A drive back in time!

When we were out for a drive on Saturday we drove over by Illinois City where Mark's maternal grandparents lived on a farm for many years!  Mark had not been by his grandparents old home for a number of years!  The family who lived there had actually bought it from Mark's grandparents Lawrence and Garnett Brookhart and have lived there for 20 years, while it had changed a lot, some old buildings replaced with new ones and a recent new deck and lots of other improvements to the outside, it still held a lot of wonderful memories for Mark as he recalled many great memories of his trips to the farm!

Hope you are enjoying the pretty leaves!!

Nancy

The Beauty of Fall!

After arriving home from being gone for almost a week, Mark and I decided to take a drive up the Mississippi River to enjoy the leaves!  Palisades State Park overlooking the Mississippi was pretty although the leaves were said to have peaked the week before!

Overlooking the Mississippi

See the train winding around the bend?

                                                  Gotta love the timers on Cameras!!!

While I was sad to leave, Mark was certainly glad to have me back home again!!

Blessings!!!

Nancy

Home Again, Home Again Jiggety Jigg!

If you have been reading my blog for very long you know my middle name is GO....  I am continually on the GO.....  In order to see my children and grandchildren I have to be on the GO!!!

 I started out stopping to drop some things off for Jala and got to see Jilane model her awesome witch outfit that her Momma made for her!  (She is a talented seamstress)

                                                              Click on Pictures to enlarge!

After stopping by Jala's I headed onto see my dear friend Kaye and spend the night, she had a wonderful meal ready and we had a great visit!  On Sunday morning after eating breakfast we headed over to Rockville, Indiana to the Covered Bridge Festival and I am proud to say I didn't buy a thing..... but since we left my car in Tuscola we did do a little shopping on the tail end of our trip before I headed on South to Robinson!   A bad stop for a Grandma on the way to see Grandkids!!!

Sunday evening  I then headed onto Robinson to see Amber and family!  I had a great time with all of them and wish I had taken more pictures, Abigail was at school and I didn't get any of her except on my cell phone!!!

The Three little ones were enjoying there evening drive!

 One of the days I was babysitting little Miss Capri twisted my arm and persuaded me to make some cookies!!  AND she wanted to help so I measured everything and she dumped it in the bowl, (well it mostly went into the bowl!)

 AND yes Otto wanted his fair share of cookies!!!  He is a Momma's boy and by the 3rd day he was doing pretty good at not crying when his Momma left him with me!  Unfortunately he is  growing up with me not living nearby as his sisters did!   BUT oh he is a sweetie pie!!!  I love them all to pieces and it breaks my heart when I have to leave to go home!

I had a great visit with some dear friends there also that I do not get to see very often! :(

Have a Great Weekend!

Nancy

Chilly Monday!

I am being kind of a bum this morning, or YIKES in looking at the clock I am into the afternoon!!  I woke up a little late so didn't make it to my water aerobics this morning!  So I decided to be a bum for part of the day!  I am on the GO so much that I relish some days of just doing whatever I WANT!!!

I decided I had a couple of things sitting on my knitting needles that I just needed to get it done!

yes FINALLY and I still need to wash and block the stocking!

FINALLY the Potato Chip Scarf is finished!!!!

So now I think I will go shower and get dressed and tackle this cool Monday!!!

Blessings my friends!

Nancy

Why I am still Blogging....

I have several times lately wondered why I am still blogging!  In the beginning I actually started blogging so the kids could see the progress we were making on "This Old House" ..... but I also felt like it was more than that.....

I know I will lose some of you about now!  I prayed and hoped that maybe somehow "my story" might touch someone and even if it had an influence on just one person it was well worth it!  Well low and behold this week I received the following email that affirmed that yes, someone saw my life, that I had survived by the Grace of God losing my dear sweet husband.. and that yes my life has gone on.   Yes, I have had many rough days, weeks, months and years and I was always thankful for the awesome support I received from family and some awesome friends!  It is hard losing your spouse/best friend to say the very least!    I really never imagined that I would remarry! It doesn't mean that Mark and I don't miss our late spouses because we do, we are so thankful that we have found someone else to love and to share our lives with!  We serve an awesome God who knows our beginning and our end and we know that he is sovereign over our lives!

I do enjoy blogging and have made some friends in doing so!  Alright I stalk their blogs and think they are my friends!!  :~)

I know I probably bore some of you at times, so thank you Linda for your sweet email!!!

Dear Nancy,

I don't recall how I came across your blog but I check it often.  I have been reading it for a while.  We have many of the same interests and hobbies and I am thinking of starting and etsy store too.

My husband of 36 years died in January 2010.  I found you at a time when I needed encouragement and reassurance.  Through sharing of yourself, you have been a great help to me.  I am sure that God led me to you.  Thank you for helping me see that life can go on.

Linda 

Today was a very windy day outside, so we got some "outside work" done today!!!  I put together a pot of Pumpkin Soup for supper!!! mmmmm if you have never had it you should try it!!!

Here is the recipe just in case you might like to try it!
: 
Sautee 1- 1/2 Cups of mushrooms & approx 3/4 C of Onions together with 4 T of Butter till softened, then add in 2 1/2 T flour and gradually add 4 cups of Chicken Broth, cook over medium heat until it becomes somewhat thickened.. Add in 1 (15 oz) can of Pumpkin, 2 T honey, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t ground nutmeg, 1/4 t pepper and 2 cups of milk (or 1 can of evaporated milk) ENJOY!!! 

Have a Blessed Weekend!

Nancy

Embedded in my mind forever

Yes, some days are just like that, embedded in your mind forever!!  37 years ago today I married Gary Wyant.... God blessed us so richly with an awesome marriage and two beautiful daughters!  I often think of what we would be doing now if God had not called him home 8 years ago!  I am so thankful that I have the memories!  I know that some people go a lifetime and don't experience the awesome relationship that we had!

Don't you just love the Bell Bottoms?  No this is not our wedding picture it is a picture of us at a family gathering a month or two before we got married!

I am also thankful that God has blessed me again!

Nancy

October.....

October is here and I just want to knowWHERE did the summer go??  It flew by way to quickly!  I certainly didn't get all the outside projects done that I had good intentions of doing!

I have once again been on the road a lot lately!  We had a fall family gathering deep in Southern Illinois at my sister's place!  I was determined if at all possible I would get my mother there..  Mom has been in a Nursing Home since last fall and had not been out yet.  My mother was the best mom there could ever had been, she had five children, all of my mother's life the love of God, her husband and her family which she absolutely adored is all that ever mattered to her.  So how could we possibly have a family gathering and she not attend?  I didn't think I could live with myself if I didn't try and I had some rough days trying to decide what to do, but through much prayer and tears I knew it was the right thing to do!  If something had happened while we were there that caused her life to end, she would of at least have died being happy, and besides a wise man (Gary) always said "It is never wrong to do the right thing"!

My Mom was a stay at home Mom, I always knew where my she was.... she was either cleaning, cooking or sewing and caring for her family in some way!  No matter where we lived my mother had the knack of decorating and making our home look nice!  There were always cookies in the cookie jar after school and a bountiful meal awaiting us for supper!

We went to the Nursing Home on Friday evening and visited with her for a couple of hours, she always loves looking at pictures on my IPAD and is always curious about it!  I did take Mom to the family outing and Mark and I were able to get her in and out of my car without much trouble at all  God is Good!... Mom was so happy, on the way to my sisters both of my girls talked to her on the speaker phone and she just kept telling them how beautiful it was outside.  Mom so enjoyed the day and seeing all five of her children and their spouses, and a few grandchildren that were able to make it!  So what if she didn't remember the next day, oh what joy she had for the afternoon!  I hope to be able to start getting her out even if just for a ride in the country when I go down to see her!

Back row Shanda & John, Me (yes I look a little windblown)  Jim, Pat & Dave
Front row:  Jean & Dennis, Mom, Mark, Donna

My favorite picture is of my sweet niece Kim holding Mom's hand!

We drove seven hours down on Friday and came back home on Saturday evening!  Then on Monday morning I headed to Spencer, IA to help out at Mike and Jill's house!  They have a 4 1/2 year old and a new baby and what new mother can't use some help?  I enjoyed being there and getting to love on Caitlyn and Christian!  Poor Christian is confused as to what to call me!  So I pretty much answer to anything!  Aunt Nana, Grandma Nancy, Grandma Nana!  One day a while back when he was visiting at our house he said "Aunt Nancy you married my Grandpa didn't you?"  I still laugh at that one!  I took my Cricut machine with me and cut out some letters for the kids rooms, do you think I remembered to take pictures? Of course not!  Maybe next time I will remember!

I have a lot of stuff to catch up on this week!

Hope you are enjoying the awesome colors that are all around!!

Nancy