~♥Out With The Old...In With The New♥~

Glitter Graphics

A New Year's Prayer

by Kay Hoffman

Another year is dawning

With the chance to start anew.

May I be kinder, wiser, Lord,

In all I say and do.

Not so caught up in selfish gain

That I would fail to see

The things in life that mean the most

Cost not a fancy fee.

The warm, kind word that I can give,

The outstretched hand to help,

The prayers I pray for those in need--

More precious these than wealth.

I know not what may lie ahead

Of laughter or of tears;

I only need to know each day

That You are walking near.

I'm thankful for this brand new year

As now I humbly pray, 
 

My hand secure in Yours, dear Lord,

Each step along the way.

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All the best to you and yours
in 2010!

♥ Kim

~♥Friendship Tea♥~

I made this Friendship Tea mix to give as gifts.  It was pretty inexpensive.  I put the mix into pint jars, used paper doilies to cover the lids, put a rubber band to hold it in place, and used ribbon to cover the rubber band.  I made tags that I printed on cardstock.

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Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups instant dry tea mix
• 2 cups orange tang
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup lemonade mix
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup cinnamon heart candies

Mix together in a large bowl and ladle into glass jars.

For the tags: Stir 2 heaping teaspoons into a mug of steaming hot water.

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Thanks for stopping by!  I always appreciate your visits and your sweet comments :)

♥ Kim

~♥Christmas Cookies♥~

We got a lot of this...

so I did some of this!

If you l♥ve chocolate and peppermint, this cookie gives you the best of both!  These cookies are called "Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Yummies"...I found the recipe in the December 2008 issue of Country Home magazine (I really miss that magazine).  They were created by Amy Struck, of Michigammo, MI.

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1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

2 1-oz squares unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled

(I used choco bake instead - saves on the melting and cooling)

1 cup all-purpose flour

granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

2-3 T milk

red food coloring

crushed peppermint candies

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

2 tsp. shortening

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat ½ cup butter for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg and melted unsweetened chocolate. Beat in flour until combined.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Grease the bottom of a glass and coat with granulated sugar; flatten cookies with sugar-coated glass. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

In a medium mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat ¼ cup butter for 30 seconds. Beat in powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and enough milk to make a spreading consistency. If desired, tint pink with food coloring. Spread frosting over each cookie leaving a ¼ inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with candies, if desired.

In a small saucepan heat and stir semisweet pieces and shortening over low heat until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate over tops of cookies. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Thanks for stopping by!

♥ Kim

~*My New Apron*~

Found this sweet apron at Marshall's a couple of weeks ago...it's the same apron that Aunt Ruthie from Sugarpie Farmhouse has.  I was so fortunate to get it for $6.99!

♥ Kim

~*I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas*~

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving...there really is so much to be thankful for!

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There is nothing prettier than freshly fallen snow...thought you'd enjoy seeing some pictures from last year!

♥ Kim

~*Happy Thanksgiving*~

http://www.glitter-graphics.com/

♥ Kim

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Dear blogging friends...I am so sorry for my lack of posts...I've had some issues with my camera card and haven't replaced it yet...I hope to have something to show you soon!

http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/

~*Chalkboard Love*~

My chalkboard (the frame was a yardsale find...50 cents) is one of my favorite things in my kitchen!

And, the Chalk Ink markers recommended by Aunt Ruthie of Sugarpie Farmhouse are my favorite things to use on it...no more regular chalk for me!

~*Fall Is Here*~

Hi blogging friends, I've done a little bit of fall decorating around my home that I wanted to share. 

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Here is my dining room table.

Deacon's bench with a real goose decoy.

The fireplace mantle.

The top of my computer hutch.

Old dresser in the living room.

Old school chalkboard...when I got it, it was painted this vibrant yellow on the one side.  I was going to paint over it, but decided it looked fine to me!

Pumpkin on a scale along with some of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I really enjoy your visits and appreciate all of your comments.

♥ Kim

~*There's No Place I'd Rather Be*~

H ♥ M E

Don't you just l♥ve this old chalkboard?

♥ Kim

~* My New Treasures *~

Hello blogging friends! I have some goodies to share with you...while visiting a local resale shop to make a donation of things my family no longer needed I found this antique wash stand. At first I wasn't going to get it...what would my dear hubby say...did we really have the room for it...I honestly didn't know what to do so I decided to give my name and number to the sweet lady there. Low and behold I received a call and was offered it at a lower price! Of course, I couldn't pass it up!

I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do with the finish...should I paint over it...should I strip the paint off? I'm still contemplating what to do.

I love the curved front on it! I know that I am definitely changing the hardware.
I also found this nice picture frame that I'm going to make into a chalkboard for my porch.

And last, but not least, I got this old window from my church. They were replacing all of the windows with new ones. When an announcement was made asking if anyone would want one, I knew I wanted one for sure! I've gone to this church since I was a year old and I wanted a part of history. I'm painting the frame because it's in bad shape, then I'll hang it in the dining room. Thank you so much for stopping by!

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Thank you all for your sweet birthday wishes! You all are so kind. On another note, Lil Mama has still not returned and it has been three weeks...I'm still holding out hope that she'll return one day.

♥ Kim

~* I Am Still Here *~

I thought I'd drop in and say "Hello" to let all of you know that I haven't flown the coop! This chick just hasn't had much to post about. I'm hoping that come September, I'll have some fall decorating to share.

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During my absence I celebrated my 43rd birthday...wait...I'm not 43....I'm 44...what am I talking about...LOL....also discovered my first gray hair!

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Thank you all for the comments you continue to leave on my blog...I really appreciate each and every one of them. On a sad note, Lil Mama, one of our sweet kittens that I wrote about on my previous post has disappeared...I am just heartsick...it's been almost two weeks and we haven't seen her at all. I'm praying that she'll come home safe and sound!

♥ Kim

Hello blogging friends! Thank you all so much for the sweet comments that were left on my last post. I hope my formula works for those of you who are giving it a try. Honestly, this is the best year I've had for hanging baskets. I thought I'd show you a picture of the other hanging baskets. I am still amazed at how much they've grown.

I also thought I'd share the view we have from our porch...this is it on a nice day. I love this view so much and really enjoy how it changes through the seasons.

As you can see, the view isn't that good on a rainy day.

This is Lil Mama...one of the kittens. She is one of the sweetest little gals ever! They all spend a lot of time enjoying the comfy furniture on the porch.This is Bubba, the only boy in the bunch. He didn't appreciate having his picture taken...lol.

Thank you so much for stopping by...I hope you all are enjoying your summer!

Please stop by again...I enjoy the company.

♥ Kim

~* Hanging Baskets *~

I wanted to share pictures of my hanging baskets. The picture below was taken on May 19th, 2009. I remember when I bought them (I have three others) and thought they looked pretty good...

Here's the same hanging basket on July 11th! I'm amazed at how big it's gotten. I swear (well, not really...LOL) by Miracle Grow Bloom Booster. I water the baskets every day, sometimes twice if it's really hot out. I also try to cut the dead blooms off every day, too.
Thanks for stopping by to take a look...enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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Thanks to all of you who visited and commented on my last post about my new bunting for the porch...I really appreciate it!

~* My Home For The 4th *~

I hope that everyone had a safe and Happy 4th of July! Ours was very low-key...we had a small cookout and watched fireworks from our home. I wish I would have been able to take pictures of all of the fireworks we were able to see...it was really neat to see so many on the skyline!

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I thought I'd show you a few pictures of my home...I had been wanting to get bunting for the railing of our porch, but had a hard time finding any. I was fortunate that I finally came across some at a cute little shop called, "Endless Possibilities" in Ligonier, Pa.

Well, that's all for now...thanks for stopping by. I always enjoy the company!

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Thank you for your sweet comments and birthday wishes for my dd, Emily. I still can't believe that she's sixteen! She loves her new car. I've taken her out driving every day, and she's been doing pretty good. We're fortunate to live in a rural area so there are a lot of back roads to travel.

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Q and A Time:

There were some questions asked about my May 19th post, ~* My Oh My, How Time Flies*~ and I wanted to take the opportunity to answer them.

• Did I make the curtains in my kitchen? I wish I could say that I did, but no, I did not. I found them at Kmart.
• Where did I get my candle? It was purchased at Wal-mart, but I'm not so sure they carry them any longer. I know they don't at the one I shop at since it's been remodeled.
• Getting the kittens spayed and neutered - we did have them all spayed and neutered, including the Mama. As much as I love cats, I certainly don't want a cat farm...LOL.

♥ Kim

~*Can't Believe I've Been Gone So Long*~

I honestly can't believe that it's been so long since I last posted. Time sure flies!!! Thank you all for continuing to stop by for visits and for your wonderful comments...I really appreciate all of you!

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I thought I'd share some pictures from my daughter Emily's 16th birthday party. She wanted to go with a pink and green theme since that's her favorite colors. I found small boxes at Wal-mart (Wedding section). My friend, Beth, and her daughter came over and spent an afternoon spiffying up these little favors. We filled them with pink and green M & M's. When Emily was little she called them Emmy M's.

We held her party at Foggy Mountain Lodge

Her caked was baked by Jim from Dainty Pastry Shoppe

Here's the birthday girl!

Emily dancing with her daddy!

Opening some presents.

Standing proudly by her new car.

Watch out world...here she comes! She just got her permit several weeks ago so, we've been spending our afternoons driving.

Thank you all for stopping by...I really appreciate!

♥ Kim

~*My Oh My, How Time Flies*~

...when you're having fun! Hello sweet blogging friends. I pray that you all are well. My family and I are doing great...just decided to take a little break, though I didn't think it would have been that long! I've been busy planning my dd's sweet 16 birthday party. I still have a lot to do and it's three weeks away so I probably won't be posting that much again until it's over with.

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I want to thank all of you for your wonderful comments that you left for me on my last post. As you'll see in the picture below, the kittens have grown considerably. We were so happy to be able to keep all of them...they are so sweet and friendly. Every morning they greet us for a treat and will follow us to the barn to be fed.

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I've also been trying to bring some color to the home place...

I found these great hanging baskets at a local green house...aren't they pretty?

Below is my cup and saucer planter even though at the angle I took the picture you can't see the handle. I found the planter at Wal-mart.

I had two small ivy plants that are growing like weeds...I decided to bend a hanger and insert it into the pots and have the ivy grow around it...so far so good...it's getting there.

Thank you all so much for stopping by...I appreciate your visits and comments very much!