~ Plucky ~

Do any of you remember our hen, 'Poor Grace'?
For that matter, do any of you remember me??!!
Good gravy, it's been about forever since I last blogged.
There is 'settling in', and there's 'settling in'!
Well, truth be told, we're still settling in... *smile*.

Poor Grace was Plucky! 
She had that ole' wacky beak, and yet she persevered. 
She never gave up, and whats more, she became the most favorite hen of the entire flock... both people and the other hens loved her.

I've been considering ole' Poor Grace and her plucky character.
I need to cultivate a plucky attitude myself, and have resolved to do just that.... beginning right now!

Each one of us can determine to have courage in the face of the difficulties that we are going through.

Looking forward to many more hikes in our canyon.
I just had begun to explore our new canyon and new town, then winter was upon us. 

Oh what joy it will bring to enjoy the creek, the mountains, and the beauty all around. 
Our canyon is just a teeny bit up the road from our new home.

Our new town also has hot springs, and hot pools! They are lovely and the view from the hot pools simply cannot be beat... why, you can see our entire town, and surrounding area from the pools!

Simply the best thing has happened to us... we are expecting our second Grand. 
It's a girl this time, and we could not be more excited to meet her. 
She is scheduled to have her debut the first part of June.

Our sweet Liam will be a big brother, and some day he will teach his little sister how to catch a fish!
I'm missing our Grand!! 
I miss going to church, and especially going to the temple.
I miss all the 'normal' things.
 We all miss 'normal' don't we! 

Here's to my new plucky attitude :
* getting a garden in this summer...yay! 
We moved in last summer too late in the season to grow a garden.
*My sweet husband getting off the doctors list... I hope in May!
(He ended up with a twelve inch blood clot in his leg, just before Thanksgiving, but thankfully he is doing great. Taking his blood thinners and getting back to regular activities.)
*Taking lots of pictures, and showing you all around our new home and town!
* Putting a smile on my face, and happy in my heart, and finding a way to serve others.
 Because I sure can get bummed out, if I let myself!

Attitude of gratitude:
~ Grateful for this day. 
~Grateful for little seeds that are sprouting and hold so much promise for a great garden this year!
~Thankful for my 'consolation' gift from our daughter. The concert that we wanted to go to in Santa Fe was cancelled, and so she bought me the cutest t~shirt and CD from the "The Mavericks" .

~ Shades of Gold ~

 Sunflowers.. in all their golden beauty.
Earlier in the year, of course, as the frost and fall season have made the sunflowers fade.

 Their cheerful faces ...

 rows and rows.

 Fading sunflower.
Seed heads. Plenty of sunflower seeds for next summer.

 The meadow.
A few weeks ago, as the sunflowers were fading. Golden sunset against the mountains.

 Golden sunrise.
Can you believe how vivid and gold the clouds are?! This picture is 100% real!
As we were driving to Phoenix this last Friday, the skies just lit up in gold colors that were almost unreal. Our daughter and I went to Phoenix to see the Bonnie Raitt concert.
Her gift to me for my birthday, this past Saturday.
We left so early, and it was still dark, but as we were going through the canyon the sunrise and the gold clouds were simply gorgeous!!

 On the road.
Golden Fall foliage through the canyons.

 Back home again.
The meadow is beautiful, with golden grasses, and golden leaves.
A few clouds hang on the mountains and foothills.
We feel so fortunate, and blessed that these are our daily views.

 The sunflower patch today.
Faded to dark amber~gold.
Most of the seeds that were left in the sunflower heads have provided a feast for the birds.
I already cut and dried all the seed heads that I wanted to save, in order to have plenty of seeds for next year.

 The faded sunflowers are still beautiful in their own, golden~amber, Fall~ish way.

Final shade of gold.
We've decided to leave most of the sunflower stalks up during the winter.
It will provide a bit of a windbreak, and place for the birds to rest.
And, I honestly think that they are still beautiful .

~Attitude of gratitude.
~ I'm so grateful for good and true friends.
~Feeling thankful for the simple things in life.
~Grateful for prayer.
~Feeling thankful for pumpkin bread. ... what a delicious seasonal treat. I'm so glad that we have pumpkins!
~Feeling thankful for Fall festivals, pumpkins a~plenty, and scents of cinnamon in the air.
~Grateful for my sweet husband, and that we had a great date night last night and went to see the Odyssey Dance Theaters production of Thriller. I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to do that!

Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.

          
          Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving day.

* I am thankful for my blog friends. You inspire me, you make me laugh, and there are moments that I cry with you.  Thank you for being my friends.

*I am thankful for where I am in my life now. 
I am so thankful for wisdom gained through years of experiences. For trials and blessings. For life's hills and valleys. The valley's in life, make the views from the hill's that much sweeter.
I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father; for the endless love and tender mercies that he offers me.
 
*I am grateful for Mill Hill Meadow.  I know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.
That the past years of renovating, and moving, gave us experience, but we are where we will be throughout our retirement... in a home that requires no renovations. This home has been a joy to live in, and will continue to be a joy to live in.

~ Blessings~

 

 "The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings." Henry Ward Beecher

 Heavenly Blessing : Rain and more rain.





And more rain..

Heavenly Blessing : First tomato of summer.
 One that the deer didn't get.
 Hallelujah , the DIY deer deterrent spray is working.

Heavenly Blessing:  Pears in the dehydrator.
   We wait all year, to dry pears, which are a family favorite.
We will dry peaches, plums, pears, apricots, etc...
Once they are dry, I put them in the freezer.

This year, I also have started making fruit leather : I used puree of pears and black berries, and sweetened with all natural honey. I tried out three ways of drying the puree... one on silpat, one on parchment, and one on plastic wrap. All dried in the oven on the lowest setting.
My preference; the plastic wrap.  I think it worked the best out of all the methods I tried.


Attitude of gratitude:

~I am grateful that I have an appreciation for provident living. I want to be able to make the most of the summers' bounty.
I'm working on filling my deep freezer, filling my food storage shelves, and filling my pantry.
It's deeply satisfying to see those shelves filled with good food.
It also makes preparing a meal a cinch.

Tender Hearted, and inspirational. Must watch.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=655759821182423

****Click link above highlighted in color.

Gifts.

Sunday evening sunset.
A gift from our loving Heavenly Father.

As another week and month finish, and a new week and month begin, I felt comforted and at peace.
Time sure seems to be flying by, and we've got a million things on our  " should do" list,  just like everyone else. 

It's pretty important to me to take time out of my hurry, busy schedule, and just enjoy this wonderful life that our Father in Heaven has blessed us with.
I haven't always taken a step back to see the big picture.
Sometimes I've been too focused on one or two things, to get the right perspective.

Stepping back and getting a better perspective on the big picture; it's become really important to me.

Remembering what matters most.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful for a peaceful heart.  This year, I'm feeling peaceful, and content. Knowing that our Heavenly Father is in charge of this world.  I will do my best, and He will make up the rest.

Candy Bar Pie.. Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!
Sharing a family favorite recipe today.
It's tradition to make Candy Bar or Hershey Bar Pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas .

Candy Bar Pie

16 Lg. marshmallows

1/2 C. milk

Melt marshmallows in milk over medium-low heat.

Add 1 1/2 giant candy bars chopped up....IE: Hershey's or Symphony candy bar.

Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is creamy.

Cool to room temperature.

Fold in 1 to 1 1/2 cups whipped cream-- unsweetened {use the real stuff}.

Pour into prepared pie shell. We like the Oreo pie shells or graham cracker pie shells.

{My mom used to bake traditional pie shells and make candy bar pies that way.}

Chill pie for several hours.

Delicious!!

 

Attitude of gratitude:

~So grateful for this wonderful time of year.  A time to reflect on the many, many blessings that we are blessed with. 

~ For family,  for home, for health, for friends, for healthy food, for warm and cozy shelter. 

~For the gospel in our lives, for eternal families, for good books.

~For our sweet little dog, Rowdy... he keeps me company.

~For good music, that fills our home with cheer.

 

~For great blog friends! You cheer me and leave such sweet and kind comments.  Luv you all!