Kreativ Blogger Award....... thanks to the Sass!

So, I've won an award! Those daughters of mine are so good to me!
(you don't s'pose this is a pity award, do you?)

As a winner, I will name 6 things I am grateful for:

1. my health

2. my thoughtful husband

3. my kids, g'kids, and kids in laws

4. friends

5. flowers and gardening

6. chocolate!

This is our thankful tree----

Each leaf is something we are thankful for. We add our leaves at dinner time.

So, now I'll name six other blogs that I enjoy reading to pass this award on to :

Lynne at Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life,

Kylee at Our Little Acre,

Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago,

Carol at May Dreams Gardens,

TAMN at Seriously, so Blessed!,

and Barbara at Motherof 8.

Pioneer Day

This is spoken from the point of view of a convert, so don't be hatin' on me here-

I am just thinking Pioneer Day would be a lot more fun if there was more 'pie' involved.
Just sayin' ---

oh, really, it is great to honor the Pioneers.

For those of us who are LDS, there was a great poem in the July Ensign,

Lynne over at Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life has a copy of the poem, and some great comments about it. I loved this poem when I read it, too. Remembers the hardships the pioneers faced and overcame, and reminds us that we, today, need to overcome, too.

The Declaration of Independence

KOSY 106.5 radio in Utah has Sabbath music on Sunday, and short inspirational messages from Glen Rawson. You can find it at: http://www.soundsofsunday.com/

Here is an example of a recent message, reminding us of the sacrifices the signers of the Declaration of Independence made for this country to come into being:

“…And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
Those words were not rhetoric for a speech for the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Of those 56 men who signed it, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died; twelve had their homes sacked, looted, and occupied by the enemy.
For example, Thomas Nelson Jr. at the Battle of Yorktown had his home taken over by the British General Cornwallis. Nelson quietly urged General Washington to open fire on the home anyway. It was destroyed. Nelson died a pauper.
Nine of the signers died in that war, and two lost their sons to it.
Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas. He died in rags.
Thomas KcKeen was forced to move his family five times in five months to hide from his enemies. While his family hid from the British in abject poverty, McKeen served in Congress without pay – oh, for men like that today!
Francis Lewis’ home and possessions were seized, and his wife imprisoned where she died a short time later.
And perhaps the most touching story of all is of the signer John Hart, who was driven from his wife’s bedside as she lay dying. Their thirteen children had to flee for their lives as well. For over a year Hart lived in caves and in the forest. After the surrender, he returned to find his wife dead, his children gone – thirteen children, and every one of them vanished! John Hart died a few weeks later of a broken heart.” (Lund, The Freedom Factor, Deseret Book, 1987, p. 101)
And there were more – more stories of sacrifice and pain than I have time to tell.
I believe, my dear friends, that if the opportunity was given to us to face each of them and ask them if the price they paid was worth it, I believe there would be a unanimous and a resounding “Yes.”
It has been said that the single most important word in the English language is “Remember.” Oh, may God grant that every citizen in America will never forget the price that has been paid for our freedom.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

St. Patrick's day around our house has more to do with heritage and genealogy than drinking and partying. I have a few Irish ancestors: Nixons, and Carskadons are a few families in my family lines.
Some years I would serve green orange juice (that sounds strange, doesn't it?). Some years I would make Corned Beef and cabbage, but I don't do that much anymore. It is a pretty fatty, tough meat (at least by the time I'm done with it!). So I sometimes would serve cupcakes w/ green frosting, or something like that, to remind my family of their Irish heritage. Recently I found this recipe for soda bread that I like very much. It is easy and quick to make, tasty, and has some whole grains in it.

Quick Irish Soda Bread

(modified from Joy of Cooking)

Sift together in a large bowl:

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 ½ c. flour

1 ½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

4 t. sugar

Cut into the flour mixture:

6 T. butter

Add and mix together:

1 beaten egg

¾ c. buttermilk

(you can add 1 c. raisins or currants and or 2 t. caraway seeds, but I don’t)

Put dough into a greased 8 inch round cake or pie pan.

Bake at 375º for 20-40 minutes.

I have adjusted the baking powder for high altitude baking

- if you are at less than 2000 feet, you should add about 1/2 t. of baking powder.

This is a quick and easy bread to make,

and an easy way to put some whole grains in your diet!

Happy Valentine's Day, and - so what should I wear to the dance?

Happy Valentine's Day to all ! This is a decorative dishtowel I have hanging up for February. I haven't really done any other decorating, lame, I know.

I am getting ready for my Valentine's date with DH- I have a pink silk suit, that I like. I plan to wear it to the church dinner/dance on Friday night. I got it at a bargain price, and like it a lot.
It has a few drawbacks; it wrinkles easily, and it is a very Barbie pink- the pics make it look redder than it really is. But overall, it is cute and I enjoy wearing it. I haven't shown the skirt, it is just a straight skirt that hits me a bit below the knee (a fave length for me). Keep in mind that I am not a very fashionable gal, jeans and a knit shirt are what I wear most days, and even when I 'dress up' my goal is to look 'ok', I know I'm not hitting 'stylish' in my wildest dreams! I'm 5' 2" tall (or short!) and wear the average size of U.S. women - a 14. It's still fun to plan an outfit and see how it all turns out. Follow along, and be ready to give some advice at the end.

I'm planning to wear the pink shoes in this photo, they really do match, and I love the cute bows on the front.
Now for the 'advice needed' part - I have a plain white blouse that will barely show under my jacket -

AND I have this blouse, with collar and ruffled front. I like this blouse a lot, but, truthfully, it is most useful as a pirate shirt (I wore it for Halloween) and looks a bit too 'busy' on my short body. I don't like the collar,either, but I love the ruffles, and figure Valentine's is a great time to be a bit over the top.

So, what do you think? (Daughters, I am esp. asking for your advice, here!) Should I go simple with the plain top, or mess with the ruffles and collar?

Here is another question - what jewelry to wear? A necklace is a good idea with the plain top, I have some pearls and other necklaces.

I really like the light pink heart earrings,(they are just to the left of the pearls) but can't wear them with a lot of other jewelry.

Take a minute and tell me what looks good to you. (If you don't like anything, then feel free to say nothing at all, I'm not up for a lot of criticism today!) At this point I am leaning towards the plain blouse w/ pearls and pearl earrings (which I didn't show).

Thanksgiving Review

My Sassy daughter (like I only have one of those :) put up some fun pics from our Thanksgiving day get together, so I thought I'd add a few more.

One of the highlights of the day was H's Famous Fruit Salad, complete with decorative flag.

E started a new tradition; since he finished eating first, he crawled under the table (hopefully not looking for fallen crumbs).

T is ready for dessert; pumpkin and razzleberry pie, and although not shown, some wonderful homemade cream puffs and a pumpkin cheesecake. Yummy.
What was the best part of your Thanksgiving holiday?