More Christmas

Yes, I know that is sideways.
I can't get it turned around.
The Christmas tree and gifts at
my mom and dad's.



More at mom and dad's.


Our favorite Christmas gift.
Thanks mom and dad!! We collect
Tiffany lamps. This is our first
torchiere.


This butterfly is from my sweet
mother-in-law, last Christmas!!

Christmas

Our tiny Christmas tree.




Mareth-Dale exploring the closet.

Brandon & me early Christmas morning

I look maaaah-vol-us!!

Sleep like a.... kitty?

25 hours. I was awake yesterday for 25 hours. I have no idea why. I thought I'd get sleepy yesterday evening, but nooooo. I went to bed at midnight, having gotten up at 11:00 p.m. the night before. After getting up at midnight and having my customary 2 (or was it 3?) cups of pumpkin spice coffee, I cleaned my house; I even ran the vacuum. At a 7 a.m. I got totally dressed for the day and headed over to my mother's for breakfast. Then later I went to a friends house; she is more like my aunt. We chatted for literally hours. Once I got home, I was just hyper, which I credit to it being Christmastime. I've been gitty about Christmas! I'm not sure why... maybe it's because I am home, home this year. "Home, home" is where I grew up, where Mama and Daddy are. The weather has been warm! 61 degrees today and sunny! There are presents under the tree! Gingerbread cookies... Daddy made home made candies... I'm catering a yummy Sunday brunch for my folks tomorrow: monkey bread, breakfast sausage balls, mini-stack cakes, gingerbread cookies, pumpkin bread pudding, and a breakfast casserole.... Yummy, good times!!

Now, about sleeping. I wish I could sleep like my cats. They sleep soundly and abandonedly. They curl up, even snore, and look so peaceful. Course it'd be nice to fit on the back of the couch, but I'll settle for just sleeping soundly.

My Sweet Holiday Addiction.

Which one, right?

The holiday candy, cookies. Ooooh, the cookie dough! (Gingerbread is my favorite right now. I used this, but did circles dipped in white bark and sprinkles for gifts.. Good stuff!) Don't forget the cookie dough! Or maybe cakes and pies and tortes, oh my!

None of the above. Well, ALL of the above, but for the purpose of this post, none of the above.

I can't seem to get enough of Pumpkin Spice coffee with International Delight Pumpkin Spice Creamer, topped with canned whipped cream and a sprinkling of raw sugar on top! Oh my! I had two cups in a row of that just this morning. Deeeee-lish!

3:00 a.m. Ramblings: The Chosen Life.

I believe that God very specifically CHOSE Brandon and me to live this crazy life we're livin'. We love being married, and have a truly amazing marriage. If we didn't, we could not do what we are doing.

We are odd ducks. I know some of you might have suspected that; now you know it's true! We do not both work full time jobs out of the home. Instead, Brandon works from home (on a third shift/quasi-international schedule), while I keep the same hours and assist him with office stuff and hone my Quarter Master skills of cooking for us and managing the household. We are in our 30's and don't own a house; we don't drive big SUVs or take big vacations. We live very simply, and for now, we live very leanly. However, we know that all this hard work will pay off, and one day soon, we will buy a house, take a big vacation or two, and have lots of children and critters! God is soooooo good. Brandon and I are sooooooo very blessed.

These third shift / quasi-international hours are really hard at times, especially when TV shows, family, some shops are on the usual or first shift schedule. We were doing really good, and adjusting nicely to our new hours last week, when the weekend hit, which would be ok, if it weren't for being football season! This week has been really tough trying to get back on that schedule, but we are pushing along and doing well.

If we were doing anything else, we would not be happy. In fact, we'd be miserable. God has chosen us to do exactly what we are doing. NOT doing what God has chose us to do would make us miserable. God has said in his word that we cannot please him with out having faith. Well, He has chosen Brandon and me for a Faith Life. And here we are. Living faith out loud every day. It's exciting, yes, and scary. But, oh so good.

December Summer

Can you believe this weather?? I took a long walk down town and enjoyed the warmth and sunshine, while wearing my sandals! I took pictures of the clock, date and temp so that y'all would believe me! And, these are a couple of the historical mansions here in town. I will post more random Williamsburg photos later!

Winter Wonderland?

I am LOVIN' this "winter" weather!!! It's suppose to be 71 degrees on Tuesday. It's almost the middle of December! (Don't mention it to Mother Nature!!) Whoo hooo!

We were in central Illinois for a year and then Warsaw for 5 years. It took me about 3 years to get use to the really cold winters with snow, ice and bitter cold wind. Now, we are in South Eastern Kentucky, almost 8 hours (400 miles) south of Warsaw. The weather is different. There are days when the weather is similar, but I didn't realize what a big difference I would feel.

It will get colder here toward the end of the week, but still not nearly as cold as up north. Did I mention that I am enjoying the weather? When we lived in Warsaw, we lived in a really old building, over 100 years old. We had to put plastic and quilts over the windows. It would get really cold. We slept with the heat down really low, but our electric blanket cranked up. Our heating bill and electric was over $200, for a small apartment. Our electric and gas here is about $60. Can you believe that? We are in a 3 bedroom, brick energy efficient house... What a difference. So far we only have the flannel sheets on the bed, and I have a feeling that tonight they will be a bit too warm.

I do look forward to snow here. Snow in the South is romantic. Life comes to a halt. There are no big plows or salt trucks. Schools are closed. Some businesses close if their owner can't get off his mountain and drive in. Here, snow falls and then melts. It doesn't stick to everything and linger all winter becoming gray, dirty, crusty and stale. Snow here is a holiday.

Not So Greyt Day

She ate a cat.

Ok, well, not really, but she chased a cat and the encounter was not good. So, that is not our Ziva. There are more hounds in Florida, a sister group that GRFT works with, that will be headed up this way in January. We are told that several of those hounds live with cats. As sad as we are, we think it may be a blessing in disguise. We want complete harmony in our house, so we are willing to wait.

Greyt Day!!

Here is our new girl! We are about 99% sure we are going to adopt her! She is called Motion, but we plan to call her Ziva Dora Rhenn, mainly Ziva. (I'll explain the meanings in a different post...) Ziva has not been officially "cat-tested." We've said that unless she eats a cat, we'll take her! When we went to the Meet and Greet today at PetsMart in Knoxville, she came straight over to us and laid into our legs, melting our hearts!!! She has a SWEET face; this photo does not do her justice! She is a small female, only 58 lbs. She just turned 2 on December 5th, so she still has some puppy issues, which I am sure will iron out as we work with her. Since Hubster and I are home 24/7, we will be really good for her, to be with her so much and work with her. (I don't think that sentence had any grammatical structure...) We will most likely get her next weekend! Before Christmas! Thanks Santa!! I will keep y'all updated with pictures and fun stories, so stay tuned!! I am looking forward to the story about how our cats will react as their dog-free world comes crashing down around them...

My Best Friend Gave to Me...

I have the best friend in the whole world!!! This post is for Cindy. Cindy, I don't know how many little days of Christmas you are doing, but this is fun. So far I have received cards for the 2nd and 3rd days of Christmas. I am posting these pictures of me sporting the gaudy garage sale earrings. I looooove them!! Merry Christmas, Sis!! I love you and miss you tons!!!

So far, so good.

This third shift house-wifin' business is not so bad. It is taking time and mild sleeping pills to make it work. (No, I am not addicted to the sleeping pills. No, I am not taking an "upper" to stay awake during the day. Though I am addicted to Pumpkin Spice coffee with Pumpkin Spice creamer. YUM!... and NO, to any other nonsense about sleeping pills...) There are advantages to being a third shift house wife:

1. Telemarketers do not call at night. In fact, no one calls at night.

2. If I want to run to Wal-Mart and get groceries, etc. at 10 p.m. or 2 a.m., then there are plenty of places to park, no waiting in line to check out, and the shelves are being stocked...

3. AND, while I am at Wal-Mart at 2 a.m., I am less likely to see someone I don't want to see...

4. I shower more often. Seriously. I realized this yesterday. I showered because I could not remember if I had showered or not. When day is night and night is day, did I shower yesterday or today? or was it two days ago? So, I err on the side of clean instead of greasy.


I have to say, it is odd being in the kitchen and cooking at 3:00 a.m. But, life is very good. God is blessing our giant JUMP! of faith. We are completely trusting him.

(I'd like to send a shout-out to my cousins in Houston, Rick and Shelli! Thanks for reading! Love y'all! Come see us sometime!!)

Third Shift House Wife

I quit my job.

Yep, just up and quit.

Originally, I was planning on quitting after Christmas; that's what Hubby and I decided, and that's what I told my boss.

But, I could only take so much.

For the sake of maintaining my integrity, I will not give a detailed report. But, I will share this much: We took 6 days of holiday to Warsaw, IN, celebrating 2 Thanksgiving meals and a Christmas brunch, complete with presents. Time away gives one better perspective. I went back to work after much time off. The day back was horrible. I cried all the way home, then cried on Hubby's shoulder. Three weeks ago I thought I was pregnant, but wasn't. When I went back to work, I had a realization: Now I know why I thought I was pregnant... I haven't felt stress like this in a very long time. Work was making me sick. I felt nauseous, queasy, and my heart rate was up.

After a long chat, tears and prayer, we decided that I would quit, that we would trust God and JUMP!

This time last year we faced a similar event. Brandon was, well, not really let go, but left out of the scheduling at Ivy Tech, where he had been teaching math. (I taught English there, but left the year before for public school... long story...) We were upset, but felt that God was giving us baby birds a kick out of the nest... And now, yet another KICK!.. It's a bit scary, but very exciting!!

Brandon is working 3rd shift at home because that is when the major currency exchange markets are open and moving. He will be "day" trading (during our night). Please pray with us for 10 pips a day. That my not mean much to you, but to us it is what we need and are believing God for!

Because Brandon is working 3rd shift at home, I have committed to keep the same hours. We believe strongly in working together and sleeping together, which is much simpler if I become a 3rd shift house wife. And, yes it is odd to do household chores at 4:00 a.m. We are still working out the weird hours, but are believing God that HE will take care of those details and bless us for our hard work.

Happy 11-11!!

Today is 11-11. Eleven eleven has always been a "thing" for me. A special number. Not necessarily a "lucky" number... just a special number. I can remember seeing 11:11 as a kid on signs or even seeing 1:11 or 111 or 1111... on signs, a digital clock is the most common sighting.. It has been a "thing" of, well a positive feeling... or a "sign" that all is well. Psalms 91:11 says that angels are watching over us and protecting us... My friends Cindy and Dale both have a "thing" with 11:11 and 1:11 (1111 & 111, etc...). Cindy is my best friend. Second only to my husband, a given that he is truly my bestest friend in the whole universe, and any universes beyond... Cindy called me tonight to wish me "happy 11-11".... and of course we had a wonderful chat!!

If there is anyone out there who reads this blog and has a special "thing" with 11-11 or 1-11, 11:11/1:11... please leave me a comment and let me know. I met a girl at Wal-Mart; she was scanning my items... my amount due came to $11.11. I told her that was my special number, and she said it was for her too... and we had a lovely chat... about our number thing and how weird that is.... Anyway... if any of you have a "thing" with these numbers, just let me know. I think it is weird, cool, uncanny... etc...

Happy 11-11!!!

Livin' the Dream...

I have thoroughly enjoyed the fall weather. I can tell such a huuuge difference between here, down South, and up north in Warsaw. Today was November the 4th and we were grilling outside, and I was wearing flip flops!! The sun was soooo warm, and the breeze was cool. A GORGEOUS day!!!

We got a call from a GRFT representative today. I sent out the application this week. She was following up on a reference, who she could not get a hold of... I gave another reference. Yes, these folks call references to make sure we are good people... before we can get a dog. They will also do a home visit before we get a dog...before they will approve our application. I don't think this is strict... I think it is good. When people get animals, sometimes they don't realize what kind of animal they are getting.... Such as, dogs have different breed types that are bred for different reasons, purposes... Greyhounds are naturally lounge dogs.... but, do need a bit of exercise. Kinda like me... Other dogs, such as Jack Russell Terriers, need a lot of exercise. Caesar Milan says that every dog need exercise, which is the key to a mentally and physically healthy dog. I am excited that GRFT is checking up on us, and our application is up for review. Not much longer until we get a new family member!! I know our cats are looking forward to that... Ha!!

We will be heading up to Warsaw for Thanks-Christmas-Giving with the Wilhites. I am looking forward to our trip. We haven't been up there since we moved down in May. I miss our friends and family and most of all, I miss our church! We plan to stay long enough to catch the morning service the weekend of Thanksgiving. Whooo Hoo!

Blessings to all!!

Jovie.

This dog is gorgeous! I am not sure which sweetie we will adopt, but I'd love to have this one... Her name is Jovie; ; she is 4, cat and kid friendly... Did I mention that she is gorgeous??

Greyt Day!!

Brandon and I are going to adopt a greyhound!! Yes, a former racer that has been rescued from the horrors that could be after a life of racing. We are working with GRFT, Greyhound Rescue Federation of Tennessee Knoxville. There are several hounds available for adoption, but we plan to wait and adopt in January, which will give us time to get a big crate, doggie beds, etc., etc.... Check out the GRFT website. The folks are super helpful and nice! Brandon and I have wanted one of the greyhound breeds (greyhound, whippet, and Italian greyhound) for at least 4 or 5 years. Contrary to popular belief and a common misconception of greyhounds is that they need tons of exercise and they are hyper. Greyhounds have been called the 45 mile per hour couch potato. They are sprinters. A quick dash and they are spent. So, evening strolls are plenty of exercise for them. One thing that is very very very very important is that they are to be on a leash at all times. They are sight hounds. They are motivated by something that moves quickly, like a chipmunk or rabbit, or floating plastic bag... and once they spot it, they are in the "zone." No amount of calling or coaxing will bring them back. So, always on a leash, unless in a fenced in area. Generally they are a lounger, so they will fit right in with us!!

We are excited!!

Kittius Interuptus.

As much as I try to crochet and work on my current blanket project, Mareth thinks that when I have the blanket on my lap, it's nap time!!

A Saturday Sojourn

Brandon and I drove to Liberty, KY, a Mennonite community. The drive across the Hal Rogers Parkway is gorgeous and relaxing. We ate at the Bread of Life Cafe. They have a fudge shop and baked yummies that can be taken home! We then went to the bulk grocery store and bought a few fresh veggies and candies. We enjoyed our quality time together! The day was perfect for a country drive and just being with each other! Check out the website for the
Galilean Home Ministries, Inc. Sandy and Jerry Tucker are the founders of the children's home. They personally adopted 27 children. Yes, I said 27! And they had two of their own, 29 children! And they are Mennonite, living off the land and prosperity of God. Their story is very, very inspiring!!

Tilly & Teasers

Tilly is not shy about taking a good, comfy nap!

I am crocheting a blanket. It will be a gift for a friend. I decided to post some teaser pictures. I am usually crocheting from our new chocolate leather recliner...

From the Kitchen

When I have time, which has been sparse due to working full time, or maybe I should say that when I make time, I enjoy being in the kitchen and cooking yummy foods for Hubby and me. Today is Colts game day... and I try to make game days special for my Honey. He jerseys-up for the game, stretches out, and then plays like a pro - from the couch. Go Colts!!

First, I want to explain that our cupboards are a bit sparse. Yes, I have money to get groceries, so no pity. I mean, if you feel the need to send money, by all means, I am NOT going to stop you! Who am I to quench the spirit of giving! ha! When the cupboards begin to get sparse, I take it as an Iron Chef Challenge to get creative .... Sometimes some of my most yummy creations have come out of creative necessity.

Today I am creating a new chili. I like cooking with ground turkey; however, ground turkey can have a weird, well, ground turkey or manufactured taste to me. So, the key is to really really really flavor-up and spice the heck out of it. I put a bit of oil in the skillet, heated it... then added roasted garlic and onions. My Hubby is "allergic" to onions. Strongly dislikes them, that is. So I caramelize them, then remove them... or I could puree them, and then add them back. It's the texture that he does not like... so, I get creative. Then I added the ground turkey, and added chili powder and ground red pepper, salt and black pepper. I have a chili spice pack, and added some of that too, sorta like when I do tacos and spice up the meat. I added a bit of water and let it simmer. We had some 15 beans in a soup pack, dry beans. I boiled them good for an hour, having added a bit of salt, black pepper and ground garlic... to soften them quickly. I added the beans, meat, the rest of the chili flavor pack, and some tomato sauce to a ready crock pot and will let that simmer all day, until the evening game at 6:00. Later I will fix corn bread. And, Viola! Dinner! And we will have left overs for the week.

I may fix a dessert too, later. But, for now we have the main course!

Yesterday my mom and I drove to Liberty, KY where there is a Mennonite community. I found a bulk foods store! I was soooo excited to find this store! They have unique bulk flours, sugars, cheeses, spices and much more. It was an hour and a half drive away, but well worth it. A gorgeous drive through rolling countryside. I plan to take Brandon there next week, and take the camera to get pics for the blog. Mother and I ate at the Bread Of Life Cafe. Deeeee-lish! I will take pictures and post next week on our day retreat!

"Movin' On UP!"

Here is our new red couch and leather chair!! We are sooo excited to actally have REAL, new, and NICE furniture to lounge on... And, the girls seem to love it too!! The couch is their new favorite hang out!!

September sentiments...

Geesh... It's been FOOOORRRREEEVVVERRRRR since I have blogged... All is well here... We have since added new furniture to our living space... A gorgeous red couch. Yes, I said RED couch... and a chocolate leather .. yes, leather... recliner... We loooove our new furniture.... and so do our cats... Pictures will be coming soon... Tilly use to sleep under the bed... but now she sleeps on the back of the couch in the open air of the living room.. My mom says that Tilly was ashamed of the previous, old furniture that we had... but now the we have pretty new stuff... she is no longer embarrassed or ashamed of our furniture... Ha...

I've been working in a interior design/gift shop... Going well so far... Brandon is doing very well. He and his partners have negotiated to pay Brandon a salary per month. It's enough to cover our needs per month...including what I make... Hopefully some time in the near future I will be home.... Oh, I am teaching dance... did I mention that?? I am teaching jazz and hip hop... I am enjoy it... A woman who has taught clogging for years is opening up a full studio for dance, karate, and tumbling... I am helping to build her business... I am hoping, praying, and believing God for more classes... maybe 6 or so... in the spring... and I also plan to write grants... I am working on grant info gathering then grant writing for the local animal shelter... I plan to then just teach dance and write grants from home... eventually... (And I am hoping Santa brings me a laptop for Christmas...)

Ok... there is a quick Wilhite update...

Tilly's Glamour Shots & Mareth eyes

I am getting better with the digital camera. I have been wanting to get pictures of our cats' eyes. Tilly has blue eyes, and Mareth has orange eyes. Sometimes her eyes are really orange, other times, not so much... More of an amber, orangey-yellow.

Kitten Rescue.

Wednesday my friend Karen knocked on our back door. She said there was a stray kitten under her porch and she did not know what to do, as it seemed wild and scared. She said I am the "cat person" in her life... so she called on me. Long story short, I pulled a Cat Whisperer, and lickety-split, here's Phoebe. As badly as we both wanted to keep her, due to her super sweetness, unusual toes, and Maine Coon mix... alas, we could not keep her. She has 6 toes on her front feet and 5 toes on her back feet. Normally cats only have 5 and 4, respectively. She is considered a polydactyl or Hemingway cat, which is very very interesting. I enjoyed examining her toes! Brandon and I took her to the local shelter, but before we did we prayed over her for her to find a good home, and quickly. Again, long story short, the woman at the shelter turned out to be a childhood playmate of mine, whom I had not seen in 25 (yes, I said 25) years!!! She took the kitten and paid the adoption fee forward for another cat! Brandon and I have decided to volunteer at the shelter at least a couple Saturdays a month... We went yesterday. I nursed itty bitty kitties... with a bottle, of course. =] Brandon helped walk dogs and bring dogs into the kennel; one really scared little guy peed on him! What a way to be initiated! There was a HUGE cat... I call him Zeus, 'cause I don't know his name... but he's really like the Shaqueal O'Neil of cats.. .really tall... He is 2 yrs old, was someone's pet, has been neutered... and is a sweetheart... I am going to keep my eye on him... Hopefully put up some pics of him... I can't stop thinking of him, you know how that is! Anyway... All is well here... just busy! Love to all!