Appalachian Ambiance

Crock Pot Soap

2009-07-08T14:27:00.005-04:00

I decided to make soap! We have been buying hand-made soap for well over a year now; it is not cheap, more like a little luxury for the end of the day. So, now that I'm an official Domestic Goddess, why not make my own? Recipes abound on the internet, plus I bought (and read) a nice soap making book. Being the rather impatient person I am, I decided on the hot process method that I could cook up in the crock pot and use right away. Here it is.

I am most happy with it, and so is hubby. I used olive, coconut, jojoba, safflower and sweet almond oils. The fragrance oils are clary sage and rosemary, not because I love those smells but because those oils are good for the hair and skin. I have used this on both hair and body and it is very moisturizing, leaving my skin smooth and soft, hair full and fluffy. The recipe yielded several pounds, or eleven good sized bars.

I can't wait to do it again. I have supplies on order. This time, I'm going for the yummy smells: patchouli, lavender/rose and vanilla spice. If you know me, expect a bar some time soon!

With the Saints' Assistance

2009-06-23T12:16:00.002-04:00

I'm reading an interesting book, "The Saints Guide to Happiness" by Robert Ellsberg. Some of the saints doing the guiding are Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day, Flannery O'Connor and Henri Nouwen; folks that are worth listening to.

Coming off the fast track of working outside the home requires a tectonic shift in thinking, at least for me. For so many years, my days were structured and purposeful. I may not have always held the most fascinating jobs (and there have been many!), but I knew my place and felt like a meaningful cog in the wheel of society. Now, not so much. I must find and appreciate the simple joys of homekeeping.

The word of the hour to me has been, "Be still and know that I am God." Maybe these saints will assist.

Living "Au Naturale"

2009-06-23T12:09:00.002-04:00

Now that I'm not working, I want to do some volunteer work to keep me busy ... at least until (or if) I find another job. I'm looking at several options, but one that has appealed to me for some time is fostering a retired racing greyhound. I could not undertake this if I was working, and I'm not sure Callie will be cooperative, but we are moving forward with it. The greyhound rescue adoption coordinator was to visit us today, but she is sick so the weekend will have to do. Too bad; I was really looking forward to seeing her boy - she has FIVE greyhounds! If Callie could talk, she'd be saying, "And that's the way it should be ... we don't need his kind around here!"

As part of my latest incarnation as Domestic Goddess, I am hanging my laundry out to dry. Hubby put up one line, but I need more. I sort of enjoy this, even though until I get a softening system down, the towels come in as stiff as boards. Brings back memories. When I was a kid, there was no other option. No one I knew had a dryer. Clothes were hung out in decent weather and inside during the cold or rain. We had a 'furnace room' that was nice and warm with several drying lines rather close together. My mother insisted she always got sick during the winter from standing under wet clothes whilst she was hanging them. IDK.

We have had some really lovely days here. Breezy and warm, cool enough in the night for good sleeping. I have yet to turn on the air conditioning, even though the inside temp hit 83 degrees yesterday. For some reason, it feels good this year. Maybe it's another hormone change, maybe it's just what I've gotten used to. I never really loved AC, but for at least the last ten years, I didn't want to be without it. I think when you work in AC, your body just gets used to that cooler temp and it is harder to adjust to the extremes. Maybe part of it is that I just don't want to pay for it as long as I'm not working; maybe it's just one more thing we can do without and live au naturale.

Hubs is drawing the line at chickens in the yard, though.

Home - The Movie

2009-06-14T22:29:00.002-04:00

Hubby and I went to see a movie this weekend. Our first choice was "Goodbye, Solo" but something was wrong with the projector and we ended up seeing "Home." It is an indie movie filmed locally. While it was an interesting story, it hit a little too close to my own home. Sitting there, watching and hearing the parents fighting as the young daughter listens, unseen, I was transported back to my own childhood where parental fighting was the regularly scheduled program. I felt my stomach tighten, my heart rate quicken. I really couldn't wait for the movie to end so I could get out of there, even considered leaving a time or two.

It funny how even after all these years, certain situations can still trigger such unpleasant feelings.

Lord, have mercy.

A Lovely Saturday

2009-06-13T17:08:00.006-04:00

Gorgeous day, today is. The rains have finally subsided and we have blue sky! Just took Callie out for a walk, but she gets too warm in the direct sunlight. She keeps going from bush to bush to get shade cover.

This morning we went to the downtown market for our weekly supply of meat and veggies from the Amish. It is such an interesting place. Very old, inner city, not quite clean and spiffy, booths selling everything from flowers, baked goods and old gold jewelry to shoes. There are a few outside stalls selling caftans, more jewelry and household goods. Never know what you might find here. There are stands selling all things Obama and Martin Luther King, plether furniture and lovely paintings of African-American families. One booth sells incense, native African art and sculpture, natural haircare and textiles and is run by an older African-American lady with a nose ring and dreads down below her butt. Her sweet little grandbaby is sometimes there with her.

The food is an eclectic mix, too. You can get Indian, Thai, Caribbean, Italian, Chinese, organic vegetarian, American and soul food. The barbecue is yummy, made by Amish folks and has a long line of inner city African-American folks waiting to buy it. Now where else can you see something so wholly unexpected?

I got a wonderful chicken curry spinach wrap and a blueberry iced coffee. So good!

I've got some household chores to do first, but later, we are going to the bike trail that winds through a lovely spot between two mountains, just a few miles from us.

Peaceful, pleasant times.

I Am ... A Domestic Goddess

2009-06-13T16:45:00.004-04:00

This blog is in need of some serious attention. I think I stopped blogging because initially I wanted to write about my EO conversion. But that no longer applies. After attending church for three years without my hubby, I've raised the white flag. We need to be united. From the time we first met, our mutual love for Jesus united us; it should not divide us now.

I write this for myself. I have nothing profound to say, just the happenings of my life in my little corner of the world.

And there have been a few since January. I ended up going full time with a place that offered me a job previously and although I liked the work, my body rebelled working FT hours. I have fibromyalgia and the stress of the job fueled the flare from hell. Pain and crushing fatigue were rather constant. I gave myself two months, hoping things would settle down, but it seemed that every week, some new area was affected ... a ridiculous and unnecessary way to live. So this week, I will work a few hours to help train the newbie and that's it. I'm already looking forward as to how to occupy my time. I'm signed up to do some volunteer work at the local public TV station and am considering fostering retired greyhounds.

Back to full time Domestic Goddess. Even as I write, hubby is putting up a clothesline for me out in the yard. All true DG's hang their clothes to dry, don't they? And cook everything from scratch and make all their toiletries and weave all their cloth to make all their clothes and clean every nook and cranny weekly and clip coupons and put in an organic garden and can the fruit thereof and and and

eat bonbons and watch TV! I can do that!

A New Dawn, A New Day

2009-01-15T21:18:00.007-05:00

The changes have begun, thanks be to God!

I've had several job offers and have decided on the position of Development Coordinator/Administrative Assistant for a local county arts council. It is part-time, not great money, a farther drive than I had hoped, but I am very excited about working in the arts community. This is a very active council with lots of ideas and plans.

The full-time position would have been good, too, but I would have had to really make some changes in order to handle the hours. I'd rather still be able to have a life outside of my job, so the part-time gig is much better.

Hubby and I have been attending a Methodist Church. We both feel the need to be able to commune and serve together and that seems our best choice at the moment. God has graciously given us to one another to travel through this life. We will honor that commitment before the Lord and do our best to serve Him. Oh, I'll still attend noon mass at the RC every week, but I think my time in the OCA is coming to an end.

So tonight, I sit here content and thankful ... all is well with my soul.

Listen to the incomparable Nina Simone tell it.

A New Year, A New Look

2009-01-02T09:57:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! I'm changing the look of this blog (probably several times a week!) Maybe I'll write more :)

The holidays are over and were very nice for us. They began with an extended family party (23 people!!) Then for the next two weeks, my daughters and their families stayed off and on with us while visiting other family members in the area. My grandchildren, a 10 month old girl and 5 month old boy, kept the house busy and noisy. For that period of time, I'm very glad I was not working; it would have been hard. It was so good to have them here and I'm missing them already.

I sense change coming in my life. God usually gives me some inkling to expect something new. I look forward to whatever it may be; I believe it will be good.

Craftiness

2008-12-06T10:58:00.003-05:00

In the meantime, I am making these paper globe tree ornaments. The photo does not quite capture the beauty and brilliance of the paper I used; it's very colorful and has some spots of gold foil, felt and glitter. They are a very nice addition to my Christmas tree which has not been updated in about a hundred years.

Waiting ... Advent

2008-12-06T10:40:00.002-05:00

My first full week of unemployment ... or is it retirement? I hope not. I really hope to find a nice part-time job again that fits well. I remain optimistic.

This is not easy for me. I have worked outside the home for many years, albeit, part-time. I've been a church secretary, non-profit office manager, and a director of a crisis pregnancy center. I've temped as a receptionist and secretary in manufacturing, law, insurance, sales, and trucking. A long work history filled with lots of good experience. I've lived in several cities, moves necessitated by hubby's job choices, which is why I haven't been at anything for very long periods of time.

I have been known to take a job quickly, without really considering too much whether it's a good fit, just to end the feeling of uselessness and the "OMG, I MUST WORK!!!" thinking that comes from some deep-rooted place within me. My daughter wisely counsels me that I must just be content to "be", something that is difficult. God may have a purpose, here. So maybe it is fitting, that at this time of Advent - waiting - I learn to wait patiently for the next step in my life ... even if it is forced waiting and somewhat riddled with anxiety ... like the Advent of long ago.

Employment/Unemployment Insanity

2008-12-02T20:23:00.003-05:00

I've neglected this blog badly. Not that I have nothing to say, just nothing good.

I had posted a while back about looking for a job ... most of the summer and fall, actually. The non-profit I worked for had a new board come on in June and I knew changes were in the wind, but I didn't know how many. Membership had dropped to less than half of what it was when I started with them three years ago. They decided to purchase a database service that members can access and do their own updates. The service also handles the website. To pay for this, my hours were cut, but since this service now does some of what I did, it made sense to the board. Then, the board decided to move the office further away into a makeshift office in the back of the family business of one of the board members. Conflict of interest, here??? So, I opted out. I did find another job, but after one week, I realized it was a really poor fit. My stress level was through the roof, causing some very uncomfortable health problems. Hubby kindly suggested I get out quickly, so I did.

Here I sit, unemployed. I haven't been in this situation for many a year, and it's scary! I have to restructure my life in a town where I still really don't know many people. I took my first step today and volunteered to bake cookies at the Ronald McDonald house on Thursday. That should be fun and rewarding. Maybe I'll get back to Vespers more often now, too. I hadn't been because the drive was just too much with all that was going on in my life.

I'm not doing any heavy reading right now; need something light, fun and fictional to occupy my worried mind.

I leave you with the words of Julian of Norwich, 15th century Catholic mystic, which have been running through my head for days now. Thank you, Lord!

"all will be well, and all will be well, and every kind of thing will be well"

Extreme Cuteness!!

2008-11-15T21:00:00.002-05:00

This is the cutest thing I've ever seen on the net! I want one, wah!

ETA: The puppies are going to their new homes soon!! A couple are leaving THIS WEEKEND!!

Our New Metropolitan

2008-11-12T17:52:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, His Grace, Bishop Jonah of Fort Worth was elected Archbishop of Washington and New York and Metropolitan of All America and Canada at the 15th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America.

May God grant him many years!

The Kingdom of God is Within You

2008-11-05T16:10:00.004-05:00

Well folks, it's over ... thanks be to the Lord! No matter who we wanted to occupy the White House, it's been decided. Time to move on.

As I walked through the still beautifully colored fields and felt the warm, un-November-like air, I could only give thanks to God for His bountifulness.

Daniel 5:21, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar says,

... till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appoints over it whomsoever he will.

We do well to remember this. Be still, and know that He is God.

Being About Our Father's Business ... Really!

2008-10-07T19:15:00.006-04:00

I, for one, am truly impressed! I hope this idea takes off, spreads like wildfire and produces much fruit.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord, henceforth now and forever!!

Pope Benedict XVI begins marathon televised Bible reading.
The Pope has kicked off a week-long Bible-reading marathon intended to deliver the word of God into the homes of Italians.
"If welcomed, this seed will not fail to bring abundant fruits," Pope Benedict XVI said before reciting the first chapter of the Book of Genesis.
The marathon will feature more than 1,200 people reading the Old and New Testament over seven days and six nights.

While the pontiff recorded his segment at the Vatican on Sunday, most of the reading will be performed live in Rome's Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, a basilica built in the fourth century.

The Pope, whose reading was shown on a giant screen in the church, was followed by Bishop Ilarion, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo di Segni, had originally agreed to take part but withdrew from the event last month, saying it had become "too Catholic".

Famous Italians taking part in the reading include the Oscar-winning actor and director Roberto Benigni, former showgirl and now government minister, Mara Carfagna, and the former prime minister Giulio Andreotti.

Protestants, Jews and Orthodox Christians will also take part in the event, which the state broadcaster RAI television has called "The Bible Day and Night". It will end with the Vatican's second most senior official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, reading the final chapter of the Apocalypse.

The continuous reading, which is being broadcast live on Italian television, coincides with a worldwide meeting of more than 250 bishops on the contemporary relevance of the Bible.

The British contingent at the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is led by The Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool, and Bishop David McGough of Birmingham.

VP Debate

2008-10-02T23:27:00.003-04:00

Quite the interesting debate. I would have to give it to Sarah Palin. She's energetic, fresh and obviously, a quick study. She had answers to the questions and wasn't afraid to let who she is be seen. She never lost that smile, nor her sense of humor.

Still, it's going to be a long four weeks.

Autumn Book Club Post I

2008-09-20T09:40:00.002-04:00

I began my read of "The Roots of Christian Mysticism" last night. The author writes a bit about Tradition in the intro, stating:

Newman compared the early history of the Church to the opening chords of a symphony, when the subjects which will later be brought out one by one are introduced all together in a concentrated burst of creativity.

A beautiful analogy! I come from a background that had no use for anything older than yesterday. Viewing Tradition is this manner gives me a greater understanding and appreciation for the way it has unfolded. After all these years, I feel like such a novice, only beginning to dip my toes into deep waters.

Yesterday Evening Shots

2008-09-16T19:16:00.008-04:00

Here are a few photos of yesterday's sunset on the river and the moonrise over our mountain. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful area! Thank you, Lord!

Vacation Photos

2008-09-16T18:55:00.006-04:00

Here are a few photos I took while at Assateague last week. It's one of our most favorite vacation spots; one we have gone to for many years and where we had much fun with our daughters.

These little duckies came to call every morning. We thought we would treat them to a little puppy chow, which they gobbled right up ... at least until Callie dove into the middle of the flock and sent them scurrying.

The next few pics are of a hawk and a heron taken at the wildlife refuge. Unfortunately, the wild ponies were too far away to get any good photos.

Book Club Update

2008-09-16T18:48:00.003-04:00

To any of the book club members stopping by: my book order ran into a shipping problem and is "in the mail." Hopefully, I'll receive it very soon.

Dang! Already behind the eight ball. But I am checking others' comments and enjoying them. Keep posting!!

Two Word Survey

2008-09-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

A fun survey I picked up from Phillipa. Two word answers, no more, no less…

1. Where is your cell phone? ...............beside me
2. Your significant other?....................my hubby
3. Your hair? ..................................shiny silver
4. Your mother?...............................passed on
5. Your brother?...............................have none
6. Your favorite thing?.......................forest walk
7. Your dream last night?.....................don't remember
8. Your favorite drink?.......................iced coffee
9. Your dream?................................family nearby
10. The room you’re in?......................living room
11. Your ex?....................................passed on
12. Your fear?..................................being widowed
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?....right here
14. Where were you last night?.............at home
15. What you’re not?.........................laid back
16. Muffins?....................................Starbuck's blueberry
17. One of your wish list items?............therapy pool
18. Where you grew up?.....................suburban Pittsburgh
19. The last thing you did?...................saw movie
20. What are you wearing?..................capri pants
21. Your TV?...................................Fox News
22. Your pets?.................................Callie girl
23. Your computer?...........................IBM laptop
24. Your life?..................................missed opportunities
25. Your mood?...............................hopefully optimistic
26. Missing someone?........................my children
27. Your car?.................................Toyota Avalon
28. Something you’re not wearing?.......my socks
29. Favorite Store?..........................Plum Bottom
30. Your summer?............................sadly over
31. Like someone?...........................my dog
32. Your favorite color?....................mostly blues
33. Last time you laughed?.................tonight
34. Last time you cried.....................this afternoon
35. You are with?............................dog, hubby
35. Who will re-post this?..................don't know

Sarah Smile

2008-09-12T10:10:00.005-04:00

I think most of us knew the choice of Sarah Palin for VP would draw the fire of liberals, but I have to say I'm a bit surprised at the vitriol lauched at her from women, especially the big mouth celebutards. Just shows how much abortion continues to divide this country. Sarah hasn't changed her men like some women do their underwear; she takes responsibility, yes and even loves, the products of her conception - her beautiful children. They loathe her for that. Women's rights? It would seem that the term never meant anything more than the right to kill your baby. Never mind that Sarah has already treaded where only one other woman has been. She gives birth. Unforgiveable!

May the blessing of the Lord rest upon her, strengthen and carry her and her family through these tumultuous times.

Book Blog

2008-09-11T21:42:00.004-04:00

I have decided to take part in a group read of a book in which we will blog our thoughts as we go, visiting each other's blogs to comment and discuss. The book is The Roots of Christian Mysticism. It sounds like an interesting read and a fun concept; just hope I can keep up with the reading schedule. I still have reading to do for my doula certification and as I have my third and last required birth at the end of this month, I need to get moving!

Lord, have mercy ... please!!!

OCA in the News

2008-09-11T21:37:00.002-04:00

How sad to read the news of Met. Herman's involvement in the OCA scandal. It seems no church group is without their issues, are they. The lusting after of power, sex, money ... passions that unless corralled and tamed wreak much havoc.

Lord, have mercy!

Summer's End

2008-09-11T21:12:00.002-04:00

I've been neglecting this blog in a very bad way. Forgive me.

The summer has been full of activity and I hate to see it end. Our new grandbaby, River, was born in July. We went to visit him and, of course, he is a beautiful and sweet boy. It saddens me that I will be so little involved in his life; they live so far away. It's not just a matter of hopping a plane, more like three planes each way. The potential for travel plans going awry grows daily, what with the state of our airlines. And, of course, we had our share of problems with the trip. Not fun. But it is very gratifying to watch my daughters become mommies - seeing them both change from focusing primarily on themselves and their interests to being completely attuned to their babies and turning more inward as they nurture a stronger nesting instinct.

Last week, Gabby's mom, her family, hubby and I went to Chincoteague for a long weekend. It's always nice to be there, we've been going for many a year. That's where we were on 9/11 when the towers were hit. I remember very well my hubby coming into the bedroom to wake me and tell me what was happening. It was very odd being away from my home then; I remember feeling very disconnected, especially trying to continue our vacation, carrying on with our plans. Looking around at all the tranquil beauty of Assateague, it was hard to believe that another part of our country was under attack and being turned completely upside down in such horror.