Little Girl's Tea Party part 1

Happiness is...your Grandmama's shoe box full of Old Fashioned Gelatin Molds. Some were hers and some came from Jack Finney's estate sale. =)

On Tuesday I hauled down an inordinate number of dishes and made the Jello. (This is the first party that I did not make all the food- I delegated some of it.)

Cream JELL-O
 After chilling, the cream will cause the jello to look layered.

1.  Stir to dissolve One box of "jello" (4 servings) in 1 cup Boiling Water.
2.  In a liquid measuring cup, place 1/4 - 1/3 cup Cream, a bunch of Ice Cubes, and then cool Water, UP TO 3/4 - 1 cup total.
3.  Add the cold to the hot, stir to melt the ice cubes.

  This amount will make 4 half-cup servings, or you make more than one box, you can pour it into a "Pammed" square or rectangle pan.

(I almost never use name-brand gelatin. Off brand tastes the same, I think.)

I made 8 Strawberry Cream and 4 Orange Cream.

The non-jello eaters had Tinned Pineapple. I divided 16oz of chunk pineapple into 5 pressed glass cups from my Aunt Vivi. (The 4 pretty pressed glass cups above came from Aunt Bess...can you guess what I would love to have from my other Aunts?)

(I know that the jello never sits right, but I think that it is prettier in pressed glass, and having  a handle is easier for little people.)

I cut slits in the place cards, and tied little bows on them. (I thought that I would go cross-eyed!)

A pile of supplies & party favors...16 were expected!

I thought that I was clever- I used a bit of masking tape to hold one end of the cord on the plate, so the bead stringing would go more smoothly....

What do you think?  I drew a map of who sits where (I always do that), and laid out who got which dishes (this is new)...

...Then I cleared them off very carefully, and left them on the counter (this is new for me too), awaiting the party.

(click here for LGTP part 2)

Little Girl's Tea Party part 2

I know that this party was back in July/August, and I really thought that I had already posted about it....but I found this morning that both posts were still in drafts. =}

(P.S. I'm not taking the time to write up clever little captions, 

but I hope that you enjoy the photos!)

 

(click here for LGTP part 1)

Tomato Gardening?

I just found the Tomato Gardening Guru- "Tomato Gardening Tips for Organic Growers": http://www.tomatogardeningguru.com/planting.html

And this one is "Tomato Harvest Versus Planting Date" info:
http://tchester.org/analysis/tomatoes/index.html

Yum!

Happiness is a whole box of Nana's No Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!

 I bought my first Nana's cooky from the little health food store in Fredericksburg Texas!
They have 2 draw backs: 
1.  I wish that you would not use Canola oil! It is SO bad!
2.  one cooky is actually 2 servings...hmmm...oh well, I can make it last, and in case you missed it, I LOVE these cookies, and the ingredient list is pretty good- they don't make a Gatherer cheat to much! =)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The old fashioned homemade flavor of cinnamon, oats and raisins. So good, so moist and so delicious you will not miss the wheat."

 "Fruit juice sweetened. All natural ingredients. After years of searching for a delicious cookie that was nutritious, I began baking my own from natural and organic ingredients. In 1992 with the rave reviews of family and friends, Nana's Cookie Company was born. Now you can have what you deserve, a cookie that is irresistible and good for you. Enjoy!"

Nana's no's: No refined sugars; no dairy; no hydrogenated oils; no cholesterol; no eggs; no added salt; no GMO's. No cane or beet products. Oatmeal Raisin: The old-fashioned homemade flavor of cinnamon, oats and raisins. So good, so moist and so delicious you will not miss the wheat.  Made in USA.


Ingredients (Vegan): Oats, Barley Flour, Fruit Juice (Pear, Apple, & Grape), Rice Dextrin (a natural and unmodified starch), Non-GMO Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Raisins, Walnuts, Non-Aluminum Baking Powder (leavening), Natural Flavoring, Sea Salt.

You can buy them from:
     AZURE co-op (here) 12 for $19.00 or 1 for $2.50 
or  Amazon (here) 12 for $24 

http://www.nanascookiecompany.com/index.html
The story:
It all began in 1992 when Miriam “Nana” Diamond was inspired to create a moist and chewy cookie that not only tasted delicious, but was baked with ingredients she enjoyed giving to her friends and family; a cookie sweetened with natural fruit juice, rather than refined sugars, that was packed with flavor.

After receiving rave reviews from friends and family she started her own cookie company, and after months of mixing, baking and tasting, she perfected four cookie flavors worthy of the Nana’s Cookie Company name. Miriam took her 20 years of natural foods experience, loaded up her car and began selling and delivering the delicious cookie to local stores. Almost two decades later, Nana’s Cookie Company’s delicious cookies, cookie bites and cookie bars can be found in hundreds of stores across the country. In addition to classic original flavors such as Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin and Peanut Butter, Nana’s bakes a line of Gluten Free cookies, which come in delectable flavors including Lemon, Fudge, Ginger and many more. Our Gluten Free cookies are free of ingredients that cause many food allergies, including corn, soy, dairy, eggs, casein and wheat.

Each fresh-baked cookie that gets wrapped up and distributed throughout the country still holds true to Miriam “Nana” Diamond’s original goal, when she was in her home baking cookies for her friends and family – that cookies can, and should, taste delicious through quality ingredients.

"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"

  Embedded video today!
 I got this one from one of the Kautt Girls awhile back...


(or listen here)

I like this song- I learned it from the Davis Family back when we were attending the Family Sunday School class at Aldersgate. (we would leave right after, and run over to Westminster for the Sermon) 
Mr. Davis would (while standing) play his guitar, and hold a child on his hip (sometimes 2 children) and lean back and forth while singing....I guess that he did not always play the guitar, just wore it around his neck...   This song is only fun if the whole group leans back and forth. =)

My siblings came for a visit~

 The Newlyweds!

 ~beautiful Mom~

 Fergie LOVED having the company!

=)

Jalinda & Benjamin helped Dad paint the trees...don't ask me why, I don't know! =)

We 5.

Anna & Joshua.  It was nice to see you!

 Benjamin & Jalinda.  Thanks for coming~ enjoyed your visit!

See the mischief brewing?  (They ended up being sweet.)

 

Look who I saw!! Sophie! =)

Mr. Manney and one of his granddaughters! =)  Aren't they cute?

Father and son- taking a break from all the guests! =)

Some of Anna's Family.   A photo was taken of both sides, but I don't have a copy yet.  (Thanks Grandma, for making these happen.)

  One of Anna's sisters drew & painted this as a gift for the new couple (she made one for each of her sisters- but in different colors).  They were very pretty!

Anna does not like cats, but she picked up "Leah" to show us her tail (Mrs. Manney is the one pulling Leah's ears). 

I made a new friend! (I also got to hold baby Elizabeth, but we did not get a photo...)

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you all for coming! =)

George Washington

 A few interesting notes I found on Wikipedia:

The first child of Augustine Washington (1694–1743) and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington (1708–1789), George Washington was born on their Pope's Creek Estate near present-day Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia. According to the Julian calendar and Annunciation Style of enumerating years, then in use in the British Empire, Washington was born on February 11, 1731; when the Gregorian calendar was implemented in the British Empire in 1752, in accordance with the provisions of the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, his birth date became February 22, 1732

 ...and....


On January 6, 1759, Washington married the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis, then 28 years old. Surviving letters suggest that he may have been in love at the time with Sally Fairfax, the wife of a friend. 
 Nevertheless, George and Martha made a compatible marriage, because Martha was intelligent, gracious, and experienced in managing a planter's estate.
Together the two raised her two children from her previous marriage, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis; later the Washingtons raised two of Mrs. Washington's grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis. George and Martha never had any children together – his earlier bout with smallpox in 1751 may have made him sterile. The newlywed couple moved to Mount Vernon, near Alexandria, where he took up the life of a planter and political figure.

 ....and....

Washington opposed the 1765 Stamp Act, the first direct tax on the colonies, and began taking a leading role in the growing colonial resistance when protests against the Townshend Acts (enacted in 1767) became widespread. In May 1769, Washington introduced a proposal, drafted by his friend George Mason, calling for Virginia to boycott English goods until the Acts were repealed. Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts in 1770. However, Washington regarded the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 as "an Invasion of our Rights and Privileges".

Now for a few quotes:

 "While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men, and to him only in this case they are answerable."  ~George Washington
 
"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."   ~George Washington

"Nothing is a greater stranger to my breast, or a sin that my soul more abhors, than that black and detestable one, ingratitude."   ~George Washington in a letter to Governor Dinwiddie, May 29, 1754


"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." ~George Washington

"An army of asses led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by an ass"  
~George Washington



  
"Few Men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." ~ George Washington Written in a letter to Letter to Major-General Robert Howe (17 August 1779).

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese "frosting"

 ~Carrot Cake (12 cupcakes)~
 Pre-heat your oven to 350

 Mix the following in a good sized bowl:
1 cup Flour   (or Spelt or 1/2 c. Oat & 1/2 c. Barley and 1/2 T. unflavored gelatine)
1 t. Baking Powder
3/4 t. Baking Soda
3/4 t. Salt
1 1/2 t. Cinnamon

Then add:
1/3 cup plus 1 T. Oil (Rice Bran or a light Olive)
1/3 cup plus 1 T. Honey  (or half & half Vegetable Glycerin* and Honey)
2 Eggs
1/2 cup drained Crushed Pineapple

Quickly beat it up with an electric mixer, and add:
1 cup grated Carrots
and if you like (or remember!), add 1/4 cup chopped nuts, too....and you can add some raisins...

I like to lightly spray my 12 cupcake liners with a no-stick baking spray, but you don't have to.

Bake at 350, for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or just a little crumby.

(This recipe came from Whole Foods for the Whole Family (found here). )

The cute cupcake wrappers were a gift from a dear friend, Sally!

~Cream Cheese "Frosting"~

1- 8oz package of cream cheese (really soft)

1 cup powdered sugar** (sifted)

2 dribbles of vanilla  Beat (with an electric mixer) the really soft cream cheese,
and add the powdered sugar & vanilla- keep beating till well mixed and gooey/goopy! =)

(This was a nice amount of frosting- 15 cupcakes had a generous amount- if I used less, it would have gone farther)
If it is too stiff, add a tiny amount of milk or cream.


Notes from the kitchen:
* Vegetable Glycerin is a "super food" sweetener for all of the GenoType Diets. You can order it by the gallon from Frontier Co-op. 
** You can use as little as 1/4 c. powdered sugar, and if you do, only use 1 dribble of vanilla.

~Happy eating!

Adrienne

(click here to view the party photos)

A Valentine Birthday Party

Ever since Mom's milestone birthday, back in October, I've been looking for a way to have a party for her.  I mean, sure we had a little dinner party at the time, but I (and her friends) wanted her to have a REAL party.  I wanted to invite LOTS of ladies, but I also knew that that was NOT practical, and I also knew that she would protest about having a second party....so I had to wait and plot.  =)

My waiting paid off, and my opportunity came- permission to have a Valentine Party. Quick! To the computer! Get some invites ready to pass out that very afternoon!  =)  

Whew!  =p

My special Valentine's this year were candles- most folks got the really good kind from Frontier- Organic Palm Wax & 100% Essential Oils (they smelled like Chai). But I did not have enough, so I got a few nice candles from that dread store- Wally World. =) 

I gave Mom a cute "vintage" card (the same kind as: these), everyone else had a sparkly pink heart on a rosy round card!

 We had Carrot Cake Muffins with cream cheese frosting (half had wheat flour, and the other half were oat & barley), dill pickles, chocolates and a few cookies for dessert!

 (recipes can be found HERE)

Mrs. H gave me this cute vintage apron yesterday- isn't it nice! =)

A little video- thanks Molly, for taking it!

I think that Elizabeth has a new friend! =)

 (Some of the party-goers....we were 10 in all.)

Remember ladies, 

one Chai (Stash brand) tea bag in a small pot, 

steep for 5 minutes.

Sweetened with 2T. Sucanat, or 15-20 drops of SweetLeaf brand "vanilla cream" stevia.

(the best place to buy SweetLeaf is Frontier Co-op...talk to my Mom)

~click here for the Peppermint tea recipe~

I cut red paper hearts and stapled them to paper lunch sacks, added a sticker and the ladies name~ very cute, if I may say so! =)

And to all a good night!  Thank you all for coming~

I believe that everyone liked my Valentine Banner! (here)

(P.S.  we missed you, Schatte's, Mrs. Bee & Mrs. H!)