COUNTRY WHISPERS

It'll Be Done & Pictures of the Mound

2012-01-27T20:22:00.000-05:00

Those flowers in the corner are the last to be stitched and then I can sew the border around it and it will be done.
And just in the nick of time because the next block should be released within the next week. (I think!)

Not a whole lot going on this week so nothing really to post about. We've had a good bit of rain in the past two days. The creeks are beginning to go down but now the river is starting to rise. I don't believe they are predicting it to flood though.

Ohio River at Moundsville
On my home from taking the river pics I passed by the Mound. While I was stopped at the stop sign I snapped a picture. It's taken from the south side...opposite of the main entrance to the Mound Museum.

Grave Creek Mound

The mound used to be covered in trees way back when but over the years many have been removed. Now there are hardly any at all still standing.

Not sure when this photo Post Card was actually taken but it is postmarked Mar. 28, 190? I can't make out whether it's 1900, 1908 or 1909. Anyways you can see how many trees once stood upon the mound.
I love history and am happy to have found these old postcards on Ebay several years ago. I'll have to share a few more of them one day soon.
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Pie Squares

2012-01-24T10:49:00.000-05:00

Here's a recipe from those 70's newspaper clippings that I ran across the other day. It got mixed reviews from those in my household. I really liked it topped with a tablespoon of French Vanilla Cool Whip.
The rest of my bunch aren't big pumpkin lovers like I am so they would have preferred CHOCOLATE anything over pumpkin.
So their vote DOESN'T count!

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Crust:
1/2 cup oats                 Mix until crumbly & press into
1/2 cup brown sugar     a 13X9. Bake 15 minutes at 350
1/2 cup butter              degrees.

Filling:
2 cups pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk          Combine filling ingredients
2 eggs                                  & pour over baked crust.
3/4 cup sugar                       Place back in oven and cook
1 tsp. cinnamon                    for 20 minutes.
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves

Topping:
1/2 cup oatmeal                   Combine and sprinkle over
1/2 cup brown sugar             filling. Return to oven and
2 tbsp. butter                       bake until filling is set.
                                            (about 30 minutes) Cool
                                            & cut into squares. Serve with
                                            a scoop of whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Encased In Ice

2012-01-21T21:24:00.000-05:00

This is what we woke up to this morning.
A dusting of snow on top of a layer of ice.
It began snowing last night but by the time I went to bed you could here it changing over to little ice pellets. Needless to say everything is coated with ice.

We sprinkled a little salt on the sidewalks in hopes of breaking up the ice a bit before we tried to shovel.
It took a good while of chipping and shoveling to get it all cleared.

We didn't leave the house all day so no need to clean off the vehicles. I'm not even sure I can get the doors opened. Maybe it will warm up tomorrow and make the job much easier.
After clearing the sidewalks I came in to get warm.

I thought about stitching a bit

or grabbing my hook and thread

but instead decided to work a jigsaw puzzle.

We love puzzles so each winter when the winter blahs hit we set a table up in the living room and have a puzzle going that everyone is welcome to work on at any time.

So how's the weather in your neck of the woods and what is your favorite thing to do when the winter blahs (blues) hit?

Back in the 70's

2012-01-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

me, my Grandmother (Mee-Mee) & my brother
In the past few months my kids have asked me several questions about my childhood so while I had some extra time yesterday I went over to Mom & Dad's to dig through some old photos. While I was digging I ran into an old bag that contained an assortment of newspaper clippings and recipes.

They were from the 70's!
And so were these styles!

                                  my brother and me
Don't you wish they still made pants and jackets like that?

I did find a few old recipes that I'd like to try and alot of funny photos of me and my brother as we were growing
up.
                             Lots of great memories!

Hope you all are staying warm. No snow here yet but it's on it's way. Only calling for an inch so no biggie.
Stay warm and have a great weekend!

Making Breakfast Burritos to Freeze

2012-01-16T16:18:00.000-05:00

I wasn't so sure if these would freeze very well but I am happy to report that they did. I've never tried to freeze eggs before so I wasn't sure if I needed to use something like Egg Beaters in place of real eggs or not.

By the way I'm not a big egg fan but I love this recipe & I've actually posted the Breakfast Burrito recipe on here before so it's really nothing new~ it's just the newly learned fact that they can be made ahead of time, placed in the freezer and then easily microwaved for a quick & easy breakfast.

You can find my Breakfast Burrito recipe ** HERE.**

What I like to do is to make a double batch one evening for a supper and then use the leftovers to make my freezer burritos. (Just remember to by an extra bag of flour tortillas if you're going to do this! *one for supper and one for freezer*)

Take the leftovers and place a nice big spoonful in the top center of your burrito. Don't forget to top it with lots of cheddar cheese.

Fold up burrito style ~ fold sides in and then roll.

Wrap each burrito in a piece of aluminum foil. Once you get them all wrapped then place 4-6 of them in a labeled gallon size freezer bag and freeze.

Now when you need a quick bite for breakfast grab one out.
Remove from the foil and place on a microwave safe plate.
Heat in microwave for 3 minutes 30 seconds. (Times will vary depending on the size of your microwave.)
Enjoy!

Blogger, Pockets, Snow & All Organized

2012-01-14T19:43:00.001-05:00

Well as you can tell by the title this post is gonna be about a little of this and a little of that.
First of all have any of you had problems in the past few days leaving comments on blogger?
Every time I try to leave a comment the page goes all white and blank. So if I've not been around to your blog lately you now know why.
Thankfully, Leah over at Livin' It Up Country posted about her having the same troubles and what she did to fix it or else I'd still be wondering what to do!

I went to Google and downloaded Google Chrome and that fixed it all. I was still using Internet Explorer and evidently that's a no-no with Blogger now a days.
*Don't you just love how big companies can just kinda force you to use their "chosen" products! :0)*

I have been wanting to start on a new BOM for this year but I wouldn't allow myself until I finished up another sewing project that I've been working on ~making and sewing pockets on the inside of coal mine safety vests for a friend.

He's had back issues in the past and complains about having to wear all his tools and safety equipment around his waist on his belt. It makes his back hurt. So a few months ago I sewed a few pockets on the inside of a vest and he gave it a try. This way he was able to carry all the necessary items into the mine but not on a belt.
It spelled relief to his back and he asked for more!
So this time around we've added yet another pocket and velcro so that nothing will fall out. We'll see how this version works for him.

It's been rather chilly (20's) here and we did get a little snow. It started snowing Thursday night and though we didn't have a lot of snow school was still cancelled for Firday. It had rained before the snow began so all that wetness turned to ice once the strong winds began blowing.
Needless to say everyone was happy...we now have a 4 day weekend due to Martin Luther King Day on Monday!

Now to my newest project ~ Promises and Borders by Jenny at Elefantz.

I visited our local quilt shop Thursday afternoon to pick out the fabrics. At first I was imagining turquoise and pinks but once there I found these pretty coral?? and lime green prints.
I washed them all up and got busy today cutting and organizing.

I have never been this organized with any other quilt that I've made. I usually cut as I go but I think I like this. It's all there and waiting for me in bags so as I finish stitching a block each month I just reach for the correct bag, pull out what I need and zip it along on the machine. Too easy!
Then I just grab the next background out of the bag and get busy on the next block.
Maybe this will help to keep my interested in it throughout the year too! *wink~wink*

Hope you all are staying warm!

Leaping into Lapbooking

2012-01-10T11:52:00.000-05:00

Over the holiday break I spent some time researching new ideas and activities to use in our homeschooling ~ something to add a little pizazz to our usual routine.
I found several ideas but one that I really liked was lapbooking.
I had never heard of it before but after visiting many homeschooling blogs and seeing how they used them I was hooked.
What a great way to involve kids into a "hands on" learning experience. They may not be creating an experiment with their hands (depending on the subject matter) but they are creating a collage of a lesson learned. Their interest is captured by allowing them to plan, decorate and place each piece of material.
It reminds me of the science fair projects that we had to do as students in jr. high but on a smaller scale.
Now that I think of it my older children have never been assigned a project like that in public school and they probably don't even know what a science fair even is! :0(

Anyways if you homeschool and would like to know more about lapbooking then here are a few links to get you started.
To learn how to create them using file folders then visit

A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks

For ideas, free lapbooks and notebooking pages visit

Dynamic 2 Moms Free Lapbooks

or visit their blog HERE.

The photo at the top of this post is our very first lapbook. It's all about teeth. We will be building onto that lapbook as we discuss lessons on the layers of skin, our eyes, ears and more.
We are also beginning another lapbook for History.
It's going to be about the colonial life of the Pilgrims and how the Indians helped them. I'll post it when we get it finished.

Happy 12th Birthday Gage!

2012-01-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

In reality I'm late with this post because yesterday was Gage's birthday but I was too busy cleaning and preapring for his party.

He had several friends over and all of the family as he celebrated blowing 12 candles out on his cake.

He's been asking for an IPod for quite some time now so that was our gift to him. Everyone else gifted him with Itune cards so that he could load up the new toy with his favorite apps. He already knows all about them because our oldest son has an Ipod that he occassionally gets to play on.

Needless to say he was happy as a hog in mud last night as he played on the thing. Other gifts were Angry Birds clothing (sticking with the Ipod theme), some candy and a few games.

Happy 12th Gage!

A Wasted Week

2012-01-06T19:40:00.001-05:00

It's been one of those weeks for me and I sure hope it's not a sign of what the rest of my year is gonna be like.

New Years Eve kicked off with me being under the weather with a cold, cough and fever. Within a day or two I thought it (virus/flu bug) was moving on but I was so wrong.
It decided to turn around and bite me again and it just knocked the energy right out of me. So needless to say it's been a LONG week of wasted days. Just too tired to do any more than I actually HAD to do.
Unfortunately the schooling, cleaning and cooking still had to be done but once that was over I hit the couch with my new needlepunch project...only to fall asleep each night while working on it.
However I did manage to get it all done.

This picture doesn't do much justice for it but it really is cute in person.

Today I feel like a little bit of energy is returning so I've been busy in the kitchen baking pineapple cake and homemade pizzas.
While the cake was baking I traced out another needle punch project. It's a good bit larger than the last one I did so it's a good thing that I picked an Easter theme because it may take me till Easter to finish it.

It's a Painted Quilt Pattern from Kaaren.

I'm also gonna start on a new BOM quilt that Jenny of Elefantz is sharing with us. I've got the colors in my head that I plan on using for this one. I've just got to get to the fabric store to pick them out.....so much fun!

You can join in on the BOM quilt too, just click on the Promises and Borders tag on my right sidebar.

Well that's all that's been going on for my first week of this new year.
This weekend promises cake and ice cream as Sunday is Gage's 12th birthday. Maybe I'll have some party pics to share next week.
Have a great weekend!

First Flakes and Freezing Temps.

2012-01-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

It's a cold and snowy evening!

Hi everyone!
It's been a few days since I last posted. I came down with a nasty headcold with fever and cough and it about whipped my butt for a day or two but I'm feeling better now.

Since today was the last day of our Christmas break I figured I'd better get caught up on a few things before we begin school tomorrow. Though the kids are wishing for their first snow day of the season. It is snowing but no major amount. Just enough to make the roads a bit slippery and enough to excite the kids.

In the kitchen today:

I baked a few loaves of homemade oatmeal bread (recipe is here) as well as a blackberry cobbler.
For dinner some oven baked chicken.

While everything was cooking I took a little time to work on some sewing jobs.

Black valances created from a full size sliding door curtain.
Rainbow leapard curtains made from bed sheets and I need to add inside pockets and pouches to a few coal mine safety vests for a friend.
I managed to get the black curtains done and that was it. Hopefully I'll get started on the other two projects this week and get them finished.

I didn't get any crafting done the few days that I was sick so yesterday I tried to make up some lost time.

I added several more rows to my "neapolitan afghan".

And I began a new Valentine needle punch. Pattern is from Chestnut Junction!

Hope you all are staying warm. Our temperatures are going to dip into the 20's for the first time this season with wind chills in the teens. Not much better tomorrow. Good days to stay indoor all warm and cozy while working on more sewing.
Have a great evening!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

Playing with my New Camera

2011-12-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting a new camera for a while now but really hated to spend the money. The camera that I've been using is a good quality camera (that actually belongs to my Dad) that still works but is very outdated. It still uses floppy disks which also seem to be outdated because it's getting harder and harder to find floppies available for sale.
Anyways, Santa (otherwise known as my hubby) put a new camera under the Christmas tree for me this year and I finally got some time today to mess with it a bit.
I love it!
The colors are so much brighter and I'm able to take a close-up easily without blurring it. It has so many settings and options that I will probably have to carry the manual around with me for the next year until I can memorize it all but so far I'm really liking it.
Here's a few more pics that I took today as I played with it.

This is the first project that I'm using my new punch needle kit on. It's a snowman freebie pattern from Bird Brain Designs.
The rest of the photos are taken outside on my porch. It was a nice warm (40's) and sunny day but the clouds started coming in just before sunset.

~looking north from my front porch~

~looking south at the approaching clouds~

Can't wait to try it out on something pretty outside like SNOW!

Putting it all Away!

2011-12-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

Well the Christmas holiday has come and gone for another year. We have all been enjoying the time off from work and school spending the days being lazy and playing with new toys & gadgets.

I couldn't stand the mess from Christmas any longer though so I spent the day yesterday finding homes for the new gifts (cleaning out closets and cabinets) and taking the tree down. It rained all day so we didn't get the outdoor decorations taken down but we still have a few days left of vacation so we'll get it done soon.

With the mess all picked up maybe now I can take some time to read up on the new camera that I got so I can figure out what all the settings are for. It might take me some time to get it all down in my head but I can't wait to try it out.

Something else that I can't wait to try out is my new punch needle set. I picked up some weavers cloth the other day at JoAnn's so all I need to do now is pick out a pattern and get started.
If I get bored with that I can pick up on the afghan that I began a few days before Christmas.
What do these colors make you think of??

Did you guess Neopolitan Ice cream?
That is what I think of everytime I work on it.
Well that's about all that's going on in my world.
Just enjoying some down time with the family.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!

Wishing All a Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

Baking is Done...Time to Enjoy!

2011-12-21T23:37:00.000-05:00

The baking is done and so is the wrapping.
Once I get the house all cleaned (after days and days of baking) then it will be time to sit back and enjoy what the holidays bring.... family, friends and good food.

This year I baked double batches of about 12 different kinds of cookies as well as a few pans of fudge.
Need a salty treat?
No problem because I made a bunch of the traditional Chex mix as well as the Muddy Buddy version which is absolutely delicious. I had never made the sweet kind before. It was so quick and easy to put together and oh so good.

Today I packaged the cookies in trays and shipped them off to work with hubby and then hand delivered the others to the neighbors.
So my work is done, well except for the cleaning part and I'll get that done tomorrow.
Then I can sit back and enjoy but anyone that knows me knows that I can't just sit back. I have to have something to keep my hands busy so I began an easy crocheted ripple afghan today. It's going to be done is shades of dusty pink, chocolate and sage green. Just something simple that I can do while watching tv in the evenings.

In case I don't get time to post again before Christmas then I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Busy Baking & Wrapping

2011-12-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

No time to blog...got cookies to bake and packages to wrap. I just can't seem to find enough time right now to blog or to even read my favorite blogs.
When my day is done I crawl into bed with my laptop in hopes of catching up but I can't seem to stay awake long enough.
So if I seem to be missing in action this week you will know why.
I'm working hard as one of Santa's Helpers..

Do you see Katie's foot prints?
Believe it or not that is snow on our back deck. Hard to see, I know.
It flurried here off and on all day yesterday. Once the sun set it actually began sticking to the vehicles, roof tops and even in the grass.
This is the most it has snowed here this season.
I was starting to think it was never going to snow this year.

Needless to say it all melted this morning and the temperatures are supposed to warm up so it looks like no White Christmas for us this year.

Dill Pickle Dip

2011-12-14T22:46:00.000-05:00

If you like dill pickles then you will love this!
A neighbor of mine passed this recipe on to me and I decided to give it a try this past weekend at Katie's birthday party.
I served it with chips but it would be good with veggies too!

Dill Pickle Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. sour cream (I used fat free)
2 tbsp. Miracle Whip
dash of onion salt
dash of worcestershire sauce
10 oz. jar of dill pickle relish

Place all but relish in a mixer and beat until creamy.
Gently fold in relish (juice and all).
Serve with chips or veggies.
Enjoy!

GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
It's getting down to the nitty gritty with the holiday preparations. My shopping is finished but nothing is wrapped. Gonna have to get to that soon!
The past three days have been spent in the kitchen making Chex Mix, Muddy Buddy Chex Mix, Peanut Butter Fudge, Heath Biscotti and Chocolate Walnut Fudge. Tomorrow will be more of the same....peanut butter balls and who knows what else. Oh, and I finally finished a stitching project that is going to be a gift and began working on a silly gag gift for a friend.

I plan on starting cookies sometime over the weekend. I hate to make them too early for fear that they will be dried out by Christmas. If I had room in my freezers I'd just bake and freeze but at the moment my freezers are filled to the brim.

Have you begun your holiday baking yet?

Party & Presents

2011-12-12T13:42:00.001-05:00

making a wish and blowing out the candles

Hi all!

I posted in a hurry last night to announce the winner of my giveaway and told you I'd be back later with birthday pics.
I was so tired last night that I even fell asleep before one of my favorite shows came on. Now I'll have to catch it in a few days on On-Demand.
Anyways, I'm all rested so here's a few snapshots.

Katie asked for a princess cake but once we got to the store and she saw the Spongebob she wanted that instead.

Blue icing...my favorite....NOT QUITE!

She's 8 now but she still loves to play with baby dolls and that is what she had asked for ~ anything having to do with her dolls.

I went in search of a new doll stroller but surprisingly had a really hard time finding one. Most doll strollers are made for small children (3-5 yr. old) which is strange to me. I don't think Katie is too old to play with babies whether they be dolls, Barbies or whatever else.
It's called imagination....something that most kids (including mine) lack now a days.
Anyways after much searching I was able to find this stroller at ToysRUs.com. They don't have these in their stores. It's made by Badger Basket and it was the only stroller that had an adjustable height on the handle.

I was apprehensive about ordering it but I am so glad that I did. It's perfect for her and she loves it.

I also dug out the old wooden doll crib & highchair that I once played with as a child so that she could enjoy them as she plays house and Mom to her little ones.

When she gets bored playing dolls she can get one of several new games that she got including Hungry Hungry Hippo, Oopsie Daisy and Froggy.
All in all I'd say she really enjoyed her day.

The Birthday Girl Picks a Winner

2011-12-11T19:36:00.000-05:00

It's time to pick the winner of the Quilter's cookbooks and since today is Katie's 8th birthday I told her she could do the honors.

We placed all the names in a hat and then had her turn around and draw one out.

She picked Granny Sue!

Thanks to everyone that entered and congratulations to Granny Sue. If you'll send me your snail mail then I'll get this right out to you.

It's been a busy weekend with shopping (my Christmas shopping is done...yeah!) and more shopping, cleaning and then of course today a birthday party and now I'm pooped so I'm gonna go rest a bit.
I'll be back later with some birthday pics and a few recipes.
Have a great night!

Chipped Beef Gravy

2011-12-07T13:57:00.000-05:00

Last week I was really busy and needed a few meals that I could quickly prepare without a lot of fuss and of course something cheap.
I always tell people that if I didn't have a family of 5 to feed then I'd be rich and that couldn't be more true now with the price of groceries going through the roof.
Anyways my bunch really liked this and yes I cheated and used canned biscuits though homemade would definitely have tasted better.
I also used the dried beef that you can get in the small pouches located in the meat dept. You will also find it in a jar located with the canned goods but I find that the jarred stuff is way too salty. So if salt is an issue for you then go with the pouches.

Dried Beef Gravy

10 oz. sliced dried beef, cut into small pieces
5 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. onion powder
6 tbsp. flour
4 cups milk
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika

In a large skillet saute the dried beef in the butter.
Sprinkle with the onion powder.
Let cook 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the beef, stir and let cook for another minute or two.
Pour milk in and add seasoning.
Stir well and let simmer on low until thick and bubbly.
Serve over toast or biscuits.
Enjoy!

First Christmas Card and a Sweet Treat

2011-12-05T22:54:00.002-05:00

My first Christmas card arrived the other day. It was hand delivered by a neighbor along with these sweet treats. YummO!

I googled the name and came up with the recipe below.
It's going in my recipe box as a keeper!

Mistletoe Bars

1 box of white cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp. water
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup cashews, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, water and eggs with a spoon until a dough forms.
Stir in cranberries, chocolate chips and nuts.
Spread into a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake 20 - 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool and cut into bars.
You can eat them plain or mix up a little powdered sugar icing to drizzle over the tops.
Enjoy!

Only 6 more days to enter my giveaway.
Just click *HERE* and leave a comment on that post.

A Quilter's Christmas Giveaway!!

2011-12-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

It's time for a giveaway!

The winner will get both of the cookbooks shown above. I browsed through both books and took note of a good many recipes that I plan to make in the future & I'm sure you will find many too!

Easy to enter!
1. Must follow my blog and if you don't already then sign up now. I love meeting new bloggers!

2. Leave a comment on this post ONLY!

3. For a second chance entry you may announce my giveaway on your blog. If you do this then be sure to drop me a line so that I know you did it.

*If you don't have a blog ~ no problem~ just leave me an email address so that I can contact you if you win. You can leave it in a comment or you can email me (left sidebar) if you'd rather not share it with everyone.

Giveaway will end on Sunday December 11, 2011.
That is the day of Katie's birthday so I'll let the birthday girl pick a winner out of the hat.
Good Luck to everyone!

Back to the Books

2011-12-01T12:05:00.000-05:00

Homework!

It's been a slow moving week for me...hence the lack of posting.
It's so hard to jump back in to schooling or work (with both feet) after enjoying a full week off but we DID.

My lesson planner looks pretty sparse this week as we eased our way back in but next week it's full throttle...lots to do before the next little mini vacation at Christmas.

As I put together lessons for next week I realized that we are halfway through our reading program for the year. Yippee!
I wish that were the case for all of Katie's subjects but sadly it's not. Oh, and just because the book may end it doesn't mean that the lessons end. (just in case you are wondering Katie. :o)

Still working on a few Christmas gifts and beginning to make a list of the food and cookies that I will be making for the approaching holiday.

Shopping a little here and there and checking that list to see whose been naughty or nice!

Well that's all that is happening in my world.
I'm off here to go catch up on more laundry and maybe a bit of sewing.
Have a great day!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I'm planning a holiday giveaway so be sure to stop back soon. I hope to post it within the next day or two.

Rested Up & Turkey'd Out

2011-11-28T19:30:00.000-05:00

That title just about sums it up.
I've had a week off from school and hubby had several days off from work so we're all rested up after a few days of sleeping in. As for the turkey part... I love Thanksgiving food but at the moment I'm all turkey'd out. We made plenty of food and had tons of leftovers which is a good thing because it meant that we had several days of not having to cook. Just reheat and eat but at this point I've had my fill of the bird and all it's trimmings so tonight I'm cooking and we're having hubby's favorite ~ breakfast food.

While resting up and enjoying the holiday I spent time working on things that were NOT on my to-do list.
Do you all have a never-ending to-do list that you work off of everyday?
I do and sometimes it just gets old.
So even though I should have been working on a few Christmas gifts I said what they hay....and crocheted away.

I made more of the easy & simple dish cloths that I mentioned way back HERE. They are so easy to make that I can watch tv and crochet at the same time without screwing up the instructions. Yeah!
Oh, and I also found a few new crochet sites that I'm liking real well so I may have to share those a little later.

The rest of my week was spent shopping in-store and on-line as well as finishing the holiday decorating. I did venture out Thanksgiving night with a friend to shop and it was OK but not so sure I'll do it next year.
People are just CRAZY!
Why go out in that crowd when you can stay at home and shop right from your computer chair and for the most part get just as good of a deal on the same items.

Well I better get back to supper so it will be finished when hubby gets home. Catch you all later.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:51:00.001-05:00

Let Us Be As Thankful As...

Let us be as thankful as
The pilgrims at their feast.

Embrace our families and our friends,
Be kind to man and beast.

Let us share the harvest and as we go our way,
Be thankfully rejoicing on this Thanksgiving Day.

~Author Unknown

Christmas Parade and Warm Weather

2011-11-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

I'm still here but I'm really behind in blogging and blog reading. Hoping to get more time later this week to catch up.

This past Saturday was our towns annual Christmas parade and I think it was the warmest parade that I've ever attended. No need for heavy coats, hats and mittens.
It's nice to not have to stand there freezing cold for the hour but it just doesn't feel like the holidays with all this warm weather.
Here the kids are waiting for the parade to begin.

It's starting!

My favorites of course are the horses and tractors.

And Santa brought up the rear by riding the fire truck through town.

The local parades always kick off the holiday season around here.
Now it's on to Thanksgiving Day.
I plan to get a few things done tomorrow (chopping veggies, baking pies, etc.) to help make Thanksgiving Day go a little smoother in the kitchen.
Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Beginning to Deck the Halls

2011-11-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

The Christmas spirit has arrived at our house.
I put the tree up this afternoon and strung lights on it. Then after dinner the kids got busy decorating it.

Gage & his dancing tree hat

The tree is the only thing up for now but we'll continue to work on the rest of the house over the weekend.

Sorry it's a bit blurry!

Has the Christmas spirit arrived at your house yet?

Cajun Beef & Carrots

2011-11-16T19:24:00.003-05:00

Beef & Carrots Ready for the Oven

Now this is my kind of cooking.
I love "casserole" style meals that can be thrown together and left to bake in the oven. (Leaves more time for *ME* to do what I want without being stuck in the kitchen.)
Easy and simple!
The only problem is my husband is more of a meat and potato kind of guy so he's not fond of "stuff" thrown together and cooked all in one.

So this was a little of both of our favorites and kind of casserole style....or at least it was cooked in a casserole dish. Does that count? :o)
Beef (his) and carrots (mine) flavored up a bit and left big enough that he could easily pick out the carrots.
Then of course at the last minute I boiled and mashed some potatoes and wahla...a easy to prepare yet a hearty meal.

Cajun Beef & Carrots

1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
6 oz. carrots, sliced and quartered
hot pepper sauce

In a plastic bag or bowl, combine flour, onion powder, cajun seasoning, salt & pepper.
Toss beef into flour mixture and coat well.
Place beef chunks in a greased casserole dish.
Layer carrots around the outer edge of the beef.
Sprinkle hot pepper sauce on top (as much as you like)
Cover and bake at 350 until well done.
I didn't add any liquid to mine but if the dish becomes too dry then add a little water or beef broth.
Enjoy!

Hoagie Buns from Scratch

2011-11-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

Don't these look yummy?
My absolute favorite sub is a meatball hoagie but you could use these buns for a all kinds of subs.

5 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. yeast
1 tbsp. softened butter
1 3/4 cups warm water
olive oil

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Add butter and mix well.
Gradually add the remaining flour, alternating with the warm water.
Knead until smooth, 10-15 minutes.
(I used the dough hook on my KitchenAid mixer and let it run 5-6 minutes.)
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Cut dough into 6 equal sections and shape each into a hoagie bun. As you will see in the photo below mine were not in perfect even shapes but it doesn't matter. Once they rise they will be fine.
Place buns on two greased cookie sheet and spray the tops with cooking spray.
Cover pans loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Remove pans from refrigerator.

Bake 15 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

This really was easy to make and they tasted so much better than store bought. I sliced each bun down the center, placed several homemade meatballs cooked in spaghetti sauce on them and topped it with mozzarella cheese. Place the subs back in the oven for 5 more minutes just to melt the cheese.

Enjoy!

A Day in the Country is Worth a Month in Town

2011-11-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

That saying is so true.

I've spent the last two days helping my best friend and her husband split and haul firewood in for the winter.

There is nothing like being outdoors in the country, especially on such a nice fall day.
Most of the leaves are off the trees now but the views are still pretty. Blue skies and green rolling hills dotted with a little orange and yellow in the treetops.

Katie went along with me and she had my camera to take pictures throughout the day. So after we got home last night I put them on the computer ~ curious to see what she took.

I found many pictures of us working

and a bunch of repeats of the dumptruck & tractor.

Maybe she's gonna be like her momma and like tractor stuff.
Who knows??

She also took a few pics of the surrounding hills as we were heading back home.

Oh how I wish I lived in the country. I'd never tire of the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside.

Game Playing Kitty & Holiday Shopping

2011-11-06T19:41:00.000-05:00

Monopoly anyone??

This is Snickers and she loves to lay anywhere that she shouldn't.
Her chosen spot would be upon my bed (which doesn't make me very happy) and her second favorite spot would be any old box. The kids were playing Monopoly one evening and she of course climbed right in the empty box and made herself at home. I said that she just wanted to play Monopoly too!

She also likes to play hide and seek.
Here she is hiding behind the shower curtain.

And here she is coming out to get me. Blurry I know but you get the idea of her coming to get me.
She is such a funny cat. She only wants "messed" with when she is in the mood but look out when she is because then she won't leave you alone.

We (Mom & I) ventured out yesterday to get a start on holiday shopping and I couldn't believe how busy the stores were. I'm not sure if it was the nice weather that brought everyone out or if they all had the same idea as me....start early before the crowds hit.
If that was their thought too, then we were all wrong because Toys R Us was jam packed. We skipped several aisles because of all the people in them and returned to them once they cleared.
All in all though, it was a pretty productive day. We did get a good start on the season.
Speaking of starting the season, I've seen several people here in blogland have already put up their trees. I haven't done that yet but we will soon. Our town's Christmas parade is on the 18th I believe and I usually put ours up around that weekend. I figure if you are going to go to all the trouble of putting it all out and up then you might as well be able to enjoy it for a while plus it always adds to the excitement of the coming holidays. After Christmas is a whole different story though because I'm ready to take it all down and clean up the holiday mess within a day or two of Christmas.

When do you all put up your decorations and do you leave them up for a while after Christmas?
Just curious!

I was hoping to have my latest stitchery done this weekend but that didn't happen. I stayed up last night watching a new Hallmark movie that was 4 hours long and I didn't stitch a bit. The movie was good but long. I wouldn't have even known it was on if I hadn't read about it on this blog.
It's a Wonderful Movie
Great place to check out upcoming "family" movies that will be airing on TV.
Well that's it for my weekend. I think I'll see what's on TV and sew a bit before bedtime.

Live Simply

2011-11-03T12:37:00.001-04:00

Here's my latest stitchery project.

As I said earlier in the week, Olde-Time-Stitchin had a wonderful sale for their email list customers recently and I took advantage of it. This was created using one of those patterns.
I've already begun on another of their patterns that I hope to finish this weekend.

Our schooling is done for the day, I've got homemade meatballs cooking in the oven and homemade hoagie rolls rising so supper is taken care of. Since the weather is so nice today I think we may head out for a nice walk this afternoon and then home to sneak a few minutes of stitching in before dinnertime.
Hope you all are having a great day.

Troubles with a 3 Layer Cake

2011-11-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

This is why I rarely ever make a three layer cake.
Mine NEVER turn out good! They always look like the Tower of Pisa.

This past weekend though, I did play around with a few recipes and one happened to be for a 3 layer cake and look

It worked...no Leaning Tower of Pisa!

The trick?
I stuck a skewer stick down the center of the three layers just before I iced it.
Tah dah, now why didn't I do that before?
It's not like I haven't watched them 50,000 times on TV use the same trick. For some reason though, I never thought of trying it here at home...DUH!

Anyways the cake itself was good. The homemade mocha frosting that I made was OK but not fabulous so I'm gonna share the cake recipe (which is not mine) along with my pink White Chocolate Raspberry icing that is shown in the first photo. I think the two together would be delicious!

3 Layer Butter Cake

4 eggs, separated
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar, divided
4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Separate the eggs, placing yolks in one bowl and the whites in another.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder & salt.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter until soft.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add egg yolks and vanilla.
Scrape sides of bowl down and then alternately add the flour mixture and milk, mix well and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy.
Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.
Next add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
Spray three (8 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray.
Next take parchment paper and trace the bottom of one of the pans. Cut the circle out (times 3) and place one in the bottom of each pan. Spray pan again and then flour.
Divide batter between the three pans.
Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes.
When done, remove cakes and let cool in pans for 10 minutes.

Turns pans upside down to remove cakes. Let cool completely.
Once cooled begin assembling.
Place one cake layer on cake stand.
Thinly ice top of cake (recipe follows or use your own favorite frosting) and then add second cake layer.
Repeat again for the last layer.
*Remember to prevent the cake from leaning you can place a skewer stick down the center before icing the outside of the cake.)

White Chocolate Raspberry Icing

1 stick butter
4 (1oz.) squares of white baking chocolate
4 tbsp. water
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups powdered sugar
Several tbsp. raspberry jelly

Place butter, chocolate and water in a small saucepan; heat and stir until well blended.
Place chocolate mixture into a bowl, add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix till blended.
Next add the raspberry jelly a tbsp. at a time until you get the right consistency and flavor that you like.

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:58:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for all the trick-or-treaters tonight?
My kids are anxiously awaiting for evening time to get here. I on the other hand am not looking forward to it.
It's cold out there!
No snow, though we did get some flurries over the weekend but it's windy and it looks like it could put the rain down any minute now.
The weekend was pretty quiet.
I spent the whole day in the kitchen Saturday making a nice meal. I tried a new recipe for hot rolls which turned out really good and played around with a cake recipe that I may post about later. We spent our evenings sitting around the kitchen table playing Yahtzee with the kids.

On the sewing front I did manage to get my mini "Give Thanks" pillows finished as well as another stitchery that I'll show you as soon as I get it framed. I also decided to list a few of my stitcheries on Ebay just to see how they do. If they sell then super and if they don't then I'll place them back in the box until I get enough made to take to a show.

Diane over at Olde-Time-Stitchin had a fabulous sale the other day for her email list cutomers and I decided to take advantage of it. Now I have so many new patterns that I can't wait to tie into ~ kinda hard to pick which one I want to start on first.

Well that's about all that is new around here. The kids are home from school today due to a teacher instructional day so we're just being lazy & enjoying the day.

Have a safe evening out there and watch out for all the little ghosts and goblins!

ME from A - Z

2011-10-26T20:46:00.000-04:00

I've seen this on a good many blogs lately and thought I'd join in on the fun.
Want to know a little bit about me?
Then read on!

A is for my age which is 38

B is for bike riding on the weekends with my Dad

C is for Calla Lilies which are my favorite flowers

D is for dishes ~ my most dreaded chore of the day

E is for embroidery & stitching which I love to do

F is for my family for without them I would be lost

G is for glasses because without them I'd not be able to read all my favorite blogs

H is for my height which is 5'2"

I is for the sweet iced tea that I sip on all day

J is for John Deere items that I love to collect

K is for kisses. Hubby and I never leave the house without a kiss goodbye.

L is for lefty, which I am. I do everything with my left hand. (Anyone know how to teach a lefty how to knit?)

M is for Misty ~ my best friend since kindergarten

N is for my Nike running shoes that make my feet happy

O is for my favorite outfit which is a pair of shorts and a t-shirt

P is for the puzzles that I love to work (jigsaw)

Q is for my favorite movie quote. (from Love Comes Softly)
"The truth of God's love is not that he allows bad things to happen - it's his promise that he will be there with us when they do."

R is for recipes ~another collection of mine

S is for Survivor ~the one show that I never miss

T is for my telephone that I am always talking on

U is for what upsets me ~ rude and dishonest people

V is for Vanilla Buttercrunch candles ~ my favorite scent

W is for western romances which are my favorite books to read

X (I'm cheating on this one) how about Xword puzzles that I love to work....does that count as an answer?

Y is for yucky foods which is seafood of any kind

Z is for zip lining which I hope I get to do someday

Well that's me A - Z.

Roasting Veggies

2011-10-24T13:19:00.000-04:00

Howdy all!

It's been a very busy weekend with not a lot of down time. (No time for sewing!)
Saturday was warm and sunny as we spent the day working at my parent's house. It was time to pull the forms up around the new concrete and then till a little of the yard to level it off a bit, plant new grass and clean up. As soon as that was done I cleaned myself up and then off for the rest of the evening to a Haunted House Halloween party with Gage.

Miranda's 7th Annual Halloween Party

Sunday was spent tidying up the house and catching up on odds and ends.
Now today I can rest a bit...Aahhhhh..that's better!
But not until I get those veggies cooked.

So once schooling was done this morning I headed to the kitchen to get the veggies ready. This is my favorite way to have veggies. Just peel, dice, season and roast.

I like to use onions, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, peppers and white potatoes in mine but you can use anything that you like.
Dice them up and throw them all in a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season. I use McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, Mrs. Dash Table Blend and dried Basil but again you can season with your own favorite spices.

Toss the veggies around with your hands and then pour them out onto a large greased cookie sheet. I usually end up with 2 cookie sheets full. Spread them out...don't just pile them on one or they won't cook evenly.
Place in a 350° oven and bake until done. I usually cook mine for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, turning them once every 1/2 hour.

I've got mine done already so I'm off to enjoy the rest of this rainy afternoon just stitching away!

Storms a Coming!

2011-10-21T21:40:00.001-04:00

I love weather!
I'm always in awe of the sights, sounds & smell of a thunderstorm. The sheer power of wind, the energy of flood waters and the beauty of newly fallen snow.
Whether it's snow, rain, sleet or hail you can bet you will find me glued to the windows watching it.

A few nights ago a cold front approached our area bringing these dark clouds followed by rain...just what we needed (NOT). We've had so much rain this season that I'm not sure that the ground is ever going to dry out.

I quickly grabbed my camera and ran to the back yard snapping these pictures. I couldn't believe how dark the sky was getting. Pretty neat looking!

I always tell my children that whatever career they choose in life be sure it's one that they will be happy getting up each morning and going to.
I think when I grow up *wink wink* I want to be a meteorologist or better yet maybe a stormchaser.

Have a great weekend!

Concrete Poured and Lions & Tigers & Bears...Oh My!

2011-10-19T14:32:00.001-04:00

It's been a few day since I posted so I thought I'd get on and catch up a little.
The rain began falling Sunday night but not enough to ruin Monday's pour. The guys got the sidewalk all done by noon and we double roped it off in hopes to keep the deer off of it until it was good and dry. It worked! No hoof prints anywhere.
I love watching the deer early in the morning but on the flip side they are ruining my mums. I watched a buck eating acrons under the tree at my parents house this morning then he crossed the street and came to my house to chomp on my mums...grrr!

These are last years mums...much prettier than the current ones.

Speaking of animals...did any of you see the news this morning about the wild animals that escaped from a preserve in Zanesville, OH?
Lions and tigers and bears...Oh MY!
I just can't imagine!
Schools were closed and people were asked to stay indoors until all the animals can be found. Flashing signs along the interstate say Exotic animals...stay in vehicle.
Our local news at noon stated that all were found and taken care of (most killed for public safety)except for a monkey, grizzly bear and Mt. lion that are still running loose. Sad to see all those poor animals killed but for everyone's safety it needed done.
Here's a few links if you care to read about it.
WTOV 9 News Wheeling, WV
USA Today
MSNBC News 25 min. press conference from today with lots of detail

Witches Boots

2011-10-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

Well the weekend is almost over and it will be back to school and work.....(sigh)!

It's been a pretty uneventful weekend here.
No major "going ons" so I had the time to sit and work on these little witches boots pillows. The stitchery pattern is from CountryBerries. I found it in one of the newspaper flyers that I get at my local fabric shop. (Can't remember the name of the paper but I love browsing through it. There is always a few freebie patterns in it.

We've had pretty nice weather all weekend ~ sunny and mild. Yesterday was a tad on the windy side though. I thought I'd take advantage of the wind and hang my laundry out but that wasn't such a good idea. The strong winds broke one of my lines.
Today proved to be a better day with not as much wind.
Tomorrow is concrete day so we're hoping for no rain though we've had a few sprinkles this evening.
Dad has been trying to get his new sidewalk in for a few weeks but due to all the rain that we've had it's been impossible. Keeping our fingers crossed that the next round of rain will hold off at least until Tuesday.
Well that's it for my weekend. Hope you had a great one!

A Fall Drive through the Country

2011-10-13T19:11:00.000-04:00

As I look out my front porch I can see the bright orange trees that dot the hillsides. It is so pretty. Many of the trees are just beginning to turn but those with the orange leaves stand out from them all.
We finished our school lessons early today so we thought we'd take off for a ride in the country.
We headed to Fish Creek first.

The leaves were turning but weren't quite as vibrant as I had hoped for. We did spot a few animals though along the way.

A nice size squirrel playing near the road,

a few cows wading in the creek and a big turtle that I almost ran over.

We decided to turn around and head back to town.
After a quick pitstop at the house we drove up to Grandview Park where the colors were much brighter.

I loved this tree with it's two tone leaves.

While there we walked around looking for different shaped leaves (school project) and of course what's a trip to Grandview without visiting the playground.

We'll have to take another drive in the next few weeks to see if the colors get even better.

Tapioca Pudding Made in a Crockpot

2011-10-11T09:14:00.000-04:00

Tapioca is one of my favorite puddings. I've always bought it from the store though. I never really thought about making homemade until I found this recipe.
It's easy to make but it does need time to cook and then completely chill so you may want to make it a day ahead of time.

Crockpot Tapioca

2 quarts milk
3/4 cup dry small pearl tapioca
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups whipped cream or whipped topping (Cool Whip)

Combine milk, tapioca and sugar in a greased crockpot.
Cover and cook on High 3 hours.
Beat eggs in a small bowl and then add a little of the hot milk mixture to it and stir.
Whisk eggs into crockpot and stir in the vanilla.
Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and then chill in refrigerator.
When completely chilled, beat with a hand mixer to fluff.
Enjoy!

On the homefront:
We're hoping for a better day today. Katie's been sick since Saturday afternoon. She started out with a fever and what I thought was going to be a head cold but yesterday the fever & cold symptoms were gone only to be replaced with a stomach bug of some sort. She spent the day on the couch watching TV and sleeping. She did manage late last night to keep some fluids down so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the worst is over and she will begin feeling better soon. I just hope none of the rest of us gets it!

Foggy Start to Oglebayfest

2011-10-09T18:53:00.000-04:00

This is what it looked like as Katie & I headed out Saturday morning to go to Oglebayfest. As we headed up the hill to Oglebay the fog began to disappear and by the time we reached the top it was gone. The first thing I saw that caught my attention were these horses heading over to the parade route

and then the brightly colored trees just beginning to show their fall colors.

We parked near the mansion and I of course had to take a few picks of that too! *Click on pictures to enlarge*

Oglebay Mansion

The grounds around the mansion

Mansion Pond

We walked along the pathway to the festival tents.

They had everything!
Wooden crafts, pottery, candles, felt pillows with applique, broom making, glass blowing, and so much more.
Oh and did I mention food!

In the end I only came home with a few things even though I saw plenty that I would have liked to bring home.
Blue Smoke Salsa and Guacamole chips which are sooo good and this little felt pillow.

Working in the Mud

2011-10-06T00:12:00.000-04:00

It's been about a week and a half since my Dad had the old sidewalk in front of his house removed. It's been so rainy though that today was the first day that we've been able to get out ang get the new sidewalk ready to pour.
While the boys were in school I helped Dad frame the new sidewalk in. Then after school & dinner the boys got to take their turn in the mud.
I didn't hear any complaining though!

They were too happy to have a sledgehammer in hand and the permission to use it.

All Out of Stuffing!

2011-10-03T20:37:00.000-04:00

A Chesnut Junction Pattern

There is nothing worse than getting to the end of a project only to realize that you can't complete it because you are out of stuffing or whatever else it may be...thread, buttons, etc.
I spent the whole day Saturday in front of the tv watching the Hallmark movies and stitching this little picture. I completed the hand stitching but wanted to make it into a pillow.
No time on Sunday to work on it because we had a wedding to attend...the coldest wedding that I have ever been to. It took place in an outdoor shelter at Wheeling Park.

Pond at Wheeling Park

It was a beautiful fall themed wedding. The only problem was that Mother Nature didn't cooperate that day. It felt more like a winter wedding.
Rain and wind along with temps. in the 40's. Yes, I know 40's aren't that cold but when you are standing on top of a hill with a steady wind blowing it feels a whole lot colder.
The poor girls in the wedding were in their fancy dresses but you'd see them sneak off every so often to grab a winter coat so they could get warmed up a bit.

The bride and groom didn't seem to mind, they were as happy as could be.

The Happy Couple

After we got our schooling done today I began working on the pillow again. I finished it and began stuffing it BUT I ran out of stuffing....argh!
I guess it will have to sit in the unfinished pile until I get to the store to get more.
That's OK though because I have plenty more stitcheries to work on until then!
Have a great evening!

It's in the Air!

2011-09-30T19:30:00.000-04:00

Fall is definitely here.
You can feel and smell it in the air.
You can see it in the trees.
And you can hear it in the rustle of the leaves.

It's been a chilly and rainy day here.
The last time I checked the temperature was 50° and falling.
I'm afraid it's time to shut the windows and doors to keep the chill out. (My attempt to keep my husband from turning the furnace on.)
Tomorrow night it's supposed to dip down to the high 30's. ~ Yikes!
Guess I better get the winter blankets out.

Have a great weekend!

Hope ~ Updated

2011-09-28T22:26:00.003-04:00

Here is my latest finished stitchery. It's framed in a little shadow box that is second hand. I just cleaned it up a bit and added a coat of burgundy paint to it.
The whole time I was working on it I couldn't help but to think of LISA as she is battling breast cancer. She's had a great attitude about her fight since day one ~ no giving up.

However, this past weekend she was taken to the hospital with a severe infection at her port site. She wrote a short post a few nights later and it was evident that she was really down and even mentioned giving up.

So Lisa, this is for you!
Don't give up, just try it one more time!

If any of you would like to stop by Lisa's blog and leave her words of encouragement you can click on her name to go there.

*Update on Lisa*

Just wanted to let you all know that I received an email from Lisa this morning and she said I could share with you
that she is doing much better. They have removed the infected port which was pushing the infection right through her blood stream each time they used it. They also removed the excess fluid surrounding her lungs. She will continue to be monitored for several more days before being released but it sounds as if she's on her way to recovery from this lil' setback. *

Butterfinger Bars

2011-09-26T18:50:00.000-04:00

Are you wondering why I'm talking Butterfinger Bars but showing you a picture of candy corn?

I'll tell you why!
You can make homemade Butterfinger Bars by mixing two simple ingredients together (candy corn and peanut butter) and then ice them in chocolate.

melting the candy corn

OH my...these are so good!

ready to ice

If you'd like the recipe plus some much better looking photos of the bars then go HERE and visit North Dakota Kitchen.

Go ahead, give them a try....you won't be sorry!

Moundsville's Zombie Walk 2011

2011-09-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

Moundsville's first ever Zombie Walk was held this past Saturday. This is something new for our town and with the great turnout I'm sure it will be a yearly event from here on out.
Moundsville is the home to the former WV Penitentiary.

Each October the former prison serves as the backdrop for a very scary haunted house called Dungeon of Horrors. To kick it off our town along with the WV Pen Tours hosted it's first ever Zombie Walk.

The day began with a street fair complete with craft booths, food vendors, face paintings and games for the kids. Fun for everyone!

Katie bowling with pumpkins

At 6 p.m. the Zombies arose and began the trek through town to their final destination (WV Pen) where they performed a Zombie flash mob dance to the "Thriller" song by Michael Jackson.

The crowd was huge and even though we were standing on a little knoll in front of the Mound we still weren't able to see very well.
I scrambled around trying to find a spot to get a good picture of the dance but none could be found. In the end I had lots of pictures of the crowd,

a few of the Mound,

sun setting behind the mound
and of course the WV Pen.

A fun experience for the community but I sure hope next year they can come up with an idea for better crowd control so that all can get a better view.

Do you Pin?

2011-09-20T09:11:00.000-04:00

I love the concept of Pinterest.
A place to pin (collect) all the great finds from the internet.
Somewhere you can store all the wonderful ideas that you find on the internet and have them at the click of a button.
No need to have to go back and scour the internet for that one idea that you found ~ Now where did I find that at??

I don't pin because I just don't have the extra time to do it. I'm doing good if I can find enough time to check my email and blog here and there. But the good thing and what I love, Love, LOVE about Pinterest is the fact that others can share their pins with us.
If they provide the link then you can view all their great finds.
So me, being the Pinterest "slacker" that I am finds this extrememly helpful.
It's how I found my next project that I hope to work on over the long and cold winter.

Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm shared this pin on her Pinterest and I loved it the minute I saw it. It didn't have a link included as to where I could find a pattern but it did have a pattern name so I just typed in crocheted african flowers on my internet search and wahla...the pattern.

Crocheted African Flowers *Click to go to the pattern!*

I love the pinks and greens but was unable to find enough variety of those shades in our local stores so I picked purples and greens instead.

So far, I've only crocheted one flower but I'm in no rush. I've got all winter to work on it.

Hope you all are having a great week and getting to enjoy the cooler temps. like what we are having here!

Love Begins - the prequel to "Love Comes Softly"

2011-09-19T10:35:00.000-04:00

My absolute favorite movies are those from the "Love Comes Softly" series that air on the Hallmark Channel. Over the years my husband has bought me the DVD's and believe me they get watched over and over again.
They are THAT good!

Well, who knew that there was a prequel to those??
Not me!
This weekend I was feeling miserable with headaches that just wouldn't go away. So instead of stitching (as I had planned) I ended up on the couch or in bed watching tv and sleeping.

While flipping through the channels I found this new series, "Love Begins" that tells the story of Clark Davis and his life prior to Love Comes Softly. It's his tale of love with his first wife, Ellen (The mother of little Missy).
Clark and his friend are passing through Trinity on their way to find gold in California. They find themselves in a bit of trouble but Clark does the right thing by staying and working off his debt. He works it off by helping Ellen and her little sister to repair their farm. Slowly Ellen and Clark fall in love and eventually get married.

If you missed it last night you can catch it again on October 1st at 7p.m EST or 6p.m. Central.
It will be followed by the newest episode "Love's Everlasting Courage" which will tell how the family deals with the hardships that a terrible drought brings and the death of Ellen due to scarlet fever.

For more info click HERE.

A Bowl Full of Stars and a New Do

2011-09-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday already, just one more day until the weekend and I've finally made it to the bottom of my to-do list so I'm hoping for a few days of taking it easy.

It's been a whole week since I have sewn at all and I miss it. Not to mention I haven't had any time to blog and I'm missing that too!

The above picture is the latest stitchery that I finished last week or the week before. *See, I'm way behind!*
It's another Chestnut Junction pattern and it's called Bowl Full of Stars. If you've never checked her site out you really ought to. She makes some really cute patterns and her prices are great! She's also a local gal from our area so I think that's pretty special too!

What do you think of Katie's new do?

Haircuts were on our to-do list this week. I've been thinking about cutting hers for a while now but couldn't get up enough nerve to do so. *What if we didn't like it short?*
I figured we wouldn't know until we tried it and she was willing to try so we did.
Everyone loves it. It makes her look bright and alive and so much older. It just makes me realize that our littlest one is growing up way to quickly. ;(
Well I'm heading outdoors for a bit to enjoy this early COOL fall weather. It's only in the 50's today and going into the low 40's tonight...Brrr... big change but one I am ready for!
Hope you all are enjoying your day!

Weekend of Shopping

2011-09-12T20:37:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I last posted. The weekend was spent doing my "once a month" shopping trip to stock up. The two days prior to that were spent making a monthly meal plan, browsing the store ads and clipping coupons.
Do any of you shop this way?
Make one BIG shopping trip a month to stock your shelves and then grab milk and bread throughout the month as you run low on it.
I really do think this method saves us money but boy is it a chore to get it all done in a weekend. I don't just shop at one store, I shop at many so there are many stops to be made.
Oh well, at least it's done for the month!

Friday evening we went out to dinner up at the Highlands in Wheeling. Afterwards the kids wanted to stop in at Cabela's so that is what we did.
They enjoy walking around looking at all the animal displays as well as the fish tanks.

Do you see the big one hiding in the picture below.

Click on it to enlarge!

I of course, like to browse the clothing sections and the cast iron cooking area.

Blurry, I know! *Sorry*

I didn't take a camera but Logan had his cell phone and took these pics. Some are hard to see. Next time we go I'll have to take my camera.

Safari Display

You could easily spend several hours in this place looking around. There is so much to see, especially if it's your first trip.

Well that's all for tonight. Tomorrow I'll show you another finished stitchery and give you a glimpse into a "winter" project that I hope to begin soon.

Weekend Silliness

2011-09-07T14:57:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures from our holiday weekend but first I'll have to explain a little.

Earlier this year my Dad purchased this Monster Cruiser bike. It's HUGE!
Way too big to ride as a normal bike, however it would be perfect for a clown....or a dork (a.k.a...my brother).

And yes, as his sister I have the right to call him a dork! ☺
Anyways, my brother took it out on the street to ride. After watching him on it my Dad said that all he needed was one of those beanies with the spinner on top.
(As you can see we all like to joke around!)
So not long ago my Dad picked up a spinner beanie (dork hat) and gave it to my brother.
Well, this weekend in walked the mini-dork (my brother's offspring and my nephew) dressed like this.

What?

He came for our family picnic dressed in a paper suit and the "dork" beanie. He wore that suit throughout dinner and even afterwards.

But it got worse.
The two "dorks" ( like father~like son) then decided to play in an old wheelchair in the backyard.

trying to do wheelies

runaway wheelchair on a mini hill.

All I can say is that men truly NEVER grow up!

Crockpot Cheesy Creamed Corn

2011-09-06T10:42:00.000-04:00

Ugghhh!
I was hoping to post some silly pictures from this weekend but my computer is not cooperating so instead I'll have to share this super easy and yummy side dish that I made for our cookout this weekend. It was a hit with all of the family.

Crockpot Cheesy Creamed Corn

3 pkg. frozen corn
2 (8oz.) cream cheese, cubed (I only used 8 oz.)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
3 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. sugar
6 sliced American singles, cut in small pieces

Place all ingredients in a greased crockpot.
Stir it all up, even though it doesn't mix well until it heats up a bit.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until heated through. ( I cooked mine on high for 4 hours.)
Stir before serving and ENJOY!

* This recipe is out of a Taste of Home magazine.*

I'll continue to work on the silly pictures and hope to share them a little later.

Wheeling's 2011 Vintage Raceboat Regatta

2011-09-04T22:55:00.002-04:00

This morning we ( Dad, Katie and I) took off for a bike ride. It's been a while since we've been to Wheeling's bike trail and we knew that the Regatta was going on this weekend at Wheeling's Heritage Port so we thought we'd head that way.
It was a nice morning to ride, the humidity hadn't really climbed so miserably high yet and the skies were pretty cloudy.
We parked in Benwood, unloaded the bikes and off we went. We rode north until we arrived at Wheeling's Heritage Port where the smells from all the food vendors getting their grills ready for the day made me hungry all over again...even though I had just finished breakfast.
They were just then beginning to place some of the raceboats in the water.

Click on photos to enlarge!

*See those tall cranes on the right? Those are what they use to hoist the raceboats in and out of the river.*
While waiting for the races to start, we road a little farther up the trail then turned back so Katie could play on the playground and we could catch a few races before having to head home.

This marks the 6th year for these hydroplane boat races. It's a free event for the public and it's so fun to hear the roar of the engines on the river as well as to see the big splashes they kick up as they race up and down the Ohio River.

Most of us that live here in the Ohio Valley overlook the Ohio River. It's just the waterway that we cross daily as we go to work or to go shopping at the mall.
However, it really does provide us with some interesting entertainment. Whether it be the festivals that take place along it's banks, boating, skiing, fishing or just sitting back watching the river barges pass by as they haul their loads up and down the river.

Lots to see and do!
The next big event to take place is the Sternwheeler Festival which begins Sept. 15th and runs through the 17th at Wheeling's Heritage Port. With any luck and some good weather we'll make it up to see that too!

Beer & Onion Crockpot Beef Roast

2011-08-31T15:54:00.000-04:00

Since this summer has been so hot and humid I have resorted to cooking many a meals in my crockpot. I've tried lots ~ some we liked ~ some we didn't.
This one is a keeper!

Beer and Onion Crockpot Beef Roast

beef roast, trimmed of any fat
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. minced garlic ( I used the stuff in a jar.)
1 tbsp. minced dried onion flakes
10 1/2 oz. can of Campbell's French Onion Soup
2 packets brown gravy mix
12 oz. bottle of beer

Coat roast with flour and then place in a greased crockpot.
In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over roast.
Place lid on crockpot and cook on high all day.
*I started mine around 7 a.m. and let it cook until 5 on High. The result was a super tender roast with lots of flavor.*
Enjoy!

Before I go I'll show you a few stitcheries that I completed. Dad got some frames cut for me this weekend so I was able to finish these up and begin on some new stitcheries :O)

Everyone *LOVES* this one!
It's a Bird Brain Designs pattern.

Next is a favorite bible verse of my Mom's. I made it for her a good while ago and have been waiting for the right size frame to put it in.

The last one is for Christmas. It's a Chestnut Junction pattern.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Beautiful Start to a Busy Day

2011-08-29T23:33:00.000-04:00

I quickly snapped this picture early this morning just as the sun was coming up. The fog was lifting from the hillsides and the shades of the pink and purple sky were beautiful.

Once I got the boys off to school Katie and I headed to the river trail for a bike ride with my Dad. It was a tad chilly ~ especially for tank tops so I made a mental note to take jackets the next time we go for an early morning ride.
Once we got that in we headed back home to begin our schoolwork.
We worked for a while and then I headed outdoors to cut the grass, back in for a shower and then we finished the rest of Katie's lessons.
All the while, supper was cooking in a crockpot ~ a beef roast cooked in french onion soup and beer. I'll have to share it with you all later.
Dinner and clean-up followed by a little playtime in the backyard.
Bath and bed time which is where I am now.
Good Night ~ Sleep Tight!

Shall I Keep it or Sell It?

2011-08-25T11:38:00.000-04:00

I can't decide!
I've been stitching away in hopes of creating enough "things" to take to a fall craft show or maybe even sell through Ebay, Etsy or blogland.
However, I won't have anything to sell if I don't quit *liking* all the items that I complete.
Yesterday I got several more things finished up and my most favorite yet is this large 13 1/2" X 16 3/4" framed sunflower stitchery. I love it!

A few other small items that I finished are this small (9x5) pillow

and this mini Halloween stitchery.
(Robin~ I used crayons and love the added color that it gives them!)

I have so much fun stitching these. The worst part is finishing them. I have a stack that just need to be framed or made into pillows, bags or what ever else I can think of. The framed items are my favorites but the right size frames are really hard to come by. For instance, I have searched the whole entire valley for a 5X12 frame and of course none can be found.
So I've asked Dad to cut me a plain and simple frame out of pine and then I will paint and finish it. Then I can finally frame this one!

Did You Feel It?

2011-08-23T22:25:00.000-04:00

Well did any of you on the east coast feel the earth a moving this afternoon?
I didn't feel a thing!
I had just stepped from the front door and sat down on the couch. The phone rang and it was my mom ( who just lives across the street from me). She wanted to know if my house just shook. I told her no, I didn't feel a thing. She then told me how her house shook, the walls creaked and the clothes hanging in her closet were still swaying as she was talking to me. Hmmmm???
I went outside and looked around thinking maybe somewhere in the area something big had happened like an explosion.
Nope, nothing that I could see going on anywhere but another neighbor stepped outdoors and asked me the same thing.
Did your house just shake?
Ok...now I'm really wondering what is going on.
I called hubby at work (1/2 hour away in Ohio) and he said that they all felt it there too!
Time to turn the TV on.
It took about 10 minutes but finally the news stations started breaking through programming to announce that a 5.9 earthquake hit the Richmond, Virginia area.
Wow!
Not a big quake compared to what those out west are used to but for us on the east coast...well earthquakes just don't happen very often.
The last time I can remember feeling the ground shake was when I was in Jr. High school some 25 years ago.
Today, no damages were reported in our area that I have heard of. Just a lot of people left in awe because they could feel the earth moving under their shoes! :0)

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

2011-08-22T15:12:00.000-04:00

It's Monday and the start of the first full week of school. The boys had two days of school last week but today is Katie's first day of 2nd grade. I am still homeschooling her and wow was the day ever so easy with just one child to teach.
So far Gage is liking the middle school that he is enrolled in so that is a good thing. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed though that it stays that way and with no problems. No major happenings over the weekend. Just the usual cleaning, cooking and sewing. I did get two more stitcheries completed but I've yet to frame them. When I get them done I'll show you some pics.
Now are you ready for the dessert recipe??
My SIL gave this one to me several years ago and it's super yummy and so quick to put together.

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

24 ice cream sandwiches
16 oz. jar of Hot Fudge Topping
8 oz. Cool Whip
Sprinkles (optional)

Unwrap 12 ice cream sandwiches and place in the bottom of a 13X9 pan.
You will have to cut 3 of them so that they all fit into the pan. (Eat the leftover pieces as you work!) ☺
Spread the whole jar of hot fudge topping over sandwiches.
Next spread half of the Cool Whip over the fudge sauce.
Place the remaining 12 sandwiches over the Cool Whip layer and then spread the rest of the Cool Whip over top of that.
Decorate with sprinkles if you'd like and place in freezer until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Canning Spaghetti Sauce

2011-08-18T13:44:00.000-04:00

What to do with all those tomatoes?

My favorite way to use them up is by making my own homemade spaghetti sauce. This recipe is from my aunt and it's the one I've been using for years. Everyone loves it!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 a bushel of tomatoes
4-5 cloves of garlic (I used minced out of a jar.)
6-7 onions
4 hot peppers ( I use mild banana peppers.)
1/2 cup olive oil
8 (6oz.) cans of tomato paste
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. rosemary ( I leave this out!)
3/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on your taste)

Cook tomatoes in a large stockpot until tender.

Run tomatoes through a food mill to remove seeds and skins.
Measure out 10 quarts of juice into a large stockpot.
Add garlic and place back on stove to cook.
While juice is cooking, grind up the onions and peppers. (I use my mini-chopper for this.)
Place them in a small saucepan and add the olive oil.
Cook for about 1/2 hour until they are nice and tender.
Now you can add the pepper/onion/oil mixture to the juice but be careful so as to not splatter yourself!
Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.
It will take a bit of stirring to get all that paste mixed in good.
Boil all ingredients for 40 minutes without a lid on.

While waiting for sauce to cook down you can get your canning jars & utensils ready. (Clean & boil jars)
Ladle sauce into jars, add lids and place jars into a water bath canner.
Fill canner with water, making sure that it covers the tops of the jars by at least an inch.
Place lid on canner and bring to a boil.
Let boil for 40 minutes.
Remove jars and let cool.

A Finish, An Anniversary and a Count Down!

2011-08-16T14:17:00.000-04:00

Hi all,
It's been a few days since I last posted so I thought I'd better pop in for a few.
As you can see from the above picture I am still working on my stitcheries. Actually, I stitched that one last year but never got around to framing it. So yesterday I painted a frame pink, sanded it and rubbed a bit of stain on it to tone it down a bit and wahla!
Valentine's day is a good ways off so I'll wrap it and put it up until then.

Oh, and speaking of Valentine's, this weekend marked our 17th wedding anniversary. ( Can't believe it's been that long!!) The kids spent the night at my parents on Saturday while hubby and I went out to dinner and then back home to an evening alone in peace and quiet

As for the countdown...only one more day until public school starts. BOOOOOO!!!!

I am in no way ready to end the summer or to begin school again. Katie and I aren't starting her homeschooling until Monday so we get a few extra days but I hate that the boys have to go now.
I guess there is no use in complaining...it sure won't change anything so I might as well just dig in and begin school and the countdown to summer 2012.

Before I leave, check out these rain pics from yesterday. I was sitting on my porch and it was sunny to my left but just a short distance away (and looking in front of me) on the hillside you could see rain coming down in sheets. Just in one little spot.

Sunny Skies to my left

Just a little to the right where it's raining only in the hills
The humidity and the temperature continues to stay low here so it has been so pleasant. Night time temps. are in the low 60's which makes for a great night's sleep with the windows open. *Love It!*
Well that's all for now. I'm off to stitch a little before it's time to start supper.
Have a great day!

To Dye or Not to Dye??

2011-08-11T21:07:00.000-04:00

Pattern is from Chestnut Junction

Hi all!
Here's a few more stitcheries that I've completed this week and thought I'd share them with you. My big question is whether to tea (or coffee) dye them or just leave them natural.
I really can't decide ~ I like them both ways!

Flower Basket pattern by Chesnut Junction

Summertime Picnic

*Sorry~ I can't remember whose design these two are from. I'll have to look them up again.*

Other than stitching we've just been enjoying the last full week off before school starts on Thursday (Aug. 18).
I have entered Gage back into the public school system as he will enter the Jr. High and I feel that now is the time to do so. I'm keeping both fingers and toes crossed that I am making the right decision. :(
I have so many issues with the way our school system is run but as the kids get older I'm just not sure that I can do them a justice by teaching them the harder subjects. I would need to learn a foreign language, teach higher Math which is by far my best subject plus once they reach the high school they would be missing out on the vocational courses like mechanics, body shop, woodworking and much more.
I just have an unsettled feeling about it all but I'll take it day by day and see where it leads us.
Anyways, in preparation for school there has been vaccinations needed to re-enter school, school supply shopping and class schedules to pick up.
On top of that, hubby hurt his back the other day and is home trying to nurse it back to normal.
On the bright side though, the weather has been fabulous!
Today is the first day in a long time that we have been able to turn the A/C off and open the windows and actually be comfortable. It has been great!
Well that's all that has been going on here in my world. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

Kennywood Park 2011

2011-08-09T13:33:00.001-04:00

*Click on pictures to enlarge*

Here are a few pictures from our trip this weekend to Kennywood Park. The morning started out cloudy but with no rain so it was pleasant. We stood in line for the rides but it really wasn't bad. I'm guessing that the cloudy day kept some people at home.

*Mark & Logan upside down*

By afternoon the clouds disappeared and the sun came out and so did the people. The lines were then long!

*The Racer*

My favorites are the old roller coasters like the Jack Rabbit and The Racer. I much prefer those to the new metal ones like the Phantom and The Sky Rocket.

*Phantom's Revenge ~the tall one in the distance*

And of course, you can't forget the Merry Go Round!

The kids (big & little) always like to get wet on the water rides, especially on a hot and humid day like Sunday was.

*Log Jammer*

*Raging Rapids*

*After Raging Rapids*

They got wet all right!

I'm glad I stayed back to take pictures.

Cheeseburger Stromboli

2011-08-05T09:43:00.000-04:00

Not the prettiest picture, I know!

Hi all!
Boy is time flying by. School begins in two weeks and I just can't believe that another summer has come and is almost gone. Not a whole lot to blog about as nothing interesting has been going on here lately. Just enjoying my last few weeks of summer break by keeping cool in the A/C while working on my stitching. We do have a trip planned to Kennywood Park this weekend and we are all looking forward to it. Just hope the weather cooperates!

As for the recipe!
I made this yesterday and it was so good.
I made several of them ~cheeseburger, 2 pepperoni & cheese and one for my Dad that I used vegetarian meat crumbles in place of the beef. My favorite was the cheeseburger!
Anyways, the recipe that I am sharing is only for the cheeseburger mixture which will only make one stromboli, yet the dough recipe is enough for 4 stromboli. So, you will either have to cut the dough recipe in half or have filling ingredients ready for the other 3 stromboli. (pepperoni & cheese, ham and cheese or whatever other combinations you can come up with.)

Cheeseburger Stromboli

Dough: (enough to make 4 stromboli)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. yeast
2 cups warm water
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup oil
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups flour
Dissolve 1/2 tsp. sugar and the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water. Let set 5-10 minutes.
Next mix the 2 cups water, egg, butter and oil in a seperate bowl and then add it to the yeast mixture.
Stir in the 1/8 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt and 3 cups of flour.
Using a dough hook, begin kneading the dough and add the rest of the flour. Continue kneading until dough is smooth.
(Dough will be sticky!)
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides of dough. Place towel over bowl and allow to sit in a warm area until dough has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, begin preparing the filling ingredients.

Filling: (enough for 1 stromboli)
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. dried minced onion flakes
dill pickle relish
tomato slices
ketchup
mustard
shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, onion, salt and pepper and drain.
Divide dough into 4 sections.
Take one section and roll out into a 10X13 rectangle.
Spread beef mixture on top.
Add tomato slices, shredded cheese & dill pickle relish.
Top with ketchup and mustard.
Roll up lengthwisewise in a jelly roll fashion.
Bake at 350° on a greased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!

I'm off to get some house cleaning out of the way so that I can spend a little time this afternoon stitching. Hope to have some Kennywood pictures to share with you next week and I also just realized that I still have pictures from our spring school fieldtrip that I never finished sharing with you all. I'll have to do that soon too!
Have a great day and a relaxing weekend!

Finally....A Few Finishes to Share with You!

2011-08-02T13:33:00.000-04:00

Here are a few projects that I've been working on lately. I *love love love* to start new things but *sometimes* am horrible at getting them all finished.
There is just too much to do in a days worth of time so often my hobbies of sewing and crafting get put on the back burner so that the things that NEED done can get done.
Which is why I am always sooo happy to finally complete a project. ( Oh, and to finish 3 in one weekend is almost unheard of !)

You may remember a month or so ago I was working on this stitchery.

I had finished it but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it.
Well, yesterday I quickly hand stitched this little bag from some homespun that I had laying around, sewed my stitchery on to the front of it, stuffed it with some stuffing and tied it shut with a homespun ribbon.

I also finished this yesterday evening.

The design comes from Bird Brain Design and I love it. So simple and clean looking stitched all in blackwork. I planned on framing it this morning in a black frame but after an hour of searching for the frame I finally gave up. It's got to be around here somewhere and I'm sure it will turn up just as soon as I go to the store to by a new one. That's just the way things work for me!

The last item that I accomplished over the weekend was this purse.

Click on picture to enlarge!

I love brown cows (and collect them) so when I found this fabric a few years ago I had to have it. I used all but one little piece of it when I was making and selling purses. So I decided I'd use that last little piece and make myself a purse. I love it! It's just the right size for me and the straps are the perfect length but most of all I love all the little brown cows that are on it!
Well that's all of the goodies I have to share today.
Since I cut the grass this morning before it got hot out and
dinner is all planned plus dessert is baked (Zucchini Brownies), I think I'll spend the rest of my afternoon working on some more stitcheries.
Stay cool and have a great day!

Crockpot Potato Soup

2011-08-01T15:29:00.000-04:00

Hi all!

It's Monday again and that means it's time for yet another Homemade By You over at Farmchick's.
Today I'll share an easy and pleasing soup that's great to make on these hot summer days. Just get it ready early in the morning and then let it cook all day while you work or play.

Crockpot Potato Soup

14 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1 onion, diced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
4 tbsp. flour
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Place potatoes, carrots, water, celery salt, onion, chicken bouillon, parsley and salt into a greased crockpot.
Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.
Place milk and flour in a large mason jar with a lid.
Shake well and then pour into soup.
Let cook on high for another hour or until soup thickens.
Add cheese and stir until melted.
*This recipe feeds my family of 5 so if you need less then just cut the recipe in half.*

Not much else going on here. Pretty uneventful weekend which allowed me the time to work on my stitcheries and sewing. I'll be back tomorrow with a few finished items to show you.
Have a great Monday!

Garden Goodness

2011-07-27T19:11:00.001-04:00

Our tiny gardens our finally starting to produce.
I really wasn't anticipating much from the gardens this year due to such a late start from all the spring rains we had. We got past that and finally got seeds and plants in the ground then we got the exact opposite. Hot..Hot weather and very little rain.
So far the zucchini, squash and cucumbers are doing well. The green beans have finally begun producing and so have the tomatoes but the tomatoes are not growing very big.
Not sure if I will even get enough this year to can spaghetti sauce with but I've got cucumbers galore.
Plenty enough to try my hand at making pickles.

These are dill pickles and the tiny jars contain some blueberry jam that I made this morning.
I'm still waiting to see if the jam thickens up a bit more. I tasted it and it's good but a little on the runny side. I guess if it doesn't set up then we'll have blueberry syrup for pancakes, ice cream topping or whatever else we can think of.

It's been a long day in the kitchen so I'm off to relax a bit in the pool.
Have a great evening!

Creamy Fruit Salad

2011-07-25T13:41:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,
It's Monday again and time for Homemade by You over at Farmchick's.
My submission for today is this cool and creamy fruit salad. It is so easy to throw together and it's very versatile. You can follow my recipe or use your own favorite fruits to make this healthy and yummy dessert. I will tell you that bananas are delicious in this salad but the leftovers don't look very pretty by the next day as the bananas turn brown. (even if dipped in lemon juice first)

Creamy Fruit Salad

15.25 oz. can of fruit cocktail in it's own juice, undrained
15 oz. can of sliced peaches, undrained
15 oz. can of sliced pears, drained
24 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained
20 oz. pineapple chunks, drained
1 pkg. fresh strawberries, sliced
1 large box sugar free (or regular) vanilla pudding

Combine all fruit and then sprinkle the dry pudding mix over top. Stir gently and refrigerate.
Enjoy!

Some Welcome Relief

2011-07-22T22:44:00.000-04:00

We finally got a little bit of relief this evening from the hot and muggy weather and thank goodness for that!
I'm not overly fond of all this heat and humidity so after dinner I skipped going outdoors and went to my room to jump on my laptop. Not long after that Katie came and got me saying that it was getting awfully dark outside. Next my Mom and Dad called.
They were out shopping (about 1/2 hour away) and had to pull off the road due to heavy winds, rain and hail.
So I figured I better get out back and get my laundry off the clothesline before the storm got here.
I watched the clouds twist, turn and bubble and then the lightning and thunder could be seen and heard.
The storm wasn't quite here so I grabbed my camera and stood right outside the door trying to capture a picture of lightning. Do you know how hard it is to snap the picture at just the right moment??? Let me tell you it is HARD but I finally caught one. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

Once the rain and wind began I couldn't see a thing out my back windows.

Out front you could see the rain coming down fast and hard in sheets as the wind blew.

Thankfully no damage here at home but lots of trees and power lines down all over town.
Once the worst was over, I headed back outdoors to watch the storm as it traveled southeast.
You could still hear rumbles of thunder in the distance as the sky lit up in shades of purple.

Now the humidity is gone, replaced with some pleasant cool evening air. Wish it would stay around a bit longer but I believe tomorrow is gonna be another hot one.
Enjoy your weekend and stay cool!

Summertime Meal Ideas

2011-07-22T12:44:00.000-04:00

I don't know about all of you but when the weather gets hot the last place I want to be is in the kitchen.
However, I still have 5 hungry mouths to feed so I turn to crockpot cooking, grilling or quick and easy meals.
Since the thermometers are in the 90's right now with a heat index in the 100's I'm turning to those recipes and thought I'd share some of our favorites.
Click on each title to go to the recipe!

Main Dish
1. Crockpot Beef Roast with Gravy
2.   Grilled Flank Steak
3.   Crockpot Cranberry Chicken
4.   Homemade Waffles with Sausage Patties
5.   Crockpot Cheesey Beef and Mac
6.   Crockpot Beef and Stuffing Rolls
7.   Crockpot Pork Chops and Gravy
8.   Fried Zucchini and Feta Subs
9.   Steak Rub
10. Crockpot Meatballs & Gravy
11. My Favorite Sloppy Joe Recipe
12. Crockpot Creamy Chicken & Stuffing with Potatoes

Side Dishes
1. Greek Salad
2. Crockpot Garden Green Beans
3. Potato Salad
4. Crispy Crunchy Onion Rings
5. Tossed Salad with Creamy Dressing
6. Bean Salad

Desserts

1. Candy Apple Delight
2. Butterfinger Bars
3. Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Dessert
4. Banana Split Dessert
5. Creamy Coconut Pecan Pies
6. Homemade Italian Ice
7. Oreo Delight
8. Homemade Chocolate Ice Milk
9. Strawberry Delight Squares
10. Peanut Butter Pudding Mousse

Have a great day and try to keep cool!

Crockpot Cooking To Stay Cool ~Cranberry Chicken

2011-07-21T11:25:00.001-04:00

Good Morning!
Hope you all are beating this heat and staying cool.
That picture above is what my cooking has consisted of for the past couple of days. It's just too hot to heat the kitchen up but we still gotta eat so I've opted for a few days of crockpot cooking.
Crockpot #1 has peeled red potatoes cooked in chicken broth. I cooked them on high all day, drained them and mashed them up with a bit of butter and milk.

Crockpot #2 was a Spicy Sweet Chicken recipe that I found and had been wanting to try. Everyone had their doubts when they found out the ingredients used in it but once it was cooked they all agreed it was yummy!

Crockpot Spicy Sweet Chicken

3 lbs. chicken breasts
1 tbsp. oil
16 oz. jellied cranberry sauce, divided
1/4 cup Spicy Catalina salad dressing
2 tbsp. dry onion soup mix
1 tbsp. cornstarch

In a skillet, heat oil and brown chicken on both sides.
Place chicken in the bottom of a greased crockpot.
In a large bowl, combine half of the cranberry sauce, all of the Catalina and onion soup mix.
Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on Low 6 hours or High for 3 hours.
Stir cornstarch into the remaining cranberry sauce.
Add to crockpot and stir to mix it all up.
Turn slow cooker to High, cover and cook for another 45 minutes or until bubbly.
Enjoy!

Oh, before I go I gotta tell you this.
Bad Luck Stikes AGAIN!!
LUCK is just not on my side this year when it comes to appliances.
First my computer crashed and I had to buy a new one.
Next I think was my stove which turned into a 6 month nightmare followed by my refrigerator and then my dryer (which thankfully my Dad and son were able to fix). Well yesterday my deep freeze quit working. I went to get a popsicle out of it and quickly realized they were no longer frozen. Just a puddle of sticky goo!
Logan and I unloaded it and put what I could into my frig/freezer and the rest I had to pack up and take to Mom and Dad's freezer. Needless to say we'll be shopping soon for a new one and it won't be at SEARS. (If you're wondering why then read THIS.)
Dare I say what else could go wrong??
I think the only other appliance that we have is the microwave and it's up there in age too so I better not.

Hope you all can find a cool spot until all this heat passes.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies & Trying to Stay Cool!

2011-07-18T16:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

It's Monday so it's time to link up with Farmchick for Homemade by You ~ Monday.
Today I tried to beat the heat by baking these this morning before it got so hot out. Needless to say the house is still hot and the A/C is working overtime but we've got some homemade sweets for after dinner! *That is, if they last that long*

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 (11.5oz.) bags chocolate chips

I'll tell you before you even start that this is a large batch and the dough is very thick. Also, my chocolate chips sunk to the bottom of my batter bowl so the cookies that I scooped from the top of my bowl had far less chips than the ones on the bottom. You'll need to get in there with a big wooden spoon (or your hands) and stir them up good throughout all of the dough.

Mix all ingredients together.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until browned.
Enjoy!

As for the staying cool part... well I'm trying.
It's hot but the humidity is the killer!
It's a good day to stay indoors and work on this.

Hope you all are staying cool!

Pork lo Mein

2011-07-14T12:31:00.001-04:00

Chinese isn't high on my list of favorite foods so I never make it or buy it but as I was browsing through some recipes I stumbled upon this and thought I'd give it a try to see if any of my family liked it.
I served this on a hot day when I didn't really want to cook or eat anything heavy so I just served it with a side of sauteed peppers and squash from the garden and it was pretty tasty.

Pork Lo Mein

1 lb. angel hair pasta
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
4 tbsp. lite soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. olive oil
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 lbs. pork chops, sliced diagonally into 1/4" strips
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. parsley

Cook pasta, drain and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together 2 cups chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, 2 tsp. olive oil, and cornstarch and then set aside.
Heat the 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add pork strips, garlic and pepper. Brown and cook until done.
After pork is cooked thoroughly, add the cooked spaghetti, soy sauce mixture and 2 tsp. parsley.
Stir well and let cook until sauce thickens.
If sauce gets too thick you can add a bit more chicken broth to thin it down.
*I think this would be good to with some added veggies like peas, broccoli, diced carrots and so forth.*
Enjoy!

It's Been a Little While!

2011-07-12T17:13:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all!
It's been a while since I've been on my computer. Hubby was on vacation last week and the above saying kinda sums up our week.
We didn't do anything special, just stayed home and relaxed in the pool as we tried to stay cool.

I spent most of the week preparing for our big yardsale that we have each summer. This year there were six of us girls and loads and loads of goodies.
Lots to go through, price, organize and sell but we did it and made more money than we ever had before. Woo-hoo!

All good things must come to an end!
So vacation is over and it's back to our daily routines.
I've got lots of catching up to do so I'll be stopping by all of your blogs soon!
Hope you all are staying cool in this hot weather!

Frosted Zucchini Bars

2011-07-05T00:37:00.000-04:00

Zucchini season is here and even though I only planted a few plants they are doing really well.
I checked on them the other day and found five that were ready to be picked. I sliced a few up and cooked them with a little onion and olive oil and the others got grated to make these yummy cream cheese frosted zucchini bars.

Frosted Zucchini Bars

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup oats ( I ground mine fine in the food processor but you could leave them whole)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix eggs, sugar, butter, applesauce and vanilla in a bowl.
In another bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and then add to the egg mixture.
Stir in zucchini, raisins, walnuts and chocolate chips.
Spread into a greased 11X16 bar pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool and then frost.

Frosting Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the cream cheese and butter.
Add vanilla and powdered sugar.
Spread on top of cooled bars.
Refrigerate and Enjoy!

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-02T18:43:00.000-04:00

Anyone have great plans for the weekend??

Nothing too fancy going on here!
It's supposed to be a hot one so I'm guessing we'll spend a good many hours in the pool.
Hubby is also on vacation this week so that means we've got a lazy week to sleep in and do whatever we want. No alarm clocks ringing in my ear at 5:30.....Yippeee!

A cookout with the family and a few fireworks are all that we have planned.

On the sewing front:
Of course, I still have to sit down and put the last few berries on my stitchery and then decide what to do with it. (frame, pillow,etc.)
I spent some time last night tracing a few more stitcheries that I plan to work on but NOT until I get the first one finished.

(My future projects)

I'm not sure where all the time goes but these summer days just seem to be flying by!

Hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

COUNTRY WHISPERS

It'll Be Done & Pictures of the Mound

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Encased In Ice

Back in the 70's

Making Breakfast Burritos to Freeze

Blogger, Pockets, Snow & All Organized

Leaping into Lapbooking

Happy 12th Birthday Gage!

A Wasted Week

First Flakes and Freezing Temps.

Happy New Year!

Playing with my New Camera

Putting it all Away!

Wishing All a Merry Christmas!

Baking is Done...Time to Enjoy!

Busy Baking & Wrapping

Dill Pickle Dip

Party & Presents

The Birthday Girl Picks a Winner

Chipped Beef Gravy

First Christmas Card and a Sweet Treat

A Quilter's Christmas Giveaway!!

Back to the Books

Rested Up & Turkey'd Out

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas Parade and Warm Weather

Beginning to Deck the Halls

Cajun Beef & Carrots

Hoagie Buns from Scratch

A Day in the Country is Worth a Month in Town

Game Playing Kitty & Holiday Shopping

Live Simply

Troubles with a 3 Layer Cake

Happy Halloween!

ME from A - Z

Roasting Veggies

Storms a Coming!

Concrete Poured and Lions & Tigers & Bears...Oh My!

Witches Boots

A Fall Drive through the Country

Tapioca Pudding Made in a Crockpot

Foggy Start to Oglebayfest

Working in the Mud

All Out of Stuffing!

It's in the Air!

Hope ~ *Updated*

Butterfinger Bars

Moundsville's Zombie Walk 2011

Do you Pin?

Love Begins - the prequel to "Love Comes Softly"

A Bowl Full of Stars and a New Do

Weekend of Shopping

Weekend Silliness

Crockpot Cheesy Creamed Corn

Wheeling's 2011 Vintage Raceboat Regatta

Beer & Onion Crockpot Beef Roast

Beautiful Start to a Busy Day

Shall I Keep it or Sell It?

Did You Feel It?

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

Canning Spaghetti Sauce

A Finish, An Anniversary and a Count Down!

To Dye or Not to Dye??

Kennywood Park 2011

Cheeseburger Stromboli

Finally....A Few Finishes to Share with You!

Crockpot Potato Soup

Garden Goodness

Creamy Fruit Salad

Some Welcome Relief

Summertime Meal Ideas

Crockpot Cooking To Stay Cool ~Cranberry Chicken

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies & Trying to Stay Cool!

Pork lo Mein

It's Been a Little While!

Frosted Zucchini Bars

4th of July Weekend

Hope ~ Updated