This is what it is doing in our "neck of the woods." What's it like in yours?
Hugs & Blessings,
~Katherine~
These are the new teas that I've been making as a "Thank You" gift for all who entered my giveaway last month. I've already sent out the gifts to all who gave me your address. (They should be arriving soon) There's a few of you who didn't email me yet with your mailing address. So, if you entered the giveaway and would still like to have one, just email me with your mailing address and I will get it out to you. ;)
Hope ya'll are having a GREAT weekend and staying warm. Spring is just around the corner....I just know it!! :) As for us, we are playing in the snow today. :)
Today is the first "Project Friday" that Rose over at SugarPlum Cottage has started. I'm just sure there will be lots of fun projects to check out there.
As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I was intending to have a shelf refinished by this friday but didn't make the deadline. So, here is another project I finished this week. (My camera didn't take very clear pics but I hope you can see it well enough to tell the colors.)
Here, it is primed in white
I had so much fun making this birdhouse. Today was the day of the funeral of a dear, sweet woman, Caroline. She is one of the sweetest women I have ever met. A real "Lady." She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Our family hosted the dinner, following the service, for Caroline's family. I know that some of ya'll have asked about this custom and I will try to answer your questions. Sometimes a church will host the dinner but if there is no church that is available then a close friend will offer to host it. This dinner is held after the funeral services to help everyone get nourishment physically, spiritually and sometimes financially if needed. The dinner can be held in some one's home, a social center or church building. The dinner is usually only for family members and very close friends. This helps many people who have traveled from far away. It's a good way to show the family that you care about them and are there for support.
Following is a poem that I received recently and I passed it along to Caroline's Daughter, Amy. This poem can be a blessing to Mothers and Daughters alike. It is the walk of life we make.
MOTHER
The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said:
"Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it.. But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.
So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams;
and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried,"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.." Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the
mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and
the children said,
"Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm
can come." And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was
weary.But at all times she said to the children," A little patience
and we are there."So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you." And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last,
for my children have learned fortitude in the face of
hardness.
Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I 've given them strength." And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the
children groped and stumbled, and the mother said:
"Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. " And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."
And the days went on, and the weeks and the months
and the years, and the mother grew old and she was
little and bent.But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, and at last they came to
a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden
gates flung wide. And mother said, "I have reached the end
of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them." And the children said, "You will always walk with us,Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."And they stood and watched her as she went on alone,
and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot
see her but she is with us still.
A Mother like ours is more than a memory.
She is a living presence........" Your Mother is always with you..... She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell
of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool
hand on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother
lives inside your laughter.
And she's crystallized in every tear drop.She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take.
She's your first love and your first heartbreak,
and nothing on earth can separate you.Not time, not space... not even death!
Hugs & Blessings,
~Katherine~
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We have a tradition around our home of putting puzzles together around the holidays. We have framed some of them, given some away and my parent's have one under the glass of their coffee table. We usually pick a Thomas Kinkade puzzle because they are so lovely. It is good therapy and fun for us to put one together as a family. But there is one rule......I get to put the last piece in....LOL If someone else does it, they will take it back out and lay it beside the hole for me to FINISH the masterpiece. :)
This week has been a very busy week for me and I was in much need of a good puzzle to take my mind off some of the things going on. (A dear sweet lady, that has been a friend of my Mama's, passed away this morning after a 2 month battle with liver cancer.) I may do a post in her honor later this week.
I know that I'll have another busy week until all things are settled with her funeral and the family dinner (we are hosting it) but it was good to get away today, just for a little while, and pretend that I was going up the lane to a little peaceful cottage surrounded by beautiful flowers.
These puzzles are only 100 pieces each. I did one yesterday and one today. They can be easily put together in minutes. My only complaint is that I can't find them anywhere except at Christmas time. And these are my last ones. Now I'll have to wait until next Christmas. :(
This one is called, "Glory of Morning"
And this one is, "Glory of Evening"
They can easily be put into a picture frame using a colored cardstock paper for the background. Or used as a mousepad. It gives me something pretty to look at while on the computer. :)Hope ya'll are having a GREAT weekend and are having some nice weather where you live. We've had beautiful sunshine but very cold temperatures. We woke up to a little skiff of snow yesterday morning. Just enough to make it real pretty. :)
Below is a new project that I will be working on this week. I'm planning on painting it white and putting it in my pink and white bathroom. I'm going to put my washcloths and soaps in it. Where did I get it, you ask? My sweet Mama gave it to me. :) She had it for several years and put her teacup collection in it. I will post pics of it as soon as I have it finished with details of how I did it.
It will go on the wall where the picture is hanging
Congratulations to:
Mary at Contrary Mary - Mary is the winner of the little flower teapot
Cynthia at Cynthia's Cottage Designs - Cynthia is the winner of the white teapot
Rose at Sugarplum Cottage - Rose is the winner of the teacup and saucer
Thank you all for entering this "Friday's Giveaway" You are ALL winners!!!
Everyone who entered will receive a free gift. Just email me with your email, address name and mailing address and I will mail your gift to you. (Your information will be kept private.)
I will be hosting another "Friday Giveaway" very soon. So check back this week to enter.
Update: I fixed the link to the email....sorry for the inconvenience! :)
Have a GREAT day!!! :)
~Katherine~
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I was going through some old pics today and found this little video of one of our trips to Silver Dollar City last year. The waterfall was so peaceful that I could have sat and watched it for hours. This is for everyone who is a little tired of the cold weather and wants to jump ahead to spring. :)
***Reminder that today is the last day to enter the "Friday Giveaway." I will be posting the winners tomorrow. All who enter will receive a free gift. :)
Hugs & Blessings,
~Katherine~
Thank you for all the sweet comments about my dentist appointment yesterday! I am feeling much better today. :)
It has turned really cold and windy here today and I am in need of some warmth. What a perfect day for soup and in my snowman bowls. These bowls are perfect for soup. My soon to be sister-in-law, Melissa, gave these bowls to me and I just love them. I like snowmen decorations and even building a snowman outside with the kids when there is a good snowfall. But today I'm having my "good for the soul" chicken & vegetable soup.
My recipe is pretty simple but very old fashioned. You know the kind that your Grandma gave you when you asked for her recipes. :)
I add a little water to my pot. (Enough to cover the bottom about 4 inches) Then I add some cooked chunks of chicken. (About two good hand fulls) Then I add about a hand full of sliced carrots and another handful of diced onions and chopped celery bits. I then add a cubed potato or two. A little sweet corn adds color, sweetness and protein. Then I just spice it up with salt, pepper, dill and chicken bouillon cubes and a little parsley to satisfy my taste. Serve with crackers, rolls or biscuits.
That's how my Grandma used to tell me her recipes. I would say, "but how much of this or that," and she would always say, "just about a handful, pinch or just eyball it." LOL Was this how your Grandma gave you recipes? :)
Enjoy your day wherever you live, whether it be warm or cold. Try this soup.....it really is "good for the soul."
****Tomorrow is the last day to enter the "Friday Giveaway"....even if you don't have a blog or can't post the pics just for entering you will receive a free gift****
~Katherine~
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Today is the kind of day that is cold and windy and I just want to sit and have a cup of tea by the fireplace. So, I did. :) I went to the dentist this morning and had two teeth filled. As he was giving me the shots to numb my gums I tried to picture something pleasant in my mind to keep from feeling the pain. I thought of a pretty picket fence with roses growing up over it. And a flower garden with a thick green pathway of grass winding around it and brick sidewalks curving between them.
It worked...I didn't feel much pain at all. Although, I must admit that my dentist is pretty good at giving the shots. He says the trick is putting the medicine in really slowly and he wiggles my jaw as he does it. It seems to work. But I enjoyed daydreaming about the flower garden anyway.
(Me thinks it's time for spring tea!!!!)
~Katherine~
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Just a reminder of this "Friday Giveaway" for those of you who haven't entered yet. You still have until midnight Friday the 20th.
For more info go to the http://countryromantic.blogspot.com/search/label/Giveaways
post.
~Katherine~
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Brenda Kay over at Country Romance posted a questionnaire for bloggers to get to know more about one another and I think that this is wonderful idea. You can copy and paste these questions on your blog and link back to me so that I can learn more about you. I look forward to reading about all of you.
1)What is your name... Katherine, Katherine Darling, Mama
2)Where are you from... I live in southern Missouri but I was born in California and then raised in southern Missouri. Lived in New Orleans for a year and south Texas several years
3)If you could live any place where would it be... I love living in the Ozarks but if I could move out in the country in a little cottage home, I would like it better than living in town. I would like to visit many places though, in my own home on wheels. LOL I love the mountains and hill country the best
4)What are your hobbies...I love cooking, thrifty shopping, decorating, playing music, reading and spending time with family & friends
5)Speaking of family how many children do you have? I have two daughters, Alissa 19 and Shanna almost 18
6) Are you Married...Yes I am married to my husband Jim Darling for almost 22 years now
7) How did you meet... We met in New Orleans at a restaurant. It was a blind date
8) Are you a Christian...Yes I am. I am not perfect but I have a relationship with God and try to serve Him in my daily life. I was saved at the tender age of 8 years old and raised in a Christian home. I have prayed with several others and blessed to see them come to know the salvation of God too. What a blessing it is to be a Christian!!!
9)If you could go any where right now where would it be... There are so many places that I would like to visit. Not main tourist attractions though. I like the private quiet out of the way type places
10.Who do you think you are most like...People say that I am most like my sweet Mama
This is a teapot cottage that my daughter gave me last Christmas
Sometimes I like to grind my own coffee beans the good old fashioned way
These shelves are wonderful for displaying my many glasses, cups and teapots. And there's more china dishes under the cabinets. I use the hanging pot rack for a flower vine and ornaments instead of hanging pots.
My sink is the original porcelain sink that was installed in the house over 100 years ago. I love the white shine it gives and the sides have a slant for drying dishes.
Here's some of my pie holders and a tea towel that I embroidered that was my Grandma's.
This was my Grandma's match holder and she hung it beside her stove so she could easily light her gas burners and oven. I have an electric stove and don't need the matches but I like to hang it just like she did. :) 
Hope you enjoyed touring my "Country Romantic Kitchen"When I was growing up I just loved spending time with my Grandma at her house. We would bake together and it was so much fun. I especially liked to make pies with her. We would go pick some strawberries, gooseberries or apples and start planning out what we would do with them. (My favorite pie was the the strawberry-gooseberry pie. We made them very sweet so that the gooseberries weren't sour at all.) She didn't mind if I made a mess, she just wanted me to have fun and use my creativity. So now, when I walk into my kitchen and see all of my pie holders, I have sweet memories of my Grandma and me baking pies together. :)
I use this little holder to put my rings in while I'm cooking, so I don't worry about losing them or getting food on them while rolling out dough.
I have a variety of sizes and they make the perfect carriers when taking a pie to our church dinners. I just adore them.Here are a few pics from our Valentine's Day. These are some of the heart decals that my daughters had and I put them on my kitchen window. It was foggy yesterday morning and this is what it looked like.
Tom and Alissa wearing the wax lips
I just had to post a few pics of the roses that Jim Darling got me. They smell so good and so pretty to look at. I like the little red heart stick in the middle. Valentine's day is so much fun!!!
Update: I noticed that one of my roses was missing and then I found a new one had appeared in my youngest daughter's room. Hummmm.....pretty suspicious to me....LOL 
I have been presented this award from Charlotte over at The Robbins Nest, Charlotte has a wonderful blog. And if you haven't already seen her blog you should go give her a visit.
Thank you Charlotte for bestowing this award on me!!!
This is an award for people who know how to make lemonade out of the lemons that life sometimes hands you. It is also an award for blogs that have a good Attitude and plenty of Gratitude. Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to your circumstances. It’s how you react to events, not the events themselves, that determines your attitude.
Put the logo on your blog or post. Nominate other blogs, which show great attitude and/or gratitude! Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. Share the love and link to this post, and to the person from whom you received your award.
I am bestowing this award upon some wonderful bloggers whom I love to visit: Please stop by and visit these wonderful blogs.
http://countryromance.blogspot.com/
http://warmheartcozyhome.typepad.com/warm_heart_cozy_home/
http://cappucciniodaydreams.blogspot.com/
http://alittleloveliness.blogspot.com/
http://cottagelifestyle.blogspot.com/
http://thegingerbread-knitter.blogspot.com/
http://oneshabbyoldhouse.blogspot.com/
http://restyledhome.blogspot.com/
http://rosevinecottagetwo.blogspot.com/
And I bestow this award on any of you that read this post. You are all such sweeties and some of you don't have your own blog to post on. Get ready to make some lemonade with those lemons. :)
The candle is a cinnamon apple fragrance, which is one of my favorites
Thanks to Cindy for hosting your centerpiece party!
