Friday, November 30, 2007

If Ya Love Chocolate And Coffee...

Then you have to try these!! Not only are these delicious, they look pretty too!


MOCHA SLICES

2 1/2 C-Flour
1/2 C-Shortening
1/2 C-Butter
1 C ~ Sugar
1/2 C-Unsweetened cocoa powder
1-Egg
1 tsp-Vanilla
1 Tbsp-Instant coffee granules
1 tsp-Water
2 Tbsp-Milk
3/4 tsp-Cinnamon
1/2 tsp-Baking soda
1/4 tsp-Salt

DIPPING SAUCE

12 oz pkg-Semi sweet chocolate morsels
1/4 C ~ Shortening



In a small cup dissolve coffee granules in the water. In a large bowl beat shortening and butter. Add sugar, egg, vanilla and milk. Stir in coffee/water mixture. Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cocoa powder and slowly add your flour.


Shape dough into two 8" rolls. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill for 24 hours.


Cut dough into 1/8" slices. Bake at 375 ° for 7-9 minutes or until the tops look dry. Remove and cool completely on wire rack.


Melt chocolate morsels and shortening on low. Dip half of each cookie into the mix and place on waxed paper until set.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Three Small Things...

We tend to hem and haw about the holidays. Stressin' over not enough time, not enough money and not enough gifts.


Its time to step back take a deep breath and remember the true spirit of Christmas. Its the small things in life we do everyday that truly make us happy.

A store bought gift will last only so long. But the memory of openin' a door for someone with a baby and an armful of shoppin' bags, or helpin' out an elderly person who can't quite reach for that can of peas on the top shelf of the grocery store will last a life time. How about helpin' out the folks at Hospice or The Salvation Army. Lord knows they are in need of volunteers. Or just smile at someone who passes by instead of lookin' away or down at your feet. I guarantee, they will smile back.


My dear friend Blondie/Vintage Primitives has ask we pass along this message.



Please post this banner on your blog. Lets make the world a better place by doin' three small things a day for someone. In turn, y'all are doin' somethin' nice for yourself.
God bless... :> )

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Meet... Mister Jingles.

I stitched up this adorable Christmas feller for part of a swap I'm doin' with an eBay group I'm in.


Since I had so much fun stitchin' him up, I'm goin' to try my best to get another one made and offer him on The Humble Arts.


I won't make the December 1st deadline but I will have him finished and listed the second week of December.


So keep those peepers peeled for him!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

I'm so very grateful my mamma saved so many of my childhood "works of art."


I remember makin' this back in elementary school.


Even though Snoopy looks like he's been through the wringer, he has managed to stay vertical on his red toothpick skis after all these years.


Y'all remember makin' Christmas ornaments out of a school milk carton? It was so much fun drawin', paintin', cuttin' and pastin'!

The best part for me was bringin' it home to show mamma and daddy my new handmade treasure. I protected that thing like it was the Hope Diamond until I got it safely off the school bus and into our home. I just wished they had those velvet ropes on the bus. Then I could drape one across my seat to make sure nothin' happened to my masterpiece.


I'm not sure the young'uns today are allowed to make Christmas ornaments in school because of all that political correctness BS these days. How very sad. :> (


I can't for the life of me figure out what could be so offensive about makin' a Christmas ornament anyway.


Well, there is one thing which could be very offensive. That would be the sour milk smell I couldn't get out of that milk carton no matter how many times I scrubbed it. But over time it did finally go away. :> )

Saturday, November 24, 2007

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas...


Not really folks, I just love the song. Ya can't help but tap your toe to that lil' diddy.


But even if I did want a hippopotamus for Christmas, how would Santa get him down the chimney? With a plunger? Maybe he'd grease him up with a stick of butter.
:> )

Friday, November 23, 2007

I'm Stuffed....

Even though it was a dreary, foggy, rainy and cold day, it didn't stop us from havin' a wonderful family gatherin' and Thanksgivin' dinner at the ol' homestead.


I made enough food to feed an army so not only did everyone leave with full bellies, they went home with a full doggie bag.


I couldn't help but chuckle when I woke up yesterday mornin', walked outside and saw these wild turkeys in the field. If they only knew what day it was.



As far as today goes... We don't do the "Black Friday" shoppin' gig.


I still don't understand it and truthfully I don't want to. Sorry folks, but I can't think of any item on this here planet that would get me to a Wal-Mart at 5:00 in the mornin' no matter how cheap the price.


Instead, I'll blast my Christmas music, drag out all my decorations and get crackin' on deckin' the halls.


I also look forward to all the Christmas shows and movies this time of year. Sure we have them on DVD, but its just not the same as watchin' them when they're scheduled.


My all-time favorite is "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Its the only one that tells the true meanin' of Christmas. I have watched it every year for as long as I can remember and I still do. I also still cry when I watch it. Man, I am such a sap! I get teary eyed every time I hear those piano keys when the needles fall off his scraggly Christmas tree.


I think I told y'all, I'm married to my very own Charlie Brown. The only difference is mine has a goatee and doesn't wear a yellow and black zig-zag shirt.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Happy Thanksgivin' Folks...

T 10



The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

~Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863


From my kinfolk to yours... Have a very thankful and safe Thanksgivin'!
God bless :> )


P.S.
I'm not much of a wine drinker but I thought I'd grab a couple of bottles to have with our Thanksgivin' dinner.


I bought this brand strictly because of the name. Heck, I could care less what it tastes like. I almost busted a gut in the liquor store. I reckon it must mean somethin' to the wine maker... I'm thinkin' a nickname given to him by his ex wife? ;> )


Monday, November 19, 2007

Her Prayer Has Been Answered...

My very best and dearest friend who is like a sister to me, called with some unbelievable news.


Ya see she was given up for adoption in MO when she was an infant. After leavin' her hometown at 18, she traveled across the country and ended up here in New York state. We met through work in the late 80's and have been close ever since.


After both her adoptive parents passed away, she felt it was time to move back to MO. Three years ago my heart broke when she told me this news but I knew she was tryin' to fill a void she had her whole life. A simple question we take for granted like "Who do I look like?" is a question an adopted child cannot answer and yearns to know. As much as she loved both her adoptive parents, she had no identity.


For 27 years she's been tryin' to find her mother. She hired Worldwide Tracers over two years ago to help locate her mamma and she finally got the call last Wednesday! The sad news is her mamma is no longer livin' but the fantastic news is she has FOUR siblings!

They had found out about her only after the passin' of their mamma back in 2003. They wanted to try and locate their new found sister but with the extremely strict adoption laws in MO, they didn't know where to begin. Heck, they didn't even have a date of birth.


They told her their mamma was the most lovin' and givin' person. Although she'll never know why she was given up for adoption, she knows deep down her mamma only had her best interest at heart and did what she had to do.


So now, not only does she have a brother and 3 sisters, there is no denyin' they are related! I saw their photos and they all look alike!! She finally has the answer to that question. :> )


This holiday season will be so special for you! I only wish I could be there with you my dear friend to share this monumental time in your life. Just know that I love you and I share your tears of joy even though I'm over a thousand miles away. Heck, I still can't stop cryin'!!


Love you always, your other "sister" in New York. :> )








Meet... Ebenezer Scrooge.

I'll be offerin' my next Firewood Folk #6 on my website later today. He's a real hoot! He comes with his own $1,000,000.00 bill.

He's sold. Thank you!!!




Meet... Adelaide-Annie and her Christmas Toys.


Here's my latest vignette to be offered on The Humble Arts today.






Wee Annie and George the Gingerbread Boy are her favorite Christmas Toys.


The vignette is sold. Thank you!! :> )



Saturday, November 17, 2007

Baby Its Cold Outside...

Well, its official. We woke up to our first snowfall. I know most folks around these parts cringe when they see it. Not me.


There is somethin' so peaceful about a blanket of snow coverin' everythin'. Even the pumpkins enjoyed it.


Although my lil' tin feller looks like he could have used a pair of long johns this mornin'. Brrrr...





Okay, let's get back to my Christmas cookie recipes.


This here recipe was my daddy's favorite! I remember mamma could barely get them off the cookie sheet without him scoopin' up a handful.


Even though daddy is no longer with us, I still bake them every Christmas. I'm sure he can smell me bakin' them all the way up in Heaven. :> )

They are rather tedious to make, but well worth it. Try them for yourself and see...


DADDY'S FAVORITE CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY COOKIES

1 1/2 C ~ Flour
1/2 C ~ Unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp ~ Baking powder
1/4 tsp ~ Baking soda
1/2 C ~ Softened butter
1 C ~ Sugar
1 ~ Egg
1 1/2 tsp ~ Vanilla
Jar of Maraschino cherries

Frosting
1 C ~ Semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C ~ Sweetened condensed milk
4 tsp ~ Maraschino cherry liquid



Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda and powder.
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Shape into 1" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press in the center with your finger.
Drain maraschino cherries and reserve the liquid. Place a cherry in the center of each cookie. (I prefer to cut the cherries in half and use half a cherry instead of a whole one)

In a small saucepan combine and melt chocolate chips, condensed milk and cherry liquid.
Frost each cookie. (They are frosted BEFORE y'all bake them)
Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. (9 works perfectly for me!)
Serves: Never enough!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Flooded With Memories...

Even though its been 13 years since my daddy passed away, I miss him terribly especially around the holidays. The good Lord took him from us when he was only 67. I guess He needed him more in Heaven.


He was a wonderful man and a terrific father. He was handsome, carin', witty, stubborn, givin', strong, lovin' and a tad sarcastic. They say ya marry a man like your daddy... I'm blessed to know that I did. I just wish he lived long enough to see that. We decided to get married on his birthday. I know in my heart he was "there" with us that day.


When he passed, I remember the sea of folks (many we didn't know) came to pay their last respects to him at the funeral home. I heard wonderful stories after stories about the man I called "my daddy."


A gentleman came up to us and said "I haven't seen your father in over 35 years." He then told us his story.


Back when my daddy was in his 20's, he lived next door to a family who were strugglin', like so many families did back then. He noticed their children didn't have any hats or mittens as they walked to school. (If y'all have even lived in central New York, ya know the winters are rough) My father took them down to the local Woolworth's and bought them all hats and mittens. The man never forgot that simple good deed my daddy did for his family so many years ago. I always knew he was givin', but that story touched me so.


My daddy was like a lil' kid around Christmas. I'm happy to say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. :> )

Back in the 70's just before Christmas, we'd go to Kmart. In the front of the store stood a huge Christmas tree. On the tree were cards with the names of gifts folks could purchase for the less fortunate. I remember one year I picked a "Monopoly Game" and daddy picked "Boy's Jeans". We made our purchases and went home to wrap them.


As I watched him cut the price tag off, I noticed he tucked a 10 dollar bill in the back pocket of the jeans. He looked at me, smiled and said "Won't that lil' boy be surprised?!" I'll never forget that look of pure joy on my daddy's face. It truly is better to give than receive.








Wednesday, November 14, 2007

'Tis The Season For...

BAKIN'!!! I don't know about y'all, but I could live on cookies, pies and baked goods from Thanksgivin' straight on through to New Years Day!!


Although I can't eat them like I used to, I'm still able to enjoy the look on everyone's face when they bite into one of my tasty treats!


I'll be makin' an out of this world fudge pie for Thanksgivin'. I thought I would share some of my all time favorite recipes with ya. This here one is my hubby's favorite.


Enjoy and happy bakin'!

SWEETHEART FUDGE PIE
1 unbaked deep pie shell
1/4 C ~ Softened butter
3/4 C ~ Packed brown sugar
3 ~ Eggs
12 oz pkg. of semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)
2 tsp ~ Instant coffee granules
1/4 tsp ~ Vanilla
1 C ~ Coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 C ~ Flour

TOPPING
1 C ~ Heavy cream
2 Tbsp ~ Sugar
3 Tbsp ~ Chopped maraschino cherries

Line pie shell with double thickness tin foil and bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Remove.

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs (one at a time) beating well after each. Add instant coffee, melted chocolate and vanilla. Stir in flour then add walnuts. Pour into pie crust.


Bake at 375° for 28-30 minutes. cool completely.


Beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks. Fold in cherries and spread over pie.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Meet... Uriel.


This lil' dumplin' will be offered on the ol' website today.


I've got lots of creations in the works so check back often folks!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

THANK YOU AMERICAN VETERANS...


Many have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Mere words cannot express my heart felt gratitude for your service.


You and your families are the bravest souls and I commend you.


Be blessed, be safe and we pray y'all come home safe and sound.


November 11th is Veterans Day.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Be On The Lookout...

for the arrival of William and Dorathy Bradford. They set sail on The Mayflower and arrived over on my website...




They're sold. Thanks!!

Friday, November 2, 2007

I've Been Wieldin' My Ax...


...and TCOB! That means lots of my Firewood Folks are in the works! I'll keep y'all posted.