{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Crafts on Marshmallow Ranch", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2026/36/1962506.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/", "feed_url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/03/21/handmade-with-love.html", "title": "Handmade With Love", "content_html": "\n
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If you’ve been following Girl Camper, you’ve seen the buzz about the upcoming auction to benefit their favorite charity…the Hold You Foundation that benefits the families of seriously ill children. There will be some hats from the Knit the National Parks book. I made the hat for Mesa Verde National Park in honor of my time living in Colorado. I’ll give you the link to the auction when I get it.

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We’re having a blast of cooler air blowing through. I was sleeping in the camper Wednesday night and woke up at 5:30 to the wind howling. I must have a little PTSD after that big storm in Kansas last summer because as soon as that camper started rocking I was up, dressed, and in the house in less than five minutes. I just crawled into bed and went right back to sleep. 

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It was the first day of spring. When I woke up, it was 61 degrees and by noon it was in the 40’s. The low for last night was predicted to be 30°. I’ll camp when it’s cold, but my cutoff is about 40°. I’ve had to sleep in the camper when the windchill was -28° and that’s rough. I made reservations for another campground in May. We didn’t get to camp at Leith Run last year. It is right on the banks of the Ohio River and they had a terrible flood last April that left eight inches of compacted mud over the entire park. That has happened at least three times that I know of since moving back to West Virginia. We love to camp there in mid week in the off season. It’s far less crowded and more peaceful.

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I heard from a dear friend yesterday. Cindy lived in the flat below me when we were in England. We were both new brides and our husbands were both in the Air Force. Military wives make their friends their family. Even more so when you live so far away from your own family. I think Cindy was 18 and I was 19. When I was pregnant with Daughter #1, Cindy surprised me with a baby shower. When I was opening gifts, there was a present from my mom! I was missing her so much and when I saw that my friend had sent a letter to my mom to coordinate gifts from my family stateside, I just burst into tears. She has always been special to me. She only lives a few hours away in Ohio, but this will be the first time we’ve seen each other since December of 2016. She will be about an hour from us on Monday so we are meeting in Athens for a long awaited visit. I am so excited to see her and her husband!

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I can’t believe it’s Friday already! Do. You have a fun weekend planned?

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💚

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“A friend loves at all times….”   ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful for the friendships that stand the test of time. The kind of friend that picks up where you left off the last time you saw each other. The kind that forever owns a piece of your heart. That’s the kind of friendship to cherish and nurture.
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I love our little knitting group. There’s just four of us…that’s all the room we have in the gal’s house where we meet. I’m so glad the weather has improved so much and we can get together again. I brought some of the Sourdough English Muffins I baked Saturday and one of the other gals brought some of her homemade red raspberry jelly to go with. So, so good!

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I love seeing the projects the others are working on. One was making a banner for a birthday party. The other two were making scarves. I finished the big basket for beside my chair. I can put my current project in it and it will look much nicer than the myriad shopping totes that surround my “nest.” One of the gals gave us each a round wooden disk with holes around the edge. It was a wooden basket bottom. She had made one to show it and it was really cool. After supper, I sat down and made one myself and it was so much easier than it looked. I’ll have to order some of those to make Christmas presents for the girls for next year.

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The snow is just about gone! It was in the low 60’s yesterday and it felt wonderful. There is actually some green grass peeking around the edges and the beginning blades of iris are coming up in my flower beds. It was actually warm enough last night that I could have slept in the camper if it was here. It will probably be ready in another couple of weeks and I can’t wait!

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I made a yummy dinner of pork cutlets, fried potatoes, and sauerkraut. It was absolutely monochromatic tan and not a stitch of color! But, Mr. FixIt loved it so that’s all I could ask for. I’ll need to bake bread today. Or tomorrow. I also need to make another batch of granola. The last batch I baked a little too long and it was dark. But I couldn’t throw it out. I’m almost through it now so I can justify baking a fresh batch. Ingredients sure aren’t getting cheaper! I’m worried about that.

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It won’t be quite as warm today, but just having a little respite from all that bitter cold and snow is welcome! Is it warming up where you are?

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💜

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“You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭74‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal*** Today I am grateful for the girlfriends I have in my life. They listen and give wise counsel. They are my teachers and my students. I always tell young women not to forget about their women’s friends. They are going to need them down the road. A burden shared is halved. A joy shared is doubled.
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#girlfriends, #sharing, #knitting

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When you’re retired, the days just kind of run together, don’t they? I often have to think hard or resort to looking at my phone to see the day and date. I mean, there’s nothing but doctor’s appointments and dates with family and friends that makes me keep track of time. I never gave time a second thought in my working years, other than getting to work on time. There was structure in every day. Even more so when the kids were still at home.

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When I worked in medicine, one of the things they keep track of is orientation to time and place. When you stop remembering the day and date, they look at you with a different set of eyes. I know there are signs and symptoms of dementia, but I also know how easy it is to lose track of time. I don’t know that I want to set an alarm or anything, but I do want to start keeping a bit of a schedule…just to keep me on my toes.

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Mr. FixIt and I have gotten into the habit of going to bed at midnight then lounging around in bed reading the news and catching up with social media and emails till we’re ready to get up and about. It’s different in the summer. There’s all that mowing and outdoor work to be done and there’s no time to laze around. That being said, winter is the time for slowing down and getting quiet. Who am I to deny myself such luxuries, right? It’s not like we don’t work our hind ends off all mowing season.

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The cold has moved in for the long stretch of sub-freezing temperatures that January always brings. Along with it, we’ll probably have the biggest snowfall we’ve had in years and we’re ready for it. Mr. FixIt got the snowblower out yesterday and blew off the inch of snow we got overnight. Then he brought the generator out and it started right up. While he did that, I filled all the bird feeders and suet cages. Our birds will be very happy in the coming days. I have the starter fed for the English muffins. I have enough yarn to last me ten years and a zillion projects I can work on. There’s enough food in this house to last us for months, if need be. So, I’m going to get up a little earlier, make my RYZE mushroom coffee, and enjoy a little quiet time in the house before Mr. FixIt gets up and turns on the TV. Along with that routine, I’ll make it a habit to check the calendar to orient myself to time and place.

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Are you all working on any projects this winter? This is my basket, so far. Share your projects with us. We’d love to see them and get inspired!

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“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm‬ ‭90‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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#crochet#winter#snow#storm#baking#sourdough

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I am constantly amazed by sourdough. It is just water and flour and wild yeasts. Yeast is everywhere but when you make a sourdough starter from scratch, it takes a while to get established because the yeasty beasties it needs may not live in your kitchen yet. Now, I was actively making sourdough all the way through the covid lockdown so those little yeasties are thriving in my kitchen. I bought a fresh starter from King Arthur Baking Co. It was a really strong starter and was bakeable in about ten days.

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Mr. FixIt went to town yesterday to get his tires changed then ran a few errands. He got gas for the generator to make sure it’s in good working order. We’re supposed to get snow tonight and again Sunday night so we need to have everything in place.

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I made a double batch of granola yesterday. I may have baked it a bit too long, but it’ll have to do. I fed my starter to get it ready for baking Sourdough English Muffins. I’ve only made them once and I can’t find that recipe. So, while Mr. FixIt was in town, I browsed through some YouTube videos and found a recipe I want to try.

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I’ll be baking today and working on the market bag I’m crocheting. I’ll have the house to myself for a little while as Mr. FixIt has to run to town for a bit. I think he’ll wait till the afternoon since we may have some snow overnight. I found a wonderful music channel on YouTube that features classical cello and that’s a wonderful way to spend a quiet afternoon…especially if there’s snow on the ground.

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“Give us this day our daily bread,” Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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#snow#sourdough#baking#crochet#granola#baking#sourdough#bread#englishmuffins#crochet#snow#hyggehome

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I had about an hour to knit before I headed to town for the embroidery class with Mrs. FixIt 1.0. I had to stop on the way at the Sheetz station for a quick snack because I knew by 2:00, I was going to be really hungry. I arrived at the library right on time and met the others attending. Angie handed out the pattern for the little bunny embroidery we were to do, along with the supplies. 

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My mom was the embroiderer of the family. And she did beautiful work. One year when she came to Colorado for a visit, I bought some Aunt Martha’s Iron-On Transfers and prepared a couple of white pillow cases and asked my mom if she would embroider them for me. I still have them. She taught me several stitches when I was little which I used mostly to decorate my bell bottoms in the ‘70s. “Make Love, Not War”, “Peace”, and “Flower Power” were the designs of the day. This little bunny should be a piece of cake. 

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I traced the pattern onto the cotton square that Angie gave us then placed it in the embroidery hoop. I followed the directions and by the time a half hour passed, I remembered why I didn’t pursue this craft. It’s just not my thing. But I enjoyed the experience and visiting with the other ladies. They’ll be doing a class every month and I’ll go to the next one, but I’m bringing my own project and will visit with the gals while I work on it.

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I had to stop at Sam’s to get my blueberries then headed home. I grabbed a sandwich and found Mr. FixIt down by the creek cleaning out the drainage ditch. As soon as he was finished, We headed out to The Farm to mow. I was shocked that the tractor started right up. I quickly finished mowing and headed home to start supper. On our way home, we stopped at the local park and took pictures of the flooding.

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I have been craving two things…salmon and curry. I found a package of salmon at Sam’s with two large salmon halves. It was on sale, so I picked it up. I cooked some quinoa and set it aside. Then I sautéed a couple cups of sliced mushrooms, slid them to the sides of the pan, and put two portions of salmon (skin side down) in the middle of the skillet. I covered the skillet with a lid and popped it in a 350° oven. 

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While the salmon was baking, I mixed up the curry sauce. I’ve been using this sauce mix for years. I used two of the squares in the package and added them to some water in a saucepan. The squares melt into the water and create a thick sauce. When the salmon was almost done, I pulled it out and poured the sauce over the fish and popped it back in the oven for about ten minutes. Serve with the quinoa and a vegetable of your choice.

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This was probably one of the best meals I’ve made in a long, long time….in the top five at least. Mr. FixIt loved it and you know that’s good testament. I froze the rest of the salmon filets and will certainly make this again in the coming weeks. I also love to grill salmon and serve it over salad.

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So, it was a busy and productive day. I’ll have to mow here at the house today because rain will coming again. Church first.

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🌷

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”Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.“

\nColossians 3:23-24 NIV\n
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Loving these socks!

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I’m just about finished with the first sock of the cute striped pair. It didn’t rain a lot yesterday, but it was pretty chilly so I stayed in all day. I finally finished downloading the graphics files out of the One Drive and put them on my external hard drive. Now I’ll clean it up, defragment the hard drive, and hopefully we’ll be back up to speed.

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I was a little under the weather yesterday so I sent Mr. FixIt off to the birthday party alone. I hated that, but they went to a wing restaurant and I just couldn’t fathom the smells I’d be faced with. By the end of the evening, I was feeling much better so I’m glad I stayed home. I just hated to miss out on the fun.

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I also worked on our Colorado trip yesterday. I love RVLife’s website. There is a yearly fee to use it, but it’s worth every penny. You can search the route you’re taking and find campgrounds along the way. Up till yesterday, I wasn’t really sure if we were going to tow the camper out this year, or fly. The biggest obstacle we face now in taking the camper is finding a place to store it while we’re in Denver. 

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I searched on the internet for storage yards that would let us rent a space for just a month. There weren’t any. They all wanted you to rent long term. I remember last summer thinking there surely had to be a marketplace where folks could rent out space to people who needed a place to park a camper, car, or boat. Sure enough, in that year someone came up with just that.

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neighbor.com is great. You can put in an address or zip code and see all the homes that offer a parking place. You select one that you think would work, then apply for a reservation. If the owner accepts your application, the company charges your charge card and you can communicate with the owner through their app. Our second application was accepted and now we have a spot to put the camper just a few miles from where we’re staying. It cost a third of what we paid last year renting a campsite in a local campground. So, now we’re ready to start making reservations.

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I’m heading to town today to attend an embroidery class in town. The Former Mrs. FixIt is accompanying me, which I always enjoy. I hope you have a lovely day and the weather is good for us all!

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🌷

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”Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.“

\n3 John 1:2 NIV\n
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Oh, the lengths a person will go to see. I’m determined to finish as many projects as I can from the stash I have. And these old eye have ‘seen’ their better days. In reading the stitching instructions for Common Ground, the sampler from Just Nan, I realized I had all but one of the threads. I was in town yesterday so I went to the craft store and found the thread, plus some bags on a ring to store the silks, and a cross stitch ruler. This has a gauge on it so you can check to see what the stitch count is on your fabric. All under $4 and it doesn’t add appreciably to the stash.

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One of the things I saw in the craft store was a magnifier that you wear on your head. It had a light and was rechargeable. It reminded me I also saved one of those from my shop, but where was it? I ran through my inventory in my head and by the time I got home, I went straight to the right tub and pulled it out. There, use what you have or do without…thread and storage bags notwithstanding. This thing may look outrageous, but I’m telling you…you can SEE what you’re doing with it! 

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I met some girlfriends from high school for lunch and had such a good time. I had all these things I wanted to accomplish yesterday, but in all actuality, I just wanted to be done and get back home. I had every intention of going out to The Farm yesterday, but the weather reports says there will be severe thunderstorms this week. I am not crazy about being out there in severe weather. The trees on the hillsides on both sides of the house have big trees. The soil is clay and shale, so the roots aren’t all that stable as they grow large. I’ll wait till calmer weather before I head out. We will have to go next week and mow, though.

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It’s getting warmer now. I’m sure the cold is past us. It’s probably safe to de-winterize the camper, but I might wait one more week just to be sure. There’s a lot to do before our trip to the beach and I need to start working on that. The camper needs a good cleaning. And I want to pull out the camping gear from storage. I know we don’t need ALL that stuff. It just adds weight to two, using up more gas. So, anything we didn’t use last year is out. We carted a grill with us everywhere last summer and never once used it.

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I really need to start planning our summer trip to Colorado, too. That’ll be here before we know it. I am so glad we had the winter months to regroup. I could have done a lot of this instead of just sitting and knitting, but…after a long and crazy summer, I really NEED that downtime to recharge. My friends were saying yesterday…there’s a sense of urgency at this age. We’re burning daylight and you can’t put the sand back in the hourglass. 

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I was talking to some of them about ‘Positive Aging’. They wanted to know what I meant by that and my best explanation is…it’s an attitude. It’s accepting the reality of where we are in the moment, but living with purpose so it isn’t wasted. This time thing has become a more and more precious commodity with every passing year. I’m not playing around…I have things to do. And even if it’s sitting by a campfire or stitching or knitting or mowing the field, or baking a mean biscuit…it is MY life.

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We spend so much of our lives giving it all away in order to take care of everyone without remembering to take care of ourselves. Self care isn’t selfish. It’s imperative. We can’t fill others from an empty cup. Especially if you are in the position of a full time caregiver. Schedule some self care time wherever and whenever you can. When people say, “What can I do to help?” give them a blessing. Let them nurture you a little. Don’t worry that the house isn’t presentable or that they can’t possibly do things the way you do. Go anyway. Even if it’s just down the street for a cup of coffee with a good book. 

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So, Happy Humpday…be good to yourself today! You deserve it!

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🩵🌷🩵

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”Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.“

\n3 John 1:2 NIV\n
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I’ve seen them. As a matter of fact, I have several of them. No, not the shiny cylindrical variety that you see on some alien SyFi shows. These are stitching projects… ‘unfinished objects.’ After yesterday’s post, my friend Sharon mused that she had projects somewhere and maybe she should go looking for them. That tugged as a memory way back in my mind. I remembered tucking one beautiful project away when I closed my little needlework shop.

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I ruminated a bit and wondered where it might be. Is it tucked away in the basement in a tub of mementos? Or, is it stuck in the back bedroom that is packed with boxes of stuff that’s no longer needed…just waiting to head to a resale shop. I chose the latter, simply because it was easier access. I want to start cleaning out that room to move my studio upstairs. I really don’t like hunkering down in the basement to create. There’s no natural light down there. This room upstairs will work much better. 

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As I sorted through stuff, I came to a box and down in the bottom, I could see a familiar cloth tote that I used to use to carry a particular sampler I’d been working on. I dug it out of the box and peeking inside, there were several unfinished objects…AND my favorite wooden stitching frame! I was so excited! Now I can finish a couple of knitting projects then make a cross-stitch project my summer goal.

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In the process of searching, I came across some treasures. My old transistor radio brought a smile to my face. Oh, the nights I lay in bed with that thing tucked under my pillow, listening to Petula Clark and The Beach Boys, The Beatles and the The Rolling Stones. I wondered if if it still worked. I rummaged around in the junk drawer in the kitchen. Everyone has one of those, right? I found the battery, popped it in, and sure enough…it worked! It brought back such warm memories. 

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Here’s a video of my radio picking up a local country station. Can you imagine listening to this quality of sound and thinking it was the greatest thing since sliced bread??? WE did! I sent this to my grandchildren and they got a big kick out of it.

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I decided if I bring out two or three bags or boxes every day, I can get through that mess eventually without having to work at it to the exclusion of everything else. I’ve had a lovely winter where I kept busy and got a lot done while still enjoying our home and my Big Red Chair.  Now it’s mowing season and things will start cranking up, but I still need to have projects to keep my hands busy and that relax my mind. 

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Thank you all for your great suggestions and referrals to find needlework supplies. You all are always so helpful and I appreciate you!

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🌷

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”Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.“

\nJames 1:17 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/07/ufos-and-a-transistor-radio.html", "tags": ["Downsizing","Memories","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/06/counted-cross-stitch.html", "title": "Counted Cross Stitch", "content_html": "\n
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It’s been forever since I’ve done a cross stitch. When I took our daughter and her mom with me to tour Kreinik Manufacturing Company in our hometown, I bought a cross stitch kit. It has the pattern and the silk threads, but it doesn’t have the 32ct linen to go with it. Also, it’s been forever since I got rid of my cross stitching supplies so I don’t have a frame. I really like the Q-Snaps and the kind that you roll. We don’t have a needlework supply store anywhere near here and I’m not finding exactly what I want online. And now, Kreinik has been sold to a company in California so the business will move there soon. I’m so happy for my friend, Doug Kreinik. This was his family’s business…started by his parents…after 51 years of business. We wish Doug and Myla the very best in their retirement!

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Are any of you current or past cross stitchers? Do you have supplies for sale that you no longer use and you wouldn’t mind parting with? I’m looking for a 12” by 12” piece of 32ct linen in a greyish greenish brownish color. And a cross stitch frame of some sort…not an embroidery hoop. That damages the fibers in the linen and you can never get the marks out. Let me know if you have anything.

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I’m also looking for a good online needlework shop. I had such a lovely little shop in the early 2000’s. It was in the oldest wood frame building in Glenwood Springs a couple streets off the main drag and catty corner from the Amtrak Station. I often got customers who called ahead for an order, would jump off the train and run over to pick up the bag I prepared form them and run back to the train. When you are traveling cross-country on a train, you’d better have something to keep your busy. 

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My shop was around at the very beginning of internet commerce and I did have an online presence. But it was a little TOO early. If I’d been able to stick it out another year, I might have been able to really do something with it. It wasn’t meant to be. God whispered that it was time to walk away. Then…just a few months later, my mom died rather suddenly and I was off to West Virginia to take care of her estate. If I’d still had my shop, it would have been really difficult to be there for my brother and do the work I needed to do.

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I spent the day downloading pictures and graphics from my computer to my external hard drive. One of our readers had the right idea yesterday. She said the problem could be the cloud and she was exactly right. My laptop is set up to upload all the new files that come onboard and send them to the cloud. Then, anytime I need to use one, or even open the folder, the file has to be downloaded. Our internet is SO slow it takes hours to do what should take minutes. I didn’t get out to the farm yet. I will before too long.

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It rained off and on yesterday. The Ohio River should have crested by the time you read this. Hopefully without further loss of life. I am praying you all are safe…from the weather, and from the extremely rare earthquake that struck in the northeast. These are the times that try men’s souls and it’s just one thing after another. The Bible talks about this. I am not afraid as this is not my home. We know who wins in the end.

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🙏🏼

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”Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.“

\n1 Peter 4:10 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/06/counted-cross-stitch.html", "tags": ["Fun","Choices","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/03/crazy-weather.html", "title": "Crazy Weather!!!", "content_html": "\n
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My phone lit up like a Christmas tree all day. Severe weather warnings came in like fevered texts from a lovelorn boyfriend. We had to be in town at 1:00 for an appointment. I called the Former Mrs. Fixit around 11:00 to see how she was faring with the storms. We weren’t going to leave till noon, but the warnings were coming in hot and heavy so we booked it…only to run into a veritable wall of water ten miles away. 

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I went to town last week to pay the taxes and tried to use my debit card because for some reason, my checks weren’t in my purse. They ran the card, then came back and said it didn’t go through because they were having trouble with their computers. So, I walked up the street to my bank and came back with cash. Then…low and behold, the charge DID go through. Argh! That was our first stop yesterday…to straighten it all out. It only took thirty minutes and I left with a check, and a new friend in the lovely clerk that helped me. She has suffered some pretty devastating losses so I thought she might find come comfort and support here.

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The appointment went without a hitch and we headed out for a couple more errands…lunch, the grocery store, the pharmacy…you know the drill. We got back home before the weather broke again. I received a notification last evening about the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan with a resultant tsunami warning. This is just crazy weather. Every years seems to get worse. We have plans to camp at the beach late this month so I am praying there aren’t any hurricanes or tornadoes on the Outer Banks!

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Once we got home, tummies full, we got comfy in our Big Red Chairs and I set to work knitting another pair of socks with some yarn my bestie Gail gave me. It’s blue and orange with a little sparkly silver thread in it. More storms were forecast and we’re under another severe thunderstorm and tornado watch. It’s supposed to be 80° today and by Friday, we could have snow! 

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I’m hoping you all are safe from these severe storms. Please be careful out there and keep your phones charged. Have plans for a safe shelter. Please let us know how you’re doing!

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🌪️

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”He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.“

\nMatthew 16:2-3 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/03/crazy-weather.html", "tags": ["Warning","Change","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/26/monday-is-for-making.html", "title": "Monday is for Making", "content_html": "\n
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Monday knitting group was great fun, as always…even though one of our regulars couldn’t be there. One of our gals is just learning how to use her Addi 42 Needle Knitting Machine so I’ve been helping her with some of the finer points of technique. Another is SO excited…she is buying a thirty foot camper for a “She Shed” out behind her house. She’s already planning some knitting get-togethers for the summer and we can’t wait to share in her joy. The third of my compadres is the gal who introduced me to the group and she was busily crocheting bunnies for Easter. We’ll be meeting at her house next week.

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I finally finished Sue’s socks and I think they turned out pretty well. They aren’t perfect, but she will love them and I think they’ll fit her well. When I got home from group, Mr. FixIt and I headed into town to pick up a few things. I go through blueberries like crazy and I was almost out. And, I decided I wanted to try a different way of doing the dishes. Our dishwasher has been out of commission for a couple of years now and, honestly…I don’t mind washing by hand. That being said, I am being more conscientious about my water usage. I decided, instead of letting the water run to rinse the dishes, I’d get another dishpan for the second sink and a draining board for under the dish rack. I won’t need to use nearly as much water. 

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When I wash dishes out at The Farm these days, I really have to be mindful of the water. The pump for the well is currently not working so any water I use, I have to haul it in. I heat up about a half gallon of water in a stockpot and pour it in the dishpan with a very small amount of detergent. Then I heat another half gallon and set it by the sink. I wash the dishes, then the pans, and swish them in the rinse water. Then the dishes dry in the drainer. I can wash all my dishes in less than a gallon of water, then I use the water to wipe down the stove, countertops, and floor. I figured if I could do that at The Farm, there’s no reason I can’t do it here at Marshmallow Ranch.

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So, after all that, we had to stop at Lowe’s to get a couple of chainsaw blades. While we were there, Mr. FixIt told me he’d seen there was a 30% off sale on major appliances. We went back and found a simple dishwasher for a steal, so I guess we’ll be getting one. Whether I use it or not is yet to be seen, but it will come in handy for when the whole family is over and we have a LOT of dishes to do.

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It seems Mondays are for making…and marketing. It was nice to not have to cook. And the weather was warm enough to camp out in the field! We’re getting to my favorite time of the year!

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🌷

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”For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.“

\nGalatians 5:14-15 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/26/monday-is-for-making.html", "tags": ["Be Joyful!","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/20/no-responsibilities.html", "title": "No Responsibilities!", "content_html": "\n
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I was way off when I described the color of this yarn yesterday. It has PINK in it…not blue. I think it’s going to make a beautiful felted hat!

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Happy Spring! We got up to a dusting of snow yesterday and C-O-L-D!!! Brrrrrrr!

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Gail and I had a great day. I cooked brunch…biscuits with sausage gravy and fried potatoes. Yummmmm! I actually used canned biscuits for the first time in years. I bought Pillsbury Grand Buttermilk Biscuits. The really flaky ones. I’ve always thought canned biscuits tasted a bit bitter, but these were really good. I guess if you put enough sausage gravy on something, it’s bound to taste good, right??? 

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After I cleaned up the kitchen, we retired to the living room and spent the entire day knitting. I’m well over half finished with the hat I’m making. This particular pattern is for a felted wool hat…something I’ve always wanted to try, but never have. You knit it much bigger than your head size, then you wash it in a washing machine on the hottest setting. It has to be a washer with an agitator or it won’t work right. You can also felt it by hand. The agitation causes the fibers to mat together creating a dense fabric. I’m sure it’s going to take quite a while to dry so I may not be taking it home with me…we’ll see. I’ll just be happy to finish the knitting and get it felted and on the form before I have to leave.

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It kinda matches the sofa!

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I have really enjoyed having the dogs around. I love dogs. I just don’t want to commit to having another one. I love to sleep in. I don’t want to have one more thing to worry about or have to spend money on to make plans around. I’m “of an age” where I can enjoy the dogs of others…just like I enjoy the children of others. Then I can go home to the relative peace and quiet.

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Tuxedo…aka Tux! What a pretty boy!

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Speaking of quiet…this is a TV free zone this week! I glance at the news a couple of times during the day. I check the weather forecast. I check on the blog to see how you all are doing. And that’s the extent of my screen time. I would be just as happy to have NO TV every day! But alas…TV and Mr. FixIt go together. To be without TV at home would mean to be without Mr. FixIt and that simply will not do! I love my sweetheart.

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Gail made a great supper with salad and a Butternut Squash with Ground Turkey dish that was not only low cal…it was crazy good. Here’s the recipe: https://gardeninthekitchen.com/ground-turkey-butternut-squash-skillet/ We knitted a while longer, then she made baked apples for dessert. It was such a wonderful day!

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The little cottage at Gail’s has an old claw foot tub. A deep, hot soak after a day knitting and eating is as good as a week at a spa! The king sized bed is cushy, the crisp white sheets are fresh, and the open window lets in the chilly night air. It makes for great sleep! 

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This is divine!

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🌷

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”He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains.“

\nPsalms 104:10 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/20/no-responsibilities.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/19/a-home-away-from-home.html", "title": "A Home Away From Home", "content_html": "\n
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Every time I arrive at Gail’s I’m so relieved to give her a great big hug. We have to cherish our friendships and our girlfriends are a lifeline in many ways. She always meets me in the driveway and helps me carry my things into the little cottage next door that is always reserved for me. I have to have my quiet time in the evening to write. It’s as important to me as the air I breathe and my friends honor and respect that. 

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Gail’s three dogs come to greet me. Little Jake, the Shih Tzu, thinks he belongs to everyone so he’ll bark till you settle down on the couch. Then your lap was made for him and that’s where he will stay. Well, my legs, actually. My lap is always full of knitting. Bailey, the Yellow Lab, is a gentle old lady. She’ll come to greet me but after the newness wears off, she’s snoozing on the floor. The one who has a bit of tizzy is Tux…the Border Collie. He thinks you’ve come to steal the television or his ball or that you might just be there to pet HIS dogs. God forbid! However, if I sit quietly, talk to him gently, and don’t make immediate eye contact, it won’t be long and he’ll be nosing my hand for a pet.

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When I finished putting things away in the cottage, I took my knitting over to the main house. Before I even got in the house, I could smell dinner cooking. Gail is such a good cook! She made a meatloaf with 3/4 beef and 1/4 venison. I couldn’t taste the venison at all. I usually don’t like it, but this was delicious! Along with baked potatoes and broccoli and iced tea, we had a meal to rival any restaurant. 

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Gail’s husband was off bowling, so we sat in the living room and knitted, happily chatting and catching up with each other’s lives. Gail and I text every day, several times a day most days. And we talk on the phone or FaceTime frequently. You would think there isn’t a thing to catch up on, but there always is. I have a new pattern for a felted wool hat. I showed it to Gail and asked her what yarn I should use and she said, “Hang on a sec.” She went to her stash and came back with two balls of wool that she spun and plied herself. It is plied with a dusky blue and medium brown twist and it’s perfect for the project. AND, it’s extra special because my bestie made it. It’s leftover from a sweater she knitted. She spun too much and she won’t be using it for anything else. So…it’s MINE! (Thank you, Gail…you’re the best!)

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Our other friend won’t be here till Wednesday, so we’ve got another whole day of knitting and catching up. There are a few little shops in town I like to visit when I’m here, but honestly, I’ll be happy as a little clam to sit with this little fur ball on my legs and knit to my heart’s content!

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🌷

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”Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.“

\nProverbs 27:9 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/19/a-home-away-from-home.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/20/mondays-are-for-knitting.html", "title": "Mondays are for Knitting", "content_html": "\n
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Forgive the color…the light in my lamp is so yellow.

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Our knitting group met yesterday and as always…we had a lovely visit. One of the gals is just learning how to use her circular knitting machine so there was a lot of teaching going on. My time as shopkeeper and a student in the needlearts has paid off over and over. I love to teach people new skills. If we have an opportunity to create beautiful things that will outlive us, we’ve given the world a gift and part of us lives on. Enabling others to do the same is a duty and a privilege. 

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My dear friends Gail and Janine and I have a group chat where we touch base every day. Janine is the creator and Camper-in-Chief of Girl Camper. Every spring Girl Camper has a fundraising raffle benefiting the Hold You Foundation. They provide funds for things like utility bills and gas money to the families of ill children so they have one less worry. Gail and I will make some handmade items to contribute. I started knitting a pair of woolen mittens yesterday. This is my favorite mitten pattern…so quick and easy.

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Mr. FixIt had an appointment in town midday so I had the afternoon to myself. While I would have loved to sit and knit, I got the jump on taxes and updated my online banks account. Online banking has made the old way of balancing a checkbook nearly obsolete. At any given time you can access your bank account and see exactly what’s going on. You can easily pull reports that list transactions to use when filing your taxes. There’s much to be said for the conveniences computers bring to our lives even as they can be misused tools of destruction. I actually have friends who wouldn’t know thing one about using a computer for anything but email. And a smartphone would make them apoplectic. In some ways, I envy them the simplicity of a life unplugged.

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I remember when I crossed the threshold into cyber life. I was working on the computer and I very clearly knew I was at a crossroads. I could step off the edge of the cliff and learn things I couldn’t dream of…or I could hit the off button and tend to my knitting. Given that I am here, writing to you every evening, is a clear indicator that I jumped with both feet. Maybe someday I’ll pull back, but for now…I’m in the thick of it and not nearly ready to disconnect from you all. What a tiresome life it would be without knowing all of you beautiful people!

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🩵

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”Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.“

\nIsaiah 64:8 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-20T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/20/mondays-are-for-knitting.html", "tags": ["Crafts","Art","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/05/i-want-to-do-all.html", "title": "I Want To Do ALL The Things!", "content_html": "\n
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I’m getting close to finishing the market bag that I’ve been crocheting. I am on the last ball of yarn. I’ll do a few more rows then crochet a border across the top and make handles and I can move on to something else. I was chatting with one of my long time besties while I was out at The Farm. She was kind enough to give me a pleater for smocking when I was in Colorado last summer. She wondered if I’d done anything on it yet and of course…that’s all it took to light the fire. 

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There just aren’t enough hours in the day. When I had my little needlework shop in my 40’s, I taught classes on all kinds of things. When Daughter #2 was little, I smocked sweet little collars that you could button over top of a dress. That way, when the dress was too little, you could keep the collar a while longer before it too was too small to wear. 

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I purchased four tubs of fabric last summer at a friends garage sale. I used to make smocked Christmas ornaments and I’m thinking I might be able to salvage some fabrics in there that I can use. That aligns with this year’s words… “Use it Up!” Another thing. I want to do all the things and time is passing by far too quickly. 

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You can’t throw a stick out Grandma’s road without hitting relatives. One of my mom’s cousins lives about a mile or so from The Farm and I was talking to her daughter-in-law on Saturday night. I knew she lost her husband last fall, but I didn’t realize she’d had a stroke in November. People I know and love are getting debilitating and life threatening diseases and conditions. The fact that we’re running out of productivity time is not lost on me. I want to do ALL of the things!

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That’s one reason I stay so busy. It keeps my brain active and holds the winter blues at bay. It allows me to create things that hopefully my family will treasure in years to come as coming from an ancestor. And it just plain brings me great joy to create something from nothing with my own two hands.

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I’m trying to prioritize. I’m a Gemini. I bounce from thing to thing so fast it will make your head spin. I can be into something 110% on Monday and by Thursday it’s on to something else. After having the needlework shop, I was SO burned out on all things needle that it took YEARS to pick any handwork up again. Everything fell by the wayside after Mr. Virgo died…till I was finally able to concentrate enough to do anything. 

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Since I’ve discovered the joy of needle crafts again, I WANT TO DO ALL THE THINGS!

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This is where I need to utilize self discipline and remember… “Use it Up!” Because it would be SO easy to let that Gemini brain go overboard and get ALL the tools and gadgets that go with it. I’ve been watching videos on other needle disciplines and I think I’m ready to change things up just a little. It might just be time to pull out that pleater and see what I can get into. I’ll have more great grand babies one of these days and I can always make sweet things and set them aside for future gifts. It’s sort of like when we were young and kept a hope chest for the things we would need as a new wife. 

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My daughter has the hope chest (sometimes called a cedar chest) that her dad gave me for my 18th birthday. I put linens and pieces of silver and crystal in it. Crocheted doilies, embroidered pillow cases, quilts…all went in the hope chest. Did any of you have one? What did you keep in yours? Do you still have it?

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🩵

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 ”There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.“

\n1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV\n
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#Crafts, #Needlework, #Smocking

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I woke up at 6:00 and thought…oh, no…I’m going to have to get up! But I fell back to sleep and didn’t wake up till 10:30! That’s more like it!!! Mr. FixIt called a few minutes after I opened my eyes. It’s uncanny…he “feels” me wake up. It doesn’t matter what time it is….he just “knows.” Before we were married and I was living out here on the farm, he texted me and asked if that bagel I had for breakfast was good. I hadn’t said word one to him about bagels…ever. But I had stopped at the store on my way home to the farm and saw them. I decided to buy a couple…and he KNEW! I accused him of doing video surveillance. lol

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I really enjoyed “having coffee” with some of you yesterday. Let’s do that more often as it fits into my schedule. I’m thinking Wednesday and/or Saturday mornings. That would be so much fun! I am thinking of other ways to interact with you, too. Perhaps those of you who are “makers” would like to do a project with me. I’ll have to think about it more and see what I come up with. 

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The weather was gorgeous here yesterday, although still a bit cool. I was on the phone for an hour or two with my friend Alice out in Colorado. She was with my brother and we got the Amazon Echo 8 set up for him. Now we can have visits together and see each other! As a matter of fact, we video chatted with each other twice yesterday! He is so excited. I can send pictures to his Echo and he got a great kick out of that!

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I worked on the market bag yesterday afternoon. I got an email from my dear friend Judy out in Colorado. She gave me a smocking machine last summer and that’s one of the things on my list to do so I think I’ll start watching some how-to videos on YouTube to refresh my memory. It’s been a very long time since I’ve smocked anything. I used to make smocked Christmas ornaments that are really beautiful.

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I’ll be heading home later this morning or early afternoon. I do so love being out here, but I equally love going home to my sweetheart! I hope you have a blessed day!

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🩵

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”Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?“

\nHebrews 13:5-6 MSG\n
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#Yarn, #Makers, #Brother

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-04T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/04/a-beautiful-day-at-the.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/01/a-touch-of-ukraine.html", "title": "A Touch of Ukraine", "content_html": "\n
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When you knit on a circular knitting machine, it’s a whole different ballgame than traditional needle work. You cast on stitches, you turn a crank and watch each of 48 needles rise, grab the arm, and take it down into the stitch. A hundred things can go wrong. The yarn has to be just right…smooth, but not too smooth. Thick, but not too thick. Even then the yarn may split or a stitch may drop. There’s a big learning curve but once you get the technique down, it can make beautiful things.

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You can’t place too much tension on the yarn, so you have to pull several lengths of yarn off of the ball and let it pool on the floor at your feet. My carpet is clean, but I still don’t like the idea of putting the yarn on the floor that’s going to be used by another person. So I’ve been trying to come up with something that would hold the yarn up off the floor and eliminate the tension issue. I’ve seen a yarn ball holder that consists of a spindle that allows the the ball to spin freely. I found one on Amazon and ordered it. 

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When the package arrived and I began to open the package, I read the bottom of the box. “Made in Ukraine.” My breath caught in my chest. Then it ached. I ran my finger over the smooth curve of the wood and thought, “Who made this?  When? Are you ok? Are you safe? Or….” It just made my heart hurt, but I loved that I could send some money their way and I’ll cherish the yarn spinner and pray for Ukraine while I use it.

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Today is Mr. FixIt’s birthday. Our son called yesterday morning and wanted to take his dad to Cabella’s. He was up for that and they had a wonderful time. He got a pair of heated gloves for his birthday…something he’s wanted for a very long time. While he was gone, I wove the strips together for the baby blanket I’ve been working on and started crocheting the border on it. 

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It was a beautiful day and today we’ll be celebrating my husband’s 72nd trip around the sun. I think I’ll make lamb chops for supper and baked apples for dessert! I am so grateful for his presence in my life and the world is a better place with him in it. 

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🩵

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”a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.“

\nEcclesiastes 3:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-01T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/01/a-touch-of-ukraine.html", "tags": ["Family","Gratitude","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/30/knitting-and-driving.html", "title": "Knitting and Driving", "content_html": "\n
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I spent a little time in my favorite shop in town…Mulberry Lane.

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I love the Monday morning knitting group. Back in the day, when I had my little needlework shop in Colorado, we had one day a week when the ladies came for the day. They were lined up when I opened the door, and I walked out with them at 5:00. We ordered lunch in and no subject was off the table. I opened that little shop a year after Hubby #2 and I split up. I had big hopes for that little place. It was a safe haven for me…a therapy. of sorts. An opportunity to rebuild my seriously damaged self-esteem. I lost my shirt…twice actually…but I learned many valuable life lessons.

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This little shop is filled to the brim with eye candy!

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After Mr. Virgo died and I left Colorado, I didn’t touch a knitting needle for years. I didn’t have the mental spoons to concentrate on anything detailed. Eventually, I picked up my needles again and I found knitting to be soothing. Grief has cycles and once I got to where I could focus, knitting became my therapy. I was thrilled to get back into a knitting group and share time with like-minded women.

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Mr. FixIt’s eye appointment takes hours, so I browsed…for hours!

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We had a lovely time, sitting around the tables, sharing our exploits of the past week. One has started making little knitted babies and I spent some time with her, showing her the ins and outs of construction. It reminded me of the days I taught knitting in my shop. “If you build it, they will come.” It isn’t just about baseball. You teach someone to work with needles, they’ll keep coming back to your shop to feed their hobby. Kinda like a pusher…I get ‘em hooked, so to speak. 

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I stopped to pick Mr. FixIt up and we went to town for his eye appointment. Then we went out to dinner at Olive Garden with a gift card we got for his birthday. Soup and Salad…the best! And we were actually home before dark…can you believe it?! We spent a quiet evening watching old episodes of Bull. And, just so you know…and I stay accountable…I had a nice piece of pie with my tea. It was divine…no guilt attached!

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shhhhh….don’t tell anybody, but…I bought a hat!

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🥧

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”And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.“

\n2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-30T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/30/knitting-and-driving.html", "tags": ["Fun","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/23/three-little-babies-all-in.html", "title": "Three Little Babies All in a Row", "content_html": "\n
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I was so happy to see all those smiling faces at Knitting Group yesterday. They are such sweet ladies. I didn’t get quite as much done as I had hoped because one of the gals needed some help with a knitting project. But that’s half the fun of being in a group like that. You don’t have to just focus on yourself and your projects. You have opportunities to teach, minister, listen, and learn. 

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I had enough pieces knitted to make three more little babies. I’m close to having the fourth one finished, but I needed more fiberfill from downstairs and I just didn’t go down. I’ll do that today. Then I’ll make more babies and finish another strip for the baby blanket. I think I found enough yarn to finish that one strip that’s still sitting on the machine.

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We didn’t do much in the afternoon. I cooked some hamburger and seasoned half of it for tacos. I put the rest in the fridge and will make Cabbage Roll Casserole today. We haven’t had that since the last time we went camping. Ohhhhh, I’m really missing the camper. I can’t wait till it gets warm enough to sleep out there again. 

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I finally ordered an Amazon Echo 8 for my brother. I’m hoping to get him hooked up with it next week then we can see each other more often. I think I told you about my friend Alice who is the whiz kid with technology for the disabled. She even gave a TED talk about it. Alice has a daughter who received a devastating injury on the ski slope when she was only I’ve. We were all afraid Kara would die, or be a vegetable. However, while she does need some assistance, Alice has worked with her extensively, incorporating technology in her life and she now lives on her own in an apartment. We are all so very proud of her! Here is a beautiful story about Kara and her mother, Alice.

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We are happy to stay home again today. We both have things to do in town tomorrow. The sunshine has brought a wonderful change and it will be warming up for a little January thaw in the coming week. I hope you are thawing out a little, too!

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❄️🩵❄️

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”Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.“

\nGalatians 6:2 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/23/three-little-babies-all-in.html", "tags": ["Peaceful Moments","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/21/im-a-happy-little-hermit.html", "title": "I’m a Happy Little Hermit", "content_html": "\n
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We got a little more snow on Friday night and it was SO cold. It was another indoor day here at Marshmallow Ranch and I was a happy camper. I ran out of my Popcorn Pancake Mix so I just made some from scratch. The were so fluffy and good…the recipe used buttermilk and both baking powder and baking soda. I didn’t have any buttermilk so I did what my mom always did…just add white vinegar to regular milk and it works great!

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Mr. FixIt had to run the snowblower again and I retreated to the basement to work in my studio. I made a second strip for the baby blanket, then ran out just a few rows short of finishing the second. So I looked up projects for the 22-needle machine and found this darling little Amish baby doll. I fiddled wit the pattern a little and just love the way it turned out. I think I can make these and sell them along with hats and scarves. I am trying to get several things made then I’ll post them. 

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Big did great in her swim meet this weekend. She won one of her events, and her relay team came in 2nd Place. It is so exciting to watch her on the big screen…and it’s free! And I don’t have to leave my little nest. I’m such a happy little hermit! I can stay here and create to my heart’s content…and my husband brings me tea! I do 95% of the kitchen work…cooking and cleaning. I love it, but when I’m really involved with a project, Mr. FixIt will make me a sandwich to go with that tea. He’s the best husband EVER!

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While it’s nice to hibernate here in the “craft cave,” I’m also making plans for travel this year. I’ve got ideas about where to camp this year and I definitely need time with my besties. We’ll need a trip to Colorado to see the family. I need some time to myself at The Farm. I would also like to entertain more. We have such a comfortable home…I’d love to have some dinner parties scheduled. Small groups so there’s always room for conversation and the budget doesn’t take a big hit. 

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The low for last night was predicted to be 14° and tonight is supposed to get down to 9°! After that, we should warm up some. Still, I’ll be happy making beautiful things in my little studio. 

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❄️🩵❄️

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”For nothing will be impossible with God.”“

\nLuke 1:37 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-21T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/21/im-a-happy-little-hermit.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/20/winter-wonderland.html", "title": "Winter Wonderland", "content_html": "\n
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I awoke yesterday morning to a beautiful winter landscape. We had the kind of snow that frosts every little twig and makes the world look magical. It was nice knowing we didn't have anyplace to go so we could just stay in and enjoy the view. I fixed my favorite breakfast…grits and eggs…and headed down to the studio. I wanted to get some more mittens knitted up so I could sit in the Big Red Chair and do the handwork. 

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While I was downstairs, I could hear the snowblower as Mr. FixIt cleared the sidewalks. It continued to snow off and on throughout the day and covered the sidewalk again with a light dusting. We were scheduled to have more snow so who knows what we’ll wake up to this morning?

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I worked on a baby afghan during the week, and I wasn’t happy with the way it was turning out, so I ripped it out and started over. I decided to make the strips wider so I used the 48-needle machine and liked it much better. Then I cranked out a pair of rose-colored mittens in a wool/acrylic blend that the machine loves. I got one mitten finished before it was time to write my post.

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I really don’t mind the snow…especially if I don’t have to go anywhere in it. The house is toasty warm, but sometimes my hands get cold while I’m working so I put on the pretty fingerless gloves that my friend Gail knitted for me. She spun the yarn from alpaca and wool and they really help.I can knit with them on or type. The extra warmth helps with arthritis pain, too.

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The evening was topped off with watching Big’s swim meet from clear across the country. Here, she wins her first heat!!! What a treat this is…the icing on the cake of a perfect day!!!

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❄️🩵❄️

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”He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.“

\nPsalm 147:16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-20T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/20/winter-wonderland.html", "tags": ["Family","Gratitude","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/19/the-big-red-chair.html", "title": "The Big Red Chair", "content_html": "\n
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I swore I would NEVER eat in front of the TV again after Mr. Virgo died. Actually, I swore I’d never have TV again and I didn’t for several years. Every night he would put a thick bath towel on the coffee table in front of us and we would have to sit and watch whatever it was he wanted to watch. I hated it. I didn’t care for TV and I certainly wasn’t crazy about some of the TV shows he watched, but he was my husband and you can’t always get your own way in a marriage. There were some shows he watched that I enjoyed, like The West Wing and Law & Order. But overall, I don’t care for a lot of television.

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That being said, I married another TV watcher. He does hold off on the shows he knows I won’t watch and saves them for times I’m busy doing something else. But most of the time we sit in our Big Red Chairs and watch the news or whatever show we’re interested in. Again, I don’t get to make all the choices in this marriage either. And really, we’re of an age where things just aren’t such a big deal, right?

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When I got up yesterday morning, I realized I was going to run out of one of my meds and of course, I called it in and it was out of refills. They were predicting a big snow storm for last night into today and I wanted to get that prescription so I didn’t run out. So, guess what we did yesterday afternoon? That’s right…another trip to town. On the way in, I suggested Ham & Potato Soup for supper, which was the perfect dish for a cold night.

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I grew up with Potato Soup. My mom made the BEST ever. I’ve never been really good at it and I don’t think I’ve ever made it for Mr. FixIt, so it was time to try. We bought a small bag of red potatoes and some celery at the store. I sautéed a chopped onion and one chopped up celery heart in some EVO. Then I washed the potatoes and cut them up in cubes and added them to the pot. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and celery seed along with about three tablespoons of butter. Then I added one box of chicken broth, covered the pot and let it simmer for about 40 minutes. As soon as the potatoes were tender, I added about a cup or so of cubed ham, half a cup of heavy cream, and enough milk to make the desired consistency. Just before serving, I took a potato masher and mashed up just enough of the potatoes to make a nice creamy soup. 

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You know how certain smells and tastes can transport you across a lifetime? Well, I was sitting in my Big Red Chair eating my soup, but my heart was with my sweet mama at the little Formica table in our sparse kitchen on 55th Street. In my mind, I was just a little girl, at home, sick from school with a cold, in my flannel granny gown as my mom took care of me. I can still feel her soft, cool hand on my fevered brow. In four days it will be twenty years since my mama died. Two decades. I always know how long it’s been because Big was born just six weeks after her great-grandmother died. 

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We’ve all had losses in our lives, but losing our moms is one of the hardest things to deal with. If we had a wonderful and loving relationship, we grieve that loss profoundly. If we had less than a stellar relationship, we mourn the fact that there’s no more chances to get it right. I wish I would have been a better daughter to my mom. I comfort myself in knowing she is in Heaven and I’ll see her again and all will be forgiven. Isn’t that glorious?

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After supper, I went to my studio and knitted up another pair of mittens so I could do the handwork in the Big Red Chair while we waited for the snow storm. And watched a little TV. 

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*sigh*

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❄️🩵❄️

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”You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.“

\nPsalm 74:17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/19/the-big-red-chair.html", "tags": ["Crafts","Cooking","Hygge"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/17/snow-day-in-west-virginia.html", "title": "Snow Day in West Virginia", "content_html": "\n
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We awoke to about three inches of fluffy powdery snow yesterday morning. Schools were closed and traffic was light so all was still in this fresh winter scene. It was about 14° and the window was over. I slept like a baby. Poor Mr. FixIt comes in every morning and shivers as he makes his way to the window to shut it. Then he sits on the side of the bed and we have a lovely little visit. He’s a real sport about it, too. 

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Sometimes, I wake up before him. I get the kettle on, make my coffee and have a little time to myself to read my devotional before he’s up and about. Such was the case yesterday. I had a package waiting for me at the Post Office so I asked if he thought the roads would be clear later in the afternoon. He reminded me our county road crew is really good at keeping the roads clear, so I headed out in the snow. 

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The hardest part about that drive can be getting out of the driveway, but I just shifted the truck into 4WD and didn’t have a bit of trouble. And, like Mr. FixIt said, the roads were clear. I ran to the Post Office, got my package and stopped in the Pig to get some ground beef for a pot of chili. It was sure a chili kind of day!

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I set up my new machine and started working on it. The last time we had Knitting Group, one of the gals had just gotten the same unit and she was having trouble getting it to work. It had a tendency to split the yarn. When I sat down to work on mine, it did the same thing, but I remembered what the gals did last week to make the knitting machine work so I followed suit.

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It has a tendency to split the yarn on the first two to three roads, but if you use a loom pick to lift that stitch to its correct position it starts working eventually. I decided to use scrap yarn for the first 10 rows or so and that really helped. I managed to make a couple little preemie or doll hats. They were so, so little and sweet. I started working on a baby blanket, too. I want to make some things I can take to the birthing center at our local hospital. Hats and blankets are most appreciated because there are babies that go without much in the way of a layette waiting for them.

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I spent some time in the afternoon watching TV with Mr. FixIt and crocheting on the market bag. I made a big pot of chili and let it simmer on the stove all afternoon. It was so yummy! I love chili on a snowy day. We are getting the deep freeze that’s been plaguing the Midwest this week and as I was writing this last night it was 14° with a wind chill of 7°. Still, not as bad as a lot of the country, but cold enough. 

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Mr. FixIt has to go to town today, but I’ll stay here and get some things done. I hope you all are faring well in this deep freeze! Be safe!

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❄️🩵❄️

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”She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.“

\nProverbs 31:21 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/17/snow-day-in-west-virginia.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/16/crocheting-in-the-snow.html", "title": "Crocheting in the Snow", "content_html": "\n
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I don’t know…maybe I should stop complaining about having to go to town so much. I mean, we are blessed to have a quiet home in the country, to have the means to travel when we need to, and we have each other. Our health is “good for the shape we’re in,” to quote my Uncle Dudley. At least this trip was relatively quick. Mr. FixIt had a medical appointment, then we went to one of my FAVORITE stores…Rural King. We get our cat food and bird seed there. The birds had gone through our suet cakes like there was no tomorrow so we bought two cases this time. We are filling the feeders every week, sometime twice a week. 

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Our dishwasher bit the big one last year so I’ve been washing by hand. At first, I hated it. But it has become a quiet time of mindfulness and I don’t mind it at all. It doesn’t hurt that there is a feeder hanging right in front of the kitchen window that’s over the sink and I can watch the birds dart in and out. They sit in the old crabapple tree and take turns swooping in to feed. I try to move smoothly and quietly so I don’t disturb them. One of the most beautiful sights is when we get 15-20 cardinals out there in the tree. It’s amazing how the females kinda blend into the grey background, but those red males stand out in stark contrast and I’m telling you…it’s breathtaking to see.

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Someday, I would love to have one of those feeders that has a camera attached and you can take photos of the birds as they land and eat. I’ve seen some beautiful images caught on them. I have a cousin that we refer to as the Bird Whisperer. He can stand out there by the feeder and hold his arm out and the birds will land there and eat right out of his hand! I think my birds get used to me watching them and after a while they don’t start at every movement. But I still can’t imagine getting them to the point where I could hold them. I don’t think I’d want to. They are meant to be wild.

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We dropped by the Mrs. FixIt 1.0’s house to drop off the hat and scarf I made her. It fit her much better than the other hat I made. The difference was in the yarn…it was much softer and knitted up looser. The light was getting dim when we left and stopped at the discount bread store before we headed home. Just before we started out the two-lane to our house, I remembered we needed eggs. We stopped at the Dollar General so we wouldn’t have to go back into town. Mr. FixIt might have to go into town today, but it will depend on the roads. When they clear a little mid-day, I’ll go over the hill to the Post Office and pick up my new 22-needle machine that arrived Saturday. I’m thrilled to see what else I can make with it. 

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We didn’t have knitting group yesterday. A couple of the gals were worried about the possibility of snow on the roads and texted Sunday night. They thought it best if we postpone to next week. Better to be safe than sorry, I always say. I worked on the market bag again as we watched Monday Night Football. I’ve never gotten into football quite like I have this year. To the point that I told Mr. FixIt we won’t know what to do with ourselves when the season is over! I guess it will be time to watch movies and maybe catch up with some episodes of the few shows I’ll sit still long enough to watch. And only if I’m doing something with my hands. I always have to feel like I’m being productive.

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One of my Noom lessons deals with taking time for yourself without guilt. I’m pretty good about taking some me time, but again…I feel like I need to be doing something worthwhile at the same time. It’s difficult to convince yourself that doing nothing isn’t wasted when you’re refilling your well. So, one of the exercises in Noom is just to sit for five minutes doing nothing without thinking of all the things you SHOULD be doing. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

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We may actually have measurable snow on today! What’s it like in your neck of the woods?

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❄️🩵❄️

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”For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.“

\nJob 37:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/16/crocheting-in-the-snow.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Hygge"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/15/a-chilly-country-morning.html", "title": "A Chilly Country Morning", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt loves light covers and a very warm room. I like more covers and a very cold room. I cannot sleep when it’s too hot and he can’t sleep if it’s too cold. So, most of the time, we sleep in separate rooms these days… me with the window open and he in his happy little sauna. We’ve actually found we are much happier together when we BOTH get a good night’s sleep. 

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I never thought I’d be “one of those couples” who sleep in separate rooms. Those were Mr. Virgo’s words when I suggested I try to get some sleep in the spare room when his snoring kept me from getting any sleep. “We aren’t going to be one of those couples who sleep in separate rooms.” I swallowed my feelings and stayed in the same bed every night till he died. I was constantly sleep deprived.

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Now I know how to set healthy boundaries and if we aren’t getting adequate sleep, we sleep separately and make up for cuddle time in other ways. Everyone is different, every marriage is different, and it’s really ok to set boundaries for yourself…in a marriage especially. And you shouldn’t feel guilty for doing something that’s healthy for you at this age in particular. You cannot pour from an empty cup and if you are not resting, your cup is far from full.

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The wind blew like crazy Saturday night. I finally figured out how to keep the door from rattling with the wind currents by wedging a sock in it when I closed it. I was toasty warm, but the top of my head was cold. Along about 6:30 in the morning, I heard Mr. FixIt up doing something. It turned out, his room was getting hotter because the cold air was going under my door and tripping the thermostat. Since his door was closed, his room kept getting hotter and hotter. I got up and closed my window and suggested he keep his door open to let the heat out into the hall. Voila! Problem solved!

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I always gauge what to make for breakfast by Mr. FixIt’s sugar. If it’s higher, he gets proteins and very little carbs. But if it’s normal like it has been, anything is fair game. I always give him a couple choices and he wanted poached eggs and toast. I talked him into poached eggs on grits…one of my all time favorite country breakfasts. Grits count as a green food on Noom so I can eat them every day if I want to. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that keeps you filled up for hours and it’s SO yummy!

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I worked on the Class Page most of the day yesterday. FB has changed the way you handle and edit files in a group. You can no longer create a document on the page itself or edit it like I’ve always done. So I finally figured out if I create a master file in PDF form and leave it on my desk top I can edit it there and upload it to the page and remove the outdated version. I know…it sounds complicated and like a lot of work. It is, sort of. But I wanted to do this for the class, so I’m satisfied with it.

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Mr. FixIt was called in to substitute on the bowling team last night, so I was left home to enjoy the Big Red Chair and watch/listen to the fireplace video on YouTube. I’m making progress on the market bag I’m crocheting. I go to knitting group this morning. Unfortunately, my new 22-needle knitting machine is sitting inside the post office and it’s closed today for Martin Luther King Day. I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to get it. Bummer!

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I hope you had a good weekend and that you are staying warm this week. It’s going to be a cold one so be careful if you must go out!

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❄️

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”From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.“

\nJob 37:9-10 ESV\n
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#Cold, #Knitting, #ComfortFood

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/15/a-chilly-country-morning.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/12/a-maker-making.html", "title": "A Maker Making", "content_html": "\n
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From as long as I can remember, I’ve been a maker. I can remember my mom taking brown paper grocery sacks and cutting them open for artist canvases. I painted on them. I drew on them. I cut them up and made paper dolls and puppets. My imagination was a big as Texas and my mom encouraged me to follow my dreams.

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Art class was my favorite. Whether I was making something with popsicle sticks or gluing tissue paper to make a “stained glass window”…I was in my happy place. When I was in high school, Mom sent me to art lessons with an artist in my hometown. I still remember her studio located in her home. It had three walls of floor to ceiling windows. The light was perfect and it overlooked a beautiful flower garden I was in hog heaven.

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Over the years, I’ve picked up painting with pastels and acrylics. I’ve taught myself to knit and crochet and quilt. I’ve learned to smock dresses, sew clothes, and to turn silverware and antique maps into art jewelry. I can’t NOT be doing something with my hands. Writing is as much an art as any of the above and I pull my heart soul into all of it.

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I haven’t crocheted for years and suddenly picked it up before Christmas to make scrubbies as stocking stuffers. I’ve made a tote and half of another one. And now I’m working on this mesh market bag. The pattern said it can be done in three hours. Ha! I’ve worked about ten hours on it already and I’m just a fraction into it. I forgot how fun crocheting is. I can’t do it like knitting. I can knit while watching TV…I don’t have to look at it. That’s not the case with crochet. I have to keep my eyes on it. I suppose that’s not so bad, but it’s probably why I’m so slow at it. I stop and look at the TV and any time I’m not looking at the needle, I’m not working it.

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It was such a beautiful day yesterday. The sun was shining all day and it put a song in my heart. Mr. FixIt filled all the bird feeders for me and within moments my birdies came back full force. We have to find joy anywhere we can get it these days, whether its with a needle and yarn or a pair of cardinals and a chickadee or putting faces with names on a class page. It’s all good stuff.

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❄️

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”This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.“

\nPsalm 118:24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-12T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/12/a-maker-making.html", "tags": ["Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/08/cuteness-overload.html", "title": "Cuteness Overload", "content_html": "\n
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Bubby was pretty excited to get his Toy Story book with sound effects!

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Our day was full from start to finish. We had family time and went to our great grandson’s fourth birthday party. You know how those things are…you sit around the playground in a fast food restaurant, happy children screaming with delight, parents trying to talk over the cacophony, with nothing on the menu you can eat except a wrap with no meat and a kid’s portion of applesauce.

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It’s all worthwhile when your little guy flashes his sweetest smile and climbs up in your lap for a hug. Then, he stroked my long hair and stared into my eyes and said…”

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“What you name?” 

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I was taken aback. “It’s me, honey. It’s your Gigi.”

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He looked confused and kept playing with my hair. Finally his mama whispered, “It’s been a long time since he saw you with your hair down.”

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I got it! I pulled my hair back like a ponytail and his little face lit up like sunshine. He gave me a big hug and said, “Gigi!!!!”  🩵melt 

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Bless his little heart. 

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When the party was over, we ran a few errands then Mr. FixIt went to the bowling alley to visit his buddies. I came on home and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I turned the TV to YouTube and started the fireplace video. I’m working on another “Tote of Many Colors.” We have knitting group this morning, and I don’t have anything else scheduled for over a week!!! Who is excited to stay home? THIS GIRL!

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It’s hygge time! Time to get cozy and spend long days in my winter cozies in my Big Red Chair…creating something out of nothing for all you beautiful people. This is what gets me through the depth of the dark days…creating. And, knowing each day gets incrementally longer.

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❄️

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”You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.“

\nPsalm 74:17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-08T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/08/cuteness-overload.html", "tags": ["Family","Crafts","Hygge"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/06/its-my-rebirthday.html", "title": "It’s My Re-Birthday!", "content_html": "\n
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On January 6th every year I celebrate my re-birth day. This is the day I didn’t die. January 6, 2000 is the foundation upon which I have stacked every day since. The comparison of where I am now compared to where I was then is unbelievable. Sometimes I look back and it’s like all that happened to someone else. I don’t relive the events like I used to. I’m far less likely to share the whole story with new friends. It’s not who I am anymore.

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Looking back now with an understanding of my place somewhere on the autism spectrum, it’s no wonder I reacted the way I did when it happened. It was incredibly traumatic. If you want to read about it, I’ve posted it here in the past. Here’s one retelling, but I’ll not write about it again. I’ll just celebrate how far I’ve come. And, celebrate 24 years of sobriety.  https://www.marshmallowranch.com/the-pivoting-point/

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So, instead of dwelling on the not-so-good parts of the past, I asked my Mr. FixIt to go to the farm with me yesterday. Everything was in order. The table I was thinking might work, won’t. It wasn’t sturdy enough. I did bring home several bags of things my Aunt Peeps set aside for my Aunt Rosie. I went through it to make sure what was in it. Some of it goes to my uncle, and some to the step grandchildren of my aunt. And the rest goes to my cousin. 

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Since the table didn’t work out, we drove up to Harrisville to Arlo’s Antiques. They had two tables that would work. One was too expensive, and the other didn’t have a price so I need to call today and talk to the wife when she’s there. I would love that second table. It is so sturdy. It looks like something out of a chemistry lab. I have a feeling it’s going to be too spendy though. While we were there, we wandered around looking at everything and I found almost a complete two years’ worth of The Workbasket magazines. 

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I’ve been wanting to crochet a couple of doilies for the end tables we bought from an enterprising student from one of the local high schools. He buys things and fixes them up for resale. I think they’d be pretty with a big doily on it to protect the surface. I can’t remember if Mom got these or my Grandmother but I distinctly remember reading them every month. Between these and the Needleworks & Crafts magazines, my passion for all kinds of handwork was born.

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I need to get a hat and scarf made today to take to the Former Mrs. FixIt at our great grandson’s 4th Birthday Party tomorrow. I’ll also start another tote/basket and do that cooking I said I’d do yesterday! We’re hanging pretty close in case the weather gets dicey. Has it snowed where you are? Be safe out there!!!

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❄️

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”Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.“

\nProverbs 22:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-06T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/06/its-my-rebirthday.html", "tags": ["Family","Memories","Crafts","Healing","Mental Health"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/05/the-tote-is-done.html", "title": "The Tote is Done", "content_html": "\n
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I finished the tote Wednesday night and got to use it for the first time yesterday. Mr. FixIt wanted a new pair of shoes for his birthday so I told him we should head to town, go to the mall, then our to dinner at Mary B’s. I had a few things I needed to get at Sam’s…one of which was a large bottle of vodka to make more home brewed vanilla. I was afraid we would drop the bottle carrying it into the house, so I stuck it in the new tote I crocheted and it worked great. Very sturdy and I felt like, even if we dropped it, the tote is so thick and soft, it would have cushioned the blow. So, crochet for the win! I love the idea of “using it up”…in this case, about six skeins of yarn that I wasn’t going to use for anything else.

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I’m now going to keep my eyes open for yarn in garage sales and on FB Marketplace. I did have to buy two skeins of yarn yesterday to make a gift for someone special…the former Mrs. FixIt. I made a hat for her for Christmas, but the yarn I used didn’t have a lot of stretch so the hat was too tight. Now I’ll make one with this soft and stretchy yarn that will fit her. And, I’ll throw in a scarf to match. 

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While we were at dinner, I told Mr. FixIt that I would like to have a couple of days at The Farm. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been out there and I miss it. But now we have a winter storm heading our way this weekend, and I don’t want to get stuck out there. The bigger problem would be losing power. So, I’ll have to wait a while for my sabbatical. 

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I’m going to do a little cooking today. I have some bananas that are just pleading to be made into banana bread. I want to make some small loaves to freeze. Then I can deliver them to folks who may be shut in for one reason or another. I have chicken breasts defrosted to make Chicken Alfredo for supper. And, I have a pork roast to cut up in quarters. I’ll cook a quarter of it tomorrow and freeze the other three quarters for our make up Christmas dinner. 

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I think I’ll pull out some more yarn and start on another basket/tote. And start on the new hat and scarf. One of the gals who came to knitting group on Monday said, “You’re a really busy person, aren’t you?” Ohhhhhh, she has no idea. 

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☺️

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”Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,“

\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/05/the-tote-is-done.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/26/its-boxing-day.html", "title": "It’s Boxing Day!", "content_html": "\n
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I had never heard of Boxing Day till I lived in England. Boxing Day is the tradition of rich families giving boxes of food and presents to the poor. It ostensibly lay started when the servants of the rich people had to work on Christmas Day to serve the family and the guests during the holiday festivities. Now it has become a day to not only box up things for the poor, but to go to after Christmas sales and extend the holiday joy for an extra day.

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I’m all about spreading the joy and partaking of it generously myself whenever I can.  Mr. FixIt and I had a wonderful, quiet day yesterday with lots of phone calls to and from family members. And, even though we PROMISED there would be no presents underneath the tree, we couldn’t resist gifting a little something to each other. I knitted Mr. FixIt a warm woolen hat and gave him the movies he’s been wanting. I got a pair of warm gloves, a new bubble level for the camper (Mr. FixIt accidentally broke mine), some fishing lures I looked at this fall, and the movie Oppenheimer.

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I fixed a great big Christmas breakfast and we watched football most of the day. I finished the last hat for the kids for Christmas and made a couple more for the shop. Instead of working my tail off making Christmas Dinner, we had hamburgers and air-fried French fries. And, for my Christmas treat…I had a nice piece of the fudge with walnuts and one of the Rolo Pretzel cookies that I made this week. Yummy. As I savored it, I asked myself if this was something I would want to sit down and eat a whole plate full and the answer was a resounding “No, thank you!” It will be interesting to see if the sugar makes me feel any different because I haven’t had it in ages. I’ve come a long way. This time last year, my eating was really out of control. This feels better,

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I hope you all had as pleasant a day as you could manage. I’ve learned to lower my expectations of this day. In the past, I would strive for the perfect Hallmark holiday…something right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Nowadays, I strive to find peace in the gentle moments between loved ones. I strive to seek joy in the quiet stillness of my studio or the sound of raindrops on the roof of the camper. And that’s just what I did!

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It got up to 66° yesterday and it started raining in the evening. The low was supposed to get in the mid fifties, so I asked Mr. FixIt if he would mind if I went “camping.” Of course, he didn’t. If his back and hip weren’t bothering him, he would have come out with me. What a treat to camp on Christmas Day! I brought a little sack of fresh fruit to snack on. I turned on the electric blanket and the little space heater, kicked back in the new recliner with a blanket over my lap, and wrote this post. *sigh* The only happier happy place than this is The Farm, but it will be at least another week before I can go out there for a little R&R.

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This week will keep us hopping as we tidy up and prepare for our family gathering on Saturday. So, as soon as I write this, I’m going to turn on the “burning fireplace” video on YouTube and sit here and knit. I may have set my sights low for Christmas this year, but it sure didn’t disappoint. It was a really great day!

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”Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!“

\n2 Corinthians 9:15 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-26T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/26/its-boxing-day.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","Grace","Love","Be Joyful!","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/23/a-job-well-done.html", "title": "A Job Well Done!", "content_html": "\n
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I finished the last hat and scarf set yesterday and actually had a chance to sit down and relax with a little knitting of my own. I love knitting with Lion Brand’s Thick and Quick yarn. It’s super bulky so it knits up quick, and it’s super soft, warm, and washable. It ticks all the boxes for a cozy winter hat that will last for years and years.

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My tally for the year in knitting gifts is twenty-three hats, six hat and scarf sets, seventeen Christmas stockings, fourteen scrubbies, one pair of slippers, two pairs of socks, and a crocheted trivet. Not bad when you add in a king-sized quilt, two month-long camping trips, and mowing two farms. This between furnace repairs, a totaled car, and a new roof. It has been a REALLY busy year!!!

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I had to put the shop on vacation while I was doing the last big push to get this stuff finished because we got into that grey area where it was too close to Christmas to receive something on time. I certainly wouldn’t want someone to buy something and be disappointed that it didn’t arrive on time. I still made some sales on special orders, but for the most part, I’ve taken the month of December to just play with yarn.

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Now that the gifts are taken care of, I can get in the kitchen and start baking today. I went over to The Pig yesterday and got fresh flour. Mine had grown stale as I haven’t been baking nearly as much as I used to. I looked at my weight on a graph yesterday. One graph show just this year, and the other shows 2017-now. I had a huge weight gain between 2017 and February 2020. Those are the first years Mr. FixIt and I were together and set up housekeeping. I think the term is “fat and happy”. I baked and ate and baked some more. Then Covid struck and Mr. FixIt’s two strokes helped me feed my emotional eating machine till I finally got a handle on it in March.

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I think I am at a point where I can bake now without fear of “going off the wagon.” I’ve learned a lot about the “why” of eating and can easily enjoy fruit instead of dense sweets without feeling deprived. Because every once in awhile, I indulge in a goodie and don’t feel guilty about it. Life is too short…eat the cookie. Just not a dozen cookies, and maybe some fudge and sugared nuts, and brownies. All things in moderation.

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So that’s what I’ll do today. Bake…and feed the neighbors!

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🎄

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”“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”“

\nLuke 6:37-38 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/23/a-job-well-done.html", "tags": ["Health","Holiday","Baking","Crafts","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/22/getting-things-done.html", "title": "Getting Things Done", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday to my alarm that tells me when to put in my eye drops…long after I usually get up. I’ve been sleeping so soundly the last few months. I’ve never slept like this in my life and I attribute it to a combination of healthy eating, weight loss, and the mushroom coffee I’ve been drinking for the last nine months. I feel so good and when you sleep soundly, everything is in harmony.

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You know, I told you I wasn’t going to town again this year? Yeah, well that lasted till yesterday! Mr. FixIt had a prescription ready and I forgot to put blueberries on his list when he went to town on Wednesday. So I offered to buy him breakfast and then we could get the last things on the list and that would be it till after Christmas. (Crossing my fingers here!)

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We had a fun day together. A very late breakfast at Mary B’s set the stage. Their pancakes are pretty good. Not at good as Long Table’s Popcorn Pancakes, but still….pretty tasty! I treated myself to a little bacon with my pancakes and eggs. Hey, it’s Christmas, right? You can’t deny yourself the occasional indulgence.

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When we got home and I put things away, I headed to the studio to get some more gifts made. All the stockings for the West Virginia family are finished and filled. Hat and scarf sets are almost finished. The guys have hats and we’ll add to that at the after-Christmas sales. I want to make some quilted table runners so I’ll get to that today. Then I can sit down and just knit for fun!

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I always send my Colorado kids money, but I got gifts for the grands this year. I think they’ll love them! Kids get harder to buy for as they get older and money is always the perfect color and size! Next year, the Colorado peeps get handmade items like the WV family got this year. If you add the Colorado and West Virginia families together, we come up to 33 people! That’s a lot to make for every year. We’ve asked our kids to gift us experiences instead of stuff. We’d much rather have a dinner out with them than a tchotchke for the house or camper. We have everything we need. We need more time together. So that’s our wish…

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Time with family.

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🎄

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”Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.“

\nPsalm 127:3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/22/getting-things-done.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Gratitude","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/19/stitching-up-a-holiday-together.html", "title": "Stitching Up a Holiday Together", "content_html": "\n
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Showing off the new Slipper Socks!

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Knitting group was a lot of fun yesterday. We had a full house and lots of goodies to nibble on. One of the sweet ladies remembered I’m watching what I eat so she made this great dessert that tasted like a Creamsicle. It was made with sugar free orange Jello, sugar free instant vanilla pudding, mandarin oranges, and sugar free Cool Whip. It was SO good…a guilt free indulgence!

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We had lovely conversations and shared what we are currently working on. Then we exchanged little gifts. I got a crocheted scarf, a crocheted basket, five ornaments, a package of lavender bath salts, a pair of wool slipper socks, a pint of home canned bread and butter pickles, and a Russell Stover Chocolate Marshmallow Caramel Christmas Ornament. I never dreamed I would get so many sweet things from these beautiful ladies. I’ve really come to love them in the short time I’ve been gathering with them on Monday mornings.

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When we finally went our separate ways, I drove into town to pick up some things in town. I’ve been working away making things and needed to replenish my stores. Right now I’m crocheting scrubbies for stocking stuffers in WVU’s colors. I also finished another Christmas Stocking. I’m having a ton of fun and not feeling a bit of stress over the holidays. 

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We’ve been getting snow squalls off and on since yesterday. And we are now up to eight people who caught Covid at our class dinner on the 8th. We are praying no one gets seriously ill and no one else comes down with it. It looks like I don’t need to go anywhere for the rest of the week so I am quite content here at home with my baking and my projects!

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Are you all getting last minute preparations completed? If you are in bereavement, I hope you’re enjoying what you can while practicing good self care. Just breathe, my lovelies…we’ll get through this. And if we make some memories…that’s a bonus!

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🎄

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”Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.“

\nProverbs 13:20 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/19/stitching-up-a-holiday-together.html", "tags": ["Fun","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/16/every-day-brings-sweetness.html", "title": "Every Day Brings Sweetness", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt was already gone when I got up yesterday morning. I yawned and stretched. What was that sound that woke me. I listened closer and could hear voices and the sound of metal against metal. Ahhhh…the roofer dudes were back gathering the scrap from their roofing job. They cleaned up well, but we’ll still have to run the magnet over the lawn to check for nails. I heard them drive off and I got up to start my day.

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I padded into the kitchen to put the kettle on while I dressed. I had no plans outside of working on the last of the Christmas gifts. The house was peaceful and quiet as I took my morning cuppa and headed downstairs to my “studio.” It’s vastly different than my first studio in Colorado. That one was on the second floor of my little farmhouse on top of the hill. One wall was filled with large windows and my view of the elk grazing on Mount Medaris always thrilled me. 

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Once we get the extra bedroom cleared out and the ceiling repaired from an old leak, I think I’ll set my studio up in there. It has windows on two sides and I’d love to have the natural light. But for now, I am grateful to carve out a space where I can work and not have to put it all away at the end of the day. Right now that corner of the basement looks like a tornado went through it. 

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I managed to get five hats done yesterday. I still need to make some more Christmas stockings and get things out in the mail. I’m hoping they’ll arrive before Christmas, but if not, it’ll be the gift that keeps on giving. I was downstairs working when my sweetheart came home. He went to town to get his truck inspected and we are now officially a two vehicle family again! Now I’ll be able to go out to The Farm for a little R&R…probably after the holidays. 

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My brother called me a couple of weeks ago and asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him he really didn’t need to buy me anything, but I’d love it if he sent me a Christmas card with a nice newsy letter in it. He used to write me the nicest letters. I still have them. Sometimes they would be three or four pages long…front and back, handwritten in his careful cursive. He always signed them, “Your brother,” and his first, middle, and last names. They always warmed my heart. 

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I’ve known he’s slowly going downhill. We all are. But when I saw his writing, I could see how much. It doesn’t stop me from being his biggest cheerleader and giving him every ounce of love I can. He owns the biggest part of my heart and always will. 

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Mr. FixIt is picking up a buddy today to go to a lunch with his old work buddies. I’ll get a couple packages wrapped and mailed out this morning and get back to work on the Christmas stockings. I think I’ll make some loaves of Cranberry Walnut Bread to take to knitting group on Monday. That will make the house smell so good.

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‘Tis the Season to be Jolly!

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🎄

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”Let all that you do be done in love.“

\n1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/16/every-day-brings-sweetness.html", "tags": ["Family","Aging","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/15/nailed-it.html", "title": "Nailed It!", "content_html": "\n
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Have you ever seen those posts online where they show something really cute that someone made and someone else tries to make it and it just turns out abysmal? Well, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I try not to mess up…but man, I sure did yesterday! I made those little Christmas stockings earlier in the week by altering a pattern for a larger size. I thought they were maybe a little bit too small, so I decided to make the original size.

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It took me four hours to make the components and put them together. When I finished the first one, I really didn’t like it, but I had the pieces of the other one made so I went ahead. Then, when I turned it right side out, all I could do is laugh. I attached the heel all the way around and the toe made a cup. It was so ridiculous. 

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Some days are like that. You try your best and things still don’t work out. I could have been upset or moped around about it, but what good would that do? I could have gone downstairs and made more stuff, but being tired and maybe a little disappointed in the lost efforts would not have helped. In fact, it might have just made matters worse. So, I put it away and sat in the living room with Mr. FixIt and watched old MONK reruns and Thursday Night Football. 

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All is right with the world and there’s always tomorrow. I put my Etsy shop on vacation mode till after the first of the year. It was getting too close to Christmas to guarantee on-time deliveries and I need a break with my family and friends. I’ll still be here, writing my posts. But..there may be some days when I share something from the archives. My theme for this holiday season is to keep it low key. No stress, no last minute rushing around. Just listen to my intuition and go where it takes me. 

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That sounds like a lot more fun, doesn’t it?

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🎄

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”The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.“

\nPsalm 37:23-24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/15/nailed-it.html", "tags": ["Family","Holiday","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/14/a-day-in-the-studio.html", "title": "A Day in the Studio", "content_html": "\n
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It’s been a long time since I could sit in my studio and just create whatever I wanted. I ended up making some Christmas gifts… attaching prayers and love to every stitch. Mr. FixIt was in town so the house was quiet. I was cozy in my little corner of the basement. The stove was glowing, soft music in the background, a hot mug of tea at the ready. My workspace is beginning to look like a tornado blew through it. Such is the life of the creative with ADHD.

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I’ve been making Christmas stockings, hats, scarves, and slippers in the studio. Then I place the pieces in a basket and spend the hours after supper, sitting in the big red chair carefully assembling them while Mr. FixIt watches his shows. Sometimes I listen in, but if it’s a western or a shoot ‘em up show, I put on my headphones and listen to thunder storms in the background.

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One of our readers posted that she’s been making divinity candy. My Grandmother Roush used to make divinity every Christmas. I remember Mom making it once, but it didn’t turn out like Grandmother’s so she never tried again. I’ve never made it myself, but I’m lining up my recipes for my Holiday Baking Extravaganza next week and I might give it a try. I just found this YouTube video from Come Sit at my Table. He makes it look pretty easy. You can see his video here. [youtu.be/XzCDVlCkw...](https://youtu.be/XzCDVlCkwcI?si=0x9z37V4K19sORda)     I’m going to make some English Toffee, Fudge, Sugared nuts, and those little Rolo Pretzels that I always make. Oh, and I’m thinking of trying my hand at Souther Pecan Pralines. Do any of you have a foolproof cookie/candy recipe you’d like to share? Have any of you made pecan pralines?

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We won’t be having our family Christmas gathering till the 30th. Everyone has places to go

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I do have good news about my eyes. The doctor put punctal  plugs in on Monday. The drops she has be on has reduced the inflammation and my vision is much clearer. And, I can work without my eyes feeling like there’s sand in them. That is such a relief. I kept thinking I had cataracts or something. As long as I follow the regimen she has me on, I think I’ll do fine.

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I’m thinking of offering some of my handmade items in my Etsy shop. Everyone loves having something handmade, and it would mean a lot to me to make things people love. I’ll be posting some items soon.

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🎄

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”By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”“

\nJohn 13:35 ESV\n
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Doing a little shopping…for little bananas? Have you ever eaten one of these? What’s the point?

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Mr. FixIt and I are together all the time. We love to be together and enjoy the same things for the most part. And, every once in awhile, I need a day that I can take just for me. I do that at The Farm whenever I can, but I seldom get a day to myself in town. Our trips to town usually entail one or both of us having an appointment or shopping. I had an appointment yesterday for my eyes and Mr. FixIt had the roofers at the house, so I went alone after knitting group. 

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I got up too late to have breakfast before knitting so I stopped at my favorite diner…Mary B’s. Pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Knowing how and when and what to eat is easier when you’re writing everything down and keeping track, but it gets tougher when I get in the driver’s seat.  I’m getting down to the end of the Noom course and I made an executive decision to renew for another six months. Winter is my nemesis when it comes to eating and I want to be sure I can get through without regaining the weight I’ve lost.

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I didn’t wander around town as much as I thought I would. I did go to Michael’s to check out their sales and picked up a few things. Throw in a quick stop at the store and to pick up Chinese food for supper and I was home well before dark. The roofers are winding up their job and it looks great! This roof ought to last us the rest of our lives. Isn’t that a sobering thought? I remember the first time we put a roof on a house back in 1990. We had our whole lives ahead of us. And now…two husbands later, we’re putting (hopefully) the last one. 

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I knew we were going to get old someday. I just thought it would take longer to get here. Not that I’m OLD, mind you. Age is just a number and I hear 70 is the new 50. It breaks my heart to see my contemporaries getting sick and dying. All the more reason to not wait to visit people. Call your friends when they come to mind. Add it to your calendar to check in. We don’t know when we’ll run out of chances.

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I’ll get to stay home the rest of the week and I’m knee deep in holiday gift making. I may even start on some of the baking and candy making. Have you all started making things or am I really late to the party? I’ve been looking at toffee and pralines recipes. Doesn’t that sound yummy? What’s your favorite treat to make for the holidays?

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🎄

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”A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.“

\nProverbs 17:17 ESV\n
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The other day, one of my besties…Gail…posted that she got a circular knitting loom and it’s a game changer. Not wanting to be left out, I started researching them. At the same time, one of the gals at knitting group told us she had one and went home to get it. She gave us a demonstration and I was sold. I ordered one online and it arrived Friday Afternoon. We had the Class Christmas Dinner Friday night so I had to wait till yesterday to play with it.

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Right out of the box, I’ll tell you it was great fun. I can knit a lot faster and it doesn’t hurt my wrists. I made two hats. Then I experimented with different yarns. It definitely doesn’t like the fancy yarns, but it did a really nice job with worsted weight. I can actually make handmade things with this that I can sell in my Etsy shop so keep an eye out for that.

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The knitting loom certainly doesn’t take the place of hand knitting. I pulled out the Christmas stocking I started last year and wondered if maybe I could make them on the loom. I found a pattern and tried it. OMGosh! Y’all…it was HUGE! I’ll have to tell Mr. FixIt it’s MY stocking and he gets to fill it! lol I wish I would have knitted more on the stockings this year. I may have to wait till next year to gift them.

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We woke up to rain yesterday morning and that took care of the roofing job till next week. The guys came out to seal around the exhaust pipes and clean the gutters so the rain wouldn’t wash debris down the storm drains. Mr. FixIt is one of the most gregarious people I’ve ever met. People seem to be drawn to him and he can talk to anyone. The owner of the construction company came out with the workers and visited with us for a good hour. He and his dad did some work on this house back in the early ‘80s and they know a lot of the same people. 

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Actually, after living here for seven years, I’m finally running into people I know in our little town and I love it! Mr. FixIt isn’t the only gregarious person in the family, I guess. I hope you are enjoying the weekend and taking some time for yourselves. Remember, you can’t fill anyone else’s cup if yours is empty!

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🎄

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”“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.“

\nJob 6:14 ESV\n
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I don’t take off and go to town by myself as much as I used to. So, when I had a coffee scheduled with my gal-pals from high school, I took advantage of the occasion and made a day of it. There were eight of us at coffee and it was so good to get to see each one of them. We missed the ones who couldn’t be with us, but a good time was had by all who attended.

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We used to meet at the Blennerhassett Hotel in downtown Parkersburg, but the hotel went through a major renovation a couple of years ago and the space we used to meet in was converted to more tables for the restaurant. It’s a real shame because I so love that historic hotel. The ambience is rich and decadent and makes you feel like Queen for the Day.

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Instead, we gather in the meeting room of a local coffee shop. The room is a glassed in sunroom with a table that easily seats twelve. That is usually plenty of room for us, even though the menu is a tad pricey. I had a Steamer, which is nothing more than the steamed milk of your choice. I only drink almond milk now but for some reason, I decided to try soy. I really didn’t like it. And at $5, I think I’ll just order hot water next time. Or, maybe we’ll find another place for variety.

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We always find someone in the shop to take a group photo before people start leaving. Once the photo was taken, we started saying out goodbyes. Some of the gals decided to go over to “The Blenny” to see the trees on display so I tagged along. Different companies sponsor trees and the talents of the Mid Ohio Valley come out in a big way. Then, after the trees have been up for a couple of weeks, they are auctioned off for charity. I really enjoyed going with Sue and Brenda and Emily.

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Once we parted ways, I headed out to do a little shopping. We won’t be having the family Thanksgiving at our house this year. Our family Thanksgiving dinner will be at the Former Mrs. FixIt’s house on Sunday. One can’t have enough turkey at this time of year, and Mr. FixIt LOVES his turkey. I went to Sam’s and they didn’t have fresh turkeys. I’ve always had good luck with the turkeys at Walmart so I bought a little ten pound bird and some of the trimmings. That will satisfy my sweetheart and we’ll have plenty of leftovers.

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One of the things I always get at Sam’s is their ground turkey. I love to make my own turkey sausage with it. I mix two pounds of the ground turkey and add the sausage seasoning I buy at the Pig. I don’t think I added quite enough last time so I’m hoping this time it will be a little spicier. I fry the patties till they are almost done, then I package them with my vacuum Food Saver in servings of two and freeze them. Then, when I’m ready to make a hearty breakfast, all I have to do is pop the frozen packet in hot water and boil them. That finishes cooking the patties and they’re ready in about fifteen or twenty minutes.

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We’ll watch church online this morning, then enjoy each other’s company and watch football. I can knit and relax before the busyness of the week takes over. I hope your holiday plans include some self-care, too. You deserve it!

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🍁

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““Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.”

\nLeviticus 23:3 ESV\n
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No ad today. Have a blessed day!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/19/a-selfcare-day.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/07/self-indulgence-or-self-care.html", "title": "Self Indulgence or Self Care?", "content_html": "\n
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Sometimes you just have to do it. It isn’t selfish to do something just for you. It’s healthy, and something I wish I would have learned a lot earlier in my life. I joined the craft group at one of the local churches yesterday morning. And by morning I mean 9:00AM. Ok, it was 10:00AM to my body, but still… I don’t usually get moving around much before that and I’ll never schedule an early morning appointment in town if I can help it. I spent all my life either getting up at the crack of dawn for work or for kids. I don’t do it if I don’t have to.

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There were only three of us there, plus a woman who is part of the lay ministry there. She’s thinking of getting back into crocheting. I originally met one of the gals in the Post Office this summer just before we left on the big Colorado trip. We got to talking about crafts and I asked if there was a group that meets. She said yes and invited me to join them. I told her I had to wait till the summer travel season was over but then I definitely would come!

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One was working on a crochet project. And the other was using a round loom to make slippers. I worked on the afterthought heel on that pair of socks I started at the beach in April! I did NOT get much knitting done this year. Between the king sized quilt, the wedding, camping, mowing…well, you get it. I’ve been busy. So yesterday was a much needed break to chat with other women.

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It’s fun getting to fellowship with other women, especially those who live in our community. I’ve lived here for six years and I’m only just beginning to recognize people at the grocery store. I love hearing their stories and watching their projects. It’s also a great way to learn about the little town we live in. There are so few opportunities to do this. I’m still going to check into doing something at the senior center. 

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It’s not that I’m lacking in things to do. When I got home from knitting, I tackled the pile of documents that I set aside to be dealt with this week. We have to go to town today for Mr. FixIt’s follow-up appointment for covid. I have a list of things that I need to do… get the oil changed and tires rotated, get the truck inspected and the new tags, and get the transmission flushed. These are all things that get put off till mowing season is over. And thank goodness it is!

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Are you having trouble with the time change? I was sitting in the family room yesterday along about 5:00. I looked at my husband and asked, “Is it time for bed yet???” He just laughed, but he agreed it felt a LOT later than it was. That’s also because I woke up at 4:30 yesterday morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I hate that. I go through periods where I sleep like the dead, then there are others where I toll and turn all night. Maybe it’s the moon!

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I think I’ll hit the family room hard when we get back from town and get that camping gear downstairs. (No, it didn’t go anywhere…I was taking care of a sick hubby.) If I get a good portion of that done, I might be able to go to the farm for a couple of days and work on the fast internet.

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When it was time for supper, I asked my sweetheart what he wanted. He’s never really sure, but since he’s had Covid, his appetite comes and goes. He wasn’t on top of his game yesterday, so I told him I had some chicken and I could make Chicken Parmesan if thought that sounded good. He perked right up and said YES. It was SO easy. I pounded a huge chicken breast with a tenderizing tool. I dipped it flour then beaten egg, then Italian style Panko break crumbs, back into the egg, and finished with panko. I sautéed it in an iron skillet till the breading was getting crispy. I topped it with just enough Italian Sausage Spaghetti Sauce to cover it. You don’t want to cook tomato sauce in an iron skillet. The acid works on the cast iron and gives an awful metallic taste. I covered it lightly with a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and popped it into a preheated 350° oven for about 25-30 minutes. I cooked some spaghetti al dente, topped it with half the chicken on each plate and sprinkled parmesan over it. OMGosh! It was as good or better than any restaurant. Mr. FixIt did everything but lick the plate clean so I think it passed his approval. It’s definitely good for company!

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So, that was my Monday. A good start to a good week!

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🍁

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“Give us this day our daily bread,”

\nMatthew 6:11 ESV\n
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Ho Ho Ho! Cute little Santa to brighten your tree!

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Shop Now and Support my Small Business…please and thank you!!!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-07T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/07/self-indulgence-or-self-care.html", "tags": ["Fun","Crafts","Friends","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/16/more-surprises.html", "title": "More Surprises!", "content_html": "\n
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Playing with the light. “Wedding Pumpkin on Knitting”

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I got home from my camping trip in the late afternoon. Mr. FixIt was so glad to see me, but he was so stoved up from putting in the new garage door on Thursday that he could barely move. This frustrates him tremendously because he is a real go getter. But, between the two mini strokes and the back pain of the last three years, he’s gotten way out of the habit of working that hard. So he’s going to pay for it for the next couple of days, I’m afraid. I don’t mind doing all the hooking up and unhooking anyway. It keeps my skills sharp and it’s good exercise.

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My lovely book from one of our readers….Knit, Pray, Share!

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After the news, I drove over to our little village and checked the Post Office Box and there was a package from one of our readers. She and I had discussed the merits of knitting. She bought a book to learn from and decided it had my name written all over it so she popped it in the mail for me! What a kind gesture. I am going to save it to read on our camping trip next week as I sit on the banks of the Ohio River.

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Hand knitted slippers with a Wedding Pumpkin and Apple.

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Gail gave me a pair of slippers she knitted for me to wear in the camper to keep my toes warm during these chilly fall evenings. The last three nights have been in the mid to low 40’s! That makes for good sleeping weather if you have enough blankets. I also have the electric blanket on the bed so I was toasty warm. It’s crazy…the first night camping I just had the windows open. The second night I had the AC on! Then the last three were “three dog nights!” As I was preparing to leave the campground yesterday, here came Gail with the most beautiful potted mums! I’ll take pictures today and post them tomorrow.

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Chicken in the Woods. This is actually an edible fungus. There are recipes! Yeah….that’s a big nope from me. That looks like something my grandma told me to stay away from. lol

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I stopped at the Pig when I was in town and picked up some fresh ginger root. Gail and Jan both have Ginger and Honey Tea every morning and that just sounded delightful. Not to be left out…I got some for myself and I’ll let you know what I think. 

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Another one of Gail’s misty morning photos. “The Grande Dame!” A stately old sycamore tree in the campground.

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I was thrilled to get home and find the kitchen exactly as I left it! Mr. FixIt is awesome! And now I’m whupped. I’ll write more tomorrow!

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?

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“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

\n1 Peter 4:10 ESV\n
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It’s nothing to write home about. We ate, knitted, and enjoyed each other’s company. A friend we hadn’t seen in a long time came by to visit. The other two gals who are camping with us showed up midafternoon. We caught up with each other’s stories. Michelle and Lynn hadn’t been here since the campground was reopened after the reclamation project was completed so they were in awe at the thousands of trees that were planted. I learned something new. The trees they removed during the reclamation project were non native species and they’ve replaced them with trees native to Ohio. Thinking ahead for the generations to come. What a novel approach. You don’t see that so much anymore.

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The only bit of excitement was something electrical with my camper. Well, not the camper itself, but I came back in after visiting over coffee and there was no electric in the camper. I went out and checked and worked around and finally figured out my surge protector finally bit the dust. I looked online and discovered those things should be replaced every 3-5 years and I’ve had this one for 10 years so it was way past its life expectancy. We checked online and Gail could get a delivery as soon as tomorrow so I went ahead and ordered a new one.

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What did we do before the conveniences of today? When I went in the big box store on Sunday to pick up some last minute items, I noticed an area full of totes with groceries in them. There were several people pushing carts around the store, filling the baskets from shopping lists so people can just drop by and pick up their items. This one of the things that came with Covid and I think it’s going to stick.

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Today is more of the same. Gosh…I love camping!!!

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?

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“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”

\nProverbs 27:9 NLT\n
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I love the softness of a light scarf to wrap around your shoulders. Fashion and function is the name of the game for me anymore.

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Shop Now

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Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

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This was one of those days where I had a clear goal in mind, but in order to achieve it there were several things that needed doing first. The biggest tie up was chatting with Verizon. Since our internet service is so dicey out here, I depend on the cell service to access the internet a lot of the time. They told me there are notes on our area and they are “working on the problem” but they couldn’t give a time line or explain exactly what the problem is. “But rest assured, we are working on it.” Right. I’ve lived here for five years. It used to be better before the pandemic. Then it just got crappy and it hasn’t improved a bit.

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They asked me to update my phone…she would be happy to wait on the line. Just tell her when it’s finished. I laughed. “Ok. But, you do know this is why I’m contacting you, right? Sometimes an update can take four or five hours.” “Oh.” Yeah…oh. I dutifully set the update to download and it only took 45 minutes! Awesome! She was long gone by that time, of course. But she said just to resume the chat and someone would pick up.

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Sure enough…Alex came onboard. He wondered if I would make a phone call to see if the update made a difference. I complied. It did not. The reception still cut in and out. He asked me to hold which I happily did as I was also working on the computer. He finally came back and told me he was sending a special kind of order that signaled they couldn’t help me through troubleshooting and “someone will be calling soon.” I’m not holding my breath, Alex…but your sure were kind about the whole thing.

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One of my long time Colorado besties contacted me last week and asked if I was still doing punch needle embroidery. I sold some supplies for it in my needlework shop a million years ago, and Barbara got into it big time. She got me excited about it in 2015. I, in my true Gemini fashion, went out and bought ALL the things. Needles, threads, fabric, frames…the works. And…it is still in the bag I brought them home in. I’ve moved twice since then! I have good intentions, y’all. I really do. But there are SO many things!

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Barbara’s beautiful punch needle embroidery. The piece on the left is mounted on wood from a leaf of her grandmother’s dining room table that was beyond repair. Her brother cut the shape for her.

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I informed Barbara I still had all the things and they were pristine since I hadn’t done a thing with them. It turns out, these needles are harder and harder to find and she has daughters-in-love that want to learn so she offered to buy them from me. Yes!!! Now they can go to someone who will used them and I won’t feel so guilty that I’ve wasted money on something that’s just sitting in the back room. Win-Win!!!

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Between Verizon and my friend Barbara, I spent hours on the phone and didn’t make much headway with the trip planning. Mr. FixIt popped his head in the office to tell me he was running to town to get gas for the mower. I asked if I could come along because I needed a break. The day was beautiful. It didn’t get hot, so when we got home, I decided to grill our supper. I had two large portobello mushrooms and stopped for corn and a tomato on our way home. I grilled the mushrooms with a marinade made of butter, lemon infused olive oil, bread dipping spice blend, and Tabitha Brown’s Sunshine Seasoning. Oh, it tasted SO good!!! I did eat it in a sandwich which was the first bread I’ve had in weeks. I was really looking forward to it, but the bread tasted awful to me. Bland and gummy. I don’t miss it one bit. The corn is getting better and better as the year progresses.

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Today is another appointment in town and you know what that means…it’ll turn into an all day ordeal. At least the weather is supposed to be comfortable. I think we’ll go shopping and get Mr. FixIt something nice for the wedding. I’m picturing a nice sports coat in a light tan color with a white shirt and his grey dress pants. He cleans up good! 

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?

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“But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”

\n1 Corinthians 14:40 NIV\n
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I created these boots with Little and Daughter #2 in mind. They are cheerful and something fun to brighten up the dreariest of days!

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The pattern is called “Disappearing Pinwheel” and the quilting pattern is called “Baptist Fan.”

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After sleeping on it, I finally figured out which way was up on the quilt so I sewed the label on it yesterday morning and I was done! Then I couldn’t stop looking at it and taking pictures of it. I finally took it outside and hung it across the clothes line on the front porch. I’m kinda proud of myself that I started AND finished a project! It only took eight months!!!

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I was thrilled to see the scale go down again yesterday morning. I’m now down 10 pounds since April 26th! Yay!!! Eating is feeling more like joy and less like deprivation. I get more food than I can get down most days.

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I mowed the yard in the mid afternoon and I was really glad we have the use of an old John Deere tractor here at the farm. It was mighty hot but the job went quickly. I walked around a lot yesterday and took pictures. I went on walks up and down the road and identified trees and weeds and wildflowers. I saw a new bird but it was fleeting so I’m not sure what it was. It was beautiful.

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I was sitting on the porch taking pictures of the quilt in an old chair when something caught my eye. The Broadhead Skink that visited Wednesday was back again. Then later I felt something on my leg and found this American Dog Tick scurrying along my leg! Yikes! I did a couple loads of laundry…some of my clothes and I stripped the bed and washed the blankets. Things get really musty here. I’ll turn the dehumidifiers on before I leave. We had that brief rain shower on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to soak in. The ground is actually cracking.

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I worked a little on the shop late yesterday afternoon, but decided to put it away and pick it up again this morning when I’m fresh. I haven’t had time to devote to it and I actually forgot how to do a couple of things. But it’s like riding a bike…it came back to me pretty quickly. I’ll work till midday then I’ll head home to my sweetheart. I miss him when I’m away for too long!

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So, that’s a wrap for May. Welcome, June! My Birthday MONTH!!!

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?

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“A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

\nProverbs 21:2 NIV\n
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We all need to find hope. This would make a perfect gift when someone needs the encouragement that Scripture so freely gives.

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-06-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/06/01/ta-da-im-finally-finished.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/31/almost-finished-with-the-quilt.html", "title": "Almost Finished with the Quilt!", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday morning, prepared to work on the quilt while I waited for the guy to come hook up the fiber optic phone line. It was about 7:30. I was enjoying the birds singing all around the house when suddenly…I remembered something vitally important. My sewing needles were in my knitting bag…in the truck…at home. Oy! I looked at the time and thought I’d wait a bit before I called Mr. FixIt to see if he might run them out to me.

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I waited till 8:30 to call and even then, I woke him up. I hated that, but the neighbors here were already working and I really needed to finish that quilt! I asked ever so sweetly and added an offer to fix him breakfast, which he gladly took me up on. Within an hour, he was here and saved the day. We had breakfast out on the front porch and before he could get it together to head to town, the phone guy came.

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The outside wiring was already finished. All he needed to do was hook up the modem inside and do the paperwork. I did a speed test when I first woke up so I could see what we were getting on the old line. Comparatively, this fiber optic system is like a rocket! I put it to the test by backing up my iPhone. It took six minutes. SIX MINUTES! That’s crazy! At home, if it updates at all, it takes HOURS. Mr. FixIt shook his head and told the repairman he would never get me to stay home now! lol

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This new foray into speedy downloads has shown me one thing for sure…we need to do something about the internet at Marshmallow Ranch. The service provider here at the farm is Armstrong. At home, it’s Frontier. Armstrong has been working on stringing fiber optic cable in their service area for the last few years. Frontier has done nothing. And, one company cannot work in the other company’s area. So…there has to be a viable alternative.

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I am not a fan of Elon Musk, the man. But he does have some brilliant ideas and one was Starlink. I don’t like what it’s done to the night sky, but I like writing this blog and I can’t spend four or five hours a day trying to get our S-L-O-W internet to upload photos. When we were camping at Leith Run last week, there was a couple who live in their fifth wheel full time. They use Starlink and love it. It works everywhere they go and the speed is great.

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There are several packages available through Starlink. The home system has a waiting list. But the RV system is portable and you can use it at home or on the road. So I’m going to check into that and get rid of Frontier altogether. And, if the speed is what they say it is, we can ditch satellite TV and just stream through Starlink. We could end up saving money monthly and break even in a year from the investment of buying the setup equipment. I’ll let you know what I learn about it.

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Once the service guy was gone, Mr. FixIt went on to town to help his friend Joe fix a broken door. I sat down with the quilt in my lap and started stitching the binding over the edge by hand. It took seven hours and my wrist have just about had it. I wanted to sew the label on but I looked in my knitting bag and could not find my measuring tape. So that part will have to wait till I get home.

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Close up of the binding. I’m using invisible stitches. I love the little stripes in the fabric.

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I need to mow here at the farm today, then I can sit down with my laptop and get some work done on Marshmallow Ranch Designs. I want to take advantage of this high speed internet and compare how much more I can get done. Oh, and the diet is continuing to work. After a plateau of sorts, I’ve dropped weight the last three days in a row! Noom taught me to eat more regularly and include my snacks, which I was kind of passing on. As soon as I did that, the weight started going down. The weather has been gorgeous this week!

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?

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“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

\nJames 1:5 NIV\n
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When I was a girl, the patio furniture had cushions covered in barkcloth depicting tropical plants and flowers. I can’t see this prints without thinking of sitting on the patio at my friend’s house, sipping on some sweet tea.

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-31T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/31/almost-finished-with-the-quilt.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/30/when-theres-fog-on-the.html", "title": "When There’s Fog on the Hill There’s Water in the Mill", "content_html": "\n
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My grandma had a million sayings. She had a saying for everything. Some were old timey Appalachian sayings handed down through the generations. Other’s were colloquial…a turn of phrase she’d heard from a neighbor or someone at church. Then there were things she just made up. I never knew which was which and have often been taken aback when I’ve heard others say something I was sure was a Grandma-ism.

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When you hear “When there’s fog on the hill, there’s water in the mill”…what does it mean to you? Have you heard it before? Did your grandparents have sayings that fit daily occurrences? Do you still use them? I’d be interested to hear from you because it couldn’t have just been MY family who spoke in such a fashion.

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I finally got the binding put together and sewn to the quilt yesterday. I folded it up neatly and packed up the car for a couple of day’s retreat at the farm. That way I can sit and hand stitch the binding when I fold it over the rough edge of the quilt. I’ll be sitting here anyway waiting for the phone guy to come hook up the fiber optic cable. 

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Once I put my groceries away, I went out on the porch with my second cup of RYZE. I was enjoying listening to the birds (and watching for snakes) when I heard a small “bleating sound”. I looked in the direction from which it came, and standing there as sweet as could be was the tiniest little fawn. Right on the edge of the lawn by the creek. I reached around for my phone gently so I would scare the little thing. But before I could take a good picture, it moved under the flowering quince bushes. A little while later, mama stuck her head out to see what was going on then she too faded into the underbrush.

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It is amazing how lush and green everything is right now. Not long after the little fawn went under the bush, the sky opened up and we had a really hard rain for about 20 minutes. It’s like a tropical rainforest here. And the birds! It’s a chorus of birdsong here. Even though there is a two-lane blacktop road that passes in front of the farm, I have to say it is much quieter here than it is at home, so the birds singing is just a delight to listen to.

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I’ll stay here for a couple of days until I get the binding finished on the quilt. If I did it at home, there would be something else to do that would steal me away from the task and before you know it, I could be stitching on the way to the wedding! Once I get this done, I’ll mow then I can go home and see what else I can get into! There is always…ALWAYS something to do here on Marshmallow Ranch!!!

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?

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“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.””

\nJames 4:13-15 NIV\n
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The flowers have been so beautiful this spring here in West Virginia. This sweet apron will remind me of summer’s abundance when I’m working in the kitchen come winter!

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Shop Now

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Look! We have Redbud AND Dogwood!

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I finished the quilt top! It was supposed to have two borders, but it was getting SO big, I decided to just do a four inch border in the same color as the white in the blocks. Honestly, I just didn’t have it in me to spend one more hour on it. Have you ever had projects like that? I had to force myself to keep at it till it was done. I have finally learned to say… “It’s good enough!” I never set out to win a blue ribbon. I just wanted to make a quilt that they will love and see that it’s not any more perfect than I am. I can’t wait to see it when it comes from the quilter!

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When I finished with the quilt, I sat down to try and figure out what’s going on with my computer and it finally dawned on me. I’ve been downloading a boatload of graphics for my designs and I have just about maxed out the hard drive. And it’s a 1TB disk! If you don’t know what that means, my desktop has millions of times more storage capacity than the first Apollo mission. I don’t need to download all this stuff…I was just like a kid in a candy store. All I need to do is go look for what I need when I need it!

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Mr. FixIt went to see his buddies at the bowling alley last night. Even though he doesn’t bowl with them anymore, he needs the socialization and I’ve been happy to see him enjoying himself with his friends. He works so hard here at home and for his friends and family…he deserves all the fun time he can get. We are both really looking forward to our beach vacation. Now that the quilt is out of the way, I can focus on getting the house cleaned and our bags packed.

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I’ll never forget the first time I went to the beach with Mr. FixIt. I packed like I was traveling around the world for three months! Well, probably not that bad, but I had my biggest suitcase stuffed to the gills plus lots of clothes on hangers. We had a big tote with kitchen things and even took food down with us. It took forever to carry things up to the second floor where our condo is and, of course…what goes up must come down, right? We were exhausted by the time we were done.

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Since Mr. FixIt had those two strokes back in 2020, we’ve packed lighter and lighter every year. Honestly, we hardly need any clothes because we have laundry facilities in our condo. There are grocery stores down there so we don’t have to mess with the heavy cooler. And we end up mostly eating a big breakfast and then sandwiches the rest of the time. Maybe pizza. We always go out for seafood one time when we’re down there. So, I think we’ll just make it a game and see how light we can go. We’ve been watching the weather app to see what is happening at the beach next week and it’s not looking good. There are only a couple of days when the sun is predicted to come out and the weather is much warmer this week that it will be next week. So we will have to take some warm clothes with us. But we always say…any day at the beach is a good day. 

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The first time I ever saw the ocean was when I flew over it in my move to England. We visited the English coast from time to time, but none of that was like going to the beach. The first time I saw a real beach was when Hubby #2 was interviewing for internship. We were in Maine and it was a rocky beach and SO cold! But we had a good time walking around and picking up shells. But I’d never had a real beach vacation till Mr. FixIt took me to the Outer Banks.

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We just have a few more days to get things done and off we go!

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?

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“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

\nPsalms 16:11 NIV\n
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“Be Kind”

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Shop Now

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“There was fog after yesterday’s rain.”

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OMGosh! Y’all…I got all the rows pieced together yesterday and half the borders cut! I would have continued to work on it, but bending over the pool table to work for any length of time hurts my back. I’ll have it finished on Monday and take it to the quilt shop to get it quilted. It should be ready in time for the wedding. I told Mr. FixIt that I’m NEVER going to make such a complicated pattern again. And…folks may have to get by with quilted wall hangings from now on!

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My grandma made very few quilts that were actually quilted. I remember as a very young child, there was a quilt on her old quilting frame that she rolled up at night and stuck in the corner of the dining room. Then when the neighbor ladies came, she propped the frame up on the backs of dining room chairs. They sat around the quilt and everyone had a hand at quilting it. Grandma even let me take a few stitches. I was thrilled and I’m sure that’s where I got the quilting bug. 

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My mom always had McCall’s Needlework & Crafts Magazines around the house. I don’t know where she got them because we didn’t have extra money for such things, so I’m sure someone gave them to her. I loved that magazine so much! There was always a little craft for kids to do and I looked forward to each new issue so I could make something special. Mom was an excellent seamstress but I don’t recall her making quilts. She sewed clothes. And she was fastidious with it, believe me. When I learned to sew, she supervised with an iron fist! I’ve ripped out so many seams it would make your head spin. She always made me BASTE my seams by hand before I sewed them. Drove me batty!

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When Mom died and I came home to get her affairs in order, I found many items that were only half finished. Now that I look back, I should have kept and finished them, but there was so much to do, it was too overwhelming. So I let them go to the church thrift store. I’m sure someone was happy to have them.

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My Grandmother Roush was the quilter in the family. She pieced quilts and gave them to family members. At some point, I had a quilt she made and hand tied. It was made out of terrible polyester knit fabrics from the ‘60s…in shades of green and orange. I kept it and used it for years but somewhere along the way, it wasn’t around anymore. She did give me a quilt top she pieced from very light fabrics…white, yellow, and green. I knew nothing about quilting, so I put it away for the day when I might learn. When it was time to quilt it, I took it out of the box it was in, unwrapped the tissue paper, and somehow something had leaked into the box and the top was ruined beyond repair. 

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When Daughter #2 was little, I took classes at the local community college and learned how to quilt. Several of the other doctor’s wives got together and worked on crafts when our babies were little. I knew the basics from watching my grandmothers, so I watched my friends intently and before you knew it, I was making quilted wall hangings. It grew from there, but now I’m at a point where the tedious work is just more than I want to put into things. I’ll still make simple block quilts but nothing like this latest project!

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Mr. FixIt went to town again yesterday to help his friend put up the storm door they bought the day before. I stayed home and worked on the quilt and my shop. We had another thunderstorm in the afternoon which was lovely. We’ve needed rain here. There have been several fires already this spring. I never thought of West Virginia as being prone to wildfires. I don’t remember them when I was growing up. But global warming has changed everything and the weather is completely different now.

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As soon as this quilt is finished, we need to do a whirlwind job cleaning this house so we’re ready for my cousin’s visit in a couple of weeks. Then it’s packing time and we’ll head for the beach! I’ve been eyeing the weather in North Carolina and it’s not looking terrific. However, we’ve been there many times when they predicted cold, wet weather and it turned out gorgeous. That’s what I’m praying for!

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I hope you have a beautiful and blessed Sunday! 

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☔️

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“Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.”

\nJohn 12:28-29 NIV\n
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“Be Still and Know That I Am God”

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Shop Now

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Look at these points, but please don’t think they all look that way because they don’t!

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Wasn’t yesterday the perfect day??? Sunny, warm, and Easter…the perfect combo! We cleaned a lot this weekend. I worked on the quilt and made a great deal of progress. It’s been a very long time since I made such a complicated quilt and my skills are rusty. But, it’s a gift, not something for competition so I’m happy with it. I’m sure the kids will love it.

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We didn’t have a family gathering this weekend. We had a family dinner last week and everyone was either working or going to other family members’ houses. So, we praised God and puttered around here. Nothing big to report. Mr. FixIt is the sub on the Sunday night bowling league and he bowled for someone who couldn’t come. So, I came out to the camper to write my post. 

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If you aren’t a camping person, you probably think I’m nuts for wanting to sleep out there as much as possible. When I was pretty young, the neighbors up the road from Grandma’s farm had a little camper in their yard. It was lined with birch wood and had windows and little lace curtains. There was a dinette and a bed. I don’t remember the bathroom or kitchen. These folks were second cousins and I’d go over to play with their kids. Seven girls! We’d get in the camper with our dolls and pretend we were traveling the countryside. 

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I never got to camp in a camper till I was an adult. For a very brief time we had a VW Vanagon Camper and I loved it. It turned out to be a lemon so we sold it but not before we made one cross country trip with Daughter #1 when she was around ten years old. Between that little camper at the cousins’ and the van, I was smitten and from then on, I wanted a camper of my own. It turned out I didn’t get one till Mr. Virgo died but I’ve had one ever since and don’t plan to be without one for as long as I can keep going.

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The next couple of weeks are going to be busy. I mowed a few rounds on the riding mower this weekend and proceeded to pop the belt off the mower deck so we have to replace that today. I need to finish that quilt top and get it to the quilter before we leave for our beach trip. I have two long arm quilters that I take my quilts to. One is a friend from high school about twenty-five miles away. The other is right here in our little village. It’ll depend on who can get me in the quickest and do it the cheapest. It’s really pricey to have it done, but I’m not going to try that on my own. Then we need to pack for the beach. I’ll be so glad to get down there and smell the salt air!

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“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

\n1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV\n
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#FarmLife, #Quilting, #Mowing

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“My Grandma’s Black Cap Jelly Recipe….in her own handwriting!” We talked about this recipe in yesterday’s post.

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Shop Now!

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It was a day of rest, for sure…but I also piddled around on the computer downloading elements for my designs. It feels good to be creating again. I posted two sets of Grief Support Greeting Cards in my shop with the same sentiments I offer in my writings. They’re quite simple with a line drawing of a flower behind the dual-font script. The inside is blank for your own message and each comes with its own envelope. They are sold in packets of five. These are the first cards I’ve attempted and I hope you like them. 

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This pear tree is loaded with blossoms!

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It was pretty chilly here at Marshmallow Ranch yesterday. The only real job we did was replace the gas cap on the Lincoln. The warning light came on the other day saying the gas cap wasn’t tight. It was off the next time I turned the car on, but the “Service Engine Soon” light came on and has stayed on. I replaced the gas cap yesterday and we drove the car around a little but the light is still on. I think maybe when we fill up the car, the light will go out. Let’s hope it isn’t anything major.

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You can’t see the gas cap in this photo, but I had to slip the harness off the old cap and put it on the new one. The plastic is 21 years old now and I was scared to earth I’d break it but it went right on like it was supposed to.

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Car troubles…what a pain in the neck. We started out buying junker cars because that’s all we could afford. Then when money wasn’t quite so tight, we never let a car get 100K miles on it. Now were back to buying “sensible” cars and running them till they won’t run anymore. I’ll never buy a brand new car again…especially at today’s prices! 

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Daughter #2 had a birthday yesterday. As a matter of fact, I got to talk to both of my girls. It’s always a treat to hear their voices. I used to get my nose out of joint if they didn’t call me as often as I liked. Now, if I want to hear their voices, I call them. They’re a heck of a lot busier than I am. I know they felt pressured to call me and I’m sure that contributed to them not finding the time. Ask me how I know this. I did the same to my mom when I was their age but I soon mended my ways and called her every Sunday night like clockwork.

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Our crab apple tree is rotten in the center and needs to be cut down.

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I also got to talk to my sweet brother yesterday. He wasn’t feeling well last week so they put off his move to this week. He’s getting more frail and needs to be in a setting where he has 24/7 assistance. He was very proud of himself that he had almost all of his stuff packed! He’s had so many challenges in his life and it makes my heart happy to hear a lilt in his voice. It’s been difficult to reach him by phone in the home he’s been living in. He is hard of hearing so he doesn’t always hear the cell phone ring. And he has a difficult time hearing on the handset of the landline phone in his apartment. Once he gets in his new place and has staff there all the time, we should be able to speak more frequently. I want to get an Amazon Echo for him so we can video chat every week. I think that would be good for both of us. He owns such a big piece of my heart.

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Rhododendron Dauricum: A miniature compact shrub, sometimes called Japanese…although the literal translation is Siberian Rhododendron.

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The weather is supposed to warm up the next few days. Wednesday is predicted to hit 85°!!!! It’s what always happens…we go from meat locker to microwave in an instant. No time to acclimate! Some more severe storms are due the middle of the week. Let’s pray for the safety of those in the path and that things settle down some. I hope there’s a little time before we get heavy rain again. We had standing water in our yard this weekend that looked like a pond. We had 2” of rain in a little over a day.

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 Think I’ll work on the quilt today!

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Tick Tock, Tick Tock…the wedding will be here before we know it!

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⏰??

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“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”

\nJames 5:17-18 ESV\n
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*I designed some tender grief support cards over the weekend and posted them in the shop. We all know someone who is grieving. I like to have a few cards tucked away because we don’t always have time to go out and get one when it’s needed. And if ever a card is needed, it’s to support the bereaved. 

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Set One: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1438665604/grief-support-greeting-cards-5-pack-set

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Set Two: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1452879063/grief-support-greeting-cards-5-pack-set

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Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!

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?

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/03/a-day-of-spinning-my.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Crafts","Insight"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/28/a-charmed-life.html", "title": "A Charmed Life", "content_html": "\n
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This was taken a ways back. I ran across it this week and it just makes me smile!

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I didn’t get much sleep Sunday night. I was SO excited about the shop opening. And, I admit…a little nervous. I went through everything in the shop, over and over, till I couldn’t see straight and I finally called it good a 2:00AM. When I woke up at 7:30 and turned the “Sleep Focus” off my phone, it chimed and jingled with all the notifications that told me you’d been busy looking and liking my shop. I was tickled to pieces!

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I woke up feeling like a student getting out of school with a glorious summer stretched out before her. That was a long stretch of work and it was such a joy to see it live. My work isn’t finished. I need to design new products every week but that’s the beautiful part of this. When you’re doing something you love, you never work. So, nearly eleven years ago, I set out to make money through my creativity. And here I am! Doing all the things!

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I finally got down to the studio yesterday to work on the quilt! Sometimes I need to have something give me a jump start to get motivated. Once I get back on the horse I can usually get things done. I got a little less than two rows of the quilt sewn together. I may just get this thing done before the wedding after all!

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Mr. FixIt fiddled around with some projects while I was sewing and working on the computer. I did laundry and just took such pleasure in a sunny spring day. I’m looking forward to a week of creating in a different way….rain or shine!

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?

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“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.”

\nPsalm 104:12-13 ESV\n
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#Spring, #Quilt, #Sewing

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/28/a-charmed-life.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/01/19/another-trip-to-town.html", "title": "Another Trip to Town!", "content_html": "\n
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It just doesn’t end! Yesterday I had to go in for a test that took about a half hour. Easy peasy…just had to lay there, turn this way, turn that way, hold my breath…you know the drill. Within a couple of hours the results came back…all good! I had one million errands to do. You know those days when you think… “I’ll do these five things and be back home by noon…1:00 tops!” Am I the only one who NEVER gets that right? It was 6:30pm when I got home! Errands that I thought would take 5-10 minutes turned out taking an hour…EACH! Ugh. And to think, I couldn’t even blame it on Mr. FixIt. He stayed home!

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Ah, well…I did get just about everything I need for this new project. At least until I decide to tweak it a little. I’ve been known to tweak. Bless my heart. I just didn’t get anything done at home but that will change today. I don’t have to go anywhere for DAYS!

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Living in the country on a septic system presents challenges. I am not sure, but I don’t think the septic system out at the farm has EVER been treated with RidX, but Mr. FixIt treats ours once a month. Now, with as many places here that have septic systems, you would think RidX would be something easy to find. Well, it is…sorta. Mr. FixIt doesn’t like the liquid variety. The first two places I went to only had one month supplies of the powdered variety. Finally, I found the three month pack. Then, I blew my frugal husband away when I found a SIX MONTH supply of a different brand for the same as the three month. Winner, winner…chicken dinner! I know the way to my man’s heart…save him some money!

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While I was at Sam’s Club looking for the RidX, I came across a display of “Grammy Skirts.” My girls called my mom Grammy. She used to wear these elastic-waisted, pleated skirts. She’d pull the waist way up under her boobs. Mama had a “yummy tummy” and wasn’t in the least bit self conscious about it. I sent my girls a picture of the “Grammy Skirts” and they both remembered right away. I mean…how could we forget? My mom was one of a kind. No one is ever going to forget her. She was golden and everyone loved her. Next Monday, she’ll be gone nineteen years. So hard to believe. She left us way too soon!

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A couple of my stops were for some supplies for my “secret project” and I was so pleased to have coupons that cut the prices WAY down. Over half in some cases. I love a deal and since this is a process I’ve never tried before, I really don’t want to invest a ton of money in it till I know if I’m going to enjoy it. I priced some other things on my wish list for future reference. 

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I bought myself a day planner that was half off. I use my iPhone and iPad exclusively to keep track of things, but sometimes I find the old fashioned way easier to keep track of. I am a visual person. I need to see things written down in order to commit them to memory. One thing that may challenge this project I’m doing is my memory, so I want to stay on top of things to give myself the best advantage for success.

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I called Mr. FixIt eleven times yesterday! By the last call, I told him he was probably sick of hearing from me and he was adamant I’m never a bother…he loves talking to me and hearing my voice as much as I love his. For someone who says she needs time away to recharge, I sure do miss the heck out of that man in a couple of hours!

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Today…I get organized! 

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?

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“But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.”

\n1 Corinthians 14:40 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-01-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/01/19/another-trip-to-town.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Crafts","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/01/08/my-birdies-have-me-trained.html", "title": "My Birdies Have Me Trained", "content_html": "\n
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I awoke before Mr. FixIt and went into the kitchen to make my tea. As I walked into the family room with my steamy mug of my “not coffee”, I heard a racket over by the window. There was a Tufted Titmouse pitching a fit as soon as I walked into the room. It would go into the clear plexiglas feed and peck around for a little bit, then it started pecking the window and squawking like crazy. It fluttered around, grabbing on the window frame then flit back over to the top of the feeder. 

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I walked over closer to the window. In the past, this was enough to scare the birds off and they wouldn’t come back till I moved away from the glass. Not this little birdie! This one kept looking straight at me and pitching a fit! I took out my phone and took a video to show Mr. FixIt because I was sure he wouldn’t believe me. Finally I figured out the bird must be hungry. The bird feeder was looking pretty close to empty and apparently this little dude (or dudette) wasn’t having that!

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I put my tea down and went to the building to fill the window feeder. Once I got the feed drawer back in the feeder, I walked inside to see what would happen. That little titmouse was in the feeder in second and ate and ate and ate! After about five minutes, the little bird took off to do its little birdie things and I had my answer. 

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I’ve been trained by a bird to fill up its feeder on demand!

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Cool!

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I did a few things yesterday. I’m trying to back up my photos from my iPhone onto an external hard drive. I wasn’t very successful and haven’t figured out why yet and eventually gave up for the time being. I knitted some on the next little Christmas Stocking. Then I decided to made a Hummingbird Cake, since the theme of the day was hunger and birds.

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A Hummingbird Cake is a southern staple. It gets its name because it is “SO sweet, it could attract a hummingbird.” I don’t know the accuracy of that statement, but I will tell you it’s the sweetest cake I’ve ever made. We don’t need decadent sweets in the house on a daily basis. So, today I’m going to cut it up in slices and wrap them individually for the freezer. That way we can take a slice out from time to time when we want a little snack and not overeat sweets.

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I’ve finally started sleeping better. I’ve been really frustrated this year. I’ve never been a terrific sleeper and a long time ago, I took Trazodone as a sleep aid. Trazodone is an old school antidepressant with a welcome side effect of drowsiness and it isn’t addictive. I’ve tried several over the counter remedies like Benadryl and Melatonin and Magnesium. I’ve tried meditation and 432hz sound therapy. I know what good sleep hygiene is and I routinely practice things like turning off the screens an hour before bed and cutting out caffeine. I’ve tried the Military Sleep Method. Some things work a little bit for a short time but nothing has really fixed the problem.

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When I saw my primary care provider this week, I told her my memory was slipping. After many questions, I off handedly mentioned my sleep issues and she zeroed in on that. Sleep deprivation can affect your memory and your mood. Once she found out I’d tried all the non-medication routes, she asked if I’d ever taken anything prescription for it and I told her about my experience with Trazodone. So, we’re trying it again and if Friday night is any indication, we just might be onto something here. I slept like a stone by Friday!

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I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I’d say I’m enjoying mine, but every day is a Saturday for us so it doesn’t seem to make much difference. 

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Sunday Blessings, dear ones…

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Ginny

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?

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““Work six days, but the seventh day will be a holy rest day, God’s holy rest day…..”

\nExodus 35:2-3 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-01-08T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/01/08/my-birdies-have-me-trained.html", "tags": ["Baking","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/12/16/twas-the-week-before-christmas.html", "title": "T’was the Week Before Christmas…", "content_html": "\n
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Ohhhhhh, the things I still have to do! I took stock today of my holiday preparations as I sat in my big comfy chair. The floor around my feet was littered in every direction with gifts, gift bags, and all manner of flotsam and jetsam that needs to be taken care of. The dishes were piled in the sink. Mr. FixIt was kind enough to whip up some oats for breakfast while I decided what was going to get done first.

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After eating my oats and toast and sipping on the new store brand decaf tea (which wasn’t bad, mind you) I came to a semblance of order. In my head, anyway. I cleaned the kitchen first. I’ve learned over the years that if I have a nice clean sink and a clear countertop, I can move mountains. Once that was done, I raided the icebox and set the Dutch oven on low to make chicken and noodles. 

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I had half a rotisserie chicken left in the fridge. I threw it in the pot along with a coarse chopped onion, a couple carrots, and several stalks of celery. I added a little salt and fresh ground pepper, a couple shakes of smoked paprika and poultry seasoning. I tossed in a couple dried bay leaves, some minced garlic, and half a box of chicken broth I had leftover in the fridge.

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To this heavenly mixture, I added about eight or nine cups of water and placed the tight fitting lid on the pot and let it simmer all day while I worked on the presents. It smelled SO delicious! I got all the girls’ gifts in their gift bags with their names on them and under the tree. Then, instead of hustling all day doing this and that, I sat down and worked on another knitted Christmas stocking for the littles. 

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So what if people get their cards after Christmas…it just extends the holiday joy, right? More cookies? Heck…I’ve baked plenty! I’ll just box up what I have and call it good. Nope, yesterday was a day to just sit and enjoy the season. Mr. FixIt ran to town…yet again. And I elected to enjoy the peaceful setting I created in our little corner of the world. A cozy red chair. A cup of hot tea. Homemade Chicken and Noodles simmering on the stove. Knitting in my lap. Slippers on my feet. 

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Indeed…the world was my oyster!

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?

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“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

\nMatthew 11:28 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-12-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/12/16/twas-the-week-before-christmas.html", "tags": ["Peaceful Moments","Crafts","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/12/05/finally-finished-with-the-sweater.html", "title": "Finally Finished With the Sweater", "content_html": "\n
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I finally finished the latest sweater! Yay!!! This one took me forever because I was so busy doing other things. But I kept plugging away at it whenever I had a few minutes to sit and knit. I love it! And…this one is for me! I put it on as soon as I finished and, while it is wool and alpaca, it’s really not very itchy. And it’s VERY warm and lightweight. I’m really happy with how it turned out and it will look good with jeans. 

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I worked on the computer most of the day, still trying to get into the I*n*s*t*a*g*r*a*m account that got h*a*c*k*e*d. Why am I being cryptic? Because there are these things called b*o*t*s…little computer programs that have been programmed to constantly surveil the internet looking for whatever key word they’ve been programmed to find. Then, they zero in and attack the account. Sounds all hoodoo, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. It’s real and it’s a king-sized pain in the patoot. And, once they get ahold of you, they keep at it. I mentioned the word h*o*c*k*e*y the other day and one commented with a link that looked like it was taking you to a g*a*m*e. I have no idea if it did, I just blocked it and removed it.

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I’ve been so lucky over these last ten years. I’ve rarely ever had to crack down on anyone. I’ve seldom had to deal with t*r*o*l*l*s on this page. I hope that doesn’t change now, but we will have to see. All of this has had me thinking. Maybe this whole thing has been a God Wink to lead me in a different direction. Maybe I’m not meant to continue writing an essay every single day. Maybe God is asking me to once and for all get that book…or BOOKS…finally finished and published. I’m praying about it and I’d like for you all to pray for me as well that God will give me clear direction in what direction He wants me to go.

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I can’t NOT write. I’ve been down that road before. I think the most I ever lasted was two or three days. Writing for me is as imperative as eating or breathing. But maybe I need to focus that writing into something you can hold on to and re-read as you need/want to without the whims of social media involved. I have SO many ideas for books and I’m not getting any younger. None of us are!

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I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is all coming around right as I hit the ten year anniversary of Marshmallow Ranch. I started this blog as a way to sell the art jewelry I was making in my home studio back in December of 2012. I was only working part time and I needed to bring in some extra money. Then, just three months later, Mr. Virgo died unexpectedly and I took everyone along with me on a difficult journey through grief.

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I’ve picked up a lot of readers since then, but my FB numbers stay pretty level. Somewhere over 6,000 followers is nothing to sneeze at…it’s a respectable audience. I never set out to break records. I set out to help those coming up behind me on this difficult path. And, along the way I did a lot of healing and the blog morphed into my personal growth stage, then dating and finding love again after loss. It’s been a wonderful place to share stories and adventures.

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I’m not at all sure where this train is going to end up, but I do know it can’t go on forever. I’ll just have to wait and see what Heavenly Father wants to do with me. And in the meantime, I write and tell stories and chase bad guys!

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This week? Stay tuned for a trip up to get the a-frame camper from the service department in Ohio. Then the holiday cooking begins. Guess what we’re making for Christmas gifts this year? Homemade tamales!!! Ohhhh, this is going to be fun, y’all! I’m meeting high school friends for lunch on Wednesday. Friday night a bunch of friends from our graduating class are gathering for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. It’s going to be a busy and fun week, so hang on!

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?

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“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

\nProverbs 16:1-3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-12-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/12/05/finally-finished-with-the-sweater.html", "tags": ["God","Writing","Choices","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/02/september-how-ive-missed-you.html", "title": "September!!! How I’ve Missed You!", "content_html": "\n
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Even though it isn’t officially autumn, you have to admit…September is getting there. It’s getting dark noticeably earlier. And the nights have a chill that I love. When it hits 64° outside by 9:00, I turn off the fans and fling the windows wide open so I can hear the night sounds. I figure, if it’s ten degrees cooler outside, I can justify turning off the AC and enjoy that wonderful cool air.

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When we bought the Lincoln last month, I was not impressed with the tires so my sweetheart, being the frugal shopper he is, started the “Great Tire Hunt of 2022” and found a deal. They arrived Wednesday afternoon, so he enlisted my help in the endeavor yesterday. I couldn’t figure out why he needed me till he reminded me he couldn’t fit the tires in the trunk and he certainly couldn’t put them on the leather interior. After driving a pickup for ten years, I just don’t think like a “car driver”.  

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God was really looking out for us when Spirit nudged me to get new tires. The front tires were fairly new but they were snow tires…knobby, noisy, and soft. They’ll wear down too fast driving year round. We were told the back tires “had plenty of tread”. And indeed, by looking at them, they did. But getting them off the car and inspecting them up close, they were terribly dry rotted and the tread was beginning to separate. But now we have safe new tires that are quiet and provide the smooth ride a Lincoln is known for. When I was driving around testing out the new tires, her name came to me. “Louisa the Lincoln”. Works well with “Freda the Ford”, right? Louisa was one of my dearest friends in the world…a true Southern lady. Perfectly apt for this little Southern Belle of a car.

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I worked on the quilt till Mr. FixIt called me to come pick up the tires. While I was in town, I decided to check out Bolts & Quarters…the big quilt shop in Parkersburg. Oh. My. Word. Danger, Will Robinson! That place was total eye candy. The rainbow of fabrics took my breath away. Every pattern you could imagine and then some. And the machines??? Get out! Who pays $10,000 for a sewing machine? Apparently a die hard machine embroidery artist, that’s who. Ohhhhh….if I were twenty, no THIRTY years younger with unlimited funds, I’d have a sewing/craft room that would make your eyes pop. 

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When I got back home, I finished “Step Two” on all sixty-four squares. Today, I’ll start cutting them up in “Step Three”. I looked around at my humble little sewing nook and my $50 prize Singer I picked up on Marketplace and said, “It’s good enough for me!”

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Once the sun headed over the hill past the far field, I jumped back on the tractor to mow the other half of our five acres. The closest thing to a calamity to happen this time was nearly mowing over a Praying Mantis. I stopped a fraction of millimeter from sending him to bug heaven! I’m so glad, too. They are not only magnificent creatures, but they eat the bad bugs. 

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The other day at the local quilt shop, someone mentioned they hadn’t seen a single dragonfly this summer. As I was coming around the pear tree with the tractor yesterday, I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye and there was a dragonfly. I smiled and mowed on to the last warm and sunny spot left in the field and within seconds I was totally surrounded by hundreds of dragonflies! They danced and swirled and the sun glinted off their iridescent fairy-like wings and I was mesmerized. I started a Facebook Live Video to share the experience with you all, but the quality of videos was reduced so much, there was no way you could see them. And, I didn’t realize how bad my face looked on the video. I’ll take a picture and share with you soon, but this chemo cream is knocking the socks off any skin cancer cells within a mile of it. I look like someone threw battery acid in my face. So, I took down the FB Live that recorded, but here is a video. If you look closely, there are little dots out in the field as well as the ones up close…all dragonflies!

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DRAGONFLIES!
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Once I was finished mowing, I helped Mr. FixIt trim one of the huge forsythias along the roadside of the yard with the pole lopper. I’m telling you, you could go out there with a flamethrower and a week later it’s taking over again! It’s like living in a tropical rainforest here. Before we knew it, the sun was going down and we were done for another day. We’re older now. We still get a lot done, but we’re a little slower at it. And there may or may not be a heating pad involved later in the evening.

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As I was putting my sewing away and turning off the lights, sewing machine, and iron, I made an executive decision. I know myself well enough to know I can go off on a tangent and hyper focus on one thing, letting everything else slide. I have invested in all this beautiful yarn, so I’m going to knit one project, then quilt or sew something. Back and forth. Share the love…and the obsession! We’ll see how that goes, right? lol

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?

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

\nColossians 3:23-24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/02/september-how-ive-missed-you.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/01/the-ber-months-are-here.html", "title": "The ‘ber Months Are Here!", "content_html": "\n
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Hello, September!

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Just because I’ve got a new, fun project in the works, doesn’t mean the grass stops growing. I worked on the quilt for a few hours yesterday and then hear the familiar “rrr-rrr-rrr” of the push mower and I knew it was time to step away from the sewing nook and get some real work done.

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I no sooner did my first round, cutting the perimeter of the yard, till I ran over what I thought was a stick. Turns out it was the extension cord that didn’t get put away in a timely fashion. It’s my fault…I was the last to use it and it was buried down in the grass. It took me a few seconds to realize what I’d done when the motor seized and stalled. That’s when I knew I had succeeded in wrapping the extension cord around the mower blades. I tried to pull it out, but it was really wedged in there. So, I had to put my tail between my legs and admit to Mr. FixIt that I’d made a big boo-boo.

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He came out and looked and together we decided we needed to bring the ramps over and run the front of the tractor up so we could see under the mower deck. Mr. FixIt got under there and fiddled around with the cord but couldn’t seem to make any progress with unraveling it. I asked him to let me try. I’m a mom…I’ve had a lot of experience untangling things out of little girls’ long hair. I figure this couldn’t be any harder.

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Because my shoulders aren’t as wide as my handsome husband’s, I was able to wiggle in under the front of the tractor between the wheels. I held the shortest end of the cord and moved it enough to tell where the next loop was. Once I got that one unwound, it was a simple task to repeat the process till it was free and I could pull it all out from under the mower blades. At which point I was now wedged in between the wheels under a pretty hot engine. Mr. FixIt gave me a hand and pulled me out of there and we congratulated ourselves for another problem solved without spending a dime!

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I went on with the mowing and got both the big fields finished just as the dew started to settle. I drove around to the side of the house and sprayed down the mower and the deck to get all the damp grass off of it and pulled into the stall in the building. I was covered with grass, but filled with the satisfaction of another good day’s work being accomplished.

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I’ve broken the quilt into steps. I finished sewing sixty-four color squares to sixty-four plain linen-colored squares around all four sides on Tuesday. I had eight stacks of eight squares each. Yesterday I worked on each square, one at a time, cutting them in an “x” corner to corner, ironing each triangle open into a square shape and sewing them back together in a pinwheel pattern. I got four stacks finished, which means I have four more stacks to do today. Then I can move on to step three.

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Sewing is a lot more physically taxing than knitting. Between sitting and standing, reaching and twisting, then mowing and crawling under the tractor, there were muscles in my back and shoulders I’d forgotten I had! I was so happy to get in that hot shower last night. I’ll be back at it today…mowing the other half of our five acres, working on the quilt, and who knows what else I’ll get into! We still need to get out to the farm to prime that pump and it’ll be time to mow again.

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I am so grateful and blessed to have my health and I’m able to do the things I love to do around here. I feel so much better than I did before I had the parathyroid tumors removed. Even though it wasn’t pleasant, I’m really glad I did that. The only thing I’m dealing with now is a kind of “chemotherapy” for these precancerous places on my face. I use a cream called fluourouracil. I put a thin layer on one section of my face (right now I’m treating my nose, my upper lip, and one small place on my cheek. It’s the weirdest stuff. It leaves the healthy skin alone, but everywhere there’s abnormal cells turns bright red and it literally burns those bad cells away. 

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I have had small lesions frozen or burned off before, but this stuff is much more effective at rooting out those spots you can’t even see or feel yet. I have to keep using it for several weeks and of course, I have to be super careful to use a high SPF sunscreen while I’m being treated. This is what I get for all those years of worshiping the sun and spending time in a tanning bed. It burns like a son of a gun, but I’m looking forward to clear healthy skin when I’m finished.

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?

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“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

\nProverbs 3:7-8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/01/the-ber-months-are-here.html", "tags": ["Health","Aging","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/31/a-whole-new-thing.html", "title": "A Whole New Thing!", "content_html": "\n
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It’s been a while since I’ve made a quilt and I’m pretty excited to finally have a sewing nook set up at the house. There’s a spare room I’ve had my eye on, but there’s been a leak in the ceiling and the drywall needs fixed. That isn’t our highest priority right now so I needed to find an alternative. I didn’t want to set up someplace where I would need to put things away at the end of the day or when company comes. Also, I didn’t want to make a lot of noise and interrupt my sweetheart when he’s watching a show he enjoys.

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At first, I thought I would set up in front of the sliding glass door in the game room downstairs. But once I got to looking at it closely, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. There weren’t any outlets nearby and I’ll need several. Also, I’d have to come up with something other than the folding plastic tables we have. Anyone who has used a sewing machine or a serger knows how they would bounce around like crazy on something other than a really sturdy table top.

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I went out in the building looking for a suitable table and couldn’t find one. I was about to go to the local thrift shop when I walked past an old L-shaped desk Mr. FixIt used to use a gazillion years ago. It had one of those old computers on it with the floppy disks and a monitor that weighs a ton. The light bulb when off. I’ve been walking past that desk for five years now and it never occurred to me to reappropriate it to my needs. 

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I went up and asked my sweetheart if he would mind if I clear off that old desk and use it as my sewing/writing/craft nook and he was all too happy to let me have it. I needed an extra power strip and the only one we have is in the camper at the dealership. I ran to our little town and after three stops, I not only found a power strip, but also a desk lamp to give me more light on the cutting table I set up. That plastic folding table is perfect for spreading out fabric for cutting.

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It took me a while to get everything cleared off the desk and get it clean enough to put light colored fabrics on without worrying. I cleaned out two desk drawers…one for notions and the other for fabrics I’ll be using later on in the project. I set up my $50 sewing/embroidery machine on the left “L” and the ironing board and iron on the right side. That way, I only have to swivel back and forth between the two and it made sewing a breeze.

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While I was in town earlier, I went back to the quilt shop and asked Carolyn to help me find a pattern and figure out how many blocks I would need for a king sized quilt. She did the math and I will need eight rows down and eight rows across for a total of sixty-four blocks. We found a pattern I really liked. It’s called Disappearing Double Pinwheel Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Company. You can see the tutorial for it here.  

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I’m using a stack of pre-cut fabric called a Layer Cake. A package gives you forty-two 10” squares in a variety of fabrics. Different designers create Layer Cakes in their own fabric designs and color ways. I selected Purple Passion by Paula Barnes and a solid light linen color by Moda. The light solid sets off the pattern so you can really see it well.

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I started with the first step of sewing a light solid and a color square with right sides together. You sew around all four sides, then take your rotary cutter and cut an “x” from point to point creating four triangles. However, when you open the one triangles, you get a square with containing two triangles…on light and one dark. It’s kinda magic. 

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Once you have your four squares, you arrange them in a pinwheel and sew them together. And, here’s where the crazy part comes in. I trimmed that pinwheel down into a 12” square, then divided it in three 4” sections and slice it up…in both directions. You fiddle around with the squares turning them this way and that till you get them aligned correctly then sew them all back together. And I have to make SIXTY-FOUR of these bad boys…plus the borders! Now you know why I’m starting this the end of August for a June wedding! You can see my finished square. My points aren’t “State Fair Perfect” but I’m not being judged…it’s a gift. 

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I am so happy with the way my little sewing nook looks and functions. And I can’t wait to see how this quilt turns out! 

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“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

\nProverbs 19:21 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-31T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/31/a-whole-new-thing.html", "tags": ["Fun","Comfort","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/30/preparation-and-planning-and-prayer.html", "title": "Preparation and Planning and Prayer", "content_html": "\n
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There was nothing I would have liked more than to get started on that quilt yesterday. However, Mr. FixIt had an eye appointment and he needed to have that super duper extra strength eye dilation done. He asked if I’d drive him. Of course! How could I turn down this sweet man? I had a couple of errands to run in town anyway, so while he was in the doctor’s office, I took care of them.

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When we finally got home, I mixed up a batch of cornbread and heated up the soup beans. Even though it was 95° yesterday, those beans tasted great! And speaking of beans, I recently watched a YouTube video about canning beans and decided those would be great to have on the shelf for quick meals in the winter. I bought an eight pound bag of pinto beans yesterday at Walmart. That should make about 12-14 quarts of beans canned in my pressure canner. All for under $6.00! Too often, I buy beans, forget to put them on to soak, then change my mind and make something else. Eventually, the beans get too old and hard and no matter what you do to them, they won’t soften up and cook right. This way I have them, I’ve canned them myself, and I know what’s in them.

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In case you’re wondering, that is a generous squirt of spicy brown mustard on top of my beans. I grew up eating mustard on my beans…I have no idea why. I can’t imagine eating them without it. I added the chopped onions, but it turns out they weren’t Vidalia onions and they were WAY too strong for me. So, I fished them out once we sat down to eat.

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We have seen multiple signals that the inflation is easing, but I still want to be prepared just in case we ever get into a food crisis like what happened during the pandemic and resultant supply chain issues. The more food we have put up in the cellar, the easier I will feel about the future. I have things set up here where I can do things like sewing for people if I needed to make extra money. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen. I’m just saying I’m a good Girl Scout and I believe in being prepared.

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Mr. FixIt and I talked yesterday on our way back from town. I want to set up a sewing space where I can leave things out and not have to put everything away at night. We decided the game room downstairs would work great for now. There is a sliding glass door down there that lets in a lot of natural light. I can set up my tables there and I won’t disturb Mr. FixIt if he’s watching TV. And vice versa.

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I picked up some sewing thread yesterday and got the buttons sewn on the sweater, so it’s officially finished! I’m very happy with it. I have the same yarn in a darker blue that will go really well with denim. I already have it in my knitting bag to start on the next one. One of our fellow readers commented yesterday how productive I am. I had to smile because I surely don’t feel very productive at times. I think of all the things I’d love to do, but all the other stuff gets in the way. Still, I am accomplishing more in my golden years than I did in the first half. I figure, as long as the people I love are happy, and I have something to show for my efforts, and I continue to find joy in that, I’m good!

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Life is fleeting and it is what we make of it. This isn’t a dress rehearsal and all it take is to start pushing 70 to bring that into clear focus. My sweet mama just lived to be 78. We don’t know the number of days we’ll be given here, so we’d darned well better make good use of the ones we have, right? We can’t know what will happen in the future, but we can prepare ourselves as best we can and pray all good things will come to those we love.

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“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””

\nJames 4:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/30/preparation-and-planning-and-prayer.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/29/on-to-the-next-project.html", "title": "On to the Next Project!", "content_html": "\n
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My Uncle Bud gave me the 1/2 gallon Ball jar and the other two I’ve picked up along the way. One of the quart jars is a #13. They are rare because moonshiners broke them. They were considered bad luck.

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The sweater is finished…all but sewing on the buttons down the front. The sleeves are the perfect length. It’s soft and warm and not at all itchy. I’m still not sure if it’s mine or if it’s a gift. We shall see.

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I finally got the beans cooked. I got the smoked ham hocks out of the fridge to put in the cooking pot with the beans and they had mold on them! I was really disappointed, but I also had a package of ham bits and slices for cooking so I put a good couple of handfuls in the slow cooker along with an onion, quartered, and a generous amount of black pepper. Before we had time to eat them, Mr. FixIt decided he was going to go to town and sit with the guys at the bowling alley and visit. He misses bowling with his buddies so he was excited to go shoot the breeze for a little while. I packaged up the beans and we’ll heat some up tomorrow along with a cast iron skillet full of crusty cornbread for supper.

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A yummy pot of soup beans and ham. I’ll bake up some crusty cornbread in my favorite iron skillet later on today. That’s good eatin’ right there!

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I actually did laundry yesterday. I hate doing laundry in our washer/dryer. The washer is billed as “high efficiency” that’s supposed to use less water and doesn’t have an agitator. It doesn’t do a full load and I cant see how that is any more efficient than doing half the number of wash loads in a regular washer. I get really frustrated with it because there’s always soap scum left on the clothes and I end up running them through an extra rinse cycle. So, usually Mr. FixIt does the laundry. But, yesterday I decided to give it another go and, while it really wasn’t any better than my first attempts, I stuck it out and got most of it done.

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When Mr. FixIt left, I decided to run to town to Walmart and pick up some sewing notions. It’s been a gazillion years since I’ve had a sewing machine that worked and when I downsized, most of my supplies were stolen when the storage unit was broken into. I’m kind of starting from scratch. I needed a cutting mat with a rotary cutter and ruler and a small ironing board to keep beside me as I sew. I bought a carry case for the sewing machine, but when I got home, I think it’s too small so I’ll return it next time it go to town. I needed thread and quilting pins and machine oil for the sewing machine. Today I can set up my temporary sewing nook since we aren’t ready to fix up a more permanent sewing/craft/office space for me yet. There’s always some other project that takes precedence. Maybe we’ll get to that in the coming year.

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We need to get out to the farm this week and prime the pump. And we’re hoping to have a family gathering over the Labor Day weekend so there’s planning that will go into that. The grass is still growing so there’s not slacking off the mowing at this time of year. I’m so grateful to have had a slow, laidback weekend. I’m ready to hit the ground running today and get some things accomplished!

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“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

\nPhilippians 2:14-16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/29/on-to-the-next-project.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/28/smack-my-headi-forgot-the.html", "title": "Smack My Head…I Forgot the Beans!", "content_html": "\n
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I added about half a teaspoon of baking powder to the self-rising flour this time and I love how high these biscuits rose…and so light and fluffy!

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Ever have one of those moments where you just KNOW there’s something you’re forgetting to do? Well, when I woke up yesterday morning at 6:00 (why that early, I have NO idea), I checked to make sure my post actually…you know, posted. It did. And you wonderful people started talking about how good those soup beans and ham hocks and iron skillet cornbread sounded, I was like… “Dang! I knew there was something I was supposed to do before I went to bed!”

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I forgot to put the beans on to soak. I know there are shortcuts like bring them to a boil then cover and remove from the heat. Or cook them in a pressure cooker. But they never quite taste great unless I cook them the way I always do…in a slow cooker seasoned with a couple smoked ham hocks and chopped up onions and a generous grind of fresh black pepper. I’ll try again today!

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Since I woke up so early, I decided to get up and work on the sweater and get it finished. And I did. However, when I tried it on, the sleeves were too short so I ripped them back out to the point before decreasing for the cuffs and added a couple of inches. I’m not exactly sure what went wrong other than the fact that it’s hard to read the length correctly till you try it on with both sleeves. Of course, it could be that this is only my second sweater and I just don’t have the technique down yet.

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Mr. FixIt lounged around this morning and didn’t get up till “brunch-time” so I fixed a big spread…sausage, eggs, fried potatoes, cooked apples, and homemade biscuits. I used Tipper’s recipe again and I’m telling you…I am SOLD. Seriously the best biscuits ever. I stored the leftovers in a plastic food container, then before bed last night, I warmed two of them up in the microwave for twenty seconds, spread a nice portion of real butter on top and a dollop of my homemade plum jam. 

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*swoon*

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Other than those two things…I didn’t get a thing accomplished yesterday. Mr. FixIt went out after it cooled down to wash and wax the Lincoln. We live on a gravel road and the dust is terrible. Then you get a sprinkling of rain and you can imagine what it looks like. We watch a lot of reruns of Law & Order and last night we watched an episode of America’s Got Talent that we had recorded last week.

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It actually felt pretty good to not have anything pressing to do. It’s supposed to be in the 90’s today and tomorrow, so there may be a whole lot of nothing getting done around here the next couple of days, as well. And that’s ok. One doesn’t have to be totally productive every single day. Accomplishing self-care is still an accomplishment.

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“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

\nPsalm 127:2 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/28/smack-my-headi-forgot-the.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","Crafts","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/17/knitting-for-the-boys.html", "title": "Knitting for the Boys", "content_html": "\n
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During the two World Wars, the United State’s Government asked the folks at home to help out and do what they could from home. Women went to work in the factories in the jobs abandoned by the soldiers who headed off to fight. There were collection drives for anything that could be of use for the war effort. People even collected urine during the Revolutionary War because there was a shortage of gunpowder and someone thought they could make it with urine, soil, ash, and sticks. It didn’t work from what I gather.

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One of the most productive things the good folks back home could do was knit sock, sweaters, hats, and gloves for soldiers. Prolific knitters had patterns had patterns in their heads, handed down orally from generations before them and they just knitted them over and over. But not everyone had someone to learn from so printed pattern books were a necessity. 

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The first printed knitting pattern was found in a medical book from 1655. Pattern books became far more popular during the Victorian Era, but mostly focused on needle arts like embroidery, cross stitch, lace, weaving, and others. These skills influenced knitting and the first knitting book was published in 1837.

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I went to knitting group yesterday. I forgot my wallet in the truck, so there was no shopping for yarn at 75% off…which was REALLY hard to take. But God was looking out for my bank account so I was happy to just sit in the white rocker in the corner of the room and chat with the other knitters there. One is a gal named Susan who graduated from my high school three years before me. She pulled something out of her bag and said, “Have I ever shown you this?” It was a pattern book by Bear Brand and Bucilla Yarns. Most yarn companies publish pattern books for use with their yarns. This one was a delight! I had never seen one so I took pictures of the front and most of the patterns. I might try them one of these days! You can read an interesting article about the history of knitting HERE.  

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I love things like this. When I had my needlework shop, I ran across a stack of Needlearts Magazine and just loved looking through them. Some were in poor shape and I used cutouts of the ads in some of my art jewelry when Marshmallow Ranch first started. Some of you may have purchased some of those pieces.

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We only have one more gathering in the shop…next Tuesday then Pat and Mack close down for good. I wish I would have found the shop years ago when I first came to West Virginia. It would have been nice to spend more time with these fun, intelligent and talented women. 

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Mr. FixIt worked on the steps some more but ended up needing more cement and boards so another trip to town was warranted. I sat and knitted all afternoon and watched Tipper’s “Celebrating Appalachia” videos on YouTube. When he got home, I needed to help him hold some boards in place. It finally started raining and that was the end of the job for the day. I toyed with the idea of going to the farm for a couple of days, but my sweetheart needs me here to help with this project. There will be other days to go to the farm when we don’t have so many pressing chores. It will be winter before we know it!

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“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.””

\nGenesis 8:22 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/17/knitting-for-the-boys.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/16/mr-fixit-fixing-things.html", "title": "Mr. FixIt Fixing Things", "content_html": "\n
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I finally rallied after our very busy weekend and was up and cleaning at a respectable hour considering retirement and all. I piddled around the house. Mr. FixIt made oats for breakfast…one of my favorite things. I took my coffee to my recliner and knitted while I watched the documentary I told you about yesterday. “To Which We Belong” was a wonderful story of ways any one of us can make changes that can reverse the effects of climate change. It did it in a way that steered completely away from politically charged terms like “global warming”. As a matter of fact, the entire focus was on individuals and things they are doing to improve the earth’s soil which in turn will improve the air, water, and temperature. It’s not too late and I was so encouraged by this film. I strongly encourage you to watch it.

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As I was settled in my chair, Mr. FixIt headed to town. He has a project in the works and he needed some supplies. He is replacing the stairs to the pool deck and adding a handrail for stability. When my stepson was here last week, he dug the postholes and unfortunately put the porthole digger through a drain pipe. He came out yesterday to help his dad repair that and build the steps. As with most any job, it entailed another trip to town for a part. That is one of the downsides of living this far away from everything…it’s often inconvenient when you need something.

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When the documentary was finished, I put my knitting away and went out to mow. Lands, the grass is growing like crazy with all this rain. I hate when I mow and there’s a thick layer of cut grass left on the surface. However, I don’t like to bag up the clippings. I think it’s better for the soil to put the nutrients back into it by decomposing. They’ll disappear in a couple of days and you’ll never be able to tell it was there. As I mowed this time, I tried to visualize where I would like to start my pollinator garden. It was fun to picture the end results. A friend of mine shared a picture of a logging operation going on in an older area of his farm. As he panned the video, I notices several beehives in the background and I asked him about them. It turns out, he made a deal with a local bee guy. He gets over 20 pounds of honey a year in exchange for letting him keep bees on his property. Now, that’s a fair deal. I might see if I can find someone to do that. We don’t eat that much honey, but I could barter it for canning vegetables.

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Once I got off the mower, I fixed a quick supper. I texted a friend who is newly retired and he was sitting out on his gorgeous covered porch, drinking wine and enjoying a beautiful summer evening. Mr. FixIt was building the steps with his son, so I grabbed my knitting and headed into town to schmooze with my friend. We met and bonded through our late friend, Diane. Sparky always talked about her friend Richard but I’d never really knew him till after she died. As a matter of fact, he is the one who called me to tell me she had passed away. It was nice to sit on a summer’s eve and talk about our buddy.

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I got home and the steps were finished and my stepson was gone. They did a great job on this project. The only thing left is to set the posts in cement and mount the railing and that’s one more thing we can check off our to-do list. Today is knitting group. Only this week and next before the shop closes and we will need to come up with another place to meet. There are several options to look at but I don’t want to take on another project. One of the other gals will try to organize it and I’ll be happy to go.

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I’m about ready to start the ribbing around the bottom of the sweater. This pattern is so simple and easy…I love it. It’s hard to believe August is half gone!

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““He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”

\nJob 6:14 ESV\n
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The morning dew on the Elephant Ears.

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There was a goodly portion of the day yesterday that was pretty laid back. Mr. FixIt had to go to town to get his hair cut. Big to-do this weekend…gotta look good, right? While he was gone, I thought I’d just sit and knit a while…which I did. Then he called and said he found a used car for us and wanted my input. We’ve been wanting to get something that would be lower mileage and get better gas mileage. His old truck has surpassed 200,000 miles and that is not a reliable vehicle should you need to make a long trip. He went by and gave it a test drive. I trust his judgement so today we’ll go pick it up. 

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A 2002 Lincoln Continental with only 52,000 miles on it. Sweet!

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The parts came in for the stove yesterday so I tore into it and got the right control panel installed. The oven works now! Hooray!!! Now I can return the other part and get my money back. I asked Mr. FixIt if he was suitably impressed with my skills. He said, “You’re some kinda woman!” I take it that’s a yes! lol

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You can learn how to make this simple and delicious staple HERE. (Photo courtesy of In the Kitchen with Matt)

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I gave him a list of things I wanted from town, so when he was on his way home, I started supper. As I was knitting, I watched cooking videos on YouTube. As I thought of a certain food, I looked up how to prepare it. It’s fair season here and that reminded me of the food trucks that sell Navajo Tacos and Navajo Fry Bread out west. I had a package of ground beef in the fridge so I fried it up with taco seasoning, heated up some refried beans, and made fry bread. It’s kinda like a tortilla, only thicker. It’s soft and foldable and makes the BEST tacos! We had some wonderful sweet corn, on the cob…dripping with butter. SO good!

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I love doing that kind of cooking from time to time, but man does it ever make a mess! By the time I got it cleaned up, the news was over and it was getting close to time to write. We got one heck of a thunderstorm right about then and it poured so hard, it filled the pool up. The former Mrs. FixIt called to say she was driving through standing water on the city streets and several of the parking lots were full of water. As I write this, storm warnings continue to arrive on my phone.

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Bumblebee
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Morning Glory
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Mildew
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Sourgrass
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I’ve made great progress on the sweater. A few more inches on the bottom and I can knit the ribbed edge. I walked around between storms and took some pictures of the flora. Even with all the rain, it was a beautiful day and I feel like I got a lot accomplished. And isn’t that what we are supposed to do every day? Accomplish something that improves our lives and the lives of others? A noble endeavor, indeed.

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“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

\nPhilippians 2:13 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/11/runnin-like-a-chickennbsp.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/06/what-a-nice-day-off.html", "title": "What a Nice “Day Off”", "content_html": "\n
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It seems funny to say…I need a day off. I mean, every day is a day off, isn’t it? Retirement is wonderful in that we don’t have to get up every day and drive to work and stay there for.ev.er. Then drive back home and cook supper and clean up then crash for an hour before bedtime…only to get up the next morning and do it all over again. To be honest, I think I’ve worked a lot harder since I’ve retired. I’ve certainly kept busy and accomplished a lot. The only difference is…it’s mostly fun when you GET to do it as opposed to HAVE to do it.

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I warmed up corn cakes and fixed some eggs for breakfast. Once I cleaned up the kitchen, i could sit down and work on my next project. I bought some of the most wonderful yarn at the knit shop this week. Mochi from Berroco is 37% baby alpaca, 35% nylon, 24% fine merino wool, and 2% “other fibers”…whatever that is. The yarn is cabled instead of twisted and it’s light as a feather. Yet, with all those wonderful natural fibers and all that air space, I think it’s going to be really warm without all the weight.

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This yarn is so soft and light, it’s like knitting with gossamer.

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In the late afternoon, I went in to fix supper. I was going to bake some smoked kielbasa in sauerkraut. I turned on the oven, then mixed up the ingredients in a small baking dish. However, when I went to put the casserole dish in, the oven wasn’t hot. Uh-oh. I immediately knew there was something amiss and it most certainly had something to do with the control panel I replaced earlier this week. I ran through all the steps in my mind, wondering if I forgot to plug something in. I couldn’t think of anything.

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When I put the new panel in, it didn’t look exactly like the one I took out, but I just figured they had updated it. Mr. FixIt is the one who looked up the part for me so I was sure it was right. I just put it in without giving it much thought and I must admit…I didn’t turn on the stove to see if it worked. I went online and downloaded the user’s manual and I couldn’t find any troubleshooting steps that helped.

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I finally went on the Frigidaire website itself, put in the model number of the stove, and looked up the replacement parts. Once I got a close look, I could see where the problem was. The two control panels looked exactly alike except for one small detail. In the bottom right corner of the new panel, there was a selection called “Quick Bake”. In the same space on the old panel, it was a “Lock” icon. Neither one of us caught that and we had two sets of eyes on it. I’ve ordered the new part and started a return process for the part that doesn’t fit. I knew that job was too easy!

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I decided to make another sweater with the same pattern as the one I made for Big. It was quick and easy…and it has classic lines. I don’t have a traditional cardigan so maybe this one’s for me…maybe not. I’ll decide when I’m finished. We are supposed to go to my cousin’s place in the country this evening for a bonfire and a barbecue, but it’s supposed to rain hard today. We’ll just have to wait and see. Rainy days are nice for knitting!

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?

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“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.”

\nProverbs 31:10-13 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/06/what-a-nice-day-off.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/21/day-five-was-so-cool.html", "title": "Day Five Was SO Cool!", "content_html": "\n
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We had a blast at our sleepover at the farm. We told stories and walked out to see what a really dark sky looks like. It was the first time Little has actually seen the Milky Way! We warmed up leftover pancakes and corn cakes for breakfast. I sat on the front porch with my knitting and coffee and listened to the birds. Little slept in then we packed up and did a little walkabout. I showed them what the buildings were used for. We looked at the pictures of the people who built them. I explained how things worked before they got running water on the farm. 

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When we left, I decided to take Little back up on the hill where the old home place was. I explained how the kids had to walk all the way down off the hill, catch the school bus and ride all the way to the nearest school after they outgrew the little one room schoolhouse down the road. Then, when they rode back at the end of the day, the bus driver dropped them off at the base of the hill and they walked all the way back home…rain or shine, snow or ice or the heat of Indian Summer. It’s just the way it was.

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We drove out the new road they built to the compressor station for the gas pipeline. I was amazed how noisy it is and I’m so glad they built it way back on the hill and not any closer. There is an old church across from the driveway that turns into the compressor station. In the mornings, the family used to go to the little white church that I attended many years later. Then, in the afternoons, they walked out the ridge and went to this little church for Sunday evening services. 

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Little was fascinated with the signature book for visitors. They signed their name under mine with a smile. We looked around and commented how the old church is settling on one side. When we went back out to the truck, Little said, “Nana, there were cobwebs and bugs and dirt in that church. We need to go back and clean it. The windows could use a good washing, too.” I so love this kid! I told them we would go back before their trip is over so we can give it a good cleaning. We might leave a floral arrangement in their great great grandparents’ honor. That would be nice.

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On our way back home, I showed Little where Frank and Beans live…the new owners of the farm. As we drove by, I mentioned the building at the end of the drive. It was where the bus driver parked the school bus. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and before I could get a good look, Little called out, “Nana, look!!! An OWL!” Sure enough, there was a Barred Owl sitting on the ground, right smack dab in the middle of Frank and Bean’s driveway! It was in the area where I caught the recording of the juvenile calling in the middle of the night the last time I stayed at the farm. Pretty neat!

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Someone has seen a young black bear on the hill above our house two days running. I told Little we needed to drive out the road on the ridge to see if we could find it. We didn’t, but we came around a turn and there were wild turkeys crossing the road and going into the woods. Little got to see them. 

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We got home and had some quiet time. I worked on a Christmas Stocking I’m knitting with stranded color work…a technique I haven’t used since I made Big’s baby dress eighteen years ago. I cleaned and cut up a huge pan of broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts to pop in the oven to roast alongside a good sized salmon filet. I bought a bottle of really good quality lemon infused extra virgin olive oil at William-Sonoma when I was in Colorado in May. I’ve been waiting for just the right time to try it and…all I can say is…WOW! What a lovely addition to both the fish and the veggies. We ate the whole 13”x9” pan just the three of us.

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After supper, Little and I jumped in the pool and swam around till nearly dark. We have some of our best conversations when we are outside in nature. We talked about faith and God and what a cool guy Jesus is. Little looked up and pointed at a flock of birds above us. I was about to tell her about murmurations when they suddenly started one…swooping in and out of curved formations. It was fascinating. Then, just at dusk, the bats came out and one kept diving the pool for drinks of water and that’s when I told Little we’d had enough and it was time to get out!

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We needed to get some things out of the camper, so Mr. FixIt helped me set it up. It has leaked again, so I need to get it back to the dealer. I’ve just about had it with this thing. Too many problems for a brand new camper. We did keep it set up and decided to “camp” in the field last night. There was a storm predicted, but we were bound and determined to tough it out! You will have to wait till tomorrow to see how that worked out!

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?

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“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

\nMatthew 6:26 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/21/day-five-was-so-cool.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/09/prayers-in-my-stitches.html", "title": "Prayers in my Stitches", "content_html": "\n
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Land’s sake…please forgive my sloppy summer clothes, but…I have one sleeve done!

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As I plug along on this sweater for Big, I send prayers up. I wrap them in the soft cotton and bamboo yarn. I pack them into the spaces of each stitch. I ask God to wrap my sweet girl in warmth…comfort…and safety. When we sent Daughter #2 out into the world, she chose to attend the local community college so her baby sister would know who she was. That was providence, as she met my wonderful son-in-law the first week of school.

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It doesn’t matter how old you are, when you send your first child off to college…you send a king sized piece of your heart with them. As it turns out, having a baby when YOUR baby is almost sixteen takes your focus off the adolescent a little bit and allows them to grow up. At least, that is the way it worked for us. Now, my baby is sending HER baby off to college and my heart is with her as she hurtles toward this new passage in her life. They still have Little at home for another three years, though. That will keep them hopping!

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I camped in the Big Birdhouse on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Yesterday morning I was awakened to the lusty cries of the young red-shouldered hawk…this time sitting on the peak of the a-frame roof of the camper. Trust me…having a hawk resting five feet above your head and waking you from a dead sleep will get you out of bed in a hurry! I could hear it fussing around up there. I’m hoping it was having a snack of a mouse or something and not a piece of the camper!

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Mr. FixIt went into town yesterday to help his buddy do some odd jobs around his house. He remarked that the things they could easily do ten years ago gave them fits. It took them at least three times longer to get the job done. I’m finding that more and more. For the first time in my life, I sit down to knit and catch myself drifting off…my hands in my lap, my chin on my chest. What is this? This is new. I’m not ready for this…I have too much “going” to do!

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We need to change the part on the camper this weekend…the part that lifts and lowers the top. I’m trying to figure out how to do it safely. It’s supposed to rain today. Sunday and Monday will be clear so we will need to mow here at the house and out at the farm. We need to get defoamer for the pool and do some housework. And, I need to finish the other sleeve on the sweater. I don’t know if I’ll get it finished before we leave the kids in Virginia or not. We shall see.

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It was lovely to have a day to knit in the peace and quiet. I rarely turn the TV on when Mr. FixIt isn’t home. But yesterday I decided to watch Appalachian cooking videos. One gal was making Fried Corn and that looked pretty yummy. Little loves West Virginia and loves to cook with me so I know we’ll have a big time with that! Silver Queen corn should be coming in soon! I picked the last of the blueberries yesterday. There wasn’t much more than enough to top a couple bowls of cereal, but it’s a taste!

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What kind of fun things do you have planned for the weekend?

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?

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“For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.””

\n1 Corinthians 10:26 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/09/prayers-in-my-stitches.html", "tags": ["Family","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/02/july-is-here.html", "title": "July is Here!!!", "content_html": "\n
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Just about every year of my adult life, I took at least a week…and often two or three…and brought my girls to West Virginia to see their Mountaineer family. Most often, we came in July. You could pretty much bet the monsoons of June were past and it wasn’t so dreadfully hot and humid like August. Since my girls are almost sixteen years apart, there were just a few years I had both of them with me.

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I have great memories of those trips. When my older daughter was little, she stood on a stool and brushed her great grandma’s long hair. I have a picture of her holding a bamboo fishing rod with a safety pin for a fish hook, wearing a Holly Hobby hat and a one piece play suit. When my younger daughter was little, we took “moon baths” out behind grandma’s house. We waited till dark then stripped off and lathered up, then poured cold buckets of rainwater over ourselves to rinse off. It was the only way to cool off enough to sleep.

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Now it’s ME that lives in West Virginia and Little is coming in July in two weeks to see us! We’ll be baking and swimming, crafting and sewing, and I’ll indulge in a new experience…cosplay! If you don’t know what that is, it’s where you dress up like your favorite characters, makeup and all, and film yourself or take photos. Little is really into it and I’m into Little so we’re going to give it a go! It should be fun!

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We had some pretty hard storms come through yesterday. When I saw the sky darkening and heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, I shot out of the house to close up the camper. I left the windows open the evening before and I didn’t want everything to get wet. I prepared to lower the top of the camper and….the actuator (the mechanical part that lifts and lowers the top) didn’t work. I tried checking the circuit breakers and the fuses, but that storm was rolling in fast at that point. The sky started crackling with lightning and thunder so I closed it all back up and ran for the house.

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So, now I have yet another thing wrong with the camper. I spoke with the service guy and he sent another email to the factory with photos and the additional info about the actuator. We have camping reservations when we go to Virginia to pick Little up so they are going to ship a new actuator to us and Mr. FixIt can replace it. That way we can still use the camper that weekend, then I can get it up to the dealership. They will have to ship it to the factory, I imagine. Still waiting to hear. We don’t have camping scheduled again till September so hopefully they will get the camper in and out and back to us in a timely fashion.

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After supper, Mr. FixIt went out to see if the storm knocked any limbs down. Pretty soon he came and tapped on the window in the family room and motioned for me to come outside. I followed him out into the shadow of the nearest pear tree and looked in the direction he was pointing. There, on the ground beside the camper, lay the twins…the tiny spotties…the fawns that joined our little tribe this spring. Later in the evening, Mommy joined them. There’s a big, fat groundhog in the front yard this summer. I don’t like them hanging around, even though I don’t have a garden this year. But they dig up the yard and embankment with tunnels that can pose a safety hazard and damage structures. 

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I continue to watch this sweater that I’m knitting for Big grow longer and more beautiful. I’ll have quite a lot of finishing work to do on it, but I’m thinking she’ll really enjoy it when I’m done. We’ll be having a lot of rain this weekend so I’ll get a chance to work on my knitting and getting a little housecleaning done in preparation for Little’s arrival.

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?

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“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”

\nProverbs 17:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/02/july-is-here.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/29/knitting-and-bunnies-and-birds.html", "title": "Knitting and Bunnies and Birds", "content_html": "\n
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We had to run to town yesterday to do errands. Usually that turns into an all day ordeal, but I managed to schedule things to make them go smoother. I dropped off Mr. FixIt at his buddy’s house to work on the tomatoes while I went to get my blood drawn, then we stopped at the post office box and the pool supply store. A quick stop at the gas station and we were home by 3:00…a record, I think!

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I was antsy. I wanted to go camping. The low temperature is going to be perfect the next two nights, but the days are going to get pretty sticky. Mr. FixIt really didn’t want to go and honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to pull the camper by myself this time. Still, I had itchy feet. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a sleepover at the farm, so I asked my sweetheart if he minded me going over for a couple of days. He’s so sweet…he never, ever objects to me doing whatever I need to do to maintain balance in our life. For that, I am grateful and it encourages me to make our time together epic. He’s a smart man!

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I threw some things together and headed to the home of my heart. I always do a walk about to make sure things are all looking good. Everything was in ship shape. I sat on the front porch and knitted on Big’s sweater. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and there was a little Carolina Wren hopping toward me, moving her head this way and that. She stayed for quite a while. There was a little, tiny bunny in the front yard nibbling on the white clover. Every once in a while, something scared it and it darted off into the underbrush only to return when the coast was clear. It finally started getting cool and I headed indoors. 

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I heard a bird out the back door so I took my phone to investigate. It wasn’t dark yet. I looked up and scanned the hillside and noticed something amiss. There were several branches with lots of dead leaves on them and that only means one of two things…a tree has died from disease, or it’s come down. And that’s just what happened…it came down right on top of the old cellar house. There are limbs resting on the electric line going to the building, but there is still power up there. I did pull my truck back from under the lines, though. You can see the trunk of the tree where it broke off about twenty feet up. Judging by the way the leaves have turned brown already, I’d say this happened during the storm that knocked out our power for two days a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know how we missed it the other times we’ve been out here. I guess we just don’t look up enough.

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There have been more things like this happening in the last year since the farm was sold. I think houses know. I think they die. How many times have you seen an old house look perfectly fine then just fall apart quickly after its people leave? I told Mr. FixIt, we need to come out more often and talk to the old girl….make sure she still knows how desperately she is loved. Maybe plant some flowers. I am so happy her new owners love her like we do…but I just think this old house misses her people.

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It’s so incredibly quiet here. At night, the birds have gone to roost. The only sound is the dehumidifier humming quietly in the basement. Occasionally the hot water heater kicks on. As I write this, I have the window open feeling the cool evening breeze and listening to a Barred Owl just across the creek.

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Life is good!

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?

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“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.””

\nJohn 3:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/29/knitting-and-bunnies-and-birds.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/05/10/rest-and-relaxation.html", "title": "Rest and Relaxation", "content_html": "\n
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The hat I made yesterday. The color isn’t accurate…I took this picture in the camper. It’s actually a pale pink. See the other photo for color reference.

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Yesterday was exactly what I needed! I always camp next to the garden at my son-in-law’s parents’ place. The kids are working or in school, I have my own little space, and I get to visit with a couple of the coolest people on the planet! Ben & Sue opened their home to me after Mr. Virgo died. I came here and they nurtured me and fed me and helped me get through the first two weeks of widowhood. We’ve always been close, but when Sue had a health scare a couple of years ago, she and I became like sisters. We chat every night and we are sounding boards for each other. I am blessed to have a handful of these awesome women in my life.

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Sue and I visited all day. We made “Porcupine Balls” for Little’s birthday dinner today. Those are nothing more than regular meatballs, but you add uncooked Jasmine rice to the meat. Then you cook the meatballs in regular ol’ tomato soup from a can. And the rice sticks out of the meatballs every which way looking like little porcupines. Sue’s mom found the recipe in a pressure cooker cookbook and has made them for years. They are the most requested food for family gatherings here at the “epicenter of the universe.”

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I started knitting a hat this morning with some of the yarn I bought at The Blue Pelican Gallery in Hatteras, NC last month. I finished it just in time to go out to the camper and write. It was a slow, easy day with knitting and a nap, lots of fluids, and fun conversation. I really push the fluids when I first get here to help ward off any altitude issues. Today will be busier with a family birthday party. 

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Mr. FixIt has been busy with mowing and social events…prom pictures, Mother’s Day with family at the former Mrs. FixIt’s house, then the final softball game of the year. It’s a busy time for both of us and we miss each other something awful! We haven’t spent this much time away from each other in three years. We’ll be back together before we know it but I don’t want to wish away a moment of my time with the kids!

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?

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“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

\nPsalm 4:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-05-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/05/10/rest-and-relaxation.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","Crafts","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/01/wake-up.html", "title": "Wake Up!!!", "content_html": "\n
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I was awakened yesterday by the sounds of heavy equipment and the incessant beep-beep-beeping of a back up alarm out front. I dressed quickly, grabbed my phone, and headed out the door to see what was going on. The highway dudes were clearing up the rockslide that occurred a couple of weeks ago. Cool!

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I came back in and fixed my coffee. The morning was fairly warm and breezy with intermittent clouds and showers. I took my knitting out on the front porch and worked while I listened to the birds. I don’t have feeders out here anymore. But I had plenty of company out there amongst my furry and feathered friends. The cardinals, blue jays, robins, wrens, sparrows, woodpeckers, towhees and a gorgeous red-tailed hawk were joined by chipmunks and grey squirrels. It was quite the show!

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Along about 1:00, I decided to take a drive over to the next town to check out the new Dollar General. I heard it was a real humdinger and they were right. This thing has a huge grocery section which is quite a convenience when you’re twenty-five miles from a real store. 

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Next was an impromptu stop at the church thrift shop. They weren’t officially open, but there were several cars out front so I took my chances. I wandered around a bit and didn’t find anything I needed…till the last aisle. There was a magnifying floor lamp with my name on it. $10! I saw them in January for up to $250 so this was just what the doctor ordered. It will really help when I knit at night with dark colors. 

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I debated where to go next. Back to the farm or on up the road to visit Berdine’s Five & Dime to get some chocolate covered peanuts and then a stop at the cemetery to visit the family. 

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It was 73° as I sat on the headstone and happily munched on my “penny candy” in the little paper sack and chattered away. I told Grandma all about her pretty posies that are blooming. I told Pop-Pop I thought I’d finally figured out how to fix the pump and all I needed was a good strong pipe wrench. I told my Uncle Sonny that I spoke with his fiancé a couple of weeks ago. I apologized again to my Uncle Bob for not always being nice when he teased me. He was differently abled and I was a petulant, headstrong child. I told Mr. Virgo I was glad I placed some of his hair in the ground alongside Mom’s headstone since I can’t visit him often in Colorado. And, I told my Mom I saw the most beautiful purple dress the other day that she would have loved.

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As I turned to leave, I glanced to my right and there, at the edge of the woods, was a redbud tree blooming. Oh, I love it when they bloom! They look like airy purplely pink clouds floating along the winding country roads and they just make my heart sing. I went to the truck to get my camera to capture photographic proof that spring has indeed arrived in West Virginia, whether it snows again or not. 

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I came back to the farm. Rather than knit, I stretched out on the bed to read and before I knew it, I dozed off. It’s been a restful couple of days even though I haven’t had running water. I’ve listened to the owls call at dusk. I’ve slept in Grandma’s bed. I’ve eaten chocolate covered peanuts and watched the flora and fauna running rampant and rich. 

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My soul is refreshed. Don’t be fooled today! 

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?

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“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

\nIsaiah 32:18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/01/wake-up.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/26/photographic-memories-of-my-grief.html", "title": "Photographic Memories of My Grief", "content_html": "\n
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Little TOW-Wanda…my very first camper. I wish I’d never traded her in!

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I keep my photos stored in a couple of clouds. I use iCloud from Apple because it comes with my iPhone/iPad. I do pay a nominal fee to store extra data over the amount that is free. And somewhere along the line, I signed up for OneDrive which is part of the Microsoft 365 Suite of programs. I really love it because I get an email with my “memories of the day.” Similar to FB Memories, OneDrive saves every photo I’ve ever uploaded. And, occasionally I am surprised by something I haven’t seen in years.

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I thought these photos might have been lost and I was so excited when they showed up yesterday. They were taken when I went off on my three month journey through the wilderness and backroads of Colorado…and New Mexico, Wyoming, and South Dakota. This was in the earliest days of my grief. I purchased my camper after Mr. Virgo died and I took off alone to navigate my grief…one campfire at a time. 

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Somewhere along a desert highway…pulling my camper on my own. I learned a lot that year.

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I knew absolutely NOTHING about a camper. I really didn't know what I didn’t know and like they say…ignorance is bliss. I could hook it up and unhook it. I could back it in with some modicum of success. I didn’t use the plumbing…at all. This simplified things greatly. The heater was pretty self explanatory. I needed it at this point in the trip because it’s really cold in March in Colorado.

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There were days I woke up with snow on the ground. If that happened, I made arrangements with the campground to just stay put till things looked better. I passed the days looking at colorful magazines and napping…and writing. I went to the Four Corners area of Colorado and camped on my dear friend Sue’s ten acres overlooking Mesa Verde for at least a week. She took me to my first “wild hot spring”…which was essentially a hole in the ground with rocks around it. Eventually I traveled on south to Ojo Calliente in New Mexico.

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The only wild hot spring I’ve ever been in. Free and hot, hot, hot! There was no other water to temper this water that bubbled up out of the ground. You couldn’t stay in for long!

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There was a small primitive campground at the mineral springs at Ojo. They had yoga every morning in a yurt on the grounds. A restaurant served wonderful food. You could buy a package deal that got you entry to the hot springs, a massage, a meal, and the campsite. At the time, I think it was something like $50 for all that. Quite a deal. I think I stayed there two or three nights. I was going to go on across the desert southwest to California but changed my mind. I still didn’t feel comfortable being that far away on my own.

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I’m planning another solo adventure in a couple of months that I’ll tell you more about as we get closer to a departure date. In the meantime, the weather has turned chilly again with a final wintry mix of snow and rain over the weekend. Night time temperatures will be down in the twenties. I’m WAY over this and will be happy to see winter put to bed for good soon. I finished a pair of socks yesterday and started knitting a black winter hat to go with the pair of mittens I finished last week.

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My latest projects…a pair of socks, some black wool mittens, and a hat to match.

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I went out to check the camper last night and the refrigerator is still not getting cold so we’re going to have to do something about that. It is under warranty so it won’t cost us anything. But it is a pain in the rear having to take “The Birdhouse” in for service already. I’m sure it’s something easy to fix or replace.

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Enjoy your Saturday, dear ones!

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?

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“She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.”

\nProverbs 31:13 ESV\n
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#Knitting, #Memories, #Grief

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/26/photographic-memories-of-my-grief.html", "tags": ["Grief","Memories","Crafts","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/16/the-warmth-of-old-memories.html", "title": "The Warmth of Old Memories and New Friends", "content_html": "\n
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I’m a “yarn junkie” and I went to see my dealer yesterday. We do our negotiations right in front of God and everybody. I shamelessly paw through her sale bin with the fervor of someone jonesing for a fix, knowing full well how many “hits” I already have in my stash at home. *sigh* I can’t help it…I’ve hit the mother lode. A yarn shop! Granted, it’s 20 miles there and 20 miles back, so the cost of fuel is cutting into my savings but….c’mon, man…it’s a YARN SHOP!

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My score yesterday was six skeins of 100% Superwash Wool for mittens. I have vowed to knit something for everyone for Christmas this year. These skeins were originally $14 each and I got all six for twelve bucks! I might be able to get a pair of mittens out of each skein. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me!

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I stopped at my favorite coffee shop on my way to town and sat in the morning sun, knitting a little on each of the projects I have going. I try not to eavesdrop on people when I’m out, but it was difficult not to overhear the conversation between two men enjoying a cup of coffee together. I got the impression they were retired and may have worked together. I found myself smiling from time to time at the nature of their casual banter. One asked if the other had seen so-and-so recently. The other said he had not. He went on to say he had spoken to the fella some time ago and relayed something he had said to the guy. They hadn’t spoken since and this man was concerned that perhaps he had hurt the other fellow’s feelings in some way. They went on to discuss the possibility for quite some time. And I thought it was only us gals who worried about stuff like that!

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This particular coffee shop gives you a cute little sticker placed over the sippy hole in the lid. They are usually seasonal or some cute little saying. I have several stuck to the dashboard of my truck. They make me smile. Yesterday’s was a shamrock and I thought of Mr. Virgo. He was buried on this day, nine years ago. Being a McKinney…he was all things Irish! I felt like he was dropping by to say hello over coffee. One of our happy places was on the front porch sipping coffee on his days off. Yes…it was a sign that I have oodles and oodles of reasons to be grateful and full of joy!

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I was greeted by a warm hello when I joined the girls sitting around the table in the front room of the yarn shop. We are in that early stage of making friends where we learn about each other and where we’ve been on this life’s journey. I like these women and I am so thrilled to have met them. As I left the shop, they told me how glad they were I found them and that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

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I walked across the street and into the Lebanese restaurant for a half order of tabouli and baba ghanoush with warm pita bread to go. I sat in my truck in the warm sunshine watching an engineer maneuver a train back and forth, picking up more and more cars before he headed out on a run. We caught each other’s eye, smiled brightly and waved. Just like when I was a kid, shopping with my mom on this very same street on a warm spring day some sixty years ago.

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I headed home. Mr. FixIt called just as I crossed the interstate overpass. He asked where I was. When I told him, he said, “I see you!” We passed each other, waving like we hadn’t seen each other in a month of Sundays. He went on to town to run some errands and I headed home. I started a third project….a pair of mittens from the black wool I bought earlier. It knits up so nicely and it goes quickly because it’s really chunky yarn. 

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So, I’ve officially joined the ranks of “knitters who work on multiple projects”. I’m also reading a book so I’ve been busy! I was going to head to the farm today, but my bonus daughter and son-in-law are coming over today to help us do some things around the house. We have some trees that need to come down and bushes that need trimmed back. I need to pull “Birdie” around to the side of the building so I can pop the top and clean out what I am sure are a million ladybugs and stink bugs. Her new owners are coming Saturday to pick her up and I want her to look pretty!

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It was a joyful day, full of warm memories and new friends….and yarn.

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One can NEVER have too much yarn, right?

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?

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“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;”

\nPsalm 104:10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/16/the-warmth-of-old-memories.html", "tags": ["Fun","Change","Crafts","Friends","Birdie"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/04/life-in-miniature.html", "title": "Life in Miniature", "content_html": "\n
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Babies are the best, aren’t they? I’ve only knitted a few baby things in my life…mainly because I lacked the confidence to follow intricate patterns. But, once I started making socks, my friend Gail (knitter extraordinaire) assured me I could do anything! I finished knitting the little baby sweater yesterday morning. I had enough yarn to make a pair of baby socks. I wasn’t sure if I had enough to make a hat as well, so I started with the socks first.

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I’ve been knitting adult socks for several years now using various patterns and methods. I searched for a baby bootie or sock pattern I liked and ended up starting and tearing out at least three socks. That kind of day is frustrating and it would be very easy to just put it all away and do something else. But I have a project that I’m looking forward to starting and there are a few yarns I want to use up before I settle in on it. 

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I have to say, this little tiny sock for a little tiny human is the sweetest thing. It took me all day but I finally got one finished. I mean, once I finally got the right pattern it was smooth sailing, but up to that point I knitted a lot and didn’t have anything to show for it. I still need to buy little buttons for the sweater. At this point, our new little great grandson is already too big for this one, so I’ll put it away for the future. Someone will have a baby one of these days!

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Our weather will start getting warm again for a few days. We will see temperatures up in the 70’s! It’s time to start cleaning out the big building and getting our lives organized while we still have the physical capabilities to do so. The birds have been emptying our feeders two or three times a week. When I woke up, I heard a woodpecker outside our bedroom window, but I couldn’t remember which kind. It turned out to be a Red-bellied Woodpecker which is an odd name because their bellies are white. They’re really pretty with a bright red head.

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I made Baked Steak (a traditional staple around these parts), Buttered Noodles, and home-canned Green Beans for supper. The news continues to be distressing and I needed comfort food.. I find comfort in my faith and knowing God has us in His hands. Reading Heather Cox Richardson’s daily Letter to America helps keep the “news noise” down to a dull roar. 

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I keep praying for the courageous people of Ukraine and for those Russians who are caught in the crossfire and who are against what is happening. What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. We are one species…human.

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?

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“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.”

\nGalatians 6:2-5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-04T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/04/life-in-miniature.html", "tags": ["God","Courage","Crafts","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/02/arriving-for-my-appointment.html", "title": "Arriving for my “Appointment”", "content_html": "\n
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Little baby sweater I started Monday night.

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I believe the Holy Spirit gives us appointments. Just like going to the doctor for a check up, we are given appointments to interact with people. To listen to their stories. To commiserate with them on the trials they face and cheer for them their accomplishments. He gives us opportunities to lift others, to share our own stories, and to meet people in the middle…on neutral ground.

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When I headed to bed on Monday evening, I wasn’t 100% sure I would get up and make yet another trip into town. But this trip would be different. Instead of going shopping or running other errands, this was a trip to the local yarn shop to meet new people. To have an opportunity to work on projects together and to maybe become part of a group of likeminded individuals with a common interest…knitting.

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I woke up early yesterday and thought, “Hmmmm, if I get up now, I can go to the coffee shop for a leisurely cuppa before I go to knit.” It didn’t take much to convince me and before I knew it, I was up and out the door, bag in hand with my current project as well as a stack of my “show and tells”. I brought my new book along and read over coffee. That always makes me feel mellow and ever so cosmopolitan. The yarn shop opens at 11:00. I walked in the door at three minutes after and there were already three women seated around the table.

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Introductions were made and I settled in with my knitting. The conversation quickly returned to the topic being discussed when I entered. I smiled and thanked God for sending His Holy Spirit to direct me where I needed to go. Why? Because the topic of discussion was…grief. Two of the women were talking about Grief Share, a faith-based grief support group that meets in churches everywhere. I was a guest speaker at a Grief Share meeting one winter in Colorado.

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We all experience grief at one time or another during our lifetimes, but every woman sitting at that table was bereaved. After a bit, I shared what I do…that I am a grief writer and mentor. One of the women had heard of my blog, which isn’t terribly surprising since we were sitting in my hometown and there are a large number of readers here simply because they know me. So, maybe we have a mutual friend.

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More women joined us till we had a total of seven, I believe. Just the right size group to get to know each other a bit. We each showed off what we were working on. Some went off in search of a new pattern or a new yarn. There is a bargain bin up front and I bought some warm brown yarn to make some winter hats for the guys in my life. I worked on the little yellow baby sweater that I’ll hopefully deliver to our newest great grandson soon.

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Before we knew it, the time had come to be on our way. I ran some errands, picked up salads for supper, and headed home by late afternoon. As I drove back home through the countryside, I thanked God for His infinite wisdom, knowing exactly where I can contribute my skills and sending me there. His timing is impeccable.

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The weather was sunny and warm…a portent of what’s to come. Springtime in West Virginia. Yesterday was the beginning of “meteorological spring” while “astronomical spring” doesn’t begin until March 20th. If that’s the case…yesterday didn’t disappoint with a high of 67° according to the thermometer on my truck! Bring it on…I’m more than ready!!!

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?

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“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

\nPhilippians 2:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-02T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/02/arriving-for-my-appointment.html", "tags": ["Grief","Fun","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/01/an-outing-to-knit.html", "title": "An Outing to Knit", "content_html": "\n
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When I had my little needlework shop in Glenwood Springs, a group of gals gathered around the large table in the back and stitched together. We solved the world’s problems as well as a few of our own. We caught up on each other’s lives, encouraged each other in our creative pursuits, and shared a camaraderie I treasure to this day. It’s one of the reasons I love getting my classmates together for coffee. 

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I love that kind of interaction. It feeds my social side as well as stimulates my intellect. Any time you can gather with people you have opportunities for connection, enlightenment, and personal growth. In that vein, I am going to the yarn shop today to share some time and knit amongst other enthusiasts. I have a bag filled with goodies I’ve knitted in the last three months that I’m taking for “Show and Tell”. 

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I finished the hat last night that goes with the fingerless gloves. It’s so stretchy and soft. I did decide to go back and try inserting a band of lace from the pattern I used on the second shawl I knitted. I think I just needed to have a break from the project overnight and look at it with fresh eyes this morning. As soon as I picked it up, I knew exactly what to do to make it work and I really liked the way it turned out.

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A friend contacted me last week and heard that we are selling the “Little Birdhouse”…the smaller A-Frame camper we bought in August last year. She wants to buy it so they have something easy to pull with the vehicle they already own and this is perfect for that. I’m so excited that someone I know will be buying this sweet little camper!

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This is the month that is not quite spring…not quite winter. It’s a little dicey to think about going camping in March in this area because you never know what the weather is going to be like. It could be warm and beautiful or torrential rains or a freaky spring snowstorm. That’s why I kind of limit my camping to our field during the months from November to at least April.

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My dear friend Gail is having a gathering of gals at her house late this month. She has an AirB&B house right next door to her and she can house the lot of us in separate bedrooms to reduce the risks of spreading Covid. Just because precautions are loosening up, doesn’t mean the virus is gone. It can still be spread. But I do feel a bit braver about gathering with others…especially if they are fully vaccinated and I can wear a mask when I want.

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And, here is it. March. 

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Where does the time go???

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?

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“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”

\n1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-01T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/01/an-outing-to-knit.html", "tags": ["Camping","Fun","Crafts","Friends","Birdie"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/28/knitting-as-meditation.html", "title": "Knitting as Meditation", "content_html": "\n
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I have become much more calm since I started knitting again last fall. I find the rhythmic movements of my hands to be hypnotic. I focus on the smallest of things…the way the yarn feels between my thumb and forefinger…the shape of the stitches…the way the yarn makes a pattern out of seeming chaos. I love the almost miraculous way two sticks and a thread can be manipulated into a warm garment. 

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I find knitting is my church these days. It is there where I sit with Jesus and mull over the problems of the world. I pray into my stitches and ask God to bless whoever ends up owning this particular piece. I pray when the person gifted wears the garment, they will feel the prayers I’ve sent up of them and the comfort of God’s love lingering in the fibers. 

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I finished the fingerless gloves for Little yesterday. I got a good start on a hat to match. I’ll send them as an early present since her birthday isn’t for another few months. Big turns eighteen today. She gets money for her birthday. It’s always the right color and size, but I’ll mail her some socks I knitted for her as well.

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Mr. FixIt went to visit his buddies at the bowling alley last night, which left the house quiet for a few hours. I knitted in the stillness, my needles ticking softly together as I worked the pattern. I tried to improvise and add some lacy touches to my work, but after making so many mistakes and ripping it out three times, I decided to just stick to the directions given this time. I think the yarn I am using isn’t quite conducive to the pattern I attempted. 

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Here it is…the end of February! Usually this month crawls like cold molasses, but not this year. Probably because of my surgery. That was quite the diversion. I continue to find my attitude adjustment helping me feel better. There’s nothing I can do about the results of the surgery. But there’s a lot I can do about how I deal with it. Between the medication regimen and God’s grace and encouragement, I’m feeling much better. The problem is still there. It won’t go away without removal of the errant glands. So, a good attitude goes a long way toward a better quality of life.

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I’m continuing to pray for peace. My knitting should positively be glowing at this point.

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?

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So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

\nRomans 14:12 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-28T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/28/knitting-as-meditation.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Choices","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/23/counting-stitches-counting-days.html", "title": "Counting Stitches, Counting Days", "content_html": "\n
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Oh, how I love this yarn. The softness comes from 70% Superwash Merino Wool and the sheen comes from 30% Bamboo. It’s like butter. It’s lightweight and warm…just what you want in a wrap for a May outing in Colorado. The pattern is super easy and I love the edge it creates as you end rows and begin the next. It’s a series of open loops that seem to fit the nature of the both the pattern and the yarn.

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The shawl I’m currently knitting. The picture shows different yarns, but the one I am using is self striping. I could have thrown in some different textures and stitches, but I’m keeping it simple.

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I awoke yesterday morning out in the Big Birdhouse along about 3:30. I was chilled and couldn’t quite figure out why till I discovered the electric blanket was no longer working. It is super frustrating for me to spend perfectly good money on something only to have it stop working after five times. We’ll try to return both blankets. Mr. FixIt’s is still in its packaging, but if one has stopped working, the other will surely be right behind it. Here is where I have to point out…you get what you pay for. In an effort to save a few dollars, I caved and bought the cheapest electric blanket I could find. Sure enough, it underlines my shopping mantra. “Buy the best you can afford. It saves you money in the long run.”

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Starry, starry night.

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Even though I covered up with an extra quilt I had in the camper, I didn’t really warm up because I didn’t want to turn on the small ceramic space heater. It had just started raining and I wanted to hear the raindrops hitting the roof of the camper. As I lay there fiddling with my phone, I decided to take a picture of the interior with the night vision setting of my iPhone. The blue light from the clock on the microwave created an enchanting “under sea” look that was fun.

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By the glow of the microwave clock.

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I waited for the sun to come up and somewhere around 6:00, I drifted off for a couple of hours. I had to pack up my camper bag and wait for the rain to slack off a bit before I headed indoors. Mr. FixIt was sitting in the family room when I came in so I poured my coffee and sat down with him. He had an appointment in town in the early afternoon and I had my Zoom call with my brother out in Colorado. 

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Afterward, I turned on YouTube and watched a few videos on Appalachian folklore, caught a couple tutorials on knitting and making sourdough English muffins, and worked on the new shawl I’m knitting. This one starts with a cast on that ends up being the center of the back of the neck then expands the further down you go. By the time you get down to the place where you knit the lace border, you have 218 stitches. I’ve learned to place a stitch marker every five rows so I don’t have to sit and count that many stitches very often. 

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Once I start the lace border, I’ll have to go back to paying close attention in order to get the pattern right. It rained hard all day, so it was a perfect day to knit by the fire and listen to old tales from the Appalachian people. There were several videos about old folk sayings and wive’s tales…much of which I heard from my elders as I was growing up. I’ll share some in another post one of these days.

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Today is an at-home day. I think I may do a little baking as it is expected to be rather cold and dismal grey here. This bright and cheerful yarn is just what the doctor ordered for days such as this!

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?

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““Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.”

\nJoel 2:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/23/counting-stitches-counting-days.html", "tags": ["Camping","West Virginia","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/15/going-out-on-a-limb.html", "title": "Going Out on a Limb", "content_html": "\n
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My friend Gail challenged me to knit a sweater. While a sweater looks impressive when it’s finished, it’s really not technically difficult to do. If you know how to cast on, knit, purl, increase, decrease, and bind off…you can make a sweater. I was pretty proud of myself when I finished…mostly because I’m not good at finishing projects. I’ve been the Queen of UFOs (unfinished objects) in the past. As a matter of fact, it was everything I could do to stay on task the last couple of days knitting that sweater. I was bored and ready to do something else. A new yarn. A new pattern. Learning a new technique. But I stuck to it and finished! Go ME!

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When I discovered the yarn shop in town last week, I bought two new yarns. One for making socks, and the other…I had no idea. I just liked it. It’s 100% merino wool. A light fingering weight. Perfect for making something light and airy…like a summer shawl. I sent Gail a picture of the yarn and told her the weight and how much of it I had. She sent me three patterns that would work well. The one I LOVED was the most difficult…errrrr, I mean…challenging.

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Gail has made this particular pattern many times. She agreed it was more challenging, but she seemed to think I could pull it off. Well, let me tell you…there IS a learning curve to this one. The most difficult is…it has a pattern. I mean, there are fourteen rows and you repeat that set of fourteen rows over and over till the shawl is as big as you want it to be. I found I had to write down where I was in the pattern or I would be lost. I’ve had to rip several rows at a time out and correct an error. It’s going to be one of those pieces that means a lot to me when I’m done because I poured so much into it. And, the more I look at it, the more I realize this may not be the perfect yarn. I think I’d rather have more of a speckled look. So…When Mr. FixIt called me in to see something funny on TV…I ripped out all the work I did today. That’s not a bad thing. I know know how to knit this shawl and I know I’d rather have a different yarn. I just wasn’t feeling it. I’m cool with that.

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I have my appointment with the surgeon today, and afterwards, I think I’ll go to town and look for a different yarn for this shawl. There is a knitting group that gathers on Tuesdays and I’d love to meet some knitters and make some more friends. It will be good for me.

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?

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“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

\nRomans 12:2 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/15/going-out-on-a-limb.html", "tags": ["Fun","Change","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/14/another-project-in-the-books.html", "title": "Another Project in the Books, Another Valentine’s Day", "content_html": "\n
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My sweater is finished…and yes, the tree is still up! I think it’s coming down this week!

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I finished my sweater in a little less than two weeks! Of course, other than having surgery, I didn’t do much else. Mr. FixIt subbed for his friend Harry on the bowling league yesterday afternoon and came home to a hot meal of spaghetti and garlic bread while we watched the Super Bowl. Although I would have loved to see Cincinnati win, it was a really close game. No one wants to watch a championship game that’s a blowout. It just shows these two teams were well deserving competitors and they both put up a great fight.

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I loved the halftime show. It reminded me of when Daughter #1 was in high school. I’d gather a car full of kids and take them out for McDonald’s and we’d blast the stereo in my little Honda Accord. Oh yeah…I was a real bad@$$ mom. *insert eye roll here*

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We had a beautiful visitor in the yard. I kept hearing a bird call that I didn’t recognize. When I went in to make my coffee yesterday morning, here was this beautiful male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker poking around on the maple tree outside the kitchen window. When I played the recorded bird call on the Merlin app, it was the one I hadn’t recognized from earlier.

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It’s Valentine’s Day. I remember brokenhearted Valentine’s Days in the past and I hated them. I hated that people were happy. I hated that people had partners. I was so sad to be alone and so angry at God for taking Mr. Virgo away from me. If you are on your own on this yearly recognized day that reminds you of that fact at every turn…I see you. And, my heart is with you. I know how hard it can be.

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❤️‍?

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“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

\nPsalm 147:3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-14T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/14/another-project-in-the-books.html", "tags": ["Grief","Memories","Marriage","Crafts","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/13/super-bowl-sunday.html", "title": "Super Bowl Sunday", "content_html": "\n
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I didn’t knit a stitch on Friday. I let myself process my test results, thanked God for the fact it’s nothing worse, and “camped” in the field. Ohhhh….what a treat that was! We saw 65° on Friday and it was down in the 40’s overnight. I was awakened a few times to the sound of rain on the camper roof. The Big Birdhouse is a sanctuary, indeed. And perhaps this week, I’ll get out to the farm for a couple of days. That would be icing on the cake!

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I worked on the sweater yesterday and I’m making great progress. I like a sweater to come down low on my hips. Camouflage, you know. I think I’ll knit with the dark color at least as wide as the dusty rose band…and maybe an inch or two longer. I’m almost ready to start the last skein of yarn on this project. I have to tell you…I know I wouldn’t want to work on a project like this in warm weather. This thing is like an electric blanket on my lap. It’s going to make a wonderful, warm sweater.

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We watched the Olympics most of the afternoon. I got drowsy and went back out to the camper for a little nap, which was lovely. It wasn’t nearly as warm yesterday, and by nightfall it was actually snowing! I don’t think it will amount to much. We’ll be cool for a couple of days then get back to springtime temperatures again. This is one of the biggest reasons I live back in my home state. The winters aren’t too bad…nothing like Colorado.

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I’m going to put a batch of spaghetti sauce in the crockpot this morning. We’ll watch more of the Olympics, I’ll knit, and we’ll watch the Super Bowl. I have to pull for our neighbors and hope the Bengals win! Joe Burrow is from Athens…which is not all that far from us. I love what he has done for the food bank in his hometown. Since the Division Championship Game, ten years worth of donations have arrived. That will make a world of difference for families who need some help with food.

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I’m looking forward to working on a new project soon. That’s one of the reasons socks and dishcloths are so satisfying…closer to the instant gratification I enjoy. Actually, I haven’t been working on this sweater for all that long. It looks like I started it on January 30th, so that’s not bad for a relative rookie!

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Enjoy your day, dear ones!

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❄️❤️❄️

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“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.”

\nZechariah 10:1 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-13T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/13/super-bowl-sunday.html", "tags": ["Camping","Crafts","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/11/burnout-and-perspective.html", "title": "Burnout and Perspective", "content_html": "\n
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Columbus, Ohio at night from space.

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The news is shifting yet again regarding Covid. Cases are on a downward trajectory and the accompanying announcements of reducing mask mandates is all the rage. Let’s face it…we are ALL burned out by this thing. We want normal again. We want our lives back. We want to sweep this nasty little episode back under the bed and maybe pretend it never happened.

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We are such strange animals. We have the mental capacity to create a telescope that recently travelled one million miles from earth in an incomprehensibly short period of time. Yet, we can’t remember what happened the last time we relaxed our mask wearing and the subsequent wave nearly crushed us.

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We have now lost a little over 910,000 Americans to Covid. That’s about 5,000 more people than live in Columbus, Ohio. It’s about 8,000 less people than live in Fort Worth, Texas. Can you wrap your head around that number??? Imagine driving into Columbus and the streets are empty. Every house is empty. The buildings downtown are empty. The hospitals, schools, shopping malls…all empty. 

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We lost 60,000 in January of this year.

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60,000.

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We’ve become way too numb if that number doesn’t still break our hearts. 

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And now, the rush begins to back off the precautions…the very things that helped keep that number from being astronomically higher. I am here to tell you…I am not an epidemiologist…but it’s too much too soon and too quickly. I have no idea when…or IF… I’ll ever stop wearing at least one KN-95 mask in stores. Two if it’s really crowded. I’ll take boosters when the CDC suggests it. One of my dearest friends was just diagnosed with Covid for the third time. My younger daughter and her wife are both struggling with waves of feeling bad a whole month after their diagnoses.

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It’s just incomprehensible.

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That being said…life does move forward. The sun is shining, the air is sweet, and there is promise of spring ahead. Our snow has melted a great deal this week. The birds are having a grand time at the feeders. The kitty lays in the sun and bakes her bones…rolling back and forth on the concrete path. I have finished both sleeves of the sweater I am knitting and am now over half finished with the body. I am on the last color. I’m glad. I think I’ll put my knitting needles away for a bit after this one. Or, maybe I’ll go back to socks for a little bit. We’ll be going on our beach vacation in April. Socks are a great travel project.

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I go today to get my blood drawn to see how I’m doing since my surgery. I may get my bangs trimmed and maybe get a little cut off the bottom to get rid of some dead ends. I may do a little Valentine’s Day shopping. I need to get out and stretch my legs…with a mask, of course. I hope you have a great day and can get outside in some sunshine.

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❤️

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“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

\nPsalm 4:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-11T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/11/burnout-and-perspective.html", "tags": ["Health","Hope","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/10/the-days-are-getting-longer.html", "title": "The Days are Getting Longer", "content_html": "\n
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Both sleeves completed…and they match!

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Mr. FixIt had some things to do in town yesterday afternoon so I had the day to myself. As I settled into my recliner with my knitting, we watched a couple old episodes of Andy Griffith. I don’t know why, but that show is so soothing to me. It brings back warm childhood memories and I knew a whole bunch of “Aunt Bees” when I was growing up in West Virginia in the ‘50s and ‘60s. And we all knew “Miss Crump” as one of our own elementary school teachers.

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At one point, Mr. FixIt was scrolling through some of the shows in On Demand and I saw the new show “Ghosts”. I’ve seen little snippets of it in commercials or on Facebook and ask my sweetie to stop on the pilot episode to see what it was all about. The premise is, an elderly woman dies and leaves her dilapidated mansion to her great niece and her husband. With dreams of leaving the city, the wife convinces her husband to convert the monstrosity of a house into a quaint B&B…complete with a plethora of trapped spirits who have died on the property over the years. I was hooked! I spent the rest of the day binge watching the series and caught up to the current date. It was exactly what I needed…a whole day of knitting and laughing and having a generally awesome day.

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Along about 5:30 or so, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It took me quite a while to figure out what it was. As I stared out the back door, I caught a sudden movement and looked up. There was Pumpkin…upside down, looking in at me. What a funny cat. She’d come back down and look in the door, then go right back up and look at me upside down again. Silly goose.

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Peekaboo!

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I got the second sleeve finished and picked up the parked stitches of the body. It won’t be long and I’ll be changing to the last color…a deep charcoal grey heather. I’m not saying every stitch is perfect on this sweater, but I’m pretty proud of how it’s turning out. I’m still getting really tired by the end of the day, but the pain in my neck is much improved. I had such a tickle in my throat for the first three days that I cleared it repeatedly. I believe I’ve irritated my airways and now have a deep cough. No fever, so I’ll just use my inhalers and watch it closely. If it is not better by Friday, I’ll get it checked before the weekend. Mr. FixIt brought me a sandwich for supper so there was no cooking going on at this house last night.

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The weather has been beautiful this week…warmer, even into the 50’s yesterday. I love how the days are getting longer and I am getting stronger. Things are looking up!

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❄️❤️❄️

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“The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.”

\nPsalm 41:3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-10T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/10/the-days-are-getting-longer.html", "tags": ["Health","Crafts","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/04/devotions-and-distractions.html", "title": "Devotions and Distractions", "content_html": "\n
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When I want clarity and direction, I turn to my Bible and read any number of devotions on whatever topic is troubling me at the time. When I want distraction, I turn to my knitting and YouTube for any number of topics that pique my interest. Yesterday was a mixture of both. I read the Bible and my selected devotionals every day but yesterday I spent a good deal of time on the topic of finding strength in the Word and reminding my monkey brain that anxieties are nothing more than thoughts and they cannot hurt me. 

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My reward yesterday was working on the first sleeve of the sweater I’m knitting. I got about seven or eight inches done before I put it away to write. My other reward was YouTube videos. Whenever I want to feel soothed and comforted, I look for videos about Appalachian life. I found a full length documentary on mountain talk…the interesting words and sayings and superstitions of my ancestors. (You can see the VIDEO HERE.) 

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There’s something about listening to the older generations talk about their upbringing that takes me back to a simpler time when I didn’t have to worry about much of anything. Watching these videos takes me into my grandma’s kitchen and to the old country store with the wooden floors and the glass case with penny candy on display. If I was good, I got a little paper sack of Maple Nut Goodies or Peanut Butter Logs or Chocolate Covered Peanuts. (My people called a bag a “poke”.) These videos are sheer escape and soothe my mind which was just what the doctor ordered.

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I’m so glad we drove up here Wednesday and not yesterday. Even though the weather down towards West Virginia and Southeastern Ohio was rainy, the afternoon began to bring freezing rain, sleet, and slick roads. The farther the day wore on, the slower the cars were going on the four lane out our window. Around 3:00 or so, I suggested we get out of the room and walk around the hotel. We checked out the gym and pool and stuck our heads out the front door to see if it was really as slick as they said it was on TV. It was, but listen…I didn’t spend all those years in Colorado for nothing. I’m a good driver in the snow. If you didn’t drive in the snow in Colorado, you didn’t go anywhere for over half the year.

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We ate light yesterday. I made baked potatoes for supper. I also suggested Mr. FixIt might want to go out and make sure we could open the doors and warm up the truck to get the ice off the windows. We have to be at the hospital at 5:00 this morning, so he said he would go out at 4:00 to warm the truck up again. Have I told you what a gem he is? This will be short today as we needed to get to sleep early. 

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I’m calm and peaceful and going into this surgery with great hope that I’ll come out the other side feeling better than I have in years…once I heal, of course. If I’m feeling up to it, I’ll at least check in tomorrow to let you know how everything went. I want to thank you all so much for your prayers and concern and uplifting support as I’ve walked this particular path. I appreciate you all more than you will ever know.

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Now…let’s get this done!

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❄️❤️❄️

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“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

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Mark 11:24 ESV

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-04T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/04/devotions-and-distractions.html", "tags": ["Health","Overcoming Obstacles","Aging","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/02/pink-flamingos-and-minions.html", "title": "Pink Flamingos and Minions", "content_html": "\n
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I wish I could have had a blowout birthday party for my sweetheart. You don’t turn 70 every day! But, covid precautions and an upcoming surgery is keeping me close to home and pretty sheltered, so I’ll have to make it up to him when the weather warms up and we can party outside! My bonus son came to the house and decorated the yard for his dad’s special day. He asked Mr. FixIt what he wanted for his birthday. Since we are all about experiences over stuff, the guys will go out for a day of golf come springtime.

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We have been keeping a weather eye out and it looks like the cold front and ice storm are sliding into Ohio tomorrow. My poor Mr. FixIt spent his birthday taking the truck in for an oil change and tire rotation. Then I had him go looking for chains for the truck…just in case we need them to get to the hospital on Friday morning. We’ll head up there early to avoid any ice. I’d rather pay an extra day for a hotel than to get stuck somewhere. And even if we don’t need the chains this trip, it’s not a bad idea to have them should we need to make a trip to town for an emergency and the roads are bad. Ever the Girl Scout.

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I didn’t have the outside light on when Mr. FixIt came home last night, so he didn’t see the Happy Birthday greeting till he got to the back door. I loved seeing the look on his face, but when he found out his son came out to do that for him, he really melted. Men have such soft spots for their kids, and when they do special things, they just go all gooey.

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I cleaned up the kitchen and baked an apple pie for my sweetheart instead of a birthday cake. Then I worked on the sweater I’m knitting. I had to study the pattern, and look at a YouTube video to double check how to do one of the step. Eventually I had it figured out and I’m working down the body of the sweater now. I tried it on and took a picture to send to my friend Gail to see what she thought. Gail is an amazing knitter. She has been knitting so long, she just makes things…often without a pattern. She knows how to adjust patterns for size and how to choose the right yarns for a project. She sent me a picture yesterday of the newest granddaughter in a hat and matching mittens she had just whipped up. Amazing!

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So, the adventure begins today instead of tomorrow. Our room has a separate bedroom with a door so Mr. FixIt can watch his shows and I can keep myself in the calm zone before surgery. I’m taking my knitting and of course, my writing goes wherever I go. You should see us when we stay in a hotel. We each have an overnight bag and a big trash bag with our favorite pillows. Mine also includes my favorite fuzzy blankies. We have a cooler and a snack bag. I have my portable desk and he has his hanging clothes. Then there’s my purse which is the size of a small tote bag and my knitting…which actually IS in a tote bag. You’d think we were staying a couple of weeks instead of a couple of days. But, we’re always comfortable, we have what we want to keep us busy, and we don’t get all freaked out that we forgot something. If we ever do, there are stores.

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Prayers for travel mercies, please!

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❄️❤️❄️

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“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

\nNahum 1:7 ESV\n
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I grew up in Small Town, America in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It was very much the Leave it to Beaver upbringing most of us Boomers experienced. We didn’t have a TV till I was well into grade school. It was mesmerizing. I remember staring at the black and white screen with the snow and the squiggly lines and wondering, “What magic is this???” Mr. Cartoon and Captain Kangaroo and Father Knows Best. I Love Lucy and What’s My Line? and Donna Reed. They soon gave way to American Bandstand and Laugh In and Saturday Night Live.

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The television became the centerpiece of modern living. Father with his newspaper and pipe, Mother with her mending basket. The children, sprawled out on the living room floor with a dog, maybe. All watching Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour or Sing Along With Mitch. Lawrence Welk or The Ed Sullivan Show. All after homework and baths were done, of course.

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We watched the news with Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, John Cameron Swayze, Edward R. Murrow, John Chancellor, and everybody’s dad…Walter Cronkite. That was when the news was THE NEWS. No spin, just facts. Somewhere along the way, the regulations that governed news programming to be truthful were done away with and our sense of honor was whittled away with it…piece by piece.

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But, I digress.

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The center of the modern home was a box that started to tell you what you believed in, what you should buy, what you should eat, how you should live. What kind of house, makeup, car, books, movies, vacations….everything you NEEDED…carefully orchestrated and directed by Madison Avenue advertising. It is remarkable how much of it you don’t even realize till you unplug yourself from the tentacles reaching through the screen and into your hearts, your minds, and your wallets. 

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I didn’t have TV for the five years between my divorce and meeting Mr. Virgo. I didn’t miss it one bit. My life was full and active and fun. For the six-and-a-half years I had Mr. Virgo, the TV became the center of the universe again. I hated it. Except for musical competition shows and historical documentaries, I couldn’t stand it. But, we do things for love, don’t we? I sat alongside my husband, watching the shows. Watching the shows. Not fiddling on my phone or doing cross stitch or filling in the family tree. Watching the shows, so we could discuss the shows during the commercials. Did I say I hated TV? Oy.

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Then, he was gone. And the TV was soon gone, as well. The quiet was jarring after the years of daily cacophony streaming out of the expensive sound system we had to have to make the Civil War scenes come to life in our living room. I didn’t miss the TV. I missed the man. 

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Five years passed with no TV. Then I married Mr. FixIt. Ever so slowly, TV crept back into my life…it’s insidious lure tearing at my resolve. I will say, it’s easier to stay away from the TV in the summer. There’s just too much to do outside to sit and watch mindless television. But it more difficult in the winter. If I’m going to sit and knit in the family room, Mr. FixIt is going to have the TV going. I will admit, I like the silly game shows like America Says and Family Feud. I really enjoy Andy Griffith reruns. And who doesn’t laugh at the crazy antics of Niles and Frazier Crane? 

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We watch the news at noon and again during the dinner hour. Then we catch two episodes of Big Bang Theory and I’m done. I gather my phone, kiss my sweetheart on the top of his very cute head, and head to the back bedroom to write. We drove up to Columbus yesterday for my preop medical appointments today. It’s harder to get away from the television in a hotel room. This time I remembered to bring my rechargeable Bluetooth headphones and I listened to my “writing soundtrack”…an eighty minute recording of a roaring fire with rain and thunder in the background. He can watch anything his little heart desires and I’m off on some mountain in the woods, happy as a little clam.

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My sweetheart has a major birthday next week. When we were discussing the number the other day, we both marveled that we’ve actually lived this long. His parent’s died young…from the fallout of the ‘50s. Smoking. We both are kind of amazed we’re still here. And pretty darned happy about it, I must say. We still won’t go into a restaurant and eat a meal. We haven’t done that in two whole years. So, we’re going to order a lovely meal and enjoy it at the hotel tonight. It ought to taste pretty darned good after a long day at the hospital.

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I’m almost finished with the third pair of socks and can start the sweater. I brought the yarn for that project so I can work on it if I finish the last sock. Seven more sleeps and I can get the surgery behind me!

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❄️?❄️

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“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.”

\n2 Peter 3:8 NLT\n
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My son-in-law’s mom texted me yesterday. She found a really cool piece of cast iron in the shed they’re cleaning out and will hold it for me till we get there in May. This is called a Gem Pan. Our grandmas and great grandmas made Gem Cakes in these back in the day. It looks like you could also use the pan to bake individual tarts or mini quiches, as well as corn cakes.

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My grandma didn’t have anything as fancy as this. She had two or three cast iron skillets. My mom had several. I took them with me when mom died and I cleaned out her house and of all things…they were amongst the items I let go of when I downsized. In the end, it’s ok. Because, one cast iron pan is as good as the next for cooking in and this way, I’ve been able to concentrate on collecting Griswolds. I do have several pieces that are unmarked save for a size number.

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I finished the tube portion of the first sock in this pair yesterday. Now I need to cut in the heel. I want to finish this pair quickly because my sweater yarn arrives next week and I can hardly wait to start on that. I chose three colors…a soft heather grey, a medium rose heather, and a dark heather grey. I have the supplies I need and I’ll print out the pattern. This one doesn’t have a tutorial video. I found those to be so helpful when knitting the socks. I saved them on my YouTube channel so I can go back and view them when I need clarification on a particular step.

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Now that I know my surgery will be coming up sooner rather than later, I do need to get some things done around the house in preparation. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to be traveling or I know I’m going to be down for a while, I like to have the house in order, the pantry stocked, and maybe even some dishes prepared ahead of time to make meals easier upon my return. Remember…we were talking just the other day about being a good scout and always being prepared.

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I am so grateful that my family members with covid are getting over it now. Thank God for vaccines…they really did their job in protecting them from severe illness. I was talking with a couple of my cousins this weekend and we marveled that we had managed to avoid getting it. Then, I woke up yesterday morning with a scratchy throat. The older I get, the more easily I choke on my own saliva…or air, for that matter. I got choked Friday afternoon, so I think that’s why my throat was a little sore. I’m going to watch it and not get up in Mr. FixIt’s face for a couple of days. I mean, after all this time staying well, wouldn’t it be a bummer to get covid right before I’m scheduled for surgery?

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My girlfriends from my class are gathering for coffee on Saturday, but I’m not going. Other than going to the hospital for my pre operative testing, I’m sequestering myself from everyone. I don’t want to run any risks. There will be time for gathering for coffee after this surgery is done.

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The temperature was 3 degrees at our house yesterday morning. I think it’s going to be warmer in the next few days. Isn’t it funny when you start to call the 30’s “warm”? It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? We have a 62% chance of snow today.What’s it doing in your neck of the woods?

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❄️?❄️

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“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

\nPsalms 127:2 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/23/more-cast-iron-more-knitting.html", "tags": ["Health","Family","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/21/the-arctic-blast-is-coming.html", "title": "The Arctic Blast is Coming", "content_html": "\n
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The temps are taking a nosedive in the coming days and we commented yesterday how thrilled we are that we don’t have to go out in it. We awoke yesterday morning to the news that our fourth great-grandchild was born in the wee small hours. Another healthy baby…thank you, God! That makes four little ones now. It’s really hard not getting together like we did pre-pandemic. Some of the family vaccinates…some don’t. We don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable so we will hold off our visits till spring when we can all sit outside. 

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When we saw the weather forecast yesterday, Mr. FixIt asked if we had any appointments coming up or do we have a stretch of time to stay in. I was thrilled to see we don’t have anything till Tuesday. More knitting time! When I was finishing the striped socks last week, I thought I was going to run out of wool. I ordered an extra skein, then ended up not using it. Since you only get one sock per skein out of this particular yarn, I went ahead and ordered a second one. Since I finished the “seascape” socks Tuesday night, I started a new pair with the striped yarn yesterday morning. It knits up much faster than the fingering yarn I just finished.

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I’m hoping to bake some sourdough bread this weekend. I haven’t made any since I taught Little how to bake it last summer. I bought yet another new sourdough starter last week. I’m hoping I can keep this one alive better than I did the last one. I threw myself into baking the first year of the coronavirus. I also managed to pack on about twenty pounds. I have finally started losing that, so I need to be careful and not bake or eat out of boredom. I have a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough in the fridge. I’ve discovered if I just bake four cookies and put the tub away, we don’t keep sneaking into the kitchen to mindlessly grab more.

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I am finding it harder to get out and get some fresh air when it’s this cold. I need to make a more concerted effort to walk the perimeter of our property…at least a few times a week. On the plus side, I’m not feeling the winter blahs as much this years as I have in years past. We are trying to put joyful things in front of us to look forward to. We have a trip to Columbus next week for a doctor’s appointment, which in and of itself is not joyful. However, Mr. FixIt’s 70th Birthday is coming up the following week so we will stay overnight to celebrate in some way.

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April is our trip to the beach. And May sees us heading to Colorado for Big’s graduation from high school, then rushing back here for our youngest FixIt grandchild’s graduation. So, I either need to have my surgery in February or March…or wait till after the graduations are over. We’ll just have to see what they can do.

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What are you doing to help pass the time this winter? Are you working on projects or reading good books? Show us what you’ve got by sharing photos of your projects in the comments.

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❄️?❄️

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“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”

\nProverbs 16:3 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-21T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/21/the-arctic-blast-is-coming.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/16/learning-curves.html", "title": "Learning Curves", "content_html": "\n
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Another new skill for my knitting toolbox! Toe-up sock with an Afterthought Heel!

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Just about anything you want to accomplish will present a learning curve. I’ve been kind of happily cruising along, knitting dishcloths. They’re mindless and I can crank them out fast. They are nice to have around as little gifts for your dinner hosts or a housewarming or an office birthday. There are quite a variety of patterns to try, but I usually end up just knitting on the diagonal and calling it good.

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I’ve knit several pairs of socks. I’ve worked them up with two 9” circular needles, with four double pointed needles, with one 32” circular…all from the top down. And now, I’m learning how to work from the toe up. I thought it would be great because I wouldn’t have to do a Kitchener Stitch to finish the toe. The Kitchener Stitch is a way of joining live stitches in a way that appears like it’s been knit normally. Seriously…it’s kinda like magic. For some reason, I have stumbled over it for the last three weeks. 

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I’m finding on most video tutorials, the instructor knits WAY faster than I do. I never learned to knit Continental where you hold the yarn with your left hand and pick it up on your right needle. I knit English style where you “throw” your yarn by holding it in your right hand, throwing it up and over the needle on each stitch. It isn’t fast, but it does give a beautiful even stitch for me. A woman came up to me in the waiting room at OSU a few months ago and told me I could knit much faster if I knit Continental. I smiled sweetly and said, “Thanks, but I can’t chew bubble gum and walk either. This is far lest frustrating for me, even if it isn’t very fast.”

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As I worked on the toe up sock, I discovered two things I was going to have to learn. The Kitchener Stitch was still going to prove to be my nemesis in this project because it is how you close an “Afterthought Heel”. Which brings me to the second learning hurdle. In order to knit an afterthought heel, you actually have to CUT your work! I was horrified. How on earth do you do this?

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This was a first for me…CUTTING into my knitting to insert a heel. Scary!

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I followed along in the tutorial, step-by-step and figured it out as I went. It turns out, you pick up a row of stitches on one end of your circular needle, then pick up another row…leaving a row in between. Once you have them on the needles, you take you scissors and cut through the yarn on the middle stitch of that in-between row. Then you use a tapestry needle and unravel that thread back to the beginning of the row in each direction. You tuck the yarn that’s left hanging to the inside of the sock. When you are done with the heel, you weave those ends in and…voila! You have a heel! What sorcery is this?!?!

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After trying several times to close the heel with that dreaded Kitchener, I finally found a video that is in slow motion. (https://youtu.be/9dYP_GeHLG0 ) You have two setup stitches, then you have a sequence of four steps that you repeat. If you repeat the steps to yourself as you do them, it’s a lot easier. I finished the first sock of this pair last evening. Mr. FixIt was off at the former Mrs. FixIt’s house, putting her new treadmill together and that gave me a few hours of uninterrupted silence to figure these new techniques out.

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Every time you learn something new, it becomes a tool in your toolbox. With enough tools, and self-confidence, you can move on from dishcloths to socks and on to bigger projects…like a sweater. Gail says they are easier to knit than socks, so I’m willing to try. I spent some time last night looking at yarns so I can order some for the sweater pattern Gail sent me. Stretch you mind. Learn new things. Step out of your comfort zone. Whether you are staying home because of the pandemic or because you’re snowed in, take advantage of that time and learn something new. Our brains need exercise, too!

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We are expecting 5-8” of snow by tomorrow afternoon. Let the knitting commence!

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?❄️?

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“Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.”

\nProverbs 18:15 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/16/learning-curves.html", "tags": ["New Ideas","Peaceful Moments","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/11/finishing-projects.html", "title": "Finishing Projects", "content_html": "\n
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I am really, really good at starting projects. I’m a Gemini. I want to know how to do EVERYTHING. And, when I start to learn everything about something, I have to buy ALL the things. The tools, the supplies, the materials, the books…the works. Because, my sweet well-meaning Gemini brain LIES to me every time! It tells me something like this…

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Me: Ooooooooooh! Look at that _____________ (insert project here)

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Gemini Brain: Oh, yeah!!! You can TOTALLY do that!

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Me: You know it! Oh, I just love the way it makes me feel to start a new project! But, you know…we have a little problem, you and me.

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GB: Problem? What problem?

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Me: We like to start things, but we don’t like finishing them! And we buy WAY too much stuff. 

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GB: Well, you know…any job worth doing is worth doing well and you need the tools to do it, right?

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Me: Yeah…but we go WAY over board. We don’t need the BEST of everything…in every size, shape, and color! We don’t need instruction books and a video series. We don’t NEED a new sewing machine and 24 balls of sock yarn in every color way imaginable. 

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GB: I don’t know what you’re talking about. WE don’t buy stuff…YOU buy stuff!

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Me: Yeah? Well, you MAKE me!

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No matter how much I promise myself, I swear the next project I won’t go “all in”. Actually, I have to say…the yarn and needles for this project were a gift. The instructions and tutorial were online. So, I have zero out of pocket expenses for these beauties. And…I finished them…in one week!!! Of course, I did nothing else. Nothing much anyway. Thank you, Gail…I love this gift so much and will think of you every time I knit with these beautiful needles!

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I ran into a little trouble with these particular socks. I discovered I probably should have made the top part a little shorter so I wouldn’t run the risk of running out of yarn at the toe. As it is, the feet are quite short, and they’ll fit Little perfectly. Gail shared another tutorial with me yesterday that shows how to knit socks from the toe up on the same circular needle. It took me three tries to get it started right, but once I got it in my head how to do it, it went pretty smoothly. And I really love this toe! I didn’t have great luck closing the toe on the other socks with the Kitchener Stitch. This is smooth and flawless as long as you do it right.

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I bought the yarn for this sock on one of my beach trips. I had some beautiful sock yarns in a basket behind the loveseat in the family room and something got in and ruined it. There were several places where the wool was eaten away and I surmise it was moths. I had to throw some of it away because literally, the yarn was in short pieces. Not even long enough to tie together and hide the ends. It was a lesson learned to never do that again.

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Yes, this Gemini brain is going to learn a new skill…but I’m not going out and buying anything else for it. Except maybe some cute stitch markers. Oh, and someone went and told me about a yarn shop here in town! I might stop in there…you know…to say hello. It couldn’t hurt…right?

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?

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“Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.””

\n1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-11T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/11/finishing-projects.html", "tags": ["Fun","Crafts","Insight"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/06/one-sock-done-one-to.html", "title": "One Sock Done, One to Go!", "content_html": "\n
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I finished the first sock yesterday. I had two skeins…one per sock. I nearly ran out of the first skein and it took me a bit to figure out what I did wrong. I followed the pattern precisely, but I think I could have made the top a good two inches shorter. Then the foot could be longer. But, as it is, these will fit Little perfectly. Tiny feet! A perfect Valentine’s treat!

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I didn’t sit all afternoon and knit like I have been. I had some other things to do. I needed to mail three packages. Two late Christmas gifts. And, a book for my dear friend Diane’s granddaughter. She is grieving the loss of her Granny, so I sent her a copy of “Rise Up, Little Bluebirds” written by Kristy Boike. Remember when I shared the story from CBS Sunday Morning about the man who lost his wife to brain cancer? She was an avid gardener and loved bluebirds. So, after she died, he started making bluebird houses. His daughter not only lost her mom, but soon after…lost her father-in-law. Her four children were struggling with the losses and, being a former primary school teacher, she wrote a sweet book that helps kids process their feelings about loss and normalizes conversations about grief. I hope it helps her. That child was the center of Diane’s universe…and vice versa.

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Mr. FixIt got the generator out and cleaned up. It started right up for him and he wanted me to go out and see if I could start it, too. I told him as soon as we became serious about this relationship that I need to know how to do everything around this place…just in case I ever have to do it on my own someday. Once you have lost your spouse, you will forever be aware of how tenuous life truly is and I don’t ever want to be caught flat footed. He reminded me of the steps to get it ready, and on the second pull, it fired right up. We have it out on the covered front porch along with the snow blower (it’s actually battery powered) so we’ll be ready for the coming snowfall. We have the battery plugged in and charging.

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On my way back from the Post Office yesterday, I stopped at the two grocery stores in town to pick up a few things. Dick’s Market for fresh ground hamburger, and deli sliced Colby Longhorn cheese and sliced Tavern Ham. Oh…that ham is fabulous and makes the best sandwiches and is great on breakfast biscuits with egg and cheese. Speaking of biscuits, I stopped at the Pig and got fresh buttermilk, bacon, and some great pepperoni and cheese to make homemade Pepperoni Rolls. I may make a batch of Cinnamon Rolls, too. We’ll see.

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While I’m not a huge fan of winter, I sure don’t mind getting stuck at home with lots of fun foods to bake and eat. And, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be stuck at home with than my sweet husband. Knitting, baking, sitting with my sweetheart, and watching the snow fall outside. It doesn’t get any better than that!

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My world is so vastly different now than it was as a new widow. This is the ninth winter since Mr. Virgo died. That first winter in Colorado as a widow was so awful. We had SO much snow that year and…thank GOD I had great neighbors with snowblowers. Between them and hiring the sprinkler guy to come dig me out of a few really big dumps…plus all the times I shoveled by hand in between…I was absolutely bound and determined I would never live where I had to deal with snow like that again. 

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Enter the Winter of 2014-15. I had moved to West Virginia to live on the farm, but Christmas found me scrambling for other living arrangements. I housesat for a friend for a couple of months up in Marietta, Ohio. I remember sitting in the front window of the second floor loft apartment…drafty and cold…watching the snow pile up outside. I was bereft. Things hadn’t worked out at the farm like I thought they would. And I spent those two months scanning thousands of photos onto external hard drives. The memories were so thick, you could cut them with a knife. And they cut my broken heart even deeper.

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By the end of January 2015, I was living in my camper up on a ridge overlooking the Ohio River. The river was frozen and made sounds like ice being dropped in a cooler…all night, every night. The train ran by within a couple hundred yards…every few hours. Tug boats pushed barges of gasoline, chemicals, and coal up and down the river…day and night. No running water. My fridge stopped working and I lost all my food. I showered at Planet Fitness and did laundry at a laundromat for the first time in three decades. It was…challenging, to say the least. But, it made me a stronger person, I think. I had to learn how to survive and thrive on my own. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. However…I wouldn’t necessarily want to repeat it.

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It’s a good life I live here on five acres with Mr. FixIt. I never dreamed I’d be where I am today…and certainly not with my old high school chum. If you would have told me this was where my life would lead, I’d have said you were crazy! Yet, here we are. This is a great story…chapter…volume of my Book of Life.

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?

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“We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails.”

\nProverbs 19:21 MSG\n
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I’m making great progress on knitting these socks. You can do that when you sit down and knit for several hours a day. I’m enjoying learning a new technique, and once I got the rhythm down using a single 32” circular needle, I realized my friend Gail was right. I probably won’t go back to knitting socks any other way. Turning the heel was an entirely different proposition altogether and, again, I am SO glad The Crazy Sock Lady filmed an entire tutorial of knitting the sock from start to finish. I am a visual learner, so watching it being done on a video that I could pause while I caught up was extremely helpful.

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I’ve been sharing pictures of my progress on the socks every day and many of you have remarked how you love the pattern. I just wanted to show you what the yarn looks like when it’s in the skein versus what it looks like when you knit it up. The skein looked like a hodgepodge of colors…no rhyme or reason to it. Then, as you knit, you can see that the yarn was dyed via a computer program so that the colors change automatically as you knit and the pattern emerges like magic! So cool!

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As I sat in my recliner knitting yesterday, the house still and peaceful, I let my mind wander to the pattern emerging in my work and realized…life is a lot like this ball of yarn. What we see as utter chaos, God sees as His plan for our lives. We go through the work…the day to day living…and in the background, God already had a preprogrammed pattern in mind. We just can’t see it until we start getting further along in our “knitting”. If we stay the course, the pattern emerges into something beautiful. But if we steer off in the wrong direction and “drop stitches”…the end product will not be nearly as beautiful as what God intended.

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My brother called yesterday as I was knitting. He sounded so good…upbeat and healthy. I was a little worried about him when he moved to his new place. People with cognitive impairment struggle with change. It’s confusing and can cause a regression in their mentation. Sometimes that regression becomes permanent, but I was really happy to hear him doing so much better now that he’s had time to adjust. He said he was really looking forward to spring when he can get out and walk again. He doesn’t walk well enough to go out in the snow. 

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I’m so proud of the job he’s done. Eighteen years ago this month, our mom passed away. He had always lived at home with mom and she did everything for him, which wasn’t beneficial for him, but gave her a sense of being needed. I often told her she wasn’t doing him any favors and there would be a time when he would have a rude awakening. He would not only lose and have to grieve for our mom…he would also have to learn how to do the things mom had always done for him. It wasn’t easy for him. It wasn’t easy for me, either. I had to force myself not to “rescue” him. But I am so incredibly proud of the job he has done…from learning how to do his own laundry to shopping and cooking and keeping his room and himself clean and tidy.

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Mr. FixIt finished installing the new medicine chest in his friend’s bathroom yesterday. Today, he’ll get the snowblower and the generator out and get them ready in case we need them in the coming snowstorms. We are heading into our two-three snow months here in West Virginia. We watched the news last night and saw all those poor people stuck out on I-95 in Virginia for up to 36 hours. Fortunately, we have all the food we could possibly need for a whole month or more here at the house. And when we have our emergency electric supply ready in the form of a functional and fully fueled generator…we’ll be all set. I’m glad we don’t have anyplace to go for a while and can be safe, happy, and healthy at home. 

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We are truly blessed and oh, so grateful!

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?

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

\nJeremiah 29:11 NLT\n
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I seem to always borrow knitting needles from my dear friend, Gail. It happens when we are camping together. Why? Because, she either hands me a skein of alpaca that she just spun, or she is making something much cuter than what I am making, or I’m bored and need something to keep my hands busy. I’m like a kid in that way. I need something to do, most of the time.

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Gail sent me a beautiful gift for Christmas…a full set of 32” circular needles as well as several sets of double pointed needles and a couple skeins of beautiful wool blend sock yarn. I remember her showing me a dandy technique for knitting socks with a single 32” circular needle, but I couldn’t remember exactly how it’s done. I got bored knitting dishcloths yesterday and decided to look up the technique on YouTube. 

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I found The Crazy Sock Lady (aka Kay Litton) of Centerville, Ohio. Of course…she’s everywhere. Ravelry, YouTube, Instagram, Etsy, Facebook. She has a bunch of patterns for sale. I’m making her Vanilla Socks on Magic Loop. Quick and easy…but there will be a learning curve when it comes to turning the heel. There always is. That’s the hardest part for me, I think. At any rate…there are certainly other things I could be doing, but it feels good to do some self care. To sit and meditate and pray. To listen to the crackle of a campfire with the distant rumblings of thunder over my headset. 

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I have to tell you…when my friend Diane died on December 13th…I went into such a slump, it really began to concern me. Having a history of clinical depression makes me super aware of my mood. Everyone has a down time. It’s one thing if if lasts two or three days and you shake it off. It’s a different thing altogether if it’s gone on for two weeks without improvement. The best thing I could have done for myself when I lost Mr. Virgo was to buy that little camper. Camping saved me in many ways. When I was grieving Diane’s death, I went to the same place…our camper.

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Honestly, a camper is as near being in a chapel as I can get shy of walking into a church building. That and the farm. It’s a safe space for letting out my feelings and emotions. To cry and yell and bargain and plead. Then…fall into the deep sleep of emotional exhaustion. Those two days in the camper before I had my procedure last week were as helpful to me as a month of antidepressants and therapy. I feel so much better now. I still miss my friend and I always will, but I’ll find other ways to honor her…as she would want me to. I’ll find quiet ways to pay it forward in her memory and remember the many ways she affected my life. 

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I mean, really…isn’t that what you would want from those you love after you leave this life? To live on in their memories and good works? I can’t think of a better tribute. I think of this blog as a trail of breadcrumbs that I lay down for my progeny to find someday. The stories of my life are all here…held in the ether…just waiting for the day when my grandchildren or great grands or I don’t know how many generations to come. Some day, they’ll read this and think… “Wow! What an amazing life she led!”

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I actually had that conversation with Big last week. She is getting ready to graduate from high school in May. She has committed to a college in the Pacific Northwest. She has such an amazing life in front of her. Somehow, we got to talking about my life and what I’ve done. She knew I was an x-ray tech and that I did clinical research. But there were so many things she didn’t know about my life before her. I told her story after story and kept getting “Wow!” “You’re kidding!” and “That’s awesome!” 

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The words I write in this blog are my time capsule. I think that’s pretty neat.

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?

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“but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.”

\nLuke 2:19 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-03T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/03/learning-new-things-and-remembering.html", "tags": ["Writing","Memories","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/26/a-self-care-christmas.html", "title": "A Self Care Christmas", "content_html": "\n
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I did what I promised myself I would do yesterday. I got up and fixed breakfast. We opened our little gifts to each other. I got Mr. FixIt a reaching tool with a magnet and a light on one end so he can pick things up off the ground when he’s working. I also got him a movie that he mentioned he liked…”Secondhand Lions”. He bought me a sturdy camping table and a beautiful pale pink cashmere sweater. I think he spoiled me. We both loved our gifts. We have to count the new camper, the cell phones, and a new set of pots and pans that were purchased in the months leading up to the holidays. That’s why we went slim on the gifting.

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I took a nap in the afternoon and then started a big batch of chili in the slow cooker. We picked up around the house and vacuumed. I wrapped presents. And the only thing I’ll have to do this morning is make the cinnamon rolls for our Christmas gathering with some of my bonus family this afternoon. 

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I went ahead and bought some more of that cotton yarn I like for knitting dishcloths. I like to sit and knit something mindless that I don’t have to count stitches or rows or try to keep on a pattern. I have plenty of sock yarn but that’s not what I’m into right now. I need something easy that reduces stress, not add to it. I received a beautiful gift on Friday from one of my dearest friends. We camp together and I am forever borrowing knitting needles to work on something different at the campground. So, for Christmas, she sent me a whole set of circular needles and two skeins of sock yarn tucked in a gift sack she made herself. She is amazing. She has ten kids and umpteen grandkids and renovates houses and helps with the family and does stuff for everyone. She’s one of the most selfless people I know. And she took the time to make the gift sack. I love her dearly.

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I started out the day feeling poorly again, but by the afternoon, I was fine again. I’d swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d think I was pregnant! Thank you God that those days are long behind me. Maybe it’s a bug that’s been going around. Maybe it’s stress. I’m reading a couple of wonderful devotionals that are really helping. They’re called “10 Days of Defeating Anxiety” and “Grace? What’s That?: Devotions from Time of Grace. They remind me to take every thought captive and hand them to God. He loves me unconditionally, no matter what I’ve done or how many times I make mistakes. I can rest in that. I don’t have to control everything because I can’t. I don’t have to worry about tomorrow because there’s enough to worry about today.

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I’ve been fixating on a couple of events that are coming up. Mr. FixIt has an appointment with an eye specialist. I’m sure he’s fine and anything that needs to be done will be a simple fix. But…he’s my boo and I worry. Then Thursday I have that procedure where they do venous sampling to try to locate these lost parathyroid glands. It’s done like a cardiac cath where they run a wire up into the veins in my neck and chest and take blood samples in various areas. Then they’ll test them for PTH and hopefully they can find the drainage from the offending gland so we can locate it and get it out of there. The procedure takes about four hours, laying on your back on an x-ray table. And, I’ll be mostly awake so I can follow directions. 

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I’m trying not to let it freak me out, but medical things trigger my PTSD. I know this is a lot of personal information I share here. But, I also know, a lot of other people have these same feelings and they have no one to tell them they aren’t alone. Many times you all have said I speak the things you are thinking but don’t have the words for. It’s a really vulnerable thing to share like I do. And sometimes it’s scary. I just know that God gave me this ministry for a reason and that’s to inform, comfort, enlighten, and share my experiences as they have affected me so you know you aren’t weird for thinking or feeling this or that.

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I know the ride has been a little bumpy the last couple of weeks. Thanks for hanging in there with me. You have no idea what a comfort you all are to me. Because, I learn I’M not alone either. I hope you had as good a Christmas as you could have. I know there are some who are hurting this year and it was the worst ever. Please know my heart is with you.

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❄️

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““Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

\nMatthew 6:34 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-26T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/26/a-self-care-christmas.html", "tags": ["Health","Comfort","Choices","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/05/ice-ice-baby.html", "title": "Ice, Ice, Baby!", "content_html": "\n
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Pardon the mess…we are still a work in progress here!

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Well, we’re making progress here. My back pain was much improved after seeing the chiropractor on Friday and sitting on ice packs several times Friday and Saturday. Thank, God! It was becoming alarming…I don’t have time for this, you know. All that sitting gave me an opportunity to knit. Last year, I bought tons of that cotton yarn you knit dishcloths out of and I’m just about finished with it. I love tucking a little homemade something into a card or under the ribbon of a larger gift. Homemade spells love in my book. I’ll have a whole basket full of dishcloths and that ought to last me for quite some time and I can move on to other things.

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The first thing we did yesterday was run into our little burg and hit the coffee shop and the bakery. What a great way to start the weekend! When I got up yesterday morning, Mr. FixIt had the tree upright and lit. I needed to center it a little better and fluff out the branches. If you notice in this picture…there’s nothing on it. That’s because I couldn’t figure out how to decorate it AND sit on ice at the same time. You can also see it’s kind of “striped”. A strand or two of the lights are out. That happens sometimes with pre-lit trees. I could tediously go through each bulb and try to find the one that’s burned out. Or, I can do what I did last year….run a string of white lights in the blank spots and call it good. Work smarter, not harder, right?

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Mr. FixIt went out and washed our poor old blow-up Santa off. He gets pretty muddy by the end of the season and needed a bath. A little later, I went out and helped him hang the wreath on the end of the house. Then he took his new hedge trimmer and cleaned up the forsythia at the corner of the house. If you aren’t careful, those things will take over and then need cut back regularly. We watched football. We ordered some Rada knives from my bonus daughter’s church so he ran to town to pay for them. She gave us some venison…tenderloin and steaks…so I’m trying my hand at cooking that today. I love elk, but I’m still on the fence with venison. We’ll see.

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Today, we’ll finish with the decorating, I think. Then I can write the Christmas cards while I’m sitting on ice packs. We plug along, working at our own pace. It’s good to not have a schedule you have to meet. That’s one of the benefits of retirement…and winter!

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❄️

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“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

\nRomans 14:5 ESV\n
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#Decorating, #Christmas, #Tree

\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/05/ice-ice-baby.html", "tags": ["Holiday","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/22/update-on-all-the-things.html", "title": "Update on All the Things", "content_html": "\n
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I received an email over the weekend from the daughter of the soldier named on my POW/MIA bracelet! She was thrilled to hear of another of her father’s bracelets out there and thanked me profusely for taking the time to find her. She shared her mailing address and I’ll get the bracelet sent off to her this week. The internet is still good for sharing love and light around the world. Like all tools, it’s what you use it for that makes the difference.

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I fiddled with my new phone yesterday. I’ve been puzzled by something for the last several years. Somewhere along the line on one of my phone upgrades, I went from around 500 contacts in my phone to nearly 3,000! Nearly every name had multiple entries of the same name with all the same contact information. Also, my calendar might have one person’s birthday listed three or four times on their special day. 

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I just couldn’t figure it out. I talked with the people at the Apple Store. Nothing…making the term “Genius Bar” seem somewhat dubious. I’ve asked in various forums. I Googled it. The answers I got varied from “Here…buy this app. It’ll fix it” to long detailed instructions to “get to this setting and click on _______” but the place they wanted me to click didn’t exist. Every once in a while, I’d sit down and delete or link the contacts, but they inevitably came back. I just couldn’t make heads nor tails of the whole thing and figured it was something I had to live with.

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Yesterday, I sat down with the phone and explored the settings. I know it had to be something simple like a switch was selected, but where it was eluded me. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander the “streets” of my phone. What would make something be repeated so much? Then I remembered seeing a drop down menu that listed my five email accounts that I use: one for personal, one to use when I need an email to sign up for something and don’t want to get inundated with spam, one for the Cloud, one for my Apple ID, and one for my business.

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I pondered those five accounts and remembered seeing “Yahoo” on one of the multiples, but not on a different one. I wondered if it could possibly have something to do with the fact I am using so many email addresses. When I went in the drop down menu, there was a place to click on each one. And sure enough, each one consisted of multiple tabs I could select…one of which was “Contacts”. Another was “Calendar”. I went through and unselected everything but email on all of them except for my personal email and the Cloud. 

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Sure enough, I immediately went WAY down on the number of contacts. I spent about an hour linking what few were left as duplicates, as well as deleting names of people I couldn’t even remember. I ended up with 499 contacts! Voila!

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My new sourdough starter should arrive today. I woke up in the middle of the night last week and decided to order a fresh, new batch of starter with a covered crock specifically to use with it. I’ll throw out the old flour and get fresh, new flour and get a nice new batch of sourdough started. It’s about time to get that going again. I’m also going to look up my Aunt Marge’s White Fruitcake recipe and make some fruitcakes soon. And some of Grandma’s Raisin Filled Cookies. 

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Our little town delivers Thanksgiving meals to anyone who wants them. You don’t have to qualify…they just want to share a good meal with everyone. I love our town. We don’t have a stop light in the whole county and we look out for one another. My friend Diane shared the number, so I called and ordered two meals. That means I don’t have to cook a big meal this year. Instead, I’ll start my holiday baking and put up the Christmas decorations this week. We decided our phones are our gifts to each other. That takes a lot of pressure off of holiday preparations and I think we can just sit back and enjoy the whole season this year! That’s the plan, anyway.

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You know what they say about plans, right? lol

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Come…take a walk with me!
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?

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“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

\nProverbs 16:9 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/22/update-on-all-the-things.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Gratitude","Holiday","Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/16/preparing-to-teach-at-marshmallow.html", "title": "Preparing to Teach at Marshmallow Ranch", "content_html": "\n
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In just over a week, Daughter #1 will be pulling into our driveway toting Big and Little. Big is really big now...seventeen and preparing to visit colleges with her mom  the following week. And Little isn’t so little anymore. She was only five years old when Mr. Virgo died. She’s fourteen now. It doesn’t seem possible...especially since I haven’t seen any of them since August 2019 when Daughter #2 got married.

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Although Big came with her mom to visit me here in WV when I was fixing up my mom’s house, she doesn’t remember it because she was only nine months old. They did come several years ago to visit the farm and my Aunt Peeps, but I was working in Colorado at the time and couldn’t get away. So, this is their first visit with Nana in the country. While I doubt my “time travel” plans will be terribly impressive to a seventeen year old, I’m firmly convinced Little is going to enjoy what I have planned for her. She is staying with us for two weeks while her mom and Big go on their college tour.

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Little has always been SO much like me. She is bright, funny, incredibly creative, loves looking through old boxes of junk, loves to cook and sew, draw and paint. I’ve been thinking of all kinds of fun things to do with her. I want to teach her to bake sourdough bread and buttermilk biscuits and grits. I want to teach her to knit dishcloths. We’ll garden. She’ll learn about the mower and the weed eater. We’ll plant geraniums. We’ll “camp” out in TOW-Wanda. I want to take her to a nearby park that has been named a Certified Dark Sky area so we can lay back and look at the stars. I want to spend time with her at the farm and teach her about the night sounds and the different birds and grandma’s flowers. I want to share the family stories that I have been entrusted with. We’ll explore the countryside and maybe visit some cemeteries and find the names on her family tree chart I made for her. I purposefully left the birth and death dates off so she can learn where to find that information.

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All in two weeks. Think we can do it? I’m 99% sure we can, and she’s going to love it. I remember taking Daughter #2 on a three week road trip for her 13th birthday, and a trip to Cozumel for her 16th. The difference between those two trips was remarkable. So I hope I’m getting in under the cutoff date when Nana’s not so cool anymore. Thank God Big has come back around and we have great conversations again. 

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Little is an old soul, and I’m truly looking forward to exploring with her.

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?

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“Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.”

\nJoel 1:2-3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/16/preparing-to-teach-at-marshmallow.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Gratitude","Farm Life","Littles","Crafts","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/01/08/day-my-new-tiny-home.html", "title": "Day 298: My New “Tiny Home”", "content_html": "\n
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I know today is “Feel Good Friday” and I know I usually scour the internet for a feel good story for today. There’s just an awful lot of ugly out there this week. I understand. It’s hard to look at. And I’ve had one hell of a week with all the deaths and destruction. So, I decided today I’d share someone special with you. This is my daughter in love. I’ll call her “TJ”. She is one of the special gifts that came along with Mr. FixIt and is one of the extra people I get to love on now.

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A couple of years ago, I saw the CUTEST little dollhouse kit on Amazon and I absolutely HAD to have it. I bought it and kept the box on the coffee table for a while. I’d pick it up and look at all those little pieces and think...””I’ll just put this thing away and when I get some time, I’ll put it together.” The kit has been resting on the top shelf of the guest room closet for those two years. I even got it down once, then something else took precedence and back up it went.

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My step-daughter, TJ, is very crafty. She worked for months making beautiful gifts for everyone for Christmas, as well as several darling decorations. When we sat outside on the covered front porch, exchanging our gifts, she wondered what she might make now that Christmas was over. I immediately thought of my little trailer kit and jumped up to get it. I knew it would take a good bit of time and effort to make it, so I told her if she would make mine for me...and if she liked doing it...I’d buy her one of her own.

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Ever since Christmas, I’ve received excited phone calls, texts, and photos updating me on the progress and she absolutely loved doing it. They came over last night to bring the finished project and it’s the cutest thing I ever saw!!! I set it up on one of the shelves in our new bookcases in the office. She’s so cute...maybe she’ll inspire me to get back to work on my little ‘67 Franklin again!

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You can buy this darling kit HERE.   

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?

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“Of course, every house is built by someone, and God is really the one who built everything.”

\nHebrews 3:4 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-01-08T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/01/08/day-my-new-tiny-home.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","Fun","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/17/country-living-fair.html", "title": "Country Living Fair", "content_html": "\n
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The first thing I noticed as I arrived at the Country Living Fair yesterday was the number of women pulling wagons and wire grocery carts, prepared to haul off oodles of awesome stuff. Booth after booth of antiques and high quality arts and crafts spilled out in the pathways, beckoning you to come into the shady recesses of the vendor tents. Soaps, candles, jewelry, clothing, wall art, figurines, signs...it was a veritable cacophony of color and rust, lace and dust. And don't get me started on the food tents! Ice cream and honey and salsa and cobbler and burgers and pickles...it was enough to put me over the edge of my self-imposed dietary restrictions. But I was good. A cheeseburger, no bun. Fries with Sriracha salt. A roasted ear of corn. Yummmm.

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I showed my greatest restraint when I sat in a beautiful Airstream, looking out over the fair goers lugging bags and wagons and carts full of stuff that looks like much of the stuff I dropped off at the thrift shop when I downsized two years ago. Even the clothes held little appeal to me. Most of the styles are loose and flowing and I have plenty of that already. One artist had my attention. I circled around twice, three times. I liked her jewelry last year but resisted buying anything. She's back.

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I don't know what's wrong with me. I used to love to shop. But now all I see is stuff I'll have to get rid of someday. If it doesn't serve a purpose or bring me great joy, I really don't need it. I know at least three men who would have loved for me to have felt this way when they were married to me! lol
TOW-Wanda is ready to be picked up today. They said the water pump worked fine. It hasn't worked for me for months so who knows. Maybe something was loose and driving it up there jerked it back in place. I'll keep an eye on it.

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I am doing something fun today. At 11:00 I'm broadcasting live here on Marshmallow Ranch from the Country Living Fair. My special guest is Janine Pettit of the Girl Camper podcast. I hope it works well and you can get a glimpse of the fair!

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❤️

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“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”‭‭

\nPhilippians‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-17T01:30:32-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/17/country-living-fair.html", "tags": ["Fun","Girl Camper","Girl Campers","Country Living Fair","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/01/13/joy-the-movie.html", "title": "\"Joy\" - the Movie", "content_html": "\n
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We went out to the movies last night to see \"Joy\", the biopic loosely based on the life and career of Joy Mangano, creator of the Magic Mop as well as 100 other patented items sold on QVC and HSN. As I watched the movie unfold, it reminded me of my foray in the invention arena.

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I was a single mother in the late '70s, supporting myself and my firstborn working as an X-Ray Tech at Spaulding Rehab Hospital. I was faced with x-raying disabled patients and, as the only person in my department, I had to enlist the aid of an orderly or family member to lift the patient up on the table for filming. This was risky on many levels....injury to the patient, radiation exposure to the person holding the film, and general discomfort. I came up with a device to enable me to x-ray patients while seated in a wheelchair which was safer and more cost effective.

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I submitted the design for a statewide competition for advances in radiology and won the Lewis Mechanical Award in 1979. I had prototypes made, found some venture capital, and set out to get a patent. The first patent search came back with two or three designs that were similar in parts but not in application. Still, similar enough to not be able to get approval. We prosecuted the patent, but it was rejected a second time. In the meantime, my investors sent me to Picker X-Ray Corporation in Cleveland to meet with the purchaser to carry the \"Hemi-daptor\" in their accessory catalogue. They loved the idea and wanted to sell it, but I chickened out. I was afraid of being sued if I didn't have a patent. It was really interesting going through that process and I've often wondered how different my live might have been had it been successful.

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It also reminds me of the process I'm going through now....the growth and development of Marshmallow Ranch and writing and publishing my books. This is shaping up to be an exciting year and I'm really looking forward to seeing the fruits of my labor.

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❤

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PS...don't forget, if you are in the Cincinnati area, I'm co-hosting a Salon this Sunday, 2-4pm. See the event on this page for details.

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❤️

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“and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.”

\nExodus 35:31-33 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-01-13T02:30:11-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/01/13/joy-the-movie.html", "tags": ["Colorado","New Ideas","Gratitude","Memories","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/11/01/needles-pins.html", "title": "Needles \u0026 Pins", "content_html": "\n
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I can't believe I haven't talked much about the needlework shop! In early 2001, I was the \"Downtown Shop Girl\". I covered for the owners of several little shops so they could have a day off during the week. I worked in a couple of clothing stores, a home and giftware shop, and a lingerie shop. It was really fun! I loved the merchandising and contact with customers. After doing that for a year, I was encouraged by family and friends to open a little shop of my own. Obviously, when you're going to head out on an adventure such as this, you go straight to your girlfriends and ask what kind of shop they think the area needs. Well, we were in our 40's, we had little kids, and we were heavy into cross-stitch so....cross-stitch it was and Needles & Pins was born.

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A friend of mine owns the Hotel Denver and I visited her one afternoon to discuss my vision. I was looking for a little Victorian house or space in a building and knew she had her finger on the pulse of Glenwood Springs. I was pleasantly surprised when she suggested the Historic St. James Inn...an old building they owned. They had been thinking of renovating it for some time and this was the impetus they needed. We set to work and designed a space perfect for housing a darling little needlework shop. Inventory was purchased, displays were created, hundreds and hundreds of items were priced, labeled and hung on pegboards. Finally the day came and I opened shop.

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I had a huge table in back with a dozen chairs around it. Every Wednesday, women would come the moment I opened the doors. We would sit and stitch and drink coffee, and laugh, and solve the world's problems. Then we'd order lunch and do it all over again till it was time to close up shop for the day. It was therapy with thread. The shop lasted a couple of years but it never turned a profit enough to support me. I needed to move on with my life and get into something with a solid paycheck. It broke my heart to close. And the hearts of many others.

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You know how they say everything happens for a reason? Well, I no sooner had that shop dismantled when my mother passed away unexpectedly. I spent several months in West Virginia cleaning out her house then remodeling it for sale. I returned to Colorado in September of 2004. I was offered another space for my shop and thought I'd give it one more shot. It was never a huge commercial success. Then Mr. Virgo came along and it was MUCH more fun to play with him than it was to work six days a week. So, I closed for good in the spring of 2006. One of the things I did in my shop was design cross stitch patterns. Somewhere in my things I have a couple of my original designs stitched up. I had it charted and ready to print under a little division of Needles & Pins called....drumroll, please...Marshmallow Ranch! And, there you have it! The history of a teeny, tiny little needlework shop.

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❤️

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““It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer— then goes off and boasts about the purchase.”

\nProverbs 20:14 NIV\n
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Photo credit: elitestitch.com

\n\n", "date_published": "2015-11-01T02:30:49-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/11/01/needles-pins.html", "tags": ["Fun","Be Joyful!","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/09/20/more-from-the-country-living.html", "title": "More from the Country Living Fair", "content_html": "\n
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    Antiques!
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    Americana!
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    Apples!
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    Tiffany & Lori!
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    Dashing Diner!
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    Happy Camper!
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    Country Living Magazine!
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\n\n", "date_published": "2015-09-20T01:30:36-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/09/20/more-from-the-country-living.html", "tags": ["Fun","Girl Camper","Girl Campers","Road Trip","Country Living Fair","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/09/10/this-is-my-job.html", "title": "This IS my job!", "content_html": "\n
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I wasn't in Colorado 15 minutes this summer till my oldest said, \"When are you going to quit this ____ and come home and get a job?\" Sigh. She's young. She doesn't get it. And, she misses me. She worries about me. She hates that I'm missing so much of my grandchildren's lives. I understand. I miss them, too. And, truth be told, it's a little harder being away from them after spending so much time with them this summer. Part of that is travel-lag. I've been laying really low the last couple of days resting up. I'll be getting busier soon. The Sternwheeler Festival is this weekend. Country Living Fair is next weekend. I will probably go visit family the weekend after that and the first week of October is the Myrtle Beach trip. I have an appointment to get the truck checked. Another for some work on the trailer. So it's going to be busy again soon. Laying low is a good thing.

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But, this thing about a job keeps hovering in the back of my mind. Oh, don't get me wrong...I don't really want one of those dreadful 9 to 5 things that I suffered through all those years. But supporting the lifestyle to which I would like to be accustomed is never far from my thoughts. In the coming weeks, I'm going to go through stuff...again...and weed out the unnecessary extras. Then I'm going to figure out a way to set up my tools and start making some jewelry. That always brings in some extra cash. I'm an entrepreneurial spirit. I have some really great ideas. I just have to make them happen. I will keep you apprised of my progress.

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❤️

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\"Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.”

\nJudges 17:10\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2015-09-10T01:30:47-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/09/10/this-is-my-job.html", "tags": ["Colorado","Family","Fun","Downsizing","Choices","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/06/21/sweets.html", "title": "Sweets!", "content_html": "\n
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Look at these. Aren't they yummy looking? Now…look closer. They are stitched and beaded faux \"cupcakes\"…complete with little fluted plastic cups. These were created by one of the most amazing women I've ever known.

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I met JO shortly after moving to the mountains when Hubby #2 joined a medical practice after residency. I was really new at the doctor's wife thing (something I'm not entirely sure I ever mastered) and that first Christmas, I was invited to an ornament exchange party. We were to make a dozen ornaments and you took a dozen different ornaments home with you. I still have a large box of beautiful, handmade treasures that I will never part with.

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My friend and I sat on her sofa this weekend and reminisced about those days when our kids were little and we gathered together once a week to stitch. There were sometimes 6-8 women gathered around her big kitchen table. We would laugh and cry, nibble on the latest delicacy someone was trying out and drink coffee. We would stitch and b€#% about whatever was on our radar at the moment. Eventually, we moved our gatherings when I opened my needlework shop. Things fell apart when the shop closed. The kids got bigger, life got busier, divorces happened, friendships got put on the back burner. And now, here we are…29 years later. Our kids are grown. We have grandkids. Our lives have become simpler again. We never stopped loving each other, though. We haven't forgotten how important we were to each other. Girlfriends are vital. I always advise young women just starting out their marriages to nurture those friendships because there will come a time when they will need them.

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JO is seeking a reprise of the great ornament exchange party this year. I'm probably going to have to participate by mail this time, but I will anxiously look forward to getting that box in the mail with the little treasures in it.

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Do you have girlfriends you love but have lost touch with? Pick up the phone and call them. Send a card. Invite them for lunch. Make time for the women in your lives. They help keep you young…and sane!

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❤

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\"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.\"

\nProverbs 17:17\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2015-06-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/06/21/sweets.html", "tags": ["Fun","New Ideas","Holiday","Crafts"] } ] }