Blog Followers' Drawing for Mixed Media Canvas!

I have been so busy these past two days that I haven't even had time to blog! When I miss a day, I feel like I've missed talking to friends. I know that seems strange, but I've become very attached to my friends on this site. Whether you "comment" publicly or to me in person, I love hearing your thoughts and ideas.

I'd like to thank you for reading my foolishness and to do so, I will be drawing (at the end of October) for one of my small mixed media canvases. I will draw from my "followers list" and if you'd like to be a part of this, then simply sign up as a follower. Signing up is easy and if you already have a google account, then it's really easy. If you don't have an account, it takes just a minute to sign up...no strings attached. You do not have to post a picture and you can post under a screen name, if you prefer. Just make sure I have your email address.

I will post a picture of the canvas in the next week and you may be the "winner." It's just my way of saying "Thank you for all the encouraging words!"

I would like to tell you that I have had a lengthy prayer list this week and God has been faithful to just outright answer several requests. It shouldn't surprise me when He is so timely, but it's always a wonderful thrill when He chooses to say "YES" to something quickly. I must also tell you that there have been many requests that He doesn't answer as quickly or with a YES, but I have found that He knows best and I must be patient. Patience is a virtue in which I am sorely lacking...I feel like that old quote, "Lord, please give me patience and give it to me NOW!" So even as I get older, I still have to learn to wait on Him and His perfect timing.

I love this blog and I appreciate your taking time to read it. Have a great weekend. I'll post Tips sometime this weekend!!

Pumpkins, Apples, Cinnamon & Scarecrows

It might just be me, but I love the smell and the taste of pumpkin, apple and cinnamon all year long. So why do places like Bath and Body Works clear the shelves of the good smelling stuff after the holidays? (Then they put out the poor substitutes like "I Love You" and "Down the Moonlit Path" and wonder why sales fall off!) Does anyone know where to get a good pumpkin spice latte anytime of the year except fall?

There is something so comforting about coming home to a crackling fire in the fireplace and the smell of cinnamon wafting through the house. If hubby gets home first and starts the fire I am just in bliss. Last weekend, I bought a funny little pumpkin for my antique child's wheelbarrow. I surrounded it with straw and put up a perky scarecrow behind it on my white picket fence. With the mums just blooming and the chill in the air, it makes me so happy to drive in my driveway in the afternoon.

This year, $ is tight. I would love to have more than one pumpkin, but I am, like everyone else, "tightening the belt." I only bought 5 mums, but they are full and pretty and are just loaded with buds. A young friend and his wife are about to head to N. Carolina to spend some time in a cabin and see the leaves change into their glorious colors. What a beautiful season Autumn is! What a wonderful, gracious God we serve...He knew our fickleness...our restless desire for change....and even though He NEVER changes...He presents us with four distinct seasons for our pleasure and delight. My very favorite is Autumn. Thank You, Heavenly Father.

* Diet & Little Debbie Update

Thought I'd give a quick update on the "diet." You know the one that my insurance company subtly suggested that I adopt...the 750 calories a day one. Dieting in earnest lasted 8 days...I fell off the wagon when I was celebrating the 5 pound loss. It took several days to get back in the saddle...I never regroup quickly. Once, my friend Greer and I were riding a horse in her backyard. Don't ask why, it's a long story. I was in back and she was in front commandeering the wild steed. I saw her duck, but I was very nearsighted and didn't see why until the clothesline caught me around the neck and flipped me backwards off the back end of the horse. Took me weeks to get over the cracked ribs. I had the same feeling with the diet once I strayed.

I am now in the stage of questioning the wisdom of a diet at my age. Is it really necessary? Will it really be worth it? What about Jim Fixx, the world class runner? All those miles, all that lean body mass and he dropped dead of a heart attack. Hummmm? Besides, I like to keep a few extra pounds around to help "plump" out those wrinkles (on my face). Also, I understand that a plumper person can float better in water than a skinny one. So if I am ever stranded in the ocean, I have a better chance of survival.

I have cut my Little Debbie consumption down to one per day. (And I have just discovered she makes delightful Petite Strawberry Cakes that are delicious and not very high in calories.) I am taking vitamins and I really have cut out some of the more troublesome junk foods...blocks of cream cheese, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Snickers and mayonnaise. So I actually am doing pretty well. I have still lost the 5 pounds and I've decided not to hurry the process. Just let it fall off slowly...besides the holidays are approaching and you know what that means...."I'll start the diet right after the first of the year" syndrome hits. I AM going to try to watch what foods I eat during the holidays and maybe I'll have some good news on Jan. 1st!

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Do you remember a time in your life when you actually didn't know what that old saying meant? No good deed goes unpunished should be embedded deeply in my poor brain, but alas, I continue to try and prove it wrong.

Do you recall telling your best high school friend that her boyfriend was a no good cheating bum and then watched her walk away and run directly into his arms? She never spoke to you again. Man, speaking of "killing the messenger."

Remember the casserole you took to the bereaved neighbor and she happened to get sick and told everyone in the community that it was YOUR food that did it? Or the time a friend asked for your "HONEST" opinion about something, you drew a breath, told the truth and she never trusted you again?

Well, my life has been littered with good intentions that went awry. Last week was no exception. I had a wreck. I had a completely unexplainable encounter with a NO PARKING sign that got the best of me, my passenger side mirror and my right front tire. There, I've said it.

Now, how did this happen? I was leaving my daddy's apartment. I had just returned his freshly washed and folded laundry to him. (The Good Deed). I was trying to avoid something in the road and the next thing I know I was mowing down the sign. Was the sign too close to the street? Yes, it most certainly was. Was the sign injured? No, it was not. Was "hubby" happy with me? No, he was not. Did I enjoy the week in the rental car? No. I couldn't see over the steering wheel...problematic for me.

Now, the BIG question: Will I quit doing good deeds? Answer: NO, I will NOT. I will keep on keeping on. Am I nuts? Maybe.

Tip of The Week: Easy Autumn Apple Spice Cake & Mums

This is my ABSOLUTE favorite time of the year!! There is nothing like a day like today! Breezy, cool and sunny. Hubby and I rode to Monroe, Louisiana to Paul Michael's. For those of you who don't know, Paul Michael's is a decorator's delight! They have so much stuff stuffed in that store that it is just bursting at the seams with everything wonderful for your home. And then there is the back part of the store called "Alley Cats"....marked down things that make your heart flutter. There is also a Paul Michael's in Lake Village, Arkansas.

After shopping and enjoying my partner's company, we came home to football on the TV and I sneaked off to buy some mums and cake mix! Strange combination, you say? Not at all. After planting the mums and tidying up the flower beds, I came in and got right to the job of making a wonderful spice cake. It was so easy that I wanted to share it with you. I just made it up as I went along.

Autumn Apple Spice Cake

1 box of spice cake mix ( 3 eggs, 1/3 c. oil and 1 1/3 c. water was called for by the mix)

1 Granny Smith apple (washed,chopped, but not peeled)

small bag of walnut pieces

2 small snack boxes raisins

can of cream cheese frosting

cinnamon

Mix cake according to directions on box. Add most of walnuts, all raisins and chopped apple.

Pour into an oiled, floured oblong pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 32 minutes. Remove and let cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting. I added some cinnamon to the frosting and sprinkled the top with walnuts. I think carrots instead of apples would be good, too. Yummy with morning coffee...

Also found an inexpensive cake carrier and added polka dots and initials. Fall's the bomb!!