Lawry's Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz Campaign, It is so yummy!

If you like Lawry's marinades, spices or seasoned salt as we do, you will love their 2 new marinade flavors:
Seasoned Salt and Balsamic Herb. We used the seasoned salt this evening on ribs and it was delicious! You will enjoy it as well.

As part of the latest Bzzz campaign, I received a bottle of each, some seasoned salt and a red apron the perfect color for my hubby.

I have also received coupons that I can give away. So, if you are interested in having a $1 off the marinade and $.75 off the salt, contact me for a way I can send them to you, or you can send me a SASE and I will send it back to you.

I can't wait to try the Balsamic Herb this week.

Bemused!

If God can make perfect babies and beautiful beaches and oceans, why is it that we as people (humans) have so much difficulty believing He can do what we need Him to do? Why is it when we give something to Him and it isn't quite moving our way, we get scared and try to change the course of our direction?

Why is it when He sends people in our lives to speak His word into us, we can't see what others see in ourselves? Or when we see something special in ourselves, it seems to be hidden from others? I do not mean like people who are conceited or into themselves, but I mean inward qualities?

When we are so mired down in our own pain and anguish, isn't this when God picks us up and carries us and holds us in His arms. Doesn't He tell us He loves us more than the flowers in the field?

I am just amused that I can't see this all the time. I know this, my heart knows this, I encourage others with this and yet, I worry about everything that comes my way.

So, I am bemused that I can see the beauty around me that God has created and yet.......I can't seem to understand He will take care of me, if I just let go of the control!

Never Underestimate The Small Things....

The above picture has absolutely nothing to do with today's post with the exception that I just think she is the cutest thing when she is laughing and I decided to post it because today's post is about small things.

We all know that a smile is the greatest gift we can give away and we never know when we give it away to someone how much that smile meant to them at particular moment unless they track us down and let us know and it would take a pretty extraordinary stranger to do that!

The other day my husband was depressed. Anyone who knows my husband knows he is always the ultimate and consummate ray of sunshine. However, living in Washington state on the coast with over 100 inches of rain and rarely a sunny day, he has an occasional bout of SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) and it is a tough go for him.

However, he handles it well! He just sits in his jammies and watches television. It passes quickly.

The other day I was trying to figure out a way to brighten his day without getting in his way, so I cut out this really odd shaped oval (okay, it was a failed attempt at a heart). I wrote...I love you & don't let this get you down. I slipped it into the pocket of his shirt he wears to work on the race car.

He found it, gave me a hug and said thanks. I felt I had touched him in some small way. Little did I know that 3 days later, he would still be carrying around that card. Last night, we didn't go to the races due to finances, he called me and told me, I miss you and I have your note in my shirt pocket, keeping you close.

When he came home he thanked me for being who I am and not being upset because we didn't have money for the races...hmmmmmmmmmmm, money for fun or money for gas and groceries?? I'll opt for the latter!

Today during church, it was so nice to see everyone wearing shorts, skirts, Hawaiian shirts, summer dresses, sandals and I prayed, 'Father in Heaven, allow the sun to shine and surround my hubby in warmth and Sunshine.'

Hubs just called to let me know he will be late coming home (I know that, every Sunday evening he is out taking the race car off the trailer), but he feels it very important to call and let me know and I appreciate that.

He then told me...just wanted you to know my day has been warm and sunny and I am still carrying your note in my pocket, it makes me remember how loved I am.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

So, never ever underestimate the small things we do for one another...lunch with a friend, working out with a friend, calling someone we haven't talked to in awhile. You never know how reaching out will make someone's day!

My Relaxed Day At Home

Hubby has been working on the race car today, it is fan appreciation night for the drivers at Elma Raceway near our home & money is tight, so I decided to stay home.

The day has been gorgeous! The windows in the house are open, the sky is a beautiful blue and the sun is shining, it feels so nice to be able to air out the house and not do much of anything.

So, my pot holders were tattered and pretty disgusting, so I made these 2 new ones for the kitchen, using scraps of fabric and then worked on my son and daughter-in-laws quilt for awhile.

It is almost done with the top...a geometric print conglomeration of shapes in different places on a black background of circles and bubbles.

In between this, I have cleaned the house and done some laundry.

The kids have been outside all day playing in the wonderful weather and without anyone to bother me or disturb me and no place to go, it has been amazing!

Fort Clasop Oregon

I have never been to Fort Clatsop in Oregon, however, I have been through Astoria once, but never stopped, so my oldest grand asked me if I would be a chaperone on a field trip, I agreed.

This picture on the right is the valley and water you can see from what is known as the Astoria column, a large 125 foot tall pillar of welcome built 600 feet above sea level and it has 164 steps. No, I didn't count them or try to go up them.

This view was just breathtaking and it was our first stop in Oregon. It is a blessing to live so close to the border of this beautiful state and be able to make little 'hop' trips to visit.

The day could not have been more perfect. Matter of fact for the first time in a long time, I heard everyone complaining it was to warm and they were sweating! Since out day revolved around being outside, it was so perfect I kept finding myself saying little prayers...thank you Jesus for this day, thank you Lord for the tree's, thank you for the wonderful bus driver we had and the other chaperones.

Thank you Lord, that with all the friends my granddaughter had that were begging her to sit by them, she turned them down to sit with me. I wouldn't have been offended after all, she sits by me all the time, but I did take notice that not one other child sat next to their parent. Thank you Jesus, that she loves me so much!

The picture on the left is the column and you can see how awesome it is, however the pictures and designs on this are nothing but amazing. In just this small area there was so much to see and so much going on.

Since I can't climb due to my back, I stayed down at the bottom and was blessed to have a wonderful conversation with a gentleman from Georgia, his wife went up, but he couldn't as he gets Vertigo. He was so sweet and pleasant and it reminded me of how nice people really can be!


The 2 birds you see perched in the tree are not just any birds, they were 2 of a trio of bald Eagles that were flying around when we got our of the bus. It was such a majestic air show and then, these 2 landed and I will assume it is either 2 mates or perhaps the mom or dad and Eaglet as the one is so much smaller.

Everywhere I kept finding blessings after blessings that God had given us yesterday and it was then that I wondered how many more He gives us each day that we don't recognize?

Lastly, we ran into this left over guide from Lewis and Clark's expedition and I just thought she was to cute to not take her picture. Normally, you couldn't get her to pose, but she loved this hat...and the cabins and told me I could come back next week and pick her up. I reminded her there were no toilets, windows, lights or heat and it is in a forest.

It was a blessed day and today, will be the same. I am sitting her sipping a warm cup of Celestial Seasonings Black Cherry Berry tea that Vickie sent me earlier in the week in the tea cup she sent me, the sun is shining, my windows are open and I am almost pain free.

Yes, blessings can be found everywhere if we just remember to look for them!

One Last Gift

Lastly Vickie sent me this amazing little book filled with wonderful Faith Filled Snippets that came in so handy today!

Go visit Vickie's blog, she might be having a giveaway, she likes those things don't ya know!
http://vickijf.blogspot.com

Look What I Won....

Awhile back I signed up for one of Vickie's giveaways all the way over yonder on http://vickijf.blogspot.com or more commonly known as the Tapestry of Life. Vickie wasn't specific in what I won, just that I won!

Wow! I was amazed today when the box I opened contained so many wonderful things...
You can see the Raspberry Tartlets were bitten (the kids took them) right away and saved one for me..:)

Then there were lemon cookies which I hid from the kids. A wonderful cup and saucer perfect for tea and the kids had so much fun showing me how to drink tea with their pinky up!

Included also were these adorable little quilt kits for babies. Oh, the babies in Joplin will love these when I get them done.
The one awesome thing was this beautiful little card that made me absolutely laugh so hard with her comment about not knowing how much ugly baby fabric there is on the market today. I just got such a hoot out of that!

Quilts and More magazine and I just can't wait to make the hamburger pin cushion and was actually thinking of turning the cup and saucer into an adorable pin cushion, however my grandchildren decided they wanted to share it.


Thank You Vickie!

Featured Again and A Sale....

Wow! For the second week in a row, this blog is being featured on someone else's web-site. I have been featured on pocket change be home site, so check it out, just a quick blurb, but the do list a link back to me, so I am humbled once again that someone wanted to feature me on their site.

Here it is: http://pocketchange.become.com/2011/06/best-of-the-web-be-home-26.html

I truly like that they mention my belief that God has given me the gift to quilt. All glory belongs to God who is in charge of our life whether we see it during difficult times or not.

So, many of you have seen the grocery bags I have been making out of old jeans the past week as a fluke I listed one of them on Ebay and it sold. I was so happy as it gives us a little money for hubbies piggy bank....bank account.

I am selling them for $12 on Ebay which includes postage or $14 for buy it now. This pays the cost of the site, donates a bit to charity and covers postage and still gives me some money for the bank.

Thank you Jesus for the blessings you have poured out on me!

Through Tragedy and Pain, A Thank You

I think by now many of you have heard about the family that lost their 2 little boys during the Joplin Tornado and how tragic that truly was. I mean, I can't imagine loosing children at the same time. I lost one as a child and that tore my world apart, but two. I can only pray for this family.

What touched my soul though was the grandparents as they spoke, they could barely get their words out, but they said thank you. Through their sorrow, grief, their heartbreak, they thanked the people for working so hard to find their grandsons.

They prayed for a better outcome, however, there wasn't one and I have no answers for that family, no way to comfort that family, but I can tell you they comforted me when they said thank you to those people who were helping them.

No one expected it. They wouldn't have been blamed if they had forgotten to say thanks, but they didn't!

So many times I go through my daily life and never hear anyone say thank you, I try to do my best to say it as often as possible and probably am not always good at it, but I am not going through a tragedy, how much more should we remember to say thank you during our normal daily routine?

So, in case I haven't said it today, thank you to everyone who reads my blog, you don't have to, but you do and I am thankful!