X, Y, and Z is for....

When you have nothing else to say...




Love,

Erika

V and W is for...

My family says I am Valuable and Valued, I am blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Volunteer: I like to volunteer and right now we help at our Satellite Bishop's Storehouse. It  is something I want to do more of after my children are grown.

Vote: This is something I like to do I feel it is a duty of us all. I have been registered to vote since I was 18, right before I gradutated from high school I registered and it is one of the first things I do when we move to a new area. Though the whole jury duty thing I wish I didn't have to do. I have been called many times and this month I was on Federal jury duty though I was released after 2 weeks and did not have to serve.

And since we have a busy weekend....again I will go ahead and do W.

Wood: that is my last name, though it has not always been my last name.

Walk: I like to go for walks and enjoy them in the fall or spring when it is either just cooling off from the heat of the summer or just warming up from the chill of the winter.

Wife: nothing to much to say about that except I love being one.

Woman....


Wildflowers: I love to see fields of these.


Have a very blessed day...

Love,

Erika

U is for....

Hubby is getting into this so all the words are from him today...

Unique: as I have said I beat to the tune of my own drum. But that does not mean I do not feel the pull of the world.

Uplifting:  uplift the family etc

Underestimated: he says people underestimate me.

Undaunted: I keep plugging forward undaunted by hurdles.

Unending: my quest for knowledge is unending I strive to keep on learning and growing. Even though my family and others think I am nuts with some of thing I learn.

Unbelievably Beautiful: Don't I have a great husband!


Thank You Hubby,

Love,

Erika

T is for...

Hmmm, Hubby helped me today, and he keeps calling me with T words most will not be put on here...LOL sorry babe.

But he did say the following...

Talented: why is it others say this, but when we hear it we don't believe it.

Trustworthy

Terrific

Tea tottler: I am not a drinker...now. Twenty years ago I was and so was hubby. He is an alcoholic who has been sober for almost 19 years I have not had one in 13 or 14 years.

Now me...

Trust issues: this one I thought was funny considering hubby said trustworthy, I do not trust people very easily it takes alot for me to trust someone and that includes family members. I have had a very rough road to travel and have been hurt many times so trusting someone is very hard for me.

Taciturn and talkative: Depending on a situation I can clamup and not say a word or talk way to much. If I am intimidated by a situation or a person I get very taciturn and also if I really feel distrust in a person or situation I will be very quiet and most of the time walk away. See I told you I can be rude. lol

Tattoo: I have 3, they are from many many moons ago.

Thankful: I am for all I have been given, for all the hurdles I have had to climb over, for the wrong turns I have taken, and for the many times I have been brought to my knees from my failings. They all have made me who I am and are taking me to who I am to become.

Have a wonderfully blessed day...

Love,
Erika

S is for....

Update: Thank You Maria, I cannot believe I forgot this most important S....Sewing I love it and have taught myself so much, but there is so much more I can learn and want to learn.

Silly: see this woman sitting next to me, she and I can have the biggest laugh over the silliest of things. Her and I are working at the front table at our volunteering job. We love working together, she was my assistant at girl's camp and we laughed and laughed, so much so my asthma kicked in more than once. She has become a friend I know will love me no matter how silly I am, since she is just as silly if not more so!

Simplified: me above, this is me in all my simplicity, no makeup, handmade blouse, no styling of my hair. This is me everyday, everything else is to complicated

Squirral: Yguy caught this little guy over the weekend, actually he rescued him from one of the barn cats. He was stunned so he brought him in, and kept him warm in a kennel till I came home and decided he was recovered enough to be let go. He was oh so happy to be released.

Science Fiction: Love it! Have no idea why I just do. Issac Asimov I used to read and loved him. Star Trek, Star Gate all of them, I love.

Words from my husband....

supreme ruler, super, seductive, spooky, short-compared to my son and husband, yes I am

Yguy, worked yesterday at a friends house picking corn so our friend could get hay taken care of before the weather came in. He just bought two draft horses, of course I had to take a picture of them.

This morning's breakfast, I try to make something Yguy will eat so he has something on his stomach otherwise he gets a headache, sidetracked easily, etc. Even if its something little, I don't like to give the kids sugary cereals etc. Though when in a pinch for ideas I have gotten them poptarts so that the picky one will actually eat. But, I really dislike doing it I feel that if you get them on the road of junk now as adults it becomes a problem.As it is now for me, teach them while they are young the road they should take and they will stay on it. I was never taught that, so as an adult it is hard and my body is letting me know it.

Camping Bars (typed the way I cooked them recipe change etc)

3/4 c sprouted wheat flour

1/2 c quick oats

1/4 c flax seed

1/2 c butter softened

1 T orange zest

3/4 c sucanat

2 eggs

1/2 c coconut

Mix with a mixer all ingredients, Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

I want to make this with honey, but this morning I didn't want to change it to much.

Hope you have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

O, P, Q, R is for..

Is it Monday, already?  Where did the weekend go? Or even the last two days of the week last week, oh well. We have been a little busy this weekend.

We dry packed canned Saturday, volunteered Friday, and just had a busy 4 days.

O is for....Organized... this is what I'd like to say, but right now I am not feeling very organized with the weekend's upheavel all over the house. But generally I like things a certain way and organized.

P is for....passionate...in the dictionary one of the definations is hot tempered...that can be me, though I have learned to curve and control it over the last few years.  I can be passionate in my beliefs, though it is an inward passion I don't believe in shoving my beliefs, morals, or values at people. Just as I don't like to have others shoved at me. I learn by other examples so that is how I would rather live as well being an example.

Q is for...Quietude: a state of being quiet: calmness; this is something I would like to work at being quiet calm..listening. I get so busy I don't stop and listen and this I need to work on.

R is for.....

Read: I love to read and sometimes can not put a book or books down. I have to limit myself or reading will take over.

Realism: I look at things at face value. Dreaming is really all that fun for me, I tend to look at what is actually there to work with etc.

Ringer Washer: I used to use one of these and thought it was the best thing in the world. Considering I had been washing all our clothes by hand all summer. This was many, many moons ago.


Have a wonderfully blessed day....

Love,
Erika

N is for Plain and Simple....

Well, not really but since I missed doing my Plain and Simple last week here it is this week.  These little pretties are West Indian Burr Gherkins or little cucumbers. We have grown them for years and they are so much fun and very prolific. There is a big bunch in the old chicken yard that came up all on their own. We gave our hens the leftovers last fall.

Last week I set them to ferment as well as asparagus. The asparagus were ready yesterday so I chilled them in the fridge and had them with a lovely salad at lunch they were so good. Can't wait try these little cuties.

Native: I am a native of Florida born and raised there till I was 17,and then moved here to Mississippi. Not to many people can claim that anymore, I think since so many transplants have moved there. I remember when I was a kid bumper stickers that had a green state of Florida on them with the word Transplant or Native in big orange letters were very popular. My mom was a native my dad a transplant. :0). Now 20 years since I have lived there it doesn't feel like home anymore.

Isis with her boy, of course she is clueless as to who this person she shares a room with and carries her around is. She definatly is not like a dog, she is independant and not very loyal. But he loves having her...

Nasa: when I lived in Florida we lived across the river from the Kennedy Space Center I remember seeing the first shuttle launch, Columbia, and later in 6th grade the shuttle Challenger accident. I was standing in the parking lot of school, the rest of the day was a slow day as we sat and listened to the radio. I don't remember much school work being done that day.

Nonconformist: I like to beat to the turn of my own drum instead of the standards of the world.

Normal: no this isn't me.

Our pastured turkeys. They are doing very well and are a source of amusement. They are now in the yard with the ducks since we thought they were big enough not to drown in the duck pond. They are, but they still have fallen in and just stand there not certain what to do in the water.

Last night the boys cleaned the duck pond and refilled it, they were so excited and couldn't wait to leap in. On the egg front we received our first egg the other day from our little flock. The ladies are not named yet, though one was, she has left us thanks to a fox. But the drakes are Mr. Darcy and Mr. Binley.

All of them in the pond having a blast, they would splash around and then all jump out and run around and them drive back in. Such fun and excitement!

We do enjoy them very much such talkers and a joy to have.

I have been to New Hampshire, Nebraska, New York, New York City, New Jersery, and Newark. And I am sure some more, but off the top of my head this will do. 

I hope all have a wonderfully delightful day....

Love,

Erika

M is for....

Married: and love it. Yes, it can be stressful and hard work, but after 18 years we are still very much best friends and can have a good laugh over anything.

Mom: being a mom is interesting and fun. I do not think I am very good at it, but I do know that this is where I am suppose to be.

These two things complete me, I am Mystified as to why others wait so long to do either, I know sometimes things are beyond their control, or they just don't want to for no reason its just not for them. But those who feel that it will hinder their life, slow them down, or keep them from experiencing life. My marriage has filled so many spots in my life and the kids have enhanced it even more. I wouldn't change any of it. I am looking forward to those years of just hubby and I as the kids grow and leave the nest, but I'm not in any hurry for I love where I'm at in my life and learn daily from my children and husband.

Though I may be mystified that does not mean I judge them, their choices are theirs and mine are mine. It just confuses me.

Marveled: at the world and the gifts around me daily.

Have a lovely day,

Love,

Erika

L is for....

From the teens in the house:

Lovely

Loveable

Loving

Loyal

And from me:

License: I used to have a CDL, I told you at D I loved to drive

Loud mouth: I have a stage whisper, and have no problem projecting my voice. My husband is the same way, our children on the other hand are soft spoken and our son trys hard not to speak above the range of my hearing. :0) Or I am just loosing it.

Loner: I was definately this as a kid and teen. And even now I have few close friends it is so much easier that way having hoards of friends can be very draining for me.

Have a lovely and blessed day...

Love,

Erika

K is for....

Well, today I have three teenagers to tell me what K words fit me, one is our adopted son who lives with his parents, but spends lots of time with us. Hes not really adopted though we like to say he is since hes like one of our kids and he stayed the night last night.

Kind: when I asked the teens in the house they said this first where they get this I have no idea.

Knowledgeable: from the kid's friend. I asked him why and he said, "because you know alot about things, you can cook, blog, all kinds of things." I have just made them pancakes from scratch. :0)

 Keen, the defination of this that they said was me not the piercing scream, but very perceptive,shrewd, eager, intense.

 Kernel:(the central most important part, essence) my son said this as he sifted thru the dictionary. After I read the defination I thought that is nice. He was telling me I am the central important part of our family.

Now my word:

Kaleidoscope: (something that is constantly changing) I would say that is me daily I am changing to be more of what our Heavenly Father sees me as. I know that one day I will see that person too, but for now I am striving daily to learn and grow.

Well we are off to take the kids the seminary kickoff and then actually hang out as a married couple. Hmmm I wander what thats like since we don't get to that often.

Love,

Erika

More K's

I and J are for.....

You know some of these letter are hard! But I have enlisted the help of my family in this and they have said a couple of things I wonder about, since I am not sure I believe them myself. :0)

 Their two I choices:

Intelligent: I beg to differ on this point I can be very blond, though I do believe in teaching myself whatever interests me and figuring it out on my own. I do not like dealing with people who have to flaunt education, intelligence, or financial success in others faces for the sake of feeling superior. I believe we are all equal and need to be treated as such from the lowliest worker to the president of the US. Salesmen and Polititians are the same to me and I have no time for either, but I do vote using my intellect to sift through the trash they are pushing our way.

Important: All three said this, I am am important to them and that is all that matters.

Introvert: I prefer my home and family over big crowds they are very draining and frustrating. Though I have no problem being in crowds I just need time to fill my battery afterwards since it was drained from the experience. Girls Camp each year is very draining for me, though I love cooking for all those people. I am not a social butterfly and have a hard time understanding those who are.

Independent: I can be very independent and self reliant. I prefer to do things and learn things on my own. I usually jump right in and do instead of waiting for someone to hold my hand through it all.

Inflexible: Because of this independence I can be very inflexible. I want things done a certain way no matter what, but I have learned to curb that quite a bit the last few years

Mary, going for a ride with mom. She goes with me alot, especially when its just me going. She loves it, but worries when I get out and go in somewhere she doesn't understand and watches very intently until I come back out.

Yguy's new hobby, Quail they are so tiny and seem to be very fragile we have lost several.

Jack of all trades: I know alot about many things, but not a bunch in one specific thing. I like to learn and teach myself and once I learn to a point that satifies that urge I move on to the next. High school I read ahead of everyone and spent lunch in the library reading all kinds of topics, though I was an average student. College bored me to tears, I spent one semester and then decided to stay at home and raise my daughter, and from their I started learning outside the bounds of the educational system and feeding that curiosity that schools wouldn't and/or couldn't feed.

Jocular: I love to laugh, and joking around and laughing heal the mind, body, and soul of many ailments.

Jail bird: now this is going into my very rebellious teen years. At 14 I spent part of a night in jail till my dad came and got me. We won't go into why I was there it was being in the wrong place at the wrong time and most definately with the wrong people. When my court date finally came I had hives so bad for over a month it freaked me out having to stand in front of a Judge not once but twice in that month's time. Oh the things we do when we are young, now 23 years later I can laugh over it and am greatful I grew out of that real fast. :0)

Now that you know extemely to much about me and my past I will wish you have very blessed day.

Love,

Erika

H is for....

Hair dresser: This is somewhere I don't visit for myself at least. My kids do, but I don't all that often once a year maybe, twice to have the ends trimmed. Sometimes I will get more cut off, but I am not a person who like to style my hair daily and my hair is so straight that I have to to make it look nice. So I keep it long. That said....

Hair: I have long hair down to my about waist. Right now with the heat it can bug me badly, but I keep it in a braid or up.

Helpmate: I am definately this for my hubby.

Herbs: Love them learning more about them and having a blast doing it.

Homemaker: Nothing much can be said.

Homeowner: My hubby and I own our home without a bank being co-owner with us. Its nice to have that comfort.

Homebody: I prefer being home to out and about.

Happy: not much to add to that...

have a blessed day...

Love,

Erika

for more H's

G is for....

Gorgeous: this is what the 17 yr old said this morning.

Giggles: I love to laugh, not just laugh to be nice, but really laugh. Giggly isn't how I would describe it since when I think of that I think of the teenage girls that my son trys to avoid at dances. :0) But giggle begins with a g.

Greatful: I am greatful for all I have.

Gregarious: This I am not it means to live in a herd and/or comfortable in large crowds. I am not and never have been. I prefer small gathering or one on one.

Gracious: I believe all are equal and should be treated as such. The ones that others feel are the lowiest of life I seem to be able to reach out to and make feel comfortable in a uncomfortable situation.

Good Natured: I like to think of myself as this.

Garden: I love to do it...but ask me if I am any good at it ;)

May your day be blessed....

Love,

Erika

for more G's

E and F are for.....

I forgot all about E on Saturday.....but I will add it here with F. Hubby actually had the weekend off so we had a nice relaxing weekend so he could rest up.

Earthy: from the dictionary coarse, unrefined, simple and natural. That's me and I can be quite rude on occasion as well :0)

Erika: again that's me....

Eggs: they are not my favorite food they taste funny to me sometimes and I have to be in the mood for them.



Flowers: I love them all kinds but mostly fresh cut from a garden, field, or side of the road. 

Fragrance: I am not into to many fragrances I prefer naturals over manmade, and I don't like them to be overpowering in odor, that gives me a headache.

I cut these this morning, the bees were having a lovely time on them and their cousins. When Ash and I walk this morning I will see what wild ones I can pick.

Fresh: I love fresh food with lots of Flavor.

Moonflower, it only blooms at night and this was the first bloom last week. One has bloomed every night since. They have a lovely, lite, aroma, almost like gardenias.

Have a blessed day....

Love,

Erika

For more E's and F's

D is for.....

Well today is going to be a hurried post since I have been gone all morning doing our volunteering and now we are waiting for grandma to visit. :0)

D....I did have as hard of a time with this one and like before the kiddos gave me a couple of words.

Dangerous: my son says I am dangerous with driving, can shoot many guns...hes 14.

Delightful: from my delightful daughter

Daisys: I love them! Like the movie You've Got Mail, daisys are the friendliest flower.

Dabble: I like to dabble in everything and learn all I can. I am a jack of all trades master of none.

Decisive: I am not a wishy washy person, I make a decision and follow thru I also am Dependable when asked to do something I do it to the best of my ability and expect those around to as well.

Dimple: I have two on my cheeks but not by chin.

Drive: I love to drive everything. I would love to drive anything and everything at least once. I used to drive a school bus and was very good at it.

Domestic: I love being a housewife and mom. Working outside the home stinks in my estimation and is definatly not for me.

Duffer: in the dictionary it said this means a person you can't golf. That is me I would love to though but never have. And I would get to drive the gold cart.

Dutch Oven: cooking in them is fun and I have 2 antique ones we use alot in the winter.


Hope your day is a blessed one...

Love,

Erika

For more D's

Plain and Simple

at the cottage....

I'm going to combine my Alphabet in August with my Plain and Simple probably for the whole month.

So let's see how creative I can get

Saturday morning dew steaming off in the blazing heat and it was 7:45 in the morning.

Cabin fever:  get cabin fever when the weather is either cold, rainy, or hot. Lately it has been the later two and the kids and I are starting to get this badly. So we are running errands in this dreadful heat today to remind us why we seem to be inside alot.

Caesarean section: I've had three and they weren't as bad as they say. Though if I could go back and change it I would, but I can't so why dawdle on it.

This picture represents us very well. Me as a blur as I seem to be always on the go you'd think I would be skinny, the counter showing our hecticness, crockpot going so that we eat right, and hubby trying to catch up with things on email since he is hardly able to keep up with himself let alone us, church, and life.

Candles: I love them, love burning them, making them, finding them at yard sale really cheap.

Cheap: I love to find things cheap especially at yard sales. Going to yard sales is my therapy. Depressed give me twenty and send me yard saling and I am a happy camper.

"Play with me," Don't ya feel sad for her she wants the cat to play with her so bad. He usually does but not then. He was hot and she was being rough.

There are my babies Pippin the cat, and Mary the dog. Yes I love Lord of the Rings and these two do resemble who they are named after and they love their momma (me) very much.

Cats: I love them I am definately a cat person I have 4 inside and 7 outside. We just got all but two of the barn cats fixed which was a feat, claws, teeth, growling, but it is done and they have forgiven us somewhat.

This sunset was so pretty I wish I had a better camera to capture the beauty.

Cards: I love playing cards especially Rummy. I am pretty good at it as well. Hubby and the kids gang up on me and try to beat me, when one of them does they all give a cheer. But it doesn't happen that often ;)

Chair: this lovely chair is a new project for me. We are going to sand it down, repair some areas, primer and paint it, and use it under the trees. I can't wait.

Cash: I prefer to use cash over credit. Credit cards have gotten so many in trouble including hubby and I, that now we prefer to pay for something outright. Including our house, barn, vehicles, etc. We have no debt, though we have a small income we have been blessed, and I have worked only twice in our years of marriage. Each time only about 4 months each. I have way to much here at the house to keep up with.

The rocker from last week we painted it in the heat yesterday, I could believe how sweaty we got standing in the shade. I like the white the brown seem to darken the room. The kids playfully argue over who will sit in this chair they both love it. :0)

And Ash's new skirt she made yesterday and without a pattern. This is her this morning she looks grown up even with her pig tails.

Hope all have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

B is for.....

 Ok, I have enlisted my teenagers in this and since they love me so much they had some very sweet words to say.

Beautiful, Brilliant, and Bookish.

I do love books and read alot I am also....

birdbath

Baker: I love to bake bread, rolls, cakes, etc

Blond: in hair color and lately mentally. Very forgetful etc. My kids say I am getting old. Why in your 30's do kids do that? I did to my mom and now mine are to me. ;)

butterflys, I love them

Bohemian: I like to think I am slowing moving towards an unconvential life at least for our little part of the world.

Betwixted: I am the between or middle child. I have an older step-brother and a younger step-sister.

Boat: I lived on boats in my childhood and teens and learned to walk on one.

Beach bunny:  I love the beach, a real beach, not what we have on the Mississippi gulf coast. With beautiful clean water, rolling waves, sea gulls, the sea breeze. I smell of the sea breeze brings back many memories. I lived on the beach as a teen always there, always a dark tan.

Baby: I love baby anything, kittens, puppys, birds, raccoons, people, whatever. But, they do grow up.

More B's 

Love,

Erika



A is for.....

This month I am participating with Chiot's Run in Alphabet August click either one of those and see what it is all about if you want to join in let Suzy know.

Well I must say I am not very creative I can take an idea and do it or expand on it but to come up with it from scratch it can be a headache making moment.

So I can say yes to just about all she put on her list and then add some. :0)

My seventeen yr old and I are sitting here and I asked her what she thought.

Adventure: she says I am willing to try new things at least once and I dare to be different in a must conform world

Awesome: Which I think is great since at seventeen I did not think my parents were awesome. Her and I are very close.

So now out comes the dictionary...;)

ablaze: I am full of excitement for life. I love life and learning new things. I will teach myself anything except knitting that is something I have not been able to master. 

abridge: well this I am not I can be very long winded so abridging my words in speech or written form is very hard.

addicted:  I am addicted to chocolate, science fiction, books, my awesome hubby of 18 yrs who happens to be named Andy, naps in the afternoon, animals I love them, and all things old.

administrating: I am an organizer, I like to jump in and keep things on tract. I think that is also OCD...

agrarian: we have 10.2 acres of land with a little house and a big barn and we love it. We raise a big garden and animals.

alfresco: I love being outdoors though right now with this heat indoors has become a norm.

adored: by my wonderful daughter standing behind me.

avid: in my beliefs, opinions, and the way I choose to live my life.  Though I don't believe in shoving my opinions down others throats and I don't like others doing it to me. I still live the way I want and not to much can sway me from my convictions.

And last and most generic:  American: and because I believe in being a good American I will go vote today and then because I am registered I have been called to jury duty not for the week, but for the month!

If you want to read others A's then click on over the Chiot's Run

have a blessed day...

Love,

Erika