Homestead in the Winter


A homestead is a dwelling and the property connected to it that a family uses for their living purposes.  Some people use their homesteads to grow food for their family; some have animals to provide dairy foods or meats, or even fibers for textiles. It's not the  extent to which you develop self-sufficiency that makes it a homestead.  Nor is it the setting, as homesteads can be rural or urban, or anywhere in between. It's not the size that matters either.  In my mind, a homestead is a matter of the heart.

Vertical Vegetable Gardening - A Must-Read for Any and All Gardeners



Vertical Vegetable Gardening: A Living Free Guide by Chris McLaughlin
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: ALPHA (December 31, 2012)
ISBN: 978-1615641833

If you're an experienced gardener, you're probably accustomed to thinking about your spring garden throughout the winter months.  But if you're new to gardening, like I am, it's probably been the furthest thing from your mind.  In either case, Chris McLaughlin's latest book release, Vertical Vegetable Gardening, is sure to become a favorite resource for anyone who is planning their next garden.

As a Master Gardener, McLaughlin has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. Her vested interest in gardeners as well as gardens is evident in her writing as she conveys, "the whole point of gardening is to grow things, and a gardener's personal growth is perhaps the most important."  McLaughlin's insights and enthusiasm shared in Vertical Vegetable Gardening left me feeling excited and confident to begin my gardening adventure.

Lord, Make My Heart a Manger


How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive Him still,
the dear Christ enters in!

Bacon Bark


Bacon . . . caramel . . . chocolate . . . sea salt!  If you are skeptical about making this treat, don't be!  It is knock-your-socks-off delicious!  Get the recipe from my friends at Farmhouse 38.

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Banana Nut Bread in a Blender


You don't have to be a genius or a gourmet chef to figure out that the key to the best Banana Nut Bread is the bananas!  They have to be ripened to perfection . . . just on the verge of too ripe.  We buy and eat bananas often because they are so rich in Vitamin A, iron, phosphorus and potassium. They're a good source of energy.  Because we buy a lot of bananas, it's not unusual for us to have a couple of overly ripe ones sitting around.

Bananas that are overly ripe have just the right level of sweetness and texture to make  delicious banana bread. Throw in a handful of roughly chopped nuts, and you've got Banana Nut Bread!  I usually keep some walnuts in the freezer so I have them on hand for snacking or when a recipe calls for them. (Walnuts are rich in fiber, Vitamins B and E, magnesium, and protein.  They're a great anti-oxidant!)  Wow . . . add a couple of farm fresh eggs from my free-ranging chickens, and this is sounding like a healthy treat.  Well, not so fast.  It does have refined sugar and flour and vegetable oil in it, so it's not a low-calorie food, but it's still a more nutritional dessert than most cakes.

Banana Nut Bread is quick and easy to make.  Did you ever make it in a blender?

My Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies


Cut-out sugar cookies is something I have wrestled with for many years.  I don't know why, but something always seems to go awry.  Either they are too dry and crack, or they spread out too much and lose their shapes, or they crumble easily.  It always seems to be something.  I've tried many different sugar cookie recipes, and I've experimented with adapting them.  I've tried shortening or butter, powdered sugar or granulated sugar; baking powder or baking soda.  I've just never been extremely pleased, but I always make them because, well, cut-out sugar cookies are a Christmas tradition and (should) look nice on the cookie tray.

I think this year I finally got it right, and I wrote down what I did so I wouldn't forget!  This dough was so easy to handle, and the finished cookies are just right. I think the winning combination is to use butter (not shortening or margarine), granulated sugar, and baking powder.  And, you know, I think, just maybe, the fresh eggs from my free-range chickens might have something to do with it too!

Christmas Decorating Series - Part 4 : Tour of Trees


In the fourth and final post of the Christmas Decorating series, I'll take you on a tour of some of my themed Christmas trees.  I'll also show you a few other Christmas decorations and vignettes.

Christmas Decorating Series - Part 3: The Angel Tree


The Angel Tree is one of my favorites of all my trees.  It began a couple of decades ago with a few precious angels that I received as gifts.  I bought a small tree to put them on.  As the years went by and I continued to receive angels as gifts, I had to get a bigger tree for them.  Each ornament is a reminder of a dear friend or family member, some of them no longer with us in this world but in the eternal presence of the Lord.

This is Part 3 of a series on Christmas Decorating.  You can catch up with Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them.

Christmas Decorating Series - Part 2: Putting Up a Tree


I love Christmas trees.  So much so, that I put up 15 trees with lights and decorations.  They vary in height from this little one-foot tree to a few eight-feet trees.  It's not so much that I love the part about putting them up.  Sometimes that can be frustrating. But I do enjoy decorating them, each one with a theme, and I especially love looking at them!  This is Part 2 of the Christmas Decorating Series.  If you missed it, you can catch up with Part 1: The Lights.

Christmas Decorating Series - Part 1: Lights


It's that time of year again!  Time to deck the halls!  So I climbed up into the attic to retrieve my boxes of Christmas decorations. There they are . . . right where I left them last year (I think). Well, I better get busy, because there aren't any elves who are going to come and do it while I'm sleeping (are there?). 

I've had a lot of experience decorating Christmas trees.  For one thing, I've been around for quite a while, and for another thing, I've been decorating a dozen or more trees in my home for many years.  Yes, I tend to go overboard, but I can't help it; I have a Christmas tree fetish.  Each tree has a theme and a name. I thought I'd write a series of posts about my Christmas trees, sharing a few tips I picked up along the way and giving a tour of them.  This is Part 1 in the series- The Lights!