"Ah, lovely October..."

 "...as you usher in the season that awakens my soul, your awesome beauty compels my spirit to soar like a leaf caught in an autumn breeze and my heart to sing like a heavenly choir." 

~ Peggy Toney Horton

Warm hellos from chilly Western Pennsylvania! 

I thought I'd drop in quickly to say hello! I have some clothes to fold and floors to sweep before I head into the gym this evening but wanted to stop by my blog and share some photos from lately! :o) 

October has started out wonderfully for us in PA weather-wise. We enjoyed comfortable temperatures and lots of sunshine. The temps have now gone down and it's starting to feel more like fall! I love how autumn makes me feel....all cozy and cheerful. I don't know *what* it is...I just really enjoy this weather. I guess I like not being so hot that you feel grumpy and yet, not being so cold that you can't put on an extra layer and still sit outside in the rocking chair!

I've got fall candles burning. The boys finished their schoolwork and headed off to work a short time ago. So I've got the afternoon to finish my housework and then head into the Y to exercise and teach spin. Speaking of exercise...Chris, talented and handy man that he is, made us these racks for our weights in our basement gym...

If you go HERE you can see a pic of our gym if you missed it! Oh...I almost forgot to tell you about that top photo! That is an upside down cake I made to celebrate a birthday here at our house this past weekend. Madelyn's beau turns 20 this week but with his work schedule, we decided to celebrate it early! It is absolutely delicious (and yes, even I had a piece!). You can find the recipe HERE if you are interested! 

Anyone who has read my blog for a while knows I'm not a huge fan of Halloween. I just act like it doesn't exist. I'm not into gory decorations and costumes etc. It's just not my thing. Morgan (X's girlfriend) loves to carve pumpkins though. She and her dad grew some huge ones in their garden and brought them up for the kids to carve. (She also brought me smaller ones to decorate with!) So below are some pics from yesterday afternoon. First we had worship at church in the morning...followed by tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch. Then out to the porch we went. It was *cold* out there....but they carved on...

Me and Madelyn (can you even believe this girl of mine is 20!?)...

 

Me with our cocker spaniel, Mickey (yes...I was decked out in sweats ~ it was SO cold outside!)....

So, absent from these photos is my son, Xavier. He and Morgan had carved pumpkins at her house a week or two ago so he opted to work on his truck instead. So, we have Morgan on the right, in the background there. To the left in the black sweatshirt is Madelyn's beau, Caleb....then Madelyn and closest to us (in a TSHIRT no less!) is Jaxson! 

I tried to convince Jax to put a sweatshirt on but he claimed he was totally fine...meanwhile, I'm freezing sitting in my rocking chair and watching...

The porch with the small pumpkins Morgan gave me to decorate with...

And the finished pumpkins...aren't they huge!? And bonus: Cash in the background...haha! He's 14 yrs old! I think he may just live forever! 

I hope you each are doing well and enjoying October. I know things in the world are crazy right now...but we just keep living. We just keep doing our thing. We take each day as it comes...glorifying the Lord in all we do and keeping our eyes constantly on Him. Isn't it so nice to know our hope lies in the sovereign Creator? The omnipotent King that is in complete control....always faithful. 

Thank you for stopping by today. I have housework to finish so I best be scooting off this computer! I hope you will come by again soon! I'll try not to be so long between posting....but I can't make any promises! :o) 

Warmly,

Katy

"Summer afternoon -- Summer afternoon..."

 ....to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."

~ Henry James

Ok, so I must confess...summer isn't my favorite season (despite the quote I posted above) but I have come to the conclusion that I don't have a favorite season anymore. I used to say it was the lovely autumn that was my favorite....but now, I truly must admit that I love each season for the different blessings they bring (but also each has it's not-so-great things about them too)! 

Summer is a time of gardening, being outside, swimming, sun, and fun! But it's also a time of heat (sometimes unbearable) and for me ~ bug bites! Oh, how they love to get me! My husband barely gets a bite. We enjoy sitting on our Amish rocking chairs on our back porch some evenings...but I just can't stand getting so bit up! Chris lights a citronella candle....but it doesn't help. I am not super fond of the bug off sprays either....unless I *have* to wear them. 

I'll have to photograph our vegetable garden to share with you. We have lots of corn and green beans growing! Above I shared some of my perennials as well as an area we just finished planting and mulching in! It was a lot of work (and sweat) but I'm so happy with how it turned out!

I always have people tell me how much they enjoy seeing photos from inside my home. It's humble and simple....but warm and cozy. It's our "place" and I am so thankful the Lord blessed us with it! 

In the kitchen  (those floors used to be covered in carpet when we moved here 20 years ago...then underneath that was tile...and more tile underneath that...and then the whole wood floor was covered in tar paper!! It was awful! During lockdown from COVID last year, we worked hard to get all those tiles and tar paper off. It was back-breaking, knee pain! But it was worth it! Now it looks like a farmhouse floor which I love! It's not the most beautiful floor and maybe one day we will cover it....but for now, it works for us and has an old, rugged, farmhouse look to it and I love that!)....

And here's a picture of the dining room (dog toys on the floor and all!). Our hand-me-down chairs that we had for years and years finally bit the dust so we had to purchase some. We decided to get four solid wood chairs and a bench....

Although not a "pretty" picture....here's the gym Chris and I have put together over the past year. I still use our local Y most days....but it is so nice to have our own place to workout when we want. Chris uses it often! It's nice and cool in this room because it's the basement! Our newest addition to the gym is the battle ropes at the bottom of the picture! 

Stella-cat....in all her glory! She and Winnie-the-Cat enjoy sleeping through the day in our air-conditioned bedroom. They sure do have it rough, huh? 

The last photos I have to share are from our 4th of July. A local parade was held on Saturday the 3rd. My dad took one of his tow trucks through it. Jaxson (my youngest) and my sister and her children rode through on it. Xavier rode with the volunteer fire company he is part of and Madelyn just sat and watched the parade, I think (she was at the other end of the parade so I didn't see her). 

Here is Jaxson, Eloise and Audra throwing candy... (Dinah, my sister and Dusten were on the other side of the truck)...

On the actual 4th, we attended Sunday School and Church, had a light lunch and then Chris and I headed out on a bike ride on a local trail! We workout together in some way or another every Sunday afternoon! 

So that's just a wee update of life lately. Truly....tons has been going on....so much I can share. I will try to come back and share soon. This week is super busy but I wanted to pop on really quick and say hello! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and hopefully I will be back soon with more of what's been going on here! 

Warmly,

Katy

Celebrating 20 Years & Some Updates...

 

Today marks a blessed day for my husband and me! We celebrate 20 years of marriage today! I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for this man the Lord has given to me ~ the absolute blessing he is to my life. He is my very best friend. He is a great provider, comforter, and protector. He is talented (if something is broken...Chris can fix it!). He isn't perfect (nor am I) but he sure is absolutely fantastically mine. The Lord made him for me...and me for him. We fit together so well that I detest being separated from him for very long! 

I love how we take care of each other. We have traditional family roles in our household (as anyone can tell if you have read my blog for any length of time). I take care of Chris...and he takes care of me. He works hard to provide and works on fixing up our home (which he just finished the siding on and I will have to post about!). I make his breakfast and coffee every morning and pack his lunch for work. I homeschool the children and tend to the home chores (and make supper in the evening). I love my simple life. It's not perfect this side of heaven...but it is good. The Lord has cared for us in innumerable ways and I am truly grateful. 

I'm not sure if Chris read this post or not...but if so: Happy Anniversary Love! There is absolutely no one I would rather have spent the past 20 years with! I pray the Lord grants us many more years together! 

A few quick (but rather big) updates from lately...

Madelyn has moved! Yes...it's true. She's 19 and working and was ready to be on her own (sort of). She's renting a little house right next to my parents (that's the only reason we agreed to it....it's affordable and her grandparents are *right* there). For anyone wondering ~ she didn't go to college. We don't think college is the correct path for children. We aren't against higher education but rather we believe it is best for young girls to marry, bear children and keep the home as submissive wives to their husbands. Of course, there are circumstances where this can't happen for some...but we believe it to be the way the Lord would have most young women go and that it is the ideal. 

I'm struggling a wee bit with it...she was gone a lot anyway with work and things...and X is gone a lot working too. He does his schooling, then helps at my dad's garage for a few hours in the afternoon and then works at a farm on many evenings. So...the supper table looks bare many evenings with just Chris, Jaxson and me around it. But this is how the seasons of life go I suppose. It's how it is suppose to be. My babies can't live here forever (and honestly...I wouldn't want them to! ha!). Madelyn is still settling in at her place but I will share some photos when I can! 

And in other news....due to a few reasons...I had to have a hysterectomy at the beginning of the month. My doctor who is also a Christian, called to check on me a few days after surgery (it was done laparoscopic and in and out of the hospital in one day). He told me we need to thank God I had my uterus removed for they found abnormal cells in my lining that were a step away from cancer!! Praise God for his care for me! He is so good! I don't deserve His mercy and love...but He gives it anyway. I am deeply grateful! Recovery has been good. Honestly, I have felt fantastic from right after my surgery...this has been bad though because I just want to do everything like normal...exercising, weight lifting, housework, mowing etc. I have over-done it in the past 3 weeks and am heading to the doctor today to make sure I'm healing okay. Although I hate insurance and all the garbage that can come from technology ~ I must admit that the technological advances in surgery are *such* an amazing blessing! 

I actually need to go finish getting ready for my appointment! I just wanted to pop on and share this little update! I hope you all are well. Thank you for stopping by! I hope to post again soon! 

Warmly,

Katy 

Pictures of Home, Field Trips and Life Lately!

 Hello and happy last day of September to you! I don't know where the month went! Life has been busy with homeschooling, a field trip, the start of our homeschool co-op class days, working out and teaching classes at the Y and more! Chris and the boys have kept busy in the evenings and on Saturdays working at filling our wood shed for winter (I have helped stack as well. Madelyn works a lot, as well as does her schoolwork and babysitting....so she's quite the busy girl lately!).

Some field trip pics:

Madelyn was there too...but she wouldn't let me take her picture (typical of an 18 year old, eh?)...but here is one she took of us (and obviously used a filter on..haha ~ I look so young and fresh-faced!)...

The photos below are from in my dining room. The doily runner along my table was made by my grandpop's mother, Sheena. I never knew her but I love the runner and am glad to have it! We use our dining room table a lot so the runner gets folded up and moved often...but when the table isn't in use, I like to see it out and displayed! The candlestick holders are from that side of the family as well. I forget who they are from...although my grammie would know. Although her body has slowed down with age, her memory is amazing! She can tell stories and recall details of things that surprise me!!

Here are some photos from the living room. The flash on the camera makes the room seem quite bright....but this room in actuality is usually pretty dark...only getting sun as it sets in the evening through the west window. Although I do love a bright, sunny, cheerful room....I like this relaxed, soft, dimmed room too. It is a nice place of respite! The dog bed isn't exactly a lovely piece...but our dogs need a place of rest too, right? And this one serves them well!

This is the window that the sun comes in as it is setting in the later afternoon/evening time...

Chris and I tried square dancing the other night at a local community gathering. It was hot, I got dizzy twirling so many times and I couldn't figure out where to put my hands quite often. I got anxious and overwhelmed easily and gave up. I should have watched videos prior to going so I could learn some of it. Madelyn and Xavier go quite often and have a grand time! They know what they are doing. They make it look fun! :o) I didn't love having to twirl and hold hands with men other than my husband either...it just felt a little uncomfortable even though they were men I knew.

So, for me, that night was a disappointing fail. *But*...I had a fun time yesterday. Rarely do I miss our worship service at church. But yesterday I did since I was invited to go with some girl friends to a Pirates baseball game in Pittsburgh. That sounds silly and frivolous of a reason for me to miss church...but Chris and my children encouraged me to go since I don't really ever go out with girl friends and just enjoy time away. So four of us went....unfortunately I got terribly car sick on the almost 2 hr drive down (and also on the way back). I even sat in the front seat....but the road was wind-y and I wasn't used to my friend's driving. Thankfully, while we were actually at the game, I felt ok! We had awesome seats....just behind home plate! We could see everything so well! I don't like watching baseball on television...but in person, it was enjoyable! If I can go again, I definitely want Chris and I to go together! He would like it too....we would enjoy it together! :)

Speaking of Chris...we celebrated 19 years of marriage a week ago! I tried to get a few pics together...and Chris kept being goofy...so this is what I got:

I made a Chicken Pot Pie Casserole earlier this week...Here is a picture of it and the recipe below if you would like to try it!

I'm still trying to recuperate after being so car sick last night. I still just feel *off* a bit....but I teach spin tonight and need to get a good workout in...so I'm gonna have to just suck it up! ;) Maybe I need a bit of a nap and that will help? I don't know...we'll see!

And quickly...I wanted to share this photo...Jaxson saved up his money and bought a digital drawing tablet that hooks up to the computer. He drew these awesome housework/chore drawings and I made them into stickers! They are in my shop if you are interested! I think he did awesome with them!! :)

Thanks so much for coming by! I hope you have enjoyed your time here as I caught up a bit.
I hope your week is going well and that your moments honor our Lord each and every day. That is my own prayer daily....knowing that I always fall short....but thankful for His grace!

Warmly,
Katy

Birthdays, First Day of School and More!

 Hello friends! :)

It has been a wonderful August. We've had super hot days as well as lovely comfortable days (like today....it's in the 70's with sunshine!). We've enjoyed slowness and busyness! Each day is different!

One exciting thing is that Xavier turned 16 in the middle of August! He had a cookout with some friends and had a really nice time! Chris grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and it was overall just an enjoyable evening! X is now anxiously awaiting me to take him to get his driver's permit! Ack! I feel like I was just doing this with Madelyn yesterday! Someone slow down the clock!

My sister, her husband and children moved to a bigger house this month as well. My mom was over there a lot to help....I drove over a few times when I could to help as well (She lives 45 minutes or so away...so it takes quite a chunk of the day to travel there and back....so I couldn't get there all the time). They are settling in well and I think this new house is just great for them! I am really happy for them!

While a lot of area public schools started today....my children actually began schooling last week. It is Madelyn's senior year. I'm not quite sure how to fathom that....as I feel like I just graduated (although we had our 20 year class reunion a week or two ago already! haha! Class of '99). Xavier is a sophomore and Jaxson is in 8th grade. As you can see below...Madelyn didn't want her picture taken on the first day of school....(don't all my children just looked thrilled to be back to the books? haha)

My birthday was this past weekend. I had a glorious day! Truly! I started out with a workout (as usual) but it was even better because Chris came in to lift with me. We try to lift together most Saturdays. I sure love my man! I workout every day....but getting to workout with your other half is *the best*!

We got some home projects done that day, the weather was amazing....then he took me to the next town over where we got supper, shopped at TJ Maxx for a little bit and then he took me to look for a bicycle at Walmart! I've been wanting a bike...not a mountain bike....but a road bike that I can go long distances on if I want and maybe compete with. We couldn't find one that was sized right for me or that I liked...so we'll keep looking. Honestly, the cruiser bikes are *so* cute and I would LOVE one of those...they have them in cute colors and a basket on the front! But I want something I can really move on...so those won't work for me, unfortunately!

38 doesn't feel too bad, I must admit. I thought getting older would be depressing....but it's really not! It's bittersweet to realize how the time passes quickly and my children grow and change so fast...but at the same time, I love how the Lord teaches me things as I age....I love to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Plus, Chris and I are so perfectly matched....I honestly praise God for him every.single.day. Our relationship grows and intertwines us so beautifully. I have been with him over half my life. There isn't anyone else I'd rather be with. *swoon*

The little cupboard in our kitchen that we have been using as an island for years worked well...but it always felt too low to me. I asked Chris if we could get a butcher block to put on top. Low and behold...he found the top to our old island in the garage. He sanded it down really well and it fits perfectly on top of our cupboard island! I am over the moon about it! It makes for a much nicer island! :) You can also see, in the background there, flowers and a gift certificate from my children (for my birthday). They all chipped in together and got me a gift certificate to get my nails done. I never spend money on that sort of thing...so they wanted to treat me! It'll be fun to get a little pampered!

Yesterday, we had a lovely time worshiping the Lord at church in the morning. Came home to have lunch and a nice nap. I got up and ran and did some ab work and then showered so we could head out to a game night with family friends of ours! We had such a great time! Lots of laughter, talking and fun (and the guys had a good time target shooting with their bows). So, so grateful for the brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord has put in our lives....it's so nice to have great friends with so much in common! :)

Today I have gotten my workout in this morning...now I need to go out and work on mowing the back yard....(Kids are working on their schooling right now!)...but quickly, I wanted to share a few of the new sticker listings in my shop! They are great for use in your planner, on your calendar and more! Since we are basically a single income family...this just helps me to earn a little extra to add to the budget each month. :o)

Thank you for visiting! I pray your August has been wonderful as well....although that's not meaning every day is perfect and glorious...but trying to find the joy in each day the Lord gives us makes for happier days, weeks, months and years!

I hope you will visit again soon!
Joyfully,
Katy