Around The House...

The day starts with breakfast...A must around here...If we don't get breakfast the rest of the day is a flop. We did a bit of our cleaning chores around the house, getting ready for Sunday... It's always so nice to wake up to a clean house, go to Church refreshed and back home for
Sunday fellowship to a house that's still clean!

 
I thought I would capture a few pictures around the house as I am dusting and adding my little touches of sunshine. Like my favorite little vintage girl flower
 bud vase I got from Etsy last year.
 In honor of  May Day she holds a (real) Daisy!

 
I got around to dusting all the baseboards and washed down the walls from sticky little fingers....
The books needed a little dusting and a little reading for a bit! We love our old kid books.
It reminds me of when I was a kid!

 
I even managed to start this project! I found a foam wreath for .50 cents thrifted and wrapped red yarn around it...That took a while...whew! Next I need to add my fabrics posies and hang it! Sometimes I just have to stop from all the mundane things and create a little cheer for my home since I rarely ever keep my work. I promise to share when it's all done!

Freckles even did a bit of crafting herself...She put together this sweet posy!
Hope you have a delightful May Day!!!

Chicken Chit Chat & Chicken Noodle Dumpling Soup.....

When I was about 8 or 9 my dad moved us out to a farming city where his dream was to have a horse ranch of some sort. We rented a little old house on a tiny plot of land and started our "country" life with chickens. He came home with 50 eggs and an incubator. There they sat as I eagerly awaited the Chickie's arrival. One by one they hatched except one that was having a terrible time at it. So I gently pulled the she'll away helping her out. She was little, yet lived through the whole ordeal. I was given the job as the chicken keeper...My duties were to clean out the coop and make sure they were watered and fed. I ended up spending much of my time with them...They became sort of friends to me. Time wore on as they grew in their feathers, it was time for them to venture out into the pens outside. The one little runt with a crooked little neck...The one I helped out of the egg was abused by the group...she ended up running into my arms from then I adopted her as my very own pet...Later my dad built her own home so she could live in peace... Poor dear ended up in a tragic death several years later. I miss her to this day.
 Read here to learn more about my special chicken.
Little did I know after all the love and attention I gave to all those chickens that their little lives were just about to come to an end. I had no clue that the plan was to use them for meat! Sadly the day came where my dad and a couple other fellow's were over setting up the scene...and every chicken I hand raised died that day...except for my sweet little red hen of course. I was devastated, I weeped for days and decided then...i would never eat chicken again! And so I did not eat chicken for a very long time.
I don't know how long it took, but somewhere along the line I must have eaten it again.That didn't keep me from having a tender spot for the little creatures. I have fond memories of having many chickens when I was young. We had my sweet dusty and started to raise layers later on. It was always my job to keep the coop. I remember enjoying it immensely. With that... I have yearned to have chickens again... Freckles and i have a whole list of names we picked out for future girlies. Ahhh..Maybe someday! For now I can periodically visit our friends girls... Which they have also gifted us with beautiful eggs to use in my kitchen on many occasions.

Then there are the few I have in my kitchen...Nothing fancy...Just little doo dads I thought I would share with you. I also wanted to share the yummy recipe I put together on a whim the other night!
Chicken Noodle & Dumpling Soup
3 large carrots
2 celery stocks
4 green onions
1 large white onion
10 cups of water
10 tsp. chicken bouillon...We used Maggi which you can find in the Mexican section..
(Love the flavor verses Knorr bouillon...Personal opinion, Grin)
1 bag ABC noodles or egg noodles or perhaps 1 1/2 Cups. rice...it's up to you.
Bisquick for making the dumplings ( follow package directions or make them from scratch)
a couple dashes of pepper to taste.
~~~~~~~~
First I started to boil my water while cutting all the veggies...You can add whatever you want veggie wise...I made it pretty simple. Add your bouillon to the boiling water, then add all your cut up veggies, then add your uncooked chicken breasts to the water and boil low until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through. I then took the chicken pieces out and cut them up into bits adding it back to the water along with my noodles. Let that boil low for the next 10 minutes. Make your dumpling mixture as directed...Place balls of dough on top of soup... Cover 10 minutes then take lid off put on simmer and cook for 10 more minutes. Your done! It's easy as that..It's flavorful and the whole family is going to love it! Mine did!
It made enough to have leftovers for dinner the next
 night plus lunch the following day after that!
 So enjoy!
thanks for going down memory lane once again...
Hope y'all have a great remainder of this week!!!
LINKING TO:
Raising Homemakers
Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Vintage Meringue Cookies....

I got out my vintage Betty Crocker Cooky Cookbook over the weekend to try my hand at some of the old recipes inside! And so glad I did! I made a meringue cookie recipe that instantly reminded me of my childhood days when I took the first nibble. My Gramma would make these. It's funny how a taste or a smell or even an item will bring you instantly back to a time. For me it reminded me of  some of the visits with my Grandparents...One specific memory was a Summer spent with them. Gramma and Grampa were in the kitchen baking cookies as they sang me a Latvian song called
Little Monkey.
nedaudz maz mērkaķis ooh ooh ooh
 which meant Little, Little Monkey, ooh ooh ooh!
It is one of my favorite memories from childhood. Which i will always hold dear.
 I should get her to sing it to me or write it down before she forgets the words.

I used my vintage enamelware double boiler I found at a yard sale a couple years back with my mom.
It does a great job for just a couple bucks!

Meringue Cookies
3 eggs
1 Cup sugar
1/4 tsp.salt 1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Blend egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in top of double boiler. Place over boiling water; beat with rotary beater until mixture stands in stiff peaks, scraping bottom and sides of pan occasionally with rubber scraper. ( meringue will become lumpy if you don't scrape)  Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough on 2 lightly greased baking sheets...Place cookies on sheet immediately; bake one sheet at a time. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from sheet immediately. Makes about 3 1/2 doz. cookies.
Enjoy!!!

 
Thanks for popping in and sharing with me my childhood memory.
 Do you have any memories that remind you of something when you make food?
Have a great week!!!
Linking To:
It's A Very Cherry World
Ruby Tuesday
Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Easter....

 
Christ the Lord is risen today!
Angels rolled the stone away
From the tomb wherein He lay!
Little children, come and sing,
"Glory, glory to the King,
Christ the Lord of everything!"

May your Easter be filled with His abiding love.
May His death and resurrection  prick your heart this day and forever!
Happy Easter to You and your family, from My family!

Good Friday

Even when we're coloring Easter eggs, and preparing the goodies for Sunday morn,
 our minds and hearts are focused on the meaning of Easter...
The Resurrection of Christ.

These poems I am about to share are just what
 I am feeling. they are powerful and has pricked my heart. I hope you will read them.
 Jesus Paid It All
I hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness....watch and pray
Find in me....thine all in all
Chorus:
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin hath left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone
For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim
I'll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calvary's Lamb
And when before thy throne
I stand in Him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat

Beneath the Cross
Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane
Beneath the Cross of Jesus,
I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock
Within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness,
A rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat,
And the burden of the day.
Upon the Cross of Jesus,
Mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One
Who suffered there for me.
And from my smitten heart, with tears,
Two wonders I confess, --
The wonder of His glorious love,
And my own worthlessness.
I take, O Cross, thy shadow
For my abiding-place;
I ask no other sunshine than
The sunshine of His face:
Content to let the world go by,
To know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
My glory all, the Cross.

Brier: Good Friday
E. Pauline Johnson
Because, dear Christ, your tender, wounded arm
Bends back the brier that edges life's long way,
That no hurt comes to heart, to soul no harm,
I do not feel the thorns so much to-day.
Because I never knew your care to tire,
Your hand to weary guiding me aright,
Because you walk before and crush the brier,
It does not pierce my feet so much to-night.
Because so often you have hearkened to
My selfish prayers, I ask but one thing now,
That these harsh hands of mine add not unto
The crown of thorns upon your bleeding brow.
********
May your Good Friday draw you ever so closely to what
 Christ did on the cross that day for all of us, His people.
 He paid the price!
"I lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help"

Spring Breakfast Table....

I am so excited!
I was out yesterday running errands and picking up Freckles from her friends house and decided to look real fast through a passing Thrift store. There it was right in front a me....A sweet little vintage table and two chairs. Surely, it would too much for my pocket book. I only had $25.00 from my birthday gifted from my dear MIL. I got out and took a wee look...and asked the guy how much. He said...Well, how about $85.00 and I'll give you half off! Hmmm....Nope still too much for me. I got the gull up to ask if he'd take $20.00...He thought for a minute and said... How about $25.00!!! I said, or shall I say I screeched YES!!! I'll take it!!!

So, I came home with a cute table and two chairs for the amount I was willing to spend... I cleaned it up with Ajax...It was dirty!!! Then I decorated it this morn for a sweet Springy breakfast!

I got out all my cute reds, yellows and white vintage stuff and went at it!
Check out this funny lil Chick with a polka dot scarf...I got her at the Dollar Tree.

 
As a center piece I placed some of my fun soda pop bottles
 on a ceramic dish and put some flowers in them.
I used my red chargers from my Sister which she got from Target. Yellow plates originally from Ross priced at $3.99 each...I got them at a Garage sale for one buck each! And, they were still new with price stickers. Red and white plates I bought a couple years back from The Dollar Tree. Red napkins gifted to me for Christmas from my SIL & Brother, and the sweet whimsical dishes I got from my Sil & Brother as a birthday gift this month! So sweet!!! I love how all the colors and patterns go with each other. I also used my polka dot glasses from Target!

I am already planning to re-cover the chair seats in reds...
Probably will be quilted patchwork or something. I can see it now!
 
So, then I made a french toast with eggs and bacon breakfast and a glass of milk!
We enjoyed the morning sitting around my new table. I just love a bargain!!! 

Linking Up With....

The Charm Of Home
The Picket Fence
Between Naps On The Porch
Thrifty Groove
Tabletop Tuesday
It's A Very Cherry World

In The Kitchen...

There has been lot's of cooking going on in my kitchen. From last week for my birthday to this weeks treats for Easter. I will show ya the treats I am making for Easter up next.... I decided to do all homemade goodies for my kids this year in their baskets! Can't wait!!! For now I am sharing the goodness that occurred last week in my little cucina. I made a ton of cupcakes...big and small for our Bible study small group last Wednesday! They were gone in a matter of seconds!

I have also been on a soup kick lately...This one is a special soup recipe called Frikadeļu zupa from my Great Grandmother. My Gramma taught me how her Mother made it back in Latvia many years ago. So, I tried my hand at it and made myself a birthday dinner. Thanks to my Gramma...I did good. The base is a broth using chicken bullion then i added potatoes, carrots, garlic clove, celery, parsley, green onion, onion, diced tomato with a bit of green chili, celery,cabbage and little melt in your mouth meatballs then topped it with sour cream and a few snips of green onion ..oh yeah and there was some salt and pepper to taste...It was great! And now a soup I will surely make on a regular basis...
Plus it is very healthy since everything it is fresh!

Oh and did I mention the red velvet cake my dear Mr. Darling surprised me with? Yup...He didn't make it...But the thought counts and we enjoyed it too! There is actually some left..can you believe! If it doesn't get eaten by tomorrow it will have to go in the trash..I'd hate to do it but, I am feeling caked out...I can't believe I said that...Since I love cake!

Then there's breakfasts during the week. I already shared the birthday waffles...We also eat stuff like oatmeal or toast with eggs and bacon. I just had to share the small container I found thrifting which matches the bigger one I found thrifting last year! So, I keep my oatmeal in the big one and sugar in the other...So cute! Great find too! I was excited and yes, I giggled and did a happy dance!
Oh let us not forget the Thomas Muffin brand thin bagels with sesame seeds and bits of onion on it slathered with real butter...I have the perfect kitchen contraption for my butter now. Thanks to my Aunt who gave it to me from our family yard sale several weeks back. It's called a butter bell. You put real butter in the bell part then place it into the container which is filled with cold water..This enables you to keep your butter out of the fridge for days as you change the water every few days..The butter will not spoil...I researched they came from France and works very well as you can spread your butter with ease instead of refrigerated butter that makes it hard to spread nicely. I just love doo dads that are useful and unique! You can find them through Ebay or their site butter bell. Well, I am off to plan out all the goodies that will be cooking up for celebration. Wishing you a Happy day!