Autumn was in the bathroom chatting with me as I was getting ready for the day. As I pulled my hair back into combs, she remarked, "You look very forties!"
I took that as a compliment. Later in the evening when Verne got home, he complimented my hair as well.
Combs are so easy, and really do hold securely. These pictures were taken at the end of the day. Have you ever tried them?
I got to chat with a blogging friend on the phone for an hour!
Tomorrow, I get to meet a different blogging friend IN PERSON!
I also baked 16 dozen cookies, cleaned the living room and did laundry. Oh, and I went grocery shopping. But that isn't near as exciting. 
37 years ago, at 3:51 AM, I was born. I was a very tiny 5 pounds, ten ounces. I'm the second child out of four, and the only daughter.
Two years later, my brother Brian was born. Happy birthday to you too, Brian! My grandma took me to the hospital to see my mom on my birthday. At that time, children weren't allowed to visit, so my grandma and I stood on the sidewalk. My mom opened the window of her hospital room and waved to me, and shouted, "Happy Birthday". The nurse yelled at her.
I never did get "big". I'm still less than five feet tall. Four foot eleven and three quarters of an inch to be exact.
My dad's birthday is October 10th. Twenty years ago, on my dad's birthday, I was working in a small restaurant. Unbeknownst to me, my husband had seen me working there, and told his friend that he was going to marry me. His cousin worked at the restaurant too. The evening was slow, and I left the ice cream stand, went to the dining room to chat with the waitresses. As I approached the booth they were sitting in, Verne was sitting there too. I asked, "Do you all mind if I sit down?"
Verne said, "Actually, yes."
"Fine." I turned, and went back out to the ice cream stand.
By the time I got back out there, he was standing outside the window. He apologized, and said that he was just joking.
I went about cleaning up, but he kept talking to me. For the two hours until we closed, he stood in the cold. He asked when I would be working again and he came back the next night.
He asked me out after several hours of talking again.
Our first date was on my 17 th birthday, twenty years ago today. He bought me a gold necklace with a small gold heart on it. We went out to dinner, and I asked him if he would mind if we went back to my house because my grandparents were there. Up until that time, I had seen my grandparents on every birthday. He didn't mind.
We went home, and played games with my family. I knew he was a keeper!
Five months later, we were engaged. I was a senior in high school, and was engaged before my senior prom.
Here we are, twenty years later. We've been married for 18 of those years. We have four children here with us, and one in heaven.
Grandma now lives in our home. I'm still with her on my birthday! (0:
I remember my first birthday party. I was 21, and Verne arranged a surprise party. It was wonderful!
I remember my first birthday without Brian. We always loved celebrating together. I was 22, he was 20. I was pregnant with my second child, and he was in the Air Force. I went to my parent's house and he called home while I was there. I cried. I told him that I wasn't even having cake that year. He said that he wasn't either, but was going to have some chocolate pudding. My mom made me some chocolate pudding, too.
I love that my children and my husband get so excited over my birthday. Everyone tries to make it a special day for me.
This year, I'm eating low carb. Abigail asked me if I would splurge and eat cake. I said that I wouldn't, and she said that she didn't want to eat cake either. Then she got an idea. She asked me if she could do some research on the computer because she wanted to find a low carb cake recipe. We sat down together Sunday afternoon, and guess what? We DID find a recipe! I tried it out that evening, and it's GOOD! I get to have cake! Thanks Abigail!
Verne was supposed to have Jury duty today, so he changed his work schedule around. When he called the information line, the trial was put off. He has the entire day to celebrate with me.
I think that we are going to the antique stores again. Different ones this time.
Supper will be pork roast, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. Mmmmm....
I baked a spice cake for everyone else to enjoy, and Mac and I will eat our low carb chocolate version. It's nice to have a buddy! (0;
I'm so thankful for the many years that God has granted to me. I'm thankful for my husband and my children and the joy that they bring to me. I'm thankful for my friends, new and old, and for our church family. I'm thankful for my health. And most of all, I'm thankful for my Savior, Jesus.
Even though I am blessed, it's easy to get discouraged from day to day. As I see the world around me, and the sin, and evil ways, I worry. What will the world be like for my grandchildren? As I turn 37, I have set a goal to memorize the 37 th Psalm this year. As I read it, it brings me comfort. I don't need to worry. God is in control, and He is always good.
Psalm 37 (English Standard Version)
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD) upholds the righteous.
18The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33The LORD will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
36But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39) The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
I'm participating in a Sweet Goodness Swap, and I'm supposed to answer these questions to help my partner get to know me better. Perhaps you could all get to know me better. Perhaps you already know most of this if you've read my blog for awhile!
1. Favorite Colors: brown, red, pink
2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White, or none of the above? Milk or dark, but it has to be sugar free.
3. What is your favorite craft hobby? At the moment, sewing
4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start? I'm just learning to crochet, and I like it alot.
5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in ( so your partner doesn’t send something you wouldn’t use)? Knitting
6. Do you have any allergies? (we don’t want to send anything with peanuts if it’ll make you blow up like a balloon!) No allergies, but I can't eat sugar or flour
7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes, or something else? We don't celebrate Halloween at all, but I love to decorate for fall.
8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall? YES!
9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday? Christmas. No Santa's, but I love nativities, trees, greenery, poinsettias, snowmen, etc.
10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls? Yes, boy, 16 ; girl will be 15 in November; boy will be 13 in December; girl will be 9 in November
11. Do you have any pets, if so what kind? 2 dogs, 1 cat
12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like? Yes! Anything on homemaking, hospitality, cooking, decorating, crafts
13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November, or December? If so, what day and what is the occasion? Yep. I turn 37 on October 16, and I don't feel old.
14. Do you collect anything? If so what type of things do you collect? Yes. I collect tea pots, and tea cups/saucers.
15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or a take out type of person?? I like to cook everything, but I especially love to make dessert.
16. What is your favorite scent? Favorite? Hmmm. For me, Cool Water, or something clean. For my house, cinnamon, almond, peppermint. Is there one that you can’t stand? Anything too sweet.
17. What’s your favorite song? Be Thou My Vision
18. What’s the last movie you went to see at the movie theater? Nancy Drew
19. What’s your favorite Candy? Sugar free wintergreen lifesavers, Peppermint patties, or chocolate.
20. Tea or Coffee or other? Both
I found out that it was tradition to do a 100 things about me post after I did my 100th post. Oh well. Too late. Then Susan encouraged me to do it anyway. So here goes.
1. I was born in Meadville, PA.
2. I am the only girl in my family.
3. I have three brothers.
4. I'm the second oldest.
5. I was very tiny when I was born.
6. I'm still short. I am only 4 ft, 11 and 3/4 inches tall.
7. I was very mischievous as a child.
8. I once dumped a gallon of milk into the aquarium because our fish looked thirsty.
9. I got into my older brothers English Leather cologne, and dumped seven full bottles on my head.
10. I made blackberry Jello in the toilet.
11. I can be a grouch. When I was little I had a stuffed Oscar the Grouch. My mom used to make me sit in a cardboard box with him when I was being nasty.
12. My mom bought me a Winnie the Pooh dress when I was in kindergarten. I was too old for Winnie the Pooh, and refused to wear it. She gave it to my cousin Sheila. I was jealous and now wanted to wear it. I didn't get it back.
13. One time my parents went out and hired a babysitter. Mom said that we could have chips and Pepsi. The babysitter wouldn't let us. We lured her into the basement with the premise of seeing my new chalkboard. Once down there, we rushed up the steps, and locked the door. We ate our potato chips and Pepsi, then we let her out. She never came back.
14. I wanted to be a teacher. I made up worksheets for days. I also made fliers advertising my school. The fliers offered classes and a free lunch. Loads of neighborhood kids showed up. My mom knew nothing about my school, and sent everyone home.
15. When I was eight years old, my parents went to Atlantic City for the weekend, and left us with mom's brother. My cousin Tania and I went for a bike ride. I was riding a bike much too big for me. I wrecked as we went down a hill and landed on my face. I was wearing a halter top, shorts, and sandals. I was brush-burned from head to toe.
16. I knocked out four front teeth, and ripped my top lip off. I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
17. I was x-rayed for hours. I received over two hundred stitches on my lip. I was in the hospital for several days.
18. When I got home I couldn't climb the steps to my bedroom, and had to sleep in the living room for a month. I could hardly eat. I wasn't allowed to look in the mirror.
18. I had reconstructive plastic surgery a year later. I spent years going to the dentist to have my teeth repaired.
19. The dentist attempted a root canal without giving me Novocaine. When I cried he made my mom leave the room. He threatened to hurt me if I screamed. I sat through it! Upon leaving the room, my mom knew something was wrong. We went home, she got my dad, and they went back to the office and told everyone in the waiting room what happened. I still dislike dentists.
20. I didn't ride a bike again until I turned 25. It's true. You never forget how!
21. I started babysitting when I was 10. I watched three kids for a dollar an hour. After the kids were in bed I cleaned the house from top to bottom and did the dishes. No wonder they had me back every weekend!
22. We moved to a small farm during my sixth grade year. My bedroom had vinyl on the floor. The previous owners didn't think that their child was mature enough for carpet.
23. We made hay mazes in the loft. That was fun.
24. It was my job to collect the eggs. The rooster chased me and got in my hair. That wasn't fun.
25. It got very cold in Pennsylvania. One time we weren't home and the chickens were outside. It started to snow, and the chicken coop door blew shut. The chickens all froze to death. There were dead blue chickens laying all over the ground outside the coop. I was happy. No more collecting eggs! ( I know it was terrible to be happy, but they were really mean!)
26. I'm afraid of horses even though I grew up with them. I prefer cows. (We had those too.)
27. I went swimming in the creek after building a dam to make the water level rise.
28. We caught crayfish and cooked them and ate them.
29. I've never broken a bone.
30. I've never smoked a cigarette, even though everyone else in my family smoked.
31. I love to read and started working in the school library in seventh grade.
32. I also worked in the school office.
33. Verne and I went to the same high school.
34. He was two years ahead of me. He was a jock. I was a bookworm. When he was a senior he came to the library during study hall and was being rowdy. I told him to leave. He did. He didn't see me again until my senior year.
35. I was the yearbook editor.
36. My first job was working in a pizza shop. I loved it. I was 16.
37. My second job was working in an ice cream stand. When the ice cream stand was going to close for the winter, I was going to lose my job until spring. An older girl asked the boss to let me try waitressing. He did.
38. Verne ate at the restaurant alot with his friends. I had just started waitressing, and walked through the door. He told his friend that he was going to marry me.
39. We were engaged five months later. I was still in high school.
40. I had straight A's through high school. All of my teachers wanted me to go to college, and were disappointed when I told them that I was going to get married. They said I was wasting my life. They were wrong.
41. I have never taken a college class.
42. Verne started taking me to church. I grew up Catholic, but changed to Presbyterian before we married.
43. I was married at eighteen. It's the best thing that I ever did!
44. We bought our first home 2 months before we were married. Neither of us moved in. I was afraid to stay by myself, and I didn't want Verne to mess the place up! We painted and moved furniture in.
45. I was pregnant within eight months of our wedding. I miscarried that baby, and it broke my heart.
46. I conceived Mac two months later.
47. I babysat two young boys before Mac was born. I couldn't wait to be a mom.
48. I've given birth to four children, but I have never gone into labor. I've been induced every time.
49. I loved nursing my babies. I still have dreams about nursing a baby. When I wake up, I always feel sad that it isn't true.
50. I love to look at houses that are for sale.
51. I hate moving.
52. I can't stand clutter, and hate having all the boxes sitting around.
53. Therefore, once we are moved in, I work for days without sleep. I have to get everything unpacked before I can relax.
54. When Mac started kindergarten I had never heard of homeschooling. I was afraid for him, and followed the bus to make sure that he got there okay.
55. Then I cried.
56. I did the same thing when Autumn went to school.
57. Verne and I taught a junior high Sunday school class.
58. It was wonderful to teach together.
59. I am very social.
60. I get nervous in front of a crowd.
61. I do not play any instruments.
62. I can't read music.
63. For years I felt like I didn't have any talents.
64. Now I know that is not true.
65. God has used my husband and children to show me what I am good at.
66. I love to cook for people.
67. I love to welcome people into my home.
68. Since we have been married, we have lived in five houses and three states.
69. I love to write letters. The old-fashioned snail mail kind.
70. I also love to get letters.
71. I used to love talking on the phone.
72. I very rarely do that now, except to my mom.
73. I enjoy my children, and do not feel like they are a burden to me.
74. I feel loved. By my children.
75. I love that even my teenagers still kiss and hug me no matter who is around. I love that they talk to me.
76. I feel loved. By my husband. He truly is a gift from God.
77. He makes me feel beautiful, and cherished.
78. I don't really like to open gifts. That's not to say that I don't like gifts. It's the attention that I'm receiving that makes me uncomfortable.
79. I love to give gifts. But not just any gift. It has to be just the right thing.
80. I have to shave my legs everyday. If I get cold, you can watch the hair grow right before your eyes!
81. I haven't worn pants since December. Only skirts or dresses.
82. I love dressing femininely.
83. I cannot sleep in an unmade bed.
84. I have a list of slimy things that I won't eat. Peaches, cooked mushrooms, jelly, gummy worms and bears...
85. I love to paint my toenails. Red.
86. I don't paint my fingernails.
87. I love to walk, and even though I am short, everyone has trouble keeping up with me.
88. I hate to run. It hurts.
89. I've never tasted Gatorade. My children think that I am crazy.
90. I used to hate sports.
91. I love to watch my boys playing football.
92. I also love the Pittsburgh Steelers.
93. I can sleep just about anywhere. I once slept during a Monsters Of Rock concert. Metallica, Dokken, Kingdom Come, The Scorpions, and Van Halen. Yuck! No wonder I slept!
94. I used to think that I wasn't good enough for God to love me.
95. Now I know that I'm not good enough, but He loves me anyway.
96. I would love to write a book.
97. After many years , I am comfortable with who I am.
98. I've stopped trying to please everyone around me.
99. I don't put on an act.
100. What you see is the real me.
