Just received the results from my mammogram...Cancer free for one more year! That makes me a 7 year survivor - Thank you, Lord Jesus.

The rest of my blog can't hold a candle to that good news. But...here goes. We are still trying to get to the point that we can wait for the buck that is destroying our fruit trees. I hate to get up that early in the morning and sit in a rather cool place and wait for him. Maybe some of our friends will shoot him first.

I am trying to get my soap made this week so it can cure for 4 weeks and be ready for Christmas. This year I am making Goat's milk and honey; honey almond; and lavander soap. The goat's milk soap is VERRRYYY good for the skin. I/m trying to get away from the commerical holidays and return to some of the great hand made items of the past. So far I have had good feed-back from recipients.

Thanksgiving is coming faster that I want...I am excited that my son and his family are coming down this year for Thanksgiving. We will be holding a joint reunion/pigout at John's Aunt Ann's. Some of her children haven't seen Jon Allen since he was 17 (he's now 45) so there will be lots of "wow, you still look great"; "Gained a little weight, huh"; "Oh the kids are beautiful"; Hey, remember when......

Hope your week is as good as mine. From my last blog you noticed the reference to Lunch in Franklin, N.C. - well John had ordered Goulash and it turned out to be beef-a-roni adn so bad that he couldn't eat it. SOOOO since then he has been requesting Hungarian Goulash like we ate in Germany. Yesterday I made Hungarian Goulash from my German Recipe Book and he was so happy when he walked in the door and smelled the wonderful aroma. We shared it with a friend who also loves goulash. He had stopped by to show us the plans for the new Family mailbox system he is building for the congregation. That will be great for saving all of us postage on cards and letters to other members.

This afternoon I will be dressing a mannequin for the Tour of Homes at Christmas. She will be 'June Cleaver' - the house built in 1935 has been restored to original details.

Well, I promised my husband home made chili, so I had better get the beans soaking so I can cook them today. My Blazin' Chili was a winner in Maryland and seems to satisfy his cravings for chili any time I make it. Looking forward to making lots of soups this winter.

God bless each of you and may your Thanksgiving be filled with family, loved ones and not too much over eating.

Today was a beautiful day. Just a little chilly, but the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was gentle - -A perfect day to go riding in the mountains, camera in hand, to look at the fabulous colors that God spread over the hardwoods of North Carolina.

We went to Bridal Falls (a little disappointing as there was just a trickle of water); On to Franklin, N.C. to eat at a favorite local cafe and then on to the Amish store in Homer, Ga for some of their butter and cornmeal; and then on to Commerce to the Tanger Outlet Center to look for Brown Shoes. Where have all the shoe manufacturers gone...CHINA! I looked very hard for Italian or Brazilian leathers, but couldn't find any in my size. Guess I'll Keep Looking. I R-E-F-U-S-E to buy from China. Guess I'll either make my own clothes or go naked. That's a scary thought, guess I'll keep looking for clothes.

On a serious note - What a blessing these 46 years have been with the perfect soulmate. God truly blessed our union. We have seen feast and famine, mountain tops and valleys, but through it all we have been firm in our commitment to Christ and to each other. That makes for a truly wonderful marriage. It's what I hope and pray for each of my kids and also for those wonderful young men and women we come in contact with and have learned to love as our own.

We had a wonderful surprise on Saturday. Two young graduates of Faulkner came to visit us and go to worship with us on Sunday. The Lord has blessed us with their love and friendship. They are terrific young Christian men, in business for themselves and strong in the faith.

Last surprise (or should I say Shock) for today...A friend that John has been helping finish a deck last week had an accident with the circular saw.........he cut off his middle finger. They reattached it and will know in a day or two if it will take. John is going to try and work on his deck tomorrow, he has promised me that he will be VERRRRRY careful with the power tools.

Time to hit the sack, I'm tired after all the walking I did today. It was great-just maybe I'll lose more than one pound this week.

P.S. Don't ever use nailpolish over a new pair of Khakis...What a mess!

It never ceases to amaze me just how 'Hot under the collar' people can get when it comes to Religion or Politics.

As Christians we are given the responsibility to make the world as moral as we can. We are the only workers that God has on earth - so let's just work on that today. Worry is a sin (didn't Jesus Himself tell us not to worry), we need to remember that whatever happens tomorrow, God is already there!

I voted my conscience. That's all anyone can do. It was my civic duty and priviledge. I based my decision on what I thought would be the best for the country based on the scriptures. That means NO to same sex marriages, abortion, and movies that show sex outside the marriage, nudity and profanity running rampant throughout. If that means I never see another movie-so be it.

How many Americans who ranted and raved about this candidate or that candidate - actually did something about it? A friend told me she just couldn't vote - My answer was "that's your right; just don't complain about the state of the country in the future." I encourage the young, middle age and the senior citizens to get off their duff and get involved in making American the very best that we can and please God in the process.

See you at the Polls!

Just got home from four days on the road. My cousin, Jerri and I left Monday morning headed for Madison, Florida to try and find anything about my grandfather William. He shows up on the face of the earth in 1891 when he applies for a marriage license. After 17 years of researching, we still can't find any concrete evidence of his existence on earth before that year! How frustrating!!!!

We stopped in Valdosta and visited my sister, took her a basket of homemade goodies and had a good visit. Her health is getting worse...I sure hope I stay strong and mobile when I'm 70. While we were there I found out my nephew, Scott had a heart attack that morning. He is only 39 years old and this is his second attack. Please remember him in your prayers. He is not a Christian.

We did manage to find my grandmother Sarah's gravesite and found that she was buried beside her father and mother. That was a great find. We discovered that one relative had died in February 2008, so we found their toombstone and copied all the info into our records.

We stopped in Cordele to visit a distant relative. She suggested we try a new restaurant called "Two Sisters". The food was delicious and the desserts were out of this world. All were fresh made by the two sisters who owned the shop. There was keylime cake, strawberry cake, N.Y. style cheesecake, Chocolate delight and Lemon Lush. The Lemon Lush was the best I have ever eaten!

We then stopped in Macon and did some research, got copies of wills, marriage license, death cert., and a map of where John's mother was buried.

We finally made it into Jerri's house late Wednesday and managed to stay up uptil the Phillies won the penant...Yeah - go Phillies! We hit the beds and slept like logs. I'd say "like a baby", but I know babies wake up during the night. We went shopping this morning and then I headed home and arrived about 3 p.m. We logged in 911 miles and many hours of microfilm blurred vision. Guess John missed me 'cause he called a couple of times and asked when he could expect me...I was beginning to think he had dancing girls coming over. (that's a joke between us for about the last 30 years.)

Guess I'll try to log in all the rest of the information and get to bed early. I sure was glad I carried my laptop to log in information as we went along rather than writing longhand and then having to log in info at home.

P.S. Yesterday was my neice's birthday - Wish her a belated Happy Day...I sent her an Over-The-hill basket at her worksite. Tee Hee Hee

So much for a week off...It turns out that we didn't get one single day of our vacation. Guess we will have to take it some other time.

I went to the dentist and had my semi-annual teeth cleaning. Everything looks good except for the two crowns that I need. That will put my mouth at a $14,000. value on crowns alone. I can remember when we opted to have my crowns done rather than pay down on a new house. You'd think that the older you get the fewer cavities you would have...my dentist says that's generally true; but not necessarily factual.

After coming home I did my bread making for the week - one loaf of cranberry cinnamon bread, hamburger buns, hotdog rolls and one small dinner loaf for a special meal this week. John said the breakfast bread was the best he had ever tasted and he wants it every week! Boy-what pressure! Since it is my own recipe, I guess I will put it in the next printing of my cookbook.

Today was the annual District Meeting for Pine Tree Garden Club. There were six ladies that rode with me - we had a great time, wonderful lunch and the program (Taking care of feather friends) was presented by DNR rep. Terry Johnson. He is very much into nature and how to care for it and the animals that inhabit it. Guess I'll make a couple of birdhouses this winter for Dinky Acres (My place). We are trying to keep at least 3 acres of natural habitat for the critters.

Phone just rang and I had a great conservation with my special niece, we enjoy catching up on news while she drives home from work. Oh well, it's time to prepare dinner (chicken, potatoes, english peas, gravy and bread. Yes, we really are on a diet...we just eat smaller portions.

Again I ask for your prayers for the Country and that God's hand will be in the election process.