A collection of pictures

Hello everyone!
I really liked the picture of the cardinal. I am not sure who took the picture.

It is snowing!!!!
Sorry to all who don't like winter time and the snow, but I like snow!
Okay, I have to be honest, I like the snow but I hate to drive in it when the roads are slushy.

The front yard with the snow.

A flower made with Fondant.

My last cake from the fall Cake decorating class. :( Bittersweet!
Some of us played with Fondant and my cake has it on it besides
some flowers made from it and the bow.

The front view of the cake.

My certificate and my cake!

Mercy(left) and Grace (right) with a huge carrot out of the garden!

Simeon with the carrot!

Here is a winter scene cake that I made today.

You have to have someone hit with a snow ball if you have a snowball fight, right?

I hope you all will have a wonderful weekend and that you all will stay warm!
Sometime I hope to get some stuff written on here. I have been reading in Matthew for my devotions and I have read a lot of different things that I have been thinking about. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We do have much to be thankful for!

Below are a few pictures of 2 cakes that I decorated today.
First is the roasted turkey cake.
This time I didn't have a air brush to brush on the colors, so I had to color the frosting.
Well, melted chocolate colored one part and I colored the other part with paste coloring.
( I used 2 different frostings for this cake.)

An up close picture of the carrots, radishes and the leaves. ( Lettuce, I guess!)

Below is a cake I did that I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to try to do.
I like how it turned out.

I won't put any pictures up of the real turkey that we had today.
It was one of the turkeys that I had raised 2 years ago. He weighed 30 pounds!
Yes, I did have a hard time getting him to fit in the roasting pan!

I am trying to think of the things I am thankful for. My list is long!
Here are a few of the things;

Jesus Christ, who died that I might have eternal life ( John 3:16)
Family and friends
A warm dry house
My Bible
Life
and more!

Cakes!!!

Here are some of the cakes I have made since I started taking a cake decorating class!
The first several pictures are the first cake that I made.

Thomas the Tank Engine!
I personally think Thomas needs a face lift, But Simeon thought he was the best!

Sunflower cake!

Okay, I know that roses aren't really blue but I was having fun playing and they did turn out pretty in the end!
There are vines, leaves, mums, and grapes on this cake also.
I thought it was full enough so I didn't put the pumpkins on it.

This was last weeks class result.
A roasted turkey cake!
It was lot's of fun! Now I want to get a air brush!
It was really good by the way!

I hope you all enjoyed the pictures!
Have a great day!

Thoughts about 9-11-01

I was thinking last night and again this morning about 9-11-2001.

It was just 3 days before my 16th birthday.
I was looking forward to Grandpa and Grandma Ring being home for my 16th birthday that year. They are missionaries in Russia. ( Now they go and visit for a short while.)
But they hadn't been home for my birthday for a while, and I was looking forward to them being home for it.
But all that changed...

I was washing dishes when my brother, Josiah, came down and said to turn on the radio.
He wasn't sure if it was a joke or not.
It wasn't.

Most everyone else was out digging potatoes out in the field.
We also were getting some things ready to take to the Albion Fair for later in the day.
It sure is interesting of what you remember doing at that time.

It is hard to believe that it has been 8 years all ready!

My Mom's, cousin's husband was on his way home from working with the band he was with at that time to be home for the birth of their second child and was in the second plane that hit the other Twin Tower in New York city. ( If I am remembering the details right!)
That brought that "close to home" in a sense.

These are just a few things that I remember about that day.

Grandpa and Grandma Ring came home a week later, after they allowed planes to fly again.
And a week after they arrived home then little sister,
Lydia Faith Ring was born on the 29th of September.
Even though they missed being home for my birthday they were home for Lydia's birth.
Lydia's due date was September 17th - Grandpa Ring's and Grandma Whitford's birthdays!

Night all! I hope you have a blessed Lord's day tomorrow!

Apple Pear Coffee Cake

Here is a recipe that I have been asked for the recipe by several people who have had it.
So here it is! :)

Apple Pear Coffee Cake

10 Tablespoons Butter, softened
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Sour Cream ( I used yogurt instead)
2 to 6 Apples, chopped
1 to 3 Pears, chopped
1/2 cup Chopped nuts
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar

Cream 1/2 cup butter and sugar in bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Mix four, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream or yogurt, beating well after each addition. Fold in fruit. Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan.
Combine nuts, the other teaspoon of cinnamon, brown sugar, and remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in a bowl; mix well. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees f. for 45 10 55 minutes,( 45 minutes is what it has taken me in our oven.), or until cake tests done.
You may substitute 1/2 cup chopped, drained canned pears for fresh pears.

I didn't have brown sugar when I made this recipe so I used 3/4 cup white sugar and about 1 to 2 Tablespoons Molasses.

Hope you all enjoy this!

Grandpa Ring is Home!

Grandpa Ring was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon! Praise the LORD!
He still has a ways to go on his recovery! Grandpa has to go back to the hospital to have another CAT scan next Monday to check things out and make sure they are doing okay.
Grandpa has to be watched in case the bleeding in his brain would start bleeding again from the accident. ( I don't remember if i had mentioned about the bleeding on the brain before.)
Thank you all who have prayed for him and the family during this time!

Update on Grandpa Ring

First, Thank you all for praying for Grandpa!
He is doing better! Praise the LORD! He has 3 or 4 broken ribs, a bruised liver. He had some bleeding on his brain but it stopped and it looks okay I guess because I haven't heard anything more on that. Grandpa ate today and kept it down! He was reacting to the pain medication he was on so they changed it last night.
Grandpa Ring is in Hamot Hospital in Erie PA.
I know I wrote on my Facebook about praying for the driver of the car that hit him.
I asked for prayer for him also. He is in a hospital too. My prayer for him is that he will see his need of Christ besides physical healing. He was drunk when he hit Grandpa. There was another person in the car with the other guy, but I have not heard anything on him. All I know was that there was someone else in the car besides the driver.
I could be angry at this guy. But I can't and I am not. Mostly I feel sorry for him. God has a reason and plan for all of this and we may never know what or why.
I will try to keep this updated when I can! But for now I need to get ready for bed.
Thank you for your prayers again!

Prayer!

PLEASE PRAY!
My Grandpa Ring ( Rich or Richard Ring) was hit by a car as he was driving his skid loader down the road towards his house. ( I think he was going back to his house.) I don't know a whole lot right now. He was unconscious. I think he did wake up. They are taking him to Conneaut and then from there I don't know. I will try to update this when I know more about it and his condition.

Truth Project dvds and a trip out west!

I finally got The Truth Project dvds that I had picked up rocks out of the field for. It was worth the work!
And I have moved my plans to go out and visit in Minnesota to before My Aunt and Uncle and family come to visit the end of this month. I will be flying out early Saturday Morning and will come back with Aunt Kara and the girls on the 27th. Uncle Phil had some training for his job before they were coming so he is flying into Cleveland.
We are doing Green Beans, so I should go and get busy helping with them.

Here are a few Hymns that I have found thought provoking and encouraging.

I thought I'd share them with you all.

What Think Ye Of Christ?

Contrast-L.M.D.

John Newton 1725-1807 Early American Melody

Verse1 "What think ye of Christ?" "is the test To try both your state and your scheme;
You cannot be right in the rest Unless you think rightly of Him.
As Jesus appears in your view- As He is our beloved or not-
So God is disposed to you, And mercy or wrath is your lot."

Verse 2 "Some take Him a creature to be- A man, or angel at most;
But they have not feelings like me, Nor know themselves wretched and lost;
So guilty, so helpless am I, I durst not confide in His blood
Nor on His protection rely, Unless I were sure He is God."

Verse 3 " Some call Him a Savior in word, but mix their own works with His plan;
And hope He will His help afford When they have done all that they can;
If doings prove rather too light ( Admitting their efforts may fail),
They purpose to make up full weight By casting His name on the scale."

Verse 4 " Some call Him "the pearl of great price" And say He's the fountain of joys;
Yet feed upon folly and vice, And cleave to the world and its toys;
Like Judas the Savior they kiss, And while they salute Him, betray;
O what will profession like this Avail in His terrible day?"

Verse 5 " If asked what of Jesus I think, Tho' still my best thoughts are but poor,
I'll say He's my meat and my drink, My life, my strength, and my store!
My husband, my trust, and my friend, My Savior from sin and death's gall,
My hope from beginning to end, My portion, My Lord, and my all."



If I Gained The World
OM JAG AGDE ALLT - 10.9.10.0.D
Anna Olander, 1861-1939 Swedish Melody

Verse 1 " If I gained the world, but lost the Savior, Were my life worth living for a day?
Could my yearning heart find rest and comfort, In the things that soon must pass away?
If I gained the whole world, but had no Savior, Would my gain be worth the life-long strife?
Are all earthly pleasures worth comparing For a moment with a Christ filled life? "

Verse 2 " Had I wealth and love in fullest measure, And a name revered both far and near,
Yet no hope beyond no harbor waiting, Where my storm tossed vessel I could steer;
If I gained the whole world, but had no Savior, Who endured the cross for me,
Could then all the world afford a refuge, Whither, in my anguish, I might flee?"

Verse 3 " O what emptiness!- with-out the Savior 'Mid the sins and sorrows here below!
And eternity, how dark with-out Him! - Only night and tears and endless woe!
What, tho' I might live with-out the Savior, When I come to die, How would it be?
O to face the valley's gloom with-out Him! And with-out Him all eternity!"

Verse 4 " O the joy of having all in Jesus! What a balm the broken heart to heal!
Ne'er a sin so great, but He'll forgive it, Nor a sorrow that He does not feel!
If I have but Jesus, only Jesus, Nothing else in all the world beside
O then everything is mine in Jesus; For my needs and more He will provide."

My "little" Brother is Getting Married!

Tomorrow is my "little" brother's wedding day. (I say "little", because I am smaller than he is and it is our joke between us.)
This is such a bittersweet time. My first baby brother is going and getting married and leaving home to start his own family. ( Okay, he has been out on his own for a few years now, as he has been going to college.) It is hard to say goodbye to Josiah, even if he does drive me crazy at times with all his teasing and just being a brother. :) He's still my brother, but it is going to be a lot different now.
It has been a busy last month, but God has given us the strength to get through it.
I hope to get some pictures up of the wedding. But it might take a while. :)

Please pray for Josiah and Erin as they start their lives together as husband and wife, that they will put their everything in the LORD, and that they will build a firm foundation on the LORD.

Want a "Monsterious" Cookie Recipe?

This cookie recipe makes a LOT of cookies! I got the recipe from a Amish or Mennonite cookbook. I know I tried it for the first time for a VBS closing program Several year ago. - I would have been in my early teens when I first tried it. Even my brother Josiah has tried his hand at making them when he was going to be going on a baseball tournament about 2 years ago. :) I just made a batch again this last week for Josiah's wedding the 4th of July.
Here it is:

Monster Cookies
12 eggs
2 cups nuts, optional
4 cups white sugar
1 lb butter, no substitutes,softened
4 Cups Brown Sugar
3 lbs peanut butter
1/3 cup vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon corn syrup
8 teaspoons baking soda
18 cups rolled oats- I use Regular oats
1 lb M&M's
1 lb Chocolate chips

Beat the eggs, add the butter, sugars and vanilla and mix together. Add the corn syrup and peanut butter, mix well. Add the oats, nuts- if desired, baking soda,
M&M's and chocolate chips. Mix well. ( You are going to have to use a very large bowl to mix it all in!) Spoon onto lightly greased cookie sheets. - You can decide on how big you want them to be. :) Bake at 350* for about 11 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

If you want to know the original directions for this recipe it is:
Mix in order given. Bake at 350*

I think you could cut this recipe down if you want to make them but not a lot of them! :) I haven't tried to yet but may some day. :)

The picture above is Grace playing with my goat baby bottles next to the 50lb bag of white flour that we have. ( It WAS 50 lbs at one point in time that is!)

Some Goat Milking Pictures

Esther and I milking Susanna.
We have found it easier and faster to both milk at the same time.
We have the stand under a little roof as it had been raining a few days before and we hadn't moved it back out to the small cement pad in front of the barn door.

" I think we are about done here."

Esther is peeking around the goat.

Taking Susanna back to the pen.

Bringing Viola Hope out to the milking stand.
Micah is holding Blackie back as Viola is scared of her.

Stripping Viola out before we milk her into the milk bucket and after we had wiped her off.

Esther and I milking.
Her hand is on the right and mine is on the left.

Bulls Eye!
We hit the hole!

The containers in the milk pail are ice blocks to start cooling the milk off.
This helps a lot with the taste of the goat milk! If it is not handled right it will have the "goat taste" also.

Viola eating.

Micah sitting on the bottom half of the barn door.

I think this is Caleb on the New Holland going to get the rake or mower or something like that.

We did not get any pictures of Rose being milked. The batteries ran out on the camera! :(