Country Romantic

~Daisy Pin Cushion Gift~

2009-07-17T08:37:00.003-05:00

I just got a package in the mail from a bloggie friend in the United Kingdom. I asked her to make a daisy pin cushion for me because my sweet Mama is having a birthday soon and I wanted to give it to her. (She loves daisies.) I just know she will love this. Thank you Julie....you did a GREAT job knitting this gift!! You can visit Julie's blog at The Gingerbread Knitter.

Hope ya'll are having a GREAT week!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~The New Tea Business~

2009-07-02T11:32:00.007-05:00

I had so much fun reading through your comments about what you think I may be doing with "Tea" soon. :) And you had very good guesses. My sweet Mama and I are indeed opening a tea business but not an actual tea room that will serve dinners. We will have a traveling tea tasting business and also be making and selling essential oils and other items. (Did ya'll know that I do Reflexology?) I will be doing this also. I haven't done it professionally in many years but now is the time to start it back up.

Thank you for all of your guesses and I will be checking in now and then but will no longer be blogging as before. My time is being spent going and coming this way and that way.
It looks as though we will be moving again soon and we will be busy setting up a new home, as well as, a new business. So my time will be eaten up for awhile. But I will try to keep ya'll updated along the way and hope ya'll won't forget about me. :)

Hope ya'll are having a GREAT summer!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Teacups and Tea are for me~

2009-06-12T21:30:00.003-05:00

I have been enjoying my summer vacation......how about you?

It seems that most all of my blogging friends are not posting as much right now because we are all so busy enjoying the outdoors and not spending time on our computers as much as when we were cooped up inside during the winter months. :)

But not only have I been enjoying my summer vacation but I have recently started my own business with my Sweet Mama. Can you guess what it is all about? hmmmm............

Please send me your comments and your guesses.

I'll let you know about the secret soon. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Breadbox Centerpiece~

2009-05-24T02:24:00.001-05:00

My roses are blooming beautifully and I just had to bring one in for my new table centerpiece. I always like to eat more fruits in the summertime and a bowl of apples is a quick way for me to grab a healthy snack. And lemons are always good in my sweet tea or to make a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade.

These items are all sitting on top of my bread box that my daughter gave me years ago. She bought it at a garage sale. (I've passed along my thrifting to her.....LOL)

The pink rose smells so good.

What's on your table?

Hoping ya'll are having a great day!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Finding Joy Movie~

2009-05-23T09:42:00.003-05:00

I just finished watching this short movie and it was very uplifting. So good that I had to share with ya'll. Hope ya enjoy it! :) Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Gifts From Sweet Peeps~

2009-05-22T11:43:00.005-05:00

It's so good to receive gifts and even better when they are from "Sweet Peeps." My daughter gave me a huge gift bag, full of delightful things, recently and told me that I was a special Mama to her and she wanted to do something to show me how much she appreciated me. (Talk about bringing tears to my eyes. :) I was very humbled.

Then just when I had been sick and having a bad day, the mailman comes and delivers me a big box full of precious goodies from a dear blogger friend. Mary, over at Contrary Mary , sent me some wonderful pretties and it just made my whole day better. Thank you very much Mary!!

If you know someone who's going through some trying times, send them flowers or something pretty and it will help to perk them up a bit. :)

These flowers are from Alissa (two dozen pink roses) wow!!

And a Paula Deen Hoe Cake skillet. I love Paula Deen!!
Some chocolate, coffee beans, sugar scrub and a new cutting board.

The following gifts are from Mary

I hung this "K" in my kitchen with my pink flower vine

This is in my bathroom now, holding pretty soap

I just love jotting down notes on these pretty sticky notepads

This is my Paula Deen candle from Alissa

Hope ya'll have a GREAT weekend!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Flowers Can Lift Your Spirit~

2009-05-02T11:27:00.003-05:00

Flowers sure do lift me up when I'm down. I love lots of flowers but carnations and hydrangeas are among my favorites. Jim Darling just bought of bouquet of flowers for me yesterday for our table centerpiece. They were pink lilies and so pretty. We have had several deaths arounds us in the past two months and it is hard to keep cheery sometimes, but having some beautiful flowers sure helps. I've been sick all week but still had to work, so this weekend I'm just resting. See ya'll again soon. :)

This flower arrangement is my sweet Mama's and sits in her back porch entryway.
The water pitcher is old and was a favorite of my Grandma's.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Your House Funny~

2009-04-27T10:12:00.003-05:00

Your House...As seen by yourself

Your House...As seen by Your Buyer
Your House....As seen by your Lender

Your House....As seen by your Appraiser

Your House....As seen by the IRS

Have a wonderful day!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Pink Pig~

2009-04-25T02:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday! The following pics are from an email that I got this week and thought this little pig was so pinky cute for a Pink Saturday posting. To see more pinks, hop over to Beverly's at How Sweet The Sound. She is the Hostess for Pink Saturday.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Photo Book Giveaway Winner~

2009-04-24T12:15:00.003-05:00

Today is the Friday Giveaway of the Victorian Photograph Album and I had several bloggy friends who entered and I want to thank each one of you. It is so exciting to enter a giveaway and I wish I had a book to give each and every one of you!!

The winner is a lovely lady who always makes me laugh when I visit her blog. She posted about my giveaway which gave her 5 entries. That must have really helped her out since she won. :)

I put all the entries in a hat and drew one out.
And the lucky winner is:
*********************

~~~~~~~~~~~Drum Roll Please

Sue over at Sullivan & Murphy

Congratulations Sue!!! :)

Thank you again for all of you lovely ladies who entered my giveaway!

I do have entry gifts for you as a thank you gift. They are my friendly teas. If you entered and would like to have one just send me an email with your name and address and I'll get it out to you. CountryRomantic@gmail.com

You are such sweet friends and I hope ya'll have a GREAT weekend!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Shopping With Jim Darling~

2009-04-23T01:49:00.003-05:00

***Special Note*** Dear Friends, Thankyou so much for all your sweet emails and comments regarding my Grandma's passing and her funeral. Your kind thoughts and prayers have been much appreciated!! :)

My Jim Darling needed to go shopping and asked me to come along. He was looking for something for his car and wanted to check out a local flea market for it. I really wasn't looking for anything particular but went along anyway. Well, as luck would have it, he didn't find what he was looking for but I found a few things that I just had to have. LOL

This little nightlight house is a new addition to my upstairs bathroom.

And I just love Cary Grant movies! :)

We had a good time and will probably watch this movie on the next rainy day. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Last Visit at Grandma's~

2009-04-21T01:27:00.000-05:00

The past few days have been very long for me and my family. My Grandma has been very sick for a long time with numerous things, because of being 83 years old. But after a long few days, she went home to be with The Lord. She said she was ready to go and went peacefully in her sleep, with all of us that could be there, by her side.

While I was there with her and the family, I drank a LOT of coffee and visited the Ladies' room frequently. I really liked this picture that was hanging on the wall and decided to take a picture of it. :)

And this is the wallpaper in the bathroom. I thought it was so cute too. :)

This is a picture of my Grandma, holding me and with my brother, who has also gone on to be with The Lord. She will be missed greatly, by all of us!

If I'm quiet for a few days, it's just because of the funeral and being busy with family!! I'll be back soon. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Romantic Cottages - My New Website~

2009-04-20T02:20:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to introduce ya'll to my newest project! I am Hostessing a new website all about Home Tours. I love to go on Home Tours and we have one every year right here in our little town. Below is a photo from one of the homes that we toured. It is a very lovely home.

You can check out my new site and see more pics of this lovely home at: Romantic Cottage Tours

***Special Note***

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway here.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~My Mother's House~

2009-04-19T02:10:00.003-05:00

It was a rainy day, a few days ago, when I visited my sweet Mama and asked if I could take some pics of her house for my blog. She was hesitant because she was doing laundry and didn't want to have her home look like a laundromat. LOL

So, I just took a few pics of things around her home. This is the entry walk up to her porch.

She has such a nice sitting area on her porch but all I could get a pic of was the side of it because I didn't want to go out in the rain to take a pic of the whole porch. LOL

She bought this little wreath recently when we shopping together. She usually changes her wreaths frequently.

When you step inside, this little table is on the left. I don't know where she got it but I love it.

And this is on the left from the door. She got this armoire at a school auction several years ago and it is really nice to store coats in.

I have more pics to share in another post and hope to get more pics when the sun is shining and no rain. :)

***Special Note***

Check back on Monday's posting for a new website on Romantic Cottages!!

And don't forget to sign up for my giveaway here.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Pink Bag, Full of Pinks~

2009-04-18T02:27:00.003-05:00

Hi and Happy Pink Saturday, which is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet The Sound. There are many other pink posts over there today.

I'm going out to enjoy the day and taking along my pink bag full of pink goodies. :) My scarf even has pink flowers on it and see the little pink pin? What's inside, you ask? Well, let me just show you!! :)
I have to bring my favorite pink lotion (My Desire) from Victoria's Secret. I want to keep my hands smelling good and feeling soft. :)

And I have to bring along my pink MP4 player, in it's little pink holder, so I can listen to music.

And in case I may want to write or do some journaling, I'll bring along two of my pink tablets. Now where is my pink pen?

And of course, I'll bring along my favorite pink issues of some of my favorite magazines to read.

Hoping ya'll have a pinky day!! :)

***Special Note***

Check back on Monday's posting for a new website of Romantic Cottages!!

And don't forget to sign up for my giveaway here!

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Dishes & Sweet Tea~

2009-04-17T02:08:00.002-05:00

Today is Project Friday over at Sugar Plum Cottage. And my project is washing dishes. I know, I know, how exciting is washing dishes? Well, I'll tell ya'll a little secret.....it is therapuetic. My pretty little tea dishes were in need of a good washing. And there's something fun and relaxing about sticking your hands into a hot bubble bath, even if it's just in the kitchen sink. LOL

I like lots and lots of bubbles. Then I put all the dishes in very carefully and let them soak for a few minutes. I use a soft sponge to wash them with. For the very delicate flowers, I pat them with the sponge.

I like to air dry them instead of using the towel drying method. They come out so sparkly clean after a good washing and my hands are so soft too. :) (Remember the old Palmolive commercials?)

While the dishes were soaking, I organized my coffee mug shelf and also put on a kettle to boil water. I had pics of my shelf redo but they keep going to the top of the post, so I can't use them. :(

And I made a pitcher of iced "sweet" tea with my favorite Luzianne. :)

Now that I've played in the bubbles and washed my dishes, I can sit down, put my feet up and relax with a tall glass of my sweet tea. :)

FYI....I use the dishwasher for all my everyday boring dishes and things that are hard to clean. They wouldn't be therapuetic to wash....LOL

***Special Note***

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway Here

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Photo Book Giveaway~

2009-04-16T02:07:00.002-05:00

Hear Ye, Hear Ye.......I'm hosting a "Giveaway."

I have had this beautiful Victorian photo album book ready to giveaway for weeks and keep forgetting to post about it. :) You've probably noticed it on my sidebar and wondered when, in the world, I was going to give it away. Well, this is the time to get entered. I will allow one week to collect the entries and then will post about the giveaway winner.

Just post a comment below to be entered once.

If you post about the giveaway on your website and let me know, I will enter you five times.

Good Luck!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Avonlea is The Place For Me~

2009-04-15T02:39:00.002-05:00

I'm sure that most of ya'll have seen the wonderful movies, "Anne of Green Gables" & "Anne of Avonlea," but have you ever seen the series spinoff called, "Road to Avonlea?"

These are just a few of the movies that I have in my collection. They are such good, wholesome, romantical, virtuous, inspiring, heartwarming, truly wonderful movies!! Can you tell that I REALLY like them? :) You can click on any of the movies above to find out more information about them.

I like to take a whole day sometimes and just sit down with a pot of tea and watch a whole afternoon's worth of them. My dream vacation would be to go to Prince Edward Island and visit the places in the movies. (Even though Avonlea is a fictional place, it would be neat to see where they filmed the movies and the Green Gables home too. ) And, of course, have tea at some of those wonderful Tea Rooms there. ;)

Have you ever visited there?

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Most Talented Knitter~

2009-04-14T02:13:00.000-05:00

Today, I would like to introduce ya'll to a very sweet friend and most talented knitter. Her name is Julie and she makes the cutest little pin cushions I've ever seen. She just thinks about something and decides to make it into a pin cushion. I have some pics of a few of my favorites that she has created. Here is a little cottage.

A pretty blue purse.

Teacup with hearts.

This ladybug almost looks real. :)

Aren't the pillows so cute on this little bed?

These are only a few of Julie's creations. If you would like to see more, please go visit her at

The Gingerbread Knitter

and let her know that I sent you. She is a super sweet lady and I know you will enjoy meeting her. :)

She even has one that looks like a hamburger. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Zoo Trip~

2009-04-13T07:58:00.003-05:00

Our school took a field trip, last week, to the zoo and we had so much fun. The kids really enjoyed it and it was a beautiful day to be outdoors.

Here are a few pics from the day. This is where all the birds were and they had their own little lake and several waterfalls.

Each animal area had a theme and entrance sign for their original habitat. Guess what was in Australia?

This was the largest sundial I've ever seen.

This is the black bear that lives here in the Ozarks. He was so cute but needed a good brushing. LOL :)

I don't remember what type of bird this was. They had a lot of birds.

We had a picnic lunch afterwards and then headed back to school. I hadn't been to the zoo in years and I really enjoyed it. Especially seeing it through the eyes of the first graders. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Tea Room Visit~

2009-04-10T20:43:00.005-05:00

Happy Easter to ya'll!!!

I know that many of you are spending time with family today and celebrating the Resurrection Day. So I wanted to share the pics from my celebration that me and my sweet Mama had on Good Friday. It wasn't any traditional food or anything like that. We just enjoy going to Tea Rooms and decided to try a new one out while we were enjoying our holiday.

This one is owned by a sweet Christian lady whose husband is a bee keeper. They have many honey products of course, and the honey was delicious tasting too.

Here is the entrance. It's called, "The Vineyard Tea Room." And the store is called, "Honey Heaven."

This mural was by our table and I thought it was so pretty. I just wanted to walk into the garden in the wall. :)

We ordered the quiche and salad. Sorry, I already took a bite before taking the pic. I was really hungry. :)

The orange spice tea was so smooth and tasty. They also bring you honey mustard covered chips to snack on.

I thought this tea board was really cute.

Have a Happy Easter Sunday!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Pink~

2009-04-10T20:09:00.004-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday ya'll!! :)

Since spring has finally come and the flowers are popping up everywhere, I was able to get some pics of their beautiful pinkness. :)

And this "pink" award was given to my by my friend Sandi

This is a beautiful tree that grows right here in the Ozarks and is one of my favorites

And last, but not least, this is me holding a teacup of orange spice tea, in one of my favorite "pink" blouses, at a Tea Room that I visited today. (More about the Tea Room visit in another post coming soon.) ;)

Hope ya'll enjoyed my pink post and to see other "Pink Saturday" posts, hop on over to Beverly's and visit the others.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Draperies Project~

2009-04-09T19:22:00.002-05:00

Happy "Project Friday" and let's get started. :)

The draperies in our bedroom have been hanging there for several years and we were getting a little bored with them. We also have a need for blackout during the sleeping hours because we have an electric pole light right outside our bedroom windows which pours in the light at night. So, I went shopping and found some new draperies that I just loved the moment I spotted them.

Here they are.....I just love the bold colors and silky feel that they have. :)
This is how they look to blackout the light at night.

And this is how they look during the daylight hours.

A closeup view of the fabric and detail of the colors.

You know how one project leads to another? Well, I had to do something with the old draperies, so downstairs they went into our sitting room. I just had the windows covered with lace panels, which again, doesn't help with privacy or light pouring in on a hot summer day. So, up with the old panels which look NEW in this room. I only have one up so far but will put the others up when I finish making a few sewing repairs. :)

Hope ya'll enjoyed my "Project Friday" draperies project. Be sure and check out all the others projects over at RoseMarie's at Sugar Plum Cottage.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Easter Eggs~

2009-04-08T17:13:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun today, giving these eggs, filled with candy, to the kids that I work with at school. They love to get candy.

The ball shaped ones were given to the boys.

The weather was beautiful today and I just had to show ya'll
my Daughter's tulips. :)

Hope ya'll have a wonderful and blessed Easter!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Coffee 101~

2009-04-07T13:33:00.003-05:00

My, oh my, it has been almost a week since I last blogged and I have really missed ya'll. I have been trying to get used to my Jim Darling's new schedule but it hasn't been easy. For all of you sweet peeps that have emailed me or left sweet comments, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is so nice to have such good friends in blogland!! :)

Now, a few posts back I had asked if anyone wanted to know how to make coffee, since I used to be a Barista. So I've named this post.....~Coffee 101~ to give a few basic hints to make a favorite brew of mine with the home tools that I have and are easy to use.

First, I like to use a French Press (which can be purchased at most Walmarts or department stores) to make my coffee because it comes out with a smooth tasting flavor and I can control how long I want it to brew and the strength that I want my coffee. (You can simply brew your coffee in a coffee pot though.) Sometimes I like to use a gourmet coffee or beans that I grind "just before brewing" or I use a ground coffee from the grocery store, like Folgers. Follow the directions on your French Press to your taste.

This is how it looks after it has brewed and is ready to push the pump down. This keeps the grounds at the bottom while you pour out the top.

I use a smaller French Press for my milk and warm it in the microwave while the coffee is brewing. After it is warmed up to about 160 degrees, I pump it up and down until it is as frothy as I like it. This is poured on to the top of the coffee. (Skim milk froths better than whole milk)

If I want to make it a carmel flavor, I squirt a little bit of the syrup into the bottom of my milk and warm it at the same time. Then as I pump it, the flavor goes throughout the milk. (You can use any flavor or syrup that you enjoy)

I first pour in the coffee then add the milk and mix with a spoon. Then I pour the froth on the very top and squirt a little design of the carmel on top. This is about a $4.00 drink at my local coffee bar. But I can make this at home and it is just how I like it for much, much less. And yes, that is my favorite pink mug that I used in the last post of the ~5 Minute Cake~ I really like that mug. :)

Happy coffee making. You are now a graduate of Coffee 101....LOL ....and on your way to making your perfect cup of Joe. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~5 Minute Cake~

2009-03-30T12:53:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday!! :)
I thought I would start the week off right with a recipe that my Dad sent to me, the other day, called, "5 Minute Chocolate Cake." It's really easy and pretty good too.
I used my big coffee mug to make it in. Of course it is "pink." :)

You start with your dry ingredients.

4 Tbsp. Flour

4 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Cocoa

And mix them well with a fork.

Then add one egg and mix well.

Then mix in 3 Tbsp. of Milk & 3 Tbsp. of oil.
At this point, you can add 3 Tbsp. of chocolate chips and dash of vanilla if you want but it's optional.

Microwave for 3 minutes at 1,000 watts.
(It may rise over the top of a smaller mug.)

It pulls away from the sides of the mug a little bit and makes it easy to get out.

I turned it upside down on a plate to cool for a few minutes.

Then I added a little bit of frosting that I had stored in the frig.

It was yummy, but halfway through mixing it up I realized that I didn't have any chocolate chips to add to it. I think it would be even better with them added to it. :) This is so easy and I usually have these ingredients in my pantry to whip up a small dessert in a jiffy. If you try this recipe, please let me know how yours turned out okay. :) Just send me an email

At the end of the recipe it stated that "This is the most dangerous cake recipe in the world, because now we are all just 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time, day or night. LOL :)

Hope ya'll enjoy it!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Thinking Pink~

2009-03-28T07:12:00.003-05:00

I received this "Friendship Award last week during a time that I REALLY needed it and my thanks goes out to Lisa Janelle over at Warm Heart Cozy Home. She is such a sweet lady and has a lot of pink in her home and is participating in her first "Pink Saturday" today.

Friends do come and go in life and there are different levels of friendship. I've been very blessed to meet some really good friends through blogging and want to pass this along to ya'll. You are such a blessing to me each day through your emails and comments. Friends are there for you when you are down to lift you up and make you smile again....:) Feel free to pass this along to all your friends too.

I love pink and even though I didn't get signed up over at Beverly's Pink Saturday I wanted to post some pinks anyway. As most of ya'll already know, I have a pink bathroom and have a lot of pink in it.

Here is my pink scrubber glove and pink body lotion too. :) They are sitting on my pink bathtub against my curtain.

My pink Mp4 player with a speaker

Some of my daughters pink flowers she planted last year

Even though I didn't make it over to Beverly's and get signed up this Saturday you can still click on her logo here and visit other pink postings. :)

Happy Pink Saturday Ya'll!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Life Happens~

2009-03-27T18:02:00.003-05:00

Some of you sweet dear friends have emailed this week and asked me where I've been and I want to say thank you for caring about me and my family!! It's so nice to receive an email just saying that you "care." :)

There has been a LOT of change in our home and it takes a little getting used to. Jim Darling just got a new position in the company he works for and he is now home for a week and then gone for a week. This is kind of easing us into retirement. What do you ladies do with your husbands when they are retired and home all day long? Please help....And we have two teenage daughters with boyfriends. Need I say more? LOL

So, I've decided to think on a few things that make me feel happy and this is a little corner of my bathroom that I've added a lamp and pink roses picture frame that I really enjoy. I couldn't believe the difference that it made to add a little more light in the bathroom....especially for putting on makeup. I love the shaded light because it makes me look younger in the mirror. LOL... It doesn't show wrinkles as well. :)

This is the little pink roses picture frame that is in the corner.

This is how my week has been....lol....don't I look like Phyllis Diller? Remember her? LOL

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Pink Bathtub~

2009-03-20T20:08:00.003-05:00

Welcome to my 2nd "Pink Saturday" posting!! :) This pic is of my little pink bathtub. This little bathtub is so small that it will fit in the palm of my hand. I use it to hold my facial soap and scrubber and it sits on the side of my real pink bathtub. (Although my real pink bathtub is not as cute as this one. LOL ....I wish it were.)

You can see many more "Pink Saturday" posts at Beverly's "How Sweet The Sound."

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~God's Crayon Box~

2009-03-18T16:20:00.003-05:00

A dear friend just sent this to me in an email and I thought it was so good and wanted to share it with ya'll. :) It's called "The Day That God Dropped The Crayon Box."

We live in an awesome world. Make it an awesome day. Peace To All and May God Bless You. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Savin 'O' The Green~

2009-03-17T17:55:00.003-05:00

I just found out about this steal of a deal and wanted to pass it along to ya'll. These are 17 Grocery Saving ebooks that I just purchased. They are normally priced for much more than this but all this week they are on sale for just $17.00

They are instantly purchased and easily downloaded so that you can start reading them immediately. I just love the convenience of the Internet. :) I am really enjoying mine and there are many good recipes and secrets to saving money. Just click on the picture if you want to read more about it. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Happy St. Patrick's Day~

2009-03-17T03:51:00.003-05:00

Here's some "green" for St. Patrick's Day...I'll be wearing a green shamrock t-shirt today at work so all my little children won't pinch me. LOL

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Shopping Day 2~

2009-03-16T08:56:00.004-05:00

My last post was about my Friday shopping day with my dear friend Becky. Well then I went shopping on Saturday with my Mama, Alissa, Shanna & John. Yes, John is a good sport and can even enjoy our little girlie outtings. :)

First off, we started out early and needed coffee. There's a new little place, in the next town over, that just opened up. I wish they would've opened it in our town instead. :)

I got a chocolate macchiatta. It was soooo good!!

I used to be a Barista and can make my own specialty coffees at home without all the fussy equipment. If ya'll would like to know how I do it, just leave me a comment asking about it and I will make a post on how to do it. :)

I think my Mama got a caramel cappuccinno.

Alissa had a frappuccino.

After we did a little shopping and went to take lunch to Jim Darling, at work, we stopped at a chinese restaurant and had a nice lunch. I just loved their chandelier they had near our table. It was huge and this pic does not show it's real beauty or size.

I ended up buying some new curtains for my bedroom and will give ya'll a peek at them. I will be posting the before and afters on friday's project day.

We did more shopping but my best find were some little chandeliers and I will post about them later after they are cleaned up a bit.

I just love weekends like this. But today is my last day off work and I'm going to visit Grandma. Then back at work tomorrow. At least the weather looks promising. I think it's supposed to be in the 70's here all week long.

Here's some tips for the day....I found this tip over at Your Home Based Mom on how to neatly store ribbons. It's a really good tip!! Just thought I would share it with ya'll. :)

And Bernideen is having a giveaway on her blog over at bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com You can go check it out to enter. :)

Have a GREAT day!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~My Thrifting Finds~

2009-03-16T08:05:00.004-05:00

This weekend I had two days off from work so it made a four day weekend for me. I just love those!!! :) So what did I do? I went shopping, of course!!!

On Friday I went, with my very dear friend Becky, to a moving sale, antique store/greenery, thrift store, church rummage sale and another antique store. (We had to fit lunch in there too, at a Mexican restaurant.)

These are my Friday shopping day finds. Remember the pink mini carnations in the vase? They are still looking good after two weeks. :) The two daisy boxes are for my Mama....shhh...don't tell her, it's a surprise. :)

I got this little birdhouse for only 10 cents.

This birdcage was only $5.00 with everything already in it.

Isn't the little nest cute?! :)

But this was my biggest thrill. I love clocks (except when I have to go around changing the time on all of them during daylight savings) and I have at least one in every room in our home. This one was just too pretty to pass up. My Mama aaawwwed when she saw it.

My only regret for the day was that I didn't bring my camera.

(Becky please remind me next time. We have another shopping day planned soon.)

Hope ya'll enjoyed looking at my finds. Have a GREAT day!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Sunday Morning Brunch~

2009-03-15T09:15:00.003-05:00

Good Sunday morning!!! Thank you to all you sweet ladies who visited me yesterday for my first "Pink Saturday" and left such nice comments!! I really appreciate ya'll!! :) I will try to get out and visit your sites in the next few days. I have been gone the past few days, shopping with friends and family. I will be posting about some of my "shopping finds" soon. We all had so much fun and found some great bargains.

This morning is my Sunday to bring the brunch for our little church's Sunday School class. I got up early this morning and made strawberry and bran muffins. (The bran muffins are for a few older ladies that can't eat the other kinds.) :)

Here they are....fresh out of the oven.

No, I didn't bake them from scratch. Please don't tell the other ladies. shhhh!!

Here's the finished product all ready to go.
I'm off to church with the family and I sure hope they all like what I bring.
I hope ya'll have a GREAT Sunday!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Pink Saturday~

2009-03-13T19:57:00.006-05:00

Today is my first day to participate in Beverly's "Pink Saturday" over at How Sweet The Sound. Beverly is such a sweet lady for hosting this. There are many other pink postings there that you can see also.

This is my "pink" wallpaper border, of my dream bathtub, that is in my pink bathroom. Each section has a different bathtub in a little different color or design. I love looking at it when I'm enjoying a nice bubble bath and dream of being in that tub. LOL

Happy Pink Saturday ya'll!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Signs Around My Home 2~

2009-03-12T19:33:00.005-05:00

This post is continued from yesterday's post on ~signs around my home~ and I have a few more pics of what my house is saying as I walk from room to room.

This is an old candle holder and it's new home is in the downstairs bathroom. It holds my favorite lavendar cleanser and a cleaning cloth inside. I just open the lid and grab my handy cloth and start wiping down the sink and counter. It is clean in 30 seconds and smells so good.
The saying on it says, "Sweet things made with love."

This is a hot pad for my pots and sits on top of my microwave for easy access to it.

I just recently bought this little sign for my Jim Darling's bathroom. It says, "We may not have it all together but together we have it all."

This hangs above my kitchen sink.

This "sweet" sign hangs above our kitchen door.

I love to see it when I come home after a long day.

I think to myself...my feelings exactly! :)

Hope ya'll enjoyed my signs. I would love to see some of yours.

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Signs Around My Home~

2009-03-12T02:00:00.006-05:00

Do you ever wonder what people think about when they are walking into your home? I was thinking about this the other day and started looking around my home and I noticed that I have a LOT of signs. Just what is my home saying? Well...here are just a few that I found.......

This is on my front door.

(You may recognize it from my header picture) :)

These two are on the left side of my back door.

This is on the right side of my back door.

And this one is beside the first step to my back door.

I guess you could say that my back door is more "welcoming" LOL ....after all, that is the door that everyone uses anyway. :)

I have more signs and will share them soon.

What is your home saying?

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Three Little Acres~

2009-03-11T10:06:00.003-05:00

I went out for a little walk this weekend and snapped a few pics of some scenery on our little property. Here's the back of our house. (I'll be so glad when this is all green and alive again) :)

This is a grapevine that hangs over a natural arbor area that is so pretty in the summer. Blackberries grow up the side and so good for the picking.

These are about the only green leaves that I can find around here for now. :)

The pines are green of course and I'm thankful for them.

This is a sign that my daughter made for our little place when we moved here.

I enjoy going on little nature walks around our field. It is so relaxing. And I don't have to worry about traffic and the air is crisp and fresh. I've figured it out that if I walk around the field about 4 times it is a mile. :) Where do ya'll like to walk?

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Flowers and Cake~

2009-03-10T19:12:00.002-05:00

Well, the weather has turned cold and rainy again today but while it was nice over the weekend, I took the opportunity to enjoy a walk outdoors and see the Easter Lilies. I took some other pics and will post them later.

Our local grocery bakery has these beautiful coconut cakes made only at special times and me and my Mama literally race to the bakery to try and get one before they are gone. LOL They are such good cakes and only have a few to choose from. It is sooooo delicious!!! (If you love coconut, that is. My daughter Shanna, doesn't like coconut.)

Sorry, but I couldn't get a pic of a slice of cake....I had to threaten everyone to wait until I could get a pic before they sliced into it. And I was afraid that they would eat my piece while I was busy with my camera. LOL I simply must get the recipe to this wonderful tasting cake. :)

Our whole fence line, on both sides of our property, are lined with these little beauties. We call them "Easter Lilies" here but I know that in some other places they are called something else. Do any of ya'll have a different name for them?

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Pink Things~

2009-03-08T17:39:00.002-05:00

I have had a good and lazy Sunday just relaxing with the family and watching some movies and then spending some time catching up on my blog reading. It's so much fun and inspiring to read all of your blogs and see what ya'll are up to. Thank you for the encouragement that you ladies give to me each and every day through reading your blogs and through the sweet comments that you leave for me. :)

I know that some of you who stop by for a visit do not leave a comment and that's okay. But it's oh so nice to read the comments and receive emails that lifts my spirits after a long day. :)

I've been seeing a LOT of pink on many blogs so I decided to take some pics of pink myself since it is my favorite color. :)

This is my daughter's handbag that she made last month. It says, "The world needs Drama Queens" and she sure can be one sometimes. LOL She also has a LOT of buttons that she added to it.

These are my new glasses....yep...I had to get some reading glasses last week. That small print kept getting smaller. LOL Anyway, I thought that I would get some glasses with pink bling. :) I like to keep them on top of my head so I can find them when I need them. :)

And last, but not least, some little pink and gray slippers that my other daughter gave me last week. They are so comfortable.

Hope ya'll are having a GREAT weekend and start Monday off with a SMILE.....:)

Hugs & Blessings,

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~My Bears~

2009-03-07T19:14:00.003-06:00

Today has been another beautiful sunshiny day here in the Ozarks. Very windy but nice weather. A neighbor dropped by and we had tea and cookies. It was so much fun to visit over some nice hot tea.

Remember my post on friday about my bears? Well, here are a few of my favorites. This one is the "Gardening Bear" that my friend Judy gave me on my birthday.

This one is a "Victorian Bear" that another good friend gave me on another birthday.

Here is my "Bear Tree House" that my Mama gave me. It has a light inside and is very pretty at night. This one reminds me of the Berenstein Bear's tree house.

These are miniatures that were given to me at different times by a few good friends.

Do any of you have these bears? They were really popular to collect several years ago. And I used to have many more of them but with all the moves we have made, some were broken or lost.

It is nice to have such wonderful friends. Can you have too many?......There is always room for one more friend in our lives. :) Wishing ya'll could drop by for tea with me. :)

Have a Great Sunday.....And for those of you who live in Daylight Savings Time...Remember to set your clocks up an hour. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Visiting At Grandma's~

2009-03-06T20:56:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we went to visit my Grandma. She lives in a nursing home that is one of the nicest nursing homes around. (In my opinion anyway....:) We like to take her up in the visiting area where it is more private and we can visit with her without interruptions. She wouldn't want me to post any pictures of her on here so I am posting pics of the dining table, where we sit, instead. I love to sit here because the chairs are so comfortable and the table is so elegant. (I wish my dining table was as elegant as this one.) :)

Can you see the detail of the design on the edge of the table and then on the pedestal leg below?

Sorry Grandma....you got in this pic just a little bit. But I don't think that anyone will really notice. :)

These chairs have extra filling in them to plump them up, for sitting that is soooooo comfy.

~Card Frames - Project Friday~

2009-03-06T09:51:00.002-06:00

Today is the second "Project Friday" over at Sugarplum Cottage and my entry today is a couple of my favorite cards that I received from two special people. My Mama gave me the one of the beach scene bear and my friend Judy gave me the one of the two bears having tea. These are two very dear people in my life and two of my favorite cards. So I wanted to frame them and enjoy them every day. :)

I glued the cards on the back of the paper that came with the frame and used a little cutting of wallpaper border to frame the cards. Then just putting them back in the frames. Simple as pie!

I found some frames that have copper and green in them to match the bedspread in my bedroom.

I have a collection of these little bears and have loved them for years. I may show them on a post later. :)

Hope ya'll have a GREAT friday!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Simple Pleasures~

2009-03-04T14:17:00.002-06:00

These mini pink carnations are among my favorite flowers to receive. My Mama gave these to me last week. They have been my table centerpiece for the week. The reason that I like them so well is that they are pretty and last so long and smell so good. :)

Today is a beautiful sunshiny day and I feel "spring" in the air. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Shopping Day~

2009-03-03T20:24:00.002-06:00

Today was a shopping day with the girls. Me, my Mama and my Daughters went shopping at one of our favorite shops....Rosewood Farms. The owners are the sweetest people. It's always fun to go to there. They make their own chocolates and they are delicious. I also got a Carmel Frappuccino to drink. Here are a few things that I bought today.

They make their own candles and wax melts too. I got the scent that smells like Rosewood's kitchen. It has a cinnamon scent, which is my favorite.

I'm always burning candles or melting the wax melts when I'm at home. I love the scent flowing throughout my home. I makes me feel warm and cozy. Everyone always comments about how good my home smells. So, when I go to Rosewood Farms I like to get a good supply that will last me until my next trip over there. :)

Hope ya'll had as good of a day as we did or even better. ;)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Dreaming of Spring~

2009-03-02T11:53:00.003-06:00

Even though it is cold outside, with snow on the ground, it is now March and I am dreaming of spring. There will soon be Easter eggs to hide.

And my rock lined pathway will have green grass and flowers growing.

And the firepit will be lit to enjoy the cooler evenings with hotdogs and marshmallows roasting over the open flame.

The birds will be singing and building nests and my wisteria will be draping over this little birdhouse.

I am dreaming of spring and it will be here soon. (We've already seen the turkey buzzard.) LOL

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Tea For One~

2009-02-28T19:45:00.008-06:00

This is my "tea for one" teacup and teapot that my sweet Mama gave me for my birthday a few years back. I like to use it while I write to ya'll at my desk. It's been so cold here that I'm drinking a lot of hot tea to keep me warm. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Snowing~

2009-02-28T10:44:00.005-06:00

This is what it is doing in our "neck of the woods." What's it like in yours?

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~

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~Let's Have Tea~

2009-02-27T17:47:00.003-06:00

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. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~

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~Birdhouse Project~

2009-02-27T05:24:00.006-06:00

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 "before" in it's plain wood grain look

Here, it is primed in white

I mixed a blue with white to just the right shade of blue that I wanted

I then painted the rest of it white and added a glaze, which I'm not sure the pic really shows that well. I added some berries for a wreath and it was done.

The finished product!!!

I had so much fun making this birdhouse.
This was made special for a friend and I hope that she will like it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you all for your lovely comments about yesterday's posted poem and Caroline! Ya'll are so sweet and kind words are very healing!!! :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Mother Poem~

2009-02-25T20:06:00.003-06:00

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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~My Front Door~

2009-02-24T09:22:00.004-06:00

My header pic for my blog, is a close up of the heart wreath on my front door. I thought ya'll might like to actually see the whole door. We rarely use it because all our friends and family come to our back door. You know the old saying...."back door friends are best." :) Hope ya'll are having a great day!!

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~

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~Puzzle Therapy~

2009-02-22T20:36:00.004-06:00

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 you've enjoyed my puzzle therapy. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~

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~New Project~

2009-02-22T06:32:00.003-06:00

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

Have A Great Day,

~Katherine~

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~And the Winner Is.....

2009-02-20T18:09:00.008-06:00

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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~Remembering Spring~

2009-02-19T21:50:00.004-06:00

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~

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~Snowman Soup Bowls~

2009-02-19T10:05:00.005-06:00

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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~Spring Tea~

2009-02-18T14:02:00.003-06:00

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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~Reminder of Friday Giveaway~

2009-02-17T11:49:00.003-06:00

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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~About Me~

2009-02-16T15:34:00.004-06:00

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

Have a Blessed day!

~Katherine~

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~Welcome to My Kitchen~

2009-02-16T10:45:00.006-06:00

Welcome to my kitchen! Grab a cup of tea or coffee and "sit a spell" with me. ;)
After seeing so many beautiful kitchens on other blogs, I was kind of afraid to post any pics of my kitchen. I have been able to add a few personal touches to it but it is still not "finished" in my opinion. But I must say that I absolutely love having a "country kitchen" that I can have a table in the middle and roll out my dough or fix up pretty for a tea party or to simply sit with the family for dinner. I always had tiny little kitchens that weren't even big enough for a small table or island to fit in. So, I love having the room in my kitchen for my table.

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. :)

This pic came out a little dark for some reason

Hope you enjoyed touring my "Country Romantic Kitchen"

~Katherine~

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~Pie Holders~

2009-02-16T10:02:00.003-06:00

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.

~Katherine~

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~My Funny Valentines~

2009-02-15T06:42:00.003-06:00

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

Shanna and John wearing the wax lips

Aren't they funny?

~Katherine~

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~Roses~

2009-02-14T13:43:00.006-06:00

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

~Katherine~

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~Happy Valentine's Day~

2009-02-14T07:02:00.006-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday.

She is our sweet little "Valentine Girl."

Happy 19th Birthday Alissa!!!

We love you!!!

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~Katherine~

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~Lemonade Award~

2009-02-13T18:57:00.007-06:00

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. :)

Your Friend,

~Katherine~

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~February Centerpiece~

2009-02-12T09:25:00.006-06:00

Cindy over at My Romantic Home is hosting a February Centerpiece Party. So here is what my centerpiece is for February. Being such a "romantic" month, I have hearts included in mine. :)

The candle is a cinnamon apple fragrance, which is one of my favorites

We all love chocolate covered pretzels

Thanks to Cindy for hosting your centerpiece party!

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~Katherine~

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~Hearts Around The Home Giveaway~

2009-02-10T20:30:00.012-06:00

I am a "Giver" and love to bless others so this week I'm hosting my first "Friday Giveaway."

I will be hosting a giveaway every other friday so check back each week to enter.

There are three items to give away.

1. Mini Tea-For-One Teapot

2. Pretty in Pink Teacup & Saucer

3. Ceramic Floral Teapot Figurine

If you would like to enter the "Giveaway" just leave me a comment telling me which item you would like to have along with your email address and your "Hearts Around The Home" direct post link.

(I will be contacting you by email if you are the winner.)

Then post your "Hearts Around The Home" on your website and include my website post link in your post.

Good Luck and have fun looking for the "Hearts Around Your Home." :)

Here's my post on the hearts I found around my home.

http://countryromantic.blogspot.com/2009/02/hearts-around-my-home.html

(I will draw the winning names on Friday, February 20th.)

~Katherine~

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~Hearts Around My Home~

2009-02-10T18:26:00.010-06:00

Being that it's Valentine's week, I decided to walk around my home and find some hearts.

Here's what I found.

My Daughter's stuffed animals.

Baby Avril has a heart dress.

Heart bowl with potpourri

My kitchen wallpaper border has hearts on a vine.

Blessed are the Peacemakers heart

Wallpaper border hearts

My victorian heart ornament

Heart on my calendar

Heart and apples

Heart wreath on my door

I wear a heart on the collar of my jacket

How many hearts can you find in your home?

~Katherine~

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~A Few Valentine Pics~

2009-02-10T09:12:00.003-06:00

Are you ready for Valentine's Day?

Here's a few images to get you ready for romance. :)

Pretty in pink roses

Romantic messages in candy

And of course chocolates
A woman needs her chocolate ;)

~Katherine~

~Lemon Bars~

2009-02-09T16:46:00.004-06:00

These are so delicious and easy to make!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
Extra powdered sugar

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In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter until crumbly; pat into a greased 13" x 9" baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour and lemon juice until frothy; pour over the hot crust. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares. Yield: 3-4 dozen.

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Enjoy with a hot cup of tea!!!

~Katherine~

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~Winter Scapes~

2009-02-09T13:37:00.003-06:00

The winter time snow and ice has been really hard to deal with for so many people and my prayers have gone out for all the homes without power during the ice storms.

But the snow and ice can sure make nature look beautiful too.

This is my daughter's lavendar plant.

Our wood pile is dwindling down but we are all keeping nice and toasty warm on these cold winter days.

Jim Darling was taking these pics for me and was trying to get a pic of the horse in the back field but it kept moving. :)

~~Stay warm~~

~Katherine~

~Counting My Blessings~

2009-02-08T15:48:00.005-06:00

This week has been a reminder for me to "Count My Blessings."

Blessings can come in all sorts of ways.

This photo has a few momentos in it to remind me of a

few wonderful people that are blessings in my life.

The apple picture in the background is from my Mama,

who is such a blessing to me every day and in so many different ways.

The star basket is from my brother and his fiancee' who are

examples of daily blessings in her winning the battle against cancer.

The "Friendship" Willow figurine is a gift from a dear friend and

prayer partner who blesses me each week with her prayers for me and my family.

The caramel apple canisters are filled with goodies and I found

these items on a fun filled shopping trip with my Daughters

who are blessings to go shopping with.

Just a few days ago, a lady that had met my daughters,

said that my girls were amazingly sweet girls.

And that she wanted parenting tips from me.

What a true blessing that was to hear!!!

It filled my heart with joy.

We all have blessings to be thankful for.

Count them one by one.

You can probably guess that I love the apple theme. ;)

~Katherine~

~Something Lemon~

2009-02-05T20:16:00.003-06:00

I have been sick for almost two weeks but am FINALLY feeling better.

Anyway, I had this craving for some lemon meringue pie. And not just any pie, but my Mama's lemon meringue pie. She is such a sweetie. She said that I must be needing something with lemon in it so she would just have to make me a pie. Here are two that she baked just for me. (No, I did NOT eat all of it. :) I shared them with everyone else in the family. I only had a few slices in a couple of days. Just enough to satisfy the craving.)

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~Katherine~

~My Daughter's Violin Poem~

2009-01-20T19:57:00.004-06:00

~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

2009-01-20T12:21:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-18T21:35:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-18T17:08:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-01-17T11:22:00.005-06:00

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?

2009-01-17T10:54:00.003-06:00

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

2009-01-16T13:33:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-15T19:32:00.005-06:00

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

2009-01-15T18:41:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-15T18:00:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-14T19:09:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-14T18:16:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-14T13:57:00.003-06:00

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

2009-01-14T11:59:00.007-06:00

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

2009-01-12T20:33:00.003-06:00

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

2009-01-12T19:23:00.003-06:00

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

2009-01-12T18:45:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-12T17:22:00.011-06:00

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.

(Notice in this pic that the wicker sofa replaced the plastic one)

Place setting for One.
We served a six course meal.

I loved the lights over the archway, especially at night. They were so romantic.

(The dresser with the mirror was my Great Grandma's.)

My Pink Romantic Powder Room

The wisteria over the archway was my Mama's favorite.

Part of the gift area.

We love to have a romantic fire in the evenings

and we have enough chilly nights that we can do just that!

This is the checkout decked out with an original St. Louis cash register with gold inlay.

That thing weighs over 100 pounds so that a bank robber couldn't take off with it easily.

I didn't like all of the dark green walls and since then have painted

a nice light creamy tan with pearl glazing.

Looking from the checkout area into the dining room.

Hope you enjoyed looking at the Tea Room pics.

It has brought back a lot of fond memories for me. :)

I love to have tea and visit Tea Rooms.

So, if you are in the area, drop by for a cup of tea.

One of my favorite teas is apple-cinnamon.

What is your favorite?

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Katherine

Grandma's Flowers

2009-01-12T16:39:00.004-06:00

My Grandma and I share a love for flowers and these

are few of them that are growing at her place.

Do you know your flower?

Birthstone Flowers

January - Carnation

February - Violet

March - Jonquil

April - Sweet Pea

May - Lily of the Valley

June - Rose

July - Larkspur (This one is mine and my Grandma's)

August - Gladiolus

September - Aster

October - Calendula

November - Chrysanthemum

December - Narcissus

Which birthday flower are you?

Katherine

Birthday Cake

2009-01-12T16:32:00.002-06:00

I love to bake and decorate, so making cakes for special occasions is a lot of fun.

This is the cake I made for my Grandma's 75th birthday party.

It has pink roses and 3 layers of marble cake with vanilla frosting.

She loved it!

Katherine

Bird House Gift

2009-01-12T09:30:00.002-06:00

This is the birdhouse that my dear husband made out of some leftover wood that we had in the garage. He cut the wood with a table saw and had it put together within an hour for me. Then I spent the next two days decorating it. The roof is covered in the sawdust that was on the floor after he cut the wood. I had a bag of marble glass from a previous project. The rocks are from a nearby creek. And the finial was in some scraps of wood from a box in the garage. The hole was a natural knothole in the wood. (How convenient...;)

It didn't actually cost anything to make since we had all of the things to make it already. It was a labor of love. We gave it to my Mother for her birthday. She loves it! She even gave it a grand pedestal to sit on.

Katherine

Lane Family Sticker

2009-01-11T15:43:00.003-06:00

I thought this was such a cute thing to create.

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

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Katherine

Rockbridge Mill

2009-01-10T21:29:00.003-06:00

We recently took a daytrip down to a little town called Rockbridge.

It was a small town established around the late 1800's and my

Great Grandfather was a Blacksmith there.

It has a wonderful restaurant there!

http://www.rockbridgemo.com/home.htm

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View from the steps up to the restaurant.

The springfed creek that runs along where the mill is.

Back of the mill.

The water smells so fresh and is very clear.

It is relaxing to listen to it run over the wall.

This is the tree that my husband (Jim) carved our initials on over 20 years ago.

This is the tree now.

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Katherine

Chandelier

2009-01-10T21:04:00.002-06:00

Julia at Hooked on Houses is hosting a Hooked on Friday blog party at

http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/01/08/hooked-on-fridays-martha-stewarts-glass-chandelier/

This is a beautiful chandelier that I love. It would look so lovely in my home.

Here's the link where I found it. And not a bad price either. ;)

http://www.gallery803.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=144

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Katherine

Flower Shop

2009-01-08T20:13:00.001-06:00

I went to the flower shop today to get some flowers for my Great Uncle's funeral. The only flower arrangement that they had was purple and pink flowers. So I bought this pretty plant instead. They added a nice blue bow since it was for a man.

Unfortunately, they had few flowers left because there have

been so many funerals this week that they were behind on orders.

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Katherine