A New Edition

Bentlee Isiah Stiefel is HERE!!! He was born on 1/2/2013 at 9:57 p.m. in Chattanooga, TN. He weighed a whomping 9 lbs. 2 oz. & he is 21" long. Sorry I have no pics I suffering from old timer's disease & forgot my camera. I will try & remember my camera when I visit him again, lol :-)

A New Year!!

Well today is the first day of 2013!!  It's cold, rainy & foggy today, a good day for a fire in the fireplace, movies, crocheting & coffee!!  We will be going to my daughter's for dinner later, her & her hubby are leaving at 3:30 a.m. for the hospital to get induced.  I know why is she cooking - I offered but she insisted & I know not to upset a pregnant woman, lol!!!  We will be babysitting her furry baby while they are gone & my granddaughter (their daughter) is going to be staying with her great aunt & great grandmother (my sis-in-law & mom-in-law).  They want to keep her so that I can be free to go to the hospital when Bentlee arrives!!  I'm really excited for Bentlee to get here, will post pics when I get some :-)  Youngest son & his family are in the process of moving out (AGAIN) so we will be empty nesters once again!!  This time we have told ALL the kids "The Inn & Bank" are CLOSED permanently!!  Now if I can just keep Hubby to it, lol!!!  Well I better run, baking cookies to take to daughter's.  That's all from the mtn. for now, take care & catch ya later.

God Bless,

Gretchen

Just had to pass this along!

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air,

they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say,
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"This is heaven." declared a small boy. "We're spending Christmas at God's house."
When what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."
Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

Apple Gatherer

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago . They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding...

ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?"

She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes.

She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride ... and he wondered. He gently went back and said, "No, I am nothing like Jesus - He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place."

The girl gently nodded: "I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you are like Him - only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister."

Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That's our destiny, is it not?

To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day .

You are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Please share this, {IF you feel led to do so}.

Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know....Thanks.

"Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.

It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections."

WOW!!!!

It's been awhile!!  I've been taking a very much needed break from the computer all together, I've even given up Facebook - WOOHOO!!!  Although I have found a new addiction, lol, C R O C H E T I N G!!  I've started a shawl & a throw but ran out of yarn so I won't be showing pics of them just yet :-)  I did make hats for everyone for Christmas - This is the one I made for the girls, sry didn't take a pic of the boys hats :-(



This is the new one I just made today!!


Sry about my appearance, it's a snowy, very cold, yucky day & I just was not in the mood to gussy up, lol!!!




Not much else going on around here - we are still "Empty Nesters" - WOO HOO!!!!!
Well I better run, that's all from the mtn. for now, take care & catch ya later.

God Bless,
Gretchen

Had to pass along, lol!!!!

While conducting some business at the Courthouse, I overheard a lady, 

who had been arrested for assaulting a
Mammogram Technician, say, "Your Honor, I'm guilty but.....there were extenuating circumstances!"

The female Judge said, sarcastically, "I'd certainly like to hear those extenuating circumstances."  
I did too soooo…… I listened as the lady told her story.

"Your Honor, I had a mammogram appointment, which I actually kept.
I was met by this perky little clipboard carrier smiling from ear to ear and she tilted her head to one side and crooned,
"Hi! I'm Belinda! All I need you to do is step into this room right here, strip to the waist, then slip on this gown.
Everything clear?"

I'm thinking, "Belinda, try decaf. This ain't rocket science."
Belinda then skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors.

With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally) to the left and said,
 "Hmmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so we can get everything?"
"Fine" I answered.

I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why not use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck to finish me off?
My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other breast wedged between those two 4 inch pieces of square glass)
when I heard and felt a zap!

Complete darkness, the power was off!

Belinda said, "Uh-oh, maintenance is working, bet they hit a snag." Then she headed for the door.

"Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone are you?" I shouted.

Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy...the door's wide open so you'll have the emergency hall lights.
I'll be right back."

Before I could shout NOOOO! She disappeared.
And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, "maintenance men Extraordinaire" found me...half-naked with part of me
dangling from the Jaws of Life and the other part smashed between glass!

After exchanging a polite Hi, how's it going type greeting, Bubba (or possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was off.

Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much calmness as possible, "Uh, yes, I did but thanks anyway."

"OK, you take care now" Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been standing in the line at the grocery store.

Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin.
Making no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said, "Oh I am sooo sorry!
The power came back on and I totally forgot about you!
And silly me, I went to lunch.
Are we upset?"

And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the clamps...."

The judge could hardly contain her laughter as she said "Case Dismissed".

When you stop laughing, FORWARD this and let the rest of our "sisters" laugh.

Make Do With What You Have!!

This is the craft project I worked on last week - Christmas Tree Garland   I finished last night watching Amazing Race, it's 12 ft. long!!!  In this pic it's only about 2 ft long, lol!!

A close up!

I used left over gingham material I had from the aprons we made last year.  I haven't decided if I want to tea stain it or not - I'll wait until I put it on the tree.  Next I'm working on a new tree skirt made from an old quilt I have will post pics when I get it done.

Today straightening the house & working on laundry, made a Black Forest Cheesecake (for me ) Hubby doesn't like cheesecake so I'm making a Freezer Chocolate Cream Pie for him, plus I have chili in the crockpot for supper.  Well that's all from the mtn. for now, take care & catch ya later.

God Bless,
Gretchen