For years I have been wanting a bedside carafe and tumbler set to keep on my nightstand. I was given one as a wedding present...but it broke in half during my first earthquake in San Francisco. (It took one minute for me to learn about glass and earthquakes!) So this past December when I was Christmas shopping in Ross, I found a set that I absolutely love!

You can buy this set on Amazon for $21.84 + $6.08 shipping, or pay $5 at Ross!

This picture shows you how the tumbler fits into the pitcher. I hope you can see the beautiful etching, too. My children were surprised that I bought this...I tend to be a stoneware gal, but my bedroom is shabby chic...just perfect for this set.
Anyhow, I wish I had bought two sets now that we are suffering from headcolds. My family knows I fill the pitcher every night with ice water...and my bedroom is closer than the kitchen! But I am only willing to pay another $5 for the set.

While trying to find a picture of this set online, I googled many different phrases and came up with entirely different results each time:
bedside+carafe
carafe+tumbler
bedside+pitcher
nightstand+pitcher

Well, I don't want to do a whole post on my new pitcher, so let me tell you about some new tea I bought today and love! I always like Bigelow teas because they individually wrap each teabag. And every year they come out with new flavors. But this Chamomile Mango may win over Bigelow's Country Peach for being my favorite tea. Yummy!

Since Bigelow teas can be hard to find, I want to let you know that I bought this at the local Giant foodstore.

My family is almost over their headcolds but I continue to be congested. Nothing seems to work but I will continue drinking lots of fluids. I keep wondering if I accidently ate eggs or dairy...which would explain my congestion.

For those of you who go to my church, please take the time to write Mrs. Jane as she approaches the end of her second year without Mr. Joe (on the 30th). I know she would appreciate it.

Stay warm and healthy. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Deut 4:9 "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons."
I finally found the pictures of Anna and the quilt she made for my Dad. She fussy-cut all the block centers. This is her own design...no pattern. Just beautiful!

For the second time this winter, our family is suffering from headcolds. I was able to breeze through the first cold in a day...but this time around I am the one hurting the most! It will be nice to breathe freely again!

Mike is off tomorrow, so there will be lots of math work going on. Enjoy your week. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Look what came in my mailbox today! My friend, Deb, over at Mountain Musings, had a surprise giveaway to celebrate her 5 years of blogging. I was one of three winners. This mason jar has antique wood spools...just perfect for my sewing room! Deb bought this at Rockfish Gap Country Store in Afton, VA. The jar ensemble was crafted by Char Culbertson, one of the sellers at the store. Take a minute and browse through the store online. I enjoyed looking at the antiques and quilts sections. Thanks so much, Deb!
This week I went to a surprise birthday tea with three of my daughters. As soon as I get pictures from a friend, I will share a few with you. Meanwhile, two of my pics turned out. Was Jenna surprised? You betcha!

These roses are a gift to Jenna from her father. I like it that Jenna will always be able to say, "My father gave me my first dozen roses." Jenna's father bought another dozen roses for the Moms and daughters at the tea. How thoughtful was that?!

My camera didn't do well with the lighting, so I will wait for Sonya's pics. The tea party featured cucumber sandwiches, grapes, and scones with cream. Yummy! The tea was delicious too.

Thursday Maggie had 3 long appts. While I was waiting during one of the appts, I had fun watching these two crows...or are they blackbirds? All three of us were soaking up the 60 degree weather.

It's finally time to put away my Christmas tablecloth but first I want to show you the table runner Anna made. She used 7 natural on natural prints. She also topstitched each strip to give it sturdiness. Both ends are pointed. I sure enjoyed using it. I kept it underneath my clear, plastic tablecloth that I use everyday to protect my fabric tablecloths. Sure cuts down on laundry! (And my Christmas cactus bloomed for Christmas!)

Lizzie also made me a set of table runners. The long runner I keep on my coffee table (used as a sofa table during the winter to protect it from the fireplace).

Lizzie also made me this cute runner. I just love having homemade treasures throughout my home!

This winter I will be retiring two of my homemade quilts. Twenty-four years ago I made two quilt tops like this. One of them I quilted, and it has been a favorite of all my children. I have mended it so many times that I will probably give it to the dog soon. I guess it's time to quilt the second top.

This once-vibrant quilt is also showing its age. I spent many hours handstitching this quilt while my hubby was on a "Westpac" (Western Pacific) cruise as an active duty naval officer. This was my second quilting attempt. But the muslin keeps shredding and now I found a hole. At least I can enjoy knowing how much we use my quilts.

This quilt will hopefully get one more season after I mend it. The backing on this quilt is denim...and it is heavy! Everyone loves this quilt. I call it a memory quilt because all of the fabrics are from my sewing scraps. So far all of the mending has been at the seams but I see a few spots that are fading away.

My three brothers surprised my Dad this week by flying down to Texas! Mom and Dad went to their favorite restaurant, and when they got out of the car the boys were there. Wish I could've seen Dad's face! He was ecstatic when he called me to let me know. Two of my brothers had never been to our beloved North Padre Island Texas home, so I am happy for them.

Our two days of warm weather are over. I enjoyed pegging my laundry outside. Just a taste of spring, now back to reality. Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

Many blessings ~ Kathie

The pond in front of my parents' home is frozen over! That is a big event around here.

But before you get your iceskates on...we need two more days of this bitter cold...and the weatherman is calling for 48 degrees starting on Thursday.

But the nighttime temps should remain in the 20s, so we'll see how much thicker the ice gets.

My darling hubby is 57 years old today. Happy Birthday, Mike. Mike accidently opened his gift yesterday (he thought it was the usual mail), so it was nice that his friends, Chris and Ellen from Georgia, sent him this fun gift.
Chris is on the same level as Mike and Allen when it comes to fun toys. The name of this is Everything Flies Colossal book and kit. Wow! You should've seen Mike's face light up! Thanks, Chris and Ellen. He loves it!
I gave Mike this trammel that I bought off eBay. Do you know what that is for? We will use it for cooking over a fire...both in our fireplace and outside. It hangs on the crane.

Lizzie made Mike's favorite birthday cake...sourdough carrot. Yummy! It was delicious and looked pretty.

Today I bought two books at the thrift shop that I've already enjoyed browsing through. Both have excellent pictures. The first is Popcorn Cookery by Larry Kusche. The first two recipes to try are French Herb Butter and Root Beer Crunch. Lots of different recipes. This is a thick cookbook (160 pages) with 200+ recipes.

My second paperback is Pioneers in Petticoats by Shirley Sargent. Fascinating history and pictures. This is one of those slow reads that you spend most of your time poring over the pictures.

Yestday we received two invitations in the mail. One is for a last-minute surprise birthday party for a church friend.

The second invitation is for another church friends' annual tea party. This will be our 4th year. We happily accepted both invites.

Today was another busy day but thankfully it is over. Mike took Maggie to Walter Reed for her biweekly accupuncture. I stayed home and helped Ruthie get a lot of school work accomplished, then took Allen to Tang Soo Do. But before I left, I pre-ordered a pizza online from Papa Johns to pick up after class. I love online ordering! Mike came home in time to take Anna to voice lesson.

I have enjoyed listening to David Jeremiah on the radio. He preached a sermon this week on New Years Resolutions and the sin of Procrastination. He said, "Procrastination robs you of opportunities of success as well as opportunities to serve." I have been meditating on that thought ever since.

Now we are all resting and enjoying the peace and quiet...but not for long. Our family has special music on Sunday and it looks like five of us will be singing. Time to practice!

Keep warm. Many blessings ~ Kathie

We got a lot of chores done today, especially stacking more firewood. Sarah's friend Rebecca came over for dinner (we had fajitas), and now the girls are in the unfinished room watching a Disney film called The Trouble With Angels starring Hayley Mills.
I copied this picture from my friend Tracey's blog. Looks delicious! This is Paula Deen's recipe without the eggs. I made this for Tracey while she was visiting so it was nice to see she was successful with the recipe as well. Take a look at Tracey's blog to see the cute dress she sewed up for her daughter. Sarah and I are so proud of Tracey and how much she has learned! This past week I ordered 6 bunches of delicious organic watercress from our local health food store. I stirfried it for a few minutes in some soy sauce. Our family loves watercress and this is such a fast and easy dish.

When the watercress is all wilted (3 minutes tops) I add a few drops of sesame oil. Toss to coat and eat. If there had been leftovers, I would've added a tsp of brown rice vinegar and refrigerated it for a cold salad the next day.

Thursday night when I picked Anna and Maggie up from their game night, Anna mentioned that someone had brought tortilla rollups...another family favorite. So we stopped at Walmart and bought ham, green chilies, and tortillas. The next day we ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yummy! Next time I will buy only the green tortillas...no one wanted the white tortillas.

Maggie and her twin friends exchange gifts every Christmas, and I am always amazed at their creative gift ideas. (All three girls are around 20 years old.) Natalie made this creche for Maggie. Isn't it superb?! She used polymer clay. The rock wall was made of a special "fake granite" clay. Such talent.

We are burning firewood at a fast pace. The highs today and tomorrow are 29 and 28 respectively.

Both Christmas trees have been taken down and put away. It is nice to have my space back...but I miss the atmosphere of the lights.

We are preparing our hearts for tomorrow's sermon. I am also praying for our many elderly folks for whom the freezing temps are dangerous. It takes us 40 minutes to get to church, so we need to be prepared to stay warm if our car should break down.

Many blessings ~ Kathie

Today Ruthie and Sarah went to our friend Tracey's home for the afternoon. So far it is 8 pm and they are still there. I guess they're having fun! I wonder what they're eating...Sarah called and asked if potassium lactate is dairy. I assured her it isn't. I'll let you know tomorrow what they ate. Added later: They finally made it home at 10:30 pm smiling and laughing. They ate pigs in a blanket for dinner.

Today we got just a little over two inches of snow, so my children made me my very own Redneck Snowplow. I love it!

What kind of cookies do cowgirls make for Christmas? My children had a lot of fun painting cookies this year. All I can think of is the food dyes...yuck!

This is Lizzie's cookie of a cowgirl roping a longhorn steer. We ate it before it got painted.

Allen is still trying to make a perfect bomb. The liquid is vinegar, the white powder is baking soda. When he goes outside, he unscrews the top so that the baking soda drops down into the vinegar, then rescrews the top back on. He shakes it violently for 5 seconds and then throws it. Most of the time the explosion occurs on impact, sometimes midair, and sometimes while he's still holding it. I am the only Mom with a vinegar porch.

I bought this book at the thrift shop and stayed up til 2 am reading it. It is the story of the kidnapping of Gracia and Martin Burnham. They were missionaries in the Philippines when they were taken hostage. After a year or so they were rescued by soldiers. Martin was released to heaven, Gracia was released to come home to their three children. Well written. If you get a chance, read it.

Yesterday was busy. Maggie had 2 appts, then came home to teach piano. Tracey and her children came over to visit while Tracey sewed a beautiful dress for Brianna. Then off to take Allen to Tang Soo Do. After that I drove Maggie and Anna to Calvert County for a fun game night with some friends. They had a wonderful time.

I finally have Anna's camera with its 750 pics. I'm going to download my favorites and share them with you soon. Enjoy your weekend.

Many blessings ~ Kathie

This past December when we had the old folks from church over for dinner, I got to use my new red napkins. These napkins are actually red checkered tea towels that I bought at the dollar store. I was able to buy 28 of them! Everyone agreed that they don't look like tea towels.

For some reason, we waited until a few minutes before everyone came to put the napkins out. Then we couldn't figure out how to fold them because of their larger-than-usual size...24" square. So Maggie ran upstairs and googled napkin folding. She came downstairs and gave us a quick demo on the two styles she chose. No wonder her hands hurt her that night! The above style is the tulip style...my favorite.

The second style is the fan style...very easy. If you'd like to try napkin folding, try this website here. I actually liked another website better...but there is an unavoidable picture of an immodest woman on it, so stick to the modest website. But do try it...it's fun! I found this pic of Mike with Lizzie and Anna that was taken in Florida this summer. They are at the Veteran's Home where Anna and Lizzie performed for a half hour...singing and playing the piano. They enjoyed it immensely. This pic looks good while we are having highs in the low 30s with nighttime temps in the teens. Mike and the girls are standing next to our friend, Larry's, Chap mobile. Larry, the head chaplain at the home, was our pastor when we lived in San Diego, CA.

I have been wanting to add oatstraw to our diet to help with calcium and magnesium, so I ordered it from Bulk Herb Store. I will soak 2 tsp of oatstraw to a cup of hot water and let it steep for 5 minutes. Since I don't like herbal teas, I will also add some raspberry leaf tea for flavor. Today when I was researching oatstraw, I learned that you drink the tea once a day for 10 days...then take a break for 5 days. Otherwise your body grows immune to the effect...just like echinachea. Glad I learned that!

I also learned that on the nights when you are high-strung and can't sleep, you can steep some oatstraw in your bathwater and feel the calming effect. Can't wait to try that!

I got an email today from a new friend who is a sister in the Lord. Her blog is called Joyful Chaos. Get a cup of hot tea and enjoy reading about her life.

Keep warm, keep healthy, and make sure you get your 10 minutes of sunshine. Many blessings ~ Kathie