A New Adventure

I am going to be taking a little blog break. William and I are leaving at the end of the week to work on another SOWER volunteer project. We will be gone for most of November. The project will be at a Christian Conference Center in the Santa Cruz mountains in California.

SOWERS (Servants On Wheels Ever Ready) is a Christian volunteer organization for people who love to RV. We've been members for about two years now, and this will be our fourth project. Our last project was in May, I wrote about that project here and here. The SOWER website will explain about their organization.

We have to be there by October 30th, and we begin work on November 2nd. There will two other couples working on the project also. We look forward to being able to serve. We are going to take the laptop, though don't know yet if we will have internet access. I will try to write some posts (with pictures) if I can.

We look forward to living in the 5th wheel again. We both enjoy spending time in our "Little House." I hope that I will be able to post soon about what our SOWER project will be. Until then....have a blessed week. :o)

Autumn Glory, by Gil Dellinger

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY...October 26, 2009

Outside my window...a lovely, sunshiny day....the forecast is for 75 degrees today.


I am thinking....about the very busy week ahead.


I am thankful for...having dinner with Megan and Ric on Saturday night to celebrate Megan's birthday.....today is her 25th birthday!!


I am wearing...blue jeans, black tee shirt, black socks.


I am going...William and I are leaving on Friday for a trip. We are going to get the 5th wheel (RV) tomorrow, so I can clean it, and get it packed.


I am reading... not reading a book right now.


I am hoping....to get a lot of laundry and cleaning done today!


On my mind...cleaning the house, grocery shopping, cleaning and packing the 5th wheel for the trip.


Pondering these words.... "Since the mind controls the body, everything you do begins as a thought." Nancy Twigg


From the kitchen....making a menu plan for our trip. I need to write a grocery list so I can go shopping.


Around the house...daily housework, getting the the 5th wheel cleaned, and packed for our trip, and lots of laundry.


One of my favorite things...treating myself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. :o)


A few plans for the rest of the week....

~Bible study group tonight
~picking up the 5th wheel Tuesday afternoon
~going to a volleyball game Tuesday night
~visiting Mom and Dad on Wednesday
~cleaning and packing the 5th wheel
~grocery shopping
~leaving on the trip on Friday morning

From my picture journal...

To read other daybooks, or learn how to participate, please visit our hostess Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Let Us Rejoice

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

~Psalm 118:24~



New Day, by Carl Valente

I've Been Busy Cleaning

Happiness is found along the way, not at the end of the journey...


I've been busy the last couple of days! When I woke up yesterday morning I was determined to get to work on cleaning the guest room, and the closet. The last time I cleaned the room really well was before we took our trip in May. I had done a little work on it since then, but over the past few months it had become very cluttered, and messy. It also seemed like a good time to go through things while I was cleaning, and get rid of things we don't use anymore.

I worked for several hours, and got most of the room cleaned. I was able to clear out several things we don't use, and they will be going to a charity shop soon. I feel good that the room is starting to look like a guest room again, instead of a junk room! One of Michelle's friends might be staying the weekend at the end of the month, and I want to make sure the room is ready. Plus it is just good to take this job off my to do list. :o)

I still have one or two things to clear out. There is a bookcase that I want to move into our empty living room. (But first I have to declutter the books.) I don't know if I mentioned William and I moved our exercise equipment out of the living room into Megan's old bedroom. So now the living room is empty. I would eventually like to make the living room into a reading room. I want to move the bookcase there, and move the desk and file cabinet in there. We will need to buy a small sofa or chairs, plus a lamp or two. But that will have to wait for awhile. I would also like put a new coat of paint in the guest room, and rearrange the furniture. That will also have to be done at a later time.

William worked in the garage again yesterday. He has been organizing things, and the garage is looking good! The bad thing is he pulled a muscle in his lower back. So today he's been spending time with the heating pad, and taking ibuprofen. :o( We are supposed to volunteer with members of our church this Thursday morning so I hope his back is feeling much better by then. Otherwise, he will have to be careful of the work he does.

We went to my niece's baby shower this weekend. She is expecting her first baby next month. The shower was at my brother's house, he lives about an hour away. A few relatives came that we don't see very often. It was good to see them, and spend time talking. I think everyone had a good time, and my niece got some lovely things for her baby boy.

Well, it's time to get started on dinner. Tonight I'm fixing Chicken Pot Pie. I cooked the chicken earlier this afternoon. I just need to finish chopping the veggies, and put everything together. It's an easy recipe, and tastes yummy! Here is the recipe.

I hope everyone has a lovely evening. :o)

How To Be Content

Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much already have.

~Author Unknown~

Blue Mountain River, by Barbara Mock

Show and Tell Friday

It is time for Show and Tell Friday. I would like to say thank you to Cindy from My Romantic Home for hosting. Please visit her blog to find out what interesting things are being shared.

I would like to share some little books that were passed on to me that are part of my collection of old books. They were published by The Little Leather Library Corporation of New York.

(Please click on pictures to enlarge them.)




They are small books. I never really knew anything about them. I have fourteen books. The titles include:

Christ in Flanders and Other Stories, by Honore Balzac
Short Stories, by Guy de Maupassant
Man Without a Country, by Edward Hale
A Message to Garcia, by Elbert Hubbard
Speeches and Addresses, by Abraham Lincoln
The Courtship of Miles Standish, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Evangeline, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Carmen, by Prosper Merimee
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
Socialism for Millionaires, by George Bernard Shaw
Will O' the Mill and Markheim, by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Holy Grail, by Alfred Tennyson
Speeches and Letters, by George Washington

I looked up the publisher on the internet to see what information I could find about the books. Here's a little history on the Little Leather Library:

The Little Leather Library Corporation of New York was founded in 1916 by Albert Boni, Harry Scherman and Maxwell Sackheim. It was one of the first attempts to mass-market inexpensive books in the United States. The selection of book titles included in the Little Leather Library collection was generally limited to older classics for which the publisher did not pay any copyright royalties.




The Little Leather Library Collection Redcroft Edition consists of 101 books, 3-1/4" x 4." The miniature books are brownish green in color, of imitation leather, and published between 1920-1924. Soon after the Little Leather Library was founded, Albert Boni sold his interest in the business and went on to establish the Modern Library publishing company, which ultimately spawned Random House Publishers as a subsidiary company.





Initially the books were sold through the Woolworth's chain of retail stores. Later the Little Leather Library was advertised in popular magazines, and sold directly by mail order. There is some indication that single volumes were included as promotional items in cereal boxes as a means of advertising the collection.

Sometime in 1924 Robert K. Haas, Inc., Publishers took over the Little Leather Library collection, at the same New York business address. Mr. Haas had joined the original Little Leather Library Corporation in 1922, he also later worked with Scherman and Sackheim at the Book of the Month Club. Scherman and Sackheim continued with the business until Haas took it over in 1924. They also helped create the Book of the Month Club in 1926.

Thank you for sharing my Show and Tell Friday.

Things That Make Me Smile

I was wondering what to do a post about, and decided to share a few things in my home that are special to me....things that really make me smile. :o)

These are Willow Tree figurines that my sister gave me a few years ago. They are called "Sisters By Heart." They make me smile because they remind me of the closeness of our relationship.

This is a build-a-bear Birthday Bear that Megan and Michelle gave me for my birthday two years ago. I still think it's the best birthday present I've ever received. The white sash reads "Happy Birthday." When the bear's right paw is pressed...Megan and and Michelle's voices say, "Happy Birthday Mommy!" It makes me smile because it doesn't get any better than that! :o)




This is a plaque I gave to William years and years ago for Valentine's day. It hangs in our bedroom. It makes me smile because this is how I think of our love!




I bought this angel a few years ago, because I thought she had a pretty face. She makes me smile because she's so feminine and graceful. She sits on the dresser in our bedroom.






My mother made this doll for me for my 23rd birthday. "Molly" makes me smile because she is a gift of love from my mother. She has always been very special to me. She usually sits in the rocking chair in the guest room.




This doll belonged to my maternal grandmother when she was a little girl. My mother had her repaired, and gave her to me for my birthday many years ago. She makes me smile because she reminds me of the grandmother who was very dear to my heart.

This is a salt and pepper shaker set that William gave to me last Valentine's Day. I know this might seem like an odd gift.....a salt and pepper shaker set. I wrote about it in this post. This makes me smile because my husband gave it to me to remind me of our life together. :o)




These are just a few of the things in my home that make me smile...things that give my heart a warm glow.

Using The Insignificant

God has a history of using the insignificant to accomplish the impossible.

~Richard Exley~

Lots of Color, by Steven Mitchell

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY...October 12, 2009

Outside my window...the weather is cold and overcast. The forecast is for 66 degrees, and a chance of rain later today.


I am thinking....I've been noticing that some of the trees are starting to change color....they are so beautiful! I look forward to this time of year. I even enjoy the cooler weather.


I am thankful for...spending time with my sister on Saturday. She had been away for a few weeks, and I invited her over for lunch. It was nice to have the time together to talk, and catch up. :o)

I am wearing...I'm still in my pj's.


I am going...grocery shopping this morning for my parents. They haven't been feeling well the last few days, and don't feel like going out shopping.


I am reading...re-reading From Clutter to Clarity, by Nancy Twigg.


I am hoping...to help my sister with some organizing at her house tomorrow. She isn't supposed to be lifting anything heavy right now, so I volunteered move things for her.


On my mind...thinking about the busy week ahead!


Pondering these words...the sermon yesterday was about forgiveness....I'm still pondering those words, and scripture.


From the kitchen...Parmesan chicken, green salad, asparagus for dinner.


Around the house...daily cleaning and laundry, whatever else I have time for.


One of my favorite things...watching a movie on Sunday afternoon. Yesterday I watched Anne Of Green Gables.


A few plans for the rest of the week....

~grocery shopping for my parents this morning, Bible study group tonight.
~helping my sister organize some things at her house on Tuesday.
~on Wednesday a friend I used to work with is coming for lunch. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so I'm looking forward to it. :o)
~volunteering with Megan's students on Friday morning. Going to volleyball game that night.

~Saturday afternoon I am going to a baby shower for my niece. She is expecting her first baby. The shower is going to be a my brother's house...going to pick Mom and Dad up on the way. The guys are going to go to a sporting goods store while the ladies are at the shower.


From my picture journal...a pumpkin from our garden.

If you would like to enjoy more daybooks, or learn how to participate, please visit our hostess Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.