Yay! Pie!

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been making it's way through Facebook and plenty of folks have braved a bucket (or more) of frigid water in order meet the call. I took the "easy" way out and made a donation because that's what it's really all about anyway. But, last night my sister posted something that sounded an awful lot like another challenge... he he he!

She said, "I was inspired by my friend Nicole and decided to throw a blueberry pie in the oven before Dave came home from work today. Can't wait until it cools enough to taste! It has a cute little face with a crooked smile, don't ya think?"  Rachel thought I could simply put my over-abundance of blueberries into a fresh baked pastry, but alas! I have no blueberries this summer. Instead I took myself to the completely opposite corner of the yard and braved the vicious vines where blackberries grow. I picked enough berries to fill a smallish pie plate, maybe an 8" dish, and this afternoon, after my grandchildren had gone home, I whipped up a blackberry pie!

Perhaps you are gone for the weekend or just too busy to bake at the moment, but I am here to challenge a few of my friends to bake a pie of your own. I pick Wanda, Linda, Betsy, Brenda, and my sister Priscilla. Bake your pies, post a photo, and tag your friends!

Tagged!!!

I was tagged by Kim.

The rules…
Find the 6th folder in your pictures directory and post the 6th photo in it.

So here are the instructions:

* Go to your sixth picture folder then pick your sixth picture.
* Pray that you remember the details.
* Post it on your blog.
* Tag 5 others, leave a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged.

(I must admit that my picture folder probably isn't in quite the order that some of yours are. I have my own "Mom's Folder" for all my stuff and decided I had to put things in order before I could figure out which picture to post, so I clicked "arrange icons by name" to find both the folder and the photo.)

These two little shacks stood on the shore of Lake Ontario about a mile north of our house. I blogged about them almost two years ago. I found it somehow comforting that they stood side by side, but in more recent days one of the buildings has disappeared. I don't know how or why but now one stands alone looking cold and lonely. One day soon I'm sure it will be gone too, maybe replaced by another edifice more stately than itself. I'm glad I took the time to stop for a quick photo nearly two years ago.

I tag... (This is the hard part!) Vicki, Gudl, Shelly, Gmj, and Della

Six More Random Facts About Me--Meme

I have been tagged by Kristina.
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. List 6 random facts about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
5. Let each person know they've been tagged by commenting on their blog
6. Let the tagger know the entry is posted on your blog

1. I like lists, therefore I keep playing these silly games and listing random "Martha Facts".
2. I rarely post the rules, follow the rules, or tag other people. In real life games of tag I couldn't run fast enough to catch anyone and I don't see why it should be any different here. (We'll see how it goes this time.)
3. My vacuum cleaner does not have a home, so it usually hangs around in the dining room with its cord strewn about the floor. In my old house it had a closet to live in but seldom went there because I used it so often.
4. I have way too many flat surfaces in my home. I know this because where ever there is a flat surface books, papers, magazines, pens, pencils, toys and other random articles start to accumulate. I no longer have anywhere to put my random articles as every surface is covered. (Okay, I am exaggerating just slightly. The coffee tables are still bare.)
5. I am not very diligent to fold my clothes as soon as the dryer stops running. Sometimes clean clothing is left in there for several days. We have been know to wear wrinkled clothes.
6. I am very good at starting projects and leaving them unfinished for years before ever getting around to looking at them again. Somewhere I have a needlepoint craft that I started when David was a baby. He is now almost 25.

I tag Nathan, Josiah, Bethany, Jim, Tori (or Johnny), and Mandy

Your Tag is Showing...

My favorite Bethany has tagged me. Last night I thought I might play along today but today I am tired and achy, so I am going to play my own version of this game instead. I am going to pick two categories and "expound" on them rather than fill out all the lists. I hope she will forgive me. Maybe my ibuprofen will kick in before I am finished and then I will be able to get up and clean my house (again).

What was I doing 10 years ago?

This would make it 1998... In 1997 Hannah and I were enjoying the sunshine and warm weather in Plano, Texas where we were visiting Auntie Lori for 10 days. I went to a Dallas Stars hockey game with Lori, visited the Arboretum, and toured downtown Dallas. We found treasures at garage sales (clothes for Han), and nearly missed the plane home. But... that was 11 years ago... In 1999 I was attending a decorative painting class with my sister Priscilla on Monday nights. I was about to become aunt to a beautiful little girl. She'll be nine years old on Sunday. Hmmm, that's 9 years...

Ten years ago I was attending the Bible Baptist Church in Sodus, NY. It's possible that I was leading the AWANA Cubbie group at church. I was homeschooling our kids and enjoying field trips with my friends. We lived in the village on one of the busiest roads in our little town. On warm nights after dinner, I enjoyed sitting in my rocking chair out on the front porch where I watched traffic go by. We often walked around the block in the evenings, stopping to talk to friends along the way. I had two teen aged boys, and one of them kept me guessing all the time.

Five jobs I've had

I assume this is supposed to mean jobs "outside" the home but I have led a very sheltered life so you'll have to bear with me as I elaborate here and there. My first real job was as a nurse's aide at a local nursing home. It was around when I turned 17 years old and I worked a few evenings a week taking residents back to their rooms after supper and helping them get ready for bed. It was no fun and I hated it... My second "job" was being a mommy. I started this job in September 1981 and I'm still at it. I like this job even if it has included some rather unpleasant surprises like raisin puke in the middle of the night (I wondered what those cold blobs on the floor were) and poop in the bathwater... Job number three, a cashier at Star Market grocery. Not a bad job, I actually enjoyed it sometimes... My fourth job was a daycare provider. As long as there are already children in the house, why not add a few more and make some money at it? I babysat mostly for friends or friends of friends. It was (and still is) a job with many rewards and challenges. The nice thing is that no one at your job expects you to grow up. They want you to act like a kid... And finally, teacher. Homeschooling is a job, a BIG job, one that seems to have no end although it really does. I have had wonderful, memorable times doing this job. I have met many great people, done things and gone places I never would have, and built a relationship with my children that I may have missed, but... there have been those days when I have felt so incredibly incapable of doing the job well. Days when I have just wanted to run away from it all. Days when I searched for another way. Days when I had to give it all back to Jesus and say, "I can't do this. Please, help me!" Days when He has taught me that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "Without Him, I can do nothing".

Now I am off to do the dishes!

Tag (from Kristina)

Link to old posts related to the following topics.

1. Family
It was oh-so-hard to choose

2. Friends
A blessing and an honor

3. Me
Likely more than you need to know...

4. Something I love
Memories flood the corners of my mind...

5. Anything I like
Something simple