Happy Anniversary

Sunday, November 14 was our 29th wedding anniversary and we celebrated the way we love to - had about 35 friends and family over for a rib cook-off and Steeler game. My parents got us this amazingly beautiful plaque (photo attached) here is what it says;

To be a family .... is to love together, to cry together, to share the course of our lives

with those who care about us, it is to never face heartache alone, to freely rejoice at

our blessings, and to share in the joy of the blessings of others. It is to learn to relate

to each other, work out our differences, help each other grow and nurture each other's

talents and giftings, it is to hold a hand, share a hug, blow a kiss and know that we are

a part of something larger than ourselves, eternal, and a very special gift of God called

*The Shreckengost Family*

My Favorite Time Of The Year

I just love it, love it, love it! We have had some beautiful weather over the last few days. Let's see if I can get caught up on the last month, I am starting to believe that winter will be the only time when I have the spare minutes to blog my heart out. Spending lots of time with the grandkids the last few weekends (all 3 spent the night at once - whew!!!) Went to a couple games to see my nephews, Caleb and Keaton play high school football. They are such handsome young men and amazing football players. They will most likely finish the season as the 2 high scorers. The Ladies Bible Study has resumed and I am knee-deep into developing my Mary spirit in this Martha body lol. And of course fall is harvest time - we have canned and frozen to our hearts content, this weekend we put up Vegetable Soup and it is the best (sorry to brag) that I have ever tasted. We have also canned Beef Barley and Chicken Noodle Soup. Would like to make some French Onion, Chili and who knows what else in the near future. I am still in the energetic fall cleaning mode (I hope it lasts a long time) so I have been sticking close to home when possible, I put up these new kitchen curtains yesterday and I would surely love to get the kitchen cupboards organized, not my favorite chore :( Our little Maggy was dedicated at church this morning - what a precious little girl and sweet family they are, I consider it the "best blessing" ever to be a part of their growing up years, as our Amish friends say.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Hm, that is what I strive to do - "Bloom". I so love this time of year, I become re-energized and excited. Plenty of sunshine, but not the blistering heat of summer and winter is still far enough in the distance to push it to the back of my mind. This picture is of my small flower garden outside the kitchen window, it seems to take most of the summer for the flowers to grow and mature, deciding which ones are going to take over and which ones will struggle to survive. I have no rhyme or reason to the design - whatever I had at the moment was planted. If I had only known how everything was going to look maybe I would have rearranged a little. I guess I am so amazed that I can actually keep these beautiful flowers alive I don't care where they are :) Maybe the Guardian Angel in the middle helped. Perhaps that is how we should all view our lives, we are where God planted us and whatever the circumstances, or whomever we were planted with - we should just all "BLOOM"

Labor Day Weekend

And what a weekend it has been. Adam & Salena made it home Friday night, we always stay up and visit until the wee hours then we took them out for breakfast. Salena, Katie, Mom and I went shopping on Saturday. Sunday was a very busy day, church in the morning then Raymond's 7th birthday party at our house. He had friends in the afternoon and they were a wild group of kids - so much fun to watch. Then the family came for supper and we had a houseful. The major excitement of the day was when he rode his brand new bike down the hill and realized he didn't know how to stop and bam right into the gas grill! Thankfully no serious injuries other than the small heart failures that the grandparents suffered. A wonderful time with good food and fun for all. Now we are enjoying a quiet Monday morning and then a fire later on, everyone can come and go as they please and appreciate the extra day of rest ☺

End of Summer .......

Well here we are at the end of summer, a new school year begins. We have so many nieces and nephews, friends kids and the oldest grandson starting school. What this means to me is the start of fall - my absolute FAVORITE time of year. Now if the weather starts cooperating and cools down just a smidgen I will be happy. I want to enjoy my flowers for a couple more weeks then I will be dragging out the fall decorations - I can't wait!! Busy week coming up and I am so looking forward to the Labor Day weekend. Adam and Salena will be here (unless the Marines pull something stupid) Hopefully we can spend most of it at camp. Then Sunday we are having Raymond's 7th birthday here. (How can I possibly have a grandchild this old??) The pics are from our weekend of work, we canned tomatoes, marinara sauce and froze corn. When I came home from work Friday night my hubby and oldest son had been shopping and there were 7 bushels of tomatoes and 4 bushels of corn on the porch - no such thing as a relaxing weekend around here. Tonight we are making home-made chili sauce.

Summer Blogging

I cannot believe that it has been so long since I posted here - I didn't know if I would be banned from blogging lol. I can't remember a summer quite like this one, so super busy at work and so much going on at home. Thank heavens we have our camp set up and can get away from it all once in a while! The highlight of summer so far would be my vacation with Ray, Sara and the grand kids - what a wonderful experience!! We went to Jacksonville, NC to spend a couple days with Adam and Salena then up to Kitty Hawk for a week at the Outer Banks. I have to tell you the trip started out very rocky, I even wondered if I was meant to go or not. To be away from work that long (ten days) I needed to have my computer to keep up with work and not fall too far behind, well the day we were to leave I went to turn my computer on to work while I was finishing packing and it would not turn on - unbelievable - that laptop had worked perfectly for 5 years and nothing, absolutely nothing!! So I make a phone call and head to Reynoldsville to get a company replacement. Well this set me back several hours and had me stressed out before we started. But I had a computer and off to Jacksonville we go. We arrived Thursday morning just as Adam is leaving for the base and the next 2 days between his job on base and school afterwards I hardly spent any time with him. I wasn't worried because him and Salena were coming to Kitty Hawk for the weekend and we would have some quality time together. Saturday when we left I rode with him and Lena and we get over halfway there and the Marines call him back to the base; they do not care that he has family from out of state to visit, he gets to go back while they do a drug check of the single soldiers barracks - how nice of them! So we pull over and they turn around (lots of frustration and tears) then we continue on to Kitty Hawk with heavy hearts :( After we arrive and get settled we all try and cheer up and enjoy and we are there less than 24 hours and Raymond slips at the pool and ends up with 6 stitches in his chin! Really wondering whether this vacation is a good thing or not - but after the stitches things calmed down and we were in vacation mode without any additional catastrophes. I loved up my little munchkins and had a fun time.

Ready to Camp

Well after an extremely busy start to summer, where we couldn't find 2 extra minutes for anything, we finally managed to get the camper to Starberg. The guys pulled it out there this morning and then hubby and I went out and did some cleaning and started getting it set up the way we want. It is not new and needs a few minor repairs and some TLC but we are really excited to have somewhere to get away from it all :) I look forward to spending time out there -it is so secluded and peaceful. I am getting ready for Creationfest this week so it may have to wait - but I will be home Saturday morning and may find time over the holiday weekend to spruce it up. I can't wait!!

Three Weeks Old

Miss Maggy was 3 weeks old on Thursday. Here is Aunt Katie holding her at Vacation Bible School. We had the privilege of watching her while Mommy went with Max to his class. Working in the kitchen all week gives me a new appreciation for cafeteria workers. But it also allowed us the freedom to keep our little baby doll. She is such a sweet baby. Doesn't cry unless she is hungry or has a tummy ache. She is more alert everyday; watching everyone and following voices. Her hair is getting lighter and she has the palest blue eyes. I have been trying to figure out who she looks like - actually I see both of her brothers and features from many family members so I believe she is going to look just like Maggy ♥

Back to Nature

Spending lots of time on the porch these days - we really are outdoors more than in. Which may be the biggest reason for my blog being neglected. I have been trying to catch some good pictures of nature in action, if there is one thing I am not, is a good photographer - but I am not hanging up my camera yet. The day I catch the hummingbirds, now that will be something. Anyways - I did manage to chase a butterfly around for this picture and when I loaded it on the computer, voila there was a bee too. I guess the answer is to keep shooting pics and surprise yourself :)

Early Harvest

We are well in to the garden season and exciting it has been so far. This photo shows some of our early harvest; first pick of peas (hubby is shucking them while I blog), turnips that grew very fast this spring, and some samples from the first batch of strawberry freezer jam. I was busy all week with Vacation Bible School so my Mom made the freezer jam for us :) I missed getting a picture of the early spinach before it was done - hopefully I am on the ball the rest of the summer. Looking forward to a banner crop this year !

Porch House

This was one of my special birthday gifts - actually the one that made me cry. I am so thankful for my good friends Scott and Lori. They are so kind and generous with their time and talents. Scott made this lighted house for my porch and it fits in so well :) I have had so many compliments, everyone wants to know where I bought it (too bad for them). Glad to be back on my blog .... can anyone tell me where May went? And the first week of June? I have so much catching up to do - I hope to be able to get re-organized and return to normal this week. Right now our lives are so full of blessings we hardly have time to sleep. In the last 2 weeks we have experienced the following; 3 of our children and one daughter-in-law had birthdays, the birth of our new granddaughter, Memorial weekend guests, 2 weddings, a family reunion and the list goes on and on ........... one word that never comes out of my mouth - "bored" !!!!!!!!!

She's Here !!!!

Maggy Lyn. May 26, 2010 8:03 am. 7 lb. 14 oz. 21 inches. Oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No words are fit to describe how I am feeling. Am a Grandma (Mimi actually) for the 3rd time and it just gets better with each new birth ♥ She definitley showed us who is boss - with the 3 long days it took her to arrive. Mommy's labor started very early Sunday morning and was off and on until she made her appearance Wednesday morning. She came home last night and the new family is getting settled. She already has Daddy wrapped around her little finger :) Big brother Raymond, is pleased as can be and wants to be her protector. And Max, poor little Max is trying to figure out what is going on. There is this little person who needs Mommy all the time - and that was his Mommy first lol. He likes her and actually he thinks she is big - he apparently thought she would be as big as the ultrasound pictures. He tells everyone he sees that she is "my baby". We are all exhausted (not as much as Sara obviously) from the long week and lack of sleep - but she is worth every second of it. She is absolutely perfect - what a blessing to our family.

Flowers and The Back Porch

Love the sign?

Birthday present from Mom & Dad

Love my porch !

Container Garden planted by hubby (fake eggs in the nest)

All the way from Adam & Salena in NC

I am going to pretend that it is not rainy and dreary again this week .... and share my summer "retreat" with you all. That would be my back porch, I waited 25 years for this porch and it is my own special sanctuary. We live at the end on a lane so it is fairly private and weather permitting this is where I am all summer. We spend very little time indoors between the garden and the porch. I relax in a rocker to read, sit on the swing to watch the humming birds, or tinker at the table - I just love the fresh air and beauty of God's creation all around me. Everyone thinks I am crazy because I start my flowers so early, but I just can't get enough of them. We have an amazing emerald green hummingbird that we are trying very hard to get a picture of, it looks like something from the rain forest - the only problem is that he has been too fast for us so far. Watching the sun rise and set - waiting out storms and just enjoying the peace and quiet are so soothing and peaceful. Quiet time, that is what everyone needs, when you clear your head of the busyness and feel your heart quicken to the world around you and find an appreciation in your soul for the life you have been given. I hope you have your own "retreat" to enjoy this summer.

Mother's Day

Wow!! Can't believe another Mother's Day has come and gone. 2010 is moving quickly. I feel like I have been neglecting my blog, been busy working in the yard and garden (pics will follow soon), hubby is traveling for work so that leaves me with MUCH responsibility around the house, and have been a little out of sorts the last few days - trying to understand why there is so much meanness in the world, life is hard and so very precious and yet some people seem to find satisfaction bringing others down?!?!? Enough said!

BUT on a much lighter note - I had an amazing Mother's Day weekend. If Adam and Salena could have been home it would have been perfect. On Friday evening I went to Scott and Lori's to see Amber off to the Prom. On Saturday Katie and I went to a Mother's Tea at our church and it was great. Good food, friends, an amazing speaker (thanks Carol), perfect music (awesome Lori) it was so inspiring and uplifting. Then on Sunday my whole family went out to eat after church (the photo collage) there were 25 of us. Adam and Salena were in North Carolina and Kyle was in Hawaii (darn the Marine Corps) but they serve our great country and thus we sacrifice. After lunch we went to see Grandma Minnie and my mother-in-law to share cards and gifts. In the evening Scott and Lori and Erin came to visit and deliver an early birthday present (another pic to follow soon). I am so humbled by their friendship and how giving they are. The perfect weekend continued right into Monday (my birthday) and I must say I am absolutely overwhelmed by the love and kindnesses from my family and friends - way too many to mention them all.

And that really says it all - so many blessings and good people in my life - how great is our God;

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

Baseball, Sunsets and Sad Eyes

The weeks continue to fly by - 2010 is going so fast. Our sweet girl will be here soon, three weeks from tomorrow is the day, but we really expect her a little early. Life has been tremendously busy as always. We went to Raymond's first T-ball game on Friday night there were lots of laughs and fun for all. Raymond smiled so big when he went up to bat the first time and the Coach says "hard hitter" to warn the kids in the outfield. Then on Saturday night we took our good friends, Scott and Lori to Starberg and showed them around - we were hoping to see a bear but ran out of time. I did catch this picture of the beautiful sky at sunset. And today the kids came up after church and this picture captures Max's sad eyes (aren't they beautiful) he wanted everyone to know that he has a boo boo from falling down the porch steps yesterday. What another blessed weekend ♥

Sunshine Heavenly Sunshine

I know we really need the rain (especially for our garden) but I am soooooo happy to see the sunshine back this morning. It is a bit chilly but look at beautiful blossoms on our crab apple tree - this is the tree that the bee hive settled in last spring. It does attract the biggest bumble bees you will ever see. And then I got up close and personal with my lilacs, I wish they could last year round. Hubby told me last night that our pear trees we planted last summer have blossoms too. I am really excited about that! Looking forward to our own home grown fruit. How life affirming spring is.

What A Weekend

Finally found time to get on the blog and share what we have been up to. Friday night started off with an 18Th birthday party for our nephew Vinny. He has grown so big and strong and actually has broken 2 school records at Brookville High School this spring in track. The high jump of 6'5" he made broke a 37 year old record. Everyone was able to attend and we had a wonderful evening. Saturday was the "Surprise Baby Girl Shower" for Sara and what a joyful time we had - more baby girl clothes than I have ever seen at once. We are down to 4 weeks until the blessed event and very excited. And today after church we ate a quick lunch then packed everyone up and headed to "the Berg" as the kids call it. Made some plans on where to put the camp and shed we will be starting soon. Momma doesn't care as long as there is a massive front porch for rocking my babies. Papa and I took Raymond on a hike down to the beaver dam - industrious little critters they are - they have pretty much abandoned this one and spend most of their time at some other ponds on the property which are now massive, thanks to the beavers handiwork. Now here it is Sunday evening and we sat on the porch enjoying the thunderstorm and watching the lightning. Hope everyone has a great week!!

Site For New Camp

Well I guess you can say we are going to blog our progress for the campsite at Starberg. Adam is home on leave so he and hubby spent some time out there getting the campsite ready. We chose the spot more than a year ago, now I would like to think of an appropriate name for it. The location is probably two miles or so from the main highway, hidden beyond a rock quarry and around a bend in the hill is a perfect cove - hidden and protected on three sides by hills and trees. There is a beautiful view and the grand kids can explore forever. So far they pulled all the bushes and small trees and and have mowed it a couple of times to soften the grass up. Adam built the fire ring and weather permitting we are planning a picnic soon. Our plans are for a very old-fashioned wood cabin. We want this to be a restful retreat for the whole family to enjoy. Ray even mowed a couple of extra spots in case any friends want to come out and camp with us.

The Best Of Friends

Would you look at this - my amazing friend Lori made this tablecloth for me!! I was so excited we had to put it on the table right away. How appropriate for spring and summer. I have been looking everywhere and haven't found anything near as nice. She sews like a pro, now I am intimidated about starting to quilt with her. I love surprises and who could ever ask for a better friend , when she is at our house she is always bringing nice little surprises. Her generosity is a wonderful treat to all who know her. The hubby was even impressed and liked the flowered pattern. I think we are going to have to take a "girls day" and do some craft and antique shopping - Smicksburg here we come!

Starberg

Here are some pics the hubby took of some property we own, yes it really is known as Starberg, a 540 acre parcel of land that was gifted to us by my parents. The name is fitting because the view at night is amazing. Now comes the hard part - being good stewards of this land. We want to mow some hay and plant some fruit trees this year. But first and foremost it is for the men a hunting sanctuary. We are planning a small camp "retreat" for the family to enjoy. There is so much to explore, I am sure we will spend many years discovering its treasures. My Mom's favorite spot is a beaver dam that has been on the property for years and there are several ponds for them to enjoy. The game commission has relocated some that were considered nuisances elsewhere. We spot them once in a while travelling from one pond to another - it is so much fun to watch them walking down the road. We need to always keep in mind that it belongs to the Lord first and we have the privilege of enjoying it during the short time we spend here.

Pencil Tree - Chapter 4

Now that the excitement of Easter is over we move on to the next chapter in the pencil tree saga. Chapter 4 is "Spring has Sprung" with beautiful flowers, butterflies, apples, eggs and a little birdie and nest to top it off - I think we have accomplished a spring look. I am so excited to plant my real flowers, the hot weather sure has been a teaser. This spring look chapter should be there for a few weeks, hm wonder what will come next?

Easter Sunday

Is there a better way to celebrate Easter and the sacrifice of our Savior, than to share it with the ones we love? Although there is a gap in our family circle again this year because the military does not consider Easter a "major" holiday - we missed you Adam & Salena. Youth Group made breakfast before church mm mm good. We had perfect weather and lots of good food and an amazing Easter egg hunt. Max is so much fun this year at 2 yrs old and Raymond is growing up way too fast and loves making goofy faces for the camera. From the photo of Sara's tummy you can tell we aren't far away from meeting Miss Maggie ♥ We had some family come for lunch and company in the afternoon - all in all just a perfect day:)

Easter Mums

While doing some grocery shopping today I happened to spy these Easter mums in the flower department. I didn't realize there were spring mums - but here they are in all their splendor. As pretty as they are they didn't completely sell themselves it was the glass jar they are sitting in that had me hooked. Hubby was impressed - he said I would have paid more on eBay for it and wouldn't have gotten the flowers. They really brighten up the back porch and I dubbed myself "smart shopper of the day" ;)

Stolen Nest

Yes, I stole this robins nest from my front porch and put some beautiful faux eggs in it to display. My secret sister really has a clue, these eggs were in my Easter gift basket at church last week. Aren't they just perfect? I put the nest in the tin bucket to prevent it from being blown away - we do get our fair share of wind here. Can't wait until I find some real eggs in a nest :) Also in this picture is the antique chair my Mom bought for our wedding anniversary last November. Aren't the berry vines a nice touch? I enjoy tinkering around on my porch and weather permitting that is where you will find me from now through October.

It Is That Time Of Year Again...

Hard work profits much :)

Mm Mm Good!!

Hubby's "man room" doubles as a nursery.

It may be cold out and the threat of frost won't be gone for about eight more weeks, but it is the perfect time to start the garden. For my family members who may read this blog, don't cry when you see Grandpa's rototiller, smile because you know he is in heaven telling Ray how to do it just right. He already has the spinach, beets, carrots and peas planted. We really have a head start this year and hope for a banner crop. The second picture is my beautiful strawberry plants peaking out from under the hay that hubby covered them with to protect from late frosts. The third picture is not just dirt - it is tomatoes and green pepper plants germinating and we are anxiously waiting for them to poke through the soil and become hale and hearty enough to transplant.