Christmas Eve at our Little Country Church 12-24-2010

Welcome to our Little Country Church in Upstate New York. 

This is a Community Church and it is on the Historical Registry.

Come on in........... My husband is just inside the doors ready to greet you. The music is playing, people are gathering..... Oh Come all Ye Faithful .....Peace on Earth Good will to men.

There he is, I wonder what he thinking?  

The tree ahead is adorned with over 100 Red bows hand tied by our Pastor when he was ill a few years back  and over 100 Pewter Ornaments with names of Loved ones whom has passed. 

 

This is my husband's and my 5th Christmas Eve in this lovely Church. 5 years ago Christmas Eve we were going home from a friends house for dinner and as we passed by this Church on our way home I noticed the doors were open and I thought how nice it would be to go inside. 

Me being the adventurous type would have stopped the car right then, but my husband was driving and needed some convincing. It only took me a few minutes to do that convincing and few miles down the road  he turned the car around.  Perfect timing, because

  the service hadn't started yet so we found a few empty seats in the balcony (that's the view in the picture above).  Every year we go to the balcony and sit in those same seats and remember the years past, all our loved ones that aren't with us anymore, the Happy times we've shared, all the  memories we've made and shared with friends and family. And the hope we'll share more. 

Merry Christmas Everyone

Would you like to take a walk with me?

Path along the backside of the property

Just an old machinery shed, I place some old license plate's between the steps of an old wooden apple ladder.

It's a little cool to be laying in the hammock but I can still catch some ray's.

This is a White Birch Tree I found on the property a few years back, it's doing great.

The old stone fence marks the property line

headed home

headed down off the hill towards home.

Home

My garden in the fall, not much left to see. But new surprise will await me in the spring. I'm already pondering the possibilities.

My interview for the Vintage Market Team

Just out of a chance you don't know everything about me, come take a look at this interview I did for the vintage market team of which I am a proud member. http://www.etsyvintagemarketteam.blogspot.com/

Fall is approaching Fast

Here in Central New York in the foot hills of the Adirondack Mountains I have noticed that Fall is approaching fast. I can feel it in the air and spell it in the wind. And yes of course the obvious one, see it with the changing colors of the leafs on the trees. The reds, oranges and yellows brighten up the hillsides soon to leave us speechless in there beauty. One might think that growing up in these parts you would get used to all these changes and somehow let them pass you right on by. But I think for the most part those of us that live around here live here because we love the changes in the seasons and enjoy special parts of each one of them.

This time of year, my husband is in survivor mode like a squirrel busy preparing for the fast approaching Winter. The wood needs to be cut, split and staked in the shed to dry. The garden has to be harvested and tilled under, patio furniture put away, hoses rolled up, gutters taken down so the ice doesn't rip them down. Window seals caulked, the chimney cleaned, wood stove polished and the fire brick replaced. The mower deck cleaned and painted to preserve it for next spring. Putting away the brush hog and mower deck and replacing them with the snow blower and plow.  I was able to stop him from putting away the furniture around the bon-fire for another month so we can enjoy a couple more gatherings with friends and family.

The dogs seem happy and content with the cooler temperatures.

Me, well I start burning candles, putting up the heavier drapes, putting the throw rugs down, getting out the thicker comforters and checking the freezer and pantry to see what needs restocking. I have even consider roasting a turkey and baking an apple pie made from the apples from the only apple tree on our property that bears eatable apples. I rotate my summer cloths and bring out the warmer sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets.

This year In stead of letting my delicate herbs parish in the cold temps I dug them out of their pots, bagged them up and shipped them to a friend in North Caroline. They survived the trip and we are both hoping they will live out the rest of there lives in the warm southern air. But the shock may be too much for them.

So once the preparation for this years cold temperatures and abundant snowfall is done, My husband and I will find a couple days to take a drive through the Catskill and Adirondack mountains to enjoy the beauty of New York State. And when we get back home we will undoubtedly realize it's just as beautiful in our own back yard.  So we'll invite family and friends over for a final farewell ceremonially Bon-fire and share some memories, stories and merriment.


Blessings
Judy

The September give away is:.......A free 1/2 hour Intuitive Counseling Session with International Intuitive Jamie Roth

I am so happy to be teaming up with Jamie Roth for my September Blog Giveaway which will run from September 9th - 16th.  I have been listening and enjoying Jamie's broadcast on Contact Talk Radio (CTR) for a year now. http://www.contacttalkradio.com/hosts/jamieroth.html   I recently had a intuitive reading done by Jamie that left me overwhelmed with the possibilities and direction my life could or should be heading in. I have learned that I don't just have Angels and Spirit guides around me but I also have Fairy's to call upon to ask for clarity and guidance in my life. Which, let me tell you I have been enjoying talking to.  You can almost see them  fluttering about below in my garden.

If you have been wondering if your on the right track or what lies ahead for you, needing some clarity in your life's walk or want to know what if any spirits are around you then this give away is for you.

 ˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•٠·˙

Now here's a little bit about Jamie: 


She is a skilled Intuitive Counselor, Medium and Energy worker. She has been doing her work for over a decade while fine tuning her gifts along the way.
An Intuitive Counseling session with her goes much deeper then just the average, when/where/how type of reading. She is able to access your soul's purpose as well as help you to move into alignment with your purpose. She can help you gain insight into your current situations as well as remove any blocks in your way. It can lift your spirit to find the joy that is always accessible to you..to everyone. An Intuitive Counseling reading will answer any questions you may have about your life, as well as inspire you to grow and move towards all the abundance you have coming your way.

The reason she does this work is because she feels that Spirit has given her this gift and she has worked hard to fine tune it with the intention to help others. Everyone can use a little guidance now and then. Sometimes insight is all you need to push you forward; to help you be the best that you can be. She believes in mankind and she believes that humans can always be and do better. So She is here to help that process. God wants her to be able to give people a leg up when they need it. A boost to set you in the right direction. Your reading will hopefully be inspiring and exciting. It gives her great joy to inspire people! She absolutely loves what she does.


http://www.intuitiveencounters.com/


The give away will run from Sept 9th thru Sept 16th. They winner will be contacted by either Jamie or myself via email and will be announced here on this blog.
You will need to claim your gift by Oct 9th 2010.

So go ahead, take the step. Enter to win this fantastic offer from Jamie Roth.

Here are the 5 easy steps to enter:

1. Follow intuitive Jamie on Twitter http://twitter.com/IntuitiveJamie 
2. Tweet about the giveaway
3. Friend Intuitive Jamie on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/IntuitiveEncounters 
4. Share this Giveaway on Facebook
5. Leave a comment here about why you want this session with Jamie

It's OK if you don't have a twitter account you can still enter. We realize not everyone has a twitter account. 

1 (one)  winner will be chosen by a random number call out on twitter.

♥ㄥi v モ   ♥ㄥa u g h   ♥ㄥo v モ

It's not required to enter this give away but I would love it if you would follow my blog & follow me on twitter as well.
And stop by both of my Etsy shops where you never know what might be there waiting for you.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/thisthatotherthings

http://www.etsy.com/shop/backintimeboutique

(¯`'•.¸ //(*_*)\\ ¸.•'´¯)
*`• .…* ♥ * ♥ *….• ´*
♥~♥ Blessings ♥~♥
         Judy

The winner of the August Give Away is......... SarahAnntiques

My husband said they were all good stories but he can relate to the farmer one. He used to be a farmer and knows the importance of getting the crops in. 

Congratulations -SarahAnntiques

I'll be contacting you for your mailing address.

The Vintage Market Team is having a FLEA MARKET on ETSY 8/28 until 9/5

Yup, that's right.

A Flea Market just like the real ones, the Gates or Doors open at midnight tonight 8-28-10 for you early birds like me and close midnight 9-5-10. Please see each Vintage Market Teammates shop for details on the sale. Each shop could have different sale terms & conditions.
All Items in the shops are taged with vmteamflea tag so it's easy for you to search it out on Etsy. If you need any help finding an item I am always happy to lend a hand.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com


http://vintagemarket.ning.com/video/vintage-market-team-flea 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51858993/sale-vintage-john-fluevog-two-tone?ga_search_query=vmteamflea&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_7454233

http://www.etsy.com/listing/39624266/sunny-yellow-vintage-hat?ref=sr_list_26&ga_search_query=vmteamflea&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_page=&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title

Random Act of Kindness Give Away for August

To Enter my Blog this month all you have to share with us is a Random Act of Kindness you have done or that you have witness being done. You know like a Hallmark Moment that makes you smile or brings tears to your eyes. Moments that ordinary people have reached out their hands to shown some compassion and kindness to complete strangers, friends, neighbors or loved ones that need a helping hand.  Moments that have changed the course of time and enriched everyone's life's who have witnessed them.

Let me share with you a Random Act of Kindness my husband and I saw this morning:

  Early this morning as my husband and I were leaving Walmart we witnessed such a moment. We were approaching the red light leaving Walmart and this elderly man that looked to be in his 80's must have been stopped at the light to make a left into the parking lot and his vintage car from the 1940's must have stalled at the light. Now this wasn't one of those refurbished classic cars you see at Cruise Inn's or Antique car shows. This looked like the original car this man bought when he was in his 20's. It was showing signs of age with some rust and it looked to be the original paint job.

  The gentleman that was behind him was already out of his car helping this stranger push his vehicle out of the middle of the road towards the parking lot.  As we were leaving the parking lot and  came to a stop at the light to make a right,  a man that was making a right into the Walmart parking lot pulled off the road and ran over to help the 2 men push.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw my husbands hand reach for the seat belt release and the other hand reach for the car door. (I was driving)  Just then the old man jumped into the drivers seat as it started to roll down the hill into the parking lot. My husband smiled and said "sometimes all those old cars need is a hill to get um to start". The kind men helping let go with big smiles on there faces and proceeded to walk back to there cars.  It was early Saturday morning around 8:a.m. so there wasn't a lot of traffic but traffic was held up nonetheless. I noticed there were no horns blowing, no  people shaking their fists, no one was shouting obscenities,  everyone I looked at was just smiling.  Our light turned green and we drove away. This random act of kindness didn't take long to complete but I'm sure the dozen or so people that witnessed it spent the better part of the day remembering it just like I have.

   My husband enjoyed reading all the entries last month so much he has agreed to do it again this month. So the winner will be chosen again by my husband of 20 yrs, who is always willing to help out where and when ever he can.

He will read all entries and choose the winner on our Anniversary - August 30th.

The prize is this set of 6 Vintage Dinner Napkins by Stone Cottage Ltd.

They have never been used and still have the tags on each one.

Stone Cottage Ltd 

Dinner Napkins

Set of 6 Napkins

Thank You all for taking the time to read my blog posts and I hope each and every day brings some form of Happiness and Purpose to your lives. 

Blessings

Judy

AND THE WINNER IS...........

Totally Unique Treasures.........

I want to Thank everyone for entering my first ever blog giveaway. Just so you know my husband had a difficult time picking the winner. He teared up several times when reading the entries as I knew he would. Reading Totally Unique Treasures post reminded us that God has a plan you might not be able to see it or understand it now, but a plan does exist. We all have to believe that Good things can come from  devastation and sadness. That is something worth believing in.   
Blessings 
Judy 

If Christmas is in July Then New Years Day must be in August.

To celebrate New Years Eve (NYE) I wanted to have my 1st give away.

So I've been thinking, I don't want to make it difficult for anyone to enter but it must be somewhat of a challenge and fun too of course. So keeping with a New Years theme and reminiscing back through this past year, tell us all what you are most grateful for.  You might know right away or you might need to give it some thought but everyone is grateful for something and should be able to enter my give away.

I have so many things to be grateful for each day that I have a hard time choosing. Some are huge events in my life & some not so huge. Some were near misses and some hit head on but good has come from the experience and sadness.  Heck I'm grateful waking up and putting both feet on the floor each day but that won't win no stinkin contest.

The winner will be chosen by my husband on August 2nd and will be announced on twitter and here on my blog. I will contact the winner either via email, Twitter DM or Etsy convo. 

So keeping with my indecisiveness I'm offering 5 items for you to choose from if you are the winner.  Please keep in mind the items are all previously owned. Some are vintage and some aren't so old.

The blue retro flower lite works fine, the Lassie Comic book is Dell Dated  July - Sept 1959, The embroidered /cross stitched bag has a snap closure and is lined (does have a couple small stains on the back and 1 in the lower left front corner, The handkerchief is in great condition in the original box and the child's birthstone February/ Amethyst bracelet is Avon 1992.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

1. Tell us what you are most grateful for this past year. Remember my husband is very sensitive and in touch with his famine side (kinda) meaning if he cries or gets teary eyed you will probably win.

2. Don't forget your email address, your Etsy shop name or your twitter name so I can contact you if you are  chosen by my loving and very sensitive husband as the winner.You can use all three and of course put your shop link down to get some exposure.

If I have forgotten something I should have remembered to put down, I guess it wouldn't hurt to let me know what it is so i can change it.

Blessings to you always
Judy

Bee Balm in Bloom

Yes, I know most peoples Bee Balm in Central NY has come and gone by now but my growing season is about 2 weeks behind most peoples. Take a peek!!!!

It is the focal point of my Garden right now

Notice the chair on the deck, the wild Morning Glory is taking over

The Day Lillies are equally spectacular

That black spot you see is my Dog Max taking a stroll through the garden

The photo above is the only Pink Bee Balm flower I found, it was kinda drowned out by the large red flowers but I'm hoping it will come back stronger next year.

 Corn Flower

Tiger Lilly

Blueberries

Thanks for taking a stroll through my Garden.