5th grade graduation

Jesse and his friends Savon and Randy

Jesse was voted the school chaplain this year and his daily responsibility was to say the 'Pledge of Allegiance' every morning and at special functions.  We were able to visit Alabama and be present for his graduation from 5th grade.  Here he is leading everyone in the pledge of allegiance at the moving up ceremony.

Jesse and his proud mother, our daughter, Cindy.

Jesse displaying his gifts with a smile.

Displaying the diplomas.

I was so happy that we could be there for the moving up ceremony, and we were also there for the awards ceremony that was held the day before.  Jesse received several awards for his academic excellence including one that was presented to him from the Rotary Club.

We are so proud of our grandson, Jesse.

What I've Been Up To



Barrettes and Pins

Tomato Cage Earring Displays



My friend Christina's pillows displayed at the craft fair.





A little over a week ago I did my first craft fair along with my friend Christina whose table was next to mine.  It wasn't a very big craft fair and it wasn't in a well trafficked area.  Most of the attendees were senior citizens who watch their money closely, so needless to say, it wasn't a big money maker.  Luckily to rent the spot wasn't expensive at all, so we were able to make that money back and a little bit more.  But, I guess it was good for a first experience because it definitely was NOT overwhelming

Since the fair I have been busy with baking, something I always do at this time of the year.  I also finally started my Christmas shopping.  Normally, I am more than half finished with my shopping by now, but with the economy as it is, our spending money is sparse.  My Christmas shopping this year is going to have to be more bargain oriented, which takes a little more planning and time. I am becoming very good at finding nice things on the clearance sales racks.

  

I am also cooking and freezing meals for my hubby. You see, my youngest daughter will be moving back home for a while and we immediately planned a trip for her and I to go visit my other daughter and grandchildren, leaving poor hubby to fend for himself.  He would love to come too but can't miss work right now.  He is saving his vacation for Christmas time.



It's That Time of Year

It's that time of year when the weather gets slightly cooler (I am in Florida) and I start to miss the autumn leaves falling, and the aromas of fresh baked breads and cookies filling the house.  I can't do anything about the autumn leaves but I can fill the house with delicious scents. Last year I found a recipe for the best pumpkin bread I ever had on recipes.com.  Unfortunately, last year during the holiday season I baked so much that I put on some extra pounds that I never got rid of.  I have been trying to put off my itch to start baking in order to stay on my diet and lose a few pounds first. I had been successful until today.  After talking to my sister-in-law on the phone about diets and exercise, she asked me for my pumpkin bread recipe, which I promptly gave her.  But now I wanted to bake even more, so I decided that I would try to make the recipe a little more diet friendly.  I switched out 1/2 cup of butter for 1/2 cup of light butter with canola oil(land o lakes), and instead of 3 eggs I used 1 egg and the equivalent of 2 eggs in egg substitute.  The recipe called for 3 cups of sugar which I used 1 and 1/2 cups sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups of Splenda.  I don't know calorie wise how much I saved but I know that this bread is healthier for me than the original recipe because I have to watch my sugar, and cholesterol being a diabetic with a heart problem.  I was quite pleased with the results and I don't think anyone will notice the difference if I don't tell them.

Here is the revised recipe, if anyone is interested.

1 cup light butter(made with canola oil)

1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 and 1/2 cups Splenda
1 egg
1/2 cup egg substitute
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 and 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1-16 oz. can pumpkin
Cream together butter and sugars, add eggs and mix well.  Combine dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture.  Stir in pumpkin.  Pour into two greased 9x5 loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until test done.

Pretty simple and pretty delicious.

7 Things About Me and Passing on the Award

An Oklahoma Granny and my friend, Dolly, from Consider The Lillies passed this award onto me. I am supposed to post 7 things about myself that most do not know.  I will try, but honestly, I think I am a pretty boring person and what you have seen so far from me is what you get.  But I will try to search the crevices of my mind and see if I can come up with any interesting facts.  Okay, here goes....


1.  When I was about 11 years old I decided to run away from home because I had gotten punished for something.  I guess I really didn't have the concept down because I left my house and went straight to my grandmother's house (she immediately called my mother who didn't even know that I was missing yet). This  escapade added a few days to my punishment but I also got the silent treatment from my heartbroken mom which was worse than anything else.

2. I have never been on an airplane and I have no desire to ever go on one either.

3. I can't swim and I live in Florida with a pool in my yard.  My poor kids weren't allowed in the pool until their father came home from work or another adult was present who could swim.

4. I found that history definitely does repeat itself.  My husband and I got secretly married and remarried a year later publicly on our 1 year anniversary.  History repeated itself with our oldest daughter who did the same thing.

5.  I accepted the Lord when I was twenty after reading the book 'The Late Great Planet Earth' by Hal Lindsey. My husband (then boyfriend) spoke often of this book that I had to read it. Immediately after reading it I went out and bought my first Bible. Many years later someone asked us the question if there was a specific person in our life that we could pinpoint that helped lead us to our decision for Christ. Naturally I said my husband because of his conversations with me about this book. To my shock, my husband's answer was me. I never knew that he had not accepted the Lord until after I had read the book and we would read and study the Bible together.


6.  I flipped my car and landed in a ditch on the side of the Long Island Expressway when I was a teenager.  I wasn't speeding but it was raining and it was kind of a freak accident.  The car was totaled, the roof smashed down and all, but the three of us that were in the car walked away without a scratch.
 
7. I miss my grandchildren and I can't wait to move to be near them.....okay, so anyone who has read my blog already knows this but I couldn't think of anything else.  Sorry!
 
The seven I pass this award onto are:
 
1.  Rachel from Breathing vs. Living
2.  Andrea from Under Grace and Over Coffee
3.  Rhoda from Southern Hospitality
4.  Michele from The Homesteading Apartment
5.  Katy from The Country Blossom
6.  Nen from Living The Small Town Life
7.  Penny from The Comforts of Home

My First Local Craft Fair

Christina came over today and told me that she signed up for her first local craft fair and suggested that I sign up also.  I thought about it for about 5 minutes and decided to do it.  About 16 years ago, a friend and I had a craft booth in a flea market but that was an every weekend thing, not a craft fair so this is going to be my first.  I have been making jewelry for a few years now, so I have an abundance of stock and Etsy has been a little slow for me and Artfire even slower, so I am ready to make a few sales at a fair.  Why not try, right?! I got 3 weeks to get organized and figure out a display.  Aside from the jewelry I have a number of cowl neck scarves that I crocheted that I will also try to sell, though that might be a hard sell for Florida weather.  A gift for family up north maybe.....

Sophia's 4th Birthday

Returned home last night from a weekend trip to Alabama.  We went there for my granddaughter's 4th birthday. My granddaughter, Sophia, and my friend, Dolly, share the same birthday and Dolly lives in Alabama too so I got to see her for her birthday also, though the weekend went entirely too fast.

Mommy and Daddy got her a new bike for her birthday.

Sophia's party was held at a place that had all those blow-up, bouncy things inside and out.  Sophia chose the outside waterslide section and the weather was perfect for it. Very HOT!!  All the kids (big and small) enjoyed themselves slipping and sliding down the waterslide. And the grandparents (both sets) enjoyed the show.


Sophia in mid air bouncing down the waterslide.



No More Freezing

No, I am not talking about the weather.  It is nothing but HOT and MUGGY here in Florida.  I am talking about my laptop.  I have an older Gateway laptop that has been dropped. 

old laptop

I had a friend who knows a lot about computers check it out and fix some of the problems(like taking an hour to turn on and load, now it only takes about 2 minutes), but he couldn't fix the intermittent freezing.  When it froze, that was it, it didn't come back, you had to turn it off and then back on.  Well, lately the freezing was happening much more often.  Like every half hour, and sometimes within 3 minutes of turning the computer on.  It was very frustrating!! Well, thanks to Best Buys sale this weekend and my wonderful husband, I am now the proud owner of a new Dell laptop. 

new laptop

I found it so exciting to be able to play a game of GemSwapII and not have it freeze up on me, or actually read some of your blog posts. Hooray!  I am back. Now all I have to do is get used to Windows 7.

Computer Problems

Been having computer issues.  I was working on my computer until 4 in the morning.  I think I finally have it fixed.  Time will tell.