Hearts

Making cookies for Valentines Day.

I enjoy making and decorating cut out cookies for the holidays.

Only hearts for this batch of cookies!
Valentines Day is almost here!

Cooling, then the fun begins!

~Ready for family and friends for Valentines Day~ 

White Cutout Cookies

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

3 cups flour

2 tbsp milk

Cream the shortening and sugar.  Add well beaten eggs, salt, and vanilla, beat together.

Sift baking soda and cream of tartar with flour. Add alternately with milk.

Chill dough for about one hour.

Roll to 1/4 inch and cut with cookie cutters.

Lightly grease cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 F for 8-9 minutes

When cool frost and decorate

~Cheryl~

Apron In The Mail

This apron was in today's mail for me from Susan over at My Mother's Apron Strings, it is lovely!

Susan gives away an apron each month on her blog and I was the lucky winner for January!!!

She does beautiful work, I will enjoy using this apron when I am baking!  

It was a fun mail day today, also got a package from a dear friend of mine.

She sent adorable heart mug rugs along with a charm pack, material, hot chocolate, and a pattern. What a fun way to start my week!

Blessings,

~Cheryl~

Looking Back

 Mom has been in her heavenly home for 21 years as of yesterday.  As I look back at times it seems like she just left us and other times it seems so long ago.  Time seems to slip by so fast. Going through some old pictures I had found this picture of all of us cousins before any of our brothers were born and there has been more sisters born also.  More evidence of how fast time moves on. All of us now have children and grandchildren of our own. 

 

I am the first one in the front row on the left, my sister is right behind me.

Time may fly by, but each season in life is precious. Each season brings new adventures!

We have all went from being little girls to watching our children and grandchildren and there are a couple of great grandchildren now.

I am sure our parents are smiling down on us....

Home Sweet Home

Seven months ago we moved back to our home town.  It has been so fun being back home again and living in the country!

HOME SWEET HOME

It has been busy getting settled in, unpacking, painting, a little remodeling in the kitchen, planting lots of flowers, trying to get a garden established, etc, and enjoying every minute of it. 

It has also been so nice having family and friends come and visit our little country home.  

It was fun this spring to see what was under the snow in our yard, when you buy a place in the winter there is always the wonder of what does the property look like.  Have been pleasantly surprised, had a couple of peonies bushes, some lilies, flowering crab tree, a row of bridal wreath, old fashioned rose bush that has blossomed on and off all summer, and my favorite lilac bushes.

A few pictures around the yard.

We have had lilacs at each place we have lived except our last house, so happy to have them again!

 

 The corn field behind us being irrigated.

Bridal Wreath

Have had a great summer and enjoying our first fall!

The lights of home ... they bring us
A sense of warmth and peace.
They promise untold loveliness,
Rest, laughter and release.

They are like hands that beckon us,
Like arms that draw us near ...
The lights of home! They whisper words
Of comfort and good cheer.
                                      
I am so thankful for the Lord leading us to our little house in the country!

~ Cheryl ~

Catch up and Changes

I have been enjoying not working this year.  Thought that when school started that I may miss going each day, well that hasn't happened.  It could have something to do with that I am helping with homeschooling our oldest grandson for his senior year!  It has kept me busy along with my husband hurting his foot at work and finally had surgery the end of October.  As you can see he is a true Packer fan, our grandson's thought he should have Packer colors for his cast.  He has a ways to go before it is completely healed, but casts and boot are finally off and he can drive again. I have been doing all of the driving for about 3 months.  Not something I ever do when the two of us go places.  I am enjoying having him home,  it will be hard when he finally goes back to work.

Having our grandson here for part of each week has been such a blessing with my husband being laid up for the past 3 months. 

We have been enjoying fresh eggs from my girls.  It is so fun to go out and collect eggs each day.  Out of our four chickens that we ordered two of them turned out to be roasters, what a surprise when they started crowing.  We found an Amish couple that said they would give us two hens for our roasters. I loved the crowing but the neighbors not so much.

One of the things that I have enjoyed having more time for this past fall was sewing. Had so much fun making a baby quilt and some cute burp rags.

For this little sweetie... our newest grandchild. 

She was born the day before our grandson's 16th birthday, she almost got to share her big brothers birthday!

Now for the changes that are coming...

We will be moving back to our home town.  It looks like our closing date should be the beginning of February.  We have found a place out in the country.  It will be so nice to have a place where the garden can be bigger, the chickens can free range.  We are both excited to be back out in the country again, but mostly that we will be close to our kids and the rest of the family.

 I am excited to see what the Lord has for us in this new season of our life.

~Cheryl~

Aroma

The aroma of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves roasting in the oven is penetrating the whole house.  Everything is from our garden except the bay leaves.

Have a great weekend!

~Cheryl~

August Garden

The garden has that Fall look to it.  Some of the vegetables are done with and others are coming to the end.  Planted some lettuce plants the other day that I started from seed, hoping to get some  lettuce from it this fall.

This is the time of year when the weeds start to creep in, with harvesting and canning not much weeding gets done.  Also this year with my husband being laid up we didn't get the mulch in between the rows like other years and that has made a difference in the weeds.  

The tomatoes have late blight again this year, but still doing pretty good. The last half of the row doesn't have blight as bad.  Although there is one tomato plant that has been very nice this summer, big lots of blossoms but not one single tomato on it.  That is a first for me and am not sure what is going on with it. If any one has had that happen would love to hear from you.

The cucumbers haven't been doing the greatest this year, thankful that I was able to can extras last year so we don't need as many.  We have been eating them along with canning some dill, sweet dill, gallon sweet pickles and some sweet cucumber relish.  Will keep canning them up as they come just smaller batches at a time.

The Red and Yukon Gold potatoes have died back, we have been eating on them, the Russets vines are still partially green so still growing.  We should have enough potatoes for the winter.  The green beans are starting to blossom again so will have a few more fresh ones.  Still plenty of things to finish canning and freezing for a while yet!

Today's harvest.  Potatoes, beans, and carrots for supper.

Will be canning tomatoes in a couple of days. 

Getting some much needed rain this afternoon, it is feeling like fall today with temps in the low 60's , a big change from our 90's this weekend.

Enjoying!