~ Waiting , Waiting and Waiting ~

Monday was my daughter's due date , but the little fellow decided it wasn't time. We've been at the hospital today , she had to be there this morning for induction. They induced her , but the induction didn't go so well , so they stopped it late today and will try again tomorrow unless natural labor starts.

So , we're still waiting and wondering if he'll be here before the New Year. I'm exhausted and I'm heading to bed , Praying we'll have a healthy baby boy sometime tomorrow. Please keep us in your Prayers and Thoughts.

~ Much Love & Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Shadow Bug Enjoying his Christmas Gift ~

Santa brought Shadow a new squeaker toy , he's enjoyed it. But , he still has his favorite near , a little giraffe that rattles , found it at the thrift store for a .25.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Favorite Simple Christmas Gifts ~

My niece made everyone a Memory Photo Album , it was my Favorite gift. She put Mom and Dad's photo on the cover , since I'm the oldest of 3 , I was the 1st page of the book. Don't you love all my funky hairstyles through the years ? I don't like the bottom left photo , my hair was flat on one side and flipped up on the other side. My niece said it was her favorite photo of me . The book included a page for my sister , brother and lots of family memories. It was a wonderful gift and will be treasured forever.

My DH made me a garden bench from an old iron antique bed , it was another favorite gift. I've been wanting him to make me one for awhile , he needs to add the seat . I'll take a pic of it when he is finished , now I need to decide were I want to put it.

My sil made homemade bread , pound cake and candy for everyone . The homemade bread ( another favorite ) is delicious , I want to learn to make bread in the coming New Year.

My sister gave everyone a box of stuff , it included everything but the kitchen sink (LOL). Actually it had some great needs in it for a homesteader and was another favorite gift. Garden gloves , jiffy pots , bird suet & holder , garden plaque and a cute wooden ladybug garden ornament , I 've already placed it near my front porch (so cute ).

There were 2 packs of cheesecloth , recipes from a jar cookbook , a small note book ( plan to use it for an inventory list of canned goods ). The box included smelly good stuff , lotion , sprays , incense sticks , potpourri and a sweet little book about " Sisters ". She also give me a bottle of her homemade wine. My Mom gave me a favorite gift too , beautiful wine glasses to drink my homemade wine in.

We had a wonderful get together at my Mom's Christmas Eve , Santa made a visit to see all the kids. Curious J and my nephew's kids were amazed. Little Missy and Little Man weren't to excited about him , they enjoyed watching him from afar. I had a very Blessed Christmas , hope your Christmas was Blessed too.

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Merry Christmas to My Blogging Friends ~

Merry Christmas

Blessings of Love , Peace and Happiness to all of You .....

~ JoyceAnn ~

~ Curious J Spends the Night ~

Curious J spent Saturday night with us , we watched a movie , played a game , made ornaments and had a jolly good time. I created a game called " Help Santa find Rudolph " , Curious J loved it. I made it simple and easy for a 4 year old , we probably played it 50 times or more , so I guess it's a winner.

We made reindeer ornaments from ice cream sticks and decorated a small tree in the Grands bedroom. The ornaments will become gifts for the family on Christmas Day.

I always enjoy spending time with the Grands , but after the tragic news of the weekend , it was really special having him here and giving him lots of hugs and knowing how Blessed I am to have this time together.

I attended the funeral Sunday for my cousin . He left behind a young wife and a 3 month old daughter , please keep them in your Prayers and Thoughts , as they start a life without him.Thanks , for all the Prayers and Thoughts , I truly appreciate your Friendship and sentiments.

~ Special Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Sad Day ~ Please Pray ~

I received sad news this morning , my cousin's 22 year old son died in a car wreck yesterday. Please say a Prayer for her and her family.

Hug your Loved ones , Enjoy each day you're Blessed with their Presence !!

~ Love to all my Blogging Friends ~

JoyceAnn

~ Recycling & Reindeer Poop ~

I've saved quite a few infant formula cans last year. I thought they would come in handy at Christmas for storing cookies , candy and such. Last Christmas I saw a cute idea for kids , someone had made chocolate oatmeal cookies and called them " Reindeer Poop". So I'm decorating the cans and plan to make some reindeer poop , I think the kids will have a good time with them. I can see them giggling and wrinkling up their noses at them (LoL).

I washed the cans out and air dried them. I gessoed (primed) the lid and around the side of the can. I let them dry overnight , then sponge painted them with acrylic paint , I used poetry green on the cans. I mixed some glitter in with the paint , the cans have a wonderful sparkle to them.

I was going to do fingerprint deer , but thought they would look to small , so I cut another sponge into a deer head shape and sponged 3 heads on each can . I used a paint color called maple syrup for the heads. I then took a brown permanent marker and drew the antlers. I painted the ears and eyes with a brush. The nose has red glitter , I mixed the glitter with the paint and painted them. I want to find some small red pom poms for the noses , but if I don't they're fine just as they are.

I'm adding these to a gift bag with homemade reindeer food , a pair of antlers and a Christmas book. I'm making these gift bags for all the kids on my list.

~ Sweet Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ We finished the Chicken Coop ~

The chicken coop is finished , just in time. It looks great and didn't cost much , DH used many recycled items. We did buy the chicken wire and post for the fencing.

The building was the girls playhouse when they were young , DH made it from recycled lumber leftover from a job site many years ago. It has held up well over the years. We moved it from the backyard , out near the garden.

DH built the nesting boxes this weekend , they're heavy duty and should last many years. My Mom had an old door he made to fit , it never had a door as a playhouse. We had to close it up around the top , I did get a chance to help with that. I also added some cedar limbs for them to perch on.

I swept it out and put some pine shavings down yesterday. We put the guinea out there yesterday evening , they seemed happy to be able to flap their wings and move about. They were all fine this morning , we'll keep them inside the coop for a few more weeks , then let them out in the fenced area on warm days.

I'm getting some Christmas decorating done today , I'm so behind. We've all been sick with some viral bug that's going around , first Curious J , then me and Little Man , now Little Missy and my daughters. Tomorrow I'm going with oldest daughter for another ultrasound. They are checking to see how big the baby is , they're planning to induce her next week. I wish she would let it happen naturally but she wants to get it over.

I've been busy working on some Christmas gifts , will post about them tomorrow or the next day. Hope you had a great weekend , and may your week be Blessed .

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Baby , Baby , Baby ~

It's been a busy week or so , my oldest daugther is due Dec 29th , but I think they're planning to induce her the week before , unless she goes before that. We have a full moon coming up , I hope she goes naturally so they don't have to induce her. I think she should let nature take its course , but she wants to get it over . Her blood pressure was slightly elevated last week , so I've been keeping a close eye on her and helping with Little Missy.

And ....... speaking of babies , the Guinea fowl are 5 weeks old now , they're growing so fast. I'll be moving them out to chicken coop next week.

Shadow Bug is getting big , he's really great with the Grand kids. Little Missy loves him , she yells Pup Pup each time she sees him.

And ......... remember the stray kitty , she's cute as can be and I'm calling her Lily Bell. It didn't take long to tame her , she loves to be petted now , I've decided to keep her too.

Hope the week is going well for everyone.

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Gobble , Gobble ~

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I celebrated twice , went to my Mom's on Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday I cooked for my hubby's family , actually everyone brought side dishes. I cooked the turkey , gravy , stuffing and collards. I also made 12 sweet potato pies and some Gobble , Gobble cupcakes for the kids.

My late MIL , always made 12 sweet potato pies for Thanksgiving. We would have some to eat with our meal and she sent everyone home with a pie. I try to keep her tradition going , she was a wonderful woman , I sure do miss her.

I found the recipe for the cupcakes on the Family Fun website , I tweaked mine a little bit. The kids loved them , Curious J sure got a kick out of them. He said one of the turkey cupcakes looked " Mean " and he wanted it , he choose 2 and sit at the table playing with them like they were toys , it was a cute scene. Little Man liked the turkey heads , he kept grabbing the heads every chance he got.

I'm tired from the cooking and cleaning , today I plan to rest and enjoy some quiet time.

~ May You be Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

~ Blackberry Tincture Making ~

Blackberry ( Rubus fructicous )

Blackberry roots should be dug in the Fall , be sure to wear gloves (heavy duty leather ) while digging and cutting roots from the stems. I took the water hose and jet sprayed the roots to get the dirt off. I also washed them again , brushed with a dish washing brush and rinsed again before cutting them up.

I used kitchen shears to cut the roots into 2 or 3 inch pieces.




I cut them down through the middle , as shown above.





Then I snipped them into smaller pieces , packed the baby food jars 3/4 full of root and added vodka to fill jar. I use 100 proof vodka for my tinctures.

Cheap vodka is fine for making tinctures , you can use vinegar if you prefer. Make sure the roots are completely covered with vodka or vinegar.


Be sure to label with type of tincture , date started and I put the end of six weeks date. Store in a cool dark place for six to eight weeks.

After six/eight weeks , strain , bottle and add label. Tincture should be stored in a cool , dark place and used within two years.

Blackberry tincture is a great herbal treatment for diarrhea. The tannins have a astringent effect on the intestinal lining. Take a teaspoon of tincture in a cup of water every two to four hours.

~ Green Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

~ Happy Thanksgiving ~

May your day be Blessed with Happiness , May You be surrounded with Family and Friends whom make You Smile.

Be Thankful ........ Be Blessed my Friends !

Peace & Love

JoyceAnn

~ Little Man's Birthday ~

Yesterday was Little Man's birthday , he loved those balloons. We had a celebration for him late Sunday evening .

Today I've been busy cleaning house and making blackberry tincture. Tomorrow I have to go to the grocery store and start getting ready for Thanksgiving. I plan to go to my Mom's for Thanksgiving , then I will cook Thanksgiving dinner for hubby's family on Sunday.

I plan to do a post about the blackberry tincture sometime this week. I will be making echinacea tincture tomorrow.

~ Doing Not Thinking Challenge Update ~ I did get a few things taken to the building and got the dining room table decluttered.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Little Missy's Birthday ~

I've had two busy days , just getting a chance to post about Little Missy's birthday. I kept both Grands and my niece yesterday , boy did they keep me busy !

Yesterday was Little Missy's first birthday , we had her party here last night. I can't believe she's a year old already , time sure does fly.

Anyway , thought I would share a pic of the birthday girl , she wasn't the least bit shy about digging into her cake (LOL).

So , it's one down and one to go ................ getting prepared for another birthday party Sunday , Little Man will turn a year old too.

~ Sweet Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Scenes from Monday ~

Monday I worked outside most of the day , raked more grass clippings and finished mulching the garlic. I had a couple of boxes of stuff in the building that will soon be the chicken coop , so I moved those boxes to another building.

Washed a couple loads of clothes and hung them out to dry. I worked on the grapevine wreaths , finished the small one. Hope to get it decorated sometime this week.Dug some blackberry roots and my echinacea , plan to make tinctures from the roots this week.

Shadow Bug ( Curious J has given the pup a new name ) and I took a hike through the woods , down to the small branch that runs through our homestead. He enjoyed exploring new territory and I had fun watching him. It was a beautiful day , I feel so Blessed to be able to enjoy these simple pleasures.

Hope you're enjoying some simple pleasures ...........

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Guinea Fowl ~

Dh worked on the chicken coop Saturday , he added the boards around the top. He has to build the nesting boxes and add a couple of doors. He's also going to cover the run with chicken wire. Hopefully he'll have it finished in a month.

I found some guinea keets for sale last week , picked them up yesterday afternoon. They are 2 weeks old , I plan to keep them in the basement for about a month , then move them to the coop. Back in the Spring we were invaded with those small deer ticks , that carry Lyme disease. I've heard that guinea will take care of the tick problem.

I've came to a halt on my decluttering , busy getting the garlic planted and mulched. I've also been cleaning and putting away outdoor furniture and stuff. I hope to get my dining room table decluttered tomorrow. It's been cluttered all summer , canned goods , veggies , garlic , mail , books and alot of other stuff. It seems to be our drop it there place , really need to get it cleaned.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ White Pine / Pinus Strobus ~

Healing Properties of White Pine / Pinus Strobus

Antiseptic qualities , anti-inflammatory ~ used to combat fatigue , coldness , asthma , pneumonia , head congestion , colds. Used to build strength , helps stimulate adrenals and restore the liver and stomach. It also prevents infection , promotes tissue repair and relieves pain.

White Pine is used as an expectorant and in teas for relief of colds , cough , croup , flu and bronchitis.White Pine is rich in vitamin A and C , it has 5 times as much vitamin C as lemons have per serving.

Pine Needle Tea

1 pint of water

1 oz of pine needle

sugar and lemon

( to taste )

Boil water , remove from heat and add pine needles , let it infuse for 10 minutes or more , strain pine needles , add sugar and lemon (optional ) , enjoy.

( Do Not Use While Pregnant )

I made some pine oil last January , my intention was to use it as a furniture polish. I started using it a couple of months ago , it does a great job on furniture. I blogged awhile back about my Mom cutting her finger http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=27347180&postID=7114224729713829534 , we applied some of the pine oil and it healed beautifully. Since then , I have used it on cuts , puppy dog scratches and a burn. I brunt my finger a couple of weeks ago , touched a red hot burner accidentally , I put aloe on it first , then I thought about the pine oil . I took a cotton cloth and applied some oil on my finger and put a band aid over it. The band aid stayed on overnight and most of the next day , when I removed it , I couldn't believe my eyes. It didn't blister , wasn't burning and looked like it had healed overnight. I will definitely keep pine oil on hand from now on , there will be some in the medicine cabinet and the kitchen at all times.

~~ Pine Oil Infusion ~~

White Pine Needles

And Olive Oil

Cut pine needles and the small limbs they're attached to into 1/2 or 1 inch pieces , fill pint jar full , add olive oil to cover. Place in dark , cool place to infuse for 6-8 weeks or longer. Strain and bottle.

I also read that the pine oil makes a great massage oil , good for sore and aching muscles. I haven't tried it yet , but will in the future.

Hope you're having a great weekend , doing something you love. I plan to do some root digging.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Mr. Scare Crow gets a Remake ~

I bought this decorative hanging half moon a few years ago at CVS. The faux berries had started splitting and looking awful , so yesterday I decided to do a remake , spruce him up a bit. I removed the faux berry/nut items and added some acorns , pine cones , sweet gum balls and natural leaves to it. I think it looks better than it did when I bought it , I prefer the natural look and Mr. Scare Crow gets to hang around a little longer.

So before you throw it out , take a good look and decide if it can be renewed or remade , you may be surprised with the results.

Hope you're having a great week !

~ Enjoy your Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Sooo Tired ~

I spent most of the day in the garden and I'm so tired. Hauled compost and dumped it , planted almost two rows of garlic and mulched most of it. Shadow tried to help but was more of a hinder than help , every once in a while he would grab a garlic clove and run wildly. He would get in the compost bin each time I went to get grass clippings , silly pup ( lol ).

I actually got sidetracked during a break and decided to make some grapevine wreaths. I've always wanted to make one and now I have three in the making. I forgot to take pics , but maybe I'll wait until I finish them. I'm thinking I'll decorate them with natural elements.

~ Natural Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Fun At the Park ~

~ Red -Tailed Hawks ~

~ Great Horned Owl ~


~ Barred Owl ~


~ Just a Swinging ~



~ Nana & the Grands ~



My youngest daughter and I took the grands to San-Lee Park yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful day , the leaves are simply glorious right now. This park does wildlife rehabilitation , they have hawks , owls and vultures that have been rescued , but aren't able to be released because of wing damage or other problems. The great horned owl and barred owl are beautiful. That great horned owl had one eye shut when I took a photo , I told Curious J he was winking at me (lol). The park is something like a nature center also , they have snakes , turtles , squirrels and frogs. I'm not sure if all these animals have been rescued. I was talking to Curious J about the spotted turtle , I asked him why he thought it was called a spotted turtle , he told me it was because it had dots. When his Mom came over to see the turtle , I told him to tell her what this turtle was called , he looked up and proudly exclaimed it was a "polka dotted turtle" ....... sooo cute (lol). Little Missy and Little Froggy enjoyed the baby swings and the geese on the lake , they got really excited about them.

We came back to my house to roast hotdogs and marshmallows over an open fire. It was a fun day for the kids and a much needed break from routine for me. How was your weekend , did you do anything fun?


~ Blessings ~
JoyceAnn