Treasure the old...

Love this old Bible sitting beside a picture of my mother when she was little. Bibles were precious and treasured things in days of old. Some Bibles were the only records people had to show who was born and when they died. They are like census records we have today. Times were hard as you can tell from old pictures and unlike now where Bibles are not valued, in those days , they were part of a family's heritage and were treasured.

My mother saved this tin for some reason. Maybe it meant something special to her because of its design. Or who knows. But I love it because she treasured it enough to save it. So I save it too. Maybe some day my daughter will also save it. Treasures handed down.

I embroidered this wall hanging when I was first married almost 30 years ago. My first and only piece if I remember right. Every time I see it , I smile. I do love homemade stitched things.. There is something special about knowing a loved one spent many hours making something by hand to decorate their home and pass down to others who will treasure it in their own homes. Hopefully...

Favorite Childhood toys

I have a special place in my heart for child's Blue Willow Tea sets. I so remember mom getting down the box of individualized compartments that held little cups and plates and the precious little tea pot with matching creamer and sugar container. And then after we finished playing, the little set would be carefully packed back away and stored in the kitchen cabinet. I think it was so valuable to me cause playing with it was such a special moment. Not just for the everyday...

And how I loved my paper dolls. I found this one at a flea market and marveled because I don't remember mine ever having real hair. Usually the ones I played with I drew myself. And designed and colored their own clothes. By the hours I would draw and color and cut. Brings a smile to my face to just think about it even now 50 years later.

And I had a beautiful bride doll just like this one. And I would go to my grandma's house where she had a old treadle sewing machine and I would pump away making clothes for this doll also.

And she came with high heel shoes. There was something special about just slowly running your fingers over these delicate shoes. They were not just any shoes. But every little girl remembers dressing up in grandma's hose with the line down the back and then trying on her high heel shoes and posing in front of the mirror. High heel shoes were things of wonder to little girls!!!

Such happy memories I had of listening to my grandparents tell stories of when they were young and playing with my lovely bride doll and sitting on the front porch watching the cars go by. Entertainment was simple in those days. But happy we were with the simple things.

Christmas Supper 2009

I fixed enchiladas for supper and Rachel made a salad and Jennifer brought pumpkin pie and the most delicious chocolate cake with icing that melts in your mouth that Abbey made. It seems like we have celebrated all day long today. Come enjoy more Christmas pictures with me...
Little baby Kaden has had a really long day and he crashed out on poppy's chest.

First, for the presents. I should mention here that I gave all my kids and grandkids checks for Christmas this year. They loved it. I loved it. Everyone happy! My daughter in law Jennifer is a wonderful photographer and she took this beautiful group picture of all the kids together. I just love it!

Jennifer said Kevin picked out this present for me. He knows my fondness for anything chicken apparently. Don't you just love it?

I think I will use it as a centerpiece on my dining room table.

Tim headed straight for the food you notice.

Don't you love sitting down with people you love, eating good food and catching up on everybodys lives. School dances, latest boy stories, new clothes, jewelry, sports, work....and cousins spending time together. Can't beat it

Here's son Tim making a silly face. Doesn't he have the prettiest eyes? Have I mentioned lately how proud I am of this boy and how much I love him? I really think all my kids are pretty special.  Good kids, wonderful daughter in laws and the best son in law you could ask for.

And once again the younger cousins gather around the coffee table to eat their meal together and visit with each other. Don't you think they'll remember going over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house we'll go....

I will have to confess here that this year I did not decorate for Christmas or even put up a tree. Hope they won't remember me as "the grandma who never put up a tree" when they grow up as one of my best friends told me.

Well, it has been a long but fun filled day. Another Christmas passed by. Good food, good friends and family, and good fellowship. And good presents. But let's not forget the real reason we gather on Christmas every year. To celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who was sent to die for us so our sins could be forgiven.

Joyce's Enchiladas!

I made enchiladas for Christmas supper and Kevin's family and Rachel's family came over. Kevin was home sick so hope he gets to feeling better soon! Below is my recipe.

I mixed the sauce up the night before and also browned my hamburger, drained it and then mixed in some Taco seasoning mix to taste. You'll find I cook by taste so some people (like my roll your eyes around daughter) have a hard time following some of my recipes.

Take one container of sour cream, one can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of water and put in pan on low. Stir to keep from burning. Add Ro-Tel or your own homemade Salsa to taste. Some people like it hotter than others. If this seems too thick, just add more water. If I am making a large pan or more than one pan, I will double this recipe. You can always keep the leftover sauce in the frig for later.

Heat up a couple cans of refried beans, and warm the large tortilla shells. Set aside. Get out shredded cheese and open a can of olives. Olives will be used later but might as well open the can the same time you open the refried beans.

Put a couple spoonfuls of warm refried beans spread evenly in the center of the flat tortilla shell. Spoon on some hamburger, top with shredded cheese. Roll up the tortilla shell and place in 9 x 13 pan.

When the pan is full, slowly pour your enchilada sauce over the top. Slip a spatula under the tortilla mixture so some of the sauce will be under the pan. Or pour some of the sauce in the pan to start with before adding the filled tortillas. You don't want anything to burn.




Slice your olives over the top and then sprinkle with shredded cheese of your choice.

Everything has been cooked, so what you are doing is combining the flavors and heating the dish. So cook slowly on about a 275 degree oven watching carefully that the cheese just melts and doesn't overcook. Can turn the oven down if it looks like it is getting too hot.

We serve with a salad and cottage cheese.

Enjoy!

The Best Amish Breakfast Casserole Ever!

This was the best breakfast casserole you can imagine. Below is the recipe. Give it a try!

Amish Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. bacon diced

1 med. chopped sweet onion

6 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups frozen, shredded hash browns potatoes, thawed

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese

1 1/4 cups shredded swiss cheese

In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp, drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients ; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

I think Rachel made it up the night before and let it sit overnight in the frig. I think if you do that you must allow a pre-heating time as your pan would be cold and would take longer to warm up before cooking.

Making a memory window...

I made a place to keep my mother in laws mementos in this old window. There is an old pattern for a dress she wore as a little girl as well as the dress made from that pattern. And her old bonnet. Her baby picture taken with her mother and a picture of her with her brother and she is wearing this little outfit in the picture. And an old locket also. How cool is that!

What fun we had at the Tea Party for the young girls...

You've already seen the food from the tea party on the previous post so enjoy these pictures from the actual tea party. We had a great time! And it is such fun to dress up too!

We had a great time as you can see and we'll do it again next year! Good friends having good times!!

Annual Tea Party

It's time to once again dig out my favorite gold silverware... I don't know why I only use it a couple times a year. It is so pretty.


And set the table for the annual grand-daughter's tea party. They each invite one of their best friends and dress up cause this day is special...

For snacks this year I tried out some new recipes. A couple anyway. First, is baked pecans and dried cranberries which I thought looked beautiful for this season. And the colors still match my pink theme.
Then I made "Poor Man's Turtles" which consist of placing a small twisted pretzel on a baking sheet and then placing one Rolo candy bar on top of that and baking on a 200 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Take them out and top each one with a pecan and push gently down. Think the kids will love them.
My daughter showed me how to take olives and make little penguins out of them but to save time I just put two pieces of olives on top of a square of cheddar cheese and stuck a toothpick through it all. Little penguins were cute but we'll save them for another day. Maybe for the little boys party.
And I am going to wrap hot dogs and cheese in Crescent Rolls and make pigs in blankets.

We have a bowl of grapes in an antique bowl..
a dish of miniature pickles..

and of course I'll make raspberry punch in my beautiful antique punch bowl.

My daughter in law Jennifer is in charge of the program and she always does a great job.

Our hopes are that these little girls will remember our tea parties all their lives. And it gives us as adults and mothers and grandmothers a chance to speak blessings over each of them.

The table is set, and now it is time to get ready to head off to church....

Soon the party will begin....