Hope Continually -- Psalm 71:14

  Last day of April 2021!  What a month it has been.  Living here in Oregon, we have actually had the driest April on record.  Whoa!  Kind of ironic but I can't lie and say I haven't truly enjoyed the sunshine and spring weather. It has been a busy month finishing up our school year.  Looking forward to starting the month of May and some summertime activities for our family. :)

Wow!  Almost the end of April.  The girls and I are working hard to finish up our school year this week. The last day of videos, homework and final quizzes and tests.  It's always exciting to wrap it up - all the hard work for another year.  Trudging through and looking forward to wrapping it up soon - hopefully all by the end of next week. The weather has been up and down.  It was cool and we had some rain this weekend - which was needed.  This week has been cool and overcast so far warming up to almost 80 and then cooling off some.  I need to get out this weekend and do some weeding again.  Boy, do they pop up quickly! The girls have been attending youth events at church.   Sunday evening @ 6:30pm - High School youth group at Grace   Monday evening @ 7pm - High School youth group at Northwest Tuesday evening @ 5:30pm - Baseball game - my nephew, Jack Wednesday evening @ 4pm - Middle School Bible study @ Grace @ 6:30pm - Quest...

My Grandma's Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies This recipe came from my Grandma McCurdy and it was one of the things I loved when my mom made.  This is a soft and moist cookie and is one of my favorite cookies ever.  Enjoy! 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 2 1/2 cups sugar 4 small eggs 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 4 1/2 cups sifted flour 4 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. vanilla 2 tsp. nutmeg Chopped walnuts or raisins (optional) In a mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, sugar and eggs.  Blend together with mixer until smooth.  Set aside.   In a second mixing bowl, combine buttermilk and baking soda.  Blend together until foamy.  Set aside.   In a third bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  Stir together.  Slowly add contents of the second bowl to the contents of the first bowl and beat together.  Add contents of the third bowl one cup at a time to wet ingredients.  Mix until all has been combined.  Then add vanilla...

On Wednesday, I spent the day at my sister's working on her garden beds.  They are renting a home which have five raised beds but boy, they are a mess.   I don't think they have been used in awhile. Yikes! It was an absolutely perfect day weather-wise to work on them!  Clear, blue skies.  Mid 70's.  And a nice cool breeze when you started to get hot.  Beautiful! Autumn came out from working on school and helped me.  She did almost one entire bed by herself. Max looking like he is gonna go herd some sheep.  LOL!   He was such a good boy for me.  Stayed close and obeyed.  Wanted to just be with me.  I just love him. Whew!  That was a lot of work but don't they look different! I just love gardening!  Sunshine.  Dirt.  Working outside.  So feel good for me!  I can't wait to have my own right in my own yard. :)

 One of my favorite places is Sauder's Village in Archbold, OH.   Take with a walk through time in Ohio's largest historic village that captures Ohio life 1803 to 1928. Hear stories shared by historically costumed guides in historic homes and shops, take a ride on the Erie Express train, visit animals in the farmyard and marvel at working craftsmen blending skill and creativity in glass, metal, fiber, wood and clay. I lost my photos for our last visit to the village :( that I wanted to share with you. So I will be sharing ones weekly from their FB page as they highlight "SauderVillageABC". S is for Schuck Jewelry Store. The Schuck Jewelry Store is located on the east side of our 1920s Main Street at Sauder Village. More than necklaces, rings, and watches, jewelry stores of the 1920s offered a wide array of high-end items including China sets, porcelain, eyewear, tea services, flatware, cuff link sets, cameras, electric lamps, and much more.   A Bit of History ....

  This was a photo I took many years ago.  It is Summer.  She always wanted to play the piano like her big sisters. This is her now - doing lessons with her aunt.  My sister, Rhoda, via Facetime.  I love that they can do this with her and she has learned so much just in the few months that she has done lessons with her.  Good memories with these photos. :)

    One of my favorite places is   Sauder's Village   in Archbold, OH.   Take with a walk through time in Ohio's largest historic village that captures Ohio life 1803 to 1928. Hear stories shared by historically costumed guides in historic homes and shops, take a ride on the Erie Express train, visit animals in the farmyard and marvel at working craftsmen blending skill and creativity in glass, metal, fiber, wood and clay. I lost my photos for our last visit to the village :( that I wanted to share with you. So I will be sharing ones weekly from their FB page as they highlight "SauderVillageABC". R is for Restaurant. It is believed that the structure that is now the Barn Restaurant was built in about 1861 by a construction crew from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The barn was built on the Mose Stutzman farm just two miles northeast of Sauder Village. The worn-out barn began its new life in the winter of 1974 in a five-day journey across frozen fields to its present ...

 Here are some throwback photos from Sauder Village - they are celebrating their 45th anniversary this year. :)

Peach Cobbler In all the years that I have blogged, I have never shared one of my favorite dessert recipes - peach cobbler!  So here it is - I have been making this many years and it is so good with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. 2 large cans and one small can of sliced peaches, drained OR 3 large cans of sliced peaches, drained 2 cups Bisquick 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1/2 cup cold butter, cut in pats cinnamon Pour the drained peaches into a baking dish, 9x13.  Distribute the peaches evenly on the bottom of the dish.  In a medium bowl, mix Bisquick, sugar, and eggs until crumbly.  Dab or crumble on top of the peaches.   Place pats of cold butter all over the top of the crumble mix.   Sprinkle with cinnamon.   Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

  Sunday started off with the morning service at 9am.  New series is Recovery. Last weekend, there was a total off 44 people baptized in the three weekend services - praise the Lord!    Free drinks at the cafe after church. :) It was a beautiful weekend - we decided to go to the ocean - Neskowin Beach. Even though the temperature was supposed to be cool, it showed that it was clear and sunny at the beach. Green, rolling hills on the drive there. Autumn getting some driving time in. Mom gets stuck in the backseat. So, as you can see, there was no sun at the beach.  None.  Ugh!  I was so sure that it would be a perfect day to enjoy the beach and the views of the ocean.  Soak in some sun.  It was literally foggy like this the entire time we were there. Us girls always bring our books to read. :) I loved this so much - Summer brought her painting supplies so she could paint the beach scene.  So cute! When we left and got about 60 seconds dow...