from a dear friend

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I will be celebrating a birthday soon.  I don't like birthdays.  Never have.  I do not enjoy being the center of attention that having a birthday brings. 

 

I do however have wonderful friends and family who take the time to wish me the best, send and give gifts or spend some time visiting with me.  I appreciate it all ..... every little bit.

 

 

 

I have a dear friend whom I never met in person.  We met on a frugal website forum and there the friendship began.  We swap stories, dreams and sorrows.  I have 'watched' her oldest grandson grow through the years and 'witnessed' another one being born.  Now she has a third grandchild on the way and I am so excited for her! 

 

She enjoys so many of the same things I do ..... crafting, gardening and living simply.  Although for now our friendship consists of emails, messages and phone calls.  One day I am sure, we will meet in person and it will be as if we had never met.  We call each other our 'kindred sister'.

 

 

Deannie was ever so thoughtful and sent me a lovely birthday present.  Amazingly Deannie does not know what outfits I like to wear or my style BUT she could not have picked a better present.  Actually she had the present MADE especially for me by one of her co-workers.

 

 

Isn't it gorgeous?! I just LOVE it!!!  When I chose something to wear for work, I like to incorporate scarves into my outfit.  I can wear the same outfit a whole week (I don't, but I could! LOL) and it wouldn't look the same just by changing the scarf, accessories and footwear.  So this present was a PERFECT thoughtful gift!

 

 

Thanks Deannie and please give those grandbabies Liam and Rio a huge hug and kiss for me!!  Talk to you soon my friend.

 

Have a wonderful day and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

 

Oh Gosh, I Love Them!

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When I picked up my Mom for the Christmas break, she had in her basket, two beautiful crocheted rugs made by an old friend.  My Mom said Mrs. Heyens made these two just for me!!

How special is that?!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!  They are extremely squishy.  Just perfect for cold floors in the morning during the winter.  The brown, rust rug now has found a permanent home in front of my kitchen sink.  The colors just mix perfectly with my decor and the match my new kitchen curtains.

Now Mrs. Heyens  is from the old country (Holland) like my Mom and they have remained good friends throughout the years and always lived within 25 miles of each other.  They stop and visit often now that they are older and their children are grown and gone.  During the summer months, you will see Mrs. Heyens and my Mom riding their bikes to yard sales throughout their small town.  Many times they are faster than those in vehicles that are thrifting as well!  Very cute.

I am hoping that one day she will share the pattern for the rugs as I would love to make more for myself and others .... but that might be a secret.  For now, I will have to be content enjoying the ones she made for me.

Please remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Sharon's Spice Cake

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My friend Sharon over at sharnymcclarny posted this recipe a while back when she made it for some company that was coming to arrive that day.  Well seeing it is the Christmas season and the scents of allspice, I believe, are strongly related to this time of the year, I just had to give it a try.

The very best part of this recipe is that Sharon saved it from a 1981 Woman's Day magazine!  As you can see by her post, this recipe was tooted as one of the "Easiest Cakes Ever" and it was.

So simple and yet oh so delicious!  The caramel frosting is just perfect with the spices in the cake.  It reminded me of a spice cake my Grandma use to make.  What a treat that it brought back those memories.

Dumping all ingredients in to the pan, mixing them up in the pan and baking it in the same pan ... well, it can't get much easier than that.

SPICE CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using an 8 or 9 inch square pan mix ....

1 1/4 cups of flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Mix these dry ingredients well. Then pour .....

1/3 cup oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cup water

over the dry ingredients.  Stir well with a fork, making sure the ingredients are all mixed thoroughly until smooth.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a rack.  Spread with the caramel frosting below.

 CARAMEL FROSTING

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
3/4 cup plus 3 tbsp confectioner's sugar

In a small saucepan melt butter, add brown sugar.  Stir over low heat for 2 minutes.  Add milk; bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, cool.  Slowly beat in confectioner's sugar until smooth and of spreading consistency.

AMAZING!  I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe.

If you try it, stop over and tell Sharon thanks!  Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving..... one word which conjures up images of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie.  Family and friends gathered around the table ... unfortunately some of our family members have to be absent this year .... namely Luke, Sarah and my Mom but they are close to our hearts today.  We love you and miss all of you!

photo credit

We wish you lots of joy, laughter and good food on this day in which we give thanks.  Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Neighbor Dave

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Neighbor Dave and his wife Liz live behind us.  Their back property borders a creek and on the other side of that creek is our back property line.  We call neighbor Dave, "ND".  Now ND is a long haul truck driver.  He runs the same route three times a week and each run is approximately 14 hours straight.  Since his run is mainly the overnight hours, he tends to have quite a bit of free time during the day each week.  They are not only great neighbors but great friends.

He stops by on his days off for morning coffee and likes to catch up on the gossip with my dear hubby.   The other day when the coffee and chatting was over, he invited hubby and I over to his place.  He had been having some problems with bears and needed hubby to give him a hand moving some feed.  ND and Liz feed deer year round ... except during hunting season as it is illegal to do so.  Neither of them hunt deer....they feed them for entertainment....and an expensive entertainment it is as the deer eat over 200 pounds of corn a week!

It was a beautiful sunny, fall morning so I grabbed my camera on the way out the door....I figured I might see something different that I would want to capture on film.  I love wandering around a new piece of land, you just never know what you might see!

Now their property was once an old farm.  

The barn and chicken coop has long been torn down but remnants remain...like the little milk house... and I had a grand time exploring while the men were busy.  

We have been there many times before but seeing the property through the lens was a different picture.

ND and Liz have a wonderful property.  Most of the trees were planted by them when they first purchased the land and their children were young.  

Towering pines, poplar, birch and even oak now are scattered throughout the fields along with wild plum, apple and crab-apple.

They have built themselves a wonderful property but best of all they built themselves a wonderful home.    

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Just Reflecting.....

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It was a fairly quiet weekend.  A weekend with quite a bit of rest and it was spent.....

collecting garden goodies in aprons...

having a cold one with old buddies not seen in a while.....  ( just look at those two!!!  Hubby on the right...grey hair and all .... just after a short nap. LOL )

and watching nature turn as the seasons do.

I hope your weekend was a great one and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

The Generosity of Neighbors

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We were truly blessed this week by neighbors who have bountiful harvests.  The garden goodies just kept coming through the door to our surprise.

Our neighbors knew how our summer went and have been so generous and we are ever so thankful.

Onions, snap beans and zucchini from neighbor Dave who in my opinion is one of the best gardeners I know.  This was the third time he has brought us goodies...he mentioned next will be acorn squash as he has waaaay too many for Liz his wife and himself to eat.  Yummy!  The zucchini has been frozen, the snap beans have been eaten and the onions will be used unless we get more which I will then dehydrate them.  I love using dehydrated onions in stews, soups and chili.

Next up was the 5 gallon pail of potatoes...are they not just beautiful?  Our neighbor Bill did a wonderful job this year!  He also mentioned there would be many more to come....his crop is huge and he is a single man.  I have a batch of potato chips in the dehydrator as I type this....the first time I have attempted such a thing but the potatoes were so large, I couldn't resist trying.  If they turn out well, I will make more and dehydrate some more just plain for stews and soups which we eat in abundance during the winter.  

Can you see the apples in the background?  Our neighbor John brought a bushel...they are not crab apples...regular apples which are surprisingly very sweet.  I have already made applesauce with them and it is oh so delicious!

Then neighbor Brian and his father Larry carried in buttercup squash, crooked neck squash and cucumbers!  I had never tried either type of squash so off to the Internet to check to see how they were to be cooked and boy oh boy are they delectable!  Now one of my favorites and they will be added to the seed list for next summer.  

Funny how things work out isn't it?  I was thinking that we would not be enjoying garden fresh veggies except through a farmer's market but here we are munching and loving the generosity of such good neighbors and friends.,,,for this we are truly thankful.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Linking up with Amy over at Homestead Revival

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What a beautiful day today! The temperatures warmed up to a balmy 32 degrees with sunny skies. Such a nice treat!

As promised yesterday, I would like to direct you over to another friend's blog. This friend is only known as Madhen...and she is a real treat! This lady is one of the most dedicated people for animal rescue that I have ever known. She lives on a beautiful mountain in California raising goats, donkeys, chickens, birds, dogs, cats and whatever else that might catch her fancy.

Her blog is a real treat so pop on over and say hi! Madhen can be found here...

http://mad-hen-creations.blogspot.com/

I am sure you will enjoy it.

I snapped this picture early this morning while out on my morning walk....the sun was just coming up.

Tomorrow is Saturday....usually Saturdays are a very busy day for us with company that likes to pop in for a cup of coffee and a cookie or two. I cannot believe how fast the weeks fly by!

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Fabric and Penny Rug

Pin It I have made some wonderful friends on the web. People I have never met in person but I know that if I did, we would sit around for hours, drinking tea or a glass of wine and have a great time.

One of these friends is Bev who lives in Spokane Washington. I have been making here some crocheted flowers that she wants to make into a quilt on day. They have been fun and different to make and our agreement was if I made them for her she would send me some snowmen fabric. I LOVE snowmen so to me it was a great deal.

The last few days we have been experiencing a blizzard with a lot of snow. Yesterday when we were clearing the driveway and parking lot, I decided to talk the long walk up to check the mail and I am so glad I did! The mailbox was empty and full of snow as the snowplow must have hit it when it went by. I happened to glance to my right and I noticed a green box buried halfway into the snowbank so I thought I would check it out and toss the garage into the bin. Well, it was a parcel addressed to me!

When I opened it, Bev had surprised me with this wonderful Valentine fabric!



She sent me three yards of each and I was so excited!!!



I was jumping up and down (while Bob and Luke thought I was crazy).

I envision many wonderful projects that I can make with this fun fabric. Thank you Bev so much!!! I just love the choices you sent. I have been enjoying myself just playing with it and figuring out what to make first. You are the best!

I have also been working on my first penny rug. It is a Christmas theme and I have made a few mistakes along the way but it is beginning to come together nicely. I still have all the stitching to do around the sides and the wool pieces but I like how it is looking. This will be placed in my Christmas box as a gift for someone this year.

What have you been doing to pass the time away this long winter? I love hearing what everyone else is making.....it gives me even more ideas! =)

Have a great day and don't forget to give your loved ones a hug!