Wolf Spirits

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-12-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We've been very busy the last couple of months. On Nov. 3rd our landlords knocked on our door and told us they had sold the mobile home we had rented for the last 6 years. We had no idea that they were even considering selling it. We was gave 60 days to move.

We was able to find a mobile home about 1 1/2 miles away that was affordable. So during the Thanksgiving holiday we moved. Rich took the week following Thanksgiving off.

My question.....How can two people have so many treasures??????

It has been really hard on Misty (cat) moving. She is a very timid kitty. The different sights and sounds send her scurrying under the bed for hours.

Even the houseplants are pouting. They are droopy and shedding leaves.

We are still unpacking and trying to get some order in the house.

We decided not to put up our Christmas tree this year. It takes me 2 weeks just to decorate the tree...not counting the time for the rest of the house. I'm just too exhausted from moving to deal with it this year.

Rich and I are spending a quiet Christmas at home. Rich has a 3 day weekend and we plan on relaxing, snacking on goodies and watching movies and football.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

New Family in the Neighborhood!

2011-09-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

This morning when Rick started to work he discovered a Mama Cat and her kittens by our woodpile. He thought there was 3 kittens....turns out there is 5 kittens.

NO........the Mama Cat and her kittens don't belong to us. They are the result of an STUPID pet owner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They drove off and left the Mama Cat and her sibling (Gray Cat) about 3 months old to fend for themselves when they moved.

At least Mama Cat knew where her babies would be safe. We are now feeding them and will make sure that they find good homes. I would love to adopt the little one with the stubby tail like its Mama. Don't know if Misty would accept the little one or not.

I won't post what I would love to say to the STUPID people that caused this situation on my blog as I consider it a family blog.

But......you know who you are and what goes around comes around!

A Time To Remember..............

2011-09-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today.....Rich and I was living in South Lake Tahoe, CA. We were enjoying a day off together....something that didn't happen often. We was still sleeping when our friend, Brian called us and told us that we had been attacked. He told us to turn on the TV. Rick and I raced into the livingroom and turned on the TV. We sat and watched in horror what was happening in our country. Those images still haunt us to this day.......

August Doll Quilt Swap

2011-08-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

"Mardi Gras"

Raggedy Ann and Andy

The "Mardi Gras" doll quilt I made for my partner, Linda in North Carolina. She told me that she had a doll room decorated in yellow and purple. It was fun shopping for the outside border. I wanted something that would go with the yellow and purple Nine-Patches in the center. I almost gave up....until I found this Mardi Gras looking fabric. When I showed Rich he asked how much of it did I buy? I told him only 1/2 yard. He told me I should have bought more so I could sew him a scrub top out of it. I'll have to check and see if they have any left next time I go shopping. I knew I should have bought more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Raggedy Ann and Andy quilt is the one my partner, Linda made for me. The pinwheels are 3-D and the center is embroidery. I will be hanging it next to a red shelf that has a Primitive Raggedy Annie and mini teapots.

Looking forward to next month's Doll Quilt Swap.

A Salute to Our Heroes

2011-08-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Rich and I went to Sutherlin, Oregon to see The Traveling Wall. We had watched as The Traveling Wall was escorted thru the VA Hospital in Roseburg on Wednesday. It was escorted by numereous police and fire departments, several hundred bikers and old time cars. It was a beautiful sight to see. It was so sad to see all the names on the wall. It was also sad to think of all the men and women that have died after the wars.

After seeing The Traveling Wall we went just south of Sutherlin to view The Healing Field of Southern Oregon. There was 1,750 flags on display in the field. There was also some displays to view.

As we was standing for a moment of silence in front of the above display.....I could feel our friend, Danny looking down upon us from heaven. He told us that he loved us and one day we would all be together once more. I stood there crying for Danny and all the other heroes that have lost their lives defending our country.

Danny was a Vietnam Veteran. He didn't die in the war....he died of complications of ALS in 2004. When he was diagnosed he was told that there was a 60 percent chance that it had been caused by being exposed to Agent Orange that he had been exposed to in Vietnam.

Danny's name will not be on The Wall....he was one of the men and women who have died years after the war has ended!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! Rich and I have enjoyed the long weekend. We have been able to work on some projects this weekend. We drove over to Herbert Pond in Canyonville this morning and enjoyed watching the geese and ducks.

Memorial Day

2011-05-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the service men and women who has served our great country.......past and present! A special thanks to my Father-in-law who served in World War II, my wonderful hubby, Rich who served his country during the Vietnam War era and our special friend, Danny who served in Vietnam.

Yesterday we went into Medford and placed flowers on all our loved ones graves. The photo is Dad and Mom's gravestone. My sister's were not able to place flowers on their graves so Rich and I placed flowers for them.

May Doll Quilt Swap

2011-05-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Doll Quilt that I made for my swap partner, Chele!

Doll Quilt that I received from Chele!

I had so much fun making my Doll Quilt for Chele this month. She loves scrappy quilts so I made her a String Quilt. I named my quilt....Granny's Strings in honor of my beloved Grandma Shaw! The string quilt block was the first block that she taught me how to sew when I was first starting out sewing. I miss Grandma and being able to sit and talk to her about anything and everything.

Looking forward to next month's Doll Quilt Swap!

April Doll Quilt Swap

2011-05-02T06:24:00.000-07:00

I've been having so much fun making doll quilts for a monthly swap on Quilter's Forum. This is my second month and I've joined up for May's swap.

I made a Disappearing Nine-Patch doll quilt for my partner, JoAnn. JoAnn lives in Georgia. She told me that the tornadoes had hit about 10 miles north of her area. She had wrote me and told me that she loved pastels and brights...so I tried to incorporate those colors in her quilt.

I received a beautiful doll quilt from JoAnn....she called it
Disappearing Violets". I love it and its proudly hanging on my hallway wall where I have several small quilts displayed!

I'm not sure what I'll come up with for my partner, Chele for May. She likes scrappy quilts, bright colors, novelty prints, batiks and polka dots. Ummm.......I'll come up with something. That is what is fun about swapping....it gets you to thinking about different themes, colors, etc.

Earth Day 2011

2011-04-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate our Earth! On this day people will recycle, reuse and do without all in the name of saving our planet! Don't get me wrong....I think it's a wonderful thing to do....you just need to do it everyday not just Earth Day!

The practice of recycling, reusing and doing without is how I was raised by my parents and grandparents.

Dad and my Grandpas didn't run to town everytime they needed to repair something around the house. They improvised using the materials they had in their shops. Many a time I've seen my Dad take a corn flake box and cut out a gasket for a car engine. No running to the store for him. His homemade gaskets lasted just as long as the store bought ones.

My Grandpas were both very inventive when they needed to repair things around their homes. Grandpa S. kept his old John Deere tractor in tip top shape. He had to fabricate many parts because it was so old parts were hard to find for it.

My Grandpa McG. was disabled as a young man. That didn't keep him from raising 9 children and building his own homes. I remember him remodeling some old outbuildings into a beautiful home by recycling lumber, windows and doors.

My Mom and Grandmas all were very good at preserving foods and stocking the pantries for their families. They all loved to preserve the bounties they came across. We would go pick up onions in the field after they harvested the crops. We paid a penny per pound for what we picked up. Mom would go sort the onions as soon as we got home. The ones that had cuts from harvesting was used first. She also chopped some of them and placed them in the freezer for cooking. We would go and pick up apples, pears, peaches, apricots off the ground after the orchards were picked. These fruits were canned and made into jams and jellies. We would go out and cut wild asparagus for a spring treat. Before they started juicing all pears, peaches and apples you used to be able to go down where they would dump them by the truckloads and get the fruit free. Now all the fruit that can't be used for the cannery, gift baskets and boxes go to be juiced and dried into concentrate for foreign countries.

All the families had huge gardens and all the veggies were consumed fresh or preserved for later use. Grandpa S. always planted everything in 4's. One for the Lord, one for his children, one for the neighbors and one for Grandma and himself. Yes, even the zucchini was planted by 4's. Grandma had to be very creative using all the zucchini! You had best leave your car windows up and the doors locked if you didn't want a back seat full of zucchini. And don't think because the garden was finished that you wasn't going to get veggies and fruits. Grandma would send home frozen and canned veggies and fruits. We called them "Grandma's Care Bags". She would slip out of the house and fill up paper grocery bags that she kept out in the well shed. She would use fresh, frozen or canned goodies to fill up her bag. At times she would even include cash for gas, ect. She would either put the bag in your car or hand it to you as you were getting in the car to leave. When she went calling on her neighbors she never went empty handed. She would take baked goods, fresh fruits or veggies, canned veggies, fruits, jams or maybe a jar of Grandpa's Wild Thisle Honey!

My McG. grandparents always had their huge garden, chickens, hogs, beef and milk cows. I loved helping Grandpa milk the cow. After we finished we would take it into the kitchen for Grandma to take of it. She would strain the milk into gallon glass jars and set it in the refrigerator for the cream to separate. She would separate the cream off the ready jars in the frig. Then we got to make butter out of some of the cream. If strawberries were ready in the garden we got a treat of fresh cream and sliced strawberries. Sometimes Grandma would whip the cream and other times she just poured the fresh cream over the berries. Yummy! I loved helping Grandma churn the cream into butter. She had a gallon glass jar with a churn on top. You would just turn the handle until the butter separated from the whey. Oh, the taste of fresh butter right out of the churn. The whey was either used in bread baking or put in the hog slop. Either way it wasn't wasted.

Dad worked in the mills and during the winter they were often shut down. During the spring, summer and fall we would stock our pantry with enough foods to last during the times that Dad was out of work. We would grow as much veggies that we could. We ate fresh veggies out of the garden and the excess was canned. Dad usually worked swing shift so he would work in the garden in the morning watering and weeding. Mom and I would pick the veggies in the morning and then after Dad went to work we would can them. It was hot work but the rewards were very tasty.

Mom, Grandma, my sisters and I would go out and pick berries, etc. for canning, jams and jellies. Grandma was always afraid of snakes while picking berries....me I hated them big Garden Spiders and their webs. I'll take a snake any day over them spiders.

At times Dad would work 2 jobs in the summer. He would work at the mill on swing shift and work during the day driving the tractor pulling a trailer picking up boxes of peaches the workers picked. He was allowed to bring home boxes of the peaches that had splits or bruising. After Dad left for work Mom and I would can the best parts, make jams and jellies out of the pieces. All our hard work sure did taste good during the winter.

We also stockpiled flour, sugar, tea, coffee and other items that we had to buy during the summer. That was we didn't have to worry about where the money was coming from in the winter to buy them.

My Grandma S. and I would recycle clothing into school clothes for myself and play clothes for my little sisters. At that time the full gathered dresses and skirts were being exchanged for mini skirts....the mid 1960's. Grandma and I would go shopping at the Sally Shop (Salvation Army Thrift Store). We could purchase a large brown paper grocery bag of clothes for $1. You could stuff it as full as you could get it....the sack couldn't rip. Grandma and I each took a bag and would fill it with all kinds of clothes that we could recycle into other clothes. It was a game with Grandma and I to see who could get the most clothes in our bags. Grandma always won until I discovered her secret. She would actually roll the garments and place them in her bag. She could get at least 2 layers of rolled clothes in the bag and then she would fold the rest of the clothes and lay them on top of the 2 layers of clothes. After we got home we would wash and dry our treasures.

Then it was time to start recycling the clothes. We would remove all zippers, buttons and decorations. Putting them aside we would then take apart the clothes. It is amazing how much fabric can be gleaned from a dress with long sleeves and a full gathered skirt. After all the clothes were recycled into fabric we would decide what to make out of our new to us fabric. Grandma decided that we would first make blouses and skirts for me to wear to school. Then the rest of the fabric was used to make tops, long pants and shorts for my little sisters. We would mix and match the colors. I loved to applique little animals, etc on the tops. For example I might take a red solid fabric to make shorts or long pants...then I would use a print to match the solid color for the top. I would use a solid red piece of fabric to applique a cat, dog, ect on the print top. They were so cute!!! After we finished making as many clothes as possible out of our fabric Grandma would use the scraps for quilt blocks. Her favorite quilt block was the Nine-Patch.

I used to go with Grandma S. to church quilting bees! Talk about being funny! Imagine grown women bickering over scraps of fabric. They would get big cardboard barrels of fabric scraps. Usually 4 ladies would go through the barrels and choose colors for the quilt blocks. One day 2 of the ladies started squabbling over a piece of fabric. Both wanted it for their quilt blocks. Grandma was cutting blocks out and after a while she got tired of listening to the ladies squabble...one of the ladies was her best friend. Grandma got up from the table, walked over and took the piece of fabric from the ladies. Yep, she used her scissors and cut that fabric in half. She handed both the ladies a piece and then announced it was time for lunch. I will never forget the look on those 2 ladies faces when Grandma handed them each a piece of the fabric.

Speaking of lunch....those ladies sure could cook. They went all out trying to outdo each other with their offerings. Grandma's specialty was Banana Pudding! She made it from scratch...no instant pudding for Grandma. She made the honest to goodness vanilla pudding. She would layer vanilla wafers on the bottom of a large oblong cake pan and around the sides too. Then she would place a layer of pudding, layer of sliced bananas, layer of pudding, layer of bananas and end with a layer of pudding. Then she would make the meringue and place a thick layer on top. She always made cute little curliques with the meringe. Then into the oven to broil the meringe just until the little curliques were golden. Yummy!!!!!

Rich grew up with his Dad working mills and other jobs. They didn't have a garden but Mom canned fruits, jams and jellies. She was not able to do as much as she wanted because she had health issues. She did love to sew and made beautiful clothes for her family. His parents shopped for bargains as often as they could. Rich said he remembers helping his Dad load the station wagon with bread, rolls, cookies, etc. at the Bread Outlet store. He said there was hardly any room for all the kids to ride home. They put the bread in the freezer. They were fortunate enough to be able to buy fresh beef from Mom's sister and brother-in-law.

This is how we grew up and my hubby, Rich and I continue recycling, reusing and doing without....just as we was taught as children. It hasn't hurt us! We are happy that we don't have to worry about keeping up with the Jones!

March Doll Quilt Swap

2011-03-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

This is the doll quilt that I made for my partner, Janet for the March Doll Quilt swap. It is on it's way to Florida. It is 18 x 24 inches. The theme for March was Red and White.

Janet almost didn't get the quilt....Rich loved it and wanted to keep it. I promised him that I had fabric left and would make another one for him to keep!

I had so much fun making the quilt that I signed up for the April swap. There is no theme or certain color this month. It has to be at least 12 x 12 inches and no bigger than 24 x 24 inches.

I've been looking at my quilt books and quilt magazines for ideas. I won't know until after the first of the month who my partner will be and his or her likes. Yes, we have men in our quilting forum....and they make beautiful quilts.

Happy Birthday, Bobbie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my oldest little sister! I know I tease you a lot about wanting to trade you in for a seal when you were a baby......Awe shucks.....I think I got the better deal. I got a wonderful sister and a best friend! Hope you have a wonderful birthday, Sis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. When Bobbie was born in Crescent City, California I had to wait in the waiting room because I wasn't old enough to go in and see Mom and Bobbie. The hospital sits on the beach and you could see seals and sea lions frolicking in the surf. After being an only child for 11 1/2 years I was used to having a crying baby in the house. So I asked Dad if we could take her back and get one of the seals instead....they weren't noisy like Bobbie. LOL!!!! By the way, Dad told me that they didn't take trade-ins for the seals so we had to keep Bobbie!

What a way to spend President's Day!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

I've been having fun playing with my new Cricut that Rich gave me for Christmas. I was lucky enough to win a Pooh and Friends cartridge on Ebay. It came in the mail Saturday. So today I decided to play around with it. I love Eeyore so decided to cut him first. After trial and error I finally got all the pieces cut. In the above photo of him....he is not glued together. I need to find my Xyron so I can run the tiny pieces through it and then assemble him.

Scrapbooking

2011-02-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

I've been having so much fun playing with my Cricut that Rich gave me for Christmas. I have been lucky enough to win auctions on Ebay for 6 new cartridges. I'm really looking forward to receiving the Animal Kingdom cartridge (photo above). Since we have hundreds of photos that we have taken at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon.

I just received the Tie the Knot cartridge and have been busy cutting die cuts for 3 weddings I'm working on right now. Can't believe that one of the weddings that I'm working on has already ended in divorce.

I would get more scrapbooking done if I would get my supplies organized. The story of my life in my crafting area. Of course, Rich tells me if I would just work on one project at a time I would be more organized! Yeah, right! It ain't a goin' to happen.....me working on only one project!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hope that everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day with lots of flowers, stuffed animals, and the most important gift of all......CHOCOLATE!!!!!

Knitting!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

It's been about 10 years since I have knitted any projects. Rich asked me to make him a winter hat....he has about 5 or 6 hats that I have made him...he keeps misplacing them. Most of the time I crochet them...decided to dig out the knitting needles and knit him one.

After an hour of trial and error I finally decided on a pattern. Wow....can't believe how rusty my knitting was at the beginning of the hat....it's all starting to come back now.

I'll post a photo when I get it finished!

Hexagon Jewel Quilt

2011-02-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

As promised...photos of my Hexagon Jewel Quilt that I've been sewing when I have a few moments. It is done using the English paper piecing method. Where you see the white running stitches in the hexagon....that will be removed. Each diamond in the quilt is a different pattern...no two alike! I have finished about 3/4 of the quilt top....1/4 to go!

I was going to surround the diamonds with green....Rich suggested that I use black...and it really makes the diamonds pop!!!!! When the quilt is completed it will be Rich's quilt!

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T10:27:00.001-08:00

Today is the big day for Rich....his beloved Super Bowl. It's only 10:30am....and he's already watching all the pre-game programs. The Super Bowl party goodies are ready for this afternoon. We're having Barbeque Chicken Wings, Potato Salad, Chips, Dips and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh, I can't forget the Coke Zero and Diet Dr. Pepper.

While Rich is watching all his programs I'll be working on my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt that I'm English paper piecing. I'll post a photo later.

So everyone enjoy your day whether you are watching the Super Bowl or doing something else that you enjoy!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:43:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends.

I haven't been posting much as I have been busy taking care of my wonderful hubby, Rich. He was having severe headaches and they finally found that he had a severely pinched nerve at C4-C5. We had to go to Portland, OR for his surgery. He had surgery on Dec. 23rd and was able to go home on Christmas eve day. He is feeling so much better after the surgery. The headaches are gone!

Hope everybody has a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Thanksgiving is over.....now on to Christmas

2010-11-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over....now on to Christmas. Not only do we have Christmas next month we have December birthdays..our step-mother and mother-in-law, Bessie, our brother-in-law, Mike and our niece, Emily.

It is time to start decorating our home for Christmas. Since Rick is not feeling too good right now...I will probably not decorate as much as usual. It takes me days to decorate our home. I spend at least a week just decorating the 6 foot tree. Due to Rick having allegies we do not have a real tree. In 1983 I bought a 6 foot artificial tree that was made in West Germany. Everybody that comes to our home has to feel the tree...they don't believe it is artificial. I was lucky and found it on sale at K-Mart in Medford, Oregon. It was originally $400 and I bought it for $99. The tree looks as beautiful today as it did the first time I set it up.

Our tree is different from most people's trees. We don't have Christmas Lights, Tinsel or Tinsel Garland on our tree. All of our ornaments are handmade, gifts or one-of-a-kind ornaments. Each and every ornament has special meanings to us.

For the first 14 Christmas' of our marriage we spent Christmas Eve at Rich's Uncle Everett and Aunt Jo's home. It was so much fun. Their home was filled with parents, children, grandchildren and friends. There was always a 12 foot real tree decorated by everyone. The kids would stand close to the tree and ohh and ahh over all the gifts.

We always had a potluck dinner. Everybody brought their specialties to share. Grandma Cassman always made Rice Krispie Bars, Cousin Sally made Chocolate Cream Pies and Homemade Rolls, Cousin Dory made Taco Salad, Uncle Everett and Aunt Jo provided Turkey, Roast and Ham. Cousin Jo Carol would make tiny sandwiches, veggie trays...one year she made a shrimp cocktail tree. When Mom Bishop was living she would make a Tomato Hamburger Pasta and Crazy Chocolate Cake. We would take assorted dishes until after Mom passed away and we inherited the tradition of taking Tomato Hamburger Pasta and Crazy Chocolate Cake. Others would bring olives, chips, dips, pickles, and assorted dishes. Sally prepared a lot of the food. We would all jump in and help her with everything. After dinner we would help clean the kitchen and do the dishes.

After dinner it was a tradition for Aunt Jo to read the Christmas story from the Bible. As she was reading you could hear a pin drop....everybody thoughly enjoyed listening to her. Then after she finished reading everyone would sing Silent Night!

Now it was time for Christmas stockings. Each and every person that was enjoying the festivities received a Christmas stocking. The stockings were brown bags decorated with our names. Each stocking held a dime, kleenex, orange, candy, a small gift individualized for each person, pen, pad, and a Christmas ornament. Every year the ornaments were different. Aunt Jo would shop for just the perfect ornament for each person. She knew everybody likes and dislikes. Those ornaments mean the world to Rich and I as we place them on our tree.

After everyone had received their Christmas stocking and enjoyed seeing what they received it was time to open gifts.

All the adult cousins and friends would draw names at Thanksgiving. We all spoiled the kids and bought gifts for them. Uncle Everett, Aunt Jo and Grandma Cassman all bought gifts for everyone.

The older kids would help pass out the gifts to everyone....and then the fun began. Aunt Jo would give each family large plastic bags to keep opened gifts in during the gift opening. With 20-25 adults and oodles of kids it was the easiest way.

After all the gifts were opened and everyone had time to play with their gifts....it was time for dessert. There was pumpkin pie, mincemeat pie, chocolate cream pie, vanilla cream pie, apple pie, fruitcake, banana bread, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, Crazy Chocolate Cake, brownies, and all kinds of candy for desserts.

Rich and I loved spending time with Uncle Everett, Aunt Jo, Grandma and all the rest of the family and friends. We would have to leave a little early as we needed to go to my Grandparents for Christmas Eve too! We would arrive after dinner and open gifts with everyone. Grandma always sent us home a huge Christmas care package for snacking on later. She would make each of us a plate full of Turkey, Dressing and Gravy, Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Corn, Olives, Pickles, Rolls and any other dishes that others would bring. Then made sure we had plenty of desserts too!

The next day we would have Christmas breakfast with Rich's family. After breakfast we would open gifts. Then we were off to my family. We would open gifts and then later in the afternoon have our Christmas dinner.

Those days are gone now that Uncle Everett, Aunt Jo, Grandma Cassman, Grandpa and Grandma Shaw, Rich's Mom, my Dad and Mom have passed away. It seems like the family is so scattered and so busy with our lives that we don't get a chance to get together as often as we like.

More Christmas memories to come................

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Family and Friends. Rich and I have truly been blessed this Thanksgiving. Recently Rich was hospitalized with severe headaches, lose of balance and trouble focusing his eyes. At first the doctor's thought he had a stroke. They kept running tests until they finally found the problem. He didn't have a stroke. The last MRI shows disc and degeneration pinching nerve and cord at C$-C5. They believe the Vertigo is being caused by an inner ear disorder. It is getting better. Rich will have to have surgery on his lower neck. We have a consultation with the surgeon on Dec. 2 as it stands right now...waiting confirmation from surgeon's office.

I'm so happy to have my sweet hubby at home now so I can take care of him. His kitty, Misty is also happy to have him home. She really missed him while he was in the hospital.

Hope every one is blessed on this day.

Love, Rich and Shirley

First Snow of the Year

2010-11-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

This morning we awoke to our first snow of the year! Poor Rich said he is already tired of the snow! I love the snow! It's about the only thing I miss about living in South Lake Tahoe, CA. The snow there is beautiful!

2010-11-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo! I finished the Sailboat baby blanket that for a friend today! It's all ready to go to its new home tomorrow.

I had so much fun picking out the fabric for this baby quilt. I love to make my quilts large enough to be used for a few years.

Lots of Goodies Thrift Shopping this Morning!

2010-11-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Primrose Kitty - 13-inches tall

Molly's Toys...20-inch doll and clothes, 12-inch Patchwork Cat and 4 sizes of Blocks.
Samantha and Socks....18-inch boy and girl kitties

Clara Cow, Patricia Pig, Rosy Rabbit and Lorrie Lamb Towel Dolls

Merry Mouse and Candy Cane Door Hanger, Holly Tabletop Tree and Puppy Love with Bone

Cobalt Blue Clear Saucer and Wild Rose Saucer

Winnie the Pooh Cross-stitch kit

This morning Rich and I went out to breakfast at our favorite cafe...Marla Kay's in Canyonville, OR. After breakfast we decided to stop at our local St. Vincent De Paul's Thrift shop on our way thru Myrtle Creek.

Rich found a set of headphones to use with his laptop and a funny coffee mug. Did I tell you that he loves coffee and collects all kinds of coffee mugs?

I found several crafting patterns and kits! I know, I know just what I need....more projects. I love Winnie the Pooh..........in fact Pooh is one of my nicknames for Rich. Oops! Don't tell him that I told you! I found a counted cross stitch kit of Pooh.....can't wait to get it done. I think I'll start it this afternoon. Now I need to find some Pooh fabric and make the stitchery into a quilted wall hanging. I'll have to see if Joann's has some next time I go shopping.

There was 3 preprinted projects....a cute Merry Mouse on a Candy Cane to hang on your door, a Holly Christmas tree for your tabletop and a cute red and white puppy with a bone. Somebody had carefully cut out the pieces and drew patterns of them. These were included in the kits.

The Towel doll patterns are so cute. I'd love to make some for Christmas gifts....but I have too many projects now. Maybe next year! LOL!

As most of you know I love kitties! I found several patterns to make kitties. I can't wait until the holidays are over to dig into my stash and find fabric for kitties and their clothes.

Well I better quit ohhing and ahhing over my bargains I found and get lunch prepared.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

2010-10-30T15:43:00.001-07:00

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasonings
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1-2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon canola oil

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine tomato sauce and paste. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring contantly. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cool. Pour into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Freeze for up to 12 months. Yield: about 4 cups

Use the sauce with crust and toppings of your choice to make a pizza; 1 1/3 cup sauce will cover a crust in a 15x10x1-inch pan.

I love this recipe. I usually make a double batch and after cooling place 1 and 1/3 cups in a pint freezer bag. I like to freeze in the bags because they lay flat and you can thaw the sauce quickly.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a wonderful Halloween!

Early Morning Visitor

2010-10-13T07:51:00.001-07:00

As I've posted before we have all kinds of critters visiting our country home. This morning Rich went out to put his lunch in the car and was greeted by a Billy Goat. It seems he had broke his tether and decided to visit around the neighborhood. He was very friendly and wanted attention. We knew there was a Billy Goat down the street that was usually tethered in the front yard. So we tied up Billy Goat and Rich was going to see if the people were up yet......remember it's only 5am. Rich was going to call me and let me know what he found out. Rich called and it wasn't their goat....he was still in the front yard.

So I called Animal Control......the dispatcher said she would have a Sheriff's Deputy call me when they had time. A Deputy called and asked me questions about the Billy Goat. I told him that we had him tied up to our porch...we were afraid some of the dogs in the neighborhood would attack him. He told me that South County wouldn't arrive until 7am and he would relay the situation on to them. They would contact me.

UPDATE: I just went out to check on Mr. Billy Goat and he was gone. Seems he got loose and took off. Hopefully he went back home!

Awwwwwww........the joys of living in the country!

Fall Baking

2010-10-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

It's been a while since I've felt like baking. I decided to try a new recipe I found for Pumpkin Butterscotch Chip Cookies. They turned out so good. They are so soft. I bought a large can of pumpkin and there was enough pumpkin for 3 batches of cookies. I only made one and measured out the pumpkin for 2 more batches of cookies and put in the freezer for another baking day.

I love making Cinnamon Rolls. Rich doesn't like them with raisins so I leave them out. I use my bread machine to make the dough. Rich bought me the bread machine before I had my carpal tunnel surgery. I love to use the dough cycle for my bread making. I make loaves of bread by placing the dough into the pans and letting rise....then bake like a regular loaf of bread.

I'm in the process of making a Spicy Apple Crumb Pie this afternoon. Rich found the recipe in a Cooking magazine that I get in the mail.

Well, my pie dough has chilled long enough......so I'm off to finish the rest of the pie and bake.

2010-10-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sunday I received a package from Gina at CaT nAp PrimITiVes. I had ordered one of her Halloween pillow from her Etsy store. It is the Halloween Kitty. Rich decided he wanted it placed where he could see it from his chair....so he placed it on one of the shelves of the entertainment center.

The Wolf eyes block and the POW/MIA block were a complete surprise for me. Gina said she was inspired from reading my blog about the Memory Quilt I am making that she made the blocks for me. It is so wonderful to have such a thoughtful blogger friend......this wasn't the first time she has surprised me with little extras!

The baskets of apples are ones that I recently made for myself. They are handsewn. I found the sticks for the stems when we was watching the Pioneer Days parade in August. Rich helped me cut them with the garden shears into the proper lengths for my apples. I also have some pears that I'm working on...hope to have them finished soon.

You can find Gina's blog on the side of my blog. She has oodles of goodies to look at and you can find the websites for the various sites she sells her crafts.

POW/MIA Fabric

2010-09-27T09:04:00.001-07:00

I am very happy that I found the POW/MIA fabric that I've been searching for months. I would find it.......only to discover that they were out of it and it was on back order. Finally I found some at Fabric Paradise Their prices were reasonable and shipping wasn't too bad. I was happy that I could just order 1/2 yard. I only needed enough to make a 12-inch block.

I've been working on a Memorial Quilt for Danny for the last 3 years. Danny died December 26, 2004.....he was my best friend and I wanted to do something to honor our friendship. I designed the quilt to fit his personality, likes, and special memories of the times we spent together. It will be a work of art that will take years to finish. It has been fun searching for special fabrics for the quilt. It took me over 2 years to find the perfect fabric for the center square....it is a panel with wolves on it......that represents the passion that we shared for wolves. Then the next section around is 12blocks that represent things that were special to Danny.......fishing, hunting, POW/MIA, Army, Agent Orange, waterfalls, camping, etc. The next round of blocks for the quilt will be 4 special interests of Danny's......bull riding, Native American, Oldies but Goodies Music, and I'm still undecided on the last section. There will be flying geese blocks, Volkswagon bug blocks, log cabin blocks and more.

Birthday Times

2010-09-22T13:01:00.001-07:00

Last week was my birthday! Rich took a week's vacation and we spent it celebrating my birthday. We went out to Marla Kaye's cafe in Canyonville, OR. It is our favorite place to eat.....the home cooking is the best in the West. We spent some time visiting Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR. We love going there to see all the animals roaming the countryside. We have season passes that we buy for our anniversary each year. Wildlife Safari opened the year Rich and I married. We took advantage of several coupons I had received by email for my birthday.

On Saturday we went to Medford, OR. My sister, Bobbie was having an estate sale to try and sell some of the items from Dad's estate. I took in some items that was in the storage shed. It rained most of the day...but we did sell some things. Rich went to have lunch with his Dad and Step-Mom and I went shopping. I visited Michael's and spent a gift card I had received for my birthday. I bought some scrapbook paper, rick-rack, a Martha Steward embossing punch and a set of elegant clear alphabet stamps. I then went to Joann's and purchased some fabric for a baby quilt I'm making as a gift. I also bought some muslin to make some primitive redwork wall hangings.

I also visited Supercuts and had my hair cut. I love it and so does Rich. It is so easy to take care of now.....just wash and fluff with a towel. My kind of hairstyle.

Rich and I also spent a lot of time during the week just sitting and talking. We also did some reading.

I loved my birthday week.

Zipppppppp...........Summer's Gone....Autumn's Here

2010-09-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

The photo is the Rogue River Gorge in Southwestern Oregon.

Wow! What happened to summer.......zip and its gone. We have been having cool nights, warm days and some rain the last couple of weeks. Typical fall weather here in Southwestern Oregon. I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been busy making fabric apples, pears and pumpkins. I hope to get photos uploaded soon. I still have just a little more to do on my apples. I couldn't find my extra long needle to sew the buttons on the bottom so I will have to pick up one today when I go into town shopping. I know I have 2-3 of them darn needles......do you think I can find them.....NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have pears and pumpkins cut out to sew.

If I would ever get my craft supplies organized I wouldn't have to be constantly buying things that I know I have already. I just don't have the energy to organize my supplies. I just get started and Bam.......I'm totally exhausted and have to rest. I wouldn't wish my fibromyalgia on my worst enemy! So, as a result I don't get much accomplished in the craft supply organization.

Well, I better get around and head into town soon! I've got several errands to do today.

ALS Walk Sept. 12, 2010 UPDATE

2010-08-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

UPDATE Rich and I will not be able to participate in the ALS Walk. I've been having health issues that will not allow me to participate this year.

On Sept. 12, 2010 Rich and I will be participating in the ALS Walk in Medford, Oregon. As most of our family and friends know we lost our dear friend, Danny to ALS on December 26, 2004. He was 54 years old when he died of complications of ALS. We miss him each and every day.

It is too late for Danny......but we need to find a cure for ALS. If possible could you please help us reach our goal. Please visit my personal page or search for our team....Pappys Crew

This and That!

2010-08-26T13:58:00.001-07:00

Fall Fabrics to make pumpkins!

Rag Rug Kit

Wallhanging Patterns

Air Refreshener Dolls

Baskets.....Oh My!!!

This morning I had to go into town to have some lab work done. While waiting for my appointment I went to Joanns. I found some pretty fall fabric to make some pumpkins! Now, I'm sitting here patiently waiting for my pumpkin pattern to arrive in the mail.

After having my lab work done I stopped at the Saint Vincent De Paul thrift shop in our little community. Today was my lucky day.........Baskets and Crafts were 50% off today. I found several baskets for 25 cents. I found the Rag Rug Kit for $1, the air refreshener dolls for 25 cents each, and the 2 wall hanging patterns for 25 cents each. I was doing the happy dance as I left the store!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cut out 6 fabric apples last night and I want to cut out 6 fabric pears tonight. I think they will look awesome in a couple of my new baskets. Will post photos when I get them finished.

I also purchased some 4-ply yarn to do some crocheting! I went to 3 different stores and none of them had very good selections of yarn or colors. I wanted some peach colored yarn for some little dolls I'm making for some Bassinett Purses......not a skein of peach yarn anywhere. I had to settle for pink and its not what I wanted. I will probably have to order yarn on line to get the colors I need......you think they would have gold, orange, moss, tan, and varigated autumn colors that I need for my crocheted scarecrows........No!

I love living in a small community until I need craft supplies and then its not fun anymore. I have to drive at least 90 miles for a super Joanns, large Michael's, etc.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-26T13:53:00.001-07:00

Today would have been Dad's 78th birthday. We lost Dad on June 1st this year. He had just returned from camping and fishing when he had a massive heart attack and complications.

Rest in peace, Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!

Primitive Pumpkin Gal

2010-08-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

My fellow blogger, Gina from CAt Nap InN PrIMitIveS (see sidebar for her blog) makes the cutest Prim items. She posts them on her blog and sells them at various places posted on her blog. Anyway, she made the cutest Prim Pumpkins and embroidered designs on them. I want to make some Pumpkins and went searching for a pattern. I haven't found the pattern yet.......but I did find the adorable Primitive Pumpkin Gal at Thru The Attic Door It was so easy to purchase the pattern and download it without having to wait for a paper pattern. I have it all printed and ready to make. Instead of painting her orange color on muslin I'm going to find the perfect orange fabric for her. I already have the fabric for her dress in my stash.

I love to make dolls and stuffed animals. I used to make dolls and stuffed animals and sell them at flea marts and craft shows. I enjoyed the making of the dolls and stuffed animals.......but I hated the selling part. I got so tired of people telling me that my prices were too high, their mother, sister or neighbor could make them, would I let them have the pattern for free, on and on! So, I dropped out of the flea marts and craft shows.

Back to looking for a pumpkin pattern!

Scrapbooking

2010-08-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite layouts of my best friend, Danny. He realized one of his dreams by being able to visit Howling Acres and pet a wolf.

I love to scrapbook...although I've been in quite a slump lately! I need some motivation...........I have tons of paper, embellishments, tools, and photos printed, etc......just need to find motivation.

I belong to Scrap101 Yahoo Group and it's pretty slow right now. So, I issued a challenge for everyone including myself......post at least 1 layout by the end of the month.

I'm trying to decide if I want to work on photos of Rich's 60th birthday, Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show, Josh and Rosa's wedding, Stacy and Florin's wedding or Zach and Mandy's wedding....or ???????????????

Well, sitting here on the computer is not getting anything accomplished so I out of here.

I Did It!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Rich with his birthday balloons

Rich
South Jetty, Bandon, Oregon

Coquille Light House at the mouth of the Coquille River

Seagull

Saturday we celebrated Rich's 60th birthday. We started off with breakfast at Marla Kaye's Cafe in Canoyonville, Oregon. Rich was surprised with his birthday balloons that was on the table for him. We decided to go home and drop off the birthday balloons so we wouldn't have them in the car going over to Bandon. It was a warm and sunny day for the trip. We stopped at the Visitor's Center and talked to a nice man about getting down to the beach. We had never been able to find any nice beaches before on previous trips. He gave us a map and highlighted the best places to go. We had so much fun walking on the beach and of course......I did find a few rocks to add to my collection. We sat on driftwood watching and listening to all the sights and sounds of the ocean and surrounding area. After a while we decided to have our picnic lunch. We had Little Smokies, cheese, homemade potato salad, chips and soft drinks. It was so much fun sitting on the driftwood and eating our lunch. Of course......we was a little concerned with the seagulls flying over our heads while we was eating.

We took off and drove around Beach Loop and stopped at several parks along the way. We want to go back over and check out some more of the areas later.

We headed home in the late afternoon. The farther we drove inland toward home the hotter it became. Rich and I decided that when he retires we will be moving over to the coast where it is cooler. Neither one of us can handle the heat anymore. So, we will be doing a lot of research to decide where we want to relocate to in approximately 3 years.

Rich kept telling me that this birthday was the best of the best! He said that he was totally surprised with my plans for his birthday. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I pulled it off and surprised him.

Planning for Rich's 60th Birthday!

2010-08-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

This coming Friday is my dear hubby, Rich's 60th birthday! I wanted to plan something special for him because he always tells me that his birthday is just another day in his life. I've been pondering for the last few weeks just what to do for his birthday to make it memorable.

So here are a my plans so far!

We will be celebrating on Saturday as I just found out that he decided to take off his birthday.......Thanks, Rich you just made it a little bit tricky to pull off my plans for Saturday......but I love you anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!

So Saturday morning we head out for our favorite cafe....Marla Kay's for breakfast. Oh did I mention that on Friday I will be delivering a big bouquet of balloons that Marla will set on our usual table right before we arrive for breakfast! Also a card and one of those front page newspaper that I designed for his birthday. After all a man needs to read his newspaper while waiting for his breakfast to be delivered. I thought about flowers too......we will be driving up over to the Oregon Coast and I'm afraid they might turn over so I think I'll skip the flowers. Rich loves to walk on the beach and then find a comfortable place to watch the ocean. He says that it takes away all the stress and makes him whole again. I'll pack a picnic lunch for us to enjoy when we get hungry.

I do hope that he enjoys my plans for his 60th birthday........oh and he has already warned me that paybacks are a ..............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I reminded him that my 60th birthday was a while down the road.......and he said that he had a memory like an elephant and wouldn't forget!!!!!!!!

Enjoyable Afternoon!

2010-07-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today is the first time I have taken time to myself since Dad's death to go shopping..........at my favorite store.......Joann's!!! It felt good to forget all the stress from finalizing Dad's estate for the afternoon.

I found some jungle fabrics to add to my jungle fabric collection. I'm making a wall hanging for our jungle themed bedroom. It is a pattern called "Savanna Flair". I found the pattern on Fatcat Patterns I just love her patterns!!!!

I also found some patriotic fabric for 50% off. I thought I would make it into placemats. That's what I plan on making from the fall fabric. My blogger friend, Gina at CaT NAp iNn PriMaTIvES has been posting about Autumn goodies that she has been crafting to sell and it put me in the mood for looking at the Autumn fabrics.

Yummy Summer Veggies

2010-07-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

One of Rich's co-workers gave everyone a Baked Potato Bag. She is experimenting with different items to sell at craft fairs. I haven't had a chance to use the bag for baking potatoes in the microwave yet.........but I did experiment using it to prepare corn on the cob. It turned out yummy!!!!!!

I cleaned the corn and then wrapped it in a damp paper towel. I placed it in the bag and closed the flap. I cooked it in the microwave for 6 minutes on HIGH! You might need to adjust time with newer microwaves. Our microwave is 26 years old....and has never had any repairs over the years. It gets used 4-6 times a day. Back to the corn......after cooking I took it out and buttered! Yummy is all I can say.

Now I need to try baking potatoes!

Summertime Fruits and Flowers

2010-07-24T11:52:00.001-07:00

One of my houseplants

Begonias and Zinnias

Blueberries

Heaping baskets of Strawberries

Bowl of strawberries waiting to be sliced and packaged

Finished packages of sliced strawberries

Yesterday I went to Mary's Gardens in Canyonville and bought another flat of strawberriesl. They are Albion Everybearing Strawberries. This is the first year they have had this variety. The berries are so sweet that you don't need any sugar on them. We love Strawberry Shortcake and Strawberry Smoothies. I now have a total of 28 pints of strawberries in the freezer for winter use.

Rich stopped by Fred Meyer and bought two 5-pound boxes of Blueberries after work yesterday. They are so yummy! I packaged 33 1-cup packages of the blueberries for Blueberry Muffins and eating frozen.

While I was out and about yesterday I treated myself to some flowers for my terracotta bowl on the porch. I bought some begonias and zinnias. I planted them last night and they turned out pretty. I have them sitting on the porch. I have to make a chicken wire cage around them this evening or else bring the planter in the house tonight. Don't want the deer nibbling on them in the middle of the night.

This beautiful houseplant started out as 3 little leaves sticking up in a planter that my sister, Bobbie didn't like. She told me I could take it or else in was being thrown out. I took it home and repotted it......now look at it 3 years later. I need to repot it again and see if it will get bigger or else divide it into a couple of planters.

This morning Rich and I went out for breakfast at Marla Kay's. After breakfast we did some shopping for a few items at the hardware store, picked up my prescriptions and filled our water cooler bottles. When we got home we decided to move the utility trailer so we could load it for a trip to the dump. Its already 84 degrees and so we decided to stay in the house until it cools off this afternoon.

Hope everybody is having a fun filled summer.

Comments

2010-07-21T14:10:00.001-07:00

I would love to thank all of the wonderful people who read my blog and leave comments. I do read my comments and enjoy what you say........most of the time. Unfortunately I cannot read the comments that are left in a foreign language....if you can read my blog in English....please leave comment in English so I can enjoy reading your comments.

I'm sorry if I have offended anyone with my post today!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goodbye, Kermie!!!!!

2010-07-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today we said Goodbye to Kermie!!! Kermie is what I called our 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager LE van. A few months ago Kermi blew a head gasket. Since it has aluminum heads it would need a new motor.....not just repairs. So, the decision was made not to put out a couple grand to replace the motor..........and Kermie sadly went to the junkyard today.

Goodbye, Kermie....you will be missed!!!!

Sister's 35th Annual Quilt Show

2010-07-13T13:44:00.001-07:00

North Umpqua River

North Umpqua River

Pinnacle on North Umpqua River above the town of Glide

Rich making a bottle of his Starbuck's Iced Coffee

Sweet Shop Quilt

This quilt was pieced and quilted by 11 and 13 year old sisters

Running Wild Horses

The Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show quilt

As we headed back to Bend to our motel around 1pm....traffic was backed up for over 5 miles going into Sisters

Bronze Stallion that greets you in the town square

Old wooden wagon full of flowers displays a beautiful quilt

There was several baskets of these beautiful flowers hanging all over town

Center of the Rodeo Quilt

Rodeo Quilt. I loved this quilt as it reminds me of my best friend, Danny when he used to ride bulls in the rodeo

Raggedy Ann embroidery

Raggedy Ann embroidery

I loved this Raggedy Ann quilt with all the redwork embroidery. It reminds me of all the beautiful embroidery work that my blogging friend, Gina does so beautifully

Fractured Star Center

Fractured star quilt

John Deere Quilt

Rich bought himself a Army cap. All proceeds go toward making and sending Care packages to the soldiers overseas

The colors of this quilt remind me of the soldiers of the Civil War

Boot Scootin' Quilt

Nappin' Kitties quilt

Partridge in a pear tree

New York Beauty with African Animals

Rich standing beside the Quilted Van

People and quilts as far as the eye can see

Navy and teal quilt

Closeup of the Betty Boop Quilt

Closeup of the Betty Boop quilt

Lavender, Burgundy and Rust quilt

Beautiful Flower Star

Sisters Fireman quilt

Bright Star

My favorite quilt! As most of you know now I have a passion for wolves. This quilt was simple yet awesome.

Western quilt

Window scene of a river

Flower Star

New York Beauty

Bird Nest Quilt

Seminole style quilt

Woody

Cityscape

Another Star quilt

I wanna be a dalmation quilt

Cranes or egrets quilt

Blackbirds

Abstract

Saddle, Rope and Boots

Butterflies

Rich standing in front of a Jar Quilt. We took this photo so Rich could prove to his fellow employees that he did attend the quilt show and that he did not stay in the motel while I visited the show

Christmas Quilt

Christmas quilt

Christmas Angels

Pine Tree Quilt

Start of the Quilt Show

Traffic backed up about 1/2 mile at 8am. Quilt show didn't officially start until 9:30am

Sisters signpost

We stopped at Safeway in Bend for some ice before heading to Sisters. Rick decided to make him some Starbuck's Iced Coffee.

Diamond Lake

North Umpqua River

No matter what road you travel down in Oregon.......you're going to have road construction.

Rich and I left around 7am on Friday for the Sisters 35th Annual Outdoor Quilt Show. We had reservations in Bend, Oregon for the weekend. It is about a half hour drive to Sisters from Bend.

Of course our internal alarm clocks woke us at 4am. I told Rich I was so excited that today was the big day! His response: He rolled over and went back to sleep. I was so excited I only catnapped until 6:30am and then had to get up.

We arrived in Sisters around 8am and parked. We started out following the rest of the crowd headed for the show. There was people and quilts everywhere you looked. There was all colors, shapes, sizes and designs. I'm told there was over 1300 quilts on display this year. I know that we didn't even see half of them.

After a while we got hungry and went to the food court and had lunch at a van called Burgerville. Rich ordered 2 burgers and 2 drinks and it was almost $13. We ate our lunch in the shade at the park. As we was leaving we ran into our sister-in-law, Cinthie and some of her friends. I got to meet Elaine....we had been internet friends for years but had never met in person. Elaine is a good friend of Jerry and Cinthies and lives in Prineville.

We continued our journey of looking at all the beautiful quilts.

Rich found a place that was selling Military merchandise. The proceeds went to make and send Care Packages to soldiers overseas. Rich bought himself a Army cap.

Around 1pm I felt I had pushed myself to my limit. I told Rich that I couldn't go any farther. We walked back to the car and headed back to Bend.

The traffic was backed up over 5 miles going into Sisters.

We spent the rest of the day and evening in our cool room just relaxing.

On Sunday morning we headed back home. We stopped a few places to get out and walk. We arrived home around noon. Our kitty, Misty was happy to see us. She heard our car coming up the driveway and was waiting for us at the door.

All in all we had a wonderful weekend. I want to Thank my hubby, Rich for being such a good sport and helping me fulfill my dream.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Rich

2010-06-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

This photo was take on our 10th Anniversary in 1983.

Today it's 27 years later and we are celebrating our 37th anniversary.

Rich, thank you for all of the wonderful years and look forward to another 37 years together. Can't wait until you are able to retire and we can travel.

Love, Shirley

Trip to the Oregon Coast

2010-06-21T08:38:00.001-07:00

Cranberry Bogs south of Bandon, Oregon. Later they will be flooded.
Rock formation on the beach at Cape Blanco
Rich walking down path to see the sign. After his hike down it was a sign telling about the wildlife in the area.
The beach on the north side of Cape Blanco
Cape Blanco Lighthouse
Wild Iris....I think!
The Queen Ann's Lace was huge.
Foxglove
Another Iris....I think!
Seal at the mouth of the Rogue River
He put on quite a show for us.
This is the biggest ship we have seen at the mouth of the Rogue River. It is the Yaquina Corp of Engineers US Army
It turned around
The seal was playful
Yaquina Corp of Engineers US Army
Our room at Motel 6 in Gold Beach, Oregon
Rich digging through the bargain books
Rich looking out onto the horizon at Gold Beach
Lots and lots of driftwood.
Oregon Coast south of Port Orford
Curvy road around Humbug Mountain
These two rock formations remind me of a whale
No matter where you go in Oregon.......there is going to be road construction
24 hour flagger
Beach south of Battle Rock
Shirley with Battle Rock in background
Rich deciding if he wanted a chocolate muffin for a snack or wait until later for breakfast
Beach south of Battle Rock
Battle Rock at the edge of Port Orford
Story of Battle Rock

Rich and I went over to the Oregon Coast to celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary. The weather was beautiful. Around 60 degrees and a slight wind. We walked around in short sleeves the whole weekend.

We left home on Saturday morning and arrived over at the coast about 9am. We stopped in Bandon to see if the Bandon Merchantile Store was open. It didn't open until 10am. We decided to stop on our way home Sunday as they would be open at 11am. We then stopped at Battle Rock City Park in Port Orford. It was beautiful. Usually there is morning fog and you can't see very far......today it was sunny and clear. The ocean was very smooth and so colorful.

We continued to drive down the coast to Gold Beach. Of course......there was road construction. It is a challenge for the road department to keep the highway open.....the road has a tendency to sink and there are lots of slides.

Our favorite place to visit in Gold Beach is the jetty. Where the Rogue River meets the Pacific Ocean. There is a community of cats that live there......the Jetty Cats. We didn't see any cats or kittens over the weekend as there was too much activities along the jetty. There was several people fishing close to the Jetty Cats little houses.

We got an opportunity to see the ship Yaquina as it was at the mouth of the river. This is the biggest ship that we have ever seen in the river. It was a small ship. On the side it said Yaquina Corp of Engineers US Army. As we watched they turned the ship around and showed us all her sides.

While watching the ship we was also watching the show that a seal was performing for us close to the rocks. He would surface, roll over and then dive down. Then he decided to get on the rocks and sunbathe. He would look up over the rocks to see if we was watching him. They are so cute. The fishermen get upset because they are known to take a salmon or other fish right off their lines.

We spent Saturday night at the Motel 6 in Gold Beach. It is a very nice place and really quiet. We had pizza delivered for our dinner from one of the local deli's. It was yummy.

The next morning we headed back towards home. We drove down to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse and looked around. The lighthouse wasn't open yet for tours and we didn't want to wait for 2 hours for it to open.

We drove on up to Bandon and had breakfast at the Minute Cafe. Rich ordered pancakes, eggs and sausage and I ordered Biscuits and Gravy............big mistake on my part. I took one bite and it tasted terrible. I couldn't eat it. Rich told the waitress that I couldn't eat the Biscuits and Gravy because it tasted terrible to me. She told us that lots of other people thought it was the best. She asked me what I wanted instead of the Biscuits and Gravy. I told her I would have what Rich had ordered. When I finally got my food.........I found out why the Biscuits and Gravy tasted terrible......it was the sausage they used. It had a terrible taste to it.

We stopped at the Bandon Merchantile and looked at a soda maker that we had seen advertised on TV. The lady showed us how it worked and let us taste some Diet Cola that she made. It was really good. We will probably go back and buy one later.

We continued our trip home. We got home around 4pm. Misty was glad to see us.

Visitor in our Front Yard Last Night

2010-06-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

This little fellow visited us last night. Rich and I spent about an hour watching him out the bay window in front of our mobile. He would pick and choose his grass very carefully.

Dad 1932-2010

2010-06-02T06:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday at 7:14am Dad passed away peacefully. What can I say....I'm a Daddy's Girl and will miss him dearly.

Ancestors

2010-05-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

The memorial is located in Bedford, Virginia. It lists some of my Hackworth ancestors that fought in the war. From what I understand my Hackworth ancestors migrated from England to Virginia. There they branched off to different areas. My Hackworth linage branched off to the South. The Hackworth, Shaw, Sweeden and McGuire's were mostly in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Both my father's and mother's families migrated to Oregon in the 1940's and 50's.

I find it facinating to go back in time and find my relatives. There are morticians, wagon makers, farmers, brick workers, preachers, teachers and general store clerks that I have found so far in my searching. I've found several brick walls that have me going in circles trying to figure out exactly who these people were. I have found that my paternal Great-Grandfather Hackworth used 4 different names and he was married 3 different times. Not only that.......his third wife later married my paternal Great-Grandfather Sweeden. I'm my own Grandpa sure fits this situation!!!!!

I'm a glutton for punishment as I am also researching Rich's ancestors for him. We have cleared one of the mysteries that he has been wondering about. It seems that his Great-Grandmother Sarah Cora Borah lived with his Grandma Cassman. There was another lady that lived with them they called Grandma Lewis. We found out that Grandma Lewis was his Great-Grandmother Borah's mother-in-law from her last marriage.

Well, I'm off to do some more digging and see what kind of skeletons I can unearth this afternoon.

Did I tell you that way back several generations Rich and I share relatives....Charles "The Hammer" Martel and several others of that time.

Bingo Prize from CaT NaP iNn PriMiTIveS

2010-05-12T10:33:00.001-07:00

My special blogging friend, Gina of CaT NaP iNn PrImItIVeS recently had a Bingo Game on her blog. She had all kinds of goodies that she had made. I was fortunate enough to win all the Goodies.

I was so excited when Rich brought in the package. I opened it and started ohhing and ahhing over all the wonderful Goodies that Gina had sent. I love everything. Rich said that the apron was too pretty to wear and get dirty. He thought I should just display it on the wall. We'll see!!!

Thank you, Gina for all the Goodies. It's always a blast to open packages that I receive from you.

First Strawberry Shortcake of the Year

2010-05-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

One of Rich's favorite desserts is Strawberry Shortcake. Even though he is allergic to them.....after the first bite he sneezes 6-7 times and then he's okay. This was the first of many Strawberry Shortcakes he will enjoy this year.

We always go to one of the local farms and purchase flats of strawberries and freeze them for later use. I just slice the berries and place 2 cups of unsweetened berries in Ziploc bags and freeze. Purchasing the berries locally we can get the sweetest, ripest berries so that we don't have to add any sugar.

Earth Day Fair

2010-04-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Rich and I attended the Earth Day Fair at the fairgrounds. There was lots of displays about reusing, recycling, etc. We brought home a couple of tree seedlings. One was a Douglas Fir and the other one was a White Oak. I'll plant them in huge planters and set them on the porch.

The Oregon Department of Wildlife always have a huge display where you can build birdhouses, suet feeders and birdfeeders. I brought 2 birdhouses home to build. The kits are already cut and the nail holes predrilled.

I also brought home a bird poster that they have everyday for Earth Day.

6th Published Photo Game

2010-04-21T12:45:00.001-07:00

Thank you Gina for choosing me as one of your 10 fellow bloggers to play the 6th Published Photo Game.

I went back to my 6th photo. It was part of a collection of Artist Trading Cards that I made for a Halloween Candy ATC Swap in October 2006. I love the ATC and wouldn't change a thing about it.

Splurged!

2010-04-07T08:56:00.001-07:00

I've had a Food Storage Rotation System on my Wishlist for a long time. After dropping another can of food on my foot again while trying to get a can out of the pantry..........I decided to splurge!

The above photo is the system I just ordered. It was on sale at 25% off and had free shipping. Since it was being shipped from Utah I imagine I saved a lot on shipping.

I can't wait to get the new system. Of course, we have to put it together. Sounds like a project for Laurel and Hardy Construction Company. That's what Rich and I call ourselves when we are assembling one of those easy projects. Yep...we're a barrel of monkeys with lots of laughs when we are working on a project.

With the new system I won't have to stack cans 3-4 deep in my pantry....they will always be rotated without having to empty pantry and then stack it again.

Can't wait until my new system arrives and it all put together.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter! My grand-niece, Claire (center) and her friends visiting the Easter Bunny.

Springtime!

2010-04-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

It has been typical spring weather here is Southwestern Oregon the last few days. We have had winds, hail, snow, sleet, and buckets of rain at times. On Tuesday Rich was half way home and the windshield wipers on Kermi quit working. It was pouring buckets of rain at the time. He was on the freeway and the big semi's were drenching the van. He finally made it to our mechanic and they found a clip was broken. It took them almost an hour to get to it and replace it.

I've been trying to organize my crafts....scrapbooking, quilting, crochet and sewing. I ordered a whole bunch of clear stamps from my friend, Lori. She is on the design team for Clear Dollar Stamps, LLC. The website is www.CDstamps.com I just love their stamps. Lori designs several Christian stamps along with others.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Don't tell Rich that I ordered some more stamps today! He has his scanners and other hobbies so he really doesn't mind my crafts.

I bought the yarn for the wedding gift I'm making our nephew and niece. They are to be married on June 19th this year. It is going to be a outdoor wedding at a beautiful ranch close to Ashland, OR. Mandy has been talking about the wedding crafts she has been doing lately. The colors for the wedding are soft yellow and soft green. It's keeping Mandy and Zach busy since they both are working and Mandy is going to college.

Well, I better get off this computer and back to organizing. Terrible to get sidetracked so easy!

Wildlife Safari

2010-03-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Mounds of mud are actually Flamingo Nests.

Cheetah

Cheetah

Emu

Alpacca

Brown Bear

Watusi Cattle

Giraffe

Flamingos

Alligator

Great White Hunter - Rich

Pigmy Goat with 4 kids

Story about Snowball

Snowball

Cheetah

Rich and I stopped by Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon on Friday afternoon and bought our Season Pass. For $70 the 2 of us can go thru the drive-thru park as many times as we wish. The normal prices are $17.99 each for adults. That gets you 2 trips in one day thru the park. The Safari Village is free. We walked around the village for a while and then decided to have dinner at The White Rhino. We had Rhino Baskets...basically a cheeseburger and french fries. It was yummy!!!!

We had decided that we would go back on Saturday and drive thru the park. When we got up it was foggy and so we didn't get to go until almost noon. We showed our pass at the ticket booth and received our daily tickets. We decided to drive thru the park and then go to the village later.

As soon as we started driving thru the gate into the park we was greeted by a ostrich. She didn't want to move......just wanted to look into our windshield. One of the park rangers told Rich to keep driving slowly and she would move out of the way. Very reluctantly she moved so we could drive past her. She did the same thing to the car behind us.

The park is set up into different areas.....Asian, African, North American, ect. We love all the different areas. Today we was able to see the brown bears easily...but the bison were way up on the hill. It's like that......each time you go you get to see different animals close-up.

They was having an elephant car wash for $20 donation. Even though Kermi (our van) needed washed we passed up the opportunity.

After driving thru the park we went back and parked Kermi and went into the village. A couple was having their wedding there in the village that afternoon. They brought one of the cheetah out so the couple could have their photo taken with it. We was standing in line at the coffee hut and had to move back so they could walk by with the cheetah. She was so beautiful. We was still standing in line at the coffee hut when they brought the cheetah back to her run. She is the cheetah that is in my up close photos that I posted. I will have to find out her name....I know it starts with a "S".

We walked around after finally getting our drinks! Did I mention that this was the first weekend of Spring Break here in Oregon? They had a record turnout for the day. We walked around looking at all the animals that they have in the village. Rich's favorite is the Cheetah and mine is the Flamingos. This is the first time we have ever seen the mud nests that the Flamingos build.

After all the walking around we went to the White Rhino and had lunch. We had the Rhino Baskets again. They were just as good today as Friday. We had bottled water instead of soda.

After lunch we walked around some more. We had plans to drive thru the park again. When we got in the van Rich told me that he felt we should go home as I looked really tired. I was.....darned Fibromyalgia gets in my way of having fun. He said that we had all year to visit Wildlife Safari.........and we would be back soon!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Bobbie!!!!

2010-03-18T06:39:00.001-07:00

Bobbie was born in Crescent City, CA just days before the Tsunami hit that would devestate the community. Bobbie was born on March 18, 1964 and the Tsunami hit on March 27th. We were very fortunate to have brought Mom and Bobbie home before the Tsunami hit. The hospital sits right next to the ocean. In fact, I was able to watch the seals playing in the surf from the waiting room windows. The maturnity ward and nursery were located in the basement at that time and it was flooded by the Tsunami.

Being a only child for 12 1/2 years it took time to adjust to having a baby sister. To me it seems like all she did was eat, sleep and did I mention cry? For I while I thought that we should take her back and trade her for one of the seals. I still tease her about wanting to trade her for a seal even today.

It's been fun watching Bobbie grow up through the years. We both love to sew, paint, cross-stitch, scrapbook, cook and take photos.

Before Bobbie was married we went to Cake Decorating classes with Mom and a friend of ours, Ann. We had a blast. Of course with 3 in the family taking lessons and each making a cake per week the family got tired of cake. Mom made Bobbie's wedding cake. We all helped, even Dad do the church decorations. Mom, Bobbie, Nancy, Sandy and I made all of the floral arrangements, bouquet and buttonaires. I had the honor of making all the dresses for the wedding, including the bridal gown. Bobbie was so beautiful when walked down the aisle to become Mrs. Michael Gray in May, 1983.

Bobbie and Mike was blessed with a beautiful daughter, Heather in April, 1989. Heather is busy working and attending college.

So, once again..........Happy Birthday, Bobbie!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

I love St. Patrick's Day! I'm part Irish.........my maternal Grandfather was a McGuire. I've heard that someone in the family has traced the family back to 14th century Ireland. I really need to get that information for my geneology files.

Green is one of my favorite colors.....besides red and black. Today I'm wearing a bright spring green knit top and jeans.

I almost had a sister born on St. Patrick's Day.....but she waited until the 18th to be born. That's okay........she was born on Dad's youngest brother, Doc's birthday.

Don't eat too much corned beef and cabbage or drink too much green beer today!

Misty's Trip to the Vet

2010-03-17T05:42:00.001-07:00

First off I need to tell you that Misty is a very timid kitty. She runs under the bed when she hears a loud noise, somebody driving up the driveway, anybody coming into the house except Rich and I. So it was quite an experience taking her to the Vet.

I had her carrier ready and waiting for the big event. I placed her pillow and a shirt of Rich's that she likes to lay on in a chair. Just a few minutes before Rich got home from work she came out of the bedroom and I was able to pick her up and place her reluctantly in her carrier. Did I happen to mention that she doesn't like to be picked up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time Rich drove up the driveway she was howling so loud he could hear her when he got out of the van. Rich carried her out to the van. We had decided to place her carrier on the back seat and Rich would sit beside her. She finally calmed down about half way to the Vet......10 miles from our home.

Rich carried her in to the vet and as all the ladies looked into her carrier to see Misty........she just sat there glaring at them. This was Misty's first visit to Dr. Tammy's. We didn't like the other vet we had taken her to before as his office, staff and the vet was cold as ice...........not one bit of warmth from any of them.

Rich carried Misty into the examination room. The young nurse decided that since Misty was so upset that she wouldn't get her out of the carrier until the vet came into the room. So she dodged the scale......for a little bit.

When Dr. Tammy came into the room she first talked to Misty in a soothing voice before ever trying to coax her out of the carrier. Finally she reached in and brought Misty out of the carrier. When she picked her up she told us that Misty was overweight! We had an idea that she was a few pounds overweight. Dr. Tammy said she weighed 17 pounds and needed to lose at least 4 pounds. Then she checked her temperature...Normal. When she checked her heartrate she said it sounded like Misty was on a treadmill. She said it was because she was stressed. She gave Misty her vacinations.

Misty has always had clumps of hair on her back that are matted. Usually I take scissors and clip them off. She has had them since she was a kitten. Dr. Tammy looked at them and said that Misty was a lazy groomer and just didn't groom herself on her back. So she took a comb and started combing out the matted underfur that was causing all the problems. She then brushed her with a small brush to remove more hair. We told her that Misty wouldn't let us brush her. She told us to put her on a slick surface and not our lap to brush her.

So far the vet visit was going better than we expected. We was standing and talking to the vet while she petted Misty. Somehow I took a step back and tripped over Misty's carrier. Yep, you guessed it! I fell flat on my butt.....right there in the exam room. I ended up hitting my head on the wall and was totally embarrassed! The vet had me sit on the floor for a while and put an icepack on my head. After a while Dr. Tammy and Rich helped me up off the floor. What an impression I made on Misty's first visit to the vet.

We finished discussing what we needed to do about Misty's weight problem. We have to cut back on her food and treats. She wants her to lose the 4 pounds over the next year.

Rich took Misty back out to the van as I paid for the office visit and everything. I was surprised it was only $53. Misty doesn't have to go back for a year.

Rich told me to go through the drive-thru at Burger King and get something for dinner. We had drinks at home so I only got a soda to drink on the way home. Everything was fine until I took off from a stop sign. The soda was in the drink holder and I forgot to hold it. Yep, it fell over and the lid came off and the whole drink spilled.

I told Rich that we better get back home soon before something else happened.

We got home and as soon as Rich opened the carrier door.......Misty ran to the bedroom and went under the bed. She finally came out several hours later.

This morning Misty was back on schedule waking Rich up for work at 4am. After his shower she was sitting in front of her bowl waiting for breakfast. I crawled out of bed a little sore after my fall yesterday.........but not to bad.

Just glad that she doesn't have to go back for a year!

Checking In

2010-03-09T13:33:00.001-08:00

Sunday was my weigh-in day. I bought a new scale on Friday and this was the scale I used to weigh-in. My starting weight was from the doctors office. Anyway I lost 10.2 pounds. Next Sunday will be more accurate on the weight loss as I will be using my home scale.

Joined Weight Watcher's Online

2010-03-01T08:02:00.001-08:00

I really need to lose some pounds!!!!!!!!! I'm a person that has to have a structured weight loss plan in order to lose weight. It is not possible right now for me to go to local meetings as they are about 30 miles one way from where I live. So I decided to join the online Weight Watcher's.

Of all days I decided to join.....Saturday!! I stayed under my points and didn't feel hungry all day.

On Sunday we decided to drive into town and go shopping. We ate breakfast before we left the house. We shopped for a while and then went to lunch at Taco Time. It was the one place that I didn't look up to see what I could eat within my points. Big Mistake! I love their Crisp Meat Burritos and Mexi Fries. I didn't realize that the Crisp Meat Burritos were going to be 12 points and Mexi Fries were 7 points. After we got home I had to have a snack before bedtime and that put me over in points for the day. So, I used some of my extra points that I'm allowed through the week.

So far today it's going great. I had a cinnamon-raisin bagel with FF cream cheese for breakfast. I'm not a person that likes a lot of typical breakfast foods. In fact......eggs make me sick, hate pancakes and don't like milk.

I'm going to cook up a big bag of chicken breasts this afternoon. They can be used for so many different dishes or just plain.

Off to find some yummy WW recipes to try out later.

My New Toy!!!!!!!

2010-02-19T08:33:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I happened to be in Joann's and found the perfect sewing machine! I thought long and hard about buying a sewing/embroidery machine.....and finally decided not to buy one. I decided on the Singer Confidence 7467. It has over 70 stitches and other features. It has my favorite stitch.......stretch stitch. I use it a lot when making clothing for Rich and I. I was lucky that they were having a sale and it was $100 off.....making it a good buy.

Of course, I had to buy several yards of fabric too! Didn't have too much fabric to use with the new machine............Yeah right, Shirley who are you trying to fool!!!!

I bought several cat fabrics so I can finish the Square in Square quilt blocks featuring a different cat fabric for each center. It's hard to find cat fabrics at our small Joann's that I don't already have in my stash. Sometime next week we are going into Medford and I will go to the big Joann's located there. That store is 3-4 times bigger than our Joann's in Roseburg. I can't wait to cruise through all the calicos and other fabrics.

I need to go and look at my sales flyer and see what else I can't live without. LOL!!!!!!!!

New Computer Soon!

2010-02-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Soon we will be shopping for a new computer. The one we are using was bought in 1999 and has Windows ME!!!!!!!!!! Do I need to say anything further about our old computer? It has been a pain in the butt since the day it came home from the store. Oh, well! Hope that the new one is better.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T10:24:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all my family and friends!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

The verdict is in...........Rich thought the liquid soap I made was awesome. He couldn't believe the price of making it myself.

Next.......Liquid Laundry Soap!!!!!!!!!!! I have to use liquid laundry soap because our water doesn't dissolve the powder kind.....it leaves clumps of soap! I've even tried adding water to powder before and it just doesn't dissolve.

Liquid Hand Soap

2010-01-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to find ways to cut more cost from my household purchases. One thing we really like is liquid hand soap. We have it in both the kitchen and the bathroom. Even finding it on sale and using a coupon (when available) it can cost any where from 79 - 99 cents for a 8.5 ounce bottle.

I did some research on the internet and found several recipes. Most called for 1 bar hand soap, distilled water, glycerin and honey. I finally found a site where all they used was 1 bar soap and distilled water.

I sat and shredded my bar of Dial Soap that I had bought on sale. I paid $1.99 for 8 bars........equals out to 25 cents per bar. Then I brought 4 cups of distilled water ( you can use water that you just let stand in open container overnight) to a boil. I slowly blended in my shredded soap; stirring each addition until it melted. After it was melted I took off the stove and let set for about 15 minutes. I added 3 more cups of water and I took my hand mixer and whipped it until it looked like whipped cream. Then I let it cool for about an hour. Then I poured into a 5-quart plastic ice cream bucket. I whipped it up again. I let it sit overnight covered with lid. When I checked it this morning it was a little stiff on top. I took my hand held whip and blended it. It was the consistency of beaten eggs.

I poured it into 6 empty liquid soap containers that I had saved. They were 8.5 ounce containers.

So adding up costs........25 cents for bar of soap and $1.00 for electricity and water. Each container of liquid soap cost a little over 20 cents each.

Now........the test!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder what Rich is going to say about the liquid soap.

UFO Progress not good so far!

2010-01-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

So far this month I have been unable to continue any work on my UFO's. On the 5th and 6th I had to go in for a chemical stress test. I got the results back and everything was normal.

Then the 8th was one of my two shopping trips to town for the month. Other than those 3 days I have been at home. I have been working on organizing my kitchen and pantry. It is so hard for me to get anything done when I have to sit and rest after about 10-15 minutes of organizing. Yes, my fibromyalgia has been acting up lately. Some days I don't even want to get out of bed and try and do anything. I know that is not the answer but it is what I feel like doing.

Happy Anniversary........Gina and Mike

2010-01-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to my dear friend, Gina and her hubby Mike.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-31T11:34:00.001-08:00

I don't usually make resolutions because by day 2 I've already thrown them aside. It has came to light that I have a lot of UFO's in my craft area! For those none crafters........UFO's are Unfinished Objects.......such as wallhangings, quilts, clothes, Christmas ornaments........well you get the picture.

So, I'm going out on a limb and making a resolution not to start anymore projects until I finish some of my UFO's.

I belong to Quilter's Forum and they are starting a Dear Jane Quilt that will last until March 2011....the above photo is the original Dear Jane quilt made by Jane Stickle in the 1860's. I thought about it long and hard......and I decided that it really wasn't something that I needed to do right now. I have so many other projects that need to be finished before I commit myself to a huge project like the Dear Jane Quilt. Those blocks are 4-inches when sewn into the quilt......so you can imagine how time consuming they will be.

So, starting tomorrow or maybe the next day I WILL start tackling all my UFO's!

Maybe you could say a prayer for me.....I'll sure need several to keep this resolution!

Happy New Year's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-31T11:30:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year's to all my family and friends!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T16:43:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my family and friends!

Memories

2009-12-22T13:02:00.001-08:00

Today I have a very heavy heart.........5 years ago today was the last time we visited with our best friend, Danny before he died of complications of ALS. I will always remember that day for as long as I live. As Rich and I was leaving...he smiled at us the best he could and then he waved Goodbye to us! I knew in my heart that it would be the last time I would see Danny here on this earth.......you see he never waved Goodbye because he said he always knew he would see us again. So........his waving to us was he way of letting us know that his time on this earth was coming to an end.

Time's Slipping Away Quickly

2009-12-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's hard to believe that it is already the 15th of December.....where has this month flown?

Sunday I made a batch of Fudge and Coconut Balls. Yesterday I finally got everything prepared to make Tea Breads and Cookies today. I'll have to put that on hold until tomorrow as I need to do several errands today instead of baking.

Believe me, I'd rather be baking than running errands. Going into town is crazy.....rude people that are only focused on themselves and getting what they want.....people talking on their cell phones not only while driving but walking and not paying attention to who they run into with their shopping carts......disgruntled people because they can't find that little rodent that is so popular this season......the list goes on and on.

In my opinion.....it is time that people got back to the basics and remembered what the Christmas season is about.....it's not about who can buy the most expensive gift...it's not about who can have the most decorated house........it's not about having the latest gadgets.........it's about Jesus, family and friends!

Finally......an end to the Thanksgiving Turkey.....NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to think that I will go back to being a vegetarian after dealing with the turkey I bought for Thanksgiving. It seems like I have been thawing, cutting, cooking the turkey for a month. I know I've been eating it for at least 2 weeks. Today I finally got all the meat cut off the breast section and into the freezer. I have 3 nice packages of sliced breast meat, 2 packages of mixed light and dark pieces and 8 more pints of Turkey broth to add to the packages of meat and broth already in the freezer.

I swear I got 40 pounds of meat off that 23 pound turkey.....it went on forever and ever.

Will I buy a 23 pound turkey for Christmas?????????????? You bettcha ya! Only this time I'll get out the pressure cooker and can that Turkey.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-12-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I've been taking it easy since Thanksgiving. I overdid it!!! I was so exhausted by the time I got Thanksgiving on the table I couldn't hardly function. We had dinner at 1pm and after Dad and Mae left around 3pm.......I crashed! I went to bed and sleep for 13 hours straight.

Rich told me that I wasn't going to prepare any more dinner feasts. From now on we would either order a dinner or go out and eat.

Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Now let's get on to decorating and shopping for Christmas!

Vanilla Cream Pie and variations

2009-11-24T07:25:00.001-08:00

Vanilla Cream Pie and variations

Baked 8-inch pie shell
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in top of double boiler. Mix with wooden spoon. Blend in milk gradually, then add egg yolks. Add margarine. Place over rapidly boiling water so pan is touching water. Cook until thick and smooth, about 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Scrape down sides of pan frequently. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir until smooth and blended, scrapping sides of pan. Pour hot filling into pie shell. Quantities may be doubled and filling cooked for two 8-inch pies at the same time.

Chocolate Cream Pie: Melt 1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate in milk in top of double boiler. Set aside to cool. Then proceed as directed for Vanilla Cream Pie filling, using the chocolate-milk mixture and increasing sugar from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup.

Coconut Cream Pie: Stir in 1 cup flaked coconut before pouring into pie shell. Can decorate with toasted coconut.

Creamy Lime Jello Salad

2009-11-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

Creamy Lime Jello Salad

1 - 4 serving size Lime Jello (or any flavor you would like)
8 ounce carton Cool-Whip
16 ounce can crushed pineapple
1 pint cottage cheese
2-3 cups mini marshmallows

Put Cool-Whip in a bowl. Sprinkle dry jello over the top. Stir gently until all the Jello is dissolved. Drain pineapple and stir into the Jello mixture. Stir in cottage cheese and marshmallows. Chill in refrigerator for several hous or overnight.

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust and Variations

2009-11-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soft margarine
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon, optional

In medium mixing bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, margarine and nutmeg; blend until crumbly. Save out 1/3 cup crumbs to sprinkle on top of pie, if desired. Press remaining crumbs evenly on bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan, making a small rim. Bake in 375 degree oven, 8 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack and fill as pie recipe directs.

Unbaked Graham Cracker Crumb Crust: Use the same ingredients as for the baked crust; do not make rim on pi shell. Chill about 1 hour, or until set before filling.

Walnut Graham Cracker Crumb Crust: Reduce crumbs to 1 cup and add 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts. Follow directions for Baked Graham Cracker Crumb Crust. You can use finely chopped pecans, almonds or Brazil nuts instead of the walnuts.

Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumb Crust: Reduce crumbs to 1 cup and add 2 squares unsweetened chocolate; grated. Follow recipe for Baked Graham Cracker Crumb Crust.

23 Pound Turkey!

2009-11-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

Yep.....they had them turkeys on sale when I bought $50 worth of groceries. I only had to pay 23 cents per pound. Great Bargain!!!!!!!!

Today I cut up the turkey. I saved the whole breast, 1 leg and 1 thigh for our T-day dinner. I'm not sure if Dad and Mae are coming for dinner or not! I tossed the rest of the turkey into my huge stockpot and simmered it with salt, pepper and an onion. The whole house smells like turkey!

Now I have over 2 gallons of turkey stock and a huge bowl of turkey meat that I picked off the bones. Since my freezer is almost full I will can the broth and turkey tomorrow. I can use it later for casseroles, turkey and dumplings or turkey soup.

Maybe next time I should pick a smaller turkey! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Magic Fruit Cobbler

2009-11-16T10:30:00.001-08:00

Magic Fruit Cobbler

2/3 flour
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 cups fresh fruit, lightly sweetened

Melt margarine in 9-11-inch pan. In separate bowl mix all dry ingredients and milk. Pour mixture on top of melted margarine. Dump cut-up fruit on top of dough mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

The cobbler flips itself over and makes a buttery topping. You may also want to sprinkle a bit of sugar on top of the fruit before baking.

Layered Cranberry Cheddar Spread

2009-11-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

This is a great appetizer to serve for fall or winter potluck dinners. Serve in a clear 1 1/2-quart bowl to show off the pretty layers.

Layered Cranberry Cheddar Spread

2 cups cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

In 2-quart saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice and rind; bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes; stirring occasionally. Chill. Combine cream cheese and sherry; mixing until well blended. Fold in whipped cream. Layer cranberry mixture, Cheddar cheese and cream cheese mixture in 1 1/2-quart serving container. Cover with plastic wrap; chill. Serve with crackers or pear and apple slices.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

2009-11-14T07:06:00.001-08:00

This simple recipe is creamy and rich. It uses meatless protein crumbles, corn tortillas, and enchilada sauce. You can use cooked ground beef instead of the crumbles.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups frozen ground beef substitute crumbles
10 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
4 ounce can chopped green chilies, undrained
10 ounce can enchilada sauce
8 ounce can tomato sauce
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Cojack cheese

In large skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add beef crumbles, soup, milk, and chilies. Simmer, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes.

Spray 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Pour 1 cup of this sauce into bottom of prepared pan. Soften corn tortillas by wrapping them in foil and placing in a 350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes.

Fill corn tortillas with crumbles mixture and roll up. Place on top of sauce in pan. Pour remaining sauce over filled enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bak at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-10 minutes longer, until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Serves 6.

Enchilada Sauce

2009-11-12T12:41:00.001-08:00

Enchilada Sauce

3 teaspoons oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons flour
1 cup water
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt or less

Combine sauce ingredients. Bring to boil; simmer 5 minutes.

I usually double the recipe for an extra saucy 9x13-inch pan of enchiladas.

M & M's Cookies

2009-11-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

M & M's Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon water
1 egg
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup M & M's plain chocolate candies***
Nuts and raisins, optional

Blend in shortening and sugar; beat in vanilla, water and egg. Sift remaining dry ingredients together; add to sugar and egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in candies and if desired nuts or raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. For additional color, press extra candies into cookies before baking. Some candies will crack.

***I recently found mini M & M's in the bulk food section at my local grocery store.

Poppy Seed Lemon Drops

2009-11-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Poppy Seed Lemon Drops

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in egg.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined, then stir in poppy seeds. Drop by 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set and just begin to brown at the edges (the bottoms may be lightly browned, but not the top of the cookies)
Cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool before glazing.

Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp lemon juice

Whisk together juice and sugar until icing is a smooth, thin consistency. Add additional juice if yours is too thick to drizzle easily or additional sugar if it is too thick.

Drizzle over cookies. Cookies should not be hot, but it is ok if they are not completely at room temperature before frosting.

Cookies must be cooled to room temperature before being stored.

Makes 2 dozen.

Peanut Brittle

2009-11-10T12:31:00.001-08:00

You make this candy in the Microwave! I know that we cooks shouldn't brag about our own cooking........this is the best peanut brittle I have ever tasted. Dad always looks for this in his Christmas Basket. And, it's so easy to make.

Peanut Brittle

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup salted peanuts
1 teaspoon margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

In 2-quart glass measure combine sugar and corn syrup, stir, cook at HIGH 4 minutes. Add peanuts; stir well. Cook at HIGH for an additional 3 1/2 minutes; add butter and vanilla, stirring well. Cook at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes. Add baking soda; stir gently until light and foamy. Immediately pour mixture onto buttered cookie sheet. Spread thinly. Cool, break into small pieces. Makes 1 1/2 pounds.

Sweet and Salty Pretzels

2009-11-10T12:27:00.001-08:00

These are my sister, Nancy's favorite! She always looks for them in her families Goodie Basket!

1 pound white almond bark
1 package pretzels...large, mini, sticks, etc.

Melt the bark in the microwave 2 1/2 - 3 minutes; stirring often. Dip the pretzels into the bark and place on wax paper to set up. You can sprinkle with red and green sugar or any kind of cookie decoration.

Candy Cane Crisps

2009-11-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

Candy Cane Crisps

1 cup margarine, at room temperature
about 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
about 3/4 cup coarsely crushed candy canes or hard peppermint candies

In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat margarine and 1 cup of the sugar until creamy, beat in vanilla. In another bowl, stir together flour, oats and salt, gradually add to margarine mixture, blending thoughly. Add 1/4 cup of the crushed candy canes and mix until well combined. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls, then roll in remaining powdered sugar (about 1/4 cup) to coat. Place balls about 2-inches apart on greased and flour-dusted baking sheets. Flatten cookies with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern with fork tines. Sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon crushed candy canes. Bake in a 325 degree oven until edges are lightly browned 18-20 minutes, then transfer to racks and let cool completely. Store airtight. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Poppy Seed Muffins

2009-11-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil and extracts; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Yield: about 8 dozen mini-muffins or 24 standard-size muffins.

No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies

2009-11-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Mom Bishop gave this recipe to me after Rich and I was married in 1973. She told me it was one of his favorite cookies!

No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies

1 quart sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
5 cups oatmeal

Combine first 5 ingredients. Boil 1 minute; remove from stove. Add remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Makes approximately 100 cookies. Please make sure that you use a large pan for cooking.

Candy Cane Cookies

2009-11-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Candy Cane Cookies

3/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream margarine and sugar; beat in egg, vanilla and extract. Stir flour with salt and baking powder; stir into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Stir coconut into one portion; blend food coloring into remaining dough. Cover; chill dough for 30 minutes. Divide each dough into 30 balls; keep half of each dough chilled till ready to use. With hands, roll each ball to a 5-inch rope. For each cane: pinch together one end of a red rope and one end of a white rope; twist ropes together. Pinch together remaining ends. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve to form cane. Repeat for remaining balls. Bake at 375 degrees about 10 minutes. Makes 30 candy cane cookies.

Best-Ever Meltaways

2009-11-08T10:42:00.001-08:00

Best-Ever Meltaways

1 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour***
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, for coating

Beat the margarine with the unsifted powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add both extracts and the salt and beat again. Stir together the flour and cornstarch; stir into the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic and chill for 1 hour, or until firm enough to shape.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use ungreased baking sheets. Pinch off hunks of dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set; the cookies will not color. Let cool on the pans until cool enough to handle. Roll in sifted powdered sugar. Lay on wax paper to cool. Roll again in sifted powdered sugar when cool. Makes 4 dozen.

***Chocolate Meltaways.....substitute 1/4 cup cocoa for 1/4 cup of the flour.

Raggedy Ann Swap

2009-11-06T10:55:00.001-08:00

This is the Raggedy Annie I received from Barbara Burkard.

This is the Raggedy Ann I made for Barbara.

I had so much fun making my Raggedy Ann for Barbara. She collects old toys and I wanted to make her Raggedy Ann look vintage. Instead of using bright red for her hair I used a rust color to look more vintage.

Barbar emailed me and asked for any information that might help her to make my Raggedy Annie. I told her that I collected Black American dolls, red was my favorite color.......and I love the Annie she made for me.

Thank you Thimbleprims Studio for having this great swap!

Pumpkin Pie

2009-11-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

This is a great recipe for pumpkin pie that you can bake in the microwave. I found this recipe in the cookbook that came with my new Quasar Microwave that we bought in 1984. And, by the way, it is still being used daily in our home today. It has never been repaired. When we bought the microwave at Friedman's in Medford, Or, we received free cooking classes. Rich and I would go to them every chance we had. We had so much fun and learned not to be intimidated by the microwave. We learned how to cook casseroles, bar cookies, jams and jellies, candies, cakes, veggies, etc. The main thing we learned was not to listen to people when they told you that all microwaves were for was heating up coffee, weiners and leftovers.

Pumpkin Pie

16 ounce can cooked pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
9-inch pastry shell, baked

Combine all ingredients; except pie shell. Pour into prepared shell. Cook at Medium 20-22 minutes, or until center is almost set. Let stand until cool. Serves 8.

Pie Crusts

2009-11-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Pie Crusts

Pastry for 2-crust pie

2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons cold water

Sift flour and salt into mixing bowl. Add oil, mix well with fork. Sprinkle cold water over mixture and mix well. With hands press mixture into a smooth ball. (If mix is too dry, add 1-2 Tablespoons more oil, a little at a time and then shape ball). Divide ball in half and flatten both parts slightly. Roll out 1 dough ball to circle between two 12-inch square sheets waxed paper to edge of paper. Peel off paper. Fit pastry carefully into pie pan, using care not to stretch. Trim evenly with edge of pan. Roll out remaining dough ball between two sheets of waxed paper as directed for bottom crust. Peel off top paper. Add filling to pastry-lined pan. Arrange rolled pastry over filled pie and peel off paper. Cut vents for steam to escape. Trim crust 1/2-inch beyond edge of pie pan; fold top crust under bottom crust. Flute edge. Bake as pie recipe directs. Makes one 8-9-inch 2-crust pie or two 8-9-inch pie shells.

Swirled Mint Cookies

2009-11-05T07:24:00.001-08:00

Swirled Mint Cookies

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspooon baking powder
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
10 drops red food coloring
10 drops green food coloring

Combine flour and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl beat margarine until softened. Add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract; beat well. Add flour mixture and beat till well blended. Divide into thirds. Stir red food coloring into one-third, stir green coloring into another, and leave remaining third plain. Cover each and chill about 1 hour or till easy to handle. Divide each color of dough into 4 parts. On a lightly floured surface roll each into a 1/2-inch diameter rope. Place one red, one green and one plain rope side by side. Twist together. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces for larger cookies, or 1/4-inch for smaller ones. Carefully roll into balls, blending colors as little as possible. Place about 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to 1/4-inch thickness with the bottom of a glass dipped in additional sugar. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake in a 375 degree oven till done (8-10 minutes for large cookies/ 6-8 minutes for small cookies). Remove and cool. Makes 6-12 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-11-03T09:30:00.001-08:00

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounce package chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.*** Into large bowl, measure all ingredients except chocolate chips and walnuts. With mixer at medium speed, beat until mixed, scraping bowl. Add chocolate chips and walnuts; stir well.

Make 1-inch balls and place 2-inches apart on sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes**** or until lightly browned. With spatula, remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

***Can be baked in 9x13-inch pan; for 20-25 minutes. Cut into bars.

****Soft cookies when you bake for the shorter time.