The Last Friday Before December

This is the only thing I got made this week. I just never know where the week goes. It was a simple project and it took me a solid two weeks. I get to go have my eyes checked today, finally. I have had to limit all of my sewing and even my computer time because of the headaches. I hope that once they tell me what my problems are I can go back to sewing and driving and even being on the computer.

This is the picture I have at the top of my page. I just had to tell you that when I got my Christmas wreaths out this one had got a bit smashed from being on the bottom. I put it on my outside door on the back porch and one day I was looking at it from inside the house and I noticed that perfect heart shape. I thought it was so pretty and I finally took a picture of it the red wreath against the white door. Do you see the heart shape? I was going to straighten it out and make it round again but then I thought I liked this better.

My number is up for jury duty next week. You know I might like serving my jury duty time but every time I get called I get picked for Juries that is either a violent murder or a child molestation case or gang killing. The first time I was called I was 18 years old and the case was one that involved a attempted murder. They people being accused were sitting there and they smiled at me the whole time. It was creepy. Then come to find out the murderer guy had once worked for my Dad. Then the gal who was almost murdered her Mom was friends with my Grandma. They kicked me off so fast it made my head swim.

The town I live in is by the 2010 Census said, the city’s population was 347,483, making it the 9th largest city in California and the 52ond largest city in the United States.

The funny thing is even though it seems so big everyone knows everyone else and everyone else is related to someone you know. Case in point, Nik's Mom whom I just met on Thanksgiving went to school with my husband. In High School my husband was in a band, with her boyfriend. She knows all of my husband's friends. So if you sit long enough you will know someone. Like on jury duty. When I sit there and wait, I usually end up knowing the people I am on jury duty with hopefully not but know the people being tried. 
The judge I always seem to be in the same courtroom with was friends with my Dad. I would just once like to be not in Superior Court but on some simple case.

So that is my week next week. I enjoy watching people anyway so I just sit and watch and write sketches of people I see. I pretend I am Charles Dickens and I am collecting for my novel someday.

We are supposed to have rain the whole weekend so I am really excited about it. I hope you have a very nice weekend,
Thanks so much for stopping by today.
~Kim~

Just A Chicken Post

It has been awhile since I did a chicken post. I lost so many hens this summer due to the heat. Then I had that one fall into the pool and drown. So I guess I have just been sad about my chickens. If not for the wedding coming up I would be planning on getting a whole new flock of laying hens. I have to put it off because I don't think I could do both. Chicks and Wedding.

My whole experiment with roosters has been quite interesting. I have two now, a black one and a white one. The White one was the dominate rooster but there must have been a rooster fight so now the black one is the boss. They are both kind roosters and only a little pompous. The white one only threatens to take on Sasha and hasn't pecked her yet, but I know this spring, there will be some problems. I have until spring I think to decide which one I will keep.

I had all of the silkies in one pen and the big hens in the other one. My oldest silkie was in there with the roosters. Well, having two young roosters and one old hen, ( the other silkie hens must have been off limits because they left them alone.) I don't know if roosters would kill a hen but I was afraid that they would kill her. Because they are smaller than my big hens I put them in the big coop. The big hens just do this look and raise their neck feathers when the guys get a bit frisky and they run for their lives.

Before my oldest daughter got married, she was the chicken wrangler. I didn't have much to do with them. Then she got married and I started taking care of her chickens. She had these 3 old hens that I called the Witches of Eastwick. They were the meanest old biddies you ever saw. When I got my first batch of chickens they taught them such bad habits. Like pecking the fire out of someone if they didn't move fast enough. Only one is left out of that original bunch. But they always slept on the best perch and wouldn't allow the other hens to get anywhere near them to sleep at night so they have hogged up the perches for years.

The other night I wanted to see what the sleeping arrangements were since the roosters had been moved. I took my flashlight and went down to the coop and I just laughed at what I saw. Scrunched over against the wall was the old hen and on the top perch was the black and the white roosters. They have no patience for pecking order. They just muscle themselves in and make themselves at home. I could see them holding the remote for the TV if there was one. I notice that they keep all of the pecking and fighting down to a minimum in the big coop.

  I can tell my life is too busy when I haven't spent enough time just hanging out with the chickens. I need to try and make some time to just sit and watch them. They always help my mind to rest. I do enjoy holding the roosters though. They make such thankful sounds. Little peeps like when they were chicks.

I hope you have a nice Wednesday. I hope your week is nice.

Thanks for stopping by today,
~Kim~

Chats on The Farmhouse Porch 70

It is time again to visit with Patrice on her porch. I think today might be nice here on my porch. It is going to change by tonight though. Which I am okay with. I like storms.
So onto this week's questions:

1.Do you still write letters (snail mail)?

Yes I do but not as many as I used too before the computer.

2.    Do you sing?

Yes but only when no one is around.

3.    Did you participate in Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday?
Nope.

4.    How many guests can you have spend the night at your house?
  Could Wendell fit?
As many as needed shelter.  I can always make room for one more, Wendell could not, I am not set up for horses anymore.

5.    Have you ever gone fishing?

Yes, lots and lots. I enjoy fishing but not cleaning. I am more of a catch and release sort of girl.

Citron or Buddha's Hand

Thanksgiving Day my MIL brought over a Citron or what the tree is called Buddha's Hand. We have a small tree but it hasn't yet produced the fruit. One of the things that I think is interesting about it is that it contains no pulp or juice. It is used only for the zest. You can candy it or use it to flavor sugar or salt. Anywhere you would use lemon zest you can use this. The only creepy part is when I have cut the little fronds off I can't get away that I am cutting off fingers. It really is very oily smelling of lemon.

It says that you can put the " fingers," into vodka to use as I would think for lemon flavoring.
My MIL brought a paper that says, " Buddha's hand's ancestor, the ordinary citron, is one of the three original species of citrus. This prodigy is a genetic mutation that arose many centuries ago in the citron's homeland, within the lower Himalayan mountains. It was introduced to California in the late 19th century grown in gardens and groves". They also use them in Bonsai.

We picked a  Eggplant this weekend. It really has grown so huge. I think it might be too  tough to use but it is really a nice eggplant. The plant really likes the cooler weather, but if it frosts soon it will kill it. It has about 5 really nice eggplants on the bush.

Just some odds and ends I was going to blog about. I feel like dancing around because the weatherman says we will be having lots of storms. It makes me so happy.

I hope you are having a nice Monday.

~Kim~

Christmas Movies

This morning my husband was quoting lines from some of our favorite Christmas movies and I was thinking of doing a list of my favorites. So here they are:

1. While You Are Sleeping

2. Sleepless in Seattle

3. It's A Wonderful Life

4. Christmas In Connecticut

5. Going My Way

6. Bells of St. Mary's

7. Home Alone

8. Jingle All The Way

9. Scrooge but my favorite is the version with George C. Scott

10 Muppet Christmas Carol

11. Elf

12. Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer

13. The Charlie Brown Christmas

14. The Grinch Stole Christmas, The old version narrated by Boris Karloff

15. Nik's favorite The Christmas Story

After Christmas we watch the extended version of  all of the Lord of the Rings movies.

I am really looking forward to going to see the Hobbit in the theaters. I rarely go to see movies in the theater anymore because I prefer watching them at home but I will go see the Hobbit.

I am sure I left some out but I think this is my list of my favorites.

I hope you are having a nice day today. Sasha consumed the leftover food on the kids table and I didn't know so she has been very sick for the last two days. Or it could have been that aged gopher head she found and wanted to bring in the house.  Last night I had to take her out every hour or hour in a half. So today I am the zombie.
I feel like I could start at the top of the list today and watch them all.

Thanks for stopping by today,
~Kim~

Just Some Photos

I hope you had a wonderful day. It was busy around here but a nice time. I did manage to get a few photos. Not many mind you. I hope that the girls did better than I did yesterday.

That is me holding our youngest grand baby. We had to take it fast because he did not like the moose antlers. Megan is standing in the back.

My Daughter's in-laws gave her a cotton candy machine so she wanted to use it yesterday. The kids had been outside playing Zombies with soon-to-be Uncle Nik. They came in for a bit of cotton candy to give them strength.

 Here are the kids when they finally got to eat. I think I am going to have to get a bigger table when Munchie is big enough to eat with the big kids.
I invited Nik's Mom to have Thanksgiving at our house. I will always carry in my mind the picture of when she first walked in the house. The kitchen was filled with people and the cotton candy machine was making cotton candy and people were laughing and talking and I had warned her that it might not be what she is used to and she turned and looked at me with her eyes shining and she said, " Oh my goodness, I had no idea." I laughed and told her " I warned you." She said " Oh but it is so good!" It was it was so good.
I made too many mashed potatoes. I guess 20 pounds of potatoes was a bit much. I just didn't want to run out. But other than that it was a wonderful, delightful day.

Today, I am resting. I might even wear pajamas all day.

Have a great day,
~Kim~

Happy Thanksgiving

I am wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you for making my life so filled with blessings each day.
Thank you for sharing your life in your posts and for all of the sweet notes and kind comments you send.
You have blessed my life and have given me joy.

Have a wonderful day with friends and family,

Kim

What Happens When I Start The Day with Pinterest

When I start my day with Pinterest, I want to go outside and take pictures. I am drawn to the colors of these Hydrangeas.I love the brown with the maroon. I would love a dress of these colors. I love the colors of the leaves on the bush as it prepares for its long winter nap.

I love the colors in fall. Muted and yet vibrant. It draws the eye to see shades of red, pink and purple.
These are very purple blooms in the spring. I love how it changes to this color in the fall.

These are called ground Camellias. I am not a fan. In the summer when I am working in the flowerbeds they try to poke out my eyes. The only reason they are still in my flowerbeds are because my husband it going to make them into Bonsai. So they have that reprieve. They do look pretty this year though.

My walking partners. No chicken walking with us this morning though. They have to stay penned up now. To many hungry predictors around. I have a hungry hawk that sits on the fence now and watches.He scolds me as I walk out side and every time he sees me. We are not friends.

Not as pretty as the sugar maple that was here but still very nice to take pictures of this morning. I love that those couple days of frost, paints the trees with color. The sky becomes so blue.

Then the colors become the carpet beneath my feet. I do love the colors of November. I am so glad that this morning I took the time to go for a walk and to see the beauty of a normal day around me.
Now I must start baking and assembling all of the things that I need to get done today.

Have a lovely day,

~Kim~

Chats on The Farmhouse Porch

It is time again to visit with Patrice on her porch. My husband was spraying ours off this last weekend. It gets so dusty here, after he does though, the kitty thinks the porch is just for her.
I wanted to share a picture of our cat waiting on the front porch for visitors.

Yes, she is a fat kitty. She spent all summer outside by my chicken pen but she never lost weight. Now that it is cold, she will just gain weight.

She has the best motor. Anyway on to this week's questions:


1.    What's the last thing you baked?
Brownies

2.    What's your favorite condiment?

I make zucchini relish does that count?

3.    Do you have a smart phone, dumb phone, or no phone(we're talking about cell phones)?

Just a plain ole cell phone.

4.    Do you have a favorite card game?

Skipbo is my favorite. My son loves board games so that is what gets played around here.

 5.   Tell me ten things you're thankful for - please:)

Freedom to worship
My husband
My family
A nice warm house
Food to cook
My husband's job
Clean water
toilets in the house that flush
washing machine and dryer
My car

Can you tell I am reading Bleak House and living in the 19th Century?

Thank you Patrice for such nice questions and for visiting and stopping by for this week's chat.

Almost Thanksgiving

Today is such a bright blue day. The colors are so pretty and I love the golden warm light. With Thanksgiving a couple days away, I have been reflecting a lot on how I have been given so many wonderful gifts in this life. I thought I would share something that is kind of funky and it means so much to me.

When I was a little, little girl one of my first memories is this clock. I went to visit my Dad's Mom. My grandmother was almost six feet tall and she had an iron will and wasn't a warm and loving woman like my Mom's mother was. She was though, a woman deeply devoted to God. Since my Dad was the youngest in the family, by the time I came along, I was just another kids in the bunch. She came to California and worked in a packing shed and picked cotton. They lived in the Weedpatch Camp made famous by John Steinbeck in the Grapes of Wrath. They all would put their money together and bought some land in Weedpatch and then bought a wooden train car that they turned into a house. We would go visit there. In my Grandmother's bed room, above her bed on a shelf was this clock. I would go in her room and stare at it and I thought it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw.

When she got sick, she told her daughters that this was " Kim's clock and to make sure she gets it ." So after she passed away it became my clock. It still works too. My grandfather had won it in a county fair before they left Oklahoma, she always treasured it.  My grandparents sacrificed all that they had to come to California so that their kids could all have a college education. All of my Dad's sisters went to college when not many woman did that. I think today of all of the people who sacrificed everything they had. Janette over at Janette's Sage has a good reminder of those sacrifices today.

I think that without the sacrifice of those Pilgrims coming to this country we might not have all of the gifts we have today.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.
~Kim~

Christmas Ideas

I know with Thanksgiving this week, I should be talking about that but I thought I would share some Christmas gift ideas today. The first one can be done all year and then put together for the first of December, but I am not that well organized.
I have done this a few times and I think I end up more blessed that the people who received the gifts.
I am sure it has a cute name too but of course I don't know it.
When I did this for my Mom my Dad had been sick and I thought she needed a little reminder of how much I loved her and how I loved her for all of the million sacrifices she made daily.

I got a big basket and I filled it with 25 gifts. Just small ones like candles and napkins and tea towels and I gave her At Home in Mitford. As it closer to Christmas I gave her more and more personal gifts. I didn't want her to know it was me so I left my name off of everything but of course she figured it out. I wrote a poem on each card. Every morning after they knew it was me my parents would call me and tell me what they thought. This morning I was thinking about it and I am so glad that I took the time to do that.

As my life got busier and busier when all of the kids were at home and I was so involved with so many things, I realized that I was not visiting with my grandparents and as they got older the days began slipping too fast through my fingers. I tried to think of something that I could give that would make me go visit. So I came up with the idea that on the 25th of each month I would take them dinner. I would plan it so that I could go over and visit with them and spend the day like that. The first year was very nice. Then for a few years that was what they wanted every year. I would try different recipes but one time I made my enchiladas and that became their favorite so that was what they asked for the most.

 I am so thankful that those years what I gave was the gift of time. It was hard sometimes to get all six kids in the car with the food and get over there in one piece and to spend the time with my grandparents. When they got sick it went so fast, they passed away two weeks apart so then that chapter closed. I never make enchiladas now.

I have never done this but I tell myself every year I am going to do this. I love socks. I always think that I will get themed socks and give them for next year. 12 pair, but I never think of it in time or I have missed say Valentines day. So one of these years I will remember and do that too.

One of the things I try to do is keep margin in my life during the holidays. If someone says, can we get together? If I am so wrapped up in my own things I will miss those golden moments or divine appointments.
I think at the holidays I have to have wisdom about what is good and what is important. Sharing of my time is more important than what is under the tree.

I just thought I would share some of the things that have made me think of how I can leave the world just a tiny bit better. We can change our world every day, we do it one life at a time. I always wanted to be a missionary, and since God hadn't called my husband to be one too, I thought it would be easier to reach out to those whom God brings into my life daily. Each day one smile is worth a thousand words. Especially to those people behind the counter.

Have a wonderful day,
~Kim~

A Beautiful November Day

Today is just a beautiful, cloudy, rainy (off and on) day. It rained off and on all night but it isn't a cold rain but just nice to make the dust settle. In fact, we will only get  0.04 of a inch. I can hear the laughter from here, but when you only get less that 10 inches a year of rain, we will take anything at all that isn't sunshine. 

I can stay in the house and make huge messes of projects in every room in the house. I have my kitchen table covered in Christmas decorations that I just took out of the oven after drenching them in stain and baking.

It is a tiny decoration for the Christmas tree. I made a larger one for the door. I am still undecided if I will want it inside a wreath or just like it is right now.

I know it is hard to tell the difference right? Okay here is a shot of them both together.

I also was fooling around with my center piece on the dining room table. It turned out pretty nice I think.

I need to plant lots more gourds next year. My stash is running down
I have some other projects in the works. I have Christmas presents started but of course I can't show you a picture yet.

I hope you have a lovely November day, I am ready for Thanksgiving I think. I am also very excited about putting up Christmas lights next week. I really do love when it is time to put up Christmas lights.
Have a wonderful day,
~Kim~

Fall Days

Today it really looks like fall outside. We have a few storms coming in for the weekend. I wonder why our storms always hit on weekends? I am not complaining mind you, I just wonder why it seems to happen more often on a weekend than during the week.

This morning I was trying to get my mind around cooking next week for Thanksgiving. The girls and I talked about what we would be fixing next week. The girls are the best cooks. They make every thing from scratch. I cheat a lot. I buy mixes and stuff because I have become more of a hurry-up-feed-the-masses-so I can get on with life kind of cook.

We will brine the turkey on Wednesday and then smoke it all day on Thursday. I really enjoy being outside with everyone sitting around talking while the turkey cooks. I love the kids running around the back yard and the sound of laughter as someone makes a pun or tells a joke. Having all of the kids here is really one of those deep, joyful and wonderful gifts that I never dreamed of when every few years we would bring home a new baby. Having them all grown up with their own kids is just a take your breath away part of life.

I love that they climb up into my lap and sit and whisper to me things while everyone else is talking. I have a camera that is taking snapshots of life that I keep storing in my brain to take out and look at the tiny little gifts that I have been given. I know that there is a saying that says, " To whom more is given, more is required."
That saying used to scare me so bad, but now, I see what it means is that, the trials that come, only help me to keep my eyes open to the joy that I would take for granted. I would squander and not be grateful for the gifts I am daily given, if not for the hard times that make the good times that illuminant life.

It finally dawned on me why I have been having headaches. It is my eyes. I need real glasses. I was trying to put it off until I was 60 but I think I need to admit that I really need to go to the eye doctor and get real glasses. I was awake the other morning because of my headache and I thought to myself. " I am 54 after all now, I think it is about time to just give in and start being able to see again."

I needed new underwear and I went to the store to buy some. I was trying to find my size and I couldn't read the back of the package. I took a package off the shelf and I walked over to the woman who was working in that department. I said, " Could you help me?" I said, I can't read the back of this."

She looked me up and down and looked at the package I handed her. She looked back at the package and said, " Honey, what are you wanting to get this size for?" She said,  " Girl you are goin' to be walkin' down the street, and you are goin, to walk right out of these." Then she called the lady who was working down the aisle to come "over there and look at this."

The other lady walked over and looked me up and down and the first lady showed the second lady the package I had handed her. " The second lady looked really concerned and said, " Honey why do you want that big of a size for? You want to sleep in them or something?"  I said no, but I just didn't know what size to get because I couldn't see, so they got the size I needed.

They made me laugh and as I stood there and they were telling stories about when their underwear fell down in church and at different places. I thought maybe I would just take them clothes shopping with me next time because they made me feel so skinny not to mention they were just fun. I knew that day, I need to do something about my eyes. 

My husband keeps telling me how much nicer it will be to see again. I am just a bit skeptical. I think that is why I stopped shopping, because there isn't always someone to see the back of the package for me.

Life is always an adventure.

Thanks for visiting today,
~Kim~

My Interview with Country Girl at Home

One of the nice things about blogging is meeting new people and making new friends. One of these nice people I met was a lady named Tammy at Country Girl at Home. She wanted to interview me and this is my interview.
She asked questions that I thought were very nice but for me they really made me think about the deep things that are what make me who I am.

She has a lovely blog and she has lots of things that she talks about and things that she does each week. It was really nice getting to know her. She also knows just how computer illiterate I am.

Thank you so much Tammy.

Sunporch Chat with Country Girl at Home.

~Kim~

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

1.    What's your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? For anyone not in the US, what's your favorite fall side dish?
The cranberry sauce. I know that seems funny but I love cranberries and I like the sauce on sandwiches after Thanksgiving too.

2.    What's the first thing you do when you have a headache?
I always think it is dehydration just like you Patrice so the first thing I grab is water. I have had a migraine now for almost two weeks so I am at my wits end. I had to stop the medication so I have just suffered through them.

 3.   Do you like to "people watch"? (Observe people in public while waiting for something or relaxing)

Always, I love watching people. I have always enjoyed people so much and I love striking up conversations with strangers. The other day I had a lovely conversation walking into the grocery store with the woman who parked next to me in the parking lot. People intrigue me so I always want to talk to them and I have met the nicest people that way.

4.    Where's your family most likely to eat for a day to day meal? (Read= not holiday)

Because there are so many of us and visitors almost every day at meal times we sit at the dining room table.  We have a bar in the kitchen and a round oak table in the kitchen so it it is something easy or the kids have to be out the door we will eat there. One thing that is nice about this house, is that it has lots of places to share a meal with someone. Not to mention, there is always the tables outside on the porches.

5.    Tell me about your plans for Thanksgiving Day. Or tell me something special you will do soon.
On Wednesday, tomorrow, the girls and the kids are coming over and I hope we can discuss what we are going to be eating and doing on Thanksgiving. Because of all of the sickness I have hardly seen my grand children or the mommies so I am really looking forward to spending time with just us tomorrow. I haven't got to hold the newest baby in so long so I am really excited. All of my kids will be here for Thanksgiving and this will be Nik's first Thanksgiving with us so it will be really a wonderful day to be Thankful for all God has done and is doing.

Thanks to Patrice for having this Chat, it is our 68th. That is so awesome.

Just Stopping By

We finally had frost this morning. A week until Thanksgiving and we just had our first frost. It is nice to be able to go out and breathe the crisp cold air. I have been sewing and I hope soon to have some things to show you. I have been hooking too.

I have dyed some wool and I have some really nice colors. I need to dye some more because I need some Christmas colors but my son told me that when I dye wool the house smells like it has a stomach ache. I laughed  and now that it is cold I can't open the house. I really did think about getting our old BBQ out and using the burner outside so the house doesn't smell.

I have made blogger jump through hoops tonight and so far no error. Maybe it is fixed now.

I hope you have had a good start to your week.

~Kim~