I am posting this in the mid afternoon...we went to Pomona, Ca this morning to re key a house...nothing much to report about it..wasn't too interesting.....I'm kinda tired like I always am after traveling in the van...even though he got new shocks a few months ago...its still a bumpy ride.
On the way home, we got a call to check a house in Canyon Lake which is near home as the realtor couldn't get in...turned out the lockbox had the wrong code was the only problem. Lovely home with a lake/mountain view...I took a few photos which I will post tomorrow. While we were there, the realtor came by so we explained the problem and he got a tour of the house. It had a large downstairs family room with an additional bedroom which would be great for a guest. Several balconys too.....what we do not like about Canyon Lake is 1. how expensive it is and 2. the very strict security they have...Al's had a lot of problems getting in there to do work even though the realtors call ahead of time....sometimes he's had to wait up to an hour before they will let him in the gate. I feel like they're like the gestapo...asking for papers.
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I posted quite a bit of photos and things in my other blog this morning so if you haven't read that yet, please head on over there....Dani's 1951 Shop newsletter

Friday thoughts

We had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner, as you can see, our table was groaning with good stuff...I used our Thanksgiving plates, they are called His Majesty by Johnson Brothers.....they were an inheritance...
Kinda of a shame they are only used once a year but part of our tradition....I'd love to get the matching pieces one day...especially the turkey platter. The silver plate was my mom's. We've been blessed with many lovely sets of dinnerware, mostly inherited and I hope to pass them down also. I feel we are just caretakers.
We cooked too much as usual and are enjoying leftovers today....Alan made his "famous" cranberry relish/salad

Its so good, he made a huge bowl...we eat it as a snack, its so good....just grind up fresh cranberries, apples, a orange and walnuts..sweeten it to taste...no cooking.....you can freeze it also. We had enough cranberries left over that I made cranberry nut muffins this morning for breakfast
Used the same recipe I have posted before...just added slightly more sweetener, chopped cranberries (instead of blueberries) and nuts.....very good.....
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This morning in our local paper there was an editorial about how our elected officials don't know much about how government runs and general civics...they took a test that is put out by Intercollegiate Studies Institute that tests college grads and they had 150+ elected government officials take the test..who got an average score of less than 53% a F grade...I guess instead of monitors asking Presidential debators questions they should be asking them these questions instead....you can take the test yourself and see how well you score......I got a 87% but I did study for it so it wasn't quite fair...Alan took it first and we looked over his answers...he got a 62% grade so at least he did much better than others....most college grads couldn't get a passing grade.
Here is the test for your enjoyment and education....Civics Test

Wednesday Dog of the Week

This is Snuggles...he is a Maltese and was severely injured by a child at his former home....He has had surgery on his hip and leg...had to have a pin put in and is now recovering. He is not ready for adoption yet as he has to be kept contained for at least 6 -10 weeks but they are taking applications. I went to the rescue and met Snuggles and he is a sweetie, very friendly and loves people. Maltese are nice little dogs and make great pets but are really not for young children.
If you'd like to meet Snuggles or would like to donate for his care, please go to Sun City K-9 Dog Rescue
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I will not be posting tomorrow but want to wish all my readers a wonderful holiday with family and friends

Tuesday Chat

I got up late today...slept in...guess I needed the extra sleep...still hoarse but energy level is rising....when I checked my email, I had gotten a new copy of the HillBilly Housewife newsletter and it had alot of good stuff in it (as it always does)....if you haven't read it ...its a super site with loads of good ideas for frugal living. This months of course was about Thanksgiving, frugal decorating and black bean ideas......Alan loves black beans and I am acquiring the taste for them....and they also feature a Thanksgiving smoothie using cranberry sauce....
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We woke up to gray skies and the threat of rain....hope we get a lot this winter as California sure needs it......Don (our oldest son) had to go back to work.....but he does get Thanksgiving off for a change. He just bought himself a used motorcycle to go back and forth to work on....I wasn't too excited about it but he is thrilled....he did it get registered, got insurance and wears a helmet, so there isn't much I can object to...he has a permit and will get his license next year near his birthday in May. It is cheap to run and only takes 5 dollars worth of gas to fill the tank.
As he just has a permit, he can't ride at night, or on the freeway so that is a good thing. He's always been the kind of person who loves excitement and thrills.....always goes on the scariest rides at the theme parks...he is a good driver.
As a mother, I am not thrilled but have to trust the Lord on this....he is over 20, not a little boy anymore. sigh.

Monday morning, we got woke up early by a contractor call...turns out Alan already re keyed the house he was calling about on Saturday but it was ok...we needed to get up...I've been really lazy with this cold...been sleeping in and going to bed early too.....Nyquil every evening.....it really helps. My energy is coming back a little so I know I am getting better but still feel kinda lousy.

We will have to get the turkey out so it will be thawed by Thursday....I usually sit it in the sink with cold water and put it in the fridge at night....is that what you do?
We are just going to have a traditional turkey dinner, mashed potatoes, gravy, fruit salad, yams, rolls, green bean casserole, and pie......everyone likes the traditional menu and won't let me change anything.....we do differently on Christmas....and sometimes grill steaks outside if it isn't raining.
My grandmother (dad's mom) always said when she was young, they had clam chowder on Christmas eve...it was a tradition...there must have been a New England influence there in the past. I like clam chowder but as I am allergic to shellfish, have to abstain. Grandma's family were strict Methodist's and didn't allow anything to be done on Sunday but go to church and read the Bible.....no playing either on Sunday except Bible related toys....must to have been hard to be a child on Sunday!

Sunday

I am still feeling fairly sick...but wanted to share these lovely roses with you...our one rose bush is blooming like crazy. They are fragrant also. Evidently its a fall bloomer as none of the other bushes are blooming like this one. I bought this bush online from a company in Texas..its supposed to be a heirloom rose.
One of the nice things about living in California is we have roses bloom on Thanksgiving!

I woke up not able to talk, just a croak......I knew I was getting a cold and its settled in my throat...going to be hard to answer the phone today....we don't get too many calls on the weekends anyway....Alan has 3 jobs today though...one private person and two REO properties.
Our youngest son is here, and he is taking good care of me.....he is vacuuming the house right now..isn't that nice? He's always liked to vaccum.
Not too much to post today, but I did want to post another Thanksgiving postcard..only a few days away now....

Friday Recipe

Yesterday, I made some cranberry biscottia that was so good, I have to share the recipe with you...hadn't made biscottia in about two years but decided it was time...these are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle...really great with coffee or tea

Dried Cranberry Biscottia

2 1/2 cups flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 t. almond extract
1 1/2 c. dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350. Line baking pan with parchment paper (I just used Pam). Combine dry ingrediants, stir well to blend. With mixer, beat eggs, sugar, butter and extract. Add and mix into flour mixture. Mix in cranberries.

Divide dough in half. Using floured hands shape into two logs. Bake 30-35 minutes.
Cool completely. Slice logs into 1/2 inch slices with serrated knife and bake slices
10 minutes. Turn over and bake additional 5 minutes.

Makes about 3 dozen.
My mistake was when I took them out of the oven the first time, I didn't wait for the logs to cool before cutting...so several slices broke apart. Other than that, these are very yummy.
Even the kids like them...I sent four back with Don as he came home to do laundry yesterday.
I think I will make some sugar free ones for Alan...just use Splenda instead of sugar..and maybe use chopped dates instead of cranberries....these are fairly sweet so I think you could cut back a little on the sugar..
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Alan brought home a turkey yesterday..a nice 20 lb. one + all the makings for the big day....last year we bought one of those completely cooked meals you get at the deli...turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, etc. it comes in a big box...it was very good but no leftovers much and we all like turkey sandwiches, and turkey casseroles later....turkey is expensive this year around here..I teased him and said we'd have turkey TV dinners but he got some extra work and the store was having a sale so we saved big time. So thankful. He even managed to get two bags of fresh cranberries for his relish he likes to make every year.

We saw an interesting video about a survey that was taken the day of the election....
I was really surprised to hear how few people got the right answers on these questions....
How do you suppose that is? I wish the producer had done the same type of interview with McCain supporters, it would have made an interesting study...
how many questions would you get right?

The Supreme Court is going to conference on Dec. 5th about President-elect Obama's citizenship..its been kinda of a soap opera...his African grandmother swears she was at his birth in Kenya...his half-sister can't get what hospital he was born in straight, Hawaii won't release his original birth certificate...the one on his website isn't quite right, the Indonesia school he went to only enrolls Indonesian citizens and he was enrolled there..alot of questions that should be put to rest.
It was submitted to Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas who is a just and fair man..I do not think he has an agenda so have faith the truth will come out. A conference is just a private meeting the judges have to decide if they will accept the case or not.
You will not see this on the news...its been blacked out. It could cause quite a bit of unrest if they accept the case.

Wednesday Dog of the Week +

Here is Chata...she's a tiny little girl, very cute....would be great for singles or a couple, as she is delicate, probably not small children.. she only weighs about 4 lbs....itty bitty baby....
Don has reported to me, that Beauty, the Chinese Crested I posted about last week, went to her forever home! She was adopted by a couple that already had two other Chinese Crested pups so she will be in her own pack family...isn't that great? In fact, several of the dogs I've featured in the last month have found homes through the new Pet Co. + with the local advertising from our
Mayor and this blog, there have been alot of donations that are really helping. The local Target has been donating dog food too. Thanks to all of you and the dogs thank you too if they could.
The rescue goes on...Don told me they would be getting in 5 more dogs today from a family who can't afford to keep them anymore. This economic downturn ripples through our society and hurts more than just people. If you'd like to donate or learn more about the remarkable Elizabeth who started this rescue, click on the link on the left hand side of this blog.
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I made quite a few more Christmas tags yesterday and in fact, ran out of glitter...so bought more from a nice Esty seller who doesn't live too far from us, up in Riverside. She has loads of very nice vintage items in her store and I wanted to give her a small plug...if you like pretties, you will enjoy visiting her store...here is the link WanderLust Pixie Dust
Isn't that a cool name?
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Lastly......as we won't have tons of money this holiday season...I am planning on doing alot of baking, cookies, etc. + making up some of the jar crafts...you know, brownies in a jar, chocolate cake in a jar, hot cocoa, soups, etc. The best place online I know to get holiday recipes, including "in a jar" recipes is at Razzle Dazzle Recipes.....this site is the best of the best and I do not give that description lightly...right now Thanksgiving recipes are featured and I guarantee you will spend time there with all the links to fabulous ideas/recipes for the holidays.

I hope as we approach Thanksgiving and the whirlwind of Christmas we can pause to reflect on what is really important...like my dear grandmother used to say, "Like things, love people" I think our society has had it backward for too long...last night, we had supper outside sitting around the outdoor fireplace, our son was telling us about his day and I thought life doesn't get any better than this.
I am reminded of Philippians 4:11-13
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

What I've Been Up to

I've been working on some Christmas tags, these are sprinkled with German glass glitter but the sparkle doesn't show up well on camera..sad as they really sparkle. I stained the tags with black walnut stain and then used vintage Christmas postcard images on them...think they turned out cute. They are nice attached to a gift or used on a card. There are lot of craft ideas in my other blog so take a look...I will post a link there for free holiday graphics .. There are lots of links for many free craft tutorials also. This winter is a good time to craft when the weather gets bad outside...not that it gets that bad here...we've even barbecued on Christmas day...but we do have our rainy cold days. I took this photo out in the backyard and you can see our grass is very green and lush right now...it likes the cooler weather.

I am starting to decorate my blogs for the holidays...got a new template on my other blog, quite festive!

Monday

It looks like the fires are getting better...a large part is the winds have died down....our Santa Ana winds whip through the valleys and spread the fire within minutes if not seconds...there are so many little valleys, hills, and rocky areas, it makes it difficult to fight the fires.
They've used a DC 10 to drop water or fire retardant in those areas.
Inland we live, there are lots of hills and valleys too, but not as many people.
I've often thought it would be pleasant to live next to the hills, and we've re keyed homes which were at the base of hills like this...really pretty but with the fires, not as much fun. Glad we bought in the flat valley area away from any hills....I understand why people live there, its lovely and very country...but you have to count the cost.
Everyone got out of the mobile home park....so thankful for that, no one died which is amazing.
There are still fires burning but under control so it won't be long until they are out. But this happens every year....

Sunday Fires

Hi, again.....hope you are all having a nice Sunday...we woke up to news of severe fires northwest of us....not close but we felt the need to keep the TV on to hear the news.....several freeways were closed and the freeway we went on last week was also. We've had Santa Ana winds for the last two days and its been very dry. Red Flag warnings.



These are all west of us by quite a bit..we've been very blest not to have experienced this yet...and I say, yet..our area is not immune for sure....I've always wanted to live out on acreage but as there are fires like this every fall, am thinking we probably did the right thing in buying where we did...we have concrete tiles on our roof so sparks wouldn't take.
So far no one has been killed....everyone has gotten out of the area but they are searching one mobile home park that burned to the ground....they don't know if all the seniors got out or not.
They are bringing in cadaver dogs just to be sure and going house to house.
Today the winds have died down and its cooler....
Needless to say, please pray for all our brave firemen and woman, all the families and pets that had to be evacuated and anyone else connected wth the fires...

I put some new Etsy mini's on the left hand side...these are things I sell in my stores...embroidery and cross stitch patterns, crafting books, etc. in my daniv1951 store and the other store, Inspiration Memories...I have unique journal jars, journals, and my stitchery...I am thinking of doing some crochet too as years ago, when we were young and foolish, I made crocheted animals that I sold at a gift shop...Alan made rocking horses too. But anyway, if you are so inclined, please take a look at my stores....and also my other blog...my News letter as it has lots of good stuff in it and no one ever looks or if they do, they never comment...
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So far no locksmith calls today but we had a good good week....its still very early here, not even 8:30 a.m. The two houses I went with Alan this week on were very messy...the first one wasn't too bad..just alot of junk and trash around but the home was ok..not dirty or destroyed,..the second one was another story...and believe it or not, its in a nice neighborhood with lovely well-kept homes...

I have other photos but didn't want to disgust you too much...the stove was covered with grease and the cabinets had a thick layer of grease and yellow stuff from smoking...as you can see, they left lots of stuff behind. The fridge was the worst...Al made the mistake of opening it...phew! Full of spoilt food. We were glad we didn't have to clean it up...someone was coming in later to give an estimate....
and like I said yesterday, there is work to be had in this economy, cleaning these houses and money to be made...all you really need is a good sized truck to haul the trash away, cleaning supplies, a strong back + a business license...a strong stomach too in some cases...this would be good for "Dirty Jobs", huh?

Azusa, Ca

We got a call for a foreclosed property in Azusa, Ca...as I had never been there before, decided to go with Alan...its about a hours drive from our house....above are just a few photos of the freeway, nothing real exciting...
Azusa has alot of lovely old 1920s cottages...the house we re keyed was a new one but I found a few photos of the cottages as it was obvious they were loved and appreciated..we went by too fast for me to take them myself..I found these online...




The one above is my favorite. These are few and are far between in Southern California....so many of the older homes have been torn down in years past...not very many left. Azusa is nestled up against the mountains and is one of our older cities.....its home to Azusa Pacific College, a private Christian college and the city was founded back in the 1880s.



This is a nice postcard...they are all so pretty..hard to know which to post each day....
Business has been good most of the week and we got quite a few checks yesterday in the mail...with more expected today....the news is that our county will have quite a lot of foreclosures in the next year...very sad but at the same time, others are keeping busy..."Necessity is the mother of invention"..I heard about one guy who lost his job and went into "spray on lawns"....these foreclosure lawns die and he comes in, sprays them green so they look ok (from a distance)....quite inventive, I thought and he's making good money at it!The banks love him. Its like that old saying
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade".

Thursday Inspiration

I was going to post about a road trip we took yesterday to Azusa, Ca to re key a REO house but decided to post this instead....no matter where we are in life, this message is for everyone...




There is so much to be thankful for...

Wednesday Dog of the Week

Poor little Shana was dropped off outside of the facility from a pickup truck....they just dumped her and drove away...really sad for this sweet girl...not much is known about her, she appears young, is in good health and friendly. A true rescue.
I read that our new President elect is looking for a dog, I hope he goes for a rescued dog as it would be good to promote rescue adoption....I know his daughter is allergic so the only dog this rescue has is Beauty, the Chinese crested I posted about earlier...about 10 days ago, I went out to the rescue and visited Beauty...she is odd looking with no much fur..but had a very sweet and friendly manner about her...I'd be tempted to adopt her but with the cats, I don't think it would work out....she sure wouldn't be a problem for someone with allergies...someone had dumped her in construction area and the workers there brought her in...she is still available for the right person or family
She would be fun to walk and you'd probably get a lot of attention. These are rare dogs and cost quite a bit if you bought one from a breeder. If you would be interested either of these dogs, would like to a donation for their care or like to visit the dog rescue (there are many other dogs not pictured on the website), go to Sun City K-9 Dog Rescue
They also have dogs featured at the new Menifee Pet Co. on the weekends.

Veterans Day 2008

Thank you to all who have served and dedicated their lives to the cause of freedom...God bless our troops..

Monday

Here is a great postcard...doesn't that ear of corn look delicious?

I went to the grocery store (Winco, naturally) and got our weekly $50.00 worth of food....I don't know how we are making to feed 4 people on $200 a month but we are...they still had bananas at the sale price of .18 cents a lb so got more of those and the 10 # bags of potatoes were still at .78 so stocked up for Thanksgiving....I use cream of chicken soup for gravy...its very delicious and alot cheaper than the jarred gravy...can get a big can for less than two dollars that makes 4 cups of gravy...instead of using water to dilute it, I use chicken broth. Evaporated milk was on sale, so I got two cans for pies...we bought a pumpkin for Halloween and didn't carve it, so next week, I'll cut it up, bake it and use it for pie...if there is enough left, will freeze the rest for pumpkin bread or muffins.
Turkeys seem to be high this year....even Winco cheapest was .87 cents a lb. and they were low on their stock...the freezer case was over half empty...
We are owed quite a bit of money again and like always, everyone takes their time paying us. Sure makes it hard to pay bills on time and plan for holiday dinners.....last Christmas was very hard, we had to borrow to stay afloat but this year seems to be alot better, thank the Lord!
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I think the next thing here in California, and perhaps in other states is that eggs are going to go up in price....we had a prop. 2, that passed requiring egg producers to have larger cages for their hens, and let them free range....the one large egg ranch here in town is going to be moving out of state...they say its cheaper than having to adjust to the new requirements.The dumb thing is
on the ads they ran, they showed veal calves been forced into tiny dark stalls...looked really sad..come to find out, there is no veal being raised in California.
So we will probably look into getting a few hens and having eggs ourselves...our yard is large enough...I've talked about this before, but its going to be time to get more serious..I know there is alot of information online about keeping hens. I have alot of questions....Alan is so handy, I know he could build a nice coop for them. I just wonder about keeping them comfortable with our hot summers and cold winters. It doesn't get near as cold here as in most of the country but it does get down to freezing and has lightly snowed at times. Our summers cook here, over 100 lots of days.
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I joined Flicker today and downloaded a few vintage embroidery patterns...these are very old and have been featured in my other blog..made them public so if you want to see any of them..
just click here

Late Night

Just a short late night posting...we got a call to go to Whittier as someone had a damaged lockbox...as the boys were gone, we decided to go today...its about a hour drive from here. Its becoming more and more common to find lockboxes recoded so that other agents can't show the house...when we arrived, we found the box not only recoded but the housekey was missing. It looked from the box appearance that someone had tried to pry it open with a knife or screwdriver too...Alan just cut it off and replaced it with a new lockbox and he had to make a new house key as that was missing. Good thing the house is in escrow and will have a new owner soon.
The ride was very nice, not too much traffic which is unusual..and the weather is wonderful right now...
Alan is thinking of inventing a lockbox that cannot be recoded like that....he did design one special for one real estate agent that seemed to have a constant problem with someone vandalizing her boxes. She has her own special code now and her own boxes...no one can change the code. Problem solved.
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If you are new to my blog, there are a few widgets on the side that are kinda neat (I know I just dated myself)...first, as you see the scripture verse on the left, if you click on the tiny speaker, you can hear the scripture read....its very cool...Worthy News is the next widget...if you click on the title at the bottom, you go to the Worthy News site with news of the persecuted Church.
I also have a cancer site that if you click, a small donation is put into cancer research..the dog rescue site is one that my son is involved in, the etsy banner connects to my etsy stores, I have a weather widget so you can see what our weather is like here in Menifee and at the bottom is rag time music if you are so inclined...it doesn't automatically come on, just click on it. At the bottom, there is also a daily Bible reading that you can sign up for, its the one I use and its great.
Please sign my guest book before you leave and thanks so much for coming by.

Here is another Thanksgiving postcard...the artwork on these is so great..the main reason I love postcards so..
the boys are going to 6 Flags today with a friend. I just printed maps out for them...its a two hour drive one way..wish it wasn't so far. 6 Flags is only opened on the weekends during the winter hence they had to go today. The good thing is the park won't be crowded and its cooler weather. The lines won't be long and they can enjoy the rides more.
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I've been posting alot of free vintage embroidery patterns on the other blog so if you like them, please visit over there....I also joined a new stitchery site...which is very nice, its small and cozy.
Its called Stitchery Showcase...if you stitch, and would like to join, let me know and I will send you an invite, or you can visit the site here I am learn that Australia seems to be a popular place for embroidery..its more popular there than here or so it seems to me. This site is a place to showcase your stitchery, not promoting any business..but you can have links to your blogs and one widget to your etsy store.
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We are still in a quandary about the election...I am trying to come to grips with the idea of Obama as our president...I, one hand, I think its great that a black person can and did become President, I think it says something good about our country. I think it will help the African-American community to realize that they can do great things and can have the American dream.
On the other hand, I don't really trust him, he has said one thing and then changed his mind alot of times...like accepting public funding and then going back on it as an example. He has little experience which I find troubling. I was reading that some African-Americans think he is going to pay off their mortgages and they are getting a free ride.....there are going to be some very disappointed people!
The Republican party is in a quandary also...some of McCains staff is trying to ruin Sara Palins political career by all the half-truths and lies. They are shooting themselves in the foot. They didn't like it that she wouldn't submit to their agenda for very long..they were the ones who made a mess out of the Couric interview, wouldn't let her do interviews, etc. When she put her foot down and went her own way, they didn't like losing control. These were mainly Bush people so there ya go. The Republican party and President Bush went away from the "Contract with America". They broke the Fiscal Responsibility Act of the contract for one thing. Read it for yourself...

Saturday

I will be posting on and off until Thanksgiving some of these darling vintage Thanksgiving postcard images...you can put these onto your computer and make some nice cards to send out for the holiday...The last two Christmases I have made our own cards and have to get started soon...I don't send out many anymore, just for close family members mainly and a few friends. We will be sending out some to our regular locksmith customers also.
Today is a quiet day...its early here and Alan has two jobs...he works on Saturdays and only does emergencies on Sundays....Donny will be home sometime this morning for a few hours before his work starts at noon...then tomorrow he will be home for two days..he really appreciates being home and away from the trailer as its so small....he can hardly turn around in the shower..its a nice trailer but not really meant for full time living.
The dog rescue is getting ready to take some of their dogs over to the new Pet Co. this weekend.
I think its great that they are featuring rescued animals. If you've read my posts for any length of time, you know we lost our beloved Boots earlier this year and then adopted Bandit from a
Pet Co. She had been found as a stray. She had been there for about 6 months and was rather standoffish for a time. But is becoming affectionate as she has warmed up to us. She is really friendly and runs towards you when you come into the room or come in the front door, but would give little nips if you tried to pet her...that is ending now...I think she has realized she is in a safe place now..anyway, here is a recent photo of our new family member. Her poor tail is tweaked on the end and if you feel it, the bones are twisted...we think she may have got it caught in a door at some time..poor baby.
Our youngest took a photo of her, she is so beautiful, and a real Diva...I think we need to get her a rhinestone collar and get her groomed when we can afford it...we've just been brushing her.

Friday Musings

I did a little Thanksgiving decorating yesterday and was thinking alot about this past week with
the election and all.....
we have much to be thankful for...still have a long road ahead of us and the Lord has been guiding us all the way...I cannot imagine life without faith and answers to prayer....

I was trying to imagine what it must have been like for the early Pilgrims setting across the Atlantic to a new world and the struggles they endured the first few years. Talking about living off the grid! There are some great sites to visit along these lines. Pilgrim Hall Museum
is one, another is Plymouth Ma...its history and people
The first ancestors in my family came over a little later in 1634...from Ireland.
They had faith that God was leading them just as we do today and I do not think our country would be as great as it is without faith..but friends,
we are facing a America I do not know.......a America that is faithless, and godless....
false scientists and professors have indoctrinated several generations of college grads with revisionist history and false science....even the so-called Christian colleges are unaffected.....hence we have a growing atheistic population who on one hand, revile and belittle people of faith and on the other, are worried, stressed and unhappy. They don't even realize they are unhappy but their words betray. Others say they are Christian but twist the scriptures or delete ones they don't like to fit their lifestyles....we had a pastor about 25 years ago say in a sermon "mark my words, one day wrong will be right and right wrong"...its happened.
I can't help but believe that we are truly living in the last days.
But be of good cheer, God promises He will protect us and He will! Stand firm in your faith.

I was sent these lovely photos of the flower arrangement in Brussels, Belgium...they designed these as a oriental carpet..wow! If you click on the photo, you'll be able to read the captions.