Ranch Home Renovation Update

 I've written about some of our home renovation plans many times. However, like life, plans change sometimes.

We had plans to do a portico over our front door; something similar to this.

source

Well, we had an estimate, and because ours is on a ranch home and not a two story home, they'd have to cut into the roof line. The estimate came in at $9,000! That was way more than we was anticipating. Tim was still willing to have it done, but I said, "No. I'd rather spend that money on something else, for now."

We have windows to replace, and that will be a good chunk of money, so I'd rather for now use that $9k for windows!

However, our roof is going to be replaced this coming week! Hurray!

Another project that will be happening soon, is a pool deck. Tim has the plans ready, and just needs to purchase the materials and get a few hands to help on a Saturday. That will make it much easier for everyone to get into the pool and out of the pool.

I don't know if I've mentioned it here but we will have our mortgage paid off this year! I'm very excited about this. In doing renovations, I don't want to have to get a loan the size of a mortgage in order to do the projects. For the roof, windows, and replacing the siding, we've socked money away, and can pay cash. The only other projects looming would be paying for some of the addition (such as part of the kitchen and garage costs), but I'm willing to think through what is really needed and adjust the addition plans accordingly.

With this disaster of a presidential administration, I'm worried our economy is going to collapse, and I do not want debt, if we can avoid it.

Do you all know much about the Federal Reserve, fiat currency, petro dollars? Would you be interested in me sharing what I've been learning over the last few years? It's very interesting.

Well I must do school with the kids now, and this afternoon my May wedding bride is coming with her mother to finalize floral plans! Very fun!

Have an excellent day!

Do You Wordle?

 I'd heard about Wordle, but hadn't played it until I was reading an online newsletter and they shared a link to the game. I gave it a try and was hooked.

Rachel and Weston recently started playing and she says that she finishes before him, but he does it in less 'guesses.' She plays like me, sometimes using a letter you know isn't in the word but to try to get letter placement right, or find other letters that may be in the word.

Here is an example of how I play. I usually start with words with e and a in them but this day I used a different word to start. I also got lucky to have the R and E in the right spots on the first try with those letters.

I tried a R and E word and got no more correct on that try.

On my forth word I got help with the N but it was in the wrong place. 

So I thought for a while and tried this word.

Happily it was correct!

Here is a shot of another game.

I play for fun, and I confess that if I get to the last chance and have no clue I use a generator that helps with options. However, you still have to chose the correct option! I think I have failed once.

I'm not a highly competitive person though I enjoy playing games, and I like to win.

So do you Wordle? Do you use an app to help you with options? Do you write options down on paper?

Weekend

 

Friday night we had dinner with Wes and Rachel, then we all played Skyjo. Well, except Kyle. On Friday evenings he plays online with his best friend who lives 30 minutes away.

The goal of the game is to have the least amount of points. The game ends when the first player gets to 100 points. That was Tim in the first game, it took only 3 rounds for him to hit that score. My score for that game was 6. I couldn't believe it. Each round I only got 2 points! However in the second game I got 42 points. I was second though. Not too bad an evening!

Our weather has hit a cold spell. It's 24 as we speak. Before it got cold on Saturday, Tim and Kyle did mulch in the cottage garden.

It was cloudy and we thought we might get rain, but after a quick snow squall, the sun came out and it was a lovely day. That is if you didn't have to be outside. It got colder and colder as they day went on. For dinner on Saturday, I baked chicken in bbq sauce, and when the chicken was done, I removed it and placed buttermilk biscuits to bake in the same pan with the juices from the chicken and the bbq sauce. I topped the biscuits with shredded cheddar cheese. Delicious! I served green beans with it. It's one of Kyle's favorite meals!

On Sunday, we had church then Tim and I went to lunch with Nate and Kay. When we got back, all the girls went home, and we had a very quiet afternoon, and evening. Tim and I napped. I read, he read. He napped a bit more. (Grin)

Today we begin a new adventure. I'll be teaching Kamryn to finish out this year. We only have about 6 weeks to go to reach our 180 days. Kam has less, as they started their school year before we did started ours.

I hope you had good weekends, too. 

There is talk of food shortages, as farmers face higher prices for fuel and fertilizer. We are blessed to live in a farming community, with lots of produce stands. We still will grow our own tomatoes, and I grow strawberries, too. We used to do a big garden, with green beans, peppers, onions, lettuces, zucchini, yellow squash, lots of tomatoes. We know how to garden if needed. For now we will support local growers, and perhaps can some this year. I haven't canned food in years.

I mention this again, not out of fear, but I want to encourage you all to be prepared. I am not a prepper, but I do keep a pantry of extra things we use regularly. We use it and rotate new items into it. I only buy things we will eat. Otherwise it is a waste of time and money.

Informational Friday

 

I've decided that since many things I share on Friday's are not necessarily 'good news,' I will be calling this post "Informational Friday" for the time being. I do see lots of hard things happening that are for the good in the long run, but they are kind of scary at the moment. Hard truths being revealed.

One of the hard truths is about Hunter Bid*n and his laptop. Turns out, that as many of us have known and spoken about for two years, the laptop is Hunter's. 

If this doesn't tell you how corrupt our media is, nothing will awaken you to that fact. They all knew, but they chose to act like it was just DJT lying to try to win, etc. They are all complicit.

The exception is the New York Post who was writing about it and sharing on their social media. This, of course, got their accounts shut down. Censorship. 

When Big Tech and a corrupted Media all work together to build a narrative, we are in trouble as a nation. It has become propaganda.

 An example of this is when all of the major msm, including fox, cut off the president speaking of the election fraud. They all said he was lying. But evidence was there that no one would report, and so it has taken over a year to get to where now states are saying that there WAS major corruption in the last election.

Here are some articles talking about the laptop. {here} and {here}You can easily find out more by searching online.

They are no longer hiding it, and many think the reason is that they are trying to get out ahead of information that will be coming out about H. Bid*n. We know he's trying to quickly pay back taxes.

Sadly, the worst things are not his business dealings with Burisma in Ukraine, or dealings with the CCP. Friends, this guy loved to film himself having s*x, with prostitutes and others. There are thousands of emails between him and many others. He is a troubled man, addicted, and has often been protected by people whose job it was to protect his father from physical harm. This has the potential to blow up big time.

Many have wondered why he took his laptop to a local repair shop. Don't they as a family know tech people who could do that? The other curious thing is that he left the laptop, even after the repair shop called him repeatedly. Why didn't he send someone to get it?

The owner of the repair shop, after seeing what was on it, gave the laptop to the FBI, in either late 2019 or early 2020. People in power have known it is real and have hidden that fact from us.

It is really more than just this. It is a deliberate silencing. They want to rule us. "Just be quiet and do what we say, and we'll let you have food and a place to live." That's the attitude behind the great reset. Why do these resets always have to do with the people of the world doing with less?

Take for example Climate Change. If the elites really thought that the seas were rising and going to flood cities etc, why do so many have ocean front properties? Why do they keep spending tens of millions on these properties? Wouldn't that seem like a bad investment?

This is interesting. The key thing in lawsuits like this is the 'discovery' phase. A lot of key information will get out to the public legally about just what has gone on with many in the government colluding to get rid of DJT before the 2016 election. 

All the things they accused DJT of, they did themselves. It's called projection. This is what the Special Prosecutor John Durham is bringing indictments over. There is more to come.

This is the man who found the tie between the Russians bombing certain areas of Ukraine, and the US Biolabs in the country. He'd not been on social media for several days, and people were concerned about him, that's what he's speaking of in the beginning.

More fake media stories out of Ukraine. 

These people know they are lying. They are trying to drag us all into a world war.

Meanwhile....

I believe we are seeing the end of the central banking system. I've shared here before about how there are central banks in every country. Ours is the Federal Reserve. How many know that this is not a US bank but a privately owned bank? Do you know that we buy our country's currency from them, and have to pay it back with interest?

This is why we pay so many taxes.

Do you know that we fought to break away from England because King George was taxing us at a 3% rate? What is our current over all rate? 40%? Just think of how people could live if we didn't have taxes. No personal debt, for one. Incredible!

For too long, they've tried to get us to follow celebrities, and desire to live like they do. This has gotten a lot of people into trouble financially. They built a financial system of buying on credit, that's debt. You don't really own the thing until all the payments are paid. Tim worked with a man once, who said that he and his wife didn't care what something cost, as long as they could make their minimum monthly payments on their cards. That is short term thinking.

We do use a credit card for fuel, when we travel, or when purchasing something online. However, we pay it off every month.

Friends, I believe that we are in for some hard times. Do what you can to stock up our pantry. Remember, this is by design. They want us to beg them to take care of us, and when/if that happens your freedoms are gone.

Do not fear, friends. The way forward may feel scary because we've believed their narrative about the financial system, and the histories they've told us. But I believe there is an opportunity to get back to the founders vision for our nation.

Alexis de Tocqueville said the following after traveling in the United states in 1840,

"As for myself, I do not hesitate to avow that although the women of the United States are confined within the narrow circle of domestic life, and their situation is in some respects one of extreme dependence, I have nowhere seen woman occupying a loftier position; and if I were asked, now that I am drawing to the close of this work, in which I have spoken of so many important things done by the Americans, to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of that people ought mainly to be attributed, I should reply: To the superiority of their women."

Let's be superior women, friends. Let's encourage others, care for our neighbors, work together in our families.

As Aslan told Lucy, "Courage, dear heart."

Spring Is Here

 

 

The crocus and daffodils are blooming in the garden, we did some weeding (already) in the cottage garden bed, I walked around outside a bit yesterday, without a coat or sweater.

While my favorite season is Autumn, I adore Spring. Fresh life bursting out everywhere! In North Carolina the flowering trees were in bloom, and gave so much delight! In South Carolina the flowering trees were already leafing out! Spring moves fast!

These tulips were purchased last week when I bought the flowers for my mil's memorial service. They were $5 a bunch and tightly closed. They're bring a lot of joy to my soul having them in the house.

Today, Kyle is planning to give the property it's first mowing.

Are you enjoying the beginning of spring where you live?

Tea On Tuesday

 I don't know if anyone out here in blogland still does Tea on Tuesday, I don't every week, but I sure do like it. Today I have five new to me tea cups to share, and a beautiful tea cozy!

These tea cups are all from my friend Jane. She's been downsizing her possessions, and since she doesn't use these and her kids have said "no" to these, I happily said "yes!" 

All made in England.

They are all charming in design and style. Thank you, Jane!

A few months back, someone, maybe Lorrie (?) or Brenda(?), shared that their cousin had moved from Canada to England and has a business called Bring Back Tea Time. I checked out her social media and she was having a give away for signing up for her newsletter. I signed up, because I always like to read about tea and tea related things, and I won a tea cozy!

It's a Spode Blue Italian pattern. It's beautifully made and just right for my blue and white tea things!

With spring here, I am feeling a tea gathering with friends coming on!

Here is the lovely note that accompanied my cozy.

You can find Teresa at her website {here}, and on FB {here}.

I hope you'll give her a visit and enjoy her lovely tea wares!

Weekend

 I'm sorry that I didn't get a Friday post written. We left for Florida on Thursday morning, and once there we were busy.

We arrived around 9:00 pm Thursday to the home of our dear friends, now family, Rick and Jane's home. They are always so gracious to fit us all in. Tim and I always get the guest room and this time Kamryn slept on a youth air mattress in our room, Kyle gets the office, Sarah and her friend Mary (who kindly drove with Sarah from their school in SC, which took about 8 hours) slept in the small sitting room. Wes and Rachel sleep in their camping trailer. We are truly spoiled and thankful.

Friday, Jane and I managed to squeeze tea in at The Windsor Rose in Mr. Dora. It is a gift to have time for conversation. Then in the afternoon, we went to Harvest Time International, which is where Tim's mom had volunteered for many years, and was where the memorial service was being held, on Saturday, in their lovely sanctuary.

Tim's sister Esther and a friend, Sue Owens, were there putting the tablecloths on the tables in the reception room. I got to work making centerpieces for the tables with the flowers I took down. 

Can you believe I didn't get any photos of the centerpieces? I do have a photo of the arrangement for the food tables though, thanks to my friend Jane. This is it from Sunday on Jane's kitchen counter. Her reward for her gracious hospitality.

These are rose lilies. They have a strong scent, but for the tables arrangements there were just one in each centerpiece, along with spray roses, alstroemeria in two different colors, and baby's breath.

Saturday's service was truly honoring of such an amazing lady. 

Here are the programs that I made. I bought a template from Etsy.

One of the things I noticed when I put together Tim's mom's life video was that she took pictures with people. There were a lot of photos that I could have included. It's hard to condense a 100 year life into 10 minutes. But I am determined to take more photos with people in however many years God grants to me!

In light of that we took family photos!

These are the grandchildren, great grandchildren, and spouses of those able to attend. 17 people were unable to attend; 6 grands, 4 spouses, and 7 great grands!

Here are Jean's children - Virginia, Dan, Esther, and Tim.

Here are the first cousins - Crystal, Melissa (Esther's daughters), Anna (Virginia's daughter), Carrie, Shelly, Jen (Dan's daughters) and then Rachel, Sarah, and Kyle in the back row. Missing were Esther's son Andrew and his wife Kate, Virginia's daughter Sara, Dan's daughter Nicole, and Nate and Kayleigh and Klaire, Kaidence, and Kennedy, Lindsay and Joseph, and Emma and Vinnie and Isla, Clark, Von, and Stella.

Grands and greats.

Here is the family who were able to attend!

These three ladies gave her eulogy. They were in a prayer group with Jean for many years, and LOVE her. She loved them, too! 

Here are the siblings who all shared something about their mom. Tim shared about the legacy she left them, but also that she wasn't perfect. She wasn't always a good cook! Sometimes she 'modified' recipes, or completely forgot ingredients! (grin)

There was a lovely luncheon after the service and it was a joy to visit with people we hadn't seen for so many years! I'm so thankful.

Virginia's husband Tom mentioned to me that he hoped we would all still get together. I said that we'd have to be intentional, and on the spot I thought up having a gathering every year on Jean's birthday! I'm going to host the first one! They can be at different locations over the years, formal or casual, at the beach or in the city. Doesn't matter.

I'm really liking this idea!

Saturday, after the lunceon, our kids went to the beach, Virginia's family began the long drive back to Missouri, some went to Esther's house, and Tim and I went back to Rick and Jane's and relaxed for a while, then went out for dinner. When we got back, the kids were back from the beach and we spent the evening together.

We hit the road around 7:00 yesterday.

Sarah and Mary headed back to school around 8:00 am, after dropping Wes and Rachel off to pick up their rental car. They spent the day with a friend in Melbourne and left this morning to fly back. Their flight was a 6:00am and I think they are at work now!

I am thankful for the weekend, thankful for the example my mil was to us all, and thankful for precious time together with those we love.

I hope your weekend was good.