Luv always,

Hey Ya'll...

One of my best friends, Anna came sleep over Sunday night. We played fiddles nearly the whole time....sore fingers for sure! lol
 
 But then Monday, Anna let me borrow her hoop skirt and I tried it on under a skirt that I made..



 We all went out to the hay bales for a "authentic" look....





 





















Anna is such a great friend...kind of crazy..but I guess that is why we get along so well...I had such a great time with her...we played practically EVERY song that we knew...From Jingle Bells to Canon...^_^
The End....lol...

Luv always...

A was awarded by gelpenprincess...thank you girl!!!

I'd like to award...*drumrolll!*...
AnAmericanGirl, Pianolove, willfung, bloggerzack, dixiebeauty, ryansgirl, dixecajuns, MaidenCapitolaBallot, ....I'm not sure how many I can award... ^_^

Tagged by Storyteller...
What is the first thing you saw when you woke up? The stars on my ceiling...
What do you do when you are bored? Play my fiddle, read, write, text..lol
How old are you? 18!
Name at least three of your friends: Jordan, Heather, Anna.
What is you middle name? Elizabeth
Write you whole name backward: etteriL htebazilE haraS....that looks cool...

Tagged by aussiefeller...
1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse
2. Where is your significant other? Somewhere out there..waiting for me. ^_^
3. Your hair color? brown...with caramel highlights...(that makes it sound more interesting) lol
4. Your mother? sleeping..^_^
5. Your father? Walking the streets of gold... :-(
6. Your favorite thing? eating? lol!
7. Your dream last night? I can't remember the last time I had a dream...
8. Your dream/goal? To be a wife and mother, or a professional violinist
9. The room you're in? The living room
10. Your hobby? Playing my violin, writing, reading...
11. Your fear? Breaking my violin...lol
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Married with a dozen kids..^_^
13. Where were you last night? Why do you want to know? *looks around suspiciously*
14. What you're not? ....A boy...
15. One of your wish-list items? A Stradivarius...*sigh*
16. Where you grew up? Southeast Louisiana
17. The last thing you did? Put a jacket on...brr...
18. What are you wearing? PJs...^_^
19. Your TV? is on the gospel channel...
20. Your pet(s)? no pets... :-(
21. Your computer? I s sooo cool...!
22. Your mood? Ecstatic!
23. Missing someone? My daddy-pops
24. Your car? Using pastor's car right now....
25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? Walmart, Romancing the Stone
27. Your summer? Hot
28. Love someone? Very much...
29. Your favorite color? Blue, green and brown
30. When is the last time you laughed? last night...HAHAHA!
31. Last time you cried? a few days ago... :-(

Tagged by ThrillerAuthor

1. I love anything to do with music

2. I like ketchup, and tomato sauce, but I hate tomatoes.

3. I can't understand why America would be stupid enough to put Obama as president

4. I love to rollerblade

5. I LOVE photography

6. I think we should get chickens....

I tag...dixiebeauty, MaidenCapitolaBallot, ryansgirl, bloggerzach, narnialover95

  Love always,

Hey Ya’ll,

   First of all, I need to let my family and friends know that I am doing emotionally better. I was to the point that my grief was beginning to totally consume my life and I knew that if I didn't get help soon that I would not be able to overcome it. I’m not where I need to be yet, but I am doing better. Thank God for my pastor. I'm learning that if I need to do something that I find helps me to heal, then I do it, and if I need to go someplace to help me to heal, then I go. Well, one of those places that I went to, is my dear friend Vickie West's homestead.

   So my girls and I went and visit our dear friend, Vickie West and her beautiful daughters, Jasmine, Hannah and Cecelia.

(Hannah, Jordan, Jasmine, Sarah & Cecelia)

They live in an Amish community in Tennessee. They have no electricity and actually own a horse and buggy, they even have a "his and hers" outhouse out back, which I did use on one of our visits to their home.

They cooked us lunch on an old fashion wood cook stove.

Vickie and her girls are such an inspiration to my girls and me. They support themselves by making homemade “stuff”. They make homemade lye soap, hand dipped candles, lip balm, herbal salve, homemade crafts and much, much more that they sell in their “little store” in their yard. 

To grind their wheat grain to make whole wheat bread, they have a stationary bicycle hooked up to a pulley that turns the crank on the wheat grinder, so when they need their grain ground, they just hop on the bicycle and pedal.

Cecelia grinding wheat grain

They wash their clothes in a “lever flipper” washer that's parked out by the creek that runs through their front yard.

We went and visit with them at one of their friends homes and then went to a couple of bulk food stores. While there you will never guess who walked in? MICHAEL PEARL!!!! Who’s Michael Pearl you say? Well, he’s the one who wrote, “To train up a child”. Vickie and her girls actually know him and his wife. Vickie and her girls use to stay with the Pearl family when they first moved to the area.
   Vickie and her girls are very excited. They have made DVD’s demonstrating how to make their hand dipped candles, homemade soap and homemade bread. Some of you may have already seen them advertised on HSB as Homestead Blessings.
When you click on the following link (Click here)
it will take you to where you can purchase your very own copies with step by step instructions by the “Famous West Girls”. 
    Oh! By the way they also sing. They have 2 Music CD's out and you can purchase their newest one by going (here)
   There's a little blue square that says "listen," just click on it and you can hear them.
   Vickie is the most inspirational person that I know. You may enter her home feeling down and depressed, but when you leave you are so excited about life and what God can do in it. Vickie and her girls may not have a lot of "material" items, but they've got LOTS of love, not only for The Lord, but for each other and other people. There's always lots going on at the West household.


This is Hannah and my Sarah, they look like they could pass for sisters


We left their home with some wonderful ideas on “money makers” and a spirit filled with encouragement.

A couple of weeks ago one of the neighbors held a "trail ride" to help raise finances for a lady that is battling cancer. This is the second year in a row that this neighbor holds the trail ride for cancer patients. I'm a big supporter for cancer research, I have 3 Aunts, my Mother-in-law and an older sister who have had to battle breast cancer.


Well, it's that time of the year when the leaves begin to change and put on their "Pretty Clothes" and parade the neighborhoods. When we lived in Louisiana there was No changing of the leaves. Everything pretty much stayed green all year long. The cold weather didn't happen until Jan. or Feb. and then it wouldn't last for long. 


I loved this picture of Jordan. She's hanging our clothes on the line, with our "dead" garden in the background, with our maple tree showing off it's "pretty clothes."


This is my front porch, I've always enjoyed decorating it for the different seasons, the only thing is, I wish that it was bigger.

This is Sarah and me trying to figure out how to fill our kerosene heater that we bought to warm our house for the winter. Jordan thought we were kind of pitiful looking. We didn't know what we were doing, and she had to take our picture cause we had the hose going in the wrong way.


One of our apple trees. They were kind of full this year. We really didn't do much with the fruit from our fruit trees this year. This was a trying year for my children and I. Hopefully next season we'll be emotionally better and won't let all of the fruit go to waste.

This is Hannah. (my grandbaby) Her and Aunt Jordan made cookies together. You may notice the green coloring on her nose.

My girls and I have begun sewing homemade Mother/Daughter aprons. We’re in the process of designing a Web Site to advertise and sell our homemade products. We are scheduled to sell them at an Open House that will be held on Dec. 6^th up the road in Tennessee. They can also be purchased as Grandmaw/Granddaughter aprons. Each set, which includes a Mother’s Apron and a Daughter’s Apron, sells for $20.00. If anyone is interested in purchasing a set you can send me an e-mail (dixiecajuns@hotmail.com) and we can work out the details. Sets come in numerous colors of fabric. Pictures of aprons can be e-mailed to those interested.

This is a picture of one of the many cotton fields that's in the area. Some of the fields looks like a blanket of snow on the ground.


This is one of the pretties pictures that we've taken as of late and I wanted to share it with ya'll.


Here is a few pictures of the classroom that Elgin built for 3 of our grandchildren who are homeschooled. He finished, the week before he was killed. What a treasured gift that these grandbabies have from their Grandpaw.





  All of my children and grandchildren are suppose to come and spend the week of Thanksgiving with me. Yaahhh!!!! We're not positive if Elgin Paul, Rene' and the 6 children will be able to make it. They had to gut out their home from floor to ceiling when they were flooded by Gustav/Ike. So, if they are up to schedule, they will make the trip, but if they are behind schedule, then they won't be able to make it. So, be in agreement with me, that they'll be up to schedule, so they can come for a visit.


Three of my grandchildren are visiting us from Louisiana, so we have a house full. Our days are filled with homeschooling, which Jordan works with Lil. Mitchell and Heather and I work with Sarah and Hannah while sewing aprons.


Just wanted to show ya'll a picture of my "little" brother's house down in Louisiana. This is how high up he's putting his house. As you can see that the bottom of the floor is way higher than Jordan's head. "Watch out for nosebleeds "Little Brother"
   The last of the pictures are of "my baby" and her friend Anna. Anna came over for a visit and they dressed up and Jordan grabbed the camera and ran them outside for a photo shoot. Some of them were really great and I just had to post them for ya'll to see.






Well, I guess that's all for today. I've got more pictures to go and take.
I love you all dear friends and thank you so much for your faithful prayers for me and my children.
Josephine
P.S. Kinley is still alive. She had been going through radiation and chemo. Well the chemo was getting her extremely sick, so the doctors quit it and she's now only on the radiation. She has begun to loose her hair, so her family has been "hat shopping" for her. Thank you to all of you who have kept this little sweetheart in your prayers.

 

  Hey Friends,

    

      I’m so sorry about not writing for a while. I’ve been staying up kind of late at night, either catching up on my reading or doing some crocheting.  First, I’d like to say “Thank-you” for praying for Kinley. She has been doing really well. I mean, for someone who the doctor said she had only two or three days to live. It’s a miracle. Totally a “God Thing”.

    Let’s see, what have we been doing lately. . . . Mom, Sarah and I are cleaning an office building once a week. And we have been making aprons to sell at “The Big Red Store” next month. They are really, really, really cute! I want them all! Here are a couple of pictures of them.

Me cutting out the aprons

 The finished aprons. We have a bunch more made.

    This past Sunday, Sandy brought her kids up to stay with us till my whole family comes up for Thanksgiving. It’s been really fun having them here. Though Sarah and I have more things to do with them here, it’s still fun. The past few days, I have really had some busy days. I do chores, I help Mom do school with Pokey and Heather while she does school with Hannah, and Sarah and I cut out apron patterns so mom can sew them together. It can be quite funny while doing school with the kids. But sometimes it can get quite frustrating when they are trying to study for a spelling test but they just can’t seem to get the words spelled right, even when you try to help them but it takes 10 or 12 times before they get them right. But all in all, it’s great. :-D

    A few days ago, Hannah and I made some cookies. She had a blast. Here's a couple of pictures.

    While the kids have been here, Sarah has been teaching Hannah how to tie her shoes. And today, while I was sort of helping, she tied it by herself!!!! I was so proud for her! I think I was more excited than she was! :-D Here’s a picture of her, right before she tied her shoe. :-D

     And, a few hours ago, Sarah had her first experience with the. . . . . . "Bar-B-Q pit"!!! Here's a picture to document that momentous moment!

   Oh! Guess what!!!! We now have. . . . . "drum-roll please" . . . . . . "High-Speed Internet"!!!!! Yeah!!!! We are so happy about having it!!! Well, I think this is a long enough entry for right now. :-) Well, I hope ya'll enjoyed this and I hope ya'll have a wonderfully blessed day or evening!

                            lots of love,

                               Jordan Lee

 

 I'd like to send out a special congrats to Mrs. Belinda...(luvs2bemom)... on their new arrival, Harmony Michelle Masterson Morris. Harmony weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 ozs and was 19 1/4 inches long and she was born with a head of black curly hair and I can't wait to see her next time we go to church!



 I entered a giveaway that I found on Amanda's blog. Aprons! Miss Emily Rose is doing an apron giveaway..it's really easy to enter too..


  So ya'll make sure ya'll check that out and enter! You just might win...^_^

 And here is a "must see" video...lol! This little girl is amazing! I was blown away... Here is the thing, she is only 5! ^_^





We got high-speed internet!! (oh happy day!) I find it hard to believe it myself, but YAY!!
 Love always,

Hello Dear Friends,

  This entry won’t be a long one. Actually I’m writing just to let ya’ll know what’s going on. First of all, Kinley IS STILL ALIVE. (HA! That’s TWO black eyes to the devil) She’s receiving radiation treatments for six weeks. She has been coming home on weekends and gets to come to church on Sundays. She even looked a tad better last Sunday. Please, Pray, Pray, Pray for her parents and family. They are having to deal with a lot of emotions right now, while still believing God for a miracle.

   I met this past week with a Minister in the area where I live, who has a degree in “grief” counseling. Right now that’s all I can talk about on that subject. I feel like, if I don’t learn how to get control over my “grief”, it will take control over me. So, I’m having to try and deal with some issues “in me.” Thank you so much to those of you who continue to pray for me and my children and grandbabies. I love you all dearly.

Josephine