Hope Continually -- Psalm 71:14

Goodbye January! January is a long month, isn't it?  It helps me to get through this month with working on my goals that I have made.  Our January is very dreary here in Oregon.  Not much sunshine - cloudy and rainy skies mainly.  So that's not going for me.  Ha! So what can I do?  I make sure I am taking my walks outdoors with Max for fresh air.  I am hitting the gym 3x a week.  I have been listening to audio books during the day as I do my housework.  I am working my way through my new Bible every morning.   What do you do to get through the long, dark winter months? Well, it has been a good month - goodbye January 2022!

Friday, January 21st, we hit our 100th day of school for this school year.  I did a little treat to celebrate - the number 100 with Swiss cake rolls and scoops of ice cream. It is always fun to just celebrate the little things!

Buckeyes The Christmas holidays are over but this recipe is good any time of the year.  It is a favorite of mine especially being a native of Ohio.  Make these for a friend for a sweet Valentine's treat! 1 1/2 cups peanut butter (16 oz. jar) 1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick) 1 tsp. vanilla extract Up to 2 cups of confectioners' sugar 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup) 2 tbsp. shortening In a medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar with hands a little at a time to form a smooth, stiff dough. Do not add all at one time or your mixture may be too dry. You may not use all the confectioner's sugar-use your discretion. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on wax paper-lined cookie sheets. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Melt chocolate chips in a double broiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.  Stir f...

My daughter Autumn and I were talking about how our favorite museum is Sauder Village in northwest Ohio.  On FB, they have been sharing photos of the village and I thought I would share them here too.  I wish we lived closer so we could make summer visits! Building #1 in the village is Erie's Shop .  It was originally located on the Sauder Family Farm and is where Sauder Woodworking began when Erie Sauder began working with wood at the age of 16. The inside of the workshop with Erie's tools. The outside of Erie's shop - where it all began. The next building  #2  is Sauder Cabinet Shop .  It pays tribute to the importance of woodworking in this region's development.  It also displays a unique collection of woodworking tools.  Here is one of the village's demonstrators for the cabinet shop. The outside of the Sauder Cabinet Shop. The next photos are of Building #3 - The Basket Shop .  The ladies in the basket shop demonstrate how the pioneers...

Our oldest daughter, Addie, started her second semester at Pensacola Christian College.  Classes began Tuesday.  We are proud of her and going forward with her future. We are grateful for PCC - Pensacola Christian College!

Hey!  We are in the last full week of January 2022 and halfway through this week.  We are getting closer to finishing up this long winter month.   Our days are pretty simple.  School - we passed the 100-day mark and are in the third grading period for the year.  Sierra is working her part-time job now at McDonald's and is working lunch and afternoon shifts.  Autumn is still working cleaning at our school/daycare and works 4-6pm every day.  Addie is back in Florida in college. The days are getting longer each day and we are having fewer rainy days and seeing more sunshine. I hope your week and month is going well!

Happy Tuesday! I believe we need Scripture such as this more than ever.  This world holds no peace for us.   But there is one person in which we can find peace...the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't have to be afraid.  We can have peace. Praise Him!!

Monday.  Sometimes I reach the end of Sunday night and feel discouraged.  Dishes are piled up by the end of the night and the house is disheveled from the weekend activity.  But you know what?  Monday is a fresh start.  And Tuesday is a fresh start.  And so on. Don't get discouraged and keep on. :)

What is this photo?  It is my new wedding ring set that my husband and daughters chose for me for my Christmas gift this year.  Six years ago, my diamond came out of my engagement ring when in the shower and I haven't had any to wear for six years. This Christmas, he replaced it with a new set. I wanted to share this photo because it means a lot to me.  Because today, Eric asked me out for our first date on January 23rd twenty-three years ago. 23 on 23. I am so grateful for a wonderful marriage.  Not perfect marriage but I think wonderful.  :)   I hope we have lots more "first" dates together.

Thirty-two years ago, my Grandpa Holt went to Heaven.  You are missed, Grandpa!  I am grateful for the time I did have him in my life - I was 13 when he passed.  And I am grateful that he accepted the Lord as his Savior and I will see him again one day.

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup This recipe is from my sister Rachel who got it from her husband's grandma.  Grandma's homemade chicken noodle soup - we all need a recipe like this. :) Boil 4 chicken leg quarters , cool, and pull chicken off the bone. *Slow boil for approximately 2 hours on medium-low heat. Strain broth.  Put the broth back in the pot.  Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.   Add 10 bouillon cubes, 3-4 chopped celery sticks, 2-3 chopped carrots, and one onion sliced thinly. *Saute veggies in butter before adding to pot for extra flavor! Add parsley to taste. Boil 7-10 minutes until vegetables are soft.  Add chicken and noodles.  Boil until noodles are soft. Homemade soup is always better with homemade noodles!  Here is the recipe my sister gave me she has used for years. Homemade Egg Noodles 1 cup of flour 2 large eggs 1/2 tsp. salt Stir together ingredients and roll out on a flat surface with LOTS of flour.  The dough will...

Someone is comfy and cozy taking her long afternoon nap. :) One meal I made this last week was orange chicken, fried rice and homemade eggrolls.  Eggrolls are very easy so don't be intimidated by them.  And they are just as good as leftovers.  I got the last two! This is the last bit of the red beans.  It's hard to believe how fast a stock pot goes in this family! I tried making fried rice as I said.  When I went by the recipe, it didn't really have any flavor.  I had to add A LOT more sauce and seasonings.  So I want to go over more recipes to see how to improve.  A whole batch was gone in one day so I guess it was good. One of my yearly goals is to have a monthly date with each girl.  Since Addie is here most of this month, we had a date yesterday.  This month's date is Subway - I got some good coupons in the mail to make it affordable. :) Pray for her as she flies out tomorrow to go back for her second semester of college in Florida. ...

  Monday, January 17th, we had the family over for a family dinner of red beans and rice before Addie goes back for her second semester of college.  We also celebrated Max's birthday for this month in which he turned 13 years old. :) Remember the brownie trifle recipe I shared?  This is it above.  Yum! Sentimental cooking up the red beans thinking of my father-in-law.  He has been gone a year now and red beans are a special memory with him.   All done!  Just simmering in the stock pot for dinner time. :) Sierra, Jack, Evan, Addie and Eric Summer, Autumn, Kylee and Rachel Max the birthday dog with his birthday bandana Autumn made him a special cake. Such a fun photo! Singing happy birthday to him. Happy birthday, buddy! Playing Phase 10 to end the night.

  Friday morning's sunrise. :) On my drive to work on Friday.  It turned foggy. From the church parking lot. Finally, by our last recess, we had blue skies and sunshine! After work, Eric and I tried a new Mexican restaurant and we really liked it.  Yum! They even gave you a free little dessert which was good too!   A good Friday!