Pictures

This is the smallest of the kittens and now has a new home with my mother in law.  

 All the kittens, before two went to new homes. 

 Sun shinning through the woods in northern NH. 

 Cuties! 

Me along with one of my loves, pumpkin spice coffee!! :o)

Works For Me Wednesday

I love candles, but I don't always have a lighter or matches handy. What I do have is toothpicks, yes they are right on top of my stove. I light our gas stove, put the toothpick to the flame, and then use the toothpick to light the candle(s). Simple. Easy. Inexpensive. 

What 'Works for You?" Head on over to We Are That Family and join in the fun!! 

Heritage ~ Uncle Benny

I am starting a new monthly series entitled, 'Heritage', in which I write about a person who has impacted my life in a positive way. Too many times those who have influenced us get lost as time goes on, but I want to keep the stories alive by sharing them. If you want to join in feel free to leave a comment with a link to your blog. I would be honored to read about your heritage and those who were part of it. 

Uncle  Benny  

Uncle Benny was my great uncle, my grandmothers brother. He was the youngest of ten children and he grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut on a tobacco farm.  Uncle Benny had special needs, I'm not exactly sure what his diagnosis was but his speech was slurred and he could not read or write.  My grandmother said that he had a traumatic head injury as a child, but she was not sure what happened.  

Uncle Benny was a jolly fellow, he was like a big soft teddy bear. His kindness was extended to everyone he met, not just family. My mother was a single mom and money was always tight, Uncle Benny bought our winter coats every year. Even when my sister and I moved in with our grandmother, he still bought our winter coats. He wanted to make sure that we were warm. Apparently he knew what it was like to be cold, poor, and have to wear ragged clothes and he did not want that for us. I remember vividly going to the store with him and picking out any coat I wanted. It was like Christmas! Then when we would get up to the cash register, he would sign his name on the check and have the cashier fill it out. He never appeared to be embarrassed or ashamed that he could not write, and he was not too proud to ask for help.

Every morning Uncle Benny would come to my grandmothers house and have tea and toast. Then he would drive my sister to school, he did this every day until she graduated.  He would come by at least three times a week for supper and stay well into the evening. I never remember my grandmother getting annoyed or even saying she was too busy, she would patiently serve and talk to him.  

Uncle Benny loved to hear about our life. He was truly interested in what we were learning, who our friends were, where we were going, and what were doing. I never felt like I was talking to an adult who was asking for information to be kind, but really didn't care.  He looked me in the eye and let me know I was important and what I had to say was important. 

He had an overwhelming love for the Lord, and he was honestly my first example of a life well lived.  He was Catholic and he attended Mass every morning and he blessed himself every time he went by a Catholic Church. I know that some Christians believe you cannot be a Catholic and be saved, but I totally disagree.  Uncle Benny had a child like faith, that was pure and simple.  He believed, he accepted, and he walked out his faith.  

After I got married and moved away, I didn't see Uncle Benny as much. When I did the visits were all too short, but they were filled with much talk and laughter.  He only got to see two of my children and when he saw them he picked them up ever so gingerly.  

In 1994 Uncle Benny died from an embolism in his leg.  I remember my mother calling and telling me, even though he was in his 70's it was a huge loss for the family.  Today I recall stories of Uncle Benny, who he was, what he did, and how he was the first person to really show the love of Christ to me.  I want to remember to pass on the stories, so that way the next generations will know about him as well. 

Decision Points

The more I hear George W. Bush talk, the more I like him. During his Presidency America had the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. He had to make tough decisions, that were not always popular among the people. At the height of his terms as President people loved him and at the end of second term many people claimed to hate him. Yes, they actually did claim to hate him. They called him liar, satan, Hitler, and many other terrible things. It is interesting to me, because the people who now complain about "civility" were the most uncivil during the 'Bush era'.  I guess it is okay to be uncivil if it is someone you don't agree with. 

During the end his Presidency I believe he got a bum rap. He did not go to the media and try to explain things, but rather he took the garbage that was dished out. Now in his book Decision Points he gets to tell the truth about what happened. You see, none of us were there. We don't know the inner workings of the Presidency, we only see a small sliver.  I have been watching interviews on the internet with President Bush, and he truly amazes me. He is humble, kind, compassionate, steadfast, and he stand for what he believes is right. Maybe I don't agree with everything he did, but I would rather have a President stand for something then fall for everything. 

All this to say, love him or hate him I think the book will be an excellent read. I plan on getting a copy and when I do I will share an honest review with you. 

Menu Plan Monday

Things are financially tight here, so this weeks menu will be what I have on hand. I have a whole chicken, so there will be several meals with chicken this week. 


Monday: Rosemary Baked Chicken, Rice, Broccoli


Tuesday: Chicken Casserole with Stuffing


Wednesday: Chicken Soup with Barely


Thursday: Pancakes, Eggs, and Toast


Friday: Homemade Pizza


Saturday: Left over soup with homemade bread


What is on your menu this week? Are you having a variety of items or are you like me and sticking to one thing? To join in the menu planning fun and get great ideas, head on over to Organizing Junkie and join in! 

Cemeteries

One of my favorite past times, is going to cemeteries. I know it might sound strange and creepy, but honestly it is neither of those things for me. Perhaps it's because when I was child the neighborhood kids [including me] used to play in the cemetery. There was a big field and we used to play tag, kick the can, red rover red rover, and of course hide and see among the tombstones. Fun times! :o) 

Another reason I may be overly fond of cemeteries is, because visiting them and caring for the graves was part of my upbringing. I lived with my grandmother from the age of 9-19, and she was the family caretaker. Every spring we would trudge over to the cemetery and put flowers in the family plot. No one was neglected, they all received this treatment.Throughout the summer we would maintain the flowers and rake up around the graves to make them 'presentable'. In the fall we would put pumpkins and then in the winter the wreaths would go on. 

It was just a part of my heritage. 

Now that I live away from home, I don't go to the family plot very often. I do however, like to visit other cemeteries. Especially the older ones. If you have never been to an old cemetery, you really should go. It is a mini history lesson, looking at the dates and trying to connect the dots is intriguing.   For example, one family had three children die within days of each other. Sad yes, but the most likely cause was illness. Many times the surrounding graves will also have the same dates on them, which would point to some type of plague. I actually looked up the date and it most likely was small pox. Yes, I am weird. 

If you homeschool, I highly recommend getting out and taking your kids to the local older cemeteries. Not only will they learn not to be afraid of death, but they also can learn a little about another family. 

One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days, when you wake up and knew you probably were better off in staying in bed? Today is one of those days. Nothing in particular has made this day a staying in bed under the covers type of day, it is more like a culmination of things. Things that honestly don't matter in the whole scope of life, but today right now they matter to me. In the midst of me having a day, I have managed to get everyone who is awake to have a day too. I guess the saying is really true, "If momma ain't happy no one is happy." Well, I should go and read my Bible, pray, and try to have a better attitude before I head off to church! ;o)  Don't ya love those Sundays? [said with much sarcasm]