Thursday, May 20, 2010

1934 Hershey's Cookbook

Thrift store score!


I'm guessing we will be enjoying some CHOCOLATE in the near future!!!!! This book is a 1971 re-print of the 1934 cookbook. The pictures are still the original.... they just edited some of the recipes to 'modernize' them. I love vintage cookbooks... fun find!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!Heather

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Choosing Simplicity... Choosing CONTENTMENT

I am a creative soul. My mind is always thinking. I enjoy using my resources and I love to learn. I can always come up with something I could do, should do, want to do or have to do. I also enjoy change...... I like DOING. Put that all together and I admit I sometimes struggle with contentment. "If only" or "when" or "we could" or "What if" are thoughts that I have to keep in control. I have more ideas than I could ever accomplish!

The past few days my mind has been working overtime on plans for potential remodel projects for our house. We WILL remodel the kitchen/dining room with in the next few years.... it really needs it. We would LOVE to have a covered front porch and a screened in back porch.... then my mind gets a going and I've come up with a LONG list of 'would love' for our home. The list grows and my joy for how it is goes down.

The bottom line...... It is so easy to be consumed by the WANTS that we loose our contentment and peace with the blessings we HAVE!!!! Look at that picture of the pioneer family in front of their soddy! Seriously!!!! I live in a house that was built in 1911 and has had generations of families find shelter and warmth with in it's walls. Really, do I NEED all those fun WANTS?? Look at that family.... living in a Sod House and making do with what they have!

Choosing Simplicity is more often than not an exercise of WALKING a life of CONTENTMENT. There is always MORE to desire...... Appreciating what I have and enjoying a simple life takes swimming upstream in our culture. Sometimes I get swept up in the current, but fortunately God gives my heart a few tugs and I realize that what I have (this 1911 house with all it's old fashioned quirks) is wonderful! Yes, we will remodel the kitchen.... but not till we can pay for it with CASH! It works just fine as it is right now.....

How about you?? Do you ever struggle with contentment?? For me watching Home and Garden TV stirs up a lot of unnecessary longings. I also have to be careful what kind of magazines and blogs I read. What I put in my mind really does make a difference. What do you do to keep a content heart?? What do you have to be thankful for TODAY??

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!Heather

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The best of both worlds...

Inside and outside..... This time of year I LOVE being able to get outside and play in the dirt. The breeze on my face, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the fragrance of blossoms teasing my nose, the feel of the freshly worked dirt in my hands and the promise of new life and fresh fruits of veggies. When I was little, from the time I could walk, my mom says I would always head straight for the sand box or closest mud puddle the moment I was allowed outside! I guess some things never change.... I just have made my 'playtime' productive!!

Inside my favorite thing to do is bake... followed closely with eating all the yummy things! Today was a day of the best of both worlds..... some time in the garden pulling weeds and some time in the kitchen baking. Can life get any better??

The garden is doing GREAT!!!!!! I finally have all 350 strawberry plants in the ground! Yee Haw!! I also finished planing our new grapes, black berries, raspberries, rhubarb, and bush cherries. I even dug up a small maple tree from the back area and moved it up by the house.... praying now that God does HIS thing and makes them all GROW!!

This evening in the kitchen I baked a batch of Double Chocolate Banana Muffins and my favorite breakfast: Peanut butter granola. Both recipes come from Homemakers Cottage, one of my favorite blogs.

Hope all is well with you! Are you enjoying spring?? Baked anything good lately??
ENJOY the MOMENT, for this is YOUR LIFE!!!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather