Just One More Apron

One more apron! I just had to make one more! I had the material and creativity was pumping through my veins. I love the red/white check which has an Italian flair but is all American. Again this one is completely reversible. Tell me what you think. To view other three aprons I made earlier in the week click here.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Works For Me Wednesday - Simple Skin Care

How many of you have a box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in your fridge? Your baking supply area? Your laundry area? Your bathroom? I'll bet you could never guess where I use this product the most! As my "Works For Me Wednesday" post I am going to share my secret with you. I have really sensitive, oily, acne prone skin. I am 43 years old today (Yes, it's my Birthday) and I have not outgrown puberty! Monthly facial breakouts still plague me. Because of this, I have found I can only use a few products on my skin. Believe me when I tell you that I have bought and used every product advertised to help acne prone skin and they might work for a month or two but eventually my skin refuses to cooperate with the product and rebels. Most of the products I have found that do not cause breakouts are too expensive and honestly my frugality stops me from paying the ridiculous price. Again, let me reiterate that I am not in any way associated with the makers of these products and will not receive a dime by advertising them. They simply work for me. Anyway, to keep my facial oil at a minimum, I use Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda to cleanse my face daily. It is a gentle, natural exfoliate that leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth, does not dry out my skin (even oil heads need a little moisturizer) and keeps my breakouts to a minimum. I splash warm water on my face to open up my pores, mix a paste with the soda and apply it in a circular motion to all areas of my face, then rinse with warm water, followed by cool water (this closes the pores), and pat my face dry with a towel. While MDH husband would gladly scrub my back in the shower (wink, wink) with the baking soda, I find plain old, been around since creation, Ivory Soap works well for my skin type also. I love these simple products because they work well for me, are not pricey and are family member friendly. They work for everyone - babies, children, teens, adults, and pets and pesky neighbors. They also work well on every skin type, but if you have dry skin, be sure

to follow with a light moisturizer. This really works for me and I hope it works for you too.

For more great "Works For Me Wednesday" ideas, please visit:

"Rocks In My Dryer"

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Aprons and Sewing

I've been a busy gal this week. Along with homeschooling and regular chores, I was in the mood to sew. Before the mood left me, I jumped in with both feet. I learned to sew when I was but a young lass but I do not use patterns. I can visualize what I want, and make it as long as it is a simple design. Aprons have been my project this week. I love aprons. There is something homey and domestic about them.

I made this one Monday evening. It is a basic chef's apron. You cannot tell from this picture, but it is completely reversible and embellished with a few bamboo beads. It has a "spa" color scheme.

Here is another chef's apron with a coffee house theme. It is completely reversible also but has a different pattern on the other side. I found some really cute coffee house buttons and added them too. Cute! Cute! In the pocket I placed a pack of coffee, some creamer and swizzle sticks.

Then there is this thing! I chose a totally different material with a brown/pink funky design and while it is still a chef's apron, it could be used as a pinafore over a dress. It is also reversible with a ribbon embellishment on one side and a large pocket divided into three sections on the other side. I plan to put a small notebook, tissues, and lotion in the pockets.

These aprons will be auctioned off this weekend at my church. We have an annual auction with all money raised donated to Lottie Moon International Missions. Miss Lottie Moon was a Southern Baptist Missionary to China many years ago. Southern Baptist honor her memory by supporting international missionaries.

Please express yourself as to which apron you like best. I need some feedback here ya'll!

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Update on Dad

My dad made it through last weeks chemo treatments extremely well and I know it is due to all the prayers going up for him. He was not sick at all, just very weak and tired and the tired mostly came from sitting at the oncologist office four hours every day. He received his shot on Saturday morning and I spent most of the day with him while my mother attended a women's gathering at our church. Dad did not like the idea that I was "baby sitting" him, and really I was not; but in case he did get sick and needed help, I was with him. I dusted for Mom, which is a daunting task with all of her "pretties" displayed, dried and folded some clothes, baked and iced a cake, and made funny conversation with my dad. I do not think I have mentioned that my dad is nearly deaf and making conversation with him is a real experience. If he is not wearing his hearing aids, he can not hear at all and sometimes, even then, I wonder if they really help. Making conversation with him is exhausting because you have to yell and repeat everything. It is funny and sad at the same time. Add to the mix a television turned up so loud the neighbors can hear and it becomes a brain rattling experience. But I am not complaining because I am glad to help them. Big C and Big I are learning a lot through this process as well and the guys actually took their Granddaddy for his chemo treatment on Friday because I had to work. (My Mom does not drive on the highway. Another story, another time.) The boys will either resent me and put me in a nursing home one day, or take really good care of me. Anyway, that is where we are this week. Dad goes back to the oncologist on Thursday and will get some scan results back (pray for good results) and they will also schedule the next round of chemo which should begin around November 10 depending on his white blood cell count.

Please continue to keep up surrounded with your prayers because, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16. We feel His supernatural peace that only He can give. It is with us all the time.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

I Must Have Order!

My obsessive compulsive nature compels me to constantly order my world. I can not sleep at night if the pillows are not arranged correctly on our sofas. Books need to be straight on the shelves. Silverware must be sorted in the drawer. My shoes need to be sitting straight in my closet. Yes! I am crazy and have openly admitted this fact to you several times! This blog is no different than any other area of my world. I am compelled to order. I need to order. I MUST HAVE ORDER!

Actually, I found this sweet bookshelf widget and knew I could not live without it on my blog. For the past 48 hours I have arranged books on this shelf and boy howdy you had better look at it! This is a great way for me to post all the fantastic books I want to share. You can hover over each title or click on the title to see a review. To scroll through the shelves, just click next. It is like going to the library, only not. I am also working on a three column template and will try to have it ready soon.

Thanks for reading, Rosie

What's For Dinner?

"What's for dinner?"

I hear that phrase everyday. It haunts me in my dreams.

Cooking a hearty meal everyday for three guys is a daunting task at best. Add to the recipe homeschooling, work, busy schedules, aged sick parents, house cleaning, laundry, and a barking dog; it can get ugly quick in my world. Finding the time it takes to sit down and write a meal plan is more than I can accomplish some weeks. It is an abominable task for me and should be against the law. Alas, it is not against the law and keeping my hungry guys fed and happy is something that falls into my lap on a daily basis.

Boy Howdy! One day I found the site http://www.e-mealz.com/ and my life became easier overnight. First let me say that I am in no way associated with this site. I do not know the women who host this site or as far as I am aware, anyone remotely associated with them. I will not receive one red cent for promoting this site. It is just something that works for me and I want to pass it along to other busy families who want to save money, sanity and time. Someone posted this site on a homeschool digest that I subscribe to and POOF, my world improved for the better.

You can explore the site and decide for yourself it is worth $5.00 per month to have someone else provide a weekly menu, write your grocery list and list sale prices at the local Super Wal-Mart or other major grocery chains. You can choose a menu plan for two people or up to six people. (If you have more than six people in your family, you have my undying respect.) You can choose from low fat or low carb plans, points system and even vegetarian plans. Alternatively, you can do like myself and choose the basic “any store” plan.

I have been using this site since March 2008, and most of the recipes I have tried my guys have eaten without complaint. Occasionally, I will find a recipe we do not enjoy; but when that happens, I cross it off the list, replace it with something of my choice, and add the new items to my grocery list. Since I do major grocery shopping every two weeks, I print off two weeks worth of meals. I then highlight the ones I will use, cross out the meal number of the ones I will not use on the grocery-shopping list, add my other items and, shazam, I am ready to hit the grocery store aisles.

My plan is to subscribe to this system for one year. I download the weekly meal plan into a file on my desktop. Near the end of February 2009, I will cancel the plan, have saved 52 weeks worth of menus and shopping lists, be wiser, and much better looking because of decreased stress lines.

This really works for me. Sure hope it works for you as well. You can find more great "Works For Me" tips at RocksInMyDryer.net.

Thanks for reading, Rosie

All Nature Will Speak of Your Majesty and Wondrous Works

One of the best things I find about homeschooling is the freedom we have with our schedule. We are not fenced in by an absolute time frame. By this, I mean we do not have to begin school at 8:00 a.m. or end school at 2:45 p.m. Most days we do not begin school until 11:00 a.m. and are finished by 3:00 p.m. However, some days, like today, we began school at 11:30 a.m. and were finished by 1:30 p.m. We did our Reading, Writing and Arithmetic plus a little Science. In other words, I control the schedule rather than the schedule controlling me. I do believe in some self-discipline when it comes to homeschooling; otherwise, I would not get anything accomplished, but today the blue skies beckoned us to come out and play. I also find that most applicable learning happens outside the classroom. Since Big C has been on a short fall break from college classes and had no particular place to go, we decided to take a joy ride and view the fall colors. Now, you tell me if Big I learned more Science today inside or outside? The pictures on this slideshow were taken within a five mile radius of our home. I am not a great photographer. I have a little Kodak XE 8.2 digital. We simply live in a beautiful area especially this season of the year. God painted the masterpiece, I am simply sharing His Majesty and Wondrous works. Enjoy the view!

Hey! Feel free to express yourself about these pics.
Thanks for reading, Rosie

THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD

Happy Fall Ya'll

I do not know about where you live, but where I live fall colors are peaking. We are experiencing gorgeous azure skies. Crimson and amber trees are dotting the landscape. Frost is in the air. Our neighbor's horses are frisky. Squirrels are scurrying everywhere. Deer are looking in our back door. I LOVE autumn! To celebrate the season, I updated my blog layout. Sure hope you like it. I would love to hear your comments.

Part of our homeschooling curriculum is memorization. If children learn to memorize early, it develops a part of their brain that helps them throughout their lifetime recall information. Both my boys have been memorizing Bible verses, poetry, and speeches since they could talk and boy has it paid off. Big C can remember most anything he reads and can memorize it quickly which helps for tests, etc. Big I can memorize long poetry passages so quickly it stuns me. He can also remember acoustic guitar pieces after playing them only a few times. Last fall he memorized the following poem and since this is one of my favorites and it is the appropriate season, I'll share it with you.

When the Frost is on the Punkin'
James Whitcomb Riley

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here—
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

See if you can say "The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn" three times fast! I also like, "and you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock, and the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens, and the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence". I like the clicking noise I make when I say it out loud. Weird! I know.

I have already ate my share of homemade apple butter for the season and am craving more, more, more! And please serve it to me on fresh homemade sourdough bread, lightly toasted with a glob of butter.

Just for grins visit a corn maze with a group of kids. It will make you feel young again. Go on a hayride. Hold hands and kiss the one you love under a golden shower of leaves. Jump and roll in a pile of crunchy dry leaves. Gaze at the full harvest moon. Munch a crisp apple picked straight from an apple tree. Build a bonfire and sing old hymns. Turn off the news and political fodder. Celebrate autumn!

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Crestwood, Sweetwater, Wipeout and Ironman

For Big I’s 12th birthday in September, my Dad gave him an antique Crestwood electric guitar and a small new Marshall amplifier. The guitar is a 1960’s Crestwood which is the Japanese version of a Gibson guitar. It once belonged to my Dad’s younger brother. Big I fell in love with a Gibson when we were in Memphis in May. I could not justify buying such an expensive guitar at his young age, which was good because Dad already had acquired the antique guitar for him at that time without our knowledge. Dad had it completely rewired and restrung. My Much Older Brother, according to my Mom, performed his unequivocal magic, polishing and cleaning until it shone like new. I must say it is a beauty and has a sweet tone. The amp came from Sweetwater and yes there was candy packaged with it, that is Sweetwater's trademark. Big I was stunned speechless when he opened this mega surprise.

It has been a lifetime goal for my Dad that one of his children or grandchildren learn to play an acoustic guitar. I had no interest in learning to play. My Much Older Brother, who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, liked to play the bass. I grew up listening to “Ironman” by Black Sabbath rattling my bedroom floor more times than I can count, but that is not what my dad had in mind. Anyway, maybe it was because my Dad never learned to play or maybe it was admiration of his younger brother, I cannot say, but when Big I took up the acoustic guitar so quickly and progressed so fast, my Dad was beside himself with joy. He insisted that his grandson have an electric guitar and went about working out the details of his agenda. At first, he was going to wait and give it to Big I at Christmas but he decided to give it for his birthday instead. I am so glad that he did. With more chemo treatments looming in his future and the unknown effects, he may not have been able to enjoy the moment later. He sure did enjoy the moment on Big I’s birthday. We all did. It was a memorable day.

Big I is working on “Wipeout” by the Beach Boys. BTW - my Much Older Brother recently bought a brand-spanking new Fender bass guitar and has been in cahoots with Big I. I hear/fear "Ironman" is in my future.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

News I Would Rather Not Share

This post is hard for me to write and it will be short because I am tired. My Mom called me Tuesday evening to update us on my Dad’s latest PET scan results. His cancer is back. Spots in both lungs and a small spot on his liver were visible from the PET scan. He will start chemo again on October 20th going Monday thru Friday for a thirty-minute treatment each day and then on Saturday to receive the shot to raise his white cell count. After twenty-one days, he will go back to chemo for another round. We were so hoping that he would stay in remission for a bit longer. There is no cure for small cell lung cancer so we knew the cancer would return at some point, we just hoped it would be later than sooner. At this time, we are not sure how many rounds of chemo to expect.

Needless to say, my family is sad. My dear sister-in-love reminded me recently that God uses difficult circumstances to refine us. “You cannot go around it, you cannot go over it, you cannot go under it, you have to go through it in order to receive the refining God intends for your life.” When I keep that in mind for each of my family members and especially for my Dad, it puts this situation in a more spiritual perspective. Looking at circumstances through a spiritual lens helps me focus on God’s plan. God’s plan is perfect, sometimes painful, but always for good and He promises He will be with us through it all.

My request from you, dear readers, is to pray for strength for our family and especially for my Dad. Pray for my Mom as she takes care of Dad's day to day needs. Pray that I stay healthy both physically and mentally to be of help to my parents. Pray for Big C and Big I as they deal with watching their Grand Daddy fight this disease.

I will update you as I know more.

Thank you for reading, Rosie.

I Went to Paris Over the Weekend

Our family attended a wedding in Paris over the weekend. Yes, I said Paris! Beautiful, Beautiful Paris! We saw the Eiffel Tower and ate supper at the Fresh Market. It was a wonderful, glorious trip! Here is a slide-show to prove we went to Paris.

I should probably mention it was Paris, Tennessee, which is a sweet little town between Nashville and Memphis. MDH's much younger first cousin Rusty was married to his sweetheart Tara. Rusty has a PDH in Physical Therapy and Tara is a Dental Hygienist. They make a cute couple. Best Wishes Rusty and Tara!

We also had the opportunity to visit with MDH's uncle and aunt and their family who traveled from Illinois to attend the wedding. There is always a bit of North/South rivalry when we all get together. We poke fun at one another about our regional differences and usually no one gets too mad. Occasionally a few hackles will get raised on the neck of someone, but it is soon smoothed over. We are more the same than different because we all are God fearing, country loving, conservative, middle-class American citizens. Hallelujah and pass the cornbread!

It Is None of My Business How You Vote!

When I was a little girl, my parents would drag me with them on Election Day to stand in a long line while they waited to cast their vote. I remember long waits and big crowds on Election Day. I also remember an aura of respect and the whole process being taken very seriously and somewhat shrouded in secrecy. Back in the dinosaur days, before all the technology, my parents would sign their names five or six times in different books and then go into the curtained “room”. The Room was a private place and no one dared speak about what truly happened in The Room. Once when I questioned my parents about The Room, they told me it was a privilege and honor as an American citizen to vote. When I asked if I could go in The Room with them when they conducted this honor and privilege, I was told clearly, no. “When someone goes into The Room, part of the honor and privilege is no one except God can see how you vote. It is a private and personal matter. It is nobody’s business but your own. Also, never ask anyone how they voted; it is rude.” Oh my goodness what happened to the good old days? Every where you go it is, "Who are you voting for?" or "Are you going to vote this year?"

I remember very well turning eighteen and my parents insisting I register to vote. When I received my official voter’s registration card in the mail, I signed my name and placed the card in my wallet. I still carry that card with me.

When Big C turned eighteen in April, what do you thing I encouraged him to do? Register to vote and because he is a young man and it is the law, register for the selective service. It was tough watching him sign that paper! Big C was allowed to vote for the first time in the August primaries and it will be mine and MDH’s honor and privilege to go with him to vote in November. How will he vote? That is none of my business. How do I think he will vote? That would be none of your business.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.