The Times We Live In

I find that we all from time to time feel that we are not living in the right time or century. I have always found the Victorian times to be the most interesting to me. The way of life during these times were so vast. England ruled most of the world or so it seemed. The clothing was beautiful and the middle class was coming in to its own. A person with out a name or title could build an empire with just good old hard work. I'm drawn to this period both by the clothing and the life style of the avg. Victorian lady. How she went about her day, how she decorated her home, and how she interacted with other people. A very good friend of mine would always say that we were the ladies of the 1990's and that we didn't need man to help us with our work or hold the door open for us. I would laugh and say I much more prefer the 1890's. So come on guys hold the door, stand up when a lady enters the room, and I will give you my pretties smile and a big Thank You. For me good manners should never go out of style. So until me meet again ~~smiles~~

I'm in the Mood for Apples

Days like today, when it is Fall, really make me in the mood for apples. I like to go out and pick just the rights ones. Then I make my list of what I'll do with them. Apple Butter, Apple Bread, Applesauce, and the favorite Apple Pie. Next step is to pull out all the recipes. I love the smell of the baking apples and all the spices, and there is nothing better than warm bake goods.

So here are some tried and true recipes from me:

Apple Crumb Pie

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

6 to 8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (6 cups)

1 9-inch, unbaked pie shell

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

Combine the first three ingredients, and stir into the apples. Put into the pie shell. Combine the remaining flour and sugar, cut in butter till crumbly. Sprinkle over the apples.

Bake at 400 for 45 to 50 minutes or till done.

Apple-Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup finely diced unpared apple

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 cup milk

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

In saucepan, combine fruits, nuts, sugar and 2 tbsp. water. Cook and stir till thick and the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Cream butter and brown sugar till fluffy. Beat in eggs. Sift together dry ingredients add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Stir in Oats.

Reserve 3/4 cup dough. Drop remainder from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet: make a depression in center with filling and dab of reserved dough.

Bake at 375 for 10 to 20 minutes makes 36.

Until we meet again ~~smiles~~

What I'm Working on Now

Now that I have time on my hands after my gallbladder removal. I decided to finish up several projects that I had laying around. The first to finish is this sampler. I read the saying some time ago in a book about Colonial times. I thought that it would make a perfect cross stitch sampler. I want it to have a Colonial feel to it. The trees with have plum color flowers added and I have to finish the red hearts. I'm not sure why they weren't finish before, I must have ran out of floss. I want to do something with the bottom but I have an artist block. I want to keep it simple but not too simple. Any one have some ideas? I have began to put together items that I want to add to my e-bay store that my daughter and I have started. It is now on hold because my youngest grand daughter is in Duke. She has been losing weight and they are running all kinds of test trying to find out what is wrong with her. I'm unable to travel just yet due to my surgery, but I hope to go down Sat. I hope all will go well with her. It has been a crazy time for us with everyone be sick, this is usually our favorite time of the year. We are holding our heads high and going with it. Until we meet again. ~smiles~

Home from the Hospital

I'm home and very sore. The gallbladder surgery went fine but it took a lot out of me. It's like having a C-Section, and believe after now having both, I'm not to sure which one hurts the most.
Now on to more pleasant things. The house is starting to shape up nicely. We are trying to remodel around all the things that keep happening in our life. They say the Life is what happens while your busy making plans, this is the truest statement so far. We hope to get the front porch done before Halloween. My DH and DS are making it by using antique wood, it is old tongue and grove flooring from an almost 150 yrs. building. They are going to refinish it after they lay it down and than cover it with a clear sealant. I can't wait for it to be done. We are also replacing all the windows in the house starting with the ones in our son's room. They have taken the old window out and put a board up on it. My son wants to keep it that way and add some more boards across the opening to make the house look like a boarded up haunted house. I told him he had to get it past his father. I'll let you know how that works out. And I'll take pictures if we do it. Well until we meet again...~smiles~

Fall

Today has been just one of those days.
I know everyone has had them too.
But, you could say it has been
one of those weeks. As you know from my last post we were busy in our yard as well as cleaning our house. This is an on going things(cleaning the house) it seem to me. You would think with one less person (my daughter Andrea) living with us that the house would be cleaner, but NO. I think that the cat and the dog go around messing things up just so I would have to clean it. Well that is my story..and I'm sticking to it. :0)
We were also busy planning our Fall and Halloween decor and yard display and than the world (life) throws us a curve ball. Last Tues. the 18th after a very nice dinner, I was rushed to the hospital with the worst pain I have had seen labor. The doctor said that I had both kidney and gall stones. And to make matter even worst I had stone in both kidney and they needed to come out, NOW. So in the hospital I go to have the stones on the right removed. The next thing I was told was that I needed the gallbladder out, no and ifs or buts about. SO tomorrow I go to get the gallbladder out, the only good thing about it, is that it will on an one day surgery thing. I still have to go about the left kidney. They are sending me to Duke for that one. The stone is blocking the kidney so they are not sure what or how they are planning to get it yet. I need more test when I get to Duke. You would think after all this life would give me a break, but again its NO. My youngest grand daughter Keria is at Duke, she has been very sick and they are trying very hard to make her better. My oldest grand daughter Ginny is here with us while her parents are down at Duke with her sister. We hope for the best!!!
My son has decide he will get the house ready for Fall and Halloween while everyone is at the different hospitals. He has been so great taking care of Ginny and keeping her busy so that she doesn't miss her parents and sister too much. He has taken some pictures and I hope to post some when I get them developed.
When this crazy time is over I hope to get to all my crafts done and post some pictures of them as well. Keep us in your thoughts. Until we meet again..Bright Smiles to All.

The first day of August and what a beautiful day it promises to be. I have been busy cleaning the house and plan to get to the outside on my next set of days off. This time of the year has got to be my favorite. Going into and becoming Fall, the nights are cooler and the days just seem more light and airy. And when the leaves start to change the colors are wonderful. Fall to me starts in August. It is time to plan our family days and start to look forward to Halloween. We (the whole family) loves Halloween and can't wait until it is time to show off our decorations and treats. August is also time to plan winter gardens and getting plants ready for spring flower beds. I love to get big fall colored Mums to put all around my house and in the planters at the end of the sidewalk. This fall we are redoing the landscape. My DH has poured my stepping stones, so we will be adding them to our gardens and yard. He has so many different molds it made picking the one I liked best so hard, but the hummingbirds won out. I wonder why.hehehe. I will post pictures when everything is stared.Until later..Smiles