Mijo pulled me down a nice hiking path, around a pond and made me run till I was out of breath. Funny how much excercise he needs after being cooped up in the truck all day. ha ha

We've been rolling for a week so its time to sit still for at least a week. I need to do laundry, send a package to Iowa, balance accounts, celebrate Jesus' birthday and go to the zoo!  ;-)

More later .......

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For Sheila; to satisfy your sqeak ;-)

Each and every day we are reminded just how BLESSED we are in this life. I thank the Lord for everything and today was no different. 

While we were in North Carolina we experienced an Angel Food Host Site that accepted orders on line. We decided we should share Angel Food with others for Christmas and ordered 2 basics and 6 specialty boxes as gifts. We are blessed to be able to share with others and it feels so good. This morning, while going through a pile of mail, I opened a check from one of Bubba's previous employers which covered all the Angel Food gifts and most of our order. This was one of those "out of the blue" kind of windfalls that is completely unexpected and always at the perfect time.

My Dad has always told me that if you give you will receive and it has been proven to me over and over.  I thank you for teaching me that, Dad, and I thank you for being a living example of your word. 

On to other topics for the day. Tonight we sit in Vicksburg, Mississippi. We're right along the river and the Mississippi and Louisiana state line. Its not a picturesque park this time or somewhere we would like to spend a couple days; just a convenient place to spend the night with a free shuttle to the buffet. ha ha ha  Tomorrow morning we head West and will set down in Tyler, Texas. Monday we need to contact a Titanium RV dealer for service as we have a cable fraying and about to snap on our bedroom closet slide out. Its not easy to work around the closet being in, but it beats being stuck in the woods near Birmingham and not being able to bring it in. I had promised to tell you about the Cherokee Campground in Helena, Alabama ........ but ......... if I can't find anything nice to say I choose to say nothing at all.

Its likely the RV dealer, who is NW of Ft.Worth, may not be able to get to us until after Christmas so we are prepared to spend the week and the holiday in Tyler. I'm sure we can find a church who will welcome us and let us celebrate Jesus' birthday with them. 

I better go. Bubba and Mijo are snoring away in the chair next to me. Its cool enough here to get a good night's sleep. The last couple nights in Alabama was so humid that we had to turn the air on to be able to breathe. I don't think we'll have the problem from here out. Looks like the weather will be nice with a little rain in our near future. 

More later ......

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We learn something new every day

We learn as we go. The photo below was taken out our back window at the Ivy Acres Lodge and RV Park between Greenville & Piedmont South Carolina. You can imagine just how much Mijo is appreciating this park! 

What we've decided is to plan only one stop at a time, while traveling, and stay for at least two nights. I look ahead but don't make reservations or print out a route. 

When you stop for only one night, as we did between Arkansas and North Carolina, you don't get to see or utilize anything these wonderful RV Parks and communities have to offer. It takes the fun out of travel. When you stop for two or three nights you get a chance to visit with park owners, walk hiking trails, cook a meal in the crock pot, bake some bread and appreciate life between rain showers.

This is a beautiful park on 75 acres just West of Greenville, South Carolina. They have better than 30 full hook up sites with great views and lots of leg room.

They offer a gorgeous lodge to be rented for a weekend, week or month that sleeps up to 10 people. The park is set on a river and also has a little fishing pond. Due to the draught the pond is 1/4 it's typical size, but is still fun to walk around.

If you or anyone you know are ever in the area, please send them to Ivy Acres where Chuck & Debbie Hill and their daughtor Ivy will take very good care of you.

http://ivyacresrvpark.com/

Tomorrow we are heading West once again. Our destination park is in Helena, Alabama, on the West side of Birmingham. Will let you know what we find.  ;-)

More later ......

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What a beautiful place and time

I can't even begin to tell you how our time at Hope Farms changed us forever. We experienced so many fun an interesting things, met so many loving and special people and grew in our faith in each wonderful day. We played, we baked, we shopped, we prayed, we worked, we learned and we ministered to one another.

Eddie and I got close enough to share a head cold! HA HA HA

The rowdy roosters escaped the boiling pot for another month, but possibly not past Christmas. 

CJ showed us how well he can care for "his little boy"

Our Lord has blessed us in so many ways. This experience is another we will remember forever and wish to re-live some time soon.

More later .......

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The reason for the season

Christmas is nearing. In less than three weeks now we will celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

 

As I sit at my picture window I ponder; how I will explain to my family my anxiety driven hesitence to return to Iowa for Christmas? I think about what Christmas is and where my mind should be focused. 

One topic that comes to mind, the least important on the issue, is how people picture the physical form of Jesus. It seems to be an instinctive action to picture the Holy Family in a physical form similar to our own, similar to the norm for our nationality. Its likely not intentional, likely not predjudice, simply another way to feel close to them. 

For some reason this tendency has become a bit of a pet peave for me. It shouldn't bother me and I pray that I will lose my sensitivity on the issue, but I brissel when I see portraits of Jesus with sandy colored hair and blue eyes. Because of this, when searching for a nativity scene to wallpaper my computer, I chose the one you see. When I, in my mind's eye, imagine Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, this is what I see.

No matter what you imagine when you think about Jesus and his birth, THINK ABOUT JESUS AND HIS BIRTH! That is the reason for the season and why we celebrate CHRISTMAS, not "the holidays". 

More later ......

 

Me and my Bud

Finding Nemo is my favorite movie; how bout' you?

;-)

Lets all give thanks

Lest we forget, our ancestors gathered to give thanks for the blessings in life.

They gave thanks to the Lord for providing them with such abundance.

I thank the Lord for all the amazing gifts in my life. My friends and family are absolutely amazing and precious. The life I've been given is challenging, rewarding and simply AWESOME!

I thank the Lord for every day I've been given and every chance to share our blessings with others.

Just a quick thought for the day

We love our pets. We think of them as family members, we pamper them more than we pamper ourselves, we're convinced they share human emotions ............. and every now and then we feel compelled to dress them or make them look rediculous for our amusement. Can you imagine what is going through Corky's mind at this silly yet memorable moment in her life? HA HA HA

I thought you loved me??????????

This precious little girl is Corky. She was rescued from the Humane Society, lives and is loved by my Mom & Dad. Despite her terrier appearance she has turned out to be the perfect, loving little lap dog who enjoys nothing more than camping with her folks and 'herding' her buddy Mijo onto the linoleum while she stays on the carpet.

More later ......

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Are you sure we're in North Carolina?

You know you've reached a good place in life when you're willing to publish such a non-complimentary photo of yourself! HA HA HA HA

Here we sit, for the second day in a row, with our water line disconnected due to freezing temperatures. It doesn't affect us much as our fresh water holding tank is full and housed in an enclosed 'basement' area which keeps it much warmer than outdoors. We just have to remember to turn the water pump on to bring the water to us when we need it.   ;-)  Its going to be a cold week in North Carolina but it feels great to work outside without getting overheated. 

If you read my rantings regularly you can tell that I've been occupied with life these past couple weeks. I think I've only posted a couple times since we landed here on the 10th and thats a sure sign we've been having a great, busy time. We've enjoyed so many memorable things since we arrived at Hope Farms. We've shared lots of great meals and home made goodies with our friends, their neighbors and others. We've toured the neighborhood and learned a great deal about this warm little community. We've attended community dinners and Sunday services and been made to feel so very welcome here. We've cleared brush and played games, explored new stores and spent time talking to Jesus. Yesterday I entertained Eddie for a couple hours ........ or did he entertain me; I get confused.   ;-P  We've been very fortunate in that Ed has had more days off than usual since we've been here and have taken full advantage of it. 

Today Sheila, Eddie & I are going treasure hunting. She enjoys antique/flea market/thrift stores almost as much as I do and we can't wait to see what we find in her favorite shops. I think Bubba is ready for a day in; catching up on his on line forums, his guitar playing and, hopefully, his blogging will make him feel more like himself after some long days of tree cutting, brush clearing and burning. 

Still, we have not decided just when we will move on. There are several more things we want to enjoy together and learn from one another before we continue our journey. It would be great if it warmed up just a bit too as we would like to spend a day or two on the Atlantic coast before heading back West. 

Almost every day our belief that God sent us to North Carolina is reinforced by something, anything that will warm our hearts and make us smile. I pray each and every day that he will keep us on his path and use us to do his will with every action we make and word we speak. 

More later .......

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WOW ............. North Carolina

I will admit, after spending the night at the Midway Campground East of Statesville, NC I was fully prepared to slather negativity all over the page. Then we arrived at Hope Farms and spent several days with our dear friends and I am reminded of what negativity and unfounded judgement of someone or something can do. I digress. This photo was taken from the front drive of the park and is a beautiful representation of the Northwest North Carolina country side. Beautiful, isn't it?

We reached our destination mid day Monday and have made ourselves right at home at Hope Farms in rural North Carolina. This gorgeous, classic barn is filled with animals and equipment. The chickens have names and are more than happy to wake us in the morning and help rid the acreage of insects. ;-)  I can't tell you how welcome and comfortable we feel here.

Yesterday afternoon I sat down in front of our picture window to compute and relax. This amazing Mockingbird caught my attention, bathing in the light rain and  playing with it's mate in the evergreens. As I followed him with my camera I spotted a brown thrush, both male and female cardinals, a tufted titmouse, half a dozen black phoebe and a bird that resembled a nut hatch but in browns rather than blues. Will have to refer to my bird watching family members to help me with that one.

As I've said before, this photo is nearly "no words necessary". Ah, to be three years old again and playing in the bubble bath with Mom.

We have enjoyed the company of our friends for 5 days already. I can't believe it. We have yet to reach that point where we exhaust of conversation and can focus a board game or card game. We've toured the neighborhood, gone to a community dinner, done some shopping, enjoyed home baked goodies and learned more about one another and our walk with the Lord.

At this point we have no idea how much longer will will stay in North Carolina. We still have so many things that we want to experience together and learn from one another. Several of the projects we would like to work on are outdoors and must wait for the rain to stop.

For now ...........

life is AWESOME and we are so thankfull for the things we are able to do by the grace of God.

More later

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Another glorious day!

I promised you a photo of the Spring Lake RV Resort in Crossville, TN and here it is. I took several pictures this morning but this one says it all. What a beautiful place to be. ;-)

Another 300 miles driven and another excellent experience in travel today. We crossed the Smokey Mountains and, believe it or not Mom & Sheila, I didn't even have one anxiety attack! The mountains were gorgeous, the perfect fall colors, and the grades were gradual. The road was perfectly smooth till about 30 miles out of Statesville where it got pretty rough. It knocked over things in the trailer which have never fallen before. They were working on resurfacing the West bound side so we're pretty sure the East bound will be next.

Tonight we're camped out at the Midway Campground about 10 miles East of Statesville, NC. Tomorrow I might walk the grounds more fully to give a more educated review of the park but for now I will say ................ by their web site we were expecting an RV Resort and what we found is a trailer park. Regardless of what I find here tomorrow, we agree that we will never stay here again and would advise others to avoid it as well. This place just isn't for us.

I've started collecting for a scrap book. Each RV Park offers a map or flyer of their facility and I'm going to compile a book of them along with the routes we took and some photos. If I'm wise enough to write a piece about each experience as I go I may end up with the makings of travel memoirs book some day.

Tomorrow; Hope Farms and our friends: the reason for this trip East. Cecilia, we might even turn them on to Rummykub like we did Mom & Dad!   ha ha ha ha

More later ......

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Brief, but oh so worth it

No, its not your imagination. This is the Mississippi River through our living room window this morning. Can you see the tug pushing barges up the river? What a glorious view. I sat at the picnic table with my coffee and my camera and took pictures of the sunrise.

Late one night in Arkansas, while I was battling insomnia one more time, I charted our trip to North Carolina and picked out RV Parks along the way. I'm so glad I did. Last night we stopped in West Memphis, Arkansas. The Tom Sawyer RV Park was a bit off the main road but certainly worth the trip. We were camped right on the Missiissipi River. As we sat in our chairs and watched a movie we listened to the tugs push barges up the river. It was a very big, well set up park with outstanding scenery. We will certainly keep this one on our list of parks to visit again if we are ever in that area. They had a fishing pond too which looked like fun.

Tonight we're in Crossville, Tennessee. I can't wait to take pictures of this place in the morning. Again they are off the interstate several miles but it was well worth the drive. Its a pretty park and they have a nice fishing pond with paddle boats and such too. They have camp sites next to the pond where Bubba could just walk out the door and drop a line in the water. ha ha ha  Naturally he wants to come back here when he can stay a month or so. Who knows, maybe we will. 

If our plans don't change we will stay in Statesville, North Carolina tomorrow night. We'll make sure our tanks are prepped and our propane is full before the quick two hour trip to Hope Farms Monday. 

We'll likely stay a week or so there. I'm anxious to share recipes, crochet, bake bread, go the the zoo, take long walks and enjoy some face time with one of my dearest friends. 

We may go to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after that and dip our toes in the Atlantic. That reminds me; I need to look for an RV Park there. 

Better go. The movie is done and I'm pretty pooped. Its tiring watching Bubba drive all day! HA HA HA HA HA

More later ......

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The door opens

The other day I saw this gorgeous sunrise as I walked past the front door on my way to coffee and the morning news. It was breathtaking!

Today we're off. We're officially traveling, with our home, to previously uncharted regions. I so look forward to the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, textures and blessings we'll experience along the way.

First stop:   West Memphis

More later .........

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No words necessary ........ ;-)

And we still have 4 days to go!

What a glorious week it has been! I can see that for as long as Mom & Dad choose to spend time RVing we will have to meet at Ozark View at least once a year. 

They checked in Sunday afternoon with plenty of time to get set up and take a good walking tour of the park. 

Monday we went to Bass Pro in Branson and wandered up and down the boardwalk type strip at Branson Landing. There are over 100 shops and restaurants there, two of which are clothing stores for Plus sized women. I love that!

Tuesday we made the rounds of Flea Market stores in and near Harrison. Love flea market shopping too. Mom found a brand new suit and a vest sweater for under $4! 

Wednesday we all got even more excercise and pleasure on a good long walk through the woods. Dad made the walk twice, once with Corky and once with us. The birds were active and the weather was perfect. That night we went to see the Oak Ridge Boys at their new theatre in Branson. I was really impressed. They put on a full 2 hour show with a brief intermission and no opening act. Both Bubba & Dad bought a cowboy hat in the gift shop and were really stylin' on their way out.   ;-) 

Thursday we went into Branson again and Road the Duck on the Table Rock Lake Adventure. It was great. There were only 18 of us on a duck that holds 40 so we could all spread out and get a good look at everything. We stopped at a craft mall where Mom found a souvenier thimble and a big, beautiful wind chime. We drove down to the fish hatchery but they had already closed for the day. We'll likely go again, earlier in the day, before we leave.

Yesterday we decided to devide and conquer. Dad & Bubba went fishing while Mom & I went to the State Line Flea Market. Half the day it decided to rain furiously and even throw a little hail in Missouri. Of course this only justified our staying in the flea market longer but it make things a big tough on our fishermen. On the way home Mom & I stopped at the Roberson orchard and picked up some goodies. I think we ended up with four jars; pumpkin butter, plum butter, surghum molasses and something I can't remember. 

Today we're getting caught up on a few things. Dad's working on the camper and I'm going to knock out some laundry. We're planning a grilling dinner with the Garcia family tomorrow so I need to thaw some chops and make some dessert. Sounds like the weather is going to be perfect for the next few days again. Its almost Indian summer here; highs in the low to mid 70's and lows in the upper 40's.

Between all these fun activities we've been our typical selves, experiencing local restaurants and cooking lots of interesting meals to share. Dad picked up a pool cue for the first time in years and Bubba & I dominated at marbles. hee hee hee   

Tuesday we'll be prepping our rigs for the next move. Mom & Dad are headed home and praying the weather may hold for one more trip to Bead's Lake before they have to put the trailer away for the winter. Bubba, Mijo & I will be headed East to visit Sheila, Ed & Eddie. Its been better than a year and a half since we saw them and I am SO EXCITED to spend time with them again. Since we met almost 10 years ago (my Goodness, could it be that long?) our lives have mingled several times and have changed so dramatically from what they once were. I thank the Lord for that! We have both been blessed by adversity, I guess you could say. It takes the toughest experiences, sometimes, to bring us to the greatest blessings. 

Well I better run. Its time to think about tomorrow's menu and today's chores. I need to get outside and enjoy this weather while it lasts. 

God bless you all! More later .......

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PHOTOS BY MOM!

Much more later. For now:

Guess what we did last night?!?!?!?!

Post Script to Angel Food post

After talking to Mom & Dad last night about October Angel Food we discovered that the ten pound bag of potatoes was not a nationwide item in the Regular Box. It likely was an additional offering specifically from the Branson United Methodist Church. I should have realized this because the potatoes were on a table outside the Family Life Center and separate from the distribution line. Sorry to mislead anyone! And MUCH THANKS to the Branson UMC for adding this big addition to their monthly distribution! Good Job!

More later .........

Angel Food Ministries

I've posted previously about Angel Food Ministries but felt especially inspired to post with photos this month. Today we went to the Branson United Methodist Church to pick up our order at their monthly distribution. In this first photograph you see a 'Regular Box' a 'Senior Box' and a 'Special #5'. 

This month we ordered 2 Senior Boxes, 1 Regular and 1 Special #5. The second Senior Box is still packaged to the left of the cooler.

This picture is the Regular Box. We take our cooler to distribution and slide it down the assembly line of food items. This month there were 5 meat items, 1 complete box meal, two bags of frozen veggies, fruit drink, milk, eggs, potatoes, corn tortillas, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce and a box of cookies. They try to include all you will need for a complete meal such as spaghetti, sauce & meat balls, chicken fajita meat & tortillas. Angel Food describes the Regular Box as

Balanced nutrition and variety with enough food to feed a family of four for a week.

All of this, the Regular Box, cost us just $30!

This box is the Special #5; a fresh fruit and vegetable mix. Beautiful food!!! A 5 lb bag of Yukon Gold potatoes, 7 big red potatoes, a pinneaple, a bag of lemons, a huge head of cabbage, a big head of lettuce, baby carrots, onions and a whole bag of red apples. All of this, the monthly Special #5, cost us just $21!

 

This is a brand new offering from Angel Food Ministries; the Senior/Convenience Box. This is a VERY popular item for obvious reasons. Lots of seniors find the regular box too big and the portion sizes too much. The Senior Box offers 10 prepackaged, precooked complete meals. The meals are specially packaged for Angel Food, they are not a brand name you would find on a store shelf. Angel Food describes the Senior Box as

Ten perfectly seasoned, nutritionally balanced, fully cooked meals—just heat and serve. Each meal has been developed with the dietary needs of senior citizens in mind, and contains 3 oz. of protein, a starch & two vegetables or fruit.

All this, the Senior/Convenience box, cost us just $28!

We ordered two!

Along with the Senior Box is this sheet with the complete nutritional information for every dish.

Along with every Angel Food order you receive a copy of the Servant magazine. In this magazine you will find information about what Angel Food is up to, recipes sent in by patrons, inspirational stories about host sites, various other information and the menu for the following month.

We love Angel Food Ministries. We were blessed to be able to help establish the host site at our home church and they are doing simply awesome!! It has turned out to be a blessing to the church and the community in so many ways. Every individual and family qualifies for Angel Food, there are no stipulations. If you choose not to purchase the food for yourself you can purchase it for someone else. You can either choose who receives it or simply purchase a Blessing Box to be offered by the host site. You can volunteer each month to assist with distribution at your local host site,  which Bubba and I find most rewarding. And, every Regular Box you purchase contributes to the benevolence funds of the Angel Food host site.

You couldn't find a better, all around, WIN WIN WIN organization.

We pray you will choose to participate in some way in Angel Food Ministries and enjoy the abundance the Lord offers to us all.

God Bless!

More later ......

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More every day life

So what if it's Dad's chair; its my blanket!

I'm not spoiled ................. really, I'm not!

Since the Lord blessed me with the patience to read and understand crochet patterns, I feel like a kid in a candy shop. I've made hats, scarves, doilies, baby garments and shawls.

This is my current project; my first adult fitted garment. I found a pattern booklet with five patterns for sweaters fitted to plus sized women. As I've started crocheting with patterns rather than winging it I've discovered that patterns for large people are few and far between. You typically have to attempt to translate a pattern by percentages of increase into a larger size. 

This is my current favorite yarn; Caron Simply Soft. Its a reasonable to mid priced yarn and easy to find. Its a worsted weight acrylic with the feel of a much more expensive yarn. The yarn feels silky and the finish is smooth and glossy. Its the perfect yarn for a detailed stitch because of the highlights.

I had purchased this yarn and half a dozen buttons for a different sweater pattern I had found. I should have just enough to finish the project, I pray. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

So, what do you think, should we work today?

Nah, I think it might rain later. I'm just gonna run some errands and do the daily chores. Ok, I'll knock out my chores and saranade the wife with the new music books I found for the guitar.

;-P

Sometimes you feel like a Duck

One of the oldest and most interesting things to do in Branson, Missouri is to Ride the Ducks.

They offer two locations and very different tours. The Branson Landing tour is reasonably new. Its a shorter ride and is very informative about historic Branson and about the new Branson Landing shopping and entertainment area. It was a real good time and inspired us to try the Table Rock tour. It also gave us a great discount for the Table Rock tickets as long as we took the second tour within 10 days of the first. 

The Table Rock tour was longer, more exciting and a super fun time. On the Table Rock tour you learn about the creation of Table Rock Lake and get a tour of various military vehicles which helped inspire the Duck. You drive to an inspiring, private view point on a peek overlooking the lake as well as taking a spin in the lake which allows all the kids on board to drive the Duck and get their honorary captain's license.   ;-) 

The city of Branson has a Veteran's Museum and the Duck Captains make sure all passengers and all Veterans know how much our current and past military personel are appreciated. 

Many businesses in town affiliate themselves with the Duck tours. If you go shopping or eating out with your Quaker (see Bubba's lanyard) you receive discounts on product, meals and services. As you ride through town, especially historic down town Branson, you all blast your quackers are pedestrians and business people. Some of the local shop owners step outside with their quackers and join in the noise. The captain on our Table Rock tour, Daisy, liked to blast her quacker over the speaker at the local golfers if she saw them teeing off or putting ... I got a kick out of that. 

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On a different topic, I need to let you know how excited I am about the fact that   MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO SEE US!!!!!!!  Mom & Dad are pulling their RV here to Ozark View next weekend and will be spending at least a week here with us. I think its just awesome that they have found something they really love to do together now that Dad is retired. While the weather is good they have been taking full advantage by camping often. They were able to spend a week and a half in Minnesota with Deb & Brad and now they're coming to Arkansas. Mom is still working part time and is staying busy between RV trips filling orders for her customers. They found a real solid 26' travel trailer that fits them real well. They both put their mark on it, customizing just a little to suit them, and it really seems to be perfect for them. 

Better scoot. Laundry to finish.

More later ..............

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

Number 4

Yes, this is number 4. And, believe it or not I have only gone through two skeins of Delft Blue. I bought 7. It looks like I'll be able to make 14 scarves for the Special Olympics. I'm pretty excited about that. Its fun to have a project specifically designated for someone or something. I crochet so much that I end up with tubs full of goods for eventual sale or gifting. 

The stitch pattern is alternating front and back post double crochet. If you only crochet one row of each color at a time it looks a bit like tweed. I thought this was a bit sportier. I edged it in half double crochet which is my favorite, most comfortable stitch. 

I thought I would try something new with the fringe. I pulled half a dozen strands from each group and braided it. You won't see this on any pattern ........ yet.   ;-)

More later  .......

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

... let us rejoice and be glad in it

Last weekend we decided to see a couple things in Branson we thought looked interesting. The shows are not our thing but the zoo and the Duck ride were right down our alley. The Duck at Branson Landing takes off on land, tours historic downtown Branson, then dives into Lake Taneycomo. I took a few pictures along the way.
The big pipes you see are on the lake side of a grand fountain, created by the same folks who put the fountains at the Bilagio in Vegas. The pipes are fire cans and spew flames coreographed with the water.
I can honestly say the fisherman was there first. ha ha ha  He must have the right idea though, because the bird was there even after he left. Lake Taneycomo connects the White River to Table Rock Lake ......... I think. The water is very cold and it is proported to be a great place to fish for trout. Mom & Dad are coming down the last week of October and we're gonna give it a try. 
This is Captain Jed. He's a retired school teacher from Branson and has been guiding the Duck tours of Branson and Lake Taneycomo for some time now. He was a real joy to tour with and made me laugh out loud many times. 
Some of the leaves are just starting to turn and some have already fallen. The weather is HEAVEN on earth! 70's in the day and 40's & 50's at night. Some days are just in the 60's and thats even better. 
The absolute simplest dessert recipe I've ever made, but it needs something. It needs texture or a variation in flavor or something. Its good, don't get me wrong, but I'm trying to figure out how to tweak it. If you try it and figure something out, please let me know. 

4 cups rhubarb  ( I used frozen and thawed it just enough for the pieces to separate)

1 package strawberry jello

1 cup sugar ( I used Splenda)

1 stick of butter

1 1/2 cup of water

1 white cake mix

Butter a 9 x 13 pan

Spread rhubarb in the pan

Mix sugar & jello and sprinkle over rhubarb

Sprinkle cake mix over the jello

Carefully pour water over all

Slice butter evenly over all

Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you wish. Who knows, that might be what its missing.   ;-)  

More later .......

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH