Pumpkins

I have been very TARDY in decorating for fall this year.  I can't really explain it.  I don't know that I am any busier this year than last, it just seems like I haven't been on top of things and getting things decorated like I usually do.  I mean, it's not like I do a LOT of outdoor fall decorating, but, I usually do something!  If I wait much longer it won't be fall anymore, so I figured I had to get busy soon!

So, last weekend I bought 4 pretty good sized bright orange pumpkins, and I asked my husband to bring some straw bales up to our fence at the front gate so I could do some decorating.  I dropped the pumpkins off up by the gate last weekend on my way home from the store, and they've sat there ever since.  It took a couple of days for the husband to get the straw bales up to the gate so finally, yesterday, I stacked the bales up and placed the 4 pumpkins on the straw.  Now mind you I don't have any mums or anything up there yet.  This is a work in progress people.  But at least I felt like I had done something.

This morning, as usual, I head out at 4:50 a.m. to go into town for my morning walk, and lo and behold, one of my pumpkins was missing.  I stopped and backed up so I could get a good look in the headlights and, sure enough, where there had been 4 pumpkins, now there were 3.

Now I ask you, why would someone steal a pumpkin?  And, if you were going to steal a pumpkin, why wouldn't you steal ALL of them? 

These are things that make me say hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???????

Our God Is Awesome!!!!!

Thank you to each person who prayed for our son.  I am always amazed at the Godly people our Lord has placed into my life.  I am so happy to report that we have received the results from the MRI and there is NO tendon damage, NO ligament damage, NO ankle damage.  NOTHING THAT REQUIRES SURGERY!  I am just praising our Lord because I know this is an answer to prayer.  Even our doctor was amazed at the MRI results.  He said he was certain Cole had tendon and ligament damage, and that he would require surgery to put in pins and plates to repair the foot.  Cole does have what the doctor called "microfractures" throughout his foot.  The doctor described it as hitting a windshield with a hammer.  The windshield doesn't break, but there are tiny cracks everywhere.  He said the treatment for these microfractures is immobilization, and time.  So, we have an appointment with an orthopedic group next week, and he said they would probably put him in a cast or a boot for 6 weeks to allow the foot to heal.

Again, I am so excited and so thankful to the Lord for hearing our prayers and for answering them.  And, I am praying for each one of you.  That the Lord will bless you for every prayer you lifted to heaven for Cole.  You are an awesome group of friends, and I am humbled to be a part of your lives.

I will keep you updated over the coming weeks as to how Cole is doing, and I am expecting to report nothing less than a complete recovery. 

So to you, my blogging friends, I say again ~~ thank you, thank you, thank you.  May God bless you in a mighty, mighty way. 

Needing Your Prayers Today

My dear friends.  Today, I ask for your prayers.  A week ago Sunday our son hurt his foot on the 4-wheeler.  We took him to the ER and they x-rayed it but it showed nothing broken.  So they sent him home with crutches and told him it should be better in a week or so.  The foot is no better.  Still very swollen and very bruised and very sore.  Yesterday we took him to our doctor and he said the foot is beginning to be infected due to all the bruising.  He put Cole on an antibiotic, and said if it wasn't better by today, he would have to give him something stronger.  He is also sending us for an MRI this afternoon.  I wish I could say I thought his foot looked better this morning, but it doesn't.  Cole is miserable.  He is so tired of his foot being swollen and hurting constantly.  And I am worried about the infection.

So today, please if you would lift my son in prayer today for complete healing in Jesus name.  And while I am asking for prayers, please pray for my sister, Rhonda.  She cut her foot early this morning on a half opened can of dog food and went to the ER and got 10 stitches. 

I thank each one of you in advance for praying.  The Bible tells us in Matthew 18:19  “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."  I am standing on that this morning as we lift Cole and Rhonda before the Great Physician!  Thank you for your prayers, and may the Lord bless you and your families today! 

Christmas Cards Already ? ? ? ? ? ?

I know what you're thinking.  It CAN'T be time to think about Christmas cards yet.  Why, it's still October for cryin' out loud!  Well, may I remind you that if you send out your Christmas cards the first week of December, then you have only 5 weeks to get those family pictures taken, cards ordered, and addressed, and stamped and mailed!  REALLY -- ONLY 5 WEEKS!!!!

You may recall that last year I blogged about my TERRIFIC experience with SHUTTERFLY.  Shutterfly is an on-line company that allows you to store your digital photos, and they also offer prints, photo books, mugs, and, you guessed it CHRISTMAS CARDS!  Last year I was so blessed to receive free Christmas Cards from Shutterfly and I can tell you they are the NICEST photo Christmas cards I have ever sent out.  So many people asked me where I had purchased my Christmas cards last year, that I had already decided that Shutterfly would be my choice for my Christmas cards for this year.

Well, Shutterfly has once again offered a tremendous opportunity for me to once again receive free Christmas cards from them.  I AM SO EXCITED.

Now my wonderful readers, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must make you aware that Shutterfly is providing me with 50 free Christmas cards this year.  I can also tell you that under no circumstance would I tell you I liked something that I didn't.  Under no circumstance would I recommend something to you that I wouldn't pay for myself.  If I don't have my integrity, I don't have anything.  So you can trust me when I say these Shutterfly Christmas cards are so much nicer than the Christmas cards I had been purchasing through Wal-Mart. You can trust me when I say I would have ordered my Christmas cards from Shutterfly even if they hadn't provided me with free cards.

Click on www.shutterfly.com and you will see what I mean.  They have religious cards, traditional cards, and funny cards.  They have formal cards and flashy cards.  You name it, they offer it.  I haven't decided which cards I am going to use this year . . . I LOVE THEM ALL!!

Click on the links below to look at all the really NEAT things Shutterfly has to offer:

·         holiday cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards                

·         Christmas cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

·         greeting cards http://www.shutterfly.com/greetings/index.jsp

·         Christmas photo cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

·         calendars to http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars  

·         photo gifts http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts

Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q 

So, get yourself to Shutterfly.com and browse their HUGE selection of Christmas cards, calendars and other exciting things they have to offer.  You'll be glad you did!  

 

F-R-O-S-T!!!!

Brrrrrrrr!!!  We had our first frost this morning.  I hate to say it, but everything looked so pretty with the frost on the grass and steam rising from the pond in front of our house.  It really was beautiful.

It is supposed to warm up, and we are expecting another beautiful fall weekend.   So the frost this morning was just a hint of the cold weather to come.

Fall is my favorite time of year, and frost is a part of fall so I won't complain.  I plan to soak up every precious moment of this upcoming weekend and be thankful to God that He gave us four seasons to enjoy!

Blessings to you all my friends!

We Have a WINNER !!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you ladies for participating in my giveaway.  Isn't it a blessing to know that we can get excited over measuring spoons??  Our Lord is so good for allowing us to be entertained by the simple things in life.

I have enjoyed using my new spoons and I know the winner will enjoy using them too.

So now, after putting all the names in a hat, praying for the Lord to pick who He wants to bless with these awesome new spoons, I drew out one name, and the winner is . . . ASHLEY!!!

Ashley, I will be e-mailing you for your mailing address.  I really hope you enjoy using these spoons as much as I have enjoyed this giveaway.  Once again, thanks to each one of you for reading Down On The Farm!  I hope it makes you smile.  Blessings to you ALL!!!!

Last Day For My Giveaway!!!!!

Just reminding you that today at 5:00 p.m. is the cutoff for my giveaway.  What?  You don't know anything about my giveaway?  Well, I am giving away a gorgeous set of Ganz cross measuring spoons!  So, click HERE and leave a comment and you will be entered to win these spoons.  Leaving a comment on THIS POST will NOT enter you to win the measuring spoons, so click on the link to be returned to the original post about the spoons!  I will be announcing the winner tomorrow!

Oh, and one more thing.  GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twenty-Six

Today, my sweet husband and I have been married twenty-six years.

We have had easy days, and hard days.

We have had good days, and some not so good days.

We have had days with plenty of money to spend, and days with no money to spend.

We have thankfully had many more days of health, than sickness.

We have received two of the greatest blessings we could ever have asked for in our children.

I cannot imagine my life without my husband.  He is a blessing to me.  And I pray that we have many, many, many, many more years of health and happiness together! 

My Spaghetti Sauce

One of our "go to" meals is spaghetti.  We love it, seriously, and we eat a lot of spaghetti.  Spaghetti is pure comfort food, and if you've always used spaghetti sauce from a jar, let me tell you how EASY, and inexpensive, it is to make it yourself.  Don't be afraid.  You can do it!!  Come on, I'll show you!

I'm pretty sure you know how to get to this part.  Fry up 2 pounds of ground beef, and boil your spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

 Fry your hamburger until it is no longer pink.  This wasn't quite done.  Then boil your noodles until al dente.  And just in case your mama never told you, splash a little bit of olive oil into the water before adding the noodles.  Helps to keep them from sticking together.








Once your hamburger and the noodles are done, add two cans of tomato sauce to the hamburger.  I use Always Save or Best Choice brands.  I've used the more expensive brands but really, I can't find ONE IOTA of difference.  So save yourself some money and buy the store brand!

Once the tomato sauce and the hamburger are mixed together, you have a blank canvas to create your own spaghetti sauce.  You can make it your own.  Hot and spicy, mild, sweet.  Whatever you like.  Here's what I use:

Minced garlic, garlic powder (we really like garlic), oregano, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, and, the secret ingredient that makes my spaghetti sauce out-of-this-world-delicious, brown sugar.  That's right.  The brown sugar mellows out the sharp tomato taste.  And the sweet brown sugar and the tangy garlic and oregano, mmmm, mmmm, MMMM!  YUM!!  Trust me on this one.

Now I know you want to know measurements.  Because when someone tells me how to make something, I always want measurements.  But I don't measure anything when I make my spaghetti sauce.  I just start shaking things in, and then tasting.  When it comes to adding the brown sugar, I would start with one tablespoon and then add to taste.  I probably put in at least two tablespoons, but we like our spaghetti with a pretty strong hint of sweetness behind all that garlic goodness. 

Doesn't that look DELICIOUS!!!  So, the next time you're looking for something quick and easy to fix for supper, make homemade spaghetti!  It's fast, it's easy, and it really is DELICIOUS!