Whispering Dreams

Visit to the farm

2011-11-04T10:36:00.001-05:00

Fall always brings the fair and one of the greatest petting zoo's. Butterfly is getting too big for all of the fuss with farm animals but Wildflower had a blast. She brought one of her best friends and they had a ball running from cage to cage.

This little guy was just roaming around

I believe they would of gotten on the ground and cuddled these baby pigs had it not been all of the people around :-)

She couldn't resist holding him, lol. Oh how I wish we had the room for a couple of these little guys! If you can't tell what her face it painted like it is a dog. We went to the farmers market before heading to the petting zoo and they were doing them for free.

Do you know what this is? It is a cockroach!! I can't believe she held it. Ewwww!

Last but not least they road horses. Wildflower had so much fun as horses are her favorite thing in the whole wide world... besides junk food that is :-)

When we got home the girls made peanut butter cookies, yumm!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C peanut butter (we like to use crunchy)

1/4 C shortening

1/4 C butter (softened)

1 egg

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix first 6 ingred. together. Mix last 3 ingred. together. Then combine all and stir. Refrigerate for 3 hours if you can... I can't ever seem to wait that long, lol.

We like the raw sugar on the cookies so we roll them in the sugar and then flatten with a fork.

Cook for 8-10 minutes in a preheated oven at 375*

Happy Fall!

Growing up in cotton

2011-10-26T10:08:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, has it really been over a month since I last posted??!! I have always heard that having children makes every day fly by faster and faster. It seems to be so true at this time in life. These girls are keeping me on my toes and every day seems to run into the next like a blur! But I have managed to capture part of our moment in pictures and I wanted to share them with you.

Cotton is the main crop in this part of the country and every year I plan to get their pictures in it but fail to make it in time. This year I didn't hesitate :-)

Beautiful Child

A golden moment pressed in stone
To bring such beauty into this home.

Change forever my life so cold
To give this treasure I can hold.

Sparkling eyes of innocent blue
Purest honest love so true.

Smiles that brighten the darkest day
Curious mind and hands at play.

Growing brightly strong at will
A beautiful child my heart you fill.

Nurture this mind, nurture this soul
Touched forever, my heart behold.

Openly protect her, tucked under wing
A flower she'll blossom, love she'll bring.

Guide her gently through night or day
In mind, in spirit, her love will stay.

This precious young woman, you have become
I know as a mother, my job is done.

Source

I hope this long over due post finds you all doing well. And I hope you have a wonderful week!

Red Cinnamon Pickles

2011-09-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

Cucumbers are one of my favorite garden veggies. They are so versatile. You can make pickles out of them, eat them raw and even make them sweet and crunchy.

I had intended to make refrigerator pickles with our harvest but time got away from me. By the time I would get in the garden to pick them they were way too big. The seeds had to be scraped out of them as they were hard and made the cucumbers bitter. So I decided to try a recipe I had never done before, Sweet Cinnamon Pickles!

They are so crisp and sweet! I remember eating them at Christmas time at my in-laws house and loved them. The recipe is rather time consuming but well worth the time and effort. I found the recipe HERE.

Red Cinnamon Pickles

7 pounds peeled, seeded cucumbers in strips
1 cup lime
1 gallon water
1 cup vinegar
1 bottle red food coloring
1 tablespoon alum
Enough water to cover pickles
3 cups vinegar
2 cups water
10 cups granulated sugar
2 to 3 large packages Red Hots cinnamon candies (see NOTE)
8 sticks cinnamon

Soak cucumbers, lime and 1 gallon water for 24 hours.

Wash cucumbers. Soak in ice water for 3 hours. Mix 1 cup vinegar, food coloring, alum and enough water to cover pickles. Simmer in this mixture 2 hours.

Pour off liquid and throw away. Boil 3 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, sugar, candies and cinnamon. Pour over cucumbers. Let stand 24 hours.

Drain liquid and bring to boil. Put cucumbers into jars with 1 to 2 sticks cinnamon in each jar. Pour hot liquid over jars and seal.

NOTE: This information is from Yvonne in Mississippi.

DO NOT use red hots candy that lists cornstarch as an ingredients. They will not work for this recipes. The brand to use is Farley's which uses sucrose, corn syrup, artificial flavor, red 40 and beeswax. This will work great and the pickles will be free of white matter after processing is done.

The times are flexible as I started to make these late at night and let them soak in ice water longer then it had required. Then I had to run errands the next day so the cucumbers soaked in the liquid longer then required. And they still turned out wonderful!

I had fun making them and I can't wait to give them as gifts at Christmas time :-)

Happy Harvest!

Great Junking Finds

2011-08-24T09:35:00.000-05:00

School has started and we are back on a schedule. I do so much better on a schedule! We had a great summer and it went by too fast but we were all ready for school to start. Well, as ready as they could be, lol.

Monday I had the opportunity to go junking with my favorite junking buddy. We hit all of our favorite places and I am soooo happy with the things I came home with.

This precious cookbook had a copyright date of 1955 and has some great recipes in it. It even has a little history on different holidays and a bunch of 100 calorie portioned snacks. It only cost me $2!

I couldn't pass the apron up. It is worn on the red piping and is losing its color down the middle. I imagine it is from the many times a sweet lady wiped her hands clean to grab something or even dried a tear or two. I paid $5.

And the bench, oh the bench! It is real heavy and sturdy. I only paid $15 for it :-) As of now it is in my laundry room. I am not quite sure where its permanent home will be but I love it.

My total spent was $22 and I had a great time. I love junking!

A Garden's Harvest

2011-07-28T09:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spent an hour in the garden and the day before that another hour. I was doing that daunting task of weeding. Grass here grass there, weed there weed here and harvesting...

We finished harvesting carrots yesterday and I couldn't have been more delighted with the results. We had 3 good stocks like this one Wildflower is holding. And I am happy to report that they taste as good as they look :-)

And the tomatoes... oh the tomatoes! I could make myself sick on sliced tomatoes with a dash of salt. We have canned 3 batches of salsa and plan to can the rest as diced tomatoes. It will be nice to have homegrown tomatoes to throw in a stew or soup come fall and winter.

Pumpkin is pretty excited too :-)

Not so much, lol. But she is great company in the garden. She follows me where ever I go and finds shade under a plant. Every now and then she jumps to get my fingers while I pick weeds. Such a great companion in the garden :-)

...and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

—1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

Drive-In Movie Under the Kansas Sky

2011-07-17T21:18:00.001-05:00

On Thursday we took advantage of the cooler weather and headed to the drive-in.

The last time I had been to a drive-in was when I was a child. I remember gathering blankets, popping popcorn, and sitting in the back of a pickup to watch the movie.

It was exactly like I remembered!

The speakers even look the same. I remember hanging them on the rolled down window :-) They were so heavy to me as a child.

We spread out a blanket for the kids to enjoy the movie with plenty of snacks.

As the sun went down my heart filled with happiness. What a wonderful time we had!

This is the view I had from my seat... priceless!

By the end of the movie the moon shone brite. There were fireflies in the air and crickets chirping happily in the background. What a perfect night.

Have you been to a drive-in lately? I wish we lived closer to one, I would go every chance I had :-)

My Little Girls in the Sunflowers

2011-07-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

My Little Girls

Life is full of Happiness, Sadness and Trust

This is why it is important for us

To share and to give and show lots of love

So you can grow up and know the above

You will learn to give and know not to take

For kindness and sharing is what friends make

You need to learn charity not debt,

To be confident, strong and independent

So that when you grow up and move to the city

You will not give in, just out of pity

You've made my job easy, but sometimes it's rough

I hope in my heart, that I've taught you enough

When I've accomplished my primary goal

You girls will know not to judge a soul

You will know wrong from right

I won't have to hold tight

And when all is done, all I can hope you will say is:

"I'm glad Momma that you showed us the way".

We had so much fun taking these pictures. The weather was warm and the bee's were flying from flower to flower. Pictures like this make me think about them growing up. I have been so blessed to have these two girls. They are both very sweet and caring, they are faithful Christians, they do their best in school, and are fun to be around. I can't believe how fast the time has gone so far.

I love you Butterfly and Wildflower!

The Sunflower State

2011-07-10T21:05:00.001-05:00

The girls and I are here in Kansas spending precious time with our family. We have enjoyed a Salt Museum, been to the Cosmosphere, we visited a wonderful shop with all kinds of Amish made candies, visited an Amish community, saw an Amish... wished I was Amish (for a while), visited family in Wichita (she knew all the great places to shop like the Spice Merchant!), and cuddled, snuggled, loved on, and fell asleep with sweet baby Hayden (my sisters baby boy). I find myself saying... There is no place like home, there is no place like home, there is no place like home. Click-click click (ruby red slipper)

Keep your face to the sunshine

and you cannot see the shadow.

It's what sunflowers do."

by Helen Keller

I took all of these pictures by a sweet little town named Nickerson. I hope to make it back to take the girls pictures in sweet blue dresses.

The weather has been hot hot hot! Temps in the 100's. Today's temp was 110. While back home in Arkansas the temp was 85 but felt like 115!! I hope you all are staying cool and enjoying summer.

Blessings from Kansas to you

Blog update... OH NO!!!

2011-06-27T10:38:00.001-05:00

As seasons change I feel the need to redo the background of my blog. It is like decorating my home. I look forward to it, plan for it, jot down ideas. But unlike my home where I can simply move the furniture back if I am not happy... I can NOT recover what I have undone, lol. I failed to save a copy of my blog and was way too cocky in redesigning it. Well look at me now. All plain and simple... Please be patient with me as I try to regain what I have clicked away. Boy is it Monday!!!

Blessings to you on this fine morning (very humble)

Post: Post

I had changed back to the old Minama and lost everything. But I switched back to the Simple and there it all was!! Oh happy day!

In the garden

2011-06-22T16:33:00.001-05:00

Summer is officially here! The weather has been summer like for about a month now but it is official as of yesterday. I hope you are having a good one?! We sure are! It has been packed with church activities, bar-b-ques with neighbors and friends, and sleep overs. The fireflies twinkle at night and gardens are a growin. Speaking of gardens, I am so excited to show you what is going on in ours...

Here are the brussel sprouts. It is our first year to grow them and it sure has been fun. I had no idea where the sprouts would grow but I sure didn't think they would be growing on top of the leave stocks, LOL. I did a little research to find that I should of clipped the leaves off when I first saw the buds. Since I didn't,they are a little farther behind. But no worries as I clipped the leaves a couple days ago and the sprouts are growin big :-) I have picked a sandwich bag full so far.

The bell peppers are a growin

And the jalapenos are a growin...

Can't wait to cut them in half, scrape out the seeds, stuff them with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic salt, and what ever else and slap them on the grill! MMM MMMM

So far we have picked 2 good batches of green beans. I planted more the other day and hope to have more soon. I would have to say that fresh green beans are my favorite veggie in the garden.

Wildflowers cabbage from school is doing good. I can't seem to keep the bugs off of it no matter how much 7 dust we sprinkle on it. Good thing we wont be eating it, LOL. It is purely for a Burpee project.

This is the best year for tomatoes! Thank goodness. We have had plants every year now for the past 9 years and couldn't seem to get very many but this year is looking good so far. We have 4 plants in all and roughly 50 tomatoes growing... I will stay humble though because you never know what can happen. It only takes a tomato worm one day to do some serious damage and a bird could peck one bite out of all of them and we don't get a one. So I will remain hopeful and humble!

This is what I look forward to the most. CaRrOtS!! I have tried and tried to grow carrots to no avail. But this year, oh this year I think it is working. Want to take a closer look?!

There is an actual carrot in the dirt!! I can't wait to taste one of them!

We planted cucumbers and pumpkins 2 weeks ago and they are up and growin :-)

Who Makes a Garden

Whoever makes a garden

Has never worked alone;

the rain has always found it,

The sun has always known;

The wind has blown across it

And helped to scatter seeds;

Whoever makes a garden

Has all the help he needs.

Whoever makes a garden

Should surely not complain,

With someone like the sunshine

And someone like the rain

And someone like the breezes

To aid him in his toil

And someone like the Father

Who gave the garden soil.

Whoever makes a garden

Has, oh, so many friends;

The glory of the morning

The dew when daylight ends.

For rain and wind and sunshine

And dew and fertile sod;

And he who makes a garden

Works hand and hand with God.

Douglas Malloch

Last fall we had 3 bags of 13-13-13 fertilizer and 2 bags of lime. We had cleaned out the garage and had no where for them to go so we dumped them in the garden. In the early spring hubby rototilled it all under and let it sit for 2 weeks and rototilled it all again. I really think that is what is helping out so much. We have a compost bin but it isn't that big. We always dump it in the garden in the fall and rototill it in the spring. But that extra fertilizer and lime seems to have made a big difference. We will be doing that again for sure :-)

I hope you are having a great summer! I will leave you with a yummy cherry moc cheesecake recipe that is light and oh soooo good. Enjoy!

Cherry "Moc" Cheesecake

1 8oz pkg creem cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 small tub of cool whip

1 graham cracker crust

1 can cherry pie filling

Blend cream cheese and sugar until soft and combined. Fold in cool whip. Spread into graham cracker crust and top with cherry pie filling. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

No cooking involved!

A baby is born...

2011-06-01T14:22:00.000-05:00

Hayden Dean

6 lbs 15 oz

19 inches

Happy Birthday Hayden!

My sister had her baby this past weekend. She was in labor for 42 hours!! It is definitely a labor of love for such a sweet reward. He didn't even cry, just whimpered. What a blessing!

Christina and Hayden

Cherish This Time

So your baby is here!

What joy and what pleasure!

Now your life is expanding,

To make room for this treasure.

A darling newcomer

To have and to hold--

His smiles are more precious

Than silver or gold.

He’ll demolish your schedule

Though he’s helpless and small;

He’ll make his needs known,

And he’ll rule over all.

See, a new parent’s work

Is just never quite done,

But you’ll never mind,

‘Cause it’s all so much fun.

When you hear his cute giggle

You’ll start "aahing" and "oohing,"

And he’ll soon reply back

By "ga ga" and "goo gooing."

Those big innocent eyes

See a world strange and new;

To make sense of it all

He’ll look only to you.

So cherish this time

Of miraculous things--

The excitement and wonder

That a new baby brings.

By Joanna Fuchs

Proud Aunt Mandie

Still here :)

2011-05-09T22:27:00.000-05:00

I have been a bad blogger! But I have such a good excuse... the weather! The sun is shinning and nature has taken my breath away. This little sweetie is in the backyard in our oak tree. I hope she doesn't mind but I snipped a few shots when she left the nest :) Her eggs are such a beautiful color.

Hubby bought me this beautiful fountain for Mother's Day and I LOVE it! It was marked $180. But we had seen the same one for sale at a different Lowe's a couple days before. They were so kind and said they would match the price at $120. It was the last one left and wasn't working, boohoo. But... being the handy hubby he is, he asked if they would come down some if he still bought it. They agreed at $80. He brought it home, cleaned it up, played with the motor, and got it working!

We put it in the front flower bed where we could hear the water running on the porch. We spend so much time sitting on the porch in the summer. It is on the north side of the house and has a nice cool breeze in the afternoons.

I will leave you with a video of the peahen calling for her mate. She is on the next door neighbors roof during this video. You can hear them throughout the night calling for each other. Why they aren't nesting at the same spot is beyond me, lol.

Thank you for coming by Whispering Dreams! I hope you have a great week and find yourself lost in the beauty of nature.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

"Turn your thought into flowers

Your words into precious petals"

Featherheart

Happy Mother's Day!!

A Mother's Love

There are times when only a Mother's love

Can understand our tears,

Can soothe our disappoints

And calm all of our fears.

There are times when only a Mother's love

Can share the joy we feel

When something we've dreamed about

Quite suddenly is real.

There are times when only a Mother's faith

Can help us on life's way

And inspire in us the confidence

We need from day to day.

For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith

And a Mother's steadfast love

Were fashioned by the Angels

And sent from God above.

Author Unknown

A Royal kind of day

2011-04-28T17:00:00.002-05:00

I have been watching and waiting for this Royal Wedding to be. I love fairy tales and this fits my every longing. I can't wait to see what Kate will be wearing! She is beautiful just like Diana. It all makes me want to close my eyes and dance around the living room like I am at a big fancy ball.

To have a little taste of excitement I thought we should have a Royal kind of day...

The table is set

I did some research to make sure it was set properly. We don't have the 3 sets of forks or 3 different glasses on the table... for one, I don't have enough silverware that matches, and two, these are our only fancy glasses, lol. But I did have chargers to stick under the plates!

The table cloth is made of 3 different vinyl table cloths I found at the dollar store and the flowers were cut from the garden. I just cut the red and white table clothes in strips to mimic the British flag.

Don't they look happy and in love?! This crown was given to me by a friend a long time ago. She had ordered something from Oriental Trading and they sent her this with it. I saved it thinking that one day the girls would dress as princesses for Halloween or something but noooo. I finally get to use it!

Our menu for tomorrow consists of:

Breakfast

Rutland Savoury Cheese Custard (traditionally a supper dish)

Isle of Wight Doughnuts

Lunch

cucumber sandwiches

scones

Supper

Somerset Chicken

Jacket potatoes

Green vegetables

Dessert

Eton Mess

I found most of these recipes in the cook books that Lily sent me. Thank you Lily! I haven't made any of these recipes except for the cucumber sandwiches and jacket potatoes (baked potatoes) so I am hoping for the best, lol.

It will be a knees up!!

Linked up with Tablescape Thursday on Between Naps on the Porch

Arkansas Rain

2011-04-27T18:02:00.001-05:00

This stormy weather calls for a great recipe Wildflower brought home from school.

Thunder Cake!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together one at a time:

1 cup shortening

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs, separated

( blend yolks in. Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)

1 cup cold water

1/3 cup pureed tomatoes

Sift together:

21/2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup dry cocoa

11/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 8

1/2 inch pans at 350 degree for

35 to 40 minutes. Frost with chocolate butter frosting. Top with

strawberries.

Spring has brought forth some of the strongest thunderstorms and tornado's Arkansas has seen in years. Some towns have even made the national news. As of now I think the crazy weather has come to an end. It has been fun but I am ready for it to calm down . One night we had to wake the girls up and run across the street to the neighbors shelter and today I spent one hour at the school huddled in the hallway with my little one. She sang and played with her silly bands the whole time : ). We have been truly blessed to live in an area that has not taken a direct hit. The lightning shows and thunder has been spectacular to watch but I am ready for the sun to shine and the garden to dry out a little.

I hope you all are having bright sun shinny days!

Peony's from the garden

Post:Post

My heart goes out to Tennessee, Georgia, and all of the other states that were hit hard with these storms. Our storms here in Arkansas pale in comparison.

First Harvest and Blessings

2011-04-15T19:22:00.000-05:00

Last night we enjoyed the first harvest from our garden, mixed greens. I picked them in the morning when the taste is at it's prime. So very sweet and delicate.

I used the salad spinner to clean them and it worked wonderfully. So much easier then washing each individual leaf off.

"It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility."

Rachel Carson

The chickens are laying more eggs now that it has been warmer, we get about 5 a day. What a great blessing they are to us. Not only are they great pets but they give us the most beautiful and healthy eggs.

The garden is doing really well so far. We planted potatoes, onions, green onions, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, sweet peas, jalapeno peppers, red peppers, tomatoes, and green beans.

I didn't do a good job of weeding the strawberries last year and the grass tried taking them over, yikes! This year I dug them up and hubby rototilled the ground and I replanted them. They look so much nicer and have lots of room to multiply.

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion…. in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony."

William Ellery Channing

I love gardening in the spring. The weeds are slow and the rain waters for me, lol. Have you planted anything in your garden or patio?

Pumpkin and Death by Chocolate

2011-04-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

Looked out the window this morning while eating breakfast to find Pumpkin enjoying her morning on the neighbors bench

She sat there for the longest time just watching the birds and cars pass by

She looked so peaceful I just couldn't resist and had to join her. She is always happy for some company :) A few cuddles and a lot of purring later, we started our day

On Tuesday the girls and I made a wonderful dessert, Death by Chocolate. They both really enjoyed crumbling the cake up and hammering some candy bars :)

Death By Chocolate

1 devils food cake mix

2 large boxes instant chocolate pudding

2 containers of cool whip

6 Heath bars

(ingredients to make cake and pudding)

Bake and cool the cake. Prepare the pudding (in separate containers). Use a large trifle bowl or a punch bowl (we had left over pudding, cake, and cool whip). Break up half of the cake into pieces in bottom of bowl. Put in one of the puddings. Break the candy bars into small pieces and place half over the pudding. Spread 1 container of cool whip over the pudding. Repeat with remainder of ingredients. Refrigerate. Can be prepared the day before.

We had tons of left overs and it was actually better the next day!

Thanks for poppin in! Hope you have a great weekend

Visit with family

2011-03-29T10:06:00.002-05:00

Family ties are precious threads

No matter where we roam.

They draw us close to those we love

And pull our hearts back home.

Jon Bratton

We had a wonderful spring break with my in-laws here. We went shopping and I even took them to one of my favorite junk stores. I didn't see anything I needed until my mother-in-law found a salad spinner. It was $2 and she said she would pay half... so for $1 I couldn't resist! That will come in handy while cleaning the garden greens.

The weather was great and in the 70's the whole time they were here. Well, until the day the left... then it was 45! Couldn't have planned that any better if we tried, lol.

Now that the girls are old enough to play cards we played every night. That is something we look forward to even when we go home. Last summer we set up tables in the front yard and played until the mosquitos carried us away.

And when they leave for Kansas we long for the next time with family. This time the wait wont be that long! My sister is due at the end of May and the girls last day of school is early June. So when we get the call that my sister has had little Hayden and the girls are out of school... we are on our way back home!!!

F is for Familiar... there is no place like home.

A is for always welcome, no matter how far you roam.

M is for memories, more cherished each day.

I is for inspiration given along the way.

L is for Love you feel each time you get together.

Y is for the years to come for family lasts forever.

Jon Bratton

To give you a little taste of Kansas I will leave you with a yummy recipe. It is called Kansas Dirt Cake. When I first moved to Kansas from California this is one of the sweets I couldn't get enough of :)

Kansas Dirt Cake

1 lg. bag Oreo cookies

2 pkgs. instant vanilla pudding

3 c. milk

8 oz. cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

1 lg. container cool whip

Crush cookies and put half in 9x13 pan. Mix pudding (you can use chocolate pudding if you like) and milk. Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix all together with Cool Whip. Spoon over cookie crumbs. Put remaining crushed cookies on top and refrigerate. Can be put in plastic flower pot with shovel or a gummie worm hanging out ;)

P.S. All of these photos were taken on our way to Kansas in December

Wildflower and her cat (Pumpkin)

2011-03-19T09:52:00.001-05:00

This cat was given to us by my sister-in-law. She is the sweetest cat we have ever seen. And yes, that is an ice cream lid on her head... it is a hat.

She is incredibly patient and absolutely loves attention... no matter what she has to go through to get it.

I have often argued that she doesn't like to be shoved into small spaces like a child's shopping cart and toted up and down the driveway. But Wildflower insists she loves it.

And when she has had enough she will hop out and run away.

For now it looks like she is happy.

I think...

Thank you very much for all of the kind comments about my new header. It is always so much fun making them.

My in-laws are coming down today and will stay until Thursday. I have been cleaning like a crazy women. Why is it that I only deep clean when I know there is company coming?

Thank you for stopping by Whispering Dreams. I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

Baby Shoes

2011-03-11T09:50:00.005-06:00

Cradle Song

From groves of spice,

O'er fields of rice,

Athwart the lotus-stream,

I bring for you,

Aglint with dew,

A little lovely dream.

Sweet, shut your eyes,

The wild fire-flies

Dance through the fairy neem;

From the poppy-bole

For you I stole

A little lovely dream.

Dear eyes, good night,

In golden light

The stars around you gleam;

On you I Press

With soft caress

A little lovely dream.

- Sarojini Naidu

I made these little sweeties for baby Hayden (my sisters baby) yesterday. They are so tiny!

The buttons came from a treasure trove of things my dad brought to me from my grandmother.

Both of my grandparents were great seamstresses. My great grandmother on my moms side made most of her clothes and a lot for my mom growing up :)

I on the other hand am not a great seamstress but I love to sew! To be honest with you... my husband taught me how to sew :)

How is that for domesticity?! LOL

Today my prayers go out to Japan and everyone the earthquake/tsunami has affected or will affect. Please be with them Lord, hold them in the folds of your arms and let them know you are there.

Amen

My Junkin Find

2011-03-08T17:30:00.003-06:00

I found a really sweet ice cream maker today. It is a Handyhot Handyfreeze Ice Cream Maker that dates somewhere between 1928-1943. I fell in love with it when I saw its white paint...

And blue gingham...

The tag said that it still worked. It was marked $10 and 20% off. So for $8 it came home with me :)

Welcome home little ice cream maker. Your chipped white paint and happy blue gingham bring a smile to my face.

Diaper Cake

2011-03-07T16:59:00.000-06:00

Have you seen those diaper cakes yet? They are so cute. It is a cake made out of diapers AND there isn't a single calorie to worry about, lol. I have seen them on advertisements and online and really wanted an excuse to make one and now I have one... my SISTER is having a baby!! She is due in May and I can't wait!! She has recently found out that she is having a boy and they are decorating his room in Winnie the Pooh. *Squeal*

I watched a couple of videos on you tube to get some ideas and then I went to the store...

I bought a box of 86 diapers, rubber bands, and bottles. Those are the basic "ingredients" to make one. Some people used a bottle of wine, and others baby wash, lotion, and things like that. I opted for the bottle route. These items are used to form the cake.

I took out the adorable baby diapers and had to smell them, it brought back so many sweet memories. They are size 2 and still so tiny.

I started at the open end and rolled them up and put a rubber band around it. I did this to all of the sweet little diapers :)

Then I started making the cake.

I ended up with 3 rows of diapers on the bottom, 2 in the middle and 1 on the top.

I wrapped brown ribbon around all 3 levels and taped it in place.

Took another ribbon and placed it in the center of the brown ribbon.

I took some stickers and put them all over the place. They help to keep the ribbon in place and cover the tape nicely too.

I tucked little socks in here and there...

Then I added some more stickers

I tucked some baby lotion, baby wash, baby perfume (cute!), paccies, booties, and some burp cloths I made with his name on them all over that cake and wallah, a diaper cake.

For the top of the cake I just made a big bow with both of the ribbons, tied a paccie and some booties to it. Some people use stuffed animals for the top. The possibilities are endless! I wish so bad I could do this for a living, lol. I had a lot of fun making it.

Spring and Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-03-02T08:54:00.001-06:00

Spring is really showing it's beauty. The weather has been warm with claps of thunderstorms and the plants and trees are budding out. We have taken full advantage of this. Last week we started a project that should have been finished years ago when it was first built... we are putting walls and a door in the playhouse! I took pictures but they are pretty rough. I will post them when the playhouse is complete. However, I will show you our big helper for the day...

He was so cute and funny. He is a neighbors little boy that is just as sweet as ever. Having only girls makes his visits all the more pleasant with his curiosities and sayings. He carried that tape measure everywhere and wanted to measure anything that stood still long enough, even a chicken, lol.

I didn't get the picture because I was laughing so hard. That poor chicken had no idea what was going on.

With the weather tickling higher digits, my flea market bug has been brought back to life. The Thursday before last a friend and I went to a neighboring town and shopped till we dropped at every flea market and second hand store we could find. And I found this!!!

And this

Aren't they sweet?! The green one plugs in and the light still works. It only cost me $1.99! The white one however doesn't plug in and cost me $15.00. But it was so sweet I couldn't pass it up. Only thing is, I can't get the oven door to stay closed, lol. I may have to put a fake pie in there to make the door look like it is supposed to be open.

Speaking of ovens... last night the girls and I made cookies. They were so good I just had to share the recipe.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C peanut butter

1/4 C shortening

1/4 C butter, softened

1 egg

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 package of chocolate chips

Mix first 6 ingred. together until smooth. Stir in remaining. Form into a ball place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake at 375' for 8-10 mins.

Children are not casual guests in our home. They have been loaned to us temporarily for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built.

Dr. James C. Dobson

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.

James Arthur Bladwin

I have linked this post up to Sweet As Sugar Cookies

Cake for one please!

2011-02-24T12:52:00.003-06:00

The weather outside is frightful! But the cake is so delightful...

While the rain comes down outside I am enjoying some chocolate cake adapted by my sweet little butterfly. Here is the recipe.

4 tbs. cocoa mix

2 tbs. self-rise flour

1 egg

1 tbs. veg. oil

1 tbs milk

13 oz. mug

Mix the cocoa mix and flour in a mug. Add the already beaten egg, oil, and milk and mix away. Once it is mixed stick it in the microwave for 2 minutes!!! Seriously, it works.

It looks like it is going to pop over the edge but it doesn't :)

Butterfly came home with a similar recipe that they did at school. We tried the school recipe and it always bubbled over the mug and burnt (not fun to clean up). Butterfly was determined to make it work and made up her own ratio and this is what it is. I love it!

Once it is done cooking she pops it out onto a plate and drizzles chocolate syrup over it, mmmm.

It is the perfect size for one or you can share... but it is just me here and I don't want to waste. Waste not want not right??!!

Tomorrow is my Birthday!!! I will be 34... wow, time has flown by. Hubby is taking the day off and we are partying like it is 1999. Well, until the kids get out of school at 3:00 ; )

Woot woot! Isn't that what the kids are saying these day's, lol.

Blessings

When you thought I wasn't looking

2011-02-21T12:56:00.000-06:00

A child is a blank page upon which you write with a permanent marker.

Author Unknown

Today I met with my mom2mom group and the speaker really spoke to my heart. She shared with us some wonderful stories and wonderful lessons. This is the poem she brought for us to keep. I put mine on my fridge.

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my

first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately

wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a

stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind

to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my

favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little

things can be the special things in life..

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a

prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always

talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a

meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I

learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care

of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have

to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you

handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't

feel good, and I learned that I would have to be

responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come

from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things

hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you

cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of

life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and

productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and

wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when

you thought I wasn't looking'

I love this poem so much. And it really makes me stop and think about my actions. I hope when you read this poem it makes you smile. Our children are like sponges, and I want mine to soak up the smiles on my face and the little things that make them feel special.

Thank you for stopping by Whispering Dreams!

All in a days work and a friendly chili cook-off...

2011-02-19T21:13:00.001-06:00

I am so excited to share with you our days work. It wont look like much but it sure did take a great deal of time.

I wish I would of taken a before picture! There was wood, 2x4's, grass growing everywhere, and bark everywhere. It looks so much better now : ) This is our woodpile behind hubbies shed.

Hubby rototilled the garden after adding half of the compost bins goodness to it. He will do it again in 2 weeks and then... planting! I can't wait to get started.

When we were done cleaning behind his shed hubby left me a note. Awwww, isn't he a sweetie?! I wanted to keep the wood but he insisted we throw it away so I took a picture. He used the chain saw : )

Now for the Chili Cook Off... Our church is hosting a Chili Cook Off to raise money for our youth group. When we were asked to join, I gladly said yes. Little did I know that my SWEET husband was joining too! He made his pot of chili...

And I made mine...

This meant war! He wouldn't even let me watch him make it, lol. Funny thing is, he kept asking me questions. Are Navy Beans and Great Northern Beans the same? Do you add water to yours? Should I add another can of beans?

Here is the winning trophy! The preachers wife found the base and chili at Hobby Lobby and gave it to hubby and I and asked us to make a trophy. So hubby painted the base black and I used the Cricut to make the letters and then we hot glued it together.

MY chili recipe is:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 cans of navy beans
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 packet of chili seasoning
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 onion

I browned the onion, garlic, and meat together. Drained the meat. Put the meat and all of the other ingredients in a crock pot and am cooking it over night : )

Easy peasy! Now for his concoction... I think I saw him add green peppers, onions, garlic, meat, a can of kidney beans, a can of great northern beans, and seasoning. I am not sure what else, lol.

I can't wait to see everyone's chili tomorrow. I love having functions like this at church. It brings the playful side of everyone out. We are also having a bake sale which means cake, cookies, and other goodies. Shewy, I will be in heaven!

Blessings to you and thank you for stopping by!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-16T16:41:00.000-06:00

Have a beautiful week!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T13:31:00.000-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I love Valentine's Day

Do you remember being a kid and picking out your favorite Valentine cards? Writing everyone's name down in your class and picking who got which Valentine? Watching my girls fill out their cards brings back all of those SWEET memories.

Meg gets this card because she likes pink, Connor gets this card because it is blue, McKenzie can have the yellow, she likes all different colors...

Last year I found these sweet little boxes the day after Valentine's Day 50% off. I stuck them away with the Valentine decorations for this year. The girls were so excited to see them :) We filled them with goodies to hand out with their cards.

And the boxes! Decorating your box was sooo much fun! I bought these boxes last year and the girls were actually disappointed to see them already decked out. I can't blame them so I promised them I would pull out my Cricut and cut out their names and other special stickers so they could still enjoy decorating their boxes. We will be doing that tonight :)

This years decorations are very simple

Candy for eating... mmm mmm

A red wreath to brighten our window hanging in the dinning room

And some red hearts stuck here and there.

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown

I pray that you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

Snow Days

2011-02-11T08:13:00.000-06:00

O Winter! ruler of the inverted year, . . . I crown thee king of intimate delights, Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturb'd Retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know.

William Cowper (1731 - 1800), Task (bk. IV, l. 120)

We have had some beautiful snow this last week.

And with that snow comes snow cream! YUM

There will be make up days in spring for the girls at school...

But for now, we are baking. Apple Bread to be exact. Our neighbor was given more apples then she knew what to do with and was gracious enough to share a bag with us.

I found a bread recipe online but ended up altering it quite a bit in an attempt to make it a little healthier.

Apple Bread

1 C apple sauce
1 C brown sugar
1 C honey
4 egg whites
3 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 C chopped apples
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix apple sauce, brown sugar, honey, and eggs together until smooth. Mix in flour, baking soda, and vanilla then fold in apples.

Spoon into 2 greased 9 x 5 bread pans.

Bake at 350 for about an hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

I wanted something yummy and a smidge healthy to lather on top. I used 2 spoonfuls of Brummel and Brown spread, a good shaking of cinnamon, and a tablespoon or so of honey and mixed it all together and it turned out pretty good ; )

The temperatures have been ccccold around these parts. Back home (Kansas) it was 23 below 0!! We haven't been THAT cold here but cold enough. And just when I think I can't take the cold any more... there is news of warmth! Next week promises to be in the 50's, a regular heat wave!!

Our Beautiful Weekend

2011-01-31T14:58:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was absolutely beautiful. The weather tickled the 60 degree mark and the sun shone brightly all day Saturday. The nice weather allowed us to get some of those nagging chores done and made it a lot more fun. We chopped wood for the colder weather that is due at the end of this week.

We cleaned out the chicken coop, which was way over due.

We fixed the rain thingy on the boat. I am not sure what it is called but it helps the cover to not hold water when it rains. And for fun the girls played in the sand.

Wildflower had a Birthday sleepover on Friday. There were screaming girls everywhere, lol. Her theme this year was Carnival. She is a huge lover of everything horsey and the horses on the Mary-Go-Round helped me to get away with the Carnival theme.

She told me that she wanted a cake that was a Mary-Go-Round... and she wanted it to move! She said that The Cake Boss can do it, so can you. Bless her heart. She is still at the age where she thinks that mom and dad can do anything and I love her for it. I did the best I could on her cake but it didn't move, lol.

We finished the beautiful weekend off eating Brad's homemade pizza with friends.

The warmer weather is a little reminder to me that spring is on it's way. We have about 5 more weeks of winter weather and then the sun will shine and warm the earth enough to start planting the garden. I can't wait!

Wildflower's Birthday!

2011-01-27T08:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Wildflowers 9th Birthday. Her requests for dinner were very simple... steak and potatoes. She is my meat eating girl for sure! Her favorite breakfast includes bacon... REAL bacon, not that turkey stuff I try to buy. She is the comedy relief in this family. She makes us all laugh and you can't help but want to squeeze her. Her love for horses has really shaped who she is. She is very kind, loving, free spirited, and passionate.

She helped me set the table for her special meal last night and that HAD to include horses.

And horses are always working, here they are holding Hubbies and my forks.

Here they are holding the girls forks.

When we got home from school they did their homework. And when they were done we popped her new favorite movie in, The Secretariat. She had opened it up yesterday morning and couldn't wait to watch it. Let me tell you, that movie is wonderful! Such a great movie. I can't tell you how many times I teared up. I have always cheered for the underdog and this movie makes my heart sing.

To finish her beautiful Birthday off we ate cake. Chocolate cake to be exact!

Happy Birthday Wildflower!! We are so blessed to have you in our family. Love you buga boo!!

Soap and a Visitor

2011-01-25T09:40:00.004-06:00

This past weekend my husband and I made 2 more batches of soap. The first batch was this wintergreen one. I had put green food coloring in it at the last minute to make a swirly effect and the green actually turned out red? I am not quite sure why it did that but I like it anyway, lol. The color doesn't match the name per say but that is okay with me.

Our second batch we got a little more creative and added 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal, cinnamon for coloring, and mixed cinnamon and clove essential oils. I love the way it turned out and can't wait to use it!

The top looks a little ashy but I can always grate that off with a cheese grater. I saw that on the Homestead Blessings DVD and it looked really cute.

(Amazon.com)

This is the DVD I used to get the recipe and directions on how to make soap. I love this DVD so much. They also have others that are great. I think that the soap and gardening ones are my favorite. The West Ladies are so sweet to watch and I love their modest clothing, they look so cute. They even have a sewing DVD that shows how they make their skirts.

Watching their soap DVD sure made making soap look easy and it IS! If you haven't made soap but are thinking you want to I encourage you to. It is fun and you can be soooo creative with recipes.

Now for our visitor...

Yes, that is a peacock! These two have been roaming our neighborhood for about a year now. At first it was really cool and funny to see them walking around. But now it is not so cool but still a little funny. I think the male is showing out for our chickens... and it is scaring the bageebers out of them! When ever the peacocks are in the backyard the chickens are all up in their coop. Not one is down stairs. I just looked out my window and the male is walking to our garage... as I TYPE! No doubt he is eating my cats food. Sure he is pretty...

Okay, he is really pretty. And as I was marveling at the striking colors of his neck and beautiful tail feathers I couldn't help but think, geesh he is really pretty and the female, well... is not. It just doesn't seem fair. I mean look at him, bright colors, a beautiful trail of feathers that drag on the ground like a kings cape. And look, he even gets to wear a hat. His neck is adorned with the most beautiful blue I have ever seen. And here she is... all white and gray.

I thought some more on that subject and came to realize, her beauty is on the inside. She will lay an egg, keep that egg warm, nurture her little pea creature, teach it how to forage for food, how to care for it's self and let it go into the world. And look, she gets to wear a hat too. It may not be as showy as his but that doesn't matter.

And then I looked in the mirror and laughed. In the rush of hurrying to get the kids off to school on time, I had pulled my hair back into a ponytail and put a head band into hide what taking a shower in the evening will do to my curly/frizzy hair. And in the process had missed a huge chunk of bangs which in this humid weather had taken a turn north... I was wearing a hat too :)

Thank you for stopping by and have a beautiful day... from the inside out.

Do All The Good You Can

2011-01-20T16:06:00.000-06:00

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

John Wesley

Butterfly and Wildflower were dismissed early from school today due to the snowy conditions. It started snowing around 10 this morning and hasn't stopped since. We are tucked inside the house with the fireplace going strong. Tonight we are having homemade pizza for dinner and the dough is in the bread machine rising. I love having plans for dinner. It makes me feel good knowing that he can come home take his shoes off, eat a good meal, and relax after a long days work.

I started the day off cleaning my bedroom. It was a disaster. The kind of mess that dust bunnies have a field day in. I went through our closet, pulled out old shoes and shoes we wont wear, went through and pulled out old or ehem... small..er shirts and jeans that no longer fit (for what ever reason), and cleaned the floor. I dusted everything with a flat surface and under the dresser and tables. What a feeling of complete happiness I have now to see how clean our room is. It is funny, I put this chore off for so long and it didn't take but a couple of hours. And I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

As I sit here and think about it, cleaning my room was a blessing. My husband and I can now go in there for solitude, a place all our own, somewhere that no longer houses all of the "extra" things that do not have a home.

Simplicity

I like it!

Kitchen

2011-01-18T12:23:00.000-06:00

Our kitchen paint job is finally finished. We went from a bright red to a light brown. I really worried about covering up the red with cans and cans of primer but, I am extatic to say that the new Valspar Signature Primer did a wonderful job.

This is just one coat of primer. It was very thick and did the job wonderfully. I went with a neutral color that still offered warmth yet a lot of versatility. The color is Otter Tail from Wal-Mart. I did two coats of the OT and one coat of the primer. It took me a long time to get these pictures on here because we also replaced the hardware on the drawers. When I changed a handle out I made sure to clean out the drawer or cabinet and wash the wood down with a wood soap. It was a very simple change but makes such a differenece to me. We went from a brassy looking pull to a polished pewter looking pull.

Here is a picture of the dining room...

The curtains are made of twin sheets from Wal-Mart for $4. I cut them in half and serged the edges (idea from Farm Chicks book). I am wanting to simplify so I didn't hang that much back up on the walls.

Here is the kitchen. If you look close you can see that I am not all the way done switching out the pulls. My new years resolution is to simplify and it is taking me some time and convincing myself that I don't need these extra things. So it has been a slow process, lol.

Thank you very much for the Happy Birthday wishes for Butterfly! It made her feel very special to read them. And thank you for stopping by!!

Sushi Rolls For Her Birthday

2011-01-06T21:28:00.001-06:00

Today is Butterflies Birthday!! She turns the big 12 today! I am so proud of her. She is very sweet and loving and funny and smart. She started out very independent. She wanted to do everything herself and would say, "me do it, me do it". She has grown so fast and is now taller then me!! Happy Birthday Sweetie!!

I asked her what she wanted for dinner and her answer was sushi and cupcakes. As soon as I got home from dropping them off at school I started on the cupcakes. I wanted them on the table all decorated when she got home from school.

When I was done with that I painted the kitchen and laundry room another coat. I can't wait to show you!! The color is Otter Tail...

Then I made the rice for her sushi dinner. I like to work with the rice when it is cold, it sticks better :) Sushi is not hard to make and it is so yummy. Did you know that Sushi doesn't mean raw fish? I always thought, ewwww sushi (raw fish), count me out. The actual definition is:

Cold cooked rice dressed with vinegar that is shaped into bite-sized pieces and topped with raw or cooked fish, or formed into a roll with fish, egg, or vegetables and wrapped in seaweed.

(education.yahoo)

We really like sushi and eat it almost once a week. I am not a professional but I love to make it. I took lots of pictures for you...

Things you will need include a sushi mat (wood place mat), rice, seaweed wraps, veggies, soy sauce, cooked meat (if you like), cream cheese, and a hungry appetite.

I place a single seaweed wrap on the sushi mat (mat wrapped in saran wrap)

This is what I use

Then I spread rice all over one side

And flip it over, rice side down

Load it up with things you like. Here we have avocado, cucumber, and crab meat. Other choices we do are fried shrimp or chicken, YUM

We also like cream cheese. I cut some off and shape it with my hands... it is just easier, lol

There you have it. This is similar to a California Roll.

The fun part... rolling it up! I pick it up like this and keep on rolling it forward

When it looks like this I do a little squeeze so it all stays together

And this is what it will look like!

Sushi Roll with some Yum Yum Sauce.

Yum Yum Sauce Recipe:

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons white sugar

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 teaspoon paprika

3/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. I love this stuff so much I pour it all over my rice!

We ended our meal with cupcakes!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Spaghetti Pie

2011-01-05T08:20:00.001-06:00

I have played with my blog for quite some time and thought I had it figured out... turns out I don't, lol. I will continue to tinker with it and in the mean time I want to share a fantastic recipe that my sister in law gave to me. We were on the phone the other night and I was scrambling to get a dinner put together. She is a GREAT cook and started suggesting things. When I told her what I had on hand she had an idea...

Spaghetti Pie!! This recipe is tweaked a little as I didn't have everything she called for but it turned out oh soooo yummy and I want to share it with you.

Here is what I had to use...

1/4 package of breakfast sausage
3/4 package of pepperonis
1 onion
8 oz. spaghetti noodles
1 can spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
3/4 package of mozzarella cheese

I cooked the spaghetti noodles until done and browned the little bit of sausage and the 1 onion I had. When the sausage was done I added the pepperonis that I had cut into pieces. Stirred them a little and poured the tomato sauce in and cooked until heated through. Then cracked the eggs and mixed them a little and poured them into the spaghetti noodles. Added the 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese and mixed. Put the noodles into an oven safe dish and poured the sauce mixture on top and spread it out. Cooked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then added the mozzarella cheese on top and cooked until cheese was melted.

It was sooo yummy and everyone liked it! Even my little one who tends to be a little picky.

Thank you Melissa!!!!!

Things have finally slowed down a bit around here after the holidays, shew. And to start the new year off fresh I have started painting the kitchen. Every time I get done painting I swear I am NEVER going to paint again but here I am, lol. Life is about change and I am here to embrace it!

Thank you for stopping by. I pray you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T01:12:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year to you. May your year be full of laughter, accomplishments, love, growth, and everything that makes you smile.