PERFORMANCE!

My baby girl, 16 year old Daughter*4, played the part of Gabriella Montez in "High School Musical" for their.......High School Musical! The performances were before Thanksgiving, and I was involved with that and haven't been on the blog since!





My daughter is on the right of the picture. Her best girlfriend was asked to play the part of a female basketball player because they needed more "singers" on the "team". She did a great job with the guys. They do lots of things together. They sing and laugh and play volleyball and do what teenager girls do. They love each other like sisters...which is nice for my youngest to have a "sister" that lives near her... And I have fun with them. She calls me Mom E. since that is who I am!

I was privileged to be the Stage Mom.  I helped with things from decorations, to applying make up. It was a great time for everyone. Some of these kids I have known for most of their lives, but I was able to get to know more of her friends better. It was a blast! She has lots of good influence friends, the kind a Mom likes! It was a great group of kids with a variety of backgrounds, some of them probably would not have gotten to know each other if they had not been in the musical, but they were all happy they were in it together, just like the musical talks about. They will be friends for life now.

My heartstrings were bursting with Joy as I watched my "baby" girl sing on stage and play a part very well. She is talented, fun, intelligent, beautiful and most importantly kind. I am glad she is my daughter and friend. I was so happy to be able to be a support to her and her cast members and the teachers who directed the kids in the play.  They all did a fantastic job!

 I helped the Drama Teacher by adding florals and greenery to the stage. She brought a few from home and I brought the rest. My hubby always teases me saying, "They can use it, but they can't bring it back!"

GO WILDCATS!!!

Hearts to you,
Betsy

Blissful Whites Wednesday

I love Blissful White just about anything! So, when I noticed this particular recurring event, I was so excited to participate! When it was postponed, I was so sad, I hadn't set up my blog yet! Then, the wonderful artist, Becky of TIMEWASHED, picked up the event, I was excited again!

It is late in the day, but I wanted to share some things...
These are some gorgeous white monogram inserts?, I found this summer at a flohmarkt in Frankfurt, Germany! I had seen so many laces from Liz in Lalaland, I just wanted to see and buy some European laces...I was so excited! I cannot wait to find the perfect item to make with them..
These are a few different pieces that I purchased here and there at the flohmarkt from different vendors. They are so pretty and delicate. I do not speak German but Daughter*1, who lives there does,...she taught me the basics and let me loose at the flohmarkt.....I think I am over confident in Germany...

This is probably one of the most exciting things I found at the flohmarkt. This sweet little white celluloid religious book...*sigh....* is a German Prayer book! I was looking for something like this for Daughter *2's gift from Germany, she has taken German in college and had a fetish for small books when she was little. The picture is not as clear as I would like, but I will do better. The pearls were also purchased from a vendor at the market.








Look how exquisite the images in the book are...
                                                                                                                 

This book was published in 1897 and has a lovely clasp on the side that keeps the book closed. There is even a four-leaf clover pressed in between pages of this book, so sweet and enchanting... it made me wonder who originally owned this book...was it a child learning prayers for daily life? and did they cherish the book as much as the four-leaf clover...
 my imagination was stirred....

The laces, fabric, twill tape and the "B" eyelet monogram I also bought at the flohmarkt. I took these pictures a month or more ago with my new phone, the day I received this beautiful collage from Liz, along with a few baking tins I had purchased from her. The doily on the lower left came with a different package of items I purchased from Liz. It is so beautiful, I have PLANS for it as well. You SEE why I have become addicted!
I was so excited when I saw the "B" monogram, it was the only capital letter there and it stands for Betsy, I am SURE! I have a lovely item in mind for that piece as well.



There was one other absolutely exquisite item I had to leave behind in Germany...it was so hard to not bundle it up and steal away on the airplane with me....

This is my sweet Grandgirl*2, who was one of the main reasons for my trip, (Daughter*1 and her family live there) she was born literally less than 12 hours after I arrived in Germany. I made the ribbon bow for her picture but she is a beauty and didn't really need a bow.
The picture below is one with a blissful white headband on her that my MomInLaw, baby girl's Great Grandmother, made for her. It matches a gorgeous crocheted dress baby girl was blessed in...
I love all the beauties I found in Germany, the amazing country side, the gorgeous weather, even the lightning storms! The humidity, the hand laid bricks for the sidewalks, the laces, the fantastic food, the castles, the chocolate, so many things...
But this little bundle, her older sister and their parents are what tie my heartstrings tight to Germany... I cannot wait until I get to go back! I cried and cried at the airport when I had to say goodbye, but not until after I was walking away from them...
Hope you White Wednesday was a blissful as Mine!















Tugs at my heart,
Betsy

Yesterday was not what I anticipated....

I had plans with my dear friend, Marcella, to make apple sauce.  ..well..?  We found the cooler we keep the apples in had gotten too cold and froze the apples.... not good for sauce... this hasn't happened before...  So... Marcella worked on some ornaments while I messed around with graphics on the computer. She has been making some ornaments that she found a picture of on Pinterest and they turned out so pretty! 



 




We have such a good time together making things, we laugh and make each other work and share ideas with each other, it is just a great time when we do this. She is my sister from another Mother and I am so grateful for her friendship and love. Marcella helps me keep  things in perspective, my perfectionism gets in the way of production and she just loves things as she goes. I hope I get some of that rubbed off onto me! I seem to have more fun helping her than doing my own things. Maybe tomorrow I will do my own things! I do have some pictures of what she inspired me to make last Christmas. I was inspired to use Christmas cookie cutters for my ornaments.












These cookie cutters were some of my favorite when I was little. It is hard to see in this picture that it is a three dimensional picture. There is a layer of just Santa's arm and face on top of the same picture. There is a little glitter here and there to highlight  berries.

A Child wishing on a 
Christmas Star, or maybe under the mistletoe? 
There are extra cutouts of mistletoe leaves and words added to some of them.

This cookie cutter ornament is two sided, but I did not take any pictures of the other side, I don't know why... but I plan to make some more of this type this month for Christmas. I hope to take better pictures. I have a better idea what I am doing. These are the ornaments that did not sell at the bazaar. I hope to remake the ornaments that did sell and I will share them with you! They were so fun to make, and I was happy with how they turned out. I hope to make them better this year!

Christmas is the season that my heart anticipates most of all...I love giving love!
Happy ornament making!
Betsy

Saturday!

This Fall Saturday morning I have a Sunday School song going through my head while I am cleaning my house.
 "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday,
We clean the house and we shop at the store, so we don't have to work until Monday!
We brush our clothes and we shine our shoes and we call it our get the work done day,
Then we trim our nails and we shampoo our hair, So we can be ready for Sunday!"

Sometimes I wonder if this generation of children even knows what some of those things are.....
"Brush your....clothes..? Do we really have to shine our shoes......with wax....? Trim our nails...."  My children are pretty much grown, so they know what all those things are!

I received a text from a dear friend, and she sent me this picture....

This is her display in her dining room of her Harvest Decor and
the Non - Alcoholic Sparkling Cider we make on our farm from the apples we grow. Her son and his Homecoming date were in the group of kids that my daughter and her date went with. Since we live far enough away from a nice restaurant,
about 45 minutes in the opposite direction as the high school where the dance is held, Mothers of the kids get together to make and serve them a nice dinner.  If it is a boy ask girl dance, the boys' Moms make it. If it is a girl ask boy dance, the girls' Moms make it. But the kids in our
area are pretty familiar with our sparkling cider and they pretty much love it. So I sent these bottles my friend's home to make sure they had some to serve at the dinner as well as have some for their family.

 The bottle I sent for the dinner was our "Vintage Dry" sparkling cider. This second picture was taken by my dear niece, Jana Claus, of the other three varieties, "Classic Sweet", "Cherry" and "Harvest Crush". They are all an apple base, just different varieties of apples and some of fruit juice additions. The Classic Sweet is a variety of sweet apples combined for a unique fresh apple flavor. The Harvest Crush is apple with some grape juice added, and if I have to choose, I'd say this one was my favorite. But I like them all! The Vintage Dry is made from more tart varieties of apples and has a high level of tannins, which means you can feel it bubble on the roof of your mouth and, in an British accent, "it cleanses the palette".....and is good with a meal....or without! The Cherry has tart cherry juice added to it, and it tastes a bit like Cherry Pie at the end of your swallow. The Cherry is wonderful with Turkey and my hubby loves to make Cherry Cider floats with it and vanilla ice cream.....it is delicious! We have fun sharing it and getting the word out there about it to people. Locally we sell it at gift stores and some Grocery Stores. The Fruit Company in Hood River, Oregon uses our ciders in some of their gift baskets. Their gift baskets are available through Costco Stores and online. A Seattle Grocery Chain is also carrying it, the Metropolitan Market. We had such a great time doing tastings last November there and will be doing them again in a few weeks. It is so much fun to let people taste it.  It tastes like an apple in a bottle.  There is only fruit juices and carbonation, with sulphites as a preservative with no added sugar and it is Non-Alcoholic! It is great for reducing and using in sauces for meat and salad dressings. Tai Pan Trading in Sandy, UT also carries it in the Gourmet Foods section near the checkouts. You can look at our Sheffield Cider website and check it out if you like! We have FREE shipping if you purchase a case of cider, through the Holidays. If you order some, let them know you heard about it from me!

 I had a few bottles on my Halloween Table to offer to parents who drove their kids TOTing and both groups of kids tried to get their parents to believe that I gave the bottle to THEM! LOL One even said that he won it for having the best cosume of the two of them.....that would be The Grimm Brothers on my Halloween Blog.  I had to laugh and I appreciate his creativity.
You'll see lots of Sheffield Cider pictures on my blog!

Have a Wonderful Saturday!

Oh! One more picture.......

Liz from Lululizinlalaland posted these pictures of their Alfresco Lunch at their cottage in the Countryside of France, enjoying our cider. I am SO glad you liked it, Liz! She has been such a sweet friend to me, I love her brocante finds and vintage items she sells in her Etsy shop, LaCroixRosion and I enjoy some of them in my own home now! Because of her influence, I was so excited to go to the flohmarkt (Flea Market) in Germany when we were there this summer. I found gorgeous laces and all kinds of vintage beauties, silver and books and lace, Lace, LACE! I had to send her some cider out of gratitude! I love her style and she is SUCH fun! She was sweet enough to put pictures on her 

blog about our Sparkling Cider!

Oh, Two more pictures!

Don't they have an absolutely gorgeous view?
And that Tomato and Fresh Mozerella Cheese salad that is at Liz's place is one of my Favorite meals!
YUM!

Beautiful Sunday....

I enjoyed a worshipful Sunday today. We Skyped with our Daughter*1, her hubby and our 2 Grandgirls, so much fun! We attended church as a family and Daughter*2 and her hubby spent yesterday and today with us.  It is so nice to have them living near for a wonderful change.
Her hubby made us yummy dinner.....last night....AND today.  He is a wonderful cook and I really appreciate him being so kind and willing.  He made a wonderful Gluten Free Cherry/Berry Pie last night....just with a recipe in his head....and it was so wonderfully delicious!
My M-I-Law had dinner with us and helped me mend a knitted dolly sweater from a dolly I bought at a flea market in Germany this summer.....I was hoping she would know how to fix it. Between the two of us, it is fixed!
I am so grateful to my Savior, Jesus Christ, for His Love and willingness to atone for our sins. I am grateful to our Heavenly Father, who provided a way for us to return to Him, by His Grace and Mercy, made available to us by that atonement of His Son. I am grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit, that leads me and guides me and makes it possible for me to feel that connection to my Heavenly Father.
I will talk about my beliefs on this blog, because it is a large part of my life.  But, I share what I believe because it is a part of my everyday life, I know my talents come from Him. And I don't expect others to believe how I do, I just like to share my thoughts....This picture hangs in our entry way to remind us

I Feel My Savior's Love, The Love He Freely Gives Me

Hope your Sunday was a Sabbath!

A Beautiful November Day!

What a beautiful November day in our neck of the woods....
Where might that neck of the woods be?
On a farm in Southeastern Washington, a few hours south of Spokane, if you know where that is.

Our view to the Northeast off of our deck. What you see before you is our back lawn with an empty orchard, where the white sprinkler pipes stick up, just beyond it. The empty orchard is a post for another day. In the middle of the picture, on the right side, you see tall trellises with small trees. That section of the orchard was replanted last year and these small trees will grow on and be supported by the trellises.  The grove of large trees is across the road and where our neighbor's house is.  Their farm is to the left of the grove.  The most beautiful part about our view off our deck is in the distance. It is a natural gorge that travels about 12 miles to the north of us.  I like sit on the deck and enjoy moment to moment sunlight and view changes.

The view to the east of our home. The area you can see extends to about 250 acres. It is planted in Fuji apples, Perfection Apricots, More Fuji Apples, Bing Sweet Cherries,  Rival Apricots,Van Sweet Cherries, Gala Apples, Granny Smith Apples, and Pink Lady Apples.
Did I mention we grow Apples? This area used to be asparagus and it was wonderful to be able to walk out and cut it for a meal, but now I have to hunt for asparagus...What is that truck and trailer doing right next to my house you ask? That is also another post!

This is my view out my front door. With the help 

of my hubby, daughters and a son-in-law to be, at that time, we planted these trees so I could have some tall trees along with the orchard trees. On the left is a Cottonwood Tree, an old wood bench, a Butterfly Bush, two Aspen Trees, a Don Redwood Tree and the rest are more Aspens. I have flowers and Hostas that are more easily seen in the spring and summer, but I love the view in front of my home.

This is the north end of the line of Trees. The orchard is Organic Fuji Apples. I love being able to walk out and pick an apple off the tree to eat. Generally after harvest there are two trees with apples still hanging on them that I save for canning applesauce. This year I didn't get them marked so I have

to go to a different block on the farm where they are still picking apples. My hubby and his two brothers and about eight full time employees run the family farm. We hire additional employees for picking the approximately 850 acres of apples that we grow. It's a big job and we are grateful for our employees!
I have spent too much time on the computer, trying to edit photos and such, I am still learning! I am off to see my daughter and go to a Vintage Boutique, Garden Gate, that happens to be in the neighborhood I grew up in!!! I was so happy to find her, and that her backyard and the backyard of the house I grew up in are across the back fence and down a house from each other!
I will show you the treasures I find there!
Have a beautiful November day!

Happy (Supposed to be posted) November 1st!!

First, I want to Thank Liz of Lululiz in Lalaland for her expertise on MANY things....she encouraged me to start a blog and showed me tools I could use to make a blog. I have MUCH to learn, but I am learning....Hoo YA! Who would have known I could do this! THANK YOU, LIZ!!!! Thanks to my Daughter*1, who also has given, gives and will continue to give me computer help....I am her children's Grandma, you know, she still has to help me....THANK YOU, Daughter*1!!!!

I want to tell you how Trick or Treaters on Halloween went for me.....*rolling eyes* smiley face.....
Just so you know...I am so ADD....(Attention Deficit Disorder)....and I thought you may as well know about it NOW!

I was happily going about getting Treats ready for the kids and I was so excited! I love to make Rice Krispies Treats, but not the marshmallow kind, the peanut butter and butterscotch chip kind. And they have to be Gluten Free because a few of my children and I have Celiac Disease and have to eat that way. Then I decided to go and change into my costume......I think I forgot something though.....this is me talking to myself.....

"Hmmmm.....do I hear water running?  Hmmm......Oh, it is the end of the irrigation season, my hubby is blowing out the sprinklers on the farm, which the lawn sprinklers are connected too.....that is the noise....Hmmmm.....Is it raining?...Oh the kids will be disappointed to trick or treat in the rain...."
Then I looked around and saw.....
OH NO!!!!! I walked away from the stove .....AGAIN!!!! and the filmy stuff you see below the lights....? Yes, smoke....from the boiling corn syrup and sugar.....I do this far too often! I burn one batch of everything .....pancakes.... cookies..... anytime I have to fill a pan multiple times.....or NOT!...Humph!!!! This is so me, it makes me mad! So, I run to the stove and grab the pan,.... run to the door....and ...the dead bolt is locked....smoke billowing from the pan all along my way....I turn and turn and turn and run back to the stove because there is nowhere to put it down to open the door!!! What a goofball I am....I just started to laugh!!!!      


So this is what it looked like in the pan...
NO, this is NOT FOR TOFFEE!!!   OH, great! I have to start over again!
So, I was trying to figure out what I could do that would set fast....I was running out of time, besides running around the kitchen! LOL, that was a hilarious sight, let me tell you! So, I decided to just make a new batch and as I was measuring and mixing, I saw the gorgeous Madeleine Pans on my counter that I purchased from LuluLiz!!!!




"Wonderful!"....
"those will be PERFECT!"

 So, I made... Chocolate covered Rice Krispies "Cow Tongues" to give as treats...at least I told the older kids that is what they were.... *whispering voice.....but not to tell anyone they were made from Rice Krispies!  New batch...

GF Chocolate Covered Cow Tongues
1 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 cup white sugar
In a heavy pan, bring to a boil on the stove, stirring to get the sugar disolved....DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE!!! (and please don't ask why I say that......)
Stir well until sugar is dissolved and remove from heat.
Add 1 cup of peanut butter, smooth or chunky and stir until melted and mixed in.
In a large bowl, pour a 12 oz box of Gluten Free Rice Krispies and pour sugar/cornsyrup/peanut butter mixture over the Krispies. Stir until everything is well coated.
Using a large serving spoon, get a round spoonful of covered Krispies and place into a section of the first Madeleine Pan you bought from Lululizinlalaland.
Fill each section and wait a few minutes to press into the shape. It gives it a chance to cool and get less sticky. After filling the pan, place 1 bag milk chocolate chips and 1 bag butterscotch chips into a glass bowl and place in the microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds....if your microwave is like mine....which it probably isn't....so melt it the best way you know how!

Then, fill your second really cool French Madeleine Pan you bought from LuluLiz with more spoonsful of Krispies Mix. From the first pan, remove a "cow tongue" and dip the rounded side into the melted and stirred milk chocolate/butterscotch chips. I used a fork to scrape down the top of the "tongue" to take off extra chocolate and to give it a little texture. Then, place the dipped "tongue" on a cookie cooling rack to set.  Add sprinkles if you like, I wish that white lid in my picture had shaker holes in it.....it would have been easier to shake sprinkles on lightly and sparsely....Place in refrigerator if you messed up the first time and had to begin again and don't have as much time as you'd like....Refill the first pan with coated Krispies and move on to the second pan, coating with chocolate, etc. Remove "Chocolated Cow Tongues" from frig and place as many as you like into a cellophane bag and tie with a plastic raffia ribbon in a color that matches your sprinkles....or of your choice.

And if you are lucky.....man, I am so lucky!.... your entry table will look all prepared and ready for Trick or Treaters before they ring the doorbell!

The cute ghost and plant picks were painted for me years ago, by my sweet sis-in-law. She is so talented. I tried to learn to tole paint....but I'd rather buy something she has made, they are always so good! I have used these same fun Halloween Decorations for 18 years....I love fun Halloween Decor!

The bat, made from a soda can, was made by my Daughter*4 in elementary school....It is so cute! The pumpkin pick and ghost pick, made by sis-in-law as well.






This adorable witch basket was made my my mom-in-law, years ago also. A friend of mine had this pattern and taught a class on making them. Mom embroidered a witch face for me, because I didn't know how and hers was SO Perfect! I asked her and she graciously made one for me...she is so sweet and talented as well!

So, ONLY YOU know the truth about my mess! The cello bags and the treats were on the table and ready when the TOTers came!

A Princess, a Knight and a Dragon

The Grimm Brothers? LOL

A Witch, a Princess,  Ironman and parents
My niece, her hubby and their kids

DRACULA!!!

SO, ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL! 

I LAUGHED SO HARD!!!

Happy Day After Halloween!