Country Romantic: 01/01/2009

~My Daughter's Violin Poem~

~The Violin~

Alone in an attic stored away,
without being played, untouched and neglected
There's a beautiful instrument
Waiting for someone with care to find it,
to bring life back to the silent strings
There's a feel of a warm hand on the bow,
The wood is nestled under a soft chin,
After years of still silence,
the bow's smoothe hair touches the strings
Gently gliding through the air
The silence in the room is filled with a sweet melody of harmony and peace

~Shanna Renee Lane~

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The poem listed above, is written by my youngest daughter, Shanna, and was awarded as a winner of a poetry contest on the http://poetry.com/Publications/display.asp?ID=P8300672&BN=999&PN=1 website and printed in their poetry book.

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~Katherine~

My Daughter's Cookie Recipe Won an Award

Rosemary and Lemon Balm Cookies

This is an old post that was from my other blog but I wanted to share it with ya'll on this blog. These cookies are very TASTY....trust me!!! ;)

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My oldest daughter, Alissa, was contacted that she was a winner in a recipe contest for the Kitchen Garden Seeds magazine. She was very blessed by the news. You can see her actual recipe, listed on the website, by clicking on the link below and then click on the Rosemary Lemon Balm Cookies.
http://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/recipes/index.html
Or just read it here below.

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2007 Award-Winning Recipe!
Alissa Lane * From Missouri ---
“At sixteen years old, growing herbs is a hobby of mine and I also love to bake. When I found a recipe for Rosemary Cookies in a magazine one day, I decided to try them. However, the recipe called for lemon zest and since I didn’t have a lemon, I decided to try fresh lemon balm instead. The cookies turned out wonderfully and everyone said that they tasted like they were fresh from the bakery.” We think so too, Alissa. Thank you!

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Rosemary-Lemon Balm Cookies

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½ cup butter
½ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon balm
½ teaspoon lemon extract
3 ½ cups unbleached white flour
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tarter
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

1 cup golden raisins

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Preheat oven to 400°F. Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in rosemary, lemon balm and lemon extract. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in raisins. Roll into 1” balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with a fork. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy fresh or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

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~Katherine~

Daughters Are So Special

I just made a new scrapblog for my daughters. This is the pic and poem that went with it. Or you can click here to see it. Katherine's Scrapblog

For My Daughters

With Love

From Mama

They Are A Little Bit Of Sunshine

They're a little bit of sunshine

They're a smile to light your days

They will steal your heart and keep it

With their warm enduring ways

They're your precious little daughters

With a sweetness from above

Who will fill your years with laughter

And your lives with lots of love

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~Katherine~

My New Pink Tools

I love my new pink toolkit that Jim Darling got for me recently. I don't like having to go out to the garage to look for a tool from his toolbox. Besides, his tools are just too bulky for me. These are pretty and just my size. Even the bag is pink. :)

Here are some of the tools.

An inside view. There is a special pocket for everything.

~Hope ya'll are having a great weekend!!!~

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~Katherine ~

I Am A Dishes and Glassware Fanatic!

I know that I have too many dishes. My family has kept telling me that over and over throught out every move that we've made.

Especially when they had to help me wrap them, box them up, and load the boxes on a truck. LOL

But I enjoy my dishes. I don't wait to use my china for a special occasion.

I like eating on pretty dishes everyday. And it makes it nice that I have a lot to choose from because we never get bored eating off the same dishes all the time.

Yes, we have had some misshaps. A few pieces have been broken along the way. But they are never missed and it is so easy to find replacements for them these days, on the internet.

These pics are just a few of my shelves of my dishes.

This is a small teaset.

The bride and groom cake topper are from our 20th wedding anniversary cake.

Some more small teacups and tea for one.

These are the glasses leftover from our Tea Room days.

This set of china is from my early teenage years when I started

a collection of dishes for when I had a home of my own.

This is my china that my Dad bought for my Mama

over 40 years ago when he was in Japan.

This is a new set of glassware that my Mama bought me for Christmas.

She has a set just like them, so I grew up using these.

Some more of the set.

And a cakeplate and dome that my husband bought me for Christmas.

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Katherine

Too Cold For Ice-Cream?

I know it has been really cold and not at all what you would call

"ice-cream weather," but my husband likes to have some sort of dessert

or snack every evening. So, last night I decided it had been so long

since we had made ice-cream that I would make that our dessert.

(It was also a way for me to use my new dessert glassware.) LOL

I make my ice-cream in my little Rival maker. I really like using it

except for two things. One, the canister has to be put in the freezer for

at least 8 hours prior to making it, which takes up a lot of room in the freezer

and means that you either have to plan ahead and put it in the freezer or leave it in there

all the time, like I do. And two, it only makes enough ice-cream for 4 small servings.

That would be fine IF we ate small servings and only had 4 people to serve it to. LOL

Last night we only needed 3 since one of the girls was out at the movies.

Can you see it spinning through the peep hole?

Voila! It is done in record time. Only 20 minutes.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups of chocolate milk
1/3 cup of sweetened, condensed milk
1/2 cup of whipped cream topping

Mix well before putting into the freezer. It only takes 20 minutes for soft serve ice-cream.
(If you like it harder, you can go up to 40 minutes.
My brother likes his after it has been put in the freezer and it makes it really hard.)

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Katherine

Romantic Memories

It is very cold here today. The wind has been howling and it is snowing. I just want to sit by the fire and curl up with a good magazine or book all day long. But since I have to work (part time) I only have a few hours to do the three r's. (Relax, Reflect and Recharge.) :)

While doing this I have been looking through pics of me and my Darling. (I call him Jim Darling like they did in the Disney animated movie, "Lady and the Tramp.)

Anyway, I found my little album of our 10th wedding anniversary. We decided to renew our vows that year. It was so romantic.

I enjoy making cakes so I made this one for us.

This pic is "antiqued"

Jim Darling and Katherine slicing the cake

We had the reception in our home. This was in our dining room.

~~Ahhh....Sweet Romantic Memories~~

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Katherine

Silver Dollar City Trip 2

I found some more pics from our last trip to Silver Dollar City.

This is Jim and I sitting in the BIG rocking chair.

He says he is going to build one for me.

But I haven't seen any plans yet. LOL ;)

(He has a serious look on his face because he is checking out the detail so

he can build one for me. His brain wheels were spinning. LOL)

John and Shanna had to try it out too.

I don't know why this pic turned out so small.
It is John and Shanna in the block.
Jim is pretending to feed Shanna.

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Katherine

Dinner On My New Plate

We had Beef and Broccoli stir-fry for dinner tonight.

I wanted to try out my new dish. :)

There were three plates.

One for me, one for my husband and one for my daughter.

But my husband couldn't wait for me to take a pic of it. LOL

I think it looks prettier on my square plate.

Shanna had to add some parmesan cheese and ranch dressing on hers.

If you would like the recipe click here:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Beef-Broccoli-Stir-Fry

We call our evening meal supper usually, unless it is a big meal.

Do you call your evening meal dinner or supper?

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Katherine

New Birdhouse

This is my newest birdhouse.

(Sorry my pics are a little blurry.

My camera doesn't take very good pics up close.)

Several months ago, my friend Vaneeta, went shopping with me

and I saw this birdhouse in a cute little shop that is on our town square.

I really liked it but I didn't have the money to get it right then and was just going to

wait until later. I also thought the price might go down on it. ;)

Anyway, she dropped me off at my house and then went back to the little shop

and purchased it for me. She said it has been sitting on her piano at home just

waiting for the right time to give it to me.

It's not only the birdhouse that I wanted but it reminds me of our day of shopping

and how much fun we had together. It was so sweet of her.

I love the little ladybug in the right bottom corner.

It has a pretty finial on top.

Thank you so much Vaneeta. I love it!
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Katherine

Romance In a Bottle

Ever heard of Romance lotion spray?

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Who says Romance can't be found in a bottle. LOL :)

I love the smell of this stuff.

There is a little place called "Rosewood Farms" where I buy this,

along with lots of other things. ;) I especially love their chocolates.

I'm almost out of it and need to make a trip over to get some more and

of course, sample some coffee and chocolates.

Katherine

New Welcome

I changed my "Welcome" pic at the top of this blog.

The old pic was of my birdhouse that sits on my porch.

This is my front door.

I love hearts and think it is so romantic.

I think I like this one better but I'm not sure.
Which one do you like better?

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Katherine

New Plates

I just found a bargain!

Our little town has a square, with a park in the middle, and lots of cute shops surrounding it and I love to go browsing through them. Fortunately, I live just a short distance from there and can enjoy shopping there often. If only my budget would allow me to buy everything that I want. :(

On this shopping event, I was very excited to see these three little plates. They were priced for $1.00 each. I looked them up on the Internet to see how much they sell for retail and they go for $25-$30 each. Wow...what a bargain!!!

I am going to actually use these plates for special occasions.

But may use them for wall decor later on.

This one is my favorite.

I love the detailing on the corners.

They actually have a pretty shine to them.

This is how they would look as a potential wall grouping.

Katherine

100 Things About Me

This is the most recent pic of me and that was over six months ago on my birthday.

I really don't like pics of me, so I usually hide behind the camera. ;)

I've been tagged to post 100 things about me. Some of you have done this on your blogs and I have enjoyed reading them but I don't know for sure if I can think of 100 things about myself. But I'll give it a try...

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100 Things About Me

1. I'm in my forties.

2. I'm married to Jim.

3. I have two teenage daughters. Alissa is 18 & Shanna is 17.

4. My daughters both have boyfriends that are nice young men.

5. I have two brothers.

6. My oldest brother (Doug) was killed in a car accident when we were teenagers

7. His death was one of the most tragic times of my life.

8. It still bothers me to think about it too much.

9. I was 15 when it happened and he was 18.

10. My younger brother (Joe) is 8 years younger than me.

11. He is engaged to a very sweet young woman that I adore.

12. I dedicated a blog for her recently about her breast cancer.

13. I hope that they get married soon and live happily ever after.

14. I am DEFINATELY a ROMANTIC at heart!!!

15. I love candles and burn them every day.

16. I like to soak in a bathtub with lavender oil and bath salts after a long day at work.

17. I have a dresser that belonged to my Great Grandma.

18. My Grandma and I have birthdays just one day apart.

19. She says that I was her birthday gift that year.

20. I spent a lot of time with my Grandma while growing up.

21. She is, very much, a second Mother to me.

22. My Grandpa is one of the greatest men that has been in my life.

23. He always sang to me and made up little songs about me that were funny.

24. He took me fishing every time I stayed with them.

25. I'm terrible at fishing.

26. I hardly ever catch a fish.

27. I rarely go fishing anymore.

28. My Grandparents used to keep a horse for me.

29. It bit me, ran off with me and bucked me off in a bush.

30. I've been afraid of horses ever since.

31. I would like to ride a horse again and get over my fear of them.

32. I am also afraid of snakes.

33. A copperhead tried to bite me once, when I was crossing a field.

34. It struck at me and I jumped backward and then ran away (very quickly.)

35. I hate snakes.

36. I also hate spiders.

35. I love puppies and kittens though.

36. I have an American Eskimo dog named Cassie.

37. She is very loyal and loves for me to pet her.

38. My daughter has a Chiahuahua and she loves for me to give her treats.

39. I'm a sucker for cute animals.

40. I love cooking & decorating magazines.

41. I love to watch HGTV

42. I love to watch FOOD Network

43. One of my alltime favorite movies is "Pride and Prejudice" A&E Version.

44. I also love "Gone With the Wind", "Anne of Green Gables" &"Anne of Avonlea."

45. My favorite book series is a toss up between Jane Peart's "Brides of Montclair" series and Janette Oke's "Love Comes Softly" series.

46. I think they should make a movie series on the "Brides of Montclair" books.

47. But I was a little dissappointed with the movies of the "Love Comes Softly" series.

48. I liked the first adult Missy and it just isn't right when they use different actresses to play the same role.

49. I love to read or watch movies about the 1800's era.

(I'm almost halfway there. This isn't easy trying to think of things about me.)

50. I live less than 20 miles from the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum.

51. I have been there many times.

52. My Grandma lives almost directly across the road from the home.

53. I also live about an hour and a half drive away from the famous Branson, Missouri.

54. We go down there every few months or so.

55. I love going to Silver Dollar City. It is a lot of fun.

56. I live in a very small town of about 4500 population.

57. But it is actually one of the largest populated towns around the general area.

58. It is about an hours drive to the city.

59. I go to the city about once a month to get my "city fix."

60. Then I thank God that I live in a small town. ;)

61. I lived in New Orleans, Louisiana about 21 years ago. (For about a year and a half.)

62. I met my husband there.

63. We met in a restaurant, called Copeland's, on a blind date.

64. My Dad arranged the date. (How romantic)

65. My husband worked for my Dad in the Navy.

66. We just celebrated our 21st anniversary last September 4th.

67. We lived in Corpus Christi, Texas for about 15 years of our marriage.

68. We have lived the rest of the years in southern Missouri.

69. I miss my friends & family in New Orleans and South Texas.

70. I thought that we would go back and visit often but we haven't yet.

71. I would love to travel all over the USA.

72. I was born in San Diego, California because my Dad was stationed there in the Navy.

73. I've always wanted to go back there with my Mother and have her show me around.

74. My family is mostly here in Missouri.

75. My Mother and Stepfather live about a mile down the road from me.

76. My Dad and Stepmother live in Texas.

77. My parents divorced when I was a baby.

78. I have a half-sister. I haven't seen her in years.

79. She lives in Texas also.

80. My Mother and Father in-law live in Tennessee.

81. I live in an old two-story cottage type home.

82. My home is over 100 years old.

83. I have a huge backyard and field. (About 2 acres)

84. I like having a big garden in the summer and eating fresh foods.

85. Since I'm overweight, the summer heat is very hard on me.

86. I never did get used to the heat in the south.

87. I like having four distinct seasons of the year.

88. Fall is my favorite though.

89. I love all the tree leaves turning beautiful colors.

90. Spring is a close second for my favorite time of the year.
I love all the flowers and budding trees.

91. My favorite colors are blue and pink. I lived in a pink home once.

92. My home has a few of my favorite colors but I want to decorate more to my style.

93. I think my style would be described as country-french and of course....ROMANTIC.

94. I absolutely love going to Tea Rooms.

95. My Mother and I owned one a few years back.

96. I now live in that home where it was.

97. I hope to open another Tea Room someday.

98. I drive a white minivan.

99. I live in a white home with a blue metal roof.

100. My home is (slowly) being decorated in white & blue colors.

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Wow....I made it! It took me a long time to come up with all of these.
Hmmmm, who can I tag with this? ;)

Katherine

I Love Bird Houses

I love bird houses and thought I would share some of my collection with all of you.

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This little one sits on my porch table

This one was a gift from my Mama for my birthday.

This was a gift from my Mama for Christmas.

This is from our Tea Room gift shop and

it sits on top of my fireplace.

My Grandma carved the hummingbird on this bird house.

I love how this one looks like a church.

There's a bell in the steeple.

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Katherine

Charlotte's Web

This pretty spider web was on my porch railing one morning,

recently, and I just had to take a picture of it.

It was really beautiful in real life.

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Thankfully, I didn't see the spider. It must have been hiding from me.

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Katherine

Breast Cancer

My Brother's Fiance is a brave young lady who has been

battling breast cancer for over a year now and is doing well.

Our family members are now supporters of the research to find a cure.

There was recently a really good movie on Lifetime that

explained a lot about the cancer and what women go through

when they have this disease and what their family goes through also.

“Living Proof” is the true story of oncologist and researcher Dr. Dennis Slamon,

the UCLA doctor who helped develop the breast cancer drug Herceptin,

and his effort to keep the drug trials afloat.

His inspiring journey shows the sacrifices he makes in

his personal life and the obstacles that he faces to get the drug approved.

Thousands of lives have been saved because of his dedication.

Harry Connick Jr. plays the part of the Doctor and I recommend

this movie to every woman to watch. Keep a box of tissues handy. ;)

The info is located here:

http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/movies/living-proof

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This is for you, Melissa!

We all love you!!!

Katherine

Katherine's Place Tea Room & Gifts

When we first purchased our home in 2001, we were living in the upstairs area and had a Tea Room in the downstairs level. My Mother and I ran the Tea Room and my daughters helped out also. It was a lot of fun and we had many Tea Parties here.

After a few years we really needed more living space and decided it was best to live in the whole house at the end of 2004 and we closed the Tea Room.

We hope to open it again someday at another location.

Below are some pics of what it looked like then.

(Sorry about the poor quality of the pics. They are from the old 35mm camera.)

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Below is the business sign.

One was on the porch and the other in the driveway.

This is the sign that hung from the mailbox and could be seen both ways from the street.

This is the view from the street. It sure was a cold wintery day.

No sunshine. :(

The side porch entryway on a sunny day. :)

Front Door with Christmas wreath hung.

My birthday rosebush given to me by my Mama when we opened the Tea Room.

Side porch and entry to the Tea Room. It is decorated for Christmas.
And Patriotic too.
(Since this photo, we added a wheelchair ramp for my Grandma)

Another view from the entry porch.