Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Truesdales! It’s that special time of year
When we send news and greetings to our loved ones far and near.

This year was very quiet. Unusual, but true
We’re thankful for no surgeries or big changes to tell you.

Dan ministers to sick ones at Bethesda North each week.
In between, he studies hard . His Th.B. he seeks.

DJ is a driver. Seventeen he turned this year.
Cars and computers are his thing - you can keep up with him here.
(djtruesdale.blogspot.com)

Lorna is a freshman. Her piano skills she hones.
She studies hard and helps mom with duties around our home.

Benji is eight now. A diligent scholar is he.
No visits to the doctor He celebrates with glee.

Mom keeps very busy: Homeschooling, cooking, cleaning
Caring for her family gives her life a special meaning.

We hope this Christmas Season finds you and yours healthy too.
These greetings are sent to your house: A Blessed new year to you!

(For those of you who didn't receive our Christmas Greetings via snail mail, please enjoy these holiday greetings!)

Church Christmas Dinner

Jason serving Benji his salad while Dan and DJ enjoy their food.

Our church always has the nicest Christmas Dinners. They are held at the Oasis Banquet Center in Loveland, Ohio. The salads are delicious and the entree delectable. I love their chicken breast and their cook knows how to make the most tasty mashed potatoes!
Jason was our server this year. He remembered my husband from previous years so they had some good conversation this year about our church, its location, etc. It's been a positive experience for him serving our church family through the years. Maybe he'll be out to church soon! Please visit my son's blog and my pastor's wife's blog for slide shows of the dinner. We all enjoyed a very pleasurable and memorable evening as usual.

So, What Do You Want for Your Birthday, Jesus?

"Happy Birthday, Jesus! I'm so glad it's Christmas!" Please take a few moments and read the article at: http://info@elisabethcorcoran.com/column.html I promise you won't be disappointed and you'll go about the rest of the Christmas season differently.

Christmas Cookies!

These cookies look so fancy but they are some of the most inexpensive yummy cookies ever! They are a shortbread type cookie and are very fast and easy to make. A wonderful gift idea!

Chocolate Tipped Butter Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

Wilton's Chocolate Candy Wafers (like you use for melting)

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add flour; mix well.

Shape dough into 2 1/2" x 1/2" sticks. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten three-quarters of each cookie lengthwise with tines of a fork to 1/4" thickness. Bake at 350 degrees for 12- 14 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Melt chocolate wafers in microwave. Dip unflattened tips of cookies in warm chocolate to coat both sides. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is firm. Yield: 4 dozen I I have been making these cookies since I first spotted them in the December 1990 issue of Southern Living magazine - my very first Christmas as Mrs. Dan Truesdale! They've been a Truesdale Christmas Tradition ever since! Today I made two batches!

For Christmas - Give Your Heart

I inherited this "?" (problem? blessing? habit?) from my dad - we LOVE magazines!

Considering the Greatest Giver of all time (God, our Creator who loved the world so much that He GAVE His ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him wouldn't perish), I offer this recent gleaning from this month's issue of Mary Englebreit's Home Companion. She has (amongst other things) a really neat thought provoking page called "portfolio - heartbeats: the joy of giving". She quotes several famous people's thoughts on giving. Here are a few I really liked:

No one has ever become poor by giving. -Anne Frank, diarist, 1929-1945

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill, Bristish statesman, 1874-1965

You're a happy fellow, for you'll give happiness and joy to many other people. There is nothing better or greater than that. -Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, 1770-1827

"Everyone loves to get presents, and I'm no exception, but the best gifts we can offer each other -love, acceptance, understanding- don't come from the store. They come straight from the heart." -Mary Englebreit

This Christmas-give your heart.

Laughter, Children and Santa Clause?

Last night was our first Sunday evening practice for the Christmas Program and all the children needed to be at church by 6:00 p.m. My daughter suggested we help Janie Eisenhart out with her children by offering to pick up the oldest ones at 5:30 and taking them to practice. This would give Janie a few minutes for herself since church doesn't start until 7:30.

Ella, the next to the youngest is free entertainment. She kept us laughing the whole way to church. The funniest though, was when she told us (out of the blue), "I don't believe in all that Santa Clause stuff". Abby, who's very quiet, suddenly pipes up, "Yeah, that's because you're on the Naughty List!" I have laughed about that all day. Needless to say, Ella disagreed.

Children are SO precious. They are so transparent and lovable. I've often said, when we get to heaven and everyone is settled in, you'll find me in the Nursery or the Garden rocking or playing with all the babies. I'm sure there'll be lots - think of all the millions who've been aborted. I'll think I've died and gone to heaven- and I'll be right!

Christmas Bells!

Christmas Bells! Forty of them in all! All rung by children as they praise the Savior who came so many years ago for US! This is my Junior Church Bell Choir practicing "Night of Silence Medley" for one of their parts in our church's annual Christmas Program. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the music they make together is! I love working with them in this area and they LOVE being allowed to play the bells - it's a special priviledge they all look forward to!

Lebanon's Candle Lit, Horsedrawn Christmas Parade

This is the most awesome parade ever! A Truesdale Christmas tradition, this parade takes place the first Saturday in December. There are between 125 and 175 horse drawn vehicles in the parade and the streets are deeply lined with thousands of people - some with candles lit. Historic downtown Lebanon is beautifully lit for the occasion. We've only missed one year since we moved to Cincinnati 11 years ago. We did have to leave early this year because it was so bitter cold with the winter storm moving in but it was beautiful!

Christmas Music Memories

Today we were busy baking 23 mini loaves of pumpkin bread to give as gifts and my daughter got tired of hearing the Anthony Burger Christmas CD playing after about 10 hours. (Imagine that!) She said,"Do you mind if I put on that Dennis record"? I was delighted! That is my VERY favorite Christmas record-has been since I was a little girl. A few years ago we visited the Brass Armidillo in Tri-County area (it was an Antique Mall - they closed a couple years ago). As we were browsing the stalls, I found a stall that had a bunch of old records. I LOVE good old records so was going through them when what to my wondering eyes should appear but this record! I was SOOOOOOOO excited. $2.50 and several Christmases later, it made my heart glad to know that my daughter also enjoys my record!

My favorite song from the album reminds us that "Christmas is for the Family" and Dennis reminds us at the end of Side 2, "we're not getting any younger". So, be sure to cherish your family this Christmas season and don't forget to "laugh and pray together" like the song says!

Merry Christmas!

Creative Christmas Gift

Today I put together these meaningful gifts for a $1.00 and an afternoon/ evening of labor.

Tired of the same-old-same-old, I was excited when I read about this neat idea in one of the homeschool enewsletters I get. Michaels has these mousepad calendars in a variety of themes for $1.00. I chose the Front Porch theme for mine and used Mircosoft Works label program to make my labels. The most time consuming part was entering each name and year for each person in my immediate family (mom, dad, sisters, brother-in-laws, nieces and nephews) and my mom and dads parents and siblings' anniversarys and birthdates. Next year, though, all I'll have to do is print them off and put them on the proper date.
The result is a clutter-free useful gift for some special family members:
a mousepad and a calendar with everyone's special dates on it.

Decorating our Church for Christmas

This morning DJ, Lorna and I went out and decorated our church for Christmas. There wasn't too much to it - just carrying everything upstairs, unbagging and fluffing everything out and putting it in place. We did a couple new things this year. We put lighted garland and bows on the railings out front and we used gold lame' on the bulletin boards for the background. It was fun to decorate God's House for this time of year when we celebrate the birth of His Son.

Christmas! THE Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Today officially begins the Christmas Season. At our house, we already have three trees up and over 5000 lights decorating the outside! Some gifts are wrapped and the calendar is filling up. DJ is like his Mommy - we LOVE Christmas! Not the gifts but the season of Joy celebrating the coming of OUR Messiah, and all the fun things there are to do.

Last year we weren't able to visit this awesome house because of Benji's dangerous health situation. We wanted to make sure we got it in this year so tonight we bundled everyone in the van, turned on the Christmas music and headed to Mason's Heritage Park. The show is old time drive-in movie theatre style and is it ever AWESOME! They played one of DJ's favorites, "The Mad Russian's Christmas" by the Trans Siberian Orchestra, a Christmas Hymn Medley by the Mason Public High School Band and other selections. Now the hard part is going to be to keep DJ from doing it to our house! If you live in the greater Cincinnati area, be sure to bundle every one in the car and Monday- Thursday, you can get your whole car load in for $10.00 if you print off a coupon from: festivalsofmason.com

A wonderful Christmas Memory!

Thanksgivings Remembered

Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated at home this year as we spent last week in Michigan with Dan's parents. His dad had two heart surgeries and thankfully is all better now. The kids mentioned that we ALMOST made it a year without a hospital visit! Last Thanksgiving, we spent the week at Cincinnati Children's Hospital with Benji. He had lived in pain but no other outward evidence (like fever or seepage) after a surgery on October 23 to lengthen his rods. Well, the Monday before Thanksgiving, we were going down Route 4 and I went over a LITTLE bump. He cried out and kept crying for about an hour. We stopped at a Walgreens and I got him some Motrin and chocolate milk. By the time we got home he was doing okay. That evening, Dan took his brace off to help him get ready for bed and immediately called me over. The bandage that ran from his neck to his waist had infection on it! I took a look and a whiff and knew we were in BIG trouble. I called the orthopedic resident on call at Children's and told him what was going on. He said to come as quickly as we safely could and be prepared to stay. Later, that resident about passed out when he removed Benji's bandage and found the rod protruding out of Benji's back and DEEPLY infected. Dr. Crawford did emergency surgery the next morning and determined that Benji had staph infection in his bone. Benji was close to heaven that week, but God intervened. He came home with a pic line and we administered very potent antibiotics every six hours through December and most of January. Visiting nurses came out three times a week and with LOTS prayer, antiobiotics and TLC, a year later, Benji is doing AWESOME. We had a checkup with Dr. Crawford a month ago and Benji doesn't have to go back until next June! PRAISE THE LORD!

Benji and DJ playing with the helicopter the Junior Church got him.
Last Thanksgiving, we spent the day putting a gingerbread house together. We set it all up on Benji's bed table and he, Grammy, Lorna and I put it together and decorated it. Our dear friends, Don and Melinda Shirk let us borrow a bowl and spoon to make our frosting and even sent over a pumpkin pie and some rolls. I had bought a rotisserie chicken at Sam's the day before so that was our Thanksgiving Dinner! We were so thankful to have wonderful doctors, nurses and one of the best hospitals in the world. God is so good!

I thought of Melinda alot today. Wednesday she buried her mom. It was so sudden and such a brief illness. She was so young. Melinda is such a blessing to so many - such a giver with a servant heart. I pray God carries her through these difficult days. Moms are so important - I can't imagine losing mine.

Two years ago, we spent our last Thanksgiving with my brother-in-law, Dean. Dan's folks came down from Michigan for the day and Dean and Ona came over. I fixed a smoked turkey from Sam's, mashed potatoes, stuffing and all the other trimmings. I have the neatest picture of Dan, his dad and Dean all asleep in the living room while Mom, Ona, the kids and I looked at the ads at the dining room table. We talked alot about that Thanksgiving and those memories today. I'm so glad for the memories - no regrets there.

Well, this posting seems a little blue - I didn't mean it that way. Just giving thanks for all God's Blessings I'm still enjoying, all the wonderful answers to prayer and VERY thankful for the Grace that carries us through difficult seasons. Have a Blessed Christmas Season! Don't forget to "rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing"!

Happy 17th Birthday, DJ!

Seventeen years ago today, God blessed our home with a beautiful healthy baby boy. We named him Daniel James Truesdale II - "DJ" for short. What a wonderful blessing he has been!
Here is Aunt Amy and Grampsy playing with him the day he was born.
I can't believe it was 17 years ago that God blessed our home with this incredible bundle of joy! What a wonderful blessing he has been - especially with his Daddy's decreased abilities in health. DJ is most importantly a devoted Christian. He's a wonderful worker and blesses so many with his abilities and helpful ways. This past week, he put up almost 5000 lights on his paternal grandparents house decorating it for Christmas. He also did numerous tasks for his "G-pa T-dale" - changing 7 tires out for starters!

Apple Pie

Homemade apple pie on a cool Fall day! It doesn’t get much better than this! DJ’s been busy putting up Christmas lights and decorating his room for Christmas. With all the festivities, I decided to join in and bake his favorite - homemade apple pie. Lorna’s also been hinting that she would really enjoy one of the cinnamon rolls that I make with the leftover pie dough so Tuesday was the day! It’s Thursday and DJ had the last piece for breakfast this morning. :)
Betty Truesdale’s Pie Crust
(10” Double Crust)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold shortening
5 tablespoons ice cold water
Mix flour and salt together. Cut in shortening until size of peas. Sprinkle in water one tablespoon at a time. Mix just until ball forms - not smooth. Divide dough in half and roll into 10” circle with a rolling pin. The cold water and shortening and not overmixing is what gives you a wonderful flaky crust.
Lorna’s Favorite Cinnamon Roll
Roll leftover pie dough into a rectangle, spread with butter, sprinkle brown sugar to cover then sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up and place in greased pie plate. Bake at 350 until golden brown. A delicious treat compliments of my Grandma Fair. I didn’t used to be a pie fan but always looked forward to this treat, too.

An Afternoon at Comargo Camp

Last Friday, Dan, Benji and I went out to Comargo Camp and winterized our camper. Bro. Eisenhart gave us permission to leave it out there for now. Benji found a rake and had a wonderful time raking leaves and then jumping in the pile or riding his bike through them.

The camp is so beautiful and I thought of all the encouragement I've received there through the years. God's Presence blesses the camp all the time and I'm thankful to have been a recipient of His Blessing.

Later, we hauled Phyllis Youman's camper over to Grandma Becker's place and winterized it. Phyllis showed me the nice Four Season room she had built on and the flower bed she added beside it. I'm so glad she's joined our church family. She's a real blessing to me.

Happy 45th Birthday, Dan!

Happy 45th Birthday, Dan!
October 29th was Dan's 45th birthday. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! We kind of had a blue Monday - he came on a brochure about Parkinson's Disease at the hospital and it wasn't good news to him. Parkinson's Disease is a VERY cruel disease that involves a LOT more than trembling hands. Dan's been robbed of a normal life at a VERY young age.

Dan courageously fights the disease, volunteering three mornings a week (as he's able) at our hospital as a volunteer chaplain. The rest of his time he tediously reads and studies for classes he's taking at GBS. He purposes to graduate from there ASAP. His body aches with an aching numbness- like when you wake up and your arm has fallen asleep? - All over his body. Still he studies. One of the first signs of Parkinsons is the TINY handwriting - remember all the notes one must write in college? He tries to take all his notes on the computer but it's still very time consuming with his disablity. I had so many people tell me when Dan was diagnosed about their loved ones who basically just sat down and let the disease run its course - not Dan, he's fighting with a vengeance. He reads alot to Benji - they've just about completed 30 of the Bobbsey Twins books. He listens to DJ and all of his dreams (believe it or not DJ's a nonstop talker at home ;) ). He listens to music with Lorna and they visit.

We're thankful we still have our Daddy - we nearly lost him three years ago when he had a heart attack due to a study drug he was on. The left side of his heart was 100% blocked for over an hour and a half. Thanks to many prayers and an awesome cardiologist, there was NO damage! Life is so precious! Even though things aren't like we thought they would be and definitely not like they used to be, we're together and we have God to help us through every situation we'll ever face. "Strength for today and BRIGHT HOPE for Tomorrow (Heaven)... Blessings all mine with ten thousand besides!" It brings me SO much comfort to know that Dan won't suffer for eternity. There's coming a day when the man who used to work circles around every man I know, the man who did so much for others, it bugged me, the man who had a beautiful smile with no effort, the man who drove every where we needed to go (and loved it), the man who had a bottomless energy to play volley ball, basket ball or whatever with young people, the man who provided so handsomely for his family, and on and on it goes ... that man, my husband Dan, will be back. "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." II Corinthians 4:16-18

Happy Birthday Michelle, Brittany, Jewelie and Tanner!

Wednesday, October 17 was a BIG birthdate in our church family! My friend Michelle had a special one, Brittany Hausman turned 12, Tanner Grimes turned 4 and Jewelie Hooper turned 20 the 18th!
Heather Dickinson had mentioned to me that Laura's oven wasn't working and she wasn't sure what she was going to do for Brittany's birthday. After a little brain storming, we decided to bake cupcakes and have a tailgate birthday party after church. So in between taking my husband, Dan, to the hospital for his volunteer chaplain work, teaching the children and taking Lorna to GBS for her piano lesson with Martha Miller, I baked 130 cupcakes - some chocolate and some strawberry, frosted them and put sprinkles on them. Lorna and I ran and got some balloons and DJ made a poster. Everyone seemed to enjoy and I even had some ask where the cupcakes were after church last night! We sure love our church family, they've been there for us in such a special way these last three years especially! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE, TANNER, BRITTANY, and JEWELIE! May you enjoy many more!

A Rossman Family Reunion

Last Saturday, we went to Franklin, Pennsylvania for the Rossman Family Reunion. There were 47 of us that gathered at the Bonanza Steakhouse to catch up and enjoy a meal together. My Papa Rossman, a German Jew descendent, went on to heaven in 1997 but two of his sisters, Betty and Jane were able to join us.

Papa was the youngest with four older sisters. He was a tease and cut up so it obviously didn't affect him too bad! My favorite memories of Papa were eating ice cream with him (I used to love the stuff with a passion) and his prayers. They always started out with "Our most kind and gracious Heavenly Father...." and then he would proceed with his request or thanksgiving. That prayer has had a profound impact on how I view my Heavenly Father - "Kind" and "Gracious". Papa retired from the Quaker State Oil Refinery in Emlenton where he worked as Night Watchman as long as I knew him. Grandma and I used to go see him and he would occasionally take me to a bubble gum machine there. I loved to run and meet him when he got home from work and carry his steel Thermos lunch bucket in for him. I was big stuff and usually got rewarded with a bowl of Schwan's ice cream from the big deep freeze on the back porch. I wish we could find that lunch bucket!

Great Aunt Betty and her husband, Russell, came and spent six weeks with us in Africa. Uncle Russell helped Daddy get a huge water tank up on a scaffolding they built so that we could have running water. It was so nice to have an indoor commode; especially after Daddy stoned a Cobra to death in our outhouse. I have a lot of memories of their visit with us. Their dear friend, "Aunt" Bernie that came with them is the one that taught us how to make "Eggs in the Window" by cutting a hole in a piece of bread, placing it in a skillet and frying an egg in the hole. She was a sweetie.

Great Aunt Jane is quite the decorator and I've finally achieved a childhood dream of having a pink living room just like her! I learned Saturday that her living room is now a pale plum. She's quite a Miss Priss - a real lady. I loved going to her house because it was SOOOOOOO beautiful and she didn't mind me looking at the "pretties".

My Grandma Rossman is the most WONDERFUL Grandma in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!! I have soooooo many pleasant memories with her. My earliest is probably at the little old white Church of the Nazarene in St. Petersburg, Pennsylvania. She was the Sunday School Superintendent there for many years and always very involved. My best Christmas memories always involve Grandma. She sent us the best Christmas boxes when we were in Africa and I still have my talking Holly Hobbie and Drowsy dolls she bought me. Grandma always made lots of candy at Christmas and she's the one who came and helped me make candy the year Benji had a surgery on December 17.

The older I get, the more I appreciate my family and the more I realize what an impact we have on each other. I hope and pray I can make the kind of impacts my Grandma and Papa Rossman made on me.

"Only one life! Twill soon be past.

Only what's done for Christ will last."

Blooms & Berries Fall Field Trip

This week some of the homeschoolers from our church got together for our annual Fall Hayride Field Trip. We had 32 moms and students attend this year and we enjoyed a picture perfect Fall afternoon at Blooms and Berries in Loveland, Ohio. Each person taking the hayride got a bottle of apple juice and cup of freshly popped popcorn after a ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin. Some of the older kids also went into the corn maze which was shaped like a tractor and wagon this year. Jeff Probst, the owner of Blooms and Berries, went out of his way to make sure we enjoyed a wonderful experience at his family's farm. We had the priviledge of having the Hausman family joining us for the outing. They are freshly back from Romania where they worked on the Youth Outreach Building there. It was a great opportunity to get to know them and have good time together. Thanks, Sharon, for all you did in order for them to have a fun time with the homeschoolers!

My friend, Sharon Hutchinson, invited me to the Greater Cincinnati Women of Worth October meeting. The theme this month was Apples and Pumpkins and the new director, Linda Davison, did an outstanding job decorating and organizing the meeting. I enjoyed a wonderful evening!


This beautiful Fall arrangement was in front of the podium beside the sign
in table. Isn't it beautiful?

Sharon made her yummy apple dip with apple slices and I made my pumpkin bread in mini muffin shapes with a cream cheese icing rosette for decoration.

Sharon's Apple Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Blend until smooth and serve with apple slices. (I'll warn you- it's addictive!)

Isn't she a cute little hostess? She held the napkins for our luncheon.
A lovely Fall centerpiece on the food table.
Linda checking on her delicious chicken breast dish and some of the other ladies getting things ready for the evening.
Scenes from the serving line.
More scenes from the serving line.
Attentive listeners.
Getting ready for the devotional time.
Linda made this centerpiece for the sign in table. Isn't she creative?

Bro. Davison brought the message of the evening on "Loving Our Husbands". It was very insightful- especially since it came from his perspective.
Three generations enjoying Women of Worth: Katrina Hutchinson, her mom, Sharon, and grandma Reva Campbell.
Miss Hobleman gives a devotional.
A skit on communication.
Patti Cox gives a few tips on eggs.

Numbering Our Days

Last week, one of Joni and Friends Daily Devotional Scriptures was “So teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Very thought provoking - especially on the eve of my brother-in-law celebrating one year in heaven. Dean wasn’t planning to make the trip quite yet; but, as unexpected as a thief in the night, at the age of 50, God called him home. I couldn’t help thinking about that this week - we never know when God will tell us that we can come home. It’s not always the sick that go, the young and healthy are summoned every day too.

So...numbering my days this week made me do things a little different. I smelled the roses a little more so to speak, hugged my children a little closer and tried to keep eternity’s values a little more in view than normal. We baked pumpkin bread and gave away a couple loaves while the family just enjoyed the rest. We made caramel apples and enjoyed them. We made 48 cupcakes for the children we love so dearly in Junior Church. We went to Blooms and Berries for "Fall on the Farm" and bought pumpkins, mums and straw instead of fall cleaning. We decorated the outside of the house for fall. We worshipped like it was our last Sunday on earth and enjoyed His Creation with great admiration for His Handiwork. We still cooked meals, did endless loads of laundry and lots of schoolwork but it was a different week. Very enjoyable but very different. Less stress about temporal things and LOTS more enjoyment of eternal things. Maybe we can do this a little more often - after all this life is just a dressing room for eternity. James 4:14 and Isaiah 40:6-7 are thought provoking, too. When we get to heaven, we'll be surprised how short life really was.

Favorite Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 1/3 cups flour

2 tsp. soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder

2/3 cup water

2 cups pumpkin
Mix everything together and pour into greased loaf pans or muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour for regular loaf pans; 15 minutes for mini muffins; 40-45 minutes for mini loaf size (makes 7 mini loaves).

My Beloved Family

Lorna, Dan, Benji and D.J.!

Weekend before last, we went to the Oeder's Lake Antique Farm Machinery Show. It's such a nice clean, wholesome family atmosphere. That is where I took this pic of the family that brings me soooooo much joy!

I've Been Tagged... A Great Way to Start Blogging!

My son, DJ, needed one more person to tag so he started a blog for me... Presto!

Here are Seven Random Things About Me:

(Sorry Deanna, these won't be inspirational - that will have to come later :) )

1.I was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania

2. I've lived in my current 1300 sq. ft. cottage longer than any other place (11 years 11/1/07)

3.I met my husband of 18 1/2 years in Florida, married him in Alabama and moved with him to Michigan

4. Spring is my very favorite season with fall running close behind

5. My very own flock of Rhode Island Red chickens is a life long desire

6. The best years of my childhood were spent in Lesotho, Africa (five years)

7. I love "taking tea", visiting tearooms and collecting or doing anything that has to do with TEA!

Most of this is not anything new to you but are just things I find "unique" about me!

Now, to tag seven more people! Well, I'll have to see who hasn't been tagged with this last round of tag and get back with you.....