The Long Winter...done

It's been awhile since I have blogged. To be truthful, last year was rather tough. But you see the photo my friend took of the sunrise? That's how I feel now. Like we made it through a very long winter, and now on to spring, summer, and fall. I always say spring is my favorite, just because there's all of that, PLUS summer AND fall to look forward to.
We had a pretty painful experience last spring/summer that kind of put a damper on the entire year. We felt compelled to stand up for truth and do what we really felt was right before the Lord. Not that it was easy. It wasn't. Not that it wasn't humiliating. It was. At the end of several months of hoping for something better, we realized it wasn't going to happen, that we had to move on with our lives. Sometimes there are things worth standing up for, and yes, I would have done it again, as painful as it was. 
I am finally feeling like spring has come!  To my heart, to my life again. There are a lot of things new for us. A fresh-air-gust in fellowship! Yes! Thank you Lord for providing a place for us to worship you. That is truly refreshing, and healing! Spring is literally right around the corner, I'm getting my seeds in order, my garden planned. I'm even going to say I can't wait for yard work! I can think and think and think while working with a weedeater! No kidding!
I've recently given up my hot tub in favor or using the space for an enclosed porch/office room. I'm really excited to have a better planned area to work on my Etsy stuff, to do projects in, etc. My sons are very anxious for me to leave the other room I had so they can each have their own room.
My husband has been waiting 5 months for a loan officer to get some paperwork off his desk and get a loan approved so that he can build a local man a new home. Today he gets to start that job! Finally!  Fall is NOT a good time to find out the job you thought was going to be able to start isn't going to happen. And winter is NOT a time when very many people call to have a carpenter start a job, so you can say it's felt like a long winter here. BUT, God, like he always has, provided all our needs, above and beyond! I won't say I never had a meltdown, but it wasn't too bad, really.  And now that he is back to work, and spring will be here very shortly, I'm very excited to see what else He has in store for our lives!
If saying it will make it so, Happy Spring!

Friends to share a meal with.

Night time at our little country church. (Ignore the blue paint, hopefully we'll get to paint in the coming year!)

The table. All set and ready.

We've had a very busy fall! Sometimes I wish the leaves would all fall off my maple tree at one time, so that we could just rake a couple of dump truck loads all at once and be done with it. I love that old tree, and the leaves are so pretty; it keeps us nice and cool in the summer, as we sit on the swing cooling off. I wasn't ready for summer to end, but wow!! It's almost December and the days will start getting longer again!

My Finnish Cardamom Bread

This month, our little Bible study group had a Thanksgiving meal together.  I think we all came really excited, it's the first time we've done something special, and it WAS a special time. I was really looking forward to celebrating God's faithfulness with this little group.  We are so blessed to have this little place to share, to learn, to grow in. These people God has put in our lives. Celebrating what He's brought us through, trials and hard stuff. His providing us with this quaint little country church. He is is so good to us!

It's been that busy time of year for me. November is hectic with bread baking, and I've had a lot of fun baking and selling my bread. I've had a few sell-out days, that's always a nice thing! Except for one more sale in Columbia City, outside of St. Helens, in December, I only have a couple days of special orders, and I'm through the busy baking season, and can do some leisurely homemaking.

This week, we're going to be doing something I love to do before the holidays. Cleaning! I'm talking about sending my husband out onto the beams in our living room with a vacuum lol. Today we got the bedroom all dusted, floors done, everything all nice and clean. I like to spring clean once in spring, once in fall/winter. All the knicknacks cleaned, all those books dusted. When I met my husband I had NO IDEA he was such a book freak! At least his books are beautiful! Well, when the cleaning is done, the nice warm fire is going, the Christmas music is playing, it'll be a day of decorating. Not all-out decorating, but a little holiday cheer. Some warm welcoming on the porch for visitors. Sometimes the stress of what this old world brings gets me down, but you know, I just keep looking up! There is a very good plan to it all!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of blessing, full of reflection on how much we have all been blessed! ~Karen

36 Tube Candle Mold/More of My Finds

Wood Frame 36 Tube Candle Mold

I've been trying to keep working at my Etsy shop, getting more of the things I've found this year into my shop. If you're like me, you put something away to deal with later, and it's like Christmas getting it back out!  Well, I'm making use of the rain we finally got, trying to set myself goals, etc. I don't do a lot of Ebay anymore, but I did put this awesome 36 candle mold on Ebay tonight.  It's just pretty neat! Imagine the lady who used this! I'm not sure, but in those days, it seems like you'd be lucky to have one of these, I always thought the really primitive way to do it was to dip the wick over and over and over.... This is making me want to read Little House books again!
I hope everyone's adjusting to the cool season. It just doesn't seem like some people should have snow already, or that the temperatures have dropped almost instantly. I wasn't quite ready for the rains and cold, but at least I'm getting some stuff done inside!

Time to Start Listing Furniture~My Awesome Step Back

I've spent so much time outdoors this summer taking advantage of our beautiful summer weather, I've fallen a bit behind on stocking my Etsy store, (which I am now challenging myself to fill up) and getting busy selling some of my awesome large finds this year! If you are in the NW Oregon area, and are on the lookout for a nice step back cabinet, I have one you may like. It has taken me awhile to finally decide I'd let it go. I've been on the verge of putting it n my own kitchen, but it just won't fit. Who knows, if I don't sell it, it may be in there after all!
I just listed it on Craigslist, if you,re interested. The photos aren't great, b/c I didn't have it in a place with great light. But I did meet one goal for the day, yay! My other accomplishment was to go with my daughter-in-law to her midwife appt. to hear my granddaughter's heartbeat! Now isn't that something!?

Indoors Once More

What a busy, beautiful summer we have had in Oregon this year! Hardly any rain from July on, until now. Which means coming indoors, lighting the fire in the woodstove, making hot soup more often and barbequing less. I always try to stay outdoors if it's not raining, thus, not much inside gets done til Autumn.
We have a HUGE maple tree in our yard. In the summer, we like to sit in the swing, around an outdoor fire, enjoying family and friends. In the fall, let's just say it is a LOT of leaves to clean up. I admit I think it's kind of awesome when stormy, rainy windy days make the mess; it's all worth it.
I've had a great summer doing things with friends and family. I've had some rough stuff to go through too.  I won't go into all the details but, like the maple in my yard, we may have lost some leaves, but we're still standing, roots dug in deep, leaning on the Lord, who wills and works His way in us. I am so appreciative of the friends who have prayed for us along the way!

I've had an amazing year working with vintage stuff, selling in my Etsy shop, and we did manage a vintage sale with the Vintage Gathering friends. I'd love to have made it to few others, just to be a shopper, but we've had too much going on around home.
I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, getting my Etsy shop stocked with so many wonderful finds I accumulated this year.

Odd things I find! This pin strip roll is awesome!

Hang it from a wall on the piece of string! Neat sewing room decor!

 I am going to be up to my elbows in bread dough a lot of November, with the Finnish cardamom bread that I sell each year. I'm doing 3 sales in Longview, Wa., and 1 in my own little tiny hometown. I'm amazed at how loyal my bread customers are, because they do come back year after year. Right before Christmas I do special orders, which are really kind of fun, sort of a wrap-up of my bread baking year. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me to be able to do this! 

Cute shabby bear!

Precious nursery dresser jars!

I sure hope the autumn season blesses you with it's abundance, with it's beauty. Bringing in the bounty of blessings to get us through the winter days. It's never too early to be thankful!

Vintage Gathering Fall Sale

I don't know how I missed getting this out, but today Vintage Gathering friends are having their fall sale! Awesome finds to be found there, and sweetest ladies you'll meet!

Vintage Flea Market at Deepwood!

Some friends of the vintage style are having an awesome flea market down near Salem that you might really want to know about! Looks fabulous and I hope I'll be able to go! Check it out!
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