Painting Flowers

This past weekend I learned something very interesting and thought I'd share. After all, who knows when random bits of informationn will come in handy for someone else!


My sister's colors for her wedding were white and a dark raspberry pink. Its a very pretty color.


She has always loved tulips.

She had pictured in her mind a few raspberry pink tulips in vases on the tables at the reception. It looked really pretty.

The park where the wedding was held wouldn't let us throw rice or birdseed or much of anything else. Our of desperation we even asked if we could throw Rice Krispies cereal and the answer was no, because they didn't want to attract more ducks and geese than were already there. Meagan wasn't big on the "blowing bubbles" trend, and with that we were out of ideas. We had to dig deep into the imagination for a solution, but one finally presented itself, and when it came time for the bride and groom to depart, we showered them with raspberry pink carnation petals. It was really pretty.

I was busy throwing petals so left it to the real photographer to get a picture of the effect it created.

The only other flowers in Meagan's wedding plans were her bridal bouquets. She wanted a tight and full cluster of hydrangea blossoms, white for her attendants, and raspberry pink for her and Lily.


Hydrangeas do actually come in a deep pink color. They are called Red Hydrangea's according to Mom. But according to the florist they were using, they are not available at this time of year. He had another suggestion and said they'd order in what he was thinking of, and if they weren't pink enough, we would decide what to do from there.


So on Saturday morning, Mom, Meagan, and I headed out to find the obscure little florist wholesale shop tucked into a side street on the west side of Nashville. It was really neat and I was so angry with myself as we were leaving because I realized I never thought to take any pictures for the blog, or for Meagan's memories either! Oh well!


What the florist had obtained was beautiful, but no where NEAR raspberry pink. They were hydrangea blossoms in varied shades of pink and green. We thought they were lovely, but not what we were looking for at all.

But this particular florist, who had been a marvel to work with, helping Mom over the phone and swapping emails with her dozens of times, came through and saved the day.


We were skeptical of his solution at first, but he assured us it was easily done, would look great, and would solve our issue.

As it turns out, they make a special spray paint just for flowers! I've never heard of such a thing! And I guess you can get it in all sorts of colors! He demonstrated for us on an extra blossom, packed our flowers in the car for us and waved goodbye as we drove away.


Back at Meagan's house, we unloaded our flowers and carried them into the garage, as it was already getting windy, a precursor of the gusts to come the next day.


The garage got pretty fumigated with paint fumes, but it was better than fighting the wind with the delicate blooms. We were a little nervous about the prospect of the flowers turning out OK, but there was nothing to do but get started and see what happened. We let Meagan do the honors on the first one.

And Lily, of course, had to get in on the action! Who couldn't resist the opportunity to paint flowers!

After that we left them to dry. We didn't want to go overboard until we knew what they were going to look like.

I'm still amazed! Who would have thought you can spray paint flowers to get your desired color? It worked like a charm, and on the big day, Meagan and Lily had beautiful bouquets of raspberry pink hydrangea blossoms that looked completly natural.

Beautiful flowers made especially for beautiful girls to carry on a beautiful day!

My Civil War Quilt: Month Three

The Battle of Shiloh

The Battle of Shiloh is another batttle known by two names. Some know it as the Battle of Shiloh. Others refer to it as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing. Regardless of how you call it, it was two days of blood letting that left both sides shocked at the carnage. It was the bloodiest battle in American History up to that point.

The Battle of Shiloh is considered to be one of the four most important battles of the American Civil War. The reason being that it was a strategic location. Union troops were attempting to reach northern Mississippi and make their way to the Mississippi river. With control of the river, they would have the Confederacy seriously disabled. During the Battle of Shiloh, Confederate troops attempted to turn the Union away from their objective.

In April of 1862, Union troops, lead by Ulysses S. Grant, had moved deep into Tennessee and camped on the western bank of the Tennessee River at Pittsburg Landing. Nearby was a log church, Shiloh Methodist, that would be caught in the midst of the struggle, witnessing human savagery and serving as a hospital for wounded.

replica reconstructed on the sight of the original building

Union troops were caught off guard by a surprise attack at dawn on April 6. Led by Johnston and Beauregard, the Confederate objective was to block the Union from advancing into northern Mississippi and thus reaching the Mississippi River. Confederate troops were able to drive Union forces back during the start of the battle, but confusion among Confederate lines resulted in the Union troops being pushed to the northeast back towards Pittsburg Landing, instead of into the swamps to the west as was intended. Union troops were able to entrench in a sunken road, later referred to as the "Hornet's Nest" because of the intense fighting that took place there. Their entrenchment provided enough time for Union troops to pull up reinforcements during the night.

the sunken road

During the second day of battle, the tide was turned when Union troops launched a counter attack. Realizing they were low on ammunition and food, and had already suffered over 10,000 casualties, Confederate leaders ordered a retreat.

Two short days of battle left both sides decimated. Union casualties were listed at 13,047 with 1,754 killed, 8,408 wounded, and 2,885 missing. Confederates had not faired much better listing their casualties at 10, 699 with 1,728 killed, 8,012 wounded, and 959 missing. In the aftermath, Ulysses S. Grant was accused by the press of being drunk during battle, leading to accusations of poor performance and responsibility for not being prepared for the attack. His career suffered for a time as a result. Though he was a heavy drinker, the reports of his drunkenness during battle are believed to be false. With time his popularity returned due to his successful leadership. He would later become the leader of the Union army and after the war would be elected the 18th president of the United States

Shiloh National Military Park, though in Tennessee and relatively close to where I grew up, is one of the battlefields I have never visited. I have always wanted to and still have hope to do so one day in the future.

There are always spots at each battle field that became famous for various reasons, such as the Hornet's Nest. One of the more well known spots for this battle is Sarah Bell's Peach Orchard. It was a location of intense fighting near the Hornet's Nest where Confederate General Johnston was killed and where the bodies of the fallen were covered in the soft pink petals of the peach blossoms.

Every time I do one of these posts, I read about the battle on other sights. I know the names, but there are so many details to learn! And every time I research a battle I am overwhelmed by the casualties. How did they manage? What did they do with more than 3,500 dead? How did they tend 16,000 wounded men? How would they even begin to cope, especially in a relatively rural area such as western Tennessee? How did the locals manage with that many soldiers present needing food and medical attention, and so much more? I can't even begin to imagine.

For more reading on The Battle of Shiloh:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shiloh#Aftermath

http://www.civilwaralbum.com/shiloh/index.htm#November

For a pictorial tour:

http://www.civilwaralbum.com/shiloh/tour1.htm

I'm letting you know ahead of time that the next months of my quilt and posts are going to be delayed. I've not had time to put together my quilt squares and it looks like my next home time is already booked with packing and getting things moved to the ranch. So this will be my last installment on my Sesquicentennial blog posts for a time. We may very well have to finish our Civil War posts after the anniversary year is over. But I will finish, I promise myself and you!

Big happenings this weekend! I'm so excited and will share all about it early next week!

My Civil War Quilt: Month Two

Let me tell you what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives you may win Southern independence, but I doubt it. The North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche.   -Sam Houston

(Selected Civil War Quotes)

Time for another post on my Civil War Anniversary quilt! This month's quilt block is called "Thunder & Lightning" and commemorates the first battle at Manassas, also known as the Battle of Bull Run.

Manassas, Virginia

July 21, 1861

Manassas had the honor of hosting the first land battle of the Civil War. The Confederacy had chosen for its capital city, Richmond, VA. Because of this, with the two capital cities of Richmond and Washington D.C. so close together, many of the first battles of the war were within close range of each other and the cities.


When Union troops headed out for their first campaign, wealthy citizens of Washington, including Congressmen and their families, followed in their buggies with champagne and picnic baskets, expecting to have a good show and see the Rebels get whipped back into their place.


It was going to be a quick battle, an easy victory, and the war wouldn't last but a few months at most! No one wanted to miss out on the show or being part of the victory! These were commonly held beliefs on both sides of the battle lines.


The first battle began early in the morning and lasted till about 4:00 in the afternoon. The Union troops were overwhelmed and after the last of their troops were forced off a certain hill by the Confederate troops, the Union began to retreat.

It was orderly at first, but quickly became chaotic. Yankee soldiers, in their panic to flea, discarded firearms and equipment. The chaos enabled southern troops to take many prisoners. And to add to the confusion, the wealthy citizens of Washington had to abandon their picnics and join the confusion, clogging the roads with their carriages and impeding the progress of the army.


The first battle of Bull Run was the bloodiest battle on American soil up to that point. Union casualties were 460 killed, 1,124 wounded, and 1,312 missing or captured; Confederate casualties were 387 killed, 1,582 wounded, and 13 missing.


The North was shocked at their defeat. Both sides, which had expected easy victory over their foe and a short war, suddenly realized that it would not be as easy as expected, that even with victory there would be great loss and expense.


The name of the battle has been under controversy since it happened. The North favored referring to battle fields by rivers or streams that lay nearby. Therefor they generally called the first battle the Battle of Bull Run, after a nearby stream. The South, on the other hand, tended to refer to battles by the name of towns or villages nearby. And so they called the first battle the Battle at Manassas. Thus the reason this battle has been known by two different names throughout its history.


Almost a year later, on August 28-30 1862, the two armies would fight again on the same ground, another Confederate victory known as the Second Battle of Bull Run.


Manassas, VA would be an excellent place to visit this summer in your vacationing if your able. The town and battle field will be celebrating the anniversary of the war with displays and events. For more information on the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, visit the Civil War Trusts website.


I thought I'd add to my monthly Civil War post by sharing a good book with you in each post. For this months post, I chose...

Some of you may have seen the movie that came out a few years ago with Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Renee Zelweger. I love the movie, and honestly, even if I didn't like the story, the movie was a work of art (in my opinion).  The book...well as usual I have to say, you have to read the book, even if you've seen the movie. There is SO much detail and depth that they can't capture in a movie! I'll be re-reading it sometime in the next few months. If you are in the market for something a little different to read, and like historical fiction, I recommend Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.


That concludes this months post on the American Civil War! Sorry if I make these too long. Its a subject that I enjoy talking about, and since I never got to teach it in history classes, as I would have loved to do, I'm forcing you into becoming my classroom. I'll try not to lecture too much!
Don't forget our Pampered Chef Blog party! You have through Friday to get your orders in! So be sure to take some time over the next couple days to browse the merchandise. Don't forget that everyone who orders gets entered in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate. And if you missed the original post, here's a link to it that explains all! Invite your friends too, if you think they might enjoy!

A Sesquicentennial

"America has no north, no south, no east, no west. The sun rises over the hills and sets over the mountains, the compass just points up and down, and we can laugh now at the absurd notion of there being a north and a south. We are one and undivided." - Sam Watkins - 1st Tennessee
(quote obtained from the following website   http://www.carrothers.com/civwar.htm)

This year, 2011, marks the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. I'm having trouble conjuring up the words for this post. So much could be said. So much wants said, though its all been said over and over again for the past 150 years..


Thoughts of this time in our nations history are solemn. One hundred and fifty years. Do you realize what a small amount of time has passed? One hundred fifty years is a drop in the bucket!


I've always held a fascination with history of our Civil War. History in general really, but particularly this era. As I've matured, my historical interests have expanded to other periods, but the Civil War is always a few thoughts away when I'm in my historical frame of mind. Maybe its from growing up in the south, but I think
really that God just made me a history lover and in particular, gave me a special fondness for this part of our history.

Lots of the battlefield parks and sights will be hosting special events, displays, etc to honor the memory of this tragic part of our history, and the lessons our nation learned from it.  It would be a great year to tour some of these sights and I hope if you get the opportunity, you'll do so!


I did not set off to find a way to commemorate the anniversary. I was just looking for a new quilt for my bed and wanted to make it myself, not just buy it. In the past couple of years a few fabric designers have been coming out with popular fabric lines featuring reproduction prints from the Civil War era, and there are a few quilt kits that use these fabrics. I ran across one that caught my eye when I was flipping through a catalog and promptly ordered it.

My new quilt will feature a block every month. Its a "block of the month" club quilt. Each month I receive the fabric and instructions to piece part of the quilt, using the civil war fabrics. Each square commemorates a battle or event that took place during the war. I've decided to go ahead and expand my project by blogging about it also. Provided I'm able to get each months block finished, I plan to do a monthly post, sharing a picture of that months block, and telling a bit about the event that the block is honoring.

The first month's block:

The first months quilt square is the "spinning hour glass." The kit is calling it "Shots Fired at  Fort Sumter."

Fort Sumter: The First Battle

April 12-14, 1861

 

Fort Sumter stood in Charleston Harbor, outside Charleston, SC. Even after South Carolina seceded from the union (South Carolina was the first to do so) the fort remained in Union hands and was staffed by Union troops. The Confederate government commanded Gen.PGT Beauregard to demand the evacuation of the fort, and to force the evacuation if refused. The commanding Union officer, Maj. Robert Anderson, promised to evacuate by noon on April 15 unless he recieved order to do otherwise, or more supplies. The answer was not acceptable to the Confederacy. On April 12 at 4:30 in the morning, Confederate guns began a bombardment of the fort that would lead to the bloodiest war in American history.

 

 

Firing continued throughout the day and night, both sides sending shells flying at each other, though the Union troops in the fort were short on ammunition and so were rationing their shots. Confederate cannon shots set fire to the barracks in the fort, but even amid the heat and smoke of the flames, the Union troops continued to send off the occasional shot, compelling applause and cheers from the Confederate troops out of admiration for the Union boys determination.

 

 

On April 14, 1961, after 33 hours of bombardment, Fort Sumter was surrendered. There were no casualties on either side and only minor injuries. The Union troops were allowed to leave the fort with honor, even given permission to raise their flag for a 100 gun salute before leaving. Upon their return to the north, they were greeted as heroes.

 

 

It was a minor battle in scale. It was a monumental battle in history. It was the beginning of four long years of civil war.

An Excuse to Indulge

I am a penny pincher. I have a hard time spending money. Not to say I don't dream about LOTS of things, expensive things, to spend money on. I "window shop" quite a bit. In  fact over the past 6 months I've probably spent a lifetime's earnings on horses and related materials...all in my imagination of course.


There are a few things I have a harder time controlling my buying impulse over. Books...I spend money on books way too easily. The reasonable and responsible thing to do would be to check them out at the library. But no, I need to own them. I even have been known to enjoy one of my audio books so much that I'll go purchase the book after I've finished listening to it, just to see it sitting there all pretty on my book shelves. Because I need it!


Fabric, specifically quilting fabric, is quickly becoming another weak area. I haven't indulged too much, but I can spend a LOT of time just looking at the online catalogs and the ones I get in the mail. And its so hard not to buy a couple yards of every piece of fabric that strikes my fancy. I love to go to the cabinet in my laundry room and just look at the scraps I have left from past projects or the pieces I have waiting for projects I haven't gotten to yet. I love all the fabrics. Its hard not to buy.


Another area that is a temptation is the scrapbook aisle at the hobby and craft stores. I just stand there and absorb the beauty of all those gorgeous papers and nifty sticker collections. How I drool over all the beautiful things for decorating and displaying pictures. And then regretfully walk away without indulging because I don't scrapbook my pictures, and really have no desire to do so.


But back in July when I visited my parents in Tennessee, Mom was showing me one of her new projects. I was delighted and have borrowed her idea, and now I have a new fun hobby....and an excuse to buy all those pretty papers and nifty stickers in the scrapbook aisle!

Mom and I are "scrapbooking" our favorite recipes! I don't have many pictures I want to scrapbook, but I have an unending supply of recipes that I love! And I love the idea of combining them into a scrapbook, so I have all my favorites right at hand.


I also love that it gives me an excuse to indulge in those pretty papers and nifty stickers. The only problem I'm running into so far, is that I find myself wanting to scrapbook all my recipes, whether favorites or not, just so I can use some neat stickers or papers I found.

So far I've managed to control the impulse and stick to my favorite tried and true recipes. I've done about 5 pages so far. I scanned two of them in to show as examples. I don't know if they will "blow up" big enough for you to read or copy, but feel free to try them if you can see them well enough. The first is a wonderful hot chocolate mix that we enjoy on chilly mornings when we're home. And the second is the girls favorite cookies, the ones that they will do cartwheels to get! Ella in particular goes spastic when that cookie bag gets opened.

So there you go, one of my simple pleasures in life. One of my excuses to indulge in some unnecessary spending. Because as hard as it is for me to do sometimes, there really is nothing wrong with spoiling yourself a little!

Quilting

Along with reading, I have other hobbies, one of which is quilting. I'm not too good at it, but I'm learning. My biggest frustration is that I'm not home to do it much. So projects are slow in getting completed.

This is my latest, one I started last Christmas.
I finished it, finally, the last time we were home for a couple days.

The problem with a project lasting that long is that I was sick of it and had to force myself to sit down and finish it.

But now that it's done I'm happy I finally got it stitched up. Now to get it off to the quilters. I think part of the problem with my motivation to finish it was that my original intent for it was changed, and I didn't have a clue what I was going to do with it. But now I have a little idea niggling at the back of my mind.

Anyway, there you go...another tidbit about me. Another project complete.

And now....I'll be hitting the quilting stores and websites. I've refrained from buying any more projects till I finished the heart quilt. It was hard, but the shopping frenzy is going to be sweet!

Being a Temporary HomeKeeper and Playing Cowgirl

Hard to believe we've already been on the road for a week after our last home time. Sometimes it seems that time just crawls out here, and sometimes it flys by. We're intending to work through till the end of May when we'll go home for Malcolm's sister's high school graduation. Thats almost 2 months. Lets hope it goes by quickly! Of course if it doesn't we'll still have a few fly by stops probably like we usually seem to get. Those are much needed. I know for sure we'll have one because we have to get back to sign our taxes before the 15th.

As stated before, we had a marvelous, fun, relaxing time at home, and also spent a little time at the ranch. The girls and I started our home time out by catching up on laundry...always a big job after numerous weeks out on the road. I could do laundry on the road, but I just don't like to. For one thing, its boring sitting around waiting on it, and those public washers just give me the wllies...not to mention they take forever to get stuff dried...and cost a ridiculous amount. Enough on that. I'd rather wait and have mountains of it to deal with at home. This was just part of it. The rest was upstairs waiting to be hauled and sorted.

The girls love laundry time because the laundry room, for some reason, stays really warm. Its their sleeping room, and they love when I'm working in there. They wallow in the laundry, and chase each other around, using their kennel as base.

Speaking of their kennel, I made them a new bed while we were home. Its pink and black leopard print fau fur. Its a little poofy, but they are working on getting it squished down into a nice bed.

I also baked bread, made my sister and her boyfriend's daughter matching aprons for her birthday, cleaned the bathrooms and wood floors (something I've neglected for months), and just generally did homey things and soaked it all up. We only saw snow on one day, the day after we got home, and it melted by that afternoon. Overall the weather at home was mild, sunny, and almost springlike!

While I worked inside, Malcolm worked outside. He took advantage of the mild weather and fertilized the yard and pastures.We live up in the hills northeast of Billings and its very dry. Last summer we tore out a retaining wall and it looks much better, but left us grassless in the back yard. We were overjoyed to see that this spring the grass is slowly making a comeback, and he thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to help it along some. We're also considering selling the house and moving (more on this later) so it would look better if we actually had some grass...and it was green and lush, or at least as lush as it can get up there. So fertilizer should give it a nice boost. And as soon as he finished this, it started a very gentle sprinkling of rain that came and went all day. Perfect for soaking it all into the ground.

He also spent his time tinkering in the shop, running a few errands in town, and playing with his guns. The truck had been turned into Kenworth as soon as we got home for some warranty work and an overhead (they do that at 100,000 miles..go through the engine and truck and get everything adjusted and back into spec), so he wasn't able to work on it every living moment that we were home. I was grateful that he was forced to stay away from the truck. He was too. He needed that.

This studly fellow moved in down the road. I'm not a big paint fan, but he has caught my affection with only one glimpse. I think he's a blue roan paint, which I had not seen before. He also had a girlfriend that he was in hot pursuit of. I'm looking forward to seeing him after he slicks out for summer, and also curious to see what his offspring look like. His girlfriend is some kind of draft cross, or light draft.


After nearly a week at home, we loaded up the pickup one morning and headed to the ranch south of Baker. I love this drive. I love leaving Billings behind me and heading into eastern Montana. It feels like coming home. Its convenient living near Billings, but I left my heart in eastern Montana when we moved a year and a half ago.

Paris and Ella love going to Malcolm's parent's. Carlie has always been kind of edgy about it. She usually stresses out and stops eating when we are anywhere other than home or in the truck. But this time she seemed to settle right in and I think she had a good time. They love ripping around on the living room carpet, snuggling with Malcolm's mom, and laying in front of the gas stove. Paris and Carlie Jean discovered a new place to enjoy the fires warmth...my girls always like heights for some reason.Malcolm had some rifle's at his parents and got them out to look at them before packing them up to bring them home. He made the mistake of leaving the case open and the princess, apparently too good to lay on the carpet like the others, insisted on making a bed of the gun case. Only she could have gotten away with this. She's too cute for her own good.I didn't catch it before, but a friend of mine pointed out that she's wearing her camo shirt too. How appropriate!

She gets away with a lot of things because of her cuteness. Things like this...

She's tall enough to see over the edge of the table anyway, but she discovered that she could stand on the treadmill that's right there and get a GOOD view of everything that we were eating or drinking. This became here permanent position for every meal, snack, or general gathering around the table, for the entire visit.

The trip to the ranch wasn't all about visiting and fun and games. Well I guess that depends on who you ask. I enjoyed it all as fun and games but I'm sure that my sister-in-law felt differently. And these guys probably did too.

Shoshoni and Dandi. They were wondering who I was, why they were left standing in the barn with me, and what was going on. Rachelle had left to go tag some calves with her Dad before we moved them, and the boys and I were hanging out in the barn waiting. This was actually day two of moving pairs, so they probably new what was up, but I'm sure they were wondering why we weren't getting to it.

I've not had a lot of experience moving or working cows, but I enjoy every chance I get. I only hope I'm learning and not getting in the way too much. Sometimes I feel like I'm more of a burden than help, and I know on one occasion I created more work, because I let a cow and calf get away and they went down in a low spot and Rachelle couldn't get them out. Oh well...they just got a little longer with the herd, but eventually came up and were pushed into the other pasture with the rest of the pairs.

It was cool and cloudy and on day two as we were finishing up, the wind got stronger and colder. But it could have been worse weather, and we were all bundled up for it. I had fun, and though I was sore for days afterwards, it was very much worth it! I have so much fun working with Rachelle and she's very good at teaching without loosing patience. Maybe one day I'll actually be a help to her.

My father-in-law was fixing some fencing that the snow had weighed down over the winter, but later on he came in and helped us with some stubborn pairs. We also left a few of the more aggressive mothers for him to deal with on the four-wheeler.

While he was fencing and we were moving pairs, Malcolm was working with his D-7 Cat. The neighbor had just finished working on the tracks which had been loose sense we bought it. It was like a new machine! He used it to clean the lot for his Dad.

By the time he was finished he had created quite a mountain of poo. The hill above is after the first days work. He worked on it a second day till mid-afternoon. The pile was so big you could see it from the road, a mile away. I told them they should put a flag on top. His Dad said he was thinking of putting his windsock up there.

While Malcolm and I were outside in the chilly damp working, the girls were inside with my mother-in-law who continued the trend of spoiling them. She moved the dog bed over by the door so they could nap, watch for us to go by, and rub the coziness of the house in the barn cats nose.

After getting cleaned up, we all headed to town for dinner. They had some errands to run in town, and after dinner they got to it, and we headed home.

At home we finished some things up. I had to finish the laundry we created while we were at home and at the ranch, gather things together to put back in the truck, and other odds and ends. I also had to bake another batch of cookies for the girls. I have become unsatisfied with all the store bought treats. They just seem so...un-nutritious. So last summer I bought this book. I've only tried a couple of recipes, but they are all HUGE hits! The apple muttins were a big success, but so far these gingersnaps are the favorite.

Ella will do anything for a gingersnap, and thinks she gets one every time she takes position in the passenger seat for her turn at co-pilot. And of course she does get one every time. Here she is waiting in the kitchen as I rolled out the dough. I honestly think she knew what I was making because she doesn't usually hover in the kitchen...at least not quite so much.

That's the reason I had to make more. The recipe makes about 150, but I was running low from the last batch. The things taste pretty good too! (yes I tried one) Kind of bland, but not too bad. They are made from organic oat and rice flour and have molasses, ginger, cinnamon, honey, and some other good ingredients in them.

Picked up the truck the next evening. It didn't get done till later in the afternoon, so Malcolm didn't get to work on it till Sunday morning. He got up early, and replaced air filters and did something to the trailer, though I forget what it was. It didn't take long, and by noon we were on our way to load in Billings and head to Nebraska.

Mom's Quilt

Now that Christmas is over, and I presented the gift to Mom, I can now finally post a picture of it. This is me, bragging on myself, something I normally don't do, but this time, I'm gonna.

I started this last January, taking a square at a time with me in the truck. I had so much fun with this quilt, picking out the colors, using my pattern to create the pitchers with just the right floral design, and doing the hand applique which I had not done before. Aside from having my mother-in-law show me how to do the hand stitching, this is the first quilt I have done completely by myself, start to finish. (except I took it to a quilter in Billings to be quilted, and let her do the binding too)

It turned out so beautiful, and I think Mom liked it. It made her cry, so I think she might have liked it some. I hope it brings lots of pleasure to her and she is reminded how much I love her every time she sees it.

Love you Mom!

Apple Cinnamon Spice Ornaments

Years ago I remember my Mom making these ornaments for our Christmas tree. When I asked Mom if she still had the recipe, she was shocked that I remembered them. I guess she made them quite a few years ago. I don't know how long ago it was, but they still smell wonderful!

Mom's recipe used orris root, which I could not find. If you can find it, then look up the recipe online because orris root enhances the aroma and I remember Mom's smelling a lot stronger than mine do.

I looked up the recipe on line since I couldn't find orris root, and made this version. They still smell wonderful and will be really pretty on my tree next year, once I get them finished. But I ran out of time, so I'll have to finish them next time we're home.

Here is what you'll need:

4 oz. ground cinnamon (cheap spices can be purchased at dept. store)

1 tbsp. cloves

1 tbsp. nutmeg

2 tbsp. white school glue

3/4 c. applesauce

I'm not sure what the glue is for, unless it acts as a preservative. It was a strange ingredient, but I mixed it in anyway. Mom's did not have glue in them.

You will also need an assortment of Christmas cookie cutters.

I found this box of "copper" cookie cutters on sale last year at Hobby Lobby for $5. They are kind of flimsy, but they serve their purpose well enough and are pretty to look at. There is just something about copper cookie cutters. If they just weren't so expensive!

Combine the ingredients in a bowl, dry first, then stir in the wet. It will form a ball of dough.

If its too sticky, add more cinnamon. If its too dry, then add a little applesauce. Just use your judgement on the consistency. You need it to be a good consistency to roll out.

Next, sprinkle some cinnamon on the surface your using to roll your dough. Mine didn't stick too much, so it didn't take much extra cinnamon.

Roll the dough out to no less than 1/4", and cut out the shapes with the cookie cutters. The recipe says it makes 12 large ornaments. I guess it meant really large, because I ended up with more than 2 dozen.

Use a pencil or small straw to poke a hole in each ornament. Keep in mind that they are going to shrink some as they dry, so you need to hole to be large enough.

The original recipe says to dry them on cooling racks for 3-4 days, turning frequently.

I stuck mine in the food dehydrator, and they were done in a few hours. I don't know if this changes the potency of the aroma, but I was leaving the next day, so I wasn't going to be there to turn them. They still smell wonderful, and it was a lot easier this way.

Once they were dry, I took a nail to clean out the holes of any residue. Then take a piece of fine sand paper to clean up the edges. Use decorative ribbon to make a hanger, and voila....Apple Cinnamon Spice Ornaments.

You can use these plain, as Mom did, but you can also decorate them. Brush some glue on them and sprinkle glitter to make them sparkle. I read on one version that they were painting them. I'm thinking how cute they would be outlined with some kind of puffy white paint as if they had icing piped on them, like cookies.

Anyway, I'm not using them this year, but next year I plan to put up a small tree in my kitchen and decorate it with food ornaments. I'm going to use these, string some popcorn and cranberries, and maybe a few other things as the ideas come to me.

They were really easy to make, add the sweet aroma of cinnamon to your tree, and last for years to come. I love Christmas and I love decorating with home made creations. Check back with me next Wednesday for another Christmas post about my Christmas ornament collection. I'm going to share some of my favorites with you from a lifetime collection.

Until then, I hope you are all having fun sprucing up the house for Christmas and staying warm and dry. We're heading to South Carolina, and looks like we'll be traveling behind that mid-west storm, provided they get the roads in Iowa back open.