Boo!

I've been Boo-ed by Kim! I'm not too scared because Kim is pretty nice! I'm supposed to pass this on, but since it's already Halloween, I'm just going to tell anyone who wants this to pick it up. Hope you all have a fun day!

It's the great pumpkin!

A few days ago the great pumpkin arrived at the Nursing Home I work at! This pumpkin weighs 420 pounds! The residents knew it was coming and were quite excited to see it arrive, filling the back of a pick-up truck. It took several men to get it into the facility, with many residents watching the process!

This is one of our residents, sitting next to the pumpkin so you can see how big it is. (Thanks Nancy for the picture!) The next day a man came to carve it. We (the staff) were expecting something different but this is what he did. He carved a Wizard of Oz theme and his daughter painted it. It took about 3 hours and I'm told the residents had fun watching this process.
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Here is the wicked witch. That stem makes a pretty good witch nose!
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Here you see Dorothy, with the cyclone heading towards her.
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On the other side we see the Lion, the Tin man, Dorothy and the Scarecrow.
Tomorrow will be a fun day for the residents too. We have a few kindergarten classes come in their costumes, and our activity staff prepares goodie bags for them. Our residents love seeing the kids and are looking forward to this.
* I just noticed that my son commented about not enjoying trick or treating here when he was young. The reason he didn't like it, (beside the fact the he was a little scared of some of the people) was because some of the confused residents didn't want to give up their candy. We try to keep staff around the residents who may do this to avoid scaring any other kids!

Slow Cooking Thursday

It's time for Slow Cooking Thursday and I've got a wonderful recipe for you this week! Where do you often find the best recipes? At potlucks of course! Well - we had a little celebration at work this past week to celebrate our final review with the State. Becky, who is one of my friends at work brought in something that was so delicious that everyone was asking for the recipe. When I heard it was a crockpot recipe, you know my eyes lit up and I knew I had to share it with you! So here it is - enjoy!

Butterscotch Apple Crisp
6 cups sliced peeled tart apples
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 pkg (3 1/2 ounces) cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine

Place apples in a 3 quart slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, pudding mix and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the apples. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until apples are tender. Serve with ice cream if desired.
*The name is butterscotch but it tastes more like caramel after it cooks!

For more slow cooking recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Look what came in my mail today!

I had to show you what a nice package I got in the mail. There are 3 different types of teas, wrappers and a nice card from Mari at Out of Deep Waters. Mari has a business called Tea and Traditions that has all kinds of wonderful sounding flavors. The three I got are: Chocolate Dream, Snowflake and Chai. I'm somewhat of a tea novice but I really like Chai tea and am anxious to try the others. If you are a tea lover you will want to check out her web site. Thanks Mari! This sounds pretty good with the cold weather we are having here in Michigan!
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Did you notice that Mari has the same name as me? I've only seen a few others with that spelling. My name is actually Maribeth but have always been called Mari (pronounced Mary) by friends and family. The other Mari also has a longer name, but is called Mari (pronounced Mahree). Just last week I got an e-mail from yet another Mari. Her blog is called Mari Flower and her real name is Marita but her friends call her Mari. This blogging world is fun! There may be more of us out there yet!

Tips on Tuesday

Today I have a tip for you that I heard on the radio. They were talking about ways to save up a little money. One of the DJ's had heard this tip recently and was trying it. The idea is to never spend a $5 bill, but to put it away and save it. $5 isn't a lot to put away but it does add up. The hardest thing is to consistently do it and not to dip into your stash. When I heard this idea I decided to try it and will use it for Christmas gifts. I haven't saved a huge amount of money, but it's more than I started with!
For more tips, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

How many of me?

MJPuzzlemom from What A Crock had this quick thing you can do to see if there are other people in the United States with the same name as you. I am apparently one of a kind. I used my whole first name, which is Maribeth to check it. I found there are quite a few Maribeth's but my last name is not very common. This was fun. Let me know how many there are of you!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Here's what I did today!

I've been busy making pies today. I have to admit I'm kind of sick of peeling apples, but they turned out good and my house smells lovely! All but one will be given away, but I have to at least leave one here or I will have an upset husband! If you are interested in the recipe, visit my recipe blog.

Check this out!

I wanted to share a few links with you today. The first is Season's Flowers where my daughter Laura works. Their blog shows flower arrangements and decorating ideas for the season. I took the picture above from their site. If anyone from our area needs flowers of any sort stop and see Laura there! They do a great job.
The other site is my friend Kae's blog - All my Blessings. She started blogging recently and has been working hard to learn all the little things that go with blogging.
When you stop, tell them Mari sent you!

My Spot

Jamie over at Rose Cottage shared her blogging spot with us a few days ago and asked us to show the area we do out blogging in so here is mine.
My computer is in our family room downstairs. This helps me get some exercise by running up and down the steps to use the computer! Bob built these cabinets and desk in the corner of the room. The seating area is on the other side of the room, where there is a wall of bookcases that match these cabinets. We have a nice comfortable, computer chair so I can enjoy spending time visiting all of you! Someday I'll get a laptop so I can read blogs in the same room as Bob is in, but this is a nice little corner for now!
Now it's your turn. Tell me about your spot!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

The picture above shows the way we are feeling at my workplace. You may remember this post I did about the state survey we had. Well - we had our follow up survey and were cleared of any problems. We have learned what to do with banana peels and how many napkins a person needs! Needless to say, we are all very happy to be done for another year. Our inspector this time was very thorough but also very pleasant which was wonderful! After she gave her report she actually came out and told the staff that this was a good place and we were doing a good job. And that is why we are doing the happy dance!

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You may also remember this post in which I asked for your help in what to do with my Dining room wall. The picture above is the one I asked for help with. Below is the same grouping after I followed your advice. Thanks for your help. I like the final outcome!

Worry?

It seems every time I listen to the news there are more things to worry about. The stock market is not doing well. Our retirement funds keep losing more money than we are putting into them. There is always something new that scientist are finding may cause cancer. And of course, there is the looming presidential election for those of us in the United States. I was at a meeting at church last night and the concerns we have over the election came up. As we were all praying together a verse popped into my head.
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"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
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What a wonderful promise! God knows that there will always be trouble of some sort here on earth, but he has already won the big battle!
I take comfort in the fact that God is still God, He is in charge over me, my family, the stock market and any presidents or rulers here on earth. He has no hidden agenda and He always wants the best for us.

Can Bob build it? Part 2

A few weeks ago I showed you Bob's workshop. I have shown several of his carvings here, but have never shown any of the furniture he has made. Today I thought I would show the furniture he made for our bedroom.
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This is Bob's nightstand.
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This is my nightstand. I asked for one with a door, so I had a place to put books and any of the other things I tend to collect!
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He made the headboard with 2 raised panels.
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Here is the armoire.
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I wanted to show you the inside of the armoire so you could see the 3 little drawers he put in it. They work well for keeping all his little things, like keys, change... A lot of the oak for these came from the woods my uncle owned and where Bob used to hunt.
He has drawn up plans for a dresser, which will be his next big project.
He tends to be a perfectionist when he works on these things so they are made well and will last a long time. It makes them even more special to use because he made them.

Words to add to your vocabulary

I saw this list of words, that aren't actually words. The author says they are words that should exist but don't. They are pretty funny and true so I though I would share a few with you.

• FEARRORS - dreaded dressing room mirrors that exacerbate every flaw on your body
• MAPQUESTIONABLE - word describing the directions provided by MapQuest that somehow cause you to drive in an enormous figure eight
• CARPERPETUATION - The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance
• YELLULAR - the loudness adopted in response to a bad cell phone connection in the misguided hope that talking louder will improve it
• TELECRASTINATION - The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you're only six inches away
• PHONESIA - The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer
• FRUST - The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug

I've experienced all of these. What about you?

Picture Tag

This is a fun photo meme that I was tagged for by Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Here are the instructions:

* Go to your Sixth Picture Folder then pick your Sixth Picture.

* Pray that you remember the details.

* Tag 5 others.

Here is the picture I found in my 6th folder. I thought this was a great one because I think it represents some of the things that are important to me; family and fun!

This was taken on July 4, 2007 in our back yard. Andy was going to be leaving for boot camp soon and we were trying to get a picture of all of the cousins on my side. You can imagine how hard it was to get them all sitting still, much less smiling. However - you can see who caused the problem in this picture! All the younger kids were behaving, but Aaron decided to be a wise guy!

For those of you who know my sisters or read their blogs I'll tell you whose kids these are:

bottom: Halle, Shaelyn, Arrianna

middle: Heather, Aaron, Laura

top: Nick, Andy, Katelyn, Chelsea

Terri's kids are Katelyn, Chelsea and Shaelyn

Cheri's kids are Nick, Arianna and Halle

I was only supposed to show one picture, but had to show you what happened after all the kids found out that Aaron ruined the shot:

We did have fun, and yes - I did get a good picture after a few attempts.
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Now I have to pick out 5 of you to do this: (please don't feel obligated!)
Christina from An Unspoken Story
Terri from Terri's Talk
Cheri from Another Day in Paradise
Sarah from Short Stop
Jamie from Rose Cottage
If anyone else is interested in this, please join us!

Slow Cooking Thursday

It's a cold and rainy day here in Michigan and I find I am using my crock pot more in this weather. It's so nice to come home from work and find supper almost done. Here's a good main dish for cool evenings.

Cube Steaks with Gravy
1/3 cup flour
6 beef cube steaks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
3 cups water, divided
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 envelope mushroom gravy mix
1 envelope onion gravy mix
Hot mashed potatoes or cooked noodles

Place flour in large, resealable plastic bag. Add steaks, a few at a time and shake until completely coated. In a skillet, cook steaks in oil until lightly browned on each side. Transfer to slow cooker. Add onion and 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.
In bowl whisk together gravy mixes and remaining 1 cup of water. Add to slow cooker; cook 30 minutes longer.
Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles.
Yield: 6 servings
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For more slow cooker recipes stop over at Sandra's blog.

Beautiful Day

Tuesday was a beautiful day. Here is a view of my road, showing you how the colors are changing. Today was the day of Jan's funeral and we were blessed with sunny skies and a beautiful drive to the church and cemetery with trees changing colors all around us.
Jan had helped plan this service so she had picked out verses that were special to her, and she had chosen songs. The message portrayed her well and showed her testimony of faith. One of the pastors said that although she knew death was near, when he left she would say "God is good". She was the same when I was with her. She didn't question why this was happening to her but trusted in God's plan for her and her family.
There were many friends and family at both the visitation and the funeral, and we are all able to be assured that Jan is in Heaven and all is well.
God is good!

Going Home!

Last night was difficult, but joyful at the same time. My sister in law, Jan passed away shortly before midnight. She was able to have some quality time with her family these last two weeks and say her good byes. She died with many family members around her and her husband and two sons holding her hands.
Of course, tears have been shed but there is such joy in knowing that she is pain free and reunited with her daughter and others that have passed. There are so many verses that apply in this situation, but I have been dwelling on these two:
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"We do not grieve as those who have no hope." I Thessalonians 4:13
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"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness. which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day" 2 Timothy 4:7-8

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We are able to grieve with hope, because Jan did believe and she held strong to that belief even through the different trials in her life. She lost much of her vision as a young adult, she lost a child and then developed the cancer that she knew would take her life at a young age. However, she kept the faith and was comforted by it.
Thanks again for your prayers and please keep praying for the family.

Fireproof

Bob and I went to see the movie "Fireproof" on Wednesday night. It is put out by the same people who did "Facing the Giants" a few years ago. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you make time to go. I will admit that sometimes the acting isn't the best, but the story line and the morals in it are great. I was surprised to hear the message they are giving on the big screen. I'm sure you won't regret seeing it.
If you would like to see a preview of the movie, click here.
There is a book out now called "The Love Dare" which is something that is talked about in the movie. Chelle, from the World of Chelle is doing it and welcomes anyone else to join her.
If you've seen it, let me know what you thought.

More pictures

I've got more pictures to show you today. This first picture is of a lighthouse we went to on Monday afternoon.

This is the Point Betsie Lighthouse. According to the pamphlets, it is the 2nd most photographed lighthouse in the US. It was raining when we stopped and because it is off season, it was closed, but we did enjoy walking around and reading the plaques about its history.

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Tuesday morning we woke up to a beautiful day. We drove to The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.

There is a scenic drive you can take through the park that has places you can get out and take in beautiful views like this one.
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One of the places we stopped at had this sign. If you can't read it, it says - "450 foot drop to Lake Michigan. Return is extremely exhausting". We could see that people had actually done it though. A 450 foot climb up a steep sand dune does not sound good to me!
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They had some trails through the dunes with these wooden walkways. Looks like a postcard!
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Here is Bob at one of the lookout points. The dunes are quite high and you can see a long way from the top.
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Here is the view from the top of one of the dunes.
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A view from another dune
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After we went through the scenic drive we went to a restored logging town, Glen Haven. Again - because it is off season, the buildings were not open, but it was fun to walk around. This is the beach at an old Coast Guard Life saving station that we went to.
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When we scheduled this little trip, the plan was to go and see all the beautiful colors. Well - the weather has been too warm and the color change is running about 2 weeks behind. We saw little glimpses of color, against mostly green, but it was still pretty.
If you are ever visiting Michigan, I hope you make time to stop at some of these beautiful places!