Tuesday 4

 

Pioneer Spirit

 Howdy Partners and Buckaroos... Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4

Hosted by Ann!

 Americans are descended from truly intrepid stock. 

In Utah, the Days of '47 are starting.  This was 1847 when the first Mormon pioneers came into the state with the great handcart movement. The celebration is huge in Utah with fireworks, rodeos, picnics, fairs and all manner of things.   In America everyone, including the American Indians are immigrants having come from elsewhere, such as Mongolia, as well.   There really are no "native" Americans at all!   

 Let's talk about pioneering.  When we think Pioneer we think the Old West.. but the Pilgrims were pioneers.  The Spanish were pioneers too.

1.  All our ancestors are pioneers who came to America from someplace else.  Where did your people come from?  I am scotch, English, Germany, mainly. According  to my DNA through Ancestry.com I am 40% Scottish, and 30% each, English and German…German mainly on Dad’s side. My first Scottish  ancestor that I know  for sure was a Quaker who came for religious freedom during the early 1700’s.  He originally landed in Connecticut then migrated to SW Virginia. My first English  ancestor was Richard Higgins who first arrived in Plymouth,Ma. in 1621.. one of the first boat load of immigrants to come to America. He was a single young man of some import. Soon he married , bought a cabin with a bit of land for 20 bushels of corn and  became Constable of the township Barnstable very near Plymouth.  On my dad’s side two brothers came to America for a better life 9 generations ago. They originally came from Braunsweg, Germany then lived in Randolph County, NC. 

2.  Do you know when and why they came to America?  My family has always been very interested in genealogy.  There have been yearly reunions ever year since I can remember where family history is shared and somewhat revered. I believe the family goal was to live up to the courage, fortitude and perseverance shown in the lives of our forebears. 

3.  Have you been a bit of a pioneer in some way?    Does that spirit live in you?    Perhaps moving on to a new job, new home, new state, 

I believe that even though I was a very timid child and youth, the fact that I fly off alone to Germany to join my military husband at age 21 in 1971 shows a bit of spirit in me that had laid dormant .  Upon returning to the states the next year, I was much more prepared to begin the teaching profession  dealing with people from all walks of life . 

4.   Do you enjoy Western movies or TV programs?    They don't make many now but there are re-runs available?   Which do you watch? I have mentioned this before, but  I dearly loved western series, I suppose because daddy loved them and that was mainly what we watched.  Of course, I’ve said, I dearly fell in love with Jess Harper of Laramie! But I loved Bonanza, Palladin , and Wanted Dead or  Alive, and the Virginian. I  loved the movie, The Big Country, with Gregory Peck . And gravitated to many Clint Eastwood movies. 

Tuesday Four. Nighty Night

Nighty Night

Hosted by Ann.

1. Do you have a set bedtime that you stick to? I do. In the evenings Lynn and I have very separate interests in tv. So I usually retire to the bedroom and bed to be comfy around 8 pm, and he stays downstairs to watch his sports and car renovation programs. I usually read,  do a bit of gaming or visiting on my tablet, and depending on the programming, perhaps watch a bit of Hallmark. But mostly, I will watch either YouTuber vloggers I follow, do some research on YouTube, or watch some vintage programs on YouTube.  Or I turn everything off and spend some quiet time before spending my time in prayer.  But prayer is my before sleep priority! 

2. What kind of sleep attire do you prefer and why is that? I like to sleep  in light clothing in hot weather. Mainly a summer cotton gown or cool top and sleeping shorts. All because I like to sleep under covers.

3. Do you have a night time routine  before bed?   Wash.. brush teeth.. snack? I always bring a glass of ice water to bed to enjoy, but also to take bedtime meds. I brush my teeth and floss,  and brush my hair. I usually take showers during the morning or  day. 

4. Quilts? Coverlet? Fluffy comforters? Woolen blankets? What do you need to sleep comfortably?

In summer , like now, we sleep under a  sheet, then a light cotton blanket and a wonderful new cotton coverlet we just got from Tuesday Morning. It is the perfect cover. We do sleep with the a/c turned down to not run very often, and the ceiling fan on low. 

Tuesday Four

 Welcome to Tuesday 4 kept up in Toni Taddeo's memory.

Easter and Passover are coming quickly. Both are about life, so let's talk about life this week.

1. Is your life different this year? If so, how and what has changed? This has been a year of trial. Actually,  more than a year of pain, suffering, and a season of learning to trust God. I have had one rather strange health problem after another, many which were painful and debilitating, but God saw me through and my faith grew.  Last fall with the gall bladder episode I was tested when in the hospital every oncologist came into my triage room to tell me I had pancreatic cancer. I refused to accept that word spoken over me.  I believe the enemy has been trying to take me out because as a prayer warrior  I, as well as some other women in our prayer group had been tested and experienced crazy illnesses one right after another. Even though I continue to have to return to the hospital with procedures to help save my gall bladder, I know that the Lord  is with me, and He has taught me so much about Himself and  myself. Please read the amendment to this in post above,  I believed there was some misunderstanding regarding this answer.

2.  Are you satisfied with your spiritual life or could it be better? What do/will you do to make it better?I love my relationship with the Lord.  He has given me spiritual experiences with Himself that have changed my life.He has also worked within me to cull out some deep rooted iniquity that I have carried around for a long time and I am finally  taking self control over it, praise God!  

3.  What are you busy with today? I am  working hard to get the guest room and the girls room in order for their visit next week.  Mainly, it is an issue of my clothing which is in process of  being separated and stored away by the season.Will this matter in 1 year? 3 years? 5 years? Unfortunately, this work is an ongoing process as the seasons change.  It always seems to be a big deal for me.. this year I am purging a lot of clothing because of it’s condition, it’s style, and thankfully I am smaller!

4.  Do you serve others in life?  My life of service has changed over the years! In my church life I have always been a servant working as a deacon helper, which entailed serving as the social chairman.  I planned and implemented the committee that provided dinners in the church from the time I was in my late twenties through my Forties  How do you do that? As long as I was allowing the Holy Spirit to direct me  it went like clockwork. But in my 40’s I was inducted into a teacher’s sorority for excellence and worked hard on our altruistic endeavors..but suddenly my work on those church committee became tedious! I would become so tired and frazzled I would cry coming home from events. Then I figured out what was happening. In the sorority we had a secret handshake and word we spoke as we entered our meetings.  The word was the name of a goddess of learning.  I didn’t bow down and worship this entity, but I began to realize God had taken a backseat as long as I was involved in that. He does not share himself with other  gods. I quit the sorority and my spiritual life became better then ever. In fact, God promoted me out of the church kitchen to actually planning and providing a women’s ministry Conference Next , I was led along with 5 other women to develop Christians   United To Pray which was a n outreach to other churches around our valley to join together to pray for the culture, nation, etc.  we met in various churches with prayer warriors from over a dozen churches to pray twice a month for five years.  That was about the time when our group of five ladies suddenly knew the time was over. One lady moved away, then there were issues that finally showed us it was time to bring it to a close about 5 years ago. At which time Lynn and I became active members of our local Intercessors for America prayer team.  

Tuesday 4

 

 Cook!

Hosted by Annie!

 Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept in memory of her.

Let's talk about food this week shall we?

1.What is/are your favorite meal(meals) to eat and to cook?  I love to cook chicken stir fry with rice. 

 It’s so tasty, too!

2.How often do you cook at home and what kind of  meals do you make?   I cook at least 5-6 dinners a 

week.  I prefer to keep meals  simple… salad, a meat, a vegetable or fruit. 

3. When you go out to eat what foods do you find yourself ordering most? We enjoy Chinese food,

 or Red Lobster.. their crab cake dinner, I love  nice steak at least once a month. I really like Longhorn

 Steakhouse.

4. Can you recommend a restaurant in your area?  Why do you like it? For breakfast I love to go to 

the Toastery.

They serve really fresh food,  their fruit is fresh, their coffee just right! I love their Egg’s Benedict! 

The setting is so nice.. overlooking meadows and mountains! 

Tuesday Four~ Showing Kindness

Hosted by Annie!

Do put up birds houses or have a bird feeder or bath?  We have some bird feeders, and a couple of bird baths.   We love to watch the birds at the feeders during the winter.  We do not usually feed them through the year. We have planted various sources for the birds, but winter is definitely the time to remember the birds!

 The bible says your domesticated animals are to eat before you do since they cannot 

provide for themselves , what pets do you have and when do they eat? We haven’t had pets since our daughter, Amanda left home. 

Do you feed the birds in winter?  Yes, we do! 

How can we show kindness to others? Suggestions?

We believe in helping others with acts of kindness... we are actively working on committee in our church to help and serve others in need.   This world is starving for acts of kindness! One way is to pay for the person in line behind you at chic Filet. Or just hold the door for folks coming in behind you.  Showing others that you care and think of them before yourself. 

We send seasonal gifts to children and families to a poor village in Guatemala.  

We do Christmas food boxes for the needy in our community

We serve an inner city after school program that is providing Christian teaching and after school care, tutoring etc.  we help provide food and help with new winter clothing for the children. 

We “adopted” several children through the years in India through Bibles for the World.  Our boy now is Joseph. We pay for his school fees and needs.  He then has the help he needs to get a great education and hope for his future.  His family is ultimately helped as their children receive this boost up in life. We receive letters from Joseph every couple of months.Prior to him we helped 2 other children until they graduated. 

We   give monthly to Operation Smile that provides  corrective surgeries for cleft palates to under privileged children around the world. 

We give month to Samaritan’s purse which helps hurting people all over the world.. due to catastrophic circumstances. 

There are zillions of ways to invest in showing kindnesses where hope is waning and circumstances are crushing in.    And there are so many opportunities in communities .  Senior living facilities are always anxious for people to serve,  sit and visit, read, sing, play the piano.  The virus will not last forever, hopefully!   Writing Christmas cards to soldiers, or seniors, or volunteering at Rescue Missions, especially during the holidays.   

Tuesday Four

 

Your Home Routine

 Hosted by Annie!

Welcome to Tuesday 4 where we offer 4 questions of topics for you to 

discuss each week. Begun by Toni Taddeo, we keep it in her honor.

This week's topic is your home routines.

 1. What laundry products do you like to use or find best for you?  We like 

Arm and Hammer  Sensitive Skin Free and Clear.. great cleaner, great price, 

sensitive to my skin!  For  stains and  spots we use Spray and wash.. works

 great! 

2. Dryer, line or combination of both?  We do both.  We rarely dry anything

 except towels completely dry in the dryer. Most everything is slightly dried, 

then hung on our basement lines.

3. Do you have wood floors or carpeting and which is best?  Finally ,

all of our carpeting has been removed and the floors refinished.  Much

 cleaner, easier to keep clean, great against allergies, and I love to

swifter them!  For decor we have  wool Karastan rugs in each room.   We 

take them back to  NC  every  4 years and them deep cleaned and they  hold

 up  marvelously!  Should  be  heirlooms for our kids one day!

4. Housekeeping professionals give the following guidelines. 

Which do you follow? Do you have better ideas?

1. open windows first
2. clear up clutter before cleaning.
3. start in bedrooms first
4.give cleaning products time to work.
5.Always sweep or vacuum before mopping
6.use a toothbrush for hard to get at areas
7. keep things on a central cart if you can
8.dust everything
9.vacuum your furniture often, mattresses once a month or so.

Hubs and I shared duties and we  rarely do them at the same time..

He does his and I do mine and do not  really follow any guidelines.  

Just do a good job. I.ve been watching Leave it to Beaer and I notice

 just what a great  housekeeper the mother is in her  dress and pearls.

She has a little carry all  that  has all her   housecleaning  "Stuff'"in it, 

and carries   it from room to room.  What a role model!