Awards

I so enjoy all of my blogging friends. On September 8th, I will have been blogging here at Blogspot for an entire year. When I made my blog there is no way I could have known all the wonderful friendships that I would make in such a short time. I'd like to thank Everyone for their comments, kind words and support over the last year. In honor of your friendship, I would like to award you with the Autumn Friends Award. This is for all of you who have commented and visited with me. I hope you enjoy it. This award can be passed on if you wish.

Over the course of the year, I have made some very special blogging friends. These are people who not only visit my blog but those who I communicate with on a regular basis. The award above is for those special friends and is a gift. It is not meant to be passed on.

Hootin' Anni- Thank you, Anni for my beautiful autumn blog banner and background.

Pea's Corner - Pea and I have met in real life.

Bears in Exile

In the Land of the Living Skies

Kitty Justice

Samaritan Women

Tina's Odds and Ends

Renie Burghardt's World

Diane's Place

Talk to Grams

Shorty Bear's Place

Down River Drivel

Thank you, Ladies, for being such special friends. I don't know how I managed before I met all of you.

Be sure to stop by and visit these sweet ladies. They are all very special.

~Blessings, Mary~

Show and Tell Friday

It's time for Show and Tell Friday. If you would like to participate, drop over to Kelli's at There's No Place Like Home.

I haven't taken part in a Show and Tell Friday for a while and thought I'd show you something that I hold dear. First of all, a bit of history. I love the images of old fashioned ladies in their Victorian dresses and big hats. I collect postcards with those images on them. So, one year for Christmas, my daughter found a tin plaque that had one of these images on it. She bought it and the boys gave it to me as a gift. This has hung on my wall now for 11 years and I cherish it as much or more today as I did back then.
It's a reproduction of an old advertising poster and it advertises chewing gum that was made by the Texas Gum Co. Inc. that was located in Temple, Texas. The image is one that I love and it hangs on the wall over my computer desk. I will cherish it always.

That's it for today's Show and Tell. If you'd like to participate be sure to follow the link to Kelli's at the beginning of this post.

Have a great weekend and take care. ~Blessings, Mary~

Please do not copy this image without permission.

Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday. It is a day when we list the things we are thankful for. If you would like to participate, be sure to stop by Sting My Heart and pay Iris a visit. You can find all the information there.

This week, once again, I have much to be thankful for. The renovations are going as quickly as I'd like but it will all come together in time. That said, here are some of the things that I'm thankful for this week.

1. Talking to Aunt May. She sounds weary and tired to the bone. She says she is doing okay, but I can tell that she isn't as peppy as she was when I talked to her last. She is experiencing a lot of pain, but is still getting around. My mother, her sister, told me that when she visited last week May was looking very frail. Aunt May told me today that she has lost weight again and only weighs 78 lbs. She was always petite, but that is bone-thin. Please keep her in your prayers.

2. Spending time with the grandsons. Last Thursday we went shopping and I bought them each a new shirt for school. We went to the book store and they showed me some books that they'd enjoy reading. I'm hoping to pick them up for Christmas gifts. I always give the boys a book at Christmas.

3. For my neighbor. We keep track of each other and make sure that everything is going okay. She lives alone and I check on her and her dogs frequently through the week. Please pray that she will find fulltime employment so she doesn't have to sell her house. I love having her next door.

4. For food on our table and a roof over our heads. Some aren't so lucky.

5. For Mom, who at 80 years old still tries to take care of everybody. She is a gem and I couldn't have asked for a better mother.

6. For a lovely summer. Though we had record rainfall, we didn't have the extreme humidity that is so common in this part of the country. In my opinion, it was a good summer. Cooler temperatures than usual and enough hot weather to allow the kids to enjoy their summer holidays.

7. For my gift of gab. I meet so many wonderful people because I can talk to almost anyone. A lady and I had a very nice talk when I was at the grocery store the other day. She was sweet and maybe a bit lonely. I was able to get her to smile and we had a couple of good laughs. It made both of our days so much brighter.

8. For blogging friends who always keep in touch and comment on my posts even when I am busy and don't visit them as often as I would like. God bless each of you for your friendship.

9. A good upbringing and being taught to use my common sense. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they do certain things. Common sense will take you far in this world.

10. For my writing talent. I wrote 36 articles in August and I so enjoy doing the research for each one. I learn something new everyday and am grateful that I can still learn and teach at this stage of my life.

Besides all of the ones I have listed, there is so much more to be thankful for. One of those things is being able to walk. When I had my accident in 1988, they told me that in 20 years I would be in a wheelchair. That time is drawing near and I'm still able to get around just fine. Yes, I have a lot of pain in my legs from the arthritis that has set into my knees, but I have no intention of giving up yet. This month is also the 14th anniversary of my cancer operation and I have been cancer free ever since. Thank God for His blessing.

Remember to take time to count your blessings. As Grandma used to say, I was sad when I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet. No matter what we are going through, there is always someone who is less fortunate. If you meet one of these people, please take the time to give them a hand in any way you can. Sometimes it only takes a smile to make someone's day.

Please pray for those affected by Hurricane Gustav and also for the ones who are in Hannah's path. Lives can be changed in an instant by these storms.

~Blessings, Mary~

I'm Starting Early

Can you tell from the graphic what I did today? Yes, I'm starting early. I bought the first Christmas present for the upcoming holiday. Well, that isn't exactly true. I bought a couple of things just after Christmas last year.

I always like to start my Christmas shopping early. Why? Because after the end of September it seems that prices escalate quite a bit. Another reason is that I dislike crowds and all the Christmas hype that goes with them. Usually I have to pick up a few last minute things and that is enough for me.

Keep in mind that Christmas is only 16 weeks and one day from today. Most of the year is over. Summer has gone by in a flash and fall is in the air. Before we know it, it will be December 1st and the Christmas rush will be on.

Enjoy the autumn scents and colors as they come on later this month. I enjoy autumn but am not looking forward to winter. I guess I'm getting old.

Blessings, ~Mary~

Harvest Time

Harvest time if one of my favorite times of the year. It is the time when all of the fresh produce is being sold at roadside stands. I enjoy sweet corn and though it can be purchased from the grocery store all year 'round, we only eat it when it is in season.

This afternoon I had a craving for sweet corn, so hubby and I took a drive to a farmer's roadside stand not far from here. It is about a ten minute drive. We bought sweet corn, cucumbers, green peppers, beefsteak tomatoes and a basket of freshly dug potatoes.

Here is a plate of fresh veggies that I cut up for us to enjoy. If you have never tasted a beefsteak tomato, you've never had a really delicious one. These are the kind of tomatoes that my parents and grandparents grew when I was a kid. This year the boys and I planted 3 plants but the tomatoes on them aren't quite ripe yet. I'm looking forward to the day when we can pick one to eat. In the meantime, hubby and I enjoyed these.

Hubby grilled pork chops on the BBQ. He always puts BBQ sauce on them and lets it cook into them well.
The sweet corn was perfect. Here is what I cooked. Two cobs each and we ate every last kernel. The entire meal was delicious. We didn't bother with potatoes. The veggies, corn and pork chops were great and we have pork chops left over to warm up for tomorrow night's supper.

The photo below is of Brandon and Jordan making the Lego Bionicles that Pea gave them when we met last week. They loved them and want me to thank Pea on my blog. I told them I would. So Pea, Brandon and Jordan thank you for the gifts of one of their favorite Lego projects. They have collected Bionicles for years and didn't have any of the latest ones. They had a lot of fun building them.

The Autism Puzzle

Did anyone watch The Autism Puzzle on television on Sunday night? I found the show very interesting. It touched on different aspects of the autism spectrum. Some children are low functioning autistic, which means that it can take them years to learn basic lessons that other children know instinctively, such as a few simple words. The show also touched on high functioning autism, which means no one knows the person has autism by looking at them, but do know that he acts differently.

People who suffer from any type of autism do not see things the same as we see them. The show touched on a study at Yale University where they tested children with and without autism. The researchers showed the children images of people on a television screen and monitored their eye movements. Children with autism didn't look at the upper part of people's faces. More often they concentrated on the area around the mouth. This is typical of those who have autism. They have no eye contact and if the autism is severe, they may not even be able to tell the difference between people and objects.

One in every 150 people suffer from autism. As my regular readers will know, one of these people is my grandson, Brandon. The chances are that you also know someone on the autism spectrum, even though they've never been formally diagnosed with the disorder. Many adults who have struggled all of their life have autism, yet no diagnosis has ever been made.

Today, 1 in 150 children are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. That sounds like a lot. Could it be because there are more cases of autism or just that it was never diagnosed in previous years?

There is no cure for autism but with autism research, children can be taught many things that will help them live a happy and fulfilling life. Please help to raise autism awareness.

Winner of the Harvest Giveaway

Thanks to Everyone who participated in my Harvest Giveaway. I used the Random Number Generator to choose the winner. Here are the results:
16
Timestamp: 2008-08-31 15:37:53 UTC


The winner is Kathleen Marie from the Open Window. Congratulations Kathleen. I will need your snail mail address. Please send it to me as soon as possible so I can get your parcel out in the mail.