Prairie Prims and NeNe's Crafting Corner

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T09:10:00.001-06:00

I wish all of you a great day and a blessed life.

2011-10-19T10:04:00.001-05:00

2011-10-19T09:57:00.001-05:00

Count Your Blessings "When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,Count your many blessings; name them one by one,And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?Count your many blessings; every doubt will fly,And you will be singing as the days go by. When you look at others with their lands and gold,Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold.Count your many blessings; money cannot buyYour reward in heaven nor your home on high. So amid the conflict, whether great or small,Do not be discouraged; God is over all.Count your many blessings; angels will attend,Help and comfort give you to your journey's end." Count Your Blessings, Hymn 241

Not to long ago we had to give up our beautiful "Baby" I am really missing her today.

Prairie Prims and NeNe's Crafting Corner: Amber Alert

2011-10-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

Prairie Prims and NeNe's Crafting Corner: Amber Alert

Amber Alert

2011-10-06T13:11:00.002-05:00

Please help

Uncle Ralph Evans is 89!

2011-10-04T17:43:00.000-05:00

The Chosen

2011-10-03T17:21:00.001-05:00

"The Chosen"
We are the chosen. In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as it were, by our genes.

Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do.

In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors, "You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us."

How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say.

It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who I am, and why I do the things I do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying - I can't let this happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family.

It goes to deep pride that the fathers fought and some died to make and keep us a nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. It is of equal pride and love that our mothers struggled to give us birth, without them we could not exist, and so we love each one, as far back as we can reach. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are they and they are the sum of who we are. So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family.

It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take my place in the long line of family storytellers.

That is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and restore the memory or greet those who we had never known before."

by Della M. Cummings Wright; Rewritten by her granddaughter Dell Jo Ann McGinnis Johnson; Edited and Reworded by Tom Dunn, 1943."

It's a party

2011-10-01T20:08:00.001-05:00

Chris has had a busy day. He was at a birthday party and now he's is having a Halloween sleep over with 5 friends. I think the word sleep is misused.

Prairie Prims and NeNe's Crafting Corner: Being Prepared

2011-09-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

Prairie Prims and NeNe's Crafting Corner: Being Prepared

Being Prepared

2011-09-16T10:39:00.005-05:00

As I change with the seasons I usually find new interests. I have started working at the Bishops Storehouse and have been more aware of food storage. I am planning on getting serious about my personal responsibility for my own welfare. Last week I stored dry foods in mylar bags. This is for short term storage. I just wanted to conserve some space. I repackaged noodles and other types of pasta, bisquick, rice and some packaged mixes. These will be useful when we travel in the motor home.

If you need to get started just take a baby step.

Family Home Storage

First Presidency

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

"We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."
—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, 1

Happy Spring

2011-05-12T09:03:00.000-05:00

The weather finally changed and Spring is here. I have so much to do and have a very lazy attitude. I worked at our Family History Center for a couple of days and enjoyed the people. We have so much to learn.

I worked on my friend Ann's family history and have lots to send her. I hope she enjoys all of the info. She has a very interesting family. I love working on other peoples family lines. I love to track their migration through the country. I hope to get a lot more done this summer.

2011

2010-12-29T10:45:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it is the end of another year. This has not been the best year of my life but I am planning a very different 2011. I am going to keep a notebook of spiritual promptings. I hope to be more in tune with what God wants me to do. I am so prideful and I really want to change some things.

Well, thats my first plan of action. I am hoping to follow through. We'll see!

December

2010-12-06T17:25:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's almost Christmas again. Every year it seems like it just appears. I love this time of year. I really am trying to slow down and enjoy the glow of the season. My church group had a wonderful cookie exchange last Wednesday. The next two Friday's we have Christmas parties to attend. I really have to get lots done. Here's hoping your days are merry and bright!

Home again

2010-11-08T12:25:00.002-06:00

I am finally home from CA. It was a very busy 3 weeks. I had lots to get done. My neice is not feeling well so she had a few bad days. I pray she will get through this. The weather was good but it did rain and it was pouring when I left the airport.

Now I have to turn my attention to getting ready for the holidays. It will be fun to have something else to think about. I would like a whole new look this year. I love some of the beautiful colors this year.

Thanks for your concerns and now I have to get busy.

Fall and I love it.

2010-10-07T10:40:00.003-05:00

We just finished painting our kitchen cabinets and used some magic paint on the counter. It looks good. I will take some pics soon. It really helps to give the old place a facelift. I need to start my usual pre holiday routine but I am just not that motivated.

002

2010-09-21T12:14:00.000-05:00

Fall 2010

2010-09-18T10:20:00.007-05:00

It's finally a little cooler here in the Midwest. It has been such a long hot summer. We had some fun little side trips and Bob and Chris had 2 trips to Utah. Chris loves to travel with Papa. I don't even want to know about their adventures. I need to get really busy and do something creative. I have been super lazy and now it's time to get motivated.

I did volunteer to help someone on find a grave with a picture but no luck. I will share some of the pictures I took of the Old Parkville Cemetery. It is really in dreadful disrepair. So sad to see this happen to our ancestors final resting place.

Judy P and Me

2010-09-10T04:02:00.003-05:00

Judy and me in Eagle Grove, after the funeral of Judy Foust. Very sad day.

My Dear Judy

2010-09-07T11:46:00.003-05:00

Judith Foust

Judith Ann Foust, the daughter of Eugene and Annabelle (Pfaffenbach) Kiesecker, was born August 30, 1946, in Webster City, Iowa. She was raised and educated in the area of her birth, graduating from Webster City High School in 1964.

On March 6th, 1965, Judy was united in marriage with Jerry D. Foust at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Webster City. The couple resided in Eagle Grove for 19 years and then moved to Webster City in 1990.

Judy worked for the Iowa Liquor Commission for 6 years in Eagle Grove and then Hamilton County Hospital in Webster City for 26 years. She served as a volunteer EMT for the Eagle Grove Ambulance for over 5 years.

Judy was baptized, confirmed and a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Webster City. She enjoyed shopping trips and spending time with her friends and grandchildren.

Judy passed away on Sunday, September 5, 2010, at her home, after a two year battle with cancer. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Survivors include her husband, Jerry Foust of Webster City; three children: Shanda Foust of Eagle Grove, Michelle Condon of Des Moines and Chad Foust and wife Lisa of Eagle Grove; four grandchildren: Matthew Foust, Kiley Cummins, MacKenzie Condon and Tyler Foust; great-grandson, Alixander Foust and numerous other family and friends.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eagle Grove with Pastor Chris Lang officiating. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Foust Funeral Home in Eagle Grove. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery in Eagle Grove.

Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.

Dog days of summer

2010-08-27T11:35:00.003-05:00

Dogs Life?

Beautiful Day!

2010-08-27T11:31:00.003-05:00

What a beautiful day!!

I love Fall.

2010-08-26T21:47:00.001-05:00

I really love fall. I would love to have the weather cooperate.

2010-08-19T15:17:00.002-05:00

Chris was doing his homework and was really a little irritated at Papa.

My first squash

2010-07-27T18:30:00.002-05:00

of the season and it's a beauty.

Montrose, Iowa

2010-07-24T09:22:00.003-05:00

My Garden

2010-07-24T09:15:00.002-05:00

New feet within my garden go,

New fingers stir the sod;

A troubadour upon the elm

Betrays the solitude.

New children play upon the green,

New weary sleep below;

And still the pensive spring returns,

And still the punctual snow!

- Emily Dickinson

Happy 4th

2010-07-05T07:42:00.002-05:00

The 4th of July

2010-07-05T07:37:00.001-05:00

Garage Sale Finds

2010-06-25T17:42:00.004-05:00

Today was really hot but I went to a couple of sales. I was quite happy to find the Fire King plates and swirl bowl.

Rainbow!

2010-06-17T09:17:00.002-05:00

Last night there was the most beautiful rainbow.

Cute Cubs!

2010-06-17T09:13:00.002-05:00

Strawberry Jam

2010-06-14T09:53:00.003-05:00

Nothing better than homemade strawberry jam!

Bob and his brother Mike

2010-06-07T08:21:00.004-05:00

Elaine Schnabel's 90th BD

2010-06-07T08:19:00.003-05:00

Chris and Bob

2010-06-01T09:37:00.002-05:00

are off to Utah. Bob's mom, Elaine Schnabel, celebrated her 90th birthday. They had a great party and had a wonderful time.

Proud Granparents

2010-05-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

Class Play

2010-05-22T16:11:00.003-05:00

Chris did a great job as MC for his class play.

An Evening of Art

2010-05-21T12:17:00.004-05:00

Last Thursdays wet weather did not dampen the spirit of the performance, all enjoyed the praise given at the conclusion of the evening. Chris, Jenn and I topped off the event with ice cream.

Crafting again!

2010-05-20T09:08:00.005-05:00

I had a bug to make a bracelet. This is Jasper and I think it turned out nicely.

Last days of 3rd grade

2010-05-19T08:58:00.003-05:00

What a spring

2010-05-19T08:41:00.004-05:00

This has been a hard time for my family. A few weeks ago my son had a heart attack and had 2 stents. A week later my daughter had major surgery on her neck. Needless to say we have been busy. Chris busy with his last few days of school. He and Bob went to an overnight camp out last weekend. Bob is planning a trip to Utah to see his mother for her 90th birthday. Chris is counting the days until they "hit the road" he has great plans. I will not be able to go as I still feel the need to be around in case someone need something. Plus I am the chief pet patrolwoman.

It's a beautiful day!

2010-04-11T08:33:00.003-05:00

I think we have actually left the winter behind. It is such a wonderful spring day. Tomorrow is my daughters birthday can't believe my baby is 40!

Signs of Spring

2010-04-04T14:37:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter, 2010

2010-04-04T14:32:00.001-05:00

Have Blessed Easter

2010-04-03T21:30:00.001-05:00

Pray for our country

2010-03-26T10:26:00.002-05:00

I am so worried about losing our freedoms and rights. We must stand against tyranny and the socialist agenda. We must support all who are willing to speak out for freedom. America was founded by great people who understood oppression. We are obliged to continue the work that was started in the 1600's on the shores of the "New World."

Good Friday Morning

2010-03-19T08:10:00.003-05:00

Hi, hope you are enjoying a few days of nice weather. It's bee such a long winter. I have really neglected my blog. I have been so busy with genealogy I just let everything else go. I miss my daily chats so I will attempt to keep up a better schedule.

I am looking forward to spring and Easter. I would love to the Mesa Passion Play. But maybe another time.

Have a great weekend.

My Favorite Eatery in LA

2010-03-03T08:30:00.002-06:00

My favorite restaurant in LA has to be the Tam O Shanter in Los Feliz. It such a treat, the food is great and the old Hollywood style is so comfortable.

Cole Slaw with Peanuts

4 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/2 cup chopped green onion, including tops
1/4 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Pepper
1 cup chopped celery, including leaves
1/4 cup chopped cocktail peanuts
1/3 cup Lawry's Italian Salad Dressing, made from mix, prepared according to package directions

Toss cabbage, onions, celery and peanuts together lightly. Sprinkle with Seasoned Salt and Seasoned Pepper. Pour salad dressing over salad and toss. Chill thoroughly.

Healthy Whole Wheat Bread

2010-02-27T09:35:00.001-06:00

I decided to make something that was good for us.

No more winter

2010-02-27T09:02:00.002-06:00

I am so tired of winter. This year has been never ending. I hope to see the sun soon. I can't wait to get outside and work in the yard. I am going to start my herb garden in the house so maybe that will help.

Daily Study

2010-02-11T09:00:00.004-06:00

I really need to study every day. If I stay close to the Lord he stays close to me.

Saturday's Baking

2010-01-31T12:14:00.003-06:00

I thought these cinnamon rolls would last a few days. Not!

Trying to keep up

2010-01-31T11:54:00.002-06:00

is getting harder. I don't think I'm getting older but my body is telling me I am. I have had so many things I want to do but it seems to take longer. I think like a 30 yr old and have function in a 60+ year old body. I realize that life is now looking at me a little from the backside. I am so grateful for my health and family that I really need not dwell on other annoyances.

I enjoy all of the things I have always done but I find myself watching my pets and marveling at nature. I have enjoyed sitting in my kitchen and watching the deer, birds, squirrels and whatever happens to wander by my glass door.

Faux Cinnamon Buns

2010-01-29T07:58:00.004-06:00

These were so much fun to make.

Saturday's Baking

2010-01-23T13:20:00.006-06:00

I am a busy baker. My first loaf of sour dough bread and my fav, peanut butter cookies.

The Creation

2010-01-11T10:51:00.000-06:00

The Creation

2010-01-11T10:36:00.001-06:00

King James Version

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-30T10:00:00.002-06:00

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T17:11:00.002-06:00

Christmas 1957

2009-12-28T17:04:00.001-06:00

Long long ago in a galaxy far away!

2009-12-02T08:53:00.001-06:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

My Old Fashioned Boy

2009-11-24T10:28:00.004-06:00

Chris had Old Fashioned Day at school so here are a few pictures. Of course he had to include Papa in the fun times.

New Blogs

2009-11-23T09:30:00.002-06:00

Hi gals, check out my new blogs here and here and and here

I will have lots of things to keep you busy. I would love to see your comments.

A visit to Nell Hills

2009-11-21T18:26:00.007-06:00

Today I visited Nell Hill's in Briarcliff (Kansas City). What a feast for the eyes! The store is lavish and just beautiful. I would love to have time to look at everything! Enjoy the pictures!

Holiday Spirit

2009-11-19T08:34:00.004-06:00

What is holiday spirit? Is it an emotion that can only be felt by reliving past happy times or is it the anticipation of new and exciting experiences? I suppose it is many things, memories, pictures, thoughts, deeds and of course repentance and charity.

My favorite time of year are the weeks before the holidays. I love the planning and preparing of food and gifts to share with those we love. As time goes by we become satisfied that we have provided and contributed to the happiness of others, but what fills us? I like to think it is our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ fills our hearts and and feeds our soul. He replenishes our empty vessel and makes us whole. Only the ultimate gift was enough for him, he gave his life so that we may live with the knowledge that we will return to Heavenly Father in peace and purity.

Our earthly lives are difficult we suffer through many trials. Many times we feel that all is lost or at least misplaced! When I feel like life has handed me more than I can handle I close my eyes and see all of my loved ones who had even greater struggles and are now in that very special place.

Life is a gift and we must cherish all that has been given to us. We must remember it is fragile and can be lost in an instant.

I am fulfilled in the knowledge that the holiday spirit is living and I thank God that it lives in me.

Don't you just love a bargin?

2009-11-14T10:48:00.003-06:00

Hi gals,

I found this darling little mug by Jan Karon from her Mitford series for $22.95 on ebay, but I got mine for $1.50 at our local thrift store. Keep those eyes open for little gifts that won't break the bank.

A fun party!

2009-10-31T11:01:00.005-05:00

Scary Scary night!

2009-10-31T10:30:00.001-05:00

I Love Autumn

2009-10-28T00:04:00.004-05:00

My thought for today

2009-10-22T10:15:00.001-05:00

I Corinthians 13:1-13

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Lovely fall morning

2009-10-21T09:01:00.002-05:00

Good Morning,
It's a little cooler here this morning. Just right for a fall day. I have been busy getting ready for our Family History Center open house. I sure hope we have some visitors. I am going to take treats so maybe that will bring in some budding genealogists.

I have been asked to demonstrate pie crust baking at Relief Society group meeting. Needless to say, I am a little nervous. I have been watching YouTube to get some ideas. This should be very interesting!

Chris is busy with Cub Scouts and Jenn is now a den mother. Lots to do little time.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-10-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am always looking for yummy pumpkin recipes.

Ingredients

* 4 cup all purpose flour
* 4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 can pumpkin (or 1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed, well drained fresh pumpkin)
* 2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate)
* 2 tablespoon milk
* 2 cup sugar
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup cooking oil (or use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
* 1 cup chocolate chips
* 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and set aside.

3. Mix pumpkin, baking soda, milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and oil.

4. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients.

5. Add chocolate chips and nuts.

6. Drop by rounded teaspoonsful onto cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray.

7. Bake at 350F degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Invest Small Amounts of Money Wisely - wikiHow

2009-10-20T08:02:00.000-05:00

Invest Small Amounts of Money Wisely - wikiHow

Prim and Rustic Decor

2009-10-11T09:34:00.002-05:00

What is the primitive, country, rustic style of decorating?

What is the primitive, country, rustic style of decorating?
Primitive is simple with a relaxing, down to earth feel, providing a comfortable & warm surrounding. The simplicity of this décor means less care and leaves more time for the important things in life. Items used to achieve this may be antiques and reproductions, taking us back to the way it was in earlier times ‘simpler times’. Pieces made to look old & worn give the appearance of an aged look ‘living through time’.
Country ~imagine cuddled up with a old quilt surrounded by a soft glow from candle light and the smell of cinnamon & spice filling your home. It’s a warm homey atmosphere that expresses the tastes of the whole family.
Primitive, Country together adds a style while providing a comfortable, warm, inviting surrounding ‘Home Sweet Home’!
Rustic can mean different styles for different people. It can be furnishings & decorations with an aged look and using twigs, branches, & grapevine; or it can simply just be an old-time country charm. Rustic brings nature indoors using warm & natural colors, this will help bring a feeling of outdoors into your home and will create a warm & cozy space.
I believe, that primitive country with a touch of rustic could find a place in everyone’s homes! We could all use a little more simplicity and relaxation ~ a place to call home!

From the net.

I can't believe

2009-10-08T08:41:00.003-05:00

it's October. I still think this year is going to fast. I don't seem to have time for anything. I have been so busy with Chris, church and genealogy that time has flown by. I am not going to try to keep up with my old self. I feel the need to just enjoy the work I am doing and not think I need to do more.

I still have lots to get done. I want to read more and maybe even pamper myself. I really want to correspond with my friends and enjoy the quiet moments with my sweet pets. I have a houseful again. Mandy is our 11 year old cocker, Buddy is a dog Chris brought home from Iowa, Chi Chi is Bob's, Lillie is a drop off that a neighbor brought to our door. Pheobe Cat is from Siam via the rescue shelter and of course we still have birdie. It is a houseful but we have a very large yard and kennel.

Enjoy your day and be happy,

Laura

Fall fun

2009-09-21T11:14:00.002-05:00

Good Recipe to Share

2009-09-04T16:10:00.000-05:00

Recipe for Righteousness

Use the Toll House ® chocolate chip recipe, substituting the names of the ingredients with those traits considered vital to the “recipe for a good person”. Referenced specific scriptures for each trait.

The setup:
2 1/4 cups flour (RESPECT) 1 Peter 2:17
1 tsp baking soda (TRUST) D&C 11:12
1 tsp salt (HONESTY) Alma 27:27
1 cup butter (FAITH) Alma 15:10
3/4 cup sugar (LOYALTY) Joshua 24:15
3/4 cup brown sugar (MORALS) Proverbs 11:3
1 tsp vanilla (DEPENDABILITY) Mosiah 7:19
2 large eggs (RESPONSIBILITY) Jacob 1:19
12 oz (2 cups) chocolate chips (LOVE) Moroni 7:47

(Make the cookies according to the directions on the package of chocolate chips),

Explain that the cookies wouldn’t be the same if one of these ingredients were to be left out.

As a fun activity, you can also deliver these “good person cookies” to someone you think is a good person, explaining what they are and why.

Oh so true!

2009-09-03T07:25:00.000-05:00

Here comes the orator! With his flood of words, and his drop of reason.
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1735

Activity Day

2009-08-29T18:37:00.003-05:00

What a fun day! Our ward had a great picnic and lots of fun for the kids.

Apple and Blueberry Crisp

2009-08-07T14:54:00.002-05:00

I wish I could share all if this with you.

Blueberry Pie

2009-07-28T12:53:00.004-05:00

I made a family favorite yesterday, blueberry pie. I was so good.

Also, take a peek at my "new hutch." I love it and the table is so nice too.

Great Great Grandmother Nancy Jane Gowin Gordon

2009-07-27T12:54:00.005-05:00

I am so thrilled to have this picture. My cousin Paul Gordon sent it to me.

My new calling

2009-07-27T08:50:00.006-05:00

I am so pleased with my new Church calling. I am going to assist our Family History Consultant. I have worked in the Family History Center for many years and am happy to be of service. I have leaned so much through genealogy. I knew very little about my family when I started my research and now I feel I know so many of my grandparents.

I started with just a few names and a computer and what a journey. I can't imagine life without knowing my family history. I have found so many wonderful people and their trials in life have given me strength.

Some members of my fathers' family came to America in the 1600's. The Evans family can be traced back to Quakers who came with William Penn. The Gordon family came from County Down Ireland about 1799. The Koons and Wilcoxens were early pioneers traveling from the east coast to Kentucky and Indiana. They eventually ended up in southern Iowa.

My mothers family is more recently American. Mothers' grandmother,Carrie, came from Sweden, with her family, when she was twelve years old. Olaf Johnson and his family settled in Illinois with other Swedish family members. Carrie married George Ely and after he returned from service in the Civil War they moved to Hamilton county, Iowa. I have a lot to learn about the Ely family. I know the family moved from New York to Michigan. Henry Ely, father of George, died in Michigan and the family moved to Toulon, Illinois. Nancy Ely, mother of George, married Silas Swarts and remained in Illinois until her death.

In the mid 1850's, about the same time as the Johnson family left Sweden, the Cook family was leaving County Meath, Ireland. Catherine Cook and daughter Bridget arrived in New York City. They were living among the Irish immigrants in Brooklyn when young Joseph Callery arrived from Meath. Bridget and Joseph were married in Brooklyn and had two children. While Joseph toiled in the brickyard, Bridget cared for, Julia and Edward, their young children. Seeking a better life Joseph moved his young family and his mother- in -law to Iowa. The family settled in Buena Vista county and operated a family farm.
This is just the very basic information I have volumes of stories and records. I have collected pictures from family members and even from the internet. I hope to leave this family history to my grandson so he will have a connection to the past.

Dog days of summer

2009-07-23T09:13:00.006-05:00

Chris and "Baby Girl Lillie"

Summer time and the livin is easy

2009-07-23T09:04:00.003-05:00

Chris is enjoying the summer!

Our "new house"

2009-07-20T16:24:00.005-05:00

July 1st we moved to our new home. It was built in 1957 and we are the second family to live in it. We are enjoying the back yard which is almost an acre.
As you can see gs Chris has already found a tree to climb.

July

2009-07-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

I can't believe how fast this summer is going. I have been so busy! Chris has been with us most of the time and now he has a new puppy. He has been so unhappy that his house is still not livable that we thought a new little friend might help. He loves her and she seems to love him back.

A dog is the last thing I was thinking of yesterday but I had to answer the door. Here stood a neighbor with a basket of puppies. Of course, Chris had to see them and he chose "Sandy". She is a mix of lab and chow. I am so happy that she will be going home with Jenn and Chris when they get their house back.

I have lots of projects I want to get done. We painted the inside of our house. It is so much better. I just hate to paint but it's so worth it. We have lots of yard work to do as we have almost an acre. It's so nice to have a real house again. We are just not townhouse friendly.

I promise to keep up with my blogging and I hope to hear from all of you.

Rubarb Pie Yum!

2009-06-01T14:27:00.001-05:00

DOUBLE CRUSTED RHUBARB PIE

Dough for 2 crust 9 inch pie
2 1/2 to 3 c. rhubarb, diced
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. flour
2 eggs

Put sugar and flour on rhubarb, break eggs on top; stir. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon lightly. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

June

2009-06-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

' JUNE...JUNE...JUNE...JUNE

This is for June, and all the summers it brings
For the chiming of the steeple bells, that sing
Their songs of wedlock over top hat and lace
'Fore June passes torch, to July's scarlet face

And the trees in full jacket, leaves forest green
The last pink magnolia leaf.....still can be seen
Theres a breeze in the air, that carries a scent
Sweet rose and honeysuckle, in efflorescence

Still nights cast a chill, but June has its motives
An inviting warmth... for the amorously devoted
Reveling in romance, 'neath a full midnite moon
Makes love quite thankful, for the month of June

Frank James Ryan, Jr.

George W. Evans

2009-05-27T09:34:00.001-05:00

George Wesley Evans, now a prominent ranchman of Jeff Davis County, was born at LaGrange, Texas, October 12, 1849, and has spent his life on the frontier

GEO. W. EVANS
of this state. He resided in Fayette County until the early eighties, and when that section began to settle up he moved to the Davis Mountains in Western Texas, where he has resided ever since, following the stock business successfully and becoming one of the prominent cattlemen of that region. As long as the range was open he raised the old Texas longhorns for market, but with the coming of wire fences he began to import Durham and Hereford bulls, and his herds of whitefaces are now among the best in the Southwest. In 1878 Mr. Evans was married to Miss Kate Isabel Means, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Means of Lampasas County. Their children are William F., Joe M.,Lee S., G. W. Jr., Rube M., Ell B., Paul M., Katie Grace, and Amos Graves Means.

Mr. Evans resides at Valentine, Texas.

My Hero's

2009-05-25T10:28:00.004-05:00

My heros are my family.

Strawberry Rubarb Cobbler

2009-05-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB COBBLER

1 lb. rhubarb
2/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. strawberries

COBBLER DOUGH:

1 c. flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
4 tbsp. chilled butter cut in pieces
1/2 c. half & half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 7 x 11 inch baking dish. To make filling cut rhubarb in pieces. Toss with sugar and flour. Put in pan. Put in oven for 7 minutes while preparing cobbler dough.

For cobbler dough mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, put in half & half. Get rhubarb out of oven. Put strawberries on top. Then put cobbler on top of rhubarb and strawberries. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

What a time!

2009-05-12T07:38:00.002-05:00

What a time we have had! My daughter's house caught on fire 2 weeks ago and it has been non stop since. Insurance people are everywhere. We had to get everything out of the house. Cleaning people came and took all of the clothing and linens. All of the furniture was sent to be cleaned and then stored. Jennifer will be out of the house for about 4 mos. Needless to say she is a little stressed. We are all thankful that no one was injured. The adjuster estimates the structure had about $85,000 in damage. Jenn and Chris are now in a condo and trying to make the best of the experience. The neighbors in her block have been so good and supportive. We are now just waiting for the fire people to make their report so reconstruction can begin. It will be a long summer!

Beloved Emma

2009-04-21T18:25:00.001-05:00

Emma Hale Smith - “First of all that I would crave as the richest of heaven's blessings would be wisdom from my Heavenly Father bestowed daily.”

Pictures for Altered Art

2009-04-21T18:19:00.005-05:00

I love to find beautiful images and I love these.

Cookies from Colonial times

2009-04-21T18:16:00.001-05:00

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening (margarine)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
For Hobnobs, add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp cup raisins. For Applejacks, add 1 cup chopped unpeeled apples.

1. Cream together sugar and shortening.
2. Add egg (and vanilla if you are making Hobnobs). Beat well.
3. Mix dry ingredients together in another bowl.
4. Add slowly to sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.
5. Stir in raisins or apples.
6. Grease cookie sheet.
7. Form into small balls, or drop in the shape of balls on the greased sheet, 3 inches apart.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

How to dye fabric the Colonial way

2009-04-19T14:06:00.005-05:00

In researching Colonial crafts I found this article on dying fabric. I hope you find it useful and fun. It is a teachers lesson plan so there are personal references.

Dyeing Fabric With Household Fruits and Vegetables

The colonists had to weave their own fabric as well as make most of their own clothes. The most common dyes available to them were the colors found in nature. By using the plants and vegetables found in their own gardens and in the wilds around them they could make natural dyes that produced clear, though somewhat muted color.

Each student will be given a solid block of 100% cotton fabric as well as some scrap pieces. Only natural fabrics such as cotton and wool will truly take the color found in these natural dyes. Manmade fabrics such as nylon, polyester, or blends will not take or hold the color. Students should understand that these dyes will not be as bright as the colors they are used to seeing today in our clothing and household goods. These natural colors will be softer and muted in their shades. Every dye lot will be different as well depending on such variables as how long the fabric sits in the dye bath or how the dye is mixed with water.

After dyeing his or her fabric pieces each student will decide whether he or she wants to make a sewn quilt square or a small braided mat. The mat can be made just like a braided rug. Three strips of fabric are sewn together at the top and then braided. The braids are coiled together and stitched to make a mini-rug or mat. These braided mats are an excellent use of scrap fabrics and a way to recycle clean, old clothing. Both products are simple to make and the type of craft that the colonial housewife produced on a regular basis.

Natural Dye Recipes

(Sources are my own recipes with additional ideas being inspired by Let’s Be Early Settlers With Daniel Boone by Peggy Parish.)

Suggested Tips For Successful Dyeing

Use a bowl or pan large enough to hold the dye and the fabric.
Always wet the fabric thoroughly before dyeing.
Stir the fabric in the dye to see that the color sets evenly.
Wring the fabric thoroughly of the dye when finished. You may set the dye by rinsing the fabric in cold water.
Hang the fabric in a clear area. Do not use it until it is completely dried. Darker colors made need to be in the dye bath two or three times until the desired color is achieved. The color will always appear darker when it is wet.

Yellow

Use the dry skins of yellow onions. Pour hot water over the skins and let them soak overnight. Strain off the liquid. Throw away the skins.

Brown

Make a very strong solution of tea using several tea bags and boiling water. Let the mixture cool. Throw away the tea bags.

Pink

Take a quart of very ripe strawberries or raspberries. Soak them overnight in hot water. Strain the liquid from the berries. Throw away the berries.

Blue/Purple

Follow the recipe above using blueberries or purple grapes such as concord grapes. Experiment with different fruits to make your own colors. Just think of what naturally stains your clothing. Ha! Ha!

Green

You can achieve a light shade of green by grinding spinach in a food processor and straining the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth. Mix this liquid with hot water. The more water you use in ratio to the spinach liquid the lighter the dye will be.

Red

Grate a beet and strain the pulp through a piece of cheesecloth. You can mix this liquid with some hot water to achieve a light red.

Esty Cottage Style Blue Blog Party

2009-04-16T16:01:00.001-05:00

Hey gals check out the Blue Blog Party! http://www.etsycottagestyle.blogspot.com

I am sharing this sweet little blue bird

2009-04-13T11:51:00.002-05:00

I found this while researching a site for my family history, true even today.

The following was taken from “The Successful Housekeeper, A Manual of Universal Application*,” especially adapted to the every day wants of American Housewives, published in 1883 in Detroit, Mich., by M. W. Ellsworth & Company.

Chapter XLV.

DAUGHTERS

There is no mistake that a mother can make, so fatal to a daughter’s happiness or to her chance of genuine success in everything she has to do, as to educate her to look down with contempt upon the occupations of her parents, or indeed upon any honest industry.

A mother may see the disadvantages of her husband’s employment, and may endeavor to bias the minds of her sons toward other tastes and sympathies, but that does not involve the expression of contempt for their father’s toil. The latter may be difficult, uncertain, or, perhaps, insufficient in remuneration, but nothing that is useful is insignificant or dishonorable, while the line between the respectable and contemptible is a distinction that should be carefully marked.

To the daughter, no sentiment of disapproval need be expressed. That which has provided bread and shelter for her should be held in reverence, even though she may wish it were by other means that her infancy was nourished. To regret and to despise (sic) are not at all the same. One may be inevitable, the other is not. If the father’s toil be disfiguring, the mother should teach the daughter by example to maintain a tidiness and sweetness in all the household belongings, and always have in readiness the means for refreshing the toiler and for removing the outer soilings of his labor.

No honest occupation needs to bear an intellectual, spiritual or moral stain, and an earnest spirit of industry and an innate daintiness are quite capable of elevating the commonest of homes up into sympathy with the best refinements of living. A bit of chintz to cover a chair may be fitly chosen, an illuminating print may adorn the wall, and the window-hangings may be both clean and graceful with very little extra cost. The table-spread may be fresh and wholesome. The arrangement of the simplest of food may be orderly and attractive to the eye. A pot of flowers, blooming in the window, gets the sunshine and air without money, and tidiness consecrates and makes attractive the plainest of apartments. Poverty is never dishonorable. Uncleanliness and disorder are a disgrace for which sickness is the only apology. Not only teach this early to the daughter, but show her by example how to charm a small income to appear as if it were plenty.

This urgent appeal is the consequence of a recent experience, the like of which makes good mothers tremble, provided they are able to see the end from the beginning. It occurred in a fashionable shop, at an hour of the day when but few demands were being made upon the young woman-clerks. She was a very pretty girl, with her rich hair banged, a gilt comb in her coil, not too few and not too fresh ribbons all a-flutter upon her cheap but showy dress, with ear-rings, bangles, and gaudy, cheap, and crumpled artificial flowers that served her as a bouquet de corsage. She was posed with crossed hands and curved wrists, while she related to her scarce less unattractively dressed but equally pretty companion, her experience of the night before.

“Oh! it was just too awfully mean for anything. We were kept here over time last night, you know, and I had accepted an invitation from you know who, to go to a regimental promenade concert. Don’t know who? Of course you do; just as well as I do, which isn’t saying much. He told me to call him Charley, though I heard some of the fellows speak to him as Frederick, but I wasn’t going to anger him by letting him know that I heard it--no I. I am too glad to have such a nice fellow to take me out and feed me on cream and fetch me gloves and candy.

“Well, as I was telling you, we were kept here so late that when Charley came for me to go, I had not even dressed my hair, and he knocked at our apartment door, somebody having sent him up stairs. Here he was, and do you believe it, he had come for me in a coop (coupe), and coop and all was waiting; and what were we to do but to ask him to come into our rooms; and they are always in such a state, you know, like other poor folks, I suppose; and I was mortified to death. The table looked just awful, and mother was trying to get the baby to sleep, and father was cross and not washing up, and there was not a chair empty in the room. I just wished I was dead and buried, but I had to get ready all the same, and when I went out of that house in my blue silk dress and white bonnet, nobody but Charley would have suspected my father worked in the gas-house --- indeed they wouldn’t, and I don’t mean that they shall find it out, if I can prevent it.

“Wasn’t it too bad that Charley should find out? But then he was nice about it and did not say anything until I said how mortified I was because father would do such low work. Mother hates it too, and its (sic) no wonder she don’t (sic) care how she looks and how the house looks. Father will go to the saloon when supper is over. He says he hates a house that is always in a rumpus---but it isn’t, any more than the gas-house where he stays all day. If he had any pride, he would do something nice, such as keeping a livery stable, or a billiard saloon, and then his hands wouldn’t be black and his clothes dirty, and Charley wouldn’t be ashamed to know him. Charley said I needn’t live in that bedlam if I didn’t want to, and I don’t, and I said so, but he didn’t say how he meant to change my circumstances, but I can guess, can’t you?”

“Why, he means to marry you, of course.”

“I suppose so, but he hasn’t said so yet.”

Poor little idiot! He will never say it, or, if he does, he will fail to keep his word. When girls do not respect themselves and their homes, they must not look for respect from others. If the mother had kept a tidy home, the daughter would not have been ashamed to invite any person to enter it. She would not have opened the way for expressions of an insulting, and perhaps, fatal sympathy. She would not have spent her earnings in a fanciful dress and bonnet if she had been taught to divide her income with the home purse, and to lend touches of refinement and useful evidences of thrift to the household. If the mother expressed no contempt for the father, the daughter would have nourished none; and one requires no spirit of prophecy to discover the doom of that girl in the very near future.

To make the most of what one has and is, is the surest and safest way of growing up to something better and higher. There is no such certain and speedy road to ruin for daughters, yes, and for sons also, as to educate them in a manner that will give them false pride. A genuine development of the mind and heart has very different results. It is in a superficiality of many acquirements that danger lies, and it is through a paltry pride that girls learn to play the piano badly, paint trashy pictures, and sing cheap songs in a cheap style, when a little serious instruction in something within their mental capacities and their purses would have been certain to provide them with positions of respect and usefulness.

In these days of highly finished artists in all the accomplishments, it is money thrown away to half-learn anything. The result only exhibits how little, rather than how much, a girl knows. She feels a contempt for herself when in the presence of her superiors in attainments, and they feel a contempt for her because she attempted what she failed to finish.

If there were no false standards of living, no false estimates of the dignity of labor, these things could not be. What woman, who has reached an age when she can judge of the values of things, would not rather be a skilled dressmaker, or an accomplished milliner, than a young person who teaches the rudiments of music to insubordinate children, or gives ill-paid lessons, in an almost as poor a style, in china-painting? The latter calls and probably deems her toil intellectual, but there are no such miserable drudges within the bounds of civilization as half-educated instructors in what is called the fine arts.

If you teach your daughters to aim high, be altogether certain that they are possessed of the power to reach their object, and equally sure that you will have the means to complete what you undertake for them. If they are carefully educated in all those practical things which a woman should know, and their school life be not shortened for vanity’s sake, or for some short-sighted estimate of what is desirable, and there really is talent or genius in their brains, the mother need give herself no anxious thoughts about it, because superior capacities will surely find methods by which to express themselves. Be content with that certainty. They may smoulder for a time, but they will blaze at last.

2009-04-13T10:46:00.003-05:00

"Musgrove Evans built this dwelling in 1826. It is the oldest frame house in Tecumseh and believed to be the oldest still standing in Lenawee County. Evans was a pioneer settler in this area. He platted the the village of Tecumseh, served as its first postmaster and probate judge, and helped organize Michigan's first temperance society. Used as an inn and home, the Evans House was moved to this location in 1886 from the northeast corner of Ottawa Street and Chicago Boulevard. However, its appearance has changed little over the years." from the web

This is the home of my gt gt uncle Musgrove Evans. He was a pioneer in the strongest sense of the word. After leaving Michigan he moved to Texas and became very successful. His son Samuel B. Evans was killed at the Alamo.