I am so excited! My brother in law Travis is making me a cutting board. I've always wanted a really big chopping block and now I'm getting one. It is going to be 23"x23" and will fit on my counter right beside my stove. I will post some pictures when I get it.
Eric is out riding. Morgan is not here and I really wish she was. I really miss her when she's gone.
I'm trying to decide what to do first. I have all kinds of projects to get working on.

I have been thinking alot about my life and the way that I live it. I have a great life but there are a lot of changes that I want to make. First off I am going to get my house in order and organized. It's clean, very clean, but I hold on to every thing. I am going to find a church that I feel that I am learning what God wants me to. I am going to start cooking two meals every time that I cook so that I can have a stockpile in the freezer. I do have to start back to work in January, so if I have things in the freezer my family can still have a healthy meal every night. I am going to start exercising every day. I need to start taking better care of myself. I don't want to become one of my patients. I really want to be a happier person this year. I am really going to start working on selling things on my etsy site. I would love to not have to work at the hospital any longer. If I could just go in and take care of my patients and spend time with them and not have to worry about the paper work and who is watching over my back, I would love my job. But its not that way and it never will be. We have talked about trying to have a baby this year. I am so very excited about this and scared to death at the same time. I have set guite a few goals for myself this year. I want to learn some new things, rug hooking, knitting socks, I want to grow some new things in the garden, and I want to find new recipes to make with what I grow. I plan to make all sorts of salsa's, jams, jellies, chutneys, and things like that for Christmas gifts next year. I have received some very good cookbooks and canning books over the last month or so that is going to help me with that. I also plan to get my recipes organized, in binders and on cards. I want to get rid of my magazine collections and make room for other things. So I plan on making a big scrap book of the things I like out of the magazines that I have and recycle the left overs. I am now a Stampinup Demonstrator, so I will be having some Stampinup camps here at my home as well. Its going to a busy and fun happy organized year! Oh and I get to split up my weekends between Eric and Morgan. He will be racing every weekend from February to April for the Wake Forest cycling team. Morgan will playing volleyball during that time and then go straight into soft ball. I won't have a single free weekend this spring. Oh well.

I got a really good cook book for Christmas from my husbands Aunt Kathy, Stirring Performances. I made a blueberry pound cake yesterday. It was so good.

Blueberry Pound Cake
1 pint blueberries
3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
2 c sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Toss berries with 1/4 c of the flour and set aside. Sift remaining flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and veat until fluffy. Fold dry ingredients into batter until well blended. Gently stir in berries. Turn into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, until cake tests done. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto cooling rack.

Enjoy!

By the way, the sour dough pancakes were very good. They tasted like buckwheat cakes. The bread turned out very good as well.

What a wonderful Christmas! It has been an absolute blessing to be able to spend time with my family. Of course all of the great food was nice too:) My dear husband was so generous and thoughtful this year, as always. He gave me a down jacket, an immersion blender, an enamal coated cast iron frying pan, a pink t shirt that has a tractor on it, a white gold necklace with a heart and a set of family rings that are white gold with his, Morgan's and my birthstones. He said that they were left individual to be able to add too them easily. The jeweler made a mistake with them, so I get them in a few days. Morgan gave me a picture album with some beautiful pictures that she had her cousin take of her, I love it. She is so beautiful. She also made me some pot holders. She did an absolute beautiful job. My mom and dad gave me a grinding mill and a bag of wheat, bread pans, round cake pans, a pink john deere sweatshirt, cook book, crocheted dish cloths.
I can't wait to use my grinder! I also can't wait for things to start to get back to normal around here so I can start some new projects.
My sister got her first sewing machine, she is so excited. I am so excited for her. She also got her very first computer, which will be here in about a week. She is so excited to have email and to get on MaryJane's farm. She's a little tired of hearing my mom and I talk about it, so now she gets to as well.
I hope that you all had as wonderful a Christmas as our family did.

Last Sunday I started my very first ever sour dough starter. I got the recipe from my favorite book Mary Jane's Ideabook. So after feeding it everyday all week, today it was ready to give up a cup. I was not able to bake a loaf of bread today, maybe tomorrow. But what I did do was make some pancake batter for in the morning. Yum, yum!
Tomorrow is the first of our Christmas get togethers at my Aunt Wanda's house. I love seeing her. Then we will open gifts here early Christmas morning before going to breakfast at my Mom and Dad's house. Wednesday and Saturday with Eric's family. Eric is off work all week, I hope that the weather stays nice so that he can go riding. He's so much happier when he does.
Merry Christmas!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very disorganized person. And very messy at times. Especially my car, sewing room and closet. I come from a long line of pack rats. One of my goals this year is to get organized and stay organized. I started some of that today in my sewing room. I cleaned out the closet there and put in some shelves to nicely stack folded fabric on. I moved a book shelf into my room and went through all of my books, I have a stack to take to the library to donate and some to give away to anyone else who wants them. I also have a ton of nursing text books that I will never use again, don't know why I thought that I would and did not get some money back by selling them back to the bookstore 3 years ago when I was in school. I go back to work on January 7th, I plan on tackling a room everyday (that we are here) until then. I am just so tired of being cluttered.
We are planning on trying to get pregnant this spring, so I want it all done by then.

Well we are home and I have been a busy little bee. I have been wrapping Christmas presents, of course I still have some to finish making. I rearranged my sewing room to give me more space and a better cutting area. I have been so inspired by some other bloggers that I have been reading. They seem to have it all together and it makes me a little envious. But the only way to get over that is to get up and do it myself. Maybe someday someone will be saying that about my blog.

Last night I made the most scrumptious chicken pot pie. It is so simple and the recipe makes 2, so we had one last night and the other went into the freezer for later. I am really trying to get things lined up to make healthier dinners for my family. I have always had a garden and frozen what I could and did some canning. But the canner I have I purchased for $5 at a yard sale, it is big enough to can 5 quarts, but I can't get a new seal for it. So for now I've only been able to do hot water baths. I'm hoping to get a new canner before this summer. I am going to just save my money and pay full price (something that I really hate doing). But it will save me money in the long run, so it's all worth it. Here are some pictures of the pie from last night. I will post the recipe for anyone who is interested.

This morning I awoke to an ice storm. It was very pretty. Only because it had already stopped raining and had warmed up. It's almost gone now.

Well, we're in Norfolk. It's beautiful weather, 75 degrees today. We've been having a nice time, although I can't wait to get back home.
Tomorrow I get to meet my very first Farm Girl from MJ's website. Nance in France and I are going meet up for the afternoon. We spoke on the phone and she is so nice, I can't wait!

Wow, I have been busy this week. I made a trip to Winchester, in the snow (the first one of the year), to make a beautiful basket with Joanna. I will definately be going back, it was so much fun. I got my stampin up kit, and have not had any time to play with it yet, but I will tomorrow and this week. I have just about all of my Christmas presents. There are still a few that I still need to make, and of course I still need to wrap them. The tree is up and decorated.
We had our Farm girl cookie exchange this afternoon. And oh can these girls bake. I have never had such wonderful cookies, and all at one time. We had a wonderful time. Our next meeting we start our quilt blocks. I'm so excited.
Tomorrow I will be going to Bonnie's to work on my stamps and make some cards and projects. Then we leave on Monday to go to Norfolk for a meeting for Eric's work. We will be home on Friday. I am happy to have some time with him, however I will miss Morgan. But she is 13 and acts like she does not need me anymore. I know she does, I just wish she wanted to.

We saw The Nutcracker last night, it was beautiful. We really enjoyed it, although I started getting a headache from someones perfume. Which made me get very sick by the time we got home. But I did feel better this morning.
My husband must really love me. This year I decided to do the "green thing" and get a balled Christmas tree that we can plant in our front yard. It did not look so big at the lot, but when we got it home well that was another story. It took quite a lot of pulling, pushing and tugging to get it inside. But it is up and will be decorated tomorrow. I was good and let Eric take a nice nap afterward while I made him a homemade chicken pot pie. I really enjoy doing things for him like that. I wish that I could do more.

I have been home for a few days and getting all kinds of stuff done. I am off for a month and it hardly seems like enough time for me to get everything done that I want to do.
But I found some inspiration this morning, although I get inspiration every morning when I get up and read my bible and do my morning prayers. But I found a blog that is so spiritual and uplifting, I will definately be reading again. She is hosting a giveaway on her blog, if you go here and leave a post she will enter you into her drawing, elizabethssimplejourney.blogspot.com.

I had my niece and nephew spend the night with Morgan last night. So tonight I am supposed to have a date with my wonderful husband. Not sure yet what we'll do. Tomorrow we are taking Morgan to see The Nutcracker. I'm so excited!

I've started packing up my apartment, not that there is that much to pack. It's kindof sad. I'm going to really miss everyone that I worked with. I cried last night, tonight I'm sure will be worse. There are some really great people there and I hope that we are able to keep in touch.
But on the bright side of things, I will be home. I will be home everyday. I love my home.

Christine and I found this online last night, sounds very yummy.

Candy Cane Cocktail
1 shot vanilla rum
1 shot white chocolate liqueur (Godiva recommended)
1 shot peppermint schnapps
Candy cane garnish

Add all liquid ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into martini glass. Garnish with candy cane.
We thought that it might even be good as a latte.

This week has gone by so slow. Oh how I wish it were Wednesday, and I would be home. I am so excited to be home everyday and not leaving for a week at a time. I miss my family and my home so much.
I've made my Christmas lists, my wants and the to buy for everyone else list. I'm getting excited about Christmas this year. I can't wait to start decorating this week. I found a tree that can be replanted, therefore saving a tree and getting a new lawn ornament.
I'm happy that Eric is riding again. He seems happier. He is working as hard as he can, given his limited time, to start racing again this spring. It's kindof exciting, I get to go to all of the races. I'm very proud of him, he works so hard. I want to do something special for him, but its so hard to know what he wants. He never says what he wants, he just goes and gets it. I will be so happy when he gets out of school, I know that he will too. It's been very hard for all of us, but I'm told that it will be worth it in the end. He has worked very hard at this and I hope that he finds the job that he deserves and one that is rewarding and makes him happy. I just don't want to move too far away. I'm starting to come to grips with the idea of having to move, I just wish I knew where so that I could start looking at things there and start to get an idea of what life will be like. I just want to be able to have a small farm and be able to do the little things that I am trying to get started now. Things that I have wanted to do for a long time. But these are all my things and not his, so he does not understand why I like them and want them so badly. It's a part of me and how I was raised. I miss it terribly, when I had it I did not appreciate it. I just want to be able to pass it on to my children, they may not like it, but I feel that it is important for them to know these things. I want them to know where the eggs and milk come from, not the cooler in the grocery store. I want them to get there hands dirty in the garden and watch the vegetables grow and be able to go out and pick off a tomato and eat it right there with the juice running down their dirty little faces. It was so much fun as a child to just run and play outside and get dirty, go play in the creek and walk through the woods. I wish that I could be a kid again.

Pumpkin Bread
3 1/4 c pumpkin (one 29 oz can)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 1/4 c sugar
3/4 tsp cloves
4 c flour
3/4 c cooking oil
3 tsp soda
3/4 tsp salt
Mix pumpkin, oil and sugar. Add other ingredients. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

I just finished writing out my Farmgirl Christmas cards. They will be in the mail this week.

Last night I took care of a patient that was so sweet. He told me about his wife that died 4 years ago. They had been married for 59 years. He told me that she was wonderful and that he would have spent a thousand years with her if he could have. I hope that my husband feels that way about me. I know that I do him.

I am going to try to post a new recipe each day. Please feel free to copy them.
Basic Meatballs

1 lb hamburger
1 c Italian style bread crumbs
1 egg
Pinch of basil
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove of minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together. Shape into balls approximately the size of a whole walnut. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

I miss my family. But I'll be home Wednesday, and won't have to be gone like this anymore. YAY!!!
I am going to start decorating and making Christmas candy and cookies.

Chocolat Mousse Truffles
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 pound dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 ounce pure vanilla
Cocoa powder

Place cream and butter in a pot and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in melted dark chocolate. Mix with a beater until smooth. Add vanilla and mix again until smooth. Refrigerate until the mixture has become solid enough to scoop, at least 4 hours. Scoop out small balls and roll in cocoa powder. Keep refrigerated.

Yield: approximately 2 pounds


Sounds good. I hope you enjoy, I know I will.

Oh, I have been so busy. I've been sewing, making aprons, Christmas ornaments, and pillows. I also downloaded an embroidery design to make paper dolls. They are adorable. I am making some for my niece for Christmas. As soon as I get some pictures of them I will post them. The house smells so wonderful, with my most favourite thing, pumpkin pie. I made 2 of them for tonight. We are having dinner at my mom and dad's. Tomorrow I head back to work, but before I go to work I am going to have dinner with a former patient and his family. They are such wonderful people and they thought about me being out of town for the holiday and invited me to have dinner with them and their family. How sweet and thoughtful.
That is one thing that I can say about being in Fredericksburg, I have met some wonderful people. I will miss my co workers and the patients. I will definately be back for a visit.
Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm home for a few short days. I plan on getting items posted on my new etsy site. I'm so excited. I will also be dragging out the Christmas decorations to start decorating next week. I love Christmas. It just goes by so fast. I'm off to start embroidering and sewing.

I hate leaving home and coming back to work. It always makes me so sad. And right now I feel so alone anyway, I have this strange way of alienating everyone around me without meaning to. So maybe its a good thing that I'm here at work and not at home. Sometimes I just feel helpless and have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing. I just wish that I knew what was right for me to do, no matter what I do people are not going to be happy. To make myself fully happy, others are not, to make the others happy then I'm not. Dear Lord what do I do?

Farm Girls Next Door

We had our first Farm Girl meeting last night. It was a blast. We had great food, lots of great conversation, and some wonderful goodies. I can't wait to meet again.

Ballooning

Today was fabulous!!! I finally got my balloon ride. I was scared to death at first, taking off was not fun. The rest was wonderful. I can't wait to do it again. We met some very nice people on our trip. It was just a beautiful day and perfect for a ride. The leaves were gorgeous.

New Friend

I had such a great day yesterday. It started out with a trip to the fabric store, which always makes me happy. Then I met my new friend, who has to be another sister seperated at birth, I have a few of those already. Bonnie and I had such a great time Stampin Up, and I am now a new consultant:) Something else to add to the long list of interests that can get me in so much trouble. Then my night ended with some quality time with Eric. That seems very hard to find these days, so I am very excited and thankful when I do get it.
Today is the much awaited Hot Air Balloon ride. I am so excited!!! I can't wait to get up there and see all the beautiful leaves changing. It's going to be wonderful.

Have a great day, and God bless.

We've gone wireless

I'm so excited, we have gone wireless. Now I can use my computer in my sewing room. So while I'm using my embroidery machine I can be on the internet, watching Grey's Anatomy or surfing Mary Jane's Farm:) I've started on some Christmas presents. This time of year is so much fun, I love to decorate. This year I want a real homemade farmgirl Christmas.
I had my embroidery class today, I learned a little. It's soooo overwhelming. Oh well, I'll just keep at it, I have 4 more classes to go to.
I've been in a funky mood today and I don't know why. My day started off great but later on I started to just feel blah. I don't like feeling like this, I'm a happy person.
Oh well, I get to go stamping tomorrow and meet someone new. Hopefully that will cheer me up. And I always have my balloon ride and farmgirl party to look forward to.
Still working on the pictures.
Have a lovely night.

First Day Off

My first day off has been a great one. I made two throw pillows, hemmed Eric's pants (that I had been forgetting to do) , and did some cleaning. I also scanned some of my wedding pictures into the computer, I will post those later. I went to one of my favorite places School House Fabrics and of course I never can come out of there with just what I went in there for. I went for 2 skeins of thread to finish a punchneedle snowman. I came out with fabric for aprons, tote bags, and a lap top bag. I am constantly finding more projects to do, but I am finishing some that I have already started.

First Post

I'm so excited about this. This is my first time posting. I'm off of work for the next 8 days. I will be working on Christmas ornaments, fireplace runners and Christmas presents. I will also be hosting the first meeting of The Farm Girls Next Door. I can't wait for that. My first class to learn my software for my embroidery designs is also this week. My best friend Charity's birthday is this coming week, we get to go out together and celebrate. I miss her so much. Happy Birthday Charity!
Morgan is in Tennessee tonight for an overnight field trip. Eric is at school. And I'm at my mom's learning how to blog.
Sounds like I am going to have a busy week. I am also going on a Hot Air Balloon ride on Sunday. It will be so beautiful with all of the leaves changing. I will be posting some pictures later.
I only have 9 days of work left in Fredericksburg. I will really miss my new friends there, but I am going to be so happy to be at home everyday.
Have a happy and blessed week!