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I keep meaning to mention this...be sure to stop over and say "Hi" to Erin and Micah on their new blog, Frugal Living Journal, dedicated to frugal living. It's worth the visit!

New Recipe Books! Fondue & Bread...

Anyone that knows me knows I'm a sucker for collecting (and trying) new recipes. It's especially fun when those recipes come in the form of a new book for my collection. I try to be very cautious about purchasing another recipe book as I can get so many nice recipes to try for free. However, every once in awhile I meet a book or two that really wants to come home with me. It happened the other night...

I was innocently looking through the bargain book table at the local book store. Then it happened. Two books literally jumped into my arms and begged me to take them home and experiment on their tantalizing recipes within. After much consideration... I decided to adopt these two books, saving them from their unappreciated spot on the bargain table. I admit it (head hanging low) they both played into my particular weaknesses; excellent full page color photography of what awaits me should I venture each recipe and two of my favorite topics: Breads & Fondue.

Brad and I were introduced to the fun of fondue by some friends on New Years Eve back in 1978. We are the YOUNG couple in the back row, left side.

We got our first taste of what fun it can be to spend a leisurely evening around the table, preparing, cooking and eating a meal seasoned with a heavy dose of relaxing conversation. My parents gave us our first fondue pot, retrieved from a storage box of things they never used. It was a nice stainless steel pot with a black stand and stainless drip plate underneath. Dad fixed it up by replacing the missing knob on the pot's lid. The next item I purchased was a set of 4 individual mini butter warmers for dipping bread and vegetables. Over the years we have added to our collection of fondue pots and accessories, mainly from garage sales and thrift shops. I pass by the aluminum lime green and bright orange pots of old and stick with the stainless steel for stocks and ceramic for cheese or dessert fondues.

We have hosted many fondue parties over the years and only once had a guest that didn't quite appreciate the finer points of dining AND cooking your own meal around a table. Dear Sister Doris (rest her soul) spent the entire meal in utter frustration and couldn't understand that the other members of our group (a Bible Study) might actually be enjoying the process. Sister Doris wasn't one that enjoyed fussing in the kitchen and to her; the quicker a meal was prepared and eaten the better off everyone was. And yes, in her outspoken way, she made that perfectly clear through the entire meal. We just all smiled and loved her anyways. Happily, it did not deter us from continuing on in the art of fondue. In fact, it has become a family tradition to enjoy a lavish fondue dinner each Christmas Eve for the past 8 or 9 years. We all look forward to it!

Christmas Eve, 2004

Brad and I, Christmas Eve, 2006

The girls and I enjoy pulling out our best table decor for our

Traditional Christmas Eve Fondue Dinner, 2006

I am hoping this new fondue recipe book will award us with a few new great recipes to add to our repertoire! The title of our new book is: "Fondue: Delicious Recipes for Easy Entertaining" by Lorraine Turner. I'm especially anxious to try out a few of the cheese fondue recipes in preparation of our next big fondue session! I hope the recipes taste as good as the photographs look!!

Our second book adoption is titled: "100 Great Breads" by Paul Hollywood. I love baking bread, especially using freshly ground grains. (We own a Whisper Mill grain/flour mill) I admit that I don't bake near as much as I used to since there are only 2 (sometimes 3) of us here. Mainly because we would eat the entire loaf in one setting. Nothing like fresh bread hot out of the oven! But, I would like to get back to making bread at least 2 or 3 times a month. This book may just be the inspiration I need! The recipes are much simpler than many of other wonderful bread cookbooks. So, there you have it! As I wade my way through these cookbooks and find "winner" status recipes, I'll let you know! Bon Appetite!!

Hand Write Those Thank You Notes...

Thanks to Mrs. B. for her wonderful post on the importance of hand-writing thank you notes! This is one of the consistent habits I would like to build into my life, each and every time a note of gratitude is called for. I appreciate her timely reminder. Also, check out what Emily Post has to say on this topic as well!

Laundry Matters

I was nosing around the blogosphere a bit yesterday and ran across another fun article over at Tammy's Recipes on line drying your laundry and the outdoor clothesline. (Also, check out another site for those wishing ideas on home organization: organize your laundry room with The Lazy Organizer.) Tammy's post brought back sweet memories of the first home we purchased in Ohio in 1979. It had a nice big yard and a large and sturdy clothes line. I used to get such enjoyment from hanging our laundry out to dry, feeling very frugal and "wifey" (my catch word meaning "excelling in all things in the art of homemaking"). When we moved to Texas a few years later, our new yard was much smaller and the Texas sun much hotter. Somehow I had the feeling that if I hung laundry out to dry in the Texas sun... the life span of our wardrobe would be shortened by about 95%!! I made a few feeble attempts on a makeshift outdoor line, but the use of it never became a habit. Oh, but Tammy's photos of her laundry hanging out to dry gave me the same nostalgic flutterings I get when we drive through Amish farm country in Northern Ohio and witness the site of line after line of neatly arranged garments fluttering in the breeze. There is something very basic and wonderful about the practice. I'm not so sure it would translate quite the same here in Texas. For example; right now spring is bursting in the air... and I mean literally BURSTING! Anything left outside for more than 5 minutes will quickly become covered in a fine yellow dusting of pollen. It's on our cars, porches, driveways, front door... you name it! So, I guess I can't think of anything worse for those allergy sufferers in our home (namely DH) to have his very garments drenched in the stuff!! But, the thought of hanging laundry out to dry was a nice idea while it lasted. Actually, this plague of pollen will subside within the next several weeks... and then we only have to worry about the Texas sun burning holes in our neatly arranged line of clothing. That is, of course, if in fact our neighborhood deed restriction committee would even allow the use of a clothes line in the first place. (Note to self... check into rules on clothes lines) So, until I settle pending issues of reinstating the use of an outdoor clothesline, I will continue on with my practice of hanging stuff up to dry in our (new) laundry room. Since we don't have basements here in Texas, washer and dryers are normally either in: #1) a closet in the house, #2) the garage, #3) or in a room somewhat dedicated and set aside for "utilitarian" type processes. We now (for the first time in our married life) fall under door #3! When we remodeled last year, we reconfigured an area between our garage and kitchen and designed an actual laundry/utility room. It has become one of my favorite rooms in the house (2nd only to our new family room). It's small...but serves our purposes just fine and it has been a blessing to have a place where we can get from the kitchen to the garage without having to move baskets of laundry in various stages of entering or exiting the cleaning process. I also appreciate the priviledge of being able to keep our laundry cleaning here at home instead of doing the whole "laundromat scene" as I have done at various times in the past. (however, I always thought the laundromat had the advantage of being able to run numerous load at the same time and get everything completed at one time... I still vote for the home laundry center :-) Anyways, we have a clothes rack on the wall that works nicely as a place to hang clothes directly out of the washer or dryer. We also purchased a new front loading washer and dryer and I have noticed how much drier the clothes are when they come out of the high speed spin cycle on the washer. So, this has naturally cut down the dry time required. One of the other features of this room that I enjoy is the ceiling fan we installed to help with air movement. We keep our home pretty cool in the winter and warm in the summer to help cut utility bills, so the ceiling fans do a lot to help with comfort levels and air movement. The wall rack that I hang clothes up to dry on is located directly under the ceiling fan... it is one more way to help these clothes dry quickly. So, thanks for visiting with me today on laundry issues. You know, upkeep of our wardrobe and (especially) ironing may seem one of those "mundane" tasks that haunt the homemaker... but I try and keep in mind using this chore as a way I can bless my husband. I heard Elizabeth Elliot say, years ago, that each item of clothing handled or every garment ironed can be used as a reminder to pray for the person that wears it. I need to keep that in mind next time I look with bewilderment at my growing pile of shirts to be ironed. Will today be the day I bless the person or curse the pile?

Back to "normal"...whatever that is

The house seems quiet now that Mom & Dad have returned to the cold, snowy north country. We sure enjoyed spending the past 3 weeks with them!! I think it was hard for them to leave the warm, sunny spring weather we are having and return to the ice and snow of Ohio. Here, our azaleas are beginning to bloom and the Bradford pear trees are ablaze with white flowers. During their stay we didn't do a lot of running around, but we did manage to have a few special things to attend each week. Aside from enjoying several nice meals at our favorite restaurants, I think we had a few outings worth mentioning. Friday night auctions were a big hit for our group of 8. The second week Mom, Dad, Erin, Micah, and Brad & I all purchased items at such savings we are still in awe. Another fun outing was a BBQ dinner we attended at our church. The entertainment for the evening was Dr. Gene Howard, a John Wayne "impersonator". He looked like John, talked like John and did a great job of giving a patriotic and inspirational presentation after dinner. Since my Dad is an avid John Wayne fan... it was especially fun to attend this event with him. I took my camera and had fun capturing a few pictures during the evening:

The rest of our time together was spent visiting, eating, enjoying the family hanging out together, eating, watching movies (especially enjoyed the 2005 BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel; Bleak House), eating, I did a pumpernickel bread bake off trying 3 recipes to vote on...more eating, Dad made his famous apple pie...more eating, we worked on odd house projects-actually finished up the fireplace!!, Mom, Erin & I went to lunch (eating ;-) and shopping , Dad and I made some progress on family history stories; I asked him questions and he shared memories as we recorded the whole process. Oh yeah, can't forget our 102 trips to Lowe's. :-) Anyways, it was wonderful to have them here and we're trying to talk them into "wintering" in Texas when the cold winds blow up north. Brad and I both feel very priviledged because of the Christian heritage we have been blessed with and cherish each time we have the opportunity to spend time with family.

Another Great Movie... THE ULTIMATE GIFT

This weekend's movie date was another great experience. Our family went to see the movie, The Ultimate Gift. "Every happening, great or small, is a parable by which God speaks to us. The art of life is to get the message."
Upon his grandfather's death, the main character, Jason, is offered several gifts through his grandfather's will. The movie covers the process Jason goes through and the choices he makes whether or not to receive these life lessons. The movie looks at the gifts of: work, money, friends, learning, problems, laughter, dreams, giving, gratitude, a perfect day and love. Granted, this movie is not without fault, even so, we really enjoyed it and felt the producers did a great job of delivering the message of what is truly important in life. The spiritual lessons are subtle, but the thread is there and the movie was a refreshing change from normal Hollywood fare. Well done and very inspirational. Go see it!!
Here are a few comments from recent reviews:
"An inspirational tearjerker...complete with the unwavering message that good is, as it should be, its own reward."- Baltimore Sun
"Wholesome, family-oriented fare for those interested in instilling old-fashioned values in their kids."- Black Star News
"Imparts positive messages about gratitude, forgiveness, family and altruism."- The Catholic News Service
"Uplifting and positive...challenges the audience to recognize that each of us has that ultimate gift available to us."- The Georgia Bulletin
"The movie bathes its characters in faith, hope and, eventually, charity."- St. Petersburg Times
"Another winner...could be described as a spiritual training film."- Chicago Sun-Times
"Tailor-made for a family...The Ultimate Gift is worth receiving."- Scripps Howard

A "Must See"...Amazing Grace!!

Make a date for this weekend and go see the movie AMAZING GRACE. We went to see it last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the well done film on the life of William Wilberfource. "Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21, and on his way to a successful political career, Wilberforce, over the course of two decades, took on the English establishment and persuaded those in power to end the inhumane trade of slavery." This movie is a MUST SEE!!! Check it out at: AMAZING GRACE. You can check out movie times and locations from this web site.