30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 30 - Quiet Moments on a Foggy Tallgrass Morn

When I left for work this morning it was quite foggy. As I drove, I discovered that it was much foggier in some areas than it was in others. 

As I  pulled into the parking lot at work I marveled at the beauty of the prairie landscape. 

The whole tallgrass world seemed to be draped in a thick cloak of mist and shadow and everything was so incredibly still. 

A little later in the morning I had to go out on the prairie to collect some stems of tall grass to start drying for an upcoming project. It wasn't nearly as foggy as it had been earlier, but wispy clouds of moisture still hung thick over the prairie landscape.

As I made my way around the loop behind the nature center I spied this tunnel in the grasses. 

As I was considering what kind of creature might have made it, I was startled when I heard the gentle flapping of large wings as a norther harrier hawk lifted itself from the ground to my immediate left. It couldn't have been more than eight to ten feet away from me when I saw it. We, evidently, had startled each other and, in the process, I did not think to get a picture of it. I  am sharing this one taken by Ron Dudley.

Photo Credit

I am quite thankful for quiet moments like this, and I am especially thankful for the peace and solitude afforded by a foggy morn out on the tallgrass prairie.

This post concludes my 30 Days of Thanksgiving series. Thank you for joining me in it! 💗

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 29 - The Winter Stock-up

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Days 27 and 28 - The Lord's Confidence and Grocery Shopping With A Friend

DEAR CHRISTMAS MOTHERS by Connie Hultquist - A Book Review and Giveaway

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 29 - The Winter Stock-up

Today I am thankful for the winter stock-up. 

Each November we try to lay in a nice supply of basic goods that will carry us through the winter without having to make any more trips to town than are necessary. For us, the nearest grocery store is 20 miles away, which makes each trip to town a minimum of 40 miles round-trip. 

This basic supply of goods includes meat (ground turkey, chicken, salmon, bison, and whole turkeys...on the way home from Kansas City on Friday we got four of them on mark-down for 40 cents a pound 😲), canned goods (chili beans, black beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, tuna, green beans, peas, and fruit), dry beans and peas (navy, kidney, pinto, red beans and split peas), whole wheat pasta, home-canned jellies and jams, baking supplies (flour, crystallized cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, olive oil, butter, etc.), canned and dry milk, and grains (whole oats, cracked wheat, barley, and brown rice).  

With the above ingredients I can throw together complete and nutritious meals, not only for John and I on a daily basis, but for company (expected and unexpected), as well, and I have all the supplies on-hand for holiday baking.

We will still make a trip to town once or twice a month for fresh items (milk, bread, eggs, cheese, etc) or, more likely, stop at a store coming or going on some other errand, but, in case of bad weather and we can't make it, no worries. There's plenty on-hand to carry us through.

"She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her 

food from afar..." (Proverbs 31:14)

"She is not afraid of the snow for her household..." 

(Proverbs 31:21)

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Days 27 and 28 - The Lord's Confidence and Grocery Shopping With A Friend

DEAR CHRISTMAS MOTHERS by Connie Hultquist - A Book Review and Giveaway

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 26 - Heat, Light, and Comfort

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Days 27 and 28 - The Lord's Confidence and Grocery Shopping With A Friend

I got busy yesterday afternoon and evening and never did make it back here to post Day 27 of my 30 Days of Thanksgiving post, so, today, I am posting the entries for Days 27 and 28 together in one post. I hope you don't mind. 😉

Day 27 - Last night I presented my final Wild Cats of Missouri program at work (there have been five of them...two homeschool, two library, and this one...an evening program geared more toward adults). Not only was I thankful for a good turn out and for the interest that was shown by those that attended, but, after I got home, I realized that, for the first time, I had presented a program to a room full of adults (most of my programs are geared toward children, which there were only two of at last night's program, and, normally, the thought of presenting a program to a room full of adults scares the daylights out of me), but I hadn't worried or fretted about it AT ALL...I wasn't nervous...I didn't have to go over and over what I was going to do or say beforehand. I just went in there and did it! In fact, I came up with a really silly idea right in the middle of the program, went with it, and it worked! THAT was amazing! Praise God for the peace and confidence to just walk in there and do what I did without thinking and fretting about it. For that I am truly thankful! 🐈

Day 28 - And today I am thankful for the opportunity to take a friend grocery shopping. Her name is Pat and she's more than a friend, really. She's become a second mother to me. 

I've know Pat since I was 10-years-old. She and her husband, Micky, were our next-door neighbors as I was growing up at Grain Valley. Pat and Micky were childless and didn't have family, so they became an extension of our own family. Every morning Mick could be found sitting at our table drinking coffee with my dad and Pat and Mom were always doing something together. Pat and Micky even went on family outings and vacations with us sometimes. 

Right before my parents moved to southwest Missouri, Mick passed away. When we moved a year later Pat came with us. She's lived across the street from my parent's place (which is our place now) ever since, so, today, she is still my next-door-neighbor! (Thank You, God!) 💗

Mom's death in 2005 was really hard on Pat. Mom was her best friend. Mom's death was hard on me, too. Pat picked up the slack and became a mother-figure in my life. When my dad died in 2016 it went from bad to worse. I'm so thankful that Pat and I were there for each other then, and I'm even more thankful that we're still there for each other today.

Pat is 85 years old and getting quite frail, yet she's still a go-getter! She can't do everything that she'd like to do (or do them the way she used to anyway), but she's not one to sit around and just give up. Oh, no! She's determined as she can be to keep up and moving as long as she possibly can! 

We go places and do things (not like we used to, of course), but she stays as active as she can and still enjoys our outings, even if it's just going out for lunch, to do the grocery shopping (she pushes the cart while I do the shopping), to her annual doctor's appointment (yes, annual...once a year), or to get ice cream (she loves getting ice cream)! 😄 Whatever we're doing we make the best of it and have a great time doing it!

Speaking, of which, it's almost time to go grocery shopping and I'm not even dressed yet! I better be going! I am thankful, though, for Pat (and for Micky), for the friendship they have shared with our family since I was a child, and for the additional time that the Lord has blessed us with since my parents have passed. Like I said, Pat is more than a friend...she has become a second mother to me and I love her with all my heart. 💗

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

DEAR CHRISTMAS MOTHERS by Connie Hultquist - A Book Review and Giveaway

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 26 - Heat, Light, and Comfort

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 26, 2018

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 26 - Heat, Light, and Comfort

As colder temperatures and winter weather moves into the area I am thankful for the warmth and comfort that comes from our propane wall unit and for electricity to run our infrared heater (when needed) and with which to cook our food...warm soups and stews, freshly baked bread from the oven, and hot tea in the mornings. I am thankful, too, for light. Light by which to read in the evening, the twinkling Christmas lights that decorate our home, and the warm glow of candlelight on chilly winter evenings. All of these things add to our warmth and comfort as we ride out the winter here in the Midwest.

Christmas Lights

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 26, 2018

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 25 - My Maids

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 24 - God-Inspired Ideas and Creativity

Here's a special offer from Sue Hooley for Rebecca's HEARTH AND HOME readers and a great buy for those who are shopping for Christmas gifts!

$3.00 off one Planner. Regular 14.99. Only 11.99 with 

coupon code NOV18300

$10.00 off three Planners. Planners are already discounted 

with the purchase of 3- $14.49. With the coupon the planners 
are ONLY $11.16 each. Use coupon code: NOV181000  

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 25 - My Maids

Today I'm thankful for, what I refer to as, "my maids" (a.k.a. modern day appliances and conveniences that we take for granted every day). 

I often think, especially on days when I'm super busy and have several things going on at once, about how many people (or hours) it would take to do the jobs that my machines are doing for me.

My laundress (the washer) and her crew (the dryer) are taking care of the laundry, while the baker (the bread machine) kneads the dough that I will later shape into French loaves and bake in the oven (that didn't need a single stick of wood to be cut and kindled in order to heat it).

The refrigerator and freezer keeps things cold without the effort of having to tote things back and forth to a spring, or to cut blocks of ice from a frozen pond in winter, and stacking and insulating them in thick sawdust in some ice-house somewhere, in hopes of having ice in summer. Everything is kept nice and cold (or frozen) by simply keeping the machine plugged in and setting the temperature where we want it.

Then there's the microwave, the hot-air popcorn popper, the toaster, the food processor (oh! the food processor! how much work has that machine saved me over the years???? 😲), the blender, and the list goes on and on.

All of these modern day conveniences are things we use every day, but seldom think much about...at least not most of the time anyway...but, do we realize that all of the things that these machines do for us are things that our grandmothers and grandfathers...great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers...had to, either do by-hand themselves, depend on someone else to do for them (if they could afford it), or do without? Do we realize just how hard people had to work, up until the last few decades, just to live?

On one hand, yes, these things are definitely blessings for which I am so very thankful! On the other hand, though, I suddenly realize that these things may very well be part of what is wrong with our world today...especially here in the United States where we are blessed and spoiled beyond measure. Perhaps our modern day appliances and conveniences  have left us without enough work turning us into a nation that lives to be entertained. 😕 It's sure something to think about! 

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 24 - God-Inspired Ideas and Creativity

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 23 - Angelic Protection

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 19, 2018

Here's a special offer from Sue Hooley for Rebecca's HEARTH AND HOME readers and a great buy for those who are shopping for Christmas gifts!

$3.00 off one Planner. Regular 14.99. Only 11.99 with 

coupon code NOV18300

$10.00 off three Planners. Planners are already discounted 

with the purchase of 3- $14.49. With the coupon the planners 
are ONLY $11.16 each. Use coupon code: NOV181000  

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 24 - God-Inspired Ideas and Creativity

Today I'm thankful for God-inspired ideas and creativity. Thoughts and ideas that come from Him and to fruition for our good and His glory!

What God-inspired ideas are speaking to your heart right now?

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 23 - Angelic Protection

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 22 - Sweet Thanksgiving Memories

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 19, 2018

Here's a special offer from Sue Hooley for Rebecca's HEARTH AND HOME readers and a great buy for those who are shopping for Christmas gifts!

$3.00 off one Planner. Regular 14.99. Only 11.99 with 

coupon code NOV18300

$10.00 off three Planners. Planners are already discounted 

with the purchase of 3- $14.49. With the coupon the planners 
are ONLY $11.16 each. Use coupon code: NOV181000  

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 23 - Angelic Protection

We had a great time at Amanda and Phillips over the Thanksgiving holiday but, sadly, it's over. 😞 

Photo Credit

We got up early this morning and, after getting our stuff loaded up and saying our good-byes, headed for home as Amanda was leaving for work. 

We had several stops to make on our way home, but still managed to get back in town before noon...which was AMAZING! 😲

Today I am thankful for angelic protection and safety of travel as we go back and forth, to and fro, here, there, and yonder. 

"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways (Psalm 91:11).

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 22 - Sweet Thanksgiving Memories

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 21 - The Opportunity To Spend Time With Our DD and SIL

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 19, 2018

Here's a special offer from Sue Hooley for Rebecca's HEARTH AND HOME readers and a great buy for those who are shopping for Christmas gifts!

$3.00 off one Planner. Regular 14.99. Only 11.99 with 

coupon code NOV18300

$10.00 off three Planners. Planners are already discounted 

with the purchase of 3- $14.49. With the coupon the planners 
are ONLY $11.16 each. Use coupon code: NOV181000  

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 22 - Sweet Thanksgiving Memories

For more than a decade now we've been celebrating Thanksgiving and kicking off the Christmas season in Kansas City. The tradition started when our youngest daughter and her husband married in 2008. 🦃💗🎄

The first few years we celebrated at their apartment in Claycomo, then at the new apartment in Gladstone. Over the years different friends and family members have joined us for the annual celebration and a lot of great memories have been made.

Last year we did what our daughter deemed as the "extreme church takeover" when friends and family congregated and ate Thanksgiving dinner together at the church that our son-in-law pastors. It was the first year that our oldest daughter and her family had been able to join us. It was such a joy listening to my daughters engage in sister-talk in the kitchen, while the grandlittles chattered away in the background and the fun-in-laws cracked jokes making the whole crowd roar. 

This year we're celebrating Thanksgiving in new place. After a decade of living in an apartment, our daughter and son-in-law were finally able to purchase their own home over the summer and we are thrilled to be celebrating their first Thanksgiving in their new home. 🏡

As I made the homemade dressing this morning, my daughter's eyes welled up with tears. "Always reminds me of Grandma," she said. 

"I know," I replied.

My whole life...no matter where the Thanksgiving feast was to be held...it was my mother that was always asked to bring the dressing, because, of all the dressing recipes in the world, hers was the best! The funny thing is, there was (and still is) no recipe! There's an art to making Mom's dressing and, someday, the the task of putting it together will fall on another, but, for now, the task falls on me. Mom's been gone now these past fourteen Thanksgivings.

I remember well the first Thanksgiving that I  was to be in charge of making the dressing. I just knew that I couldn't do it...not as well as Mom could anyway. I remember calling her and her walking me through the steps over the phone. I realized a couple of years ago that, even now, as I'm making the dressing, I am replaying that phone call over again in my head as I still follow Mom's directions to a tee. In doing so, the dressing turns out every big as good as hers ever was. Well...almost! 

After the dressing was made and put in the oven to bake, I went upstairs to shower and dress...and my mind started wandering. Once again I started thinking back over the years to when my own children were young and my parents and mother-in-law were regular guests at our annual Thanksgiving table. As much as I love my family now, I still miss those days when my own children were small and we were all safely together under one roof.

Further back than that, I thought about the days when my cousins and I were the littles gathered at Grandpa and Grandma's with our parents...collapsing into fits of giggles at the antics of one of our crazy aunts or uncles. It's amazing how fast time really flies.

As my heart and mind wander over the years, people and places flash through my memory...my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, old friends, church friends, people that we've shared meals with over the past 23 years in ministry, and new friends that we've made and shared the holiday with since coming to Amanda and Phillip's over the past decade. Many of them are gone now, but what a blessing they have all been! 💗

As time moves on and seasons change, people come and go in our lives and sweet memories are made along the way. All is woven into a beautiful tapestry called life and, in these early hours of Thanksgiving Day 2018, I am truly thankful for all of the blessings that the Lord has brought into mine.

I'd like to take the opportunity now to wish each and every one of you here a Happy Thanksgiving! No matter what your situation or season in life, look for God's blessings, because they're there. The little moments in life today will be the sweet memories and threads in your own tapestry tomorrow. Embrace them!

May God's richest blessings be yours today and always!

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 21 - The Opportunity To Spend Time With Our DD and SIL

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 20 - The Seasons

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 19, 2018

Here's a special offer from Sue Hooley for Rebecca's HEARTH AND HOME readers and a great buy for those who are shopping for Christmas gifts!

$3.00 off one Planner. Regular 14.99. Only 11.99 with 

coupon code NOV18300

$10.00 off three Planners. Planners are already discounted 

with the purchase of 3- $14.49. With the coupon the planners 
are ONLY $11.16 each. Use coupon code: NOV181000  

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 21 - The Opportunity To Spend Time With Our DD and SIL

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to spend some special time with our youngest daughter, Amanda, and son-in-law, Phillip.

John and I drove to Kansas City early this morning and, after unloading our stuff, we headed out with Amanda to do a little sight-seeing.

Our first stop was Wallace State Park. Amanda and I both work for Missouri State Parks (me at Prairie and her at Watkins Woolen Mill) so we both "collect" them. She had visited Wallace before, but it was a new one for me, and it was beautiful!

Wallace State Park - Cameron, Missouri

On the way to St. Joseph we passed a HUGE wind farm! It was amazing! 😲

Wind Farm on 36 Highway

Our first stop in St.Joe was the house in which Jesse James lived and was killed. 

The Jesse James Home in St. Joseph, Missouri

The Spot Where Jesse Was Killed

The Jesse James home is located on the grounds of the Patee House Museum, so we toured it as well. 

Patee House Museum and Pony Express Headquarters
Pony Express National Historic Trail

The Patee House Museum

Amanda and I had both been there before (for me the last visit was about 35 years ago when my mom and I took my grandpa and my oldest daughter, who was just a baby at the time, up for a day trip; for Amanda it was more recently), but it was the first time for John and he was amazed by the the wealth of amazing exhibits, including the engine an a couple of train cars from the Hannibal-St.Joseph railroad and the original Pony Express Office Headquarters.

The Hannibal-St. Joseph Railroad Train Cars

The Pony Express Headquarters

After the Patee House we visited the spot where the Jesse James house originally sat before being moved.

The Monument That Marks The Location of Where the Jesse
James Home Was Originally Located in St. Joe, MO

After that we headed back to Amanda's to pick up our son-in-law and head to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was our first time there and the food was amazing!

The Texas Roadhouse in Liberty, Missouri

John, Me, Amanda, and Phillip Waiting to Be Seated For Dinner

It's been a great day and, now, we're ready for sleep.

Until next time,

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 20 - The Seasons

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 19, 2018

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 18 - Good Food

Here's a special offer from Sue Hooley for Rebecca's HEARTH AND HOME readers and a great buy for those who are shopping for Christmas gifts!

$3.00 off one Planner. Regular 14.99. Only 11.99 with 

coupon code NOV18300

$10.00 off three Planners. Planners are already discounted 

with the purchase of 3- $14.49. With the coupon the planners 
are ONLY $11.16 each. Use coupon code: NOV181000